Chapter 9

[9. Tomato Sauce]

"Hey Dae...let's go to canteen" Phet said as soon as the professor left the class.

"Oh..Phet..I would have come..but I don't have any money with me now." Dae said feeling a bit ashamed. He had spent the little money he had with him, for the bus fare. 

"Oh..it's ok. Just come with me." Phet said smiling and grabbing his hands. Phet seemed to be rich. Dae remembered that he earlier bumped into his Mercedes car.

"Dae..let's stick together, okay ?" Phet said as they walked to the canteen.

" What ?" Dae asked confused.

" I mean let's be friends. I liked you so much."

"Oh..!" Dae nodded blushing. 'Phet is so open and also confident.' He thought in mind. " Yeah..let's be friends." He replied back smiling.

" Hey Dae.., are you Korean ? "

" Why you asked that ?"

" Because you look Korean. And I noticed Kim on your ID card."

" Hmm..My Dad is Korean. So I am half Korean, half Thai"

" Oh..! Woah nice. So your Dad settled here ?"

" Ahmm..my Dad died."

"Oh....sorry."

" It's okay. I was not even four when my Dad died. I don't even remember his face."

" So...your mom..? Who all are at your home ? You only have a brother ?"

Dae felt panicked. That day he had told Phet that Aroon is his brother. 'Great ! I am in big trouble. What to do ?' He said to himself in mind.

" Dae, didn't you hear me ?"

" Oh..yeah. My Mom also died. Ahmm..and that was not my brother."

Phet was shocked. He became speechless. He couldn't believe the boy's both parents were dead and he made him talk about that on the first day they met. He felt so sorry for him. He didn't know what to say. So he just kept silent as they walked to the canteen. But he was really confused and curious why Dae earlier said, that guy is his brother. 

The canteen was really spacious. There were four canteens inside campus and this one was the biggest. There were more than 50 desks. Still it was crowded. Dae and Phet walked to the counter and Phet ordered two burger and juices. Once the order arrived, they took it and went to an empty table in one corner. They sat and ate in silence for sometime. Phet couldn't control his curious self anymore. And the silence felt awkward to him. So he spoke.

" Dae..so that guy was not your brother ? That day you told.."

" No..no. He is not my brother. " Dae said even before Phet could complete his sentence.

" So who is he ?" Phet asked and sipped on his juice. " Why was he behaving like that to you..?"

"Ahmm..he..actually....he " Dae struggled to answer Phet's question but he suddenly stopped when he saw Aroon and 4 other boys walking into the cafeteria. Phet was sitting opposite to Dae. So he didn't see them entering.

"Phet...let's go from here..come" Dae said grabbing Phet's wrist and taking the bottle of juice they ordered.

"But..why..? what happened..?" Phet asked.

Dae saw everyone looking at his stepbrother and friends as they walked in. He heard a girl sitting on the nearby table murmuring to her friends, 'Oh..! Guys look T5 is here.'

" Phet...we need to leave here as fast as possible. C'mon." Dae said tensed.

Aroon walked in like the hero from a Drama, in the centre of his gang of five consisting of Oak, Preed, Kris, Atid and he himself. Almost everyone in the college knows them. They are the Thunder 5 or T5 and Aroon is said to be the leader of the gang. They are a powerful gang from the Engineering Faculty. Nobody dares to raise a voice against them no matter whatever they do. If someone does, then that their end.

Aroon was enjoying the looks all the girls in the cafeteria were giving him, trying to gain his attention. But soon he got annoyed on seeing Dae's face. He saw Dae trying to pull up a boy, who was sitting on the chair. Aroon understood Dae was trying to drag the boy out of the canteen with him. Aroon smirked. He decided to have some fun with him along with his gang. ' Kim Tanawat, were are you trying to escape? You can't escape from us.'

**

"Dae..tell me what's happening. why should we go..? There's still five minutes for bell. Let me finish this drink first." Phet said confused.

"Ok Phet..but I have to leave now. See you in class." Dae said and ran to the exit but just as he passed Aroon, the older purposely hit the younger on his shoulders causing him to spill the juice in his hands on the older's shoes. Dae looked up in shock.

"I am s..sorry..I didn't..."

"How dare you...? Do you know whom you messed up with?" Aroon yelled in anger and everyone looked in their direction.

"Hey boy...are you a newbie ? Do you know who we are?" Oak asked staring at the boy who spilled juice on his best friend's shoes. The aforementioned guy was looking rather cold with an almost blank emotion on his face. By now everyone in the cafeteria turned their attention to them. Phet stood frozen, utterly clueless about what was happening. Because it was the same guy whom Dae earlier said, was his brother.

"Clean the shit immediately. Do you know how expensive my shoes are?" Aroon yelled and Dae looked at the same brand of shoes which he was wearing.

"I SAID CLEAN IT "

"Oh..okay." Dae said and kneeled down to wipe the older's shoes with a tissue he had in his pocket. Just when he finished his task and was about to get up, he felt something thick and cold running down his forehead. He touched the top of his head and got panicked.

'RED, Is it blood?, Why can't I feel the pain?' But then he found a bottle of tomato sauce on the table near him.

"What's happening. What is this? He said sorry, right ?" Phet yelled at the gang, running to Dae. Then he looked at Aroon in anger and confusion. " Why are you here? why did you pour the sauce on his head. Who are you ?" Phet was cut in the middle as he felt sauce flowing down his head too. He looked up to see the guy, oak holding the bottle of sauce. He didn't say a word but punched hard at his face and oak fell down on the floor with a thud. Aroon and Atid ran to his aid to help him stand up and the other two guys surrounded Phet.

"You are in serious trouble boy." Kris said. Then he pulled him closer by his collar. Phet tried to yank the other's hands away, trying to push him away. Then Preed came and pushed him back. Phet fell on the floor from the impact. Dae flinched. Then Kris, pulled him back, up by his collar and delivered a punch on his face. Phet punched him back on his nose, hard in anger. Kris's almost fall to a side with a bleeding nose.

" You ! How dare you ? Do you know who we are ?" Preed said and marched to Phet, raising his hands in the air.

" Stop ! Please stop." Dae cried. But Preed delivered a punch on Phet's abdomen and he fell down. Then Preed started punching him while Atid, the meek guy among them, who was standing all the while panicked, ran to Kris to observe his bleeding nose. The whole canteen looked at the scene horrified. Phet was lying on the floor and Preed was punching him. Oak and Atid were yelling at Preed to stop. Dae didn't know how to save Phet. It was all his fault. He has to somehow save Phet. He ran to them and punched Preed from behind.

"LEAVE HIM, PUNCH ME. " Dae yelled and Preed stopped. He turned around, putting up a fist to punch the coward who hit him from behind. But then he looked at the almost crying boy's face. He couldn't simply lunge the punch on his face just by looking at the boy's extremely pretty face. And the boy looked as in pain. But right then a hard slap fell on Dae's face. It was delivered by none else than Aroon.

"YES...PUNCH ME..HIT ME MORE " Dae yelled and the whole college now gathered around them in a circle. Dae felt one more hard punch land on his face but then everything went dark.