GOLDEN BOY, BAD BOY のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 121 - チャプター 130

ANOTHER PARTYThe smell of cigarette smoke hit Blake before he could open the front door. He paused in his tracks, one hand still on the knob, and for a moment considered turning around.It was afternoon, and the sun was already lowering itself behind the houses on the other side of the street. Dull oranges and grays were spread across the sky, cars were driving on the road, their tires hissing on the asphalt. Somewhere near the house, the sound of a lawn mower was heard constantly, and the barking of the dog sounded from two houses down.Everything was better than walking into that smell. Blake sighed and opened the door.Light smoke clouded the air in the living room, hovering under the fan, which rotated very slowly. The television was on, although it wasn't so loud that Blake could hear what the commentator was talking about.Aaron stretched on the couch with one ankle hanging over his other knee, holding a cigarette lazily between his fingers. His other hand held the remote, but

THE DETOURBlake never had been very good at fooling his brother. It wasn't like Aaron had an extraordinary talent for identifying lies. Blake was sure that he would have been able to deceive many others, but he simply knew his brother too well. He understood the difference between the real excuse Blake used and the one he had to come up with because he simply refused to speak. He saw the signs of fatigue, of annoyance, of worry so powerful that the young man preferred to disappear than explain anything.Therefore, when Blake left the house, he could still feel the disapproving gaze of his brother in the back of his head even after closing the front door.Blake stopped on the porch and just stood there for a moment. The afternoon air was chilly, carrying the subtle scent of fresh grass from somewhere down the street. Cars moved lazily in front of the houses, their tires whispering on the asphalt. A couple of kids cycled down the road, laughing and trying to race each other towards the

THE FIRST RUMORRoseanne didn't attend her first class. Or rather, not immediately. She strode past the hallway that led to the first classroom, rounded the corner and continued moving farther until she was able to stop hearing the voices of other students behind her, the noise of her high heels hitting the floor resonating within her thoughts.He is not the same anymore. Blake had always been a difficult guy–arrogant, stubborn and even sometimes unbearable–but now, for some reason, he had become distant. Distant from her. For too long.She knew Blake well. They had been attending Brookwoods High for years now, and she knew every little thing about him: how he behaved when he was upset, how he behaved when he wanted to have his way. She knew how Blake acted if he was interested in a girl, and how he looked like if he was bored.Now she understood something new. Blake was interested in Ethan.Roseanne froze in place. Her reflection greeted her from one of the glass trophy cases decorat

THE MESSAGEAs soon as Blake stopped talking, Ethan knew that something was not quite right. They had exited the classroom together and were on their way out of the building, walking down the nearly empty hallway toward the front entrance. The school was slowly getting quieter since the majority of the students had already left.Blake did not release Ethan's wrist until they reached the stairwell. He let go abruptly. "Sorry," he muttered, staring at his own hand like it had a life of its own."It's okay," Ethan replied, massaging his wrist.Blake leant against the wall and took his phone out of the pocket, staring intently at it, unlocking the phone and locking it again, his thumb hovering over the screen in some kind of aimless motion."Did you say that Roseanne showed you the video?" Ethan asked."Yeah," Blake said, not taking his gaze off the screen of his phone."What video?""I don't know.""You watched it.""Part of it.""And...?"Blake ran his hand through his hair and exhaled

THE RUMOR NEVER SLEEPSThe last rays of the setting sun gradually disappeared. Ethan sat next to Blake on the rusty bleachers, and his bottle rested loosely in his hands. The air became colder and was filled with the smell of wet grass and asphalt smell that drifted from the road outside the trees. None of them seemed to be eager to depart.For the first time, Ethan wasn't thinking about the school. He wasn't thinking about the messages. He wasn't thinking about the person who had the video. He wasn't even thinking about tomorrow. He was just sitting there with Blake, and this was enough for him.Blake leaned back on the metal rail and gazed at the dark field. "Do you know?" he asked, "that I used to come here when I was younger."Ethan turned to look at him. "Really?""Yes.""Why?"Blake shrugged. "To get away from something."Ethan faintly smiled. "From what?""From everything.""That's very specific."Blake laughed. "My dad used to get angry whenever I wasn't practicing. Aaron was