I leaned my bicycle against the magnolia tree on the side of the house, hitting my knee with the pedal in the process. I stumped my foot in pain to hold myself from groaning.
"Hey."
I jumped in surprise, taken aback and hit the bicycle, knocking it down on the ground. The wheel hit my feet and I was knocked down too, landing my butt on the gear.
"Gesh!" I cursed, glaring at Drev. Then remembered I wasn't supposed to curse so I held a hand to my mouth. "What?" I asked him, irritatedly.
He stood by the door frame of the basement. He looked at me, to the bike, then back at me. "Do you need help?" He walked up to me but didn't help not until I replied, "What do you think?"
He took my hand to help me stand and grabbed the bike at the same time. "Are you mad?"
I dusted my jeans and shook my head, "A while ago, now I'm not. What are you doing in the basement?" I glanced behind him.
"Nuvian asked me to get some screws." He tapped the pocket of his jeans. His charcoal hair is down on his shoulders, the wind blew lightly causing it to fly for a second before setting down on his shoulders again. He motioned to the picket fence. "I'm going now."
"Where?"
"Help Nuvian with the boat at his friend's house. Want to come with me?"
I shook my head. "No, I have things to do."
He nodded before walking out. I watched him walked, his head bowed down as he played with the screws that were now on his palms, until he disappeared out of sight.
I sighed to myself and headed inside the house, taking note to check my knee for bruises. Mom is in the kitchen cooking something and Dad just got home from the farm, idling in the living room infront of the TV. He is not watching, his eyes are closed, but I know better not to turn off the TV or flick to another channel.
I fell asleep as I laid on bed, awaken by the knocking of the door. Mom was calling me for dinner. I responded that I will be down in a moment, and slipped off from bed. I glanced at the wall clock and scoffed at myself as the short nap that I planned turned into three hours of sleep. I had checked my knee and there I got a circular bruise, but only as big as a coin.
My sleepiness faded in an instant as I reached the dining table and noticed that Drev's hair now fall on either side of his temple. My eyes widened. "Did you cut your hair?" I walked up to his seat, my hands rested on the backrest of his chair and studied his face, he bowed his head down looking uncomfortable that my face is analysing his only inches apart. I went to my seat.
I wanted to tell him that he looks live a movie actor admired by everyone for his attractive face but I didn't.
Mom and Dad chuckled. I turned to them, my hand spread to Drev's direction. "Who did that?"
Nuvian winked at Drev, who gave his shy smile in return. "I told you, man, you look better." He turned to me, his eyebrows cocked. "Riran cut his hair, Drev didn't like it but I think he agrees now that the four of us said so."
I protested, "But I didn't say."
Nuvian rolled his hazel eyes, "You didn't but your face shows it."
As we ate, I tried not to glance on Drev's direction but it was hard not to when his look is really digging. I hope my parents didn't notice but it's okay if they did since it doesn't have an issue anyway. I still don't trust Drev after all.
As days passed by, the strangeness I felt everytime I look at the different colors of his eyes had gotten lesser and lesser, but still it's strange. He often runs his fingers through his hair since Nuvian's friend cut it, then it falls back again on either side of his temple.
I was at the farm with my dad helping him spray fertilizers to the trees while Mom was at the "laboratory" as what she calls it, where she was doing her asexual breeding of the oranges. Dad was pumping while directing the hose to the base of the trees, and Drev was walking meters ahead of us together with Nuvian while Nuvian loudly blabbered of the compliments his shop class teacher gave to the successful boat project.
The sky was blue and bright. But the trees shade us from the glare of the sun. The ground was solid and the birds were chirping from afar. The farm reminded me from our visit in Youla where most of the habitants were old couple left by their grown up children, who ended up attending a big mango farm for something to do because they didn't want to stay at home and wait for death without doing a contribution to town. I figured out as you get gray and old, you run out of things to do that you ended up doing a silly one. Oh, no. It wasn't silly. Impressive how they thought of the town instead of themselves regarding they were in their golden age already.
"Dad, don't you think we should take him home now?" I said to Dad in low voice, enough for him to hear despite of the splashing noise the fertilizer makes as it exits the hose, but enough too so Drev wouldn't hear us. There were distant splashing from the workers who helped in tending the farm. "He's been under our roof for more than a month and you see, he acts strange."
Dad sighed. "Everytime we ask him about the subject, he avoids it. I don't think the boy ever wants to go home." He shot Drev a sympathetic glance.
"What about his family? They might be very worried of him." I just watched Drev, how he smiled as Nuvian cracked a joke. I never hear him laugh. Does he even laugh when his smile is even barely a smile?
Dad stopped, turning to me with his thoughtful expression. His forehead lined with crest of frowning over the years, his cheeks a little saggy, but I could still feel his youthfulness within. "What if his family is the reason why he left?" He motioned to the trees decorated with healthy oranges. "And he is a good luck, the business is going well and your mom's almost done with the experiment."
I nodded, knowing that I won't win over the superstitious beliefs of my parents. "Don't you think we should know his whole story first before trusting him? We don't even know what his last name is."
"Agustine," Dad answered abruptly.
Kevan last name.
"See? He is lying. Kevan hair is of any shades of blonde, never black." It had been scientifically proven that any nationality mixed with Kevan genes could never surpassed the distinct Kevan characteristic of having a blonde hair. Only Kevans have that hair color except if your hair was dyed, it doesn't matter if the only Kevan in your family was present from a long time ago. Never create an offspring with a Kevan if you want to preserve your ginger, brown, and black hair.
"Grassi," Dad said in a fatherly tone. "Drev is not doing any harm. Why do you want him gone so much?"
I fell silent. I didn't answer. Dad and I continued walking, and we didn't speak again. He didn't have finalization in his tone but the fact that I couldn't answer his question seemed to be the end of it.
Why do I want him gone so much? Yes, he is not doing any harm to us but he is really weird for me. The fact that he doesn't know technologies, not knowing that cat is not a rare creature, and just his shyness with his head bowed down and whisper voice. Maybe I just really need to know everything about him, even if that means forcing him. I can't just let him be part of the family that easily.
But I know deep inside, the real reason why I am against him living with us is because I am afraid my parents will no longer care for me. The way they treat Drev as a lucky charm scares me. I don't wanna feel abandoned because of a random boy from a lake who could be a thief, murderer, or what.
