Pitbabe S2, Chapter 22 pg 5

 Pitbabe S2, Chapter 22 pg 5

   And now, he shows no signs of remorse. Pitbabe came back, sitting there with a smug, carefree grin like he didn’t have a clue.

   “Where’d you go?” I tried to ask with the most neutral expression possible to avoid giving the gossipmongers anything to chew on. Our team was already under enough scrutiny as it was. If he caused another scene, I’d have no excuses left to make to Jeff.

   “To the bathroom,” Babe replied, looking completely at ease.

   “For that long?”

   “Well, this place is boring.”

   “Babe.”

   “I’m back now, aren’t I, Alan? Why you gotta nag so much?” I was truly at a loss for words with this troublemaker. Not only does he talk like he’s begging for a smack, but he also treats me like his buddy. It just hit me now how much of a blessing it is for society that Babe has Charlie by his side. Ever since Charlie left, Babe has become my burden by default. And now, he’s acting even worse than before. Charlie must’ve been raising Babe in a way that only he could handle alone.

   “What, you’re wearing a tie now?” Out of nowhere, I felt like something about Babe had changed. I stared at him for several seconds before it dawned on me that when we arrived, I didn’t see Babe wearing a tie. He had on just an undershirt with a suit jacket over it, but now there was a black tie around his neck. It didn’t make him look any neater, though—the tie was loose and the knot was a mess, making him look more like a mafia guy after a long day than anything else.

   “Yeah,” Babe glanced down at his neck, answering with a blank expression. “What about it?”

   “Why do I feel like you weren’t wearing one earlier?”

   “Maybe cause you’re getting old.”

   “You little punk.”

   “Memory fades with age, you know. No big deal. One day I’ll be old like you, too.”

   I gave up trying to figure out the truth pretty quickly because I was honestly done talking to this annoying kid. The best thing I could do right now was pray that Charlie, the “ghost,” would come back and take Babe off my hands again. When that day comes, I swear I’ll throw a huge party and toss Charlie a million bucks to celebrate my freedom from this walking disaster.

   “Thought you fell into the toilet and died,” I said, greeting the guy who’d excused himself to the bathroom half an hour ago and finally decided to show his face again. Charlie plopped back into his usual chair, looking irritated but also like he’d given up on life. I couldn’t help but wonder—what kind of profound truth did he discover in the bathroom in such a short time?

   Charlie didn’t say anything back. No explanation, no excuse. He just sat there, still as if he’d run out of energy. I didn’t know what to press him about, so I just looked at him, puzzled, until my eyes caught something odd.

   “Where’s your tie?” I asked, noticing that the collar of Charlie’s undershirt was open, even though he’d been wearing a tie, neatly knotted, when we arrived at the event.

   “Gone,” Charlie replied flatly, avoiding my gaze.

   “Gone?” I repeated his answer, hoping he’d hear how ridiculous it sounded. “What, it just floated off your neck or something?”

   “Yes…”

   “What are you playing at?”

   Charlie went quiet again. He let out a sigh like he was completely fed up, even though I was the one who should be exasperated. I went out of my way to give Charlie a chance to mingle and make connections so our work would be easier, but this guy didn’t seem interested in networking at all. On top of that, he was acting weird, not like himself.

   Maybe it was instinct or some kind of sixth sense, but I turned to look at the table across from us, where Team X was sitting at the head. My eyes landed on the black tie around Babe’s neck without even trying. I was absolutely certain he hadn’t been wearing one when I first saw him.

   “Oh…” Everything clicked into place perfectly. I shifted my gaze back to the kid sitting silently next to me. Charlie seemed to realize he’d been caught, because he suddenly tilted his head up, staring at the ceiling like he was admiring birds or trees or something. “That’s yours, isn’t it?”

   “What…”

   “Charlie,” I lowered my voice, staring intently until the suspect bowed his head, fidgeting with his nails as if cornered by evidence but too ashamed to admit it outright. “How did your tie end up with Babe?”

   “Well…”

   Before I could start scolding Charlie in earnest, Liu, sitting beside me, nudged my arm and handed me her phone, her expression saying, “Before you chew him out for that, look at this first.” I took the phone and glanced at the open tab, and the moment I saw what it was, a question popped into my head: How big a deal would it be if I screamed in the middle of this social event?

   What Liu showed me was Charlie’s X account, which, five minutes ago, had posted:

   [Miss my ex so much. Shouldn’t have broken up.]

   I turned to Charlie, mouth agape, at a loss for words. I’d always thought Charlie was sharp as a tack, a kid who could handle everything on his own, no need for constant prodding. But it seems I’d overlooked one universal truth: no one in this world is without a weakness. Charlie was no exception, and his weakness was so glaring and dangerous that I couldn’t believe I’d missed it before.

   “What the hell are you doing?” This wasn’t a reprimand; it was a genuine question. What was Charlie thinking? He’d sworn not to drag Babe into this, so why post something so blatant about missing him? And now the reposts were already in the tens of thousands. “Did you hit your head or something?”

   “It was necessary,” Charlie replied, his face heavy with concern—which was the right reaction, considering the mess he’d have to clean up after leaving this hall.

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