Pitbabe S2, Chapter 7 pg8

 Pitbabe S2, Chapter 7 pg8

   “No reason not to,” I shrugged, though it felt a bit odd to say I “liked” Alan. I’d never really sat down to figure out what my feelings for him were—liking, loving, respecting, or gratitude. I wasn’t sure which word fit best. All I knew was that, to me, he was a Phii no one could ever replace. No, not just replace—impossible to replace. “He’s family.”

   “So jealous,” Willy smiled like a kid daydreaming about his future. “Is that why Team X has stayed together so long?”

   That’s probably how outsiders see us. I think it’s a beautiful image. The unity and family-like love make X-Hunter known as a strong team because everyone shares the same goal. But within that big goal, there are countless smaller ones: trainees want to become racers, juniors want to move up to the big leagues, third place aims for second, second dreams of first, and first strives to hold their ground without slipping. In the end, everyone has their own lane and finish line.

   “I wouldn’t dare. What do I have to compete with Phii Charlie?”

   “Of course, you can’t compare to Charlie at all,” I replied bluntly. It’s true—Willy doesn’t hold a candle to Charlie. If we ignore looks, where Willy might’ve caught Babe’s eye years ago, there’s nothing else that makes him a rival. Personality, character, intelligence (and, of course, sex appeal)—Charlie has it all, and I think he knows it. “No one compares.”

   “You must’ve been blessed by God a ton,” Willy said with a grin, reaching into the pocket of his short-sleeved shirt. Before I knew it, I felt soft fabric lightly brush my cheek. “Lucky in game, lucky in love.”

   I jerked my face away instantly.

   It just hit me that being touched like this by someone other than Charlie felt incredibly weird.

   “Just wiping your face. You’re filthy,” the foreign kid laughed at my panicked reaction to a mere handkerchief. “Leave it too long, and your skin’s gonna suffer.”

   “Whatever, I’m fine,” I brushed Willy’s hand away. To the eye, it seemed harmless, but his action made me feel like I was doing something terribly wrong, almost sinful.

   “Okay, okay. If you won’t let me do it, wipe it yourself,” Willy handed me his cream-colored handkerchief, nodding for me to clean up. “It’s bugging me. Just do it.”

   “Why are you so bothered by my face?” I grumbled but took the handkerchief anyway. At first, I didn’t think my dirtiness was a big deal, but being called filthy and handed a cloth like this made me wonder if I really looked that bad. “You don’t seem like the type to carry a handkerchief.”

   “Right? My friends say that too,” Willy nodded in agreement. “But I always have one. I might look like this, but I’m actually pretty vain.”

   “So you can’t stand seeing someone messy.”

   “Pretty much. Right now, I want to dunk you in a basin and scrub you hard.”

   “I’m not a dog.”

   “Then hurry up and wipe.”

   I clicked my tongue, annoyed at being bossed around by some kid. Aside from Charlie, no one’s ever dared order me like this. If Willy didn’t look so clean that it made me feel disgustingly dirty, I wouldn’t have gone along with it.

   “By your temple too,” Willy said, nodding at me with a slightly exasperated look, as if annoyed that I couldn’t clean my face properly. “No, the left side.”

   “This is the left,” I said, rubbing the cloth hard against the skin by my left temple until it started to sting a bit.

   “Ugh, Phii, sorry.”

   In the end, Willy couldn’t take it anymore. He snatched the handkerchief from my hand and wiped the smudge off himself. His brows furrowed, his mouth slightly open, clearly frustrated that I couldn’t clean myself to his satisfaction. Part of me wanted to pull away—I don’t like people fussing too close—but Willy was so focused on the oily smudge on my forehead, ignoring the fact that we weren’t close enough for this kind of thing, that I figured it wasn’t that bad to let him do it.

   “You scrubbed so hard but missed the spot,” Willy muttered. “It’s all red now.”

   “Who’s gonna see it anyway?”

   “There’s a mirror right there, you know.” His words made me realize there was a big mirror nearby. I’d just looked in it earlier but forgot. Now I was starting to feel a bit embarrassed.

   “Alright, that’s enough,” I cleared my throat to cover my awkwardness, pushing Willy away.

   “All done, it’s clean now,” Willy laughed. He stepped back, tucking the handkerchief back into his shirt’s chest pocket. “Looks much better.”

   “Where’re you taking that cloth?” I held out my hand. “Give it here. I’ll wash it and return it.”

   “It’s fine. It’s just this.”

   “Just this? It’s your cloth, man.”

   “I’ve got plenty more.”

   “Then throw it out.”

   “Alright, alright, I’ll toss it,” Willy nodded absently, while I couldn’t stop staring at him until the pretty boy started looking uneasy. “What?”

   “You’re not gonna do something weird with that cloth, are you?”

   “Are you crazy?” Willy’s eyes widened like he’d seen a ghost, his cheeks flushing slightly—a rare sight. I didn’t think a guy like him could get embarrassed. “Even if I like you, I’m not a creep!”

   “It just seemed like it.”

   “I’ll throw it out right here, okay?”

   “Okay,” I shook my head lightly, unbothered, after deciding Willy probably wasn’t the kind of psycho who’d keep an idol’s sweat and grime for personal satisfaction. Even if it kinda looked that way. “Next time we meet, I’ll buy you a new one.”

   “It’s fine. It’s just a handkerchief. I’m not that serious about it.”

   “It’s not about whether you’re serious. I just don’t like owing anyone.”

   “For a handkerchief?”

   “Who knows, maybe one day you’ll claim I owe you something.”

   “Am I that ridiculous in your eyes?”

   “Pretty much.”

   Willy didn’t say anything back, just laughed and shook his head lightly, as if he was out of words for my logic. Then North came running in, shouting that Alan was treating everyone to snacks. Hearing that, the cheeky kid jumped up and bolted after the gang of kids immediately.

   Still just a kid after all, huh.

   Speaking of kids, it made me think of another one. Wonder what he’s up to right now.

   If I said I’d treat him to snacks, would Charlie come running to me like Willy did? Or is Charlie too grown up to care about stuff like that?

   If it’s now, what would I need to tempt Charlie with to make him drop everything and come to me?

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