Dean sighed and plopped down on the desk next to Riley once again. But before starting the conversation, he clasped his hands together and gestured for his classmates to look away. Don't make him feel like digging a pit and hiding in it. 

Some students listen to Dean; some don't. Among those who didn't listen were some girls looking for some more boy-boy moments. Just how could they let that drama pass without capturing some pictures of it on their phones?

"Now, tell me what happened," Dean asked as he placed his face on the desk and looked at Riley with a concerned look. 

Riley also laid his face on the desk next to Dean and asked, "Why are you sleeping? That's not why I stopped you. How can you sleep when your friend is so sad?" Riley put on a sad face to show Dean how sad he was. 

"Girls are watching us," Dean whispered, and before he could complete his sentence that that's why he is hiding his face, Riley interrupted him.

" Really?" Riley's face lit up. He raised his head to see the girls, but Dean pushed it back onto the desk with his hand. 

"Tell me what you want to say, or I'm going back to my seat. I've got work to do. I'm not as free as you are," Dean said. He had no time to waste with him; his three assignments were hanging over his head to be finished. If he doesn't finish them on time, his teacher will deduct his marks, which he didn't want at any cost. 

"It's about senior. I didn't see him anywhere today," Riley said, and Dean felt like hitting his head on the desk. Although he had a little idea about it. But why does it always have to be him? Why doesn't a day go by when his friends talk about someone else instead of that senior? Why doesn't Riley have someone more important than him? Why?!

"So what? It's not that he used to stand in your way with a rose in his hand." Dean asked, getting agitated. He couldn't sit there anymore. Riley was only going to speak nonsense. 

"So what? You are saying, 'So what?' I MISS HIM." Riley acted as if it were really important, and Dean cares to listen about it.

"So, what do you want me to do? Go to him and ask him to show up in front of you because you miss him?" Dean asked, raising his head and staring at Riley.

Riley shook his head and said, "No. You don't need to do that. Just stay with me and listen to me. I have a lot to say." Riley put his hand on Dean's hand and gave him an evil smile, which was saying if not Miles, then it's your turn today. 

"Okay." Dean sighed. He knew Riley wouldn't let him go until he told him the whole story.

 "Go ahead." Dean leaned his face back against the desk, closed his eyes, and let Riley say whatever he wanted to say. 

***

It was recess. Everyone was talking and doing something, and so were Riley and Dean. And this was the time when Riley stopped hurting Dean's ears. He not only told Dean about what happened today but also about what happened six months ago when his mother forgot to bring his birthday cake. Only for some minutes, when the math teacher came to take her class, Riley shut his mouth. But sadly, the physics and computer teachers didn't show up, and all that time Riley kept babbling. For the first time in his life, Dean felt teachers should take their classes regularly and never miss a lecture. 

"You talk so much," Dean said, covering his ears with his hands. But what was the use of it now? The ears were already on the verge of bleeding. 

" What? When did I talk so much? I haven't told you yet what happened last week." Riley said, tapping his chin with his finger as he tried to remember what else he had to tell Dean. 

"Please let me go. That's enough."  Dean closed his hands before Riley, and Riley laughed a little at seeing Dean act like that.

"Okay, okay. I won't talk anymore." Riley said, putting his finger on his lips. "But whenever you feel like talking to someone, you can come to me and talk to me as much as you want to. I will hear you all." Riley gave a reassuring smile, but Dean just sighed. He was happy that now Riley will shut up.

"By the way, you know what happened last—"

"Senior! He must be missing you. Go- go to him," Dean suddenly said, raising his head from the desk. Didn't he just say he wouldn't talk anymore? Then what was it? He was going to murder his ears today. 

"Oh yeah. Thank you for reminding me." Riley excitedly got up from the desk. But before going, he opened his school bag and took out a lunchbox.

Dean looked at the lunchbox, then at Riley, and then again at the lunchbox. He was sure it was for Miles. Just when will the day come when someone will bring something for him too? And get as excited to see him as Riley gets when he goes to see Miles. But no. It was never going to happen with him. 

"For you. You like muffins, right?" Riley said, pushing the lunch box in front of Dean. 

Dean gave Riley a puzzled look before looking down at the lunchbox.

He narrowed his eyes at Riley before opening the lunchbox and seeing that there were his favourite muffins in it. 

"You know so well how to torture people and then make them happy," Dean said, taking one muffin from the box and eating it. But he was still confused that those muffins were really for him and not for Miles. 

Riley nodded with a smile. But he wasn't torturing him. He just poured out his heart to his best friend. Is that wrong? Is telling your friends how you feel wrong? No. Right?

 "Okay, eat them all. I'm going." Riley winked at Dean, then put his hands in his pants pockets and walked out of the classroom.

Dean put the half-eaten muffin back in the lunchbox and started coughing.

'Just from where Riley has learned all these bad habits. He wasn't like this before. But think about it: if he winks at his friend, then who knows what he does with Miles? No wonder, Miles gets angry whenever Riley talks to him.' Dean nodded to himself as he thought this through and started eating his half-eaten muffin again.