Flashback

Chapter 55 - Flashback

“Hey, don’t bully Torin anymore.”

The voice suddenly cut through the laughter. Torin was curled up on the ground with his arms covering his head, trying to protect himself from another kick. Dust covered his clothes, and his cheek was still burning from the last hit. He could hear the boys standing around him, laughing and making fun of him, but their voices slowly became quieter as someone stepped between them.

When Torin cautiously looked up, he saw a boy with a broad back standing in front of him. Pascal spread his arms slightly, putting himself between Torin and the others as if he intended to protect him no matter what happened.

“Leave it now,” Pascal said firmly.

The boy who had been leading the group stared at Pascal for a few seconds before clicking his tongue in annoyance. “Tch.” He spat on the ground and turned around, motioning for the others to follow him. The rest of the group reluctantly walked away with him, leaving Torin and Pascal behind.

Pascal waited until they were gone before crouching beside Torin. He placed a hand gently on Torin’s head and patted him a few times.

“Torin, it’s alright now. They won’t bully you again.”

Torin tried to hold back his tears, but they were already flowing down his cheeks. He slowly got to his feet and used both hands to brush the dust from his clothes. His body was still trembling from what had happened, and he kept his head lowered because he didn't want Pascal to see how badly he was crying.

Pascal noticed anyway. He placed both hands on Torin’s shoulders and gave him a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry about them anymore. If they bother you again, come and find me.”

Torin looked at him for a moment before quietly nodding.

From that day onward, nobody beat Torin again. The boys who had bullied him before would sometimes give him annoyed looks when they passed him in the hallway, but they never touched him or tried to corner him again. Torin didn't completely understand why they had suddenly stopped, but he knew that Pascal was the reason.

Pascal also began inviting Torin to spend time with him after school. They went to gaming rooms, visited parks, spent hours in arcades, and sometimes simply walked around while talking about random things. At first, Torin was nervous whenever they went somewhere together because he wasn't used to having someone genuinely want to spend time with him. He kept expecting Pascal to eventually become tired of him, just like everyone else had.

But Pascal never did.

Day after day, he continued treating Torin the same way. Slowly, Torin stopped questioning the friendship and started trusting him. In only two weeks, the two of them had become best friends.

For the first time in his life, Torin had someone he could truly rely on. Pascal wasn't pretending to be his friend, and he wasn't using him for something. At least, that was what Torin believed. To him, Pascal was simply the person who had stood between him and the bullies when nobody else had cared enough to help.

One afternoon, Torin visited Pascal's house at the mayor's manor. It was much larger than Torin's own home, and Torin had been nervous about meeting the mayor for the first time. Pascal introduced them, and Torin quickly realized that Pascal's father was much more relaxed than he had expected.

Pascal's real mother had passed away, and he had a stepmother, although Torin never saw her during any of his visits. Pascal rarely spoke about his family, so Torin never asked too many questions. At that age, he didn't think there was anything strange about it.

Their friendship continued to grow, and eventually Torin invited Pascal to his own home.

When Pascal arrived, Torin's mother opened the door. Pascal immediately became a little awkward and shy before holding out a small bunch of flowers that he had brought with him.

Torin's mother looked at the flowers and then at Pascal, smiling as she accepted them. She teased him lightly about bringing flowers to the house, which only made Pascal more embarrassed. Torin couldn't help laughing at him.

Torin's father and sister were both out of town for work that day, so the house was quiet. Only Torin, his mother, and Pascal were there.

Pascal had brought his PlayStation 5 Pro Console, the 30th Anniversary Limited Edition Bundle, with him. While Torin's mother went into the kitchen to prepare food, the two boys settled into the living room and started playing. They spent the next few hours completely absorbed in the game, arguing over who was better, laughing at each other's mistakes, and immediately starting another match whenever one of them lost.

For Torin, it was a simple and happy afternoon. He wasn't thinking about school, the bullies, or anything else that had happened before. He was simply enjoying the time he was spending with his best friend.

After a while, Pascal put down the controller and stood up.

“I need to use the bathroom.”

Torin barely looked away from the television. “Okay.”

Pascal walked out of the living room, and Torin continued playing. He expected Pascal to return within a few minutes, but the next match ended and Pascal still hadn't come back. Torin started another one, thinking that perhaps Pascal had stopped somewhere to talk to his mother.

After some more time passed, Torin finally put the controller down and looked toward the hallway.

“Where did he go?”

He got up from the couch and walked through the house. The sounds of his mother moving around in the kitchen was gone, and Pascal was nowhere near the bathroom.

As Torin turned the corner, he suddenly saw him.

Pascal was standing in front of his parents' bedroom door.

He wasn't doing anything. He was simply standing there, staring at the door.

“Pascal?”

Pascal's body stiffened.

He turned around quickly, and Torin immediately noticed the change in his expression. His face had tightened, and for a moment he looked almost nervous. His hand suddenly slipped into his pocket before he forced a smile.

“Oh, Torin. Yeah... what happened?”

Torin looked at him suspiciously. “What are you doing here?”

Pascal answered almost immediately, as if he had already prepared an explanation.

“The bathroom is occupied. S-so I was waiting.”

Torin glanced toward the bathroom which is at the opposite direction and then back at Pascal. Pascal looked slightly uncomfortable, but there was something strange about his explanation. If someone was already using the bathroom, there was no reason for him to wait outside it when he could simply wait in the hallway.

Pascal looked toward the bedroom door again before turning back to Torin. “Let’s go back to the room, okay? Leave it. I’ll use it later.”

Torin nodded and was about to follow him when he noticed that his parents’ bedroom door was slightly open. He didn't think much of it at first. He simply assumed his mother had left it that way while moving around the house.

As he walked past, however, he caught a glimpse of movement inside.

Torin stopped and looked toward the room.

His mother was inside, changing her clothes.

The moment he realized what was happening, Torin's face turned pale. He immediately understood why Pascal had been standing there and why he had suddenly wanted to leave. The bedroom door must have been open when Pascal was seeing inside.

Torin stood there for a moment, his mind struggling to process the situation. His first reaction was embarrassment, followed almost immediately by anger. He glanced toward Pascal, who was entering his room.

Torin looked at his back and clenched his hands tightly. The warmth and comfort he had felt only moments earlier were gone, replaced by a strange discomfort that he couldn't explain. He had trusted Pascal completely, and now he couldn't stop thinking about what Pascal had seen.

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