I'm Not a High School Boy
CHAPTER 52: Reina and the Secret of Rey

"I've been looking everywhere for you, you're here."

Gisel looked at Rey who was standing right at Reina's room door. The look on his face clearly showed fatigue. He might have panicked right away looking for Gisel the moment he arrived from Japan, Gisel thought.

"I see you're exhausted. No one wants to wake up" said Gisel.

Rey stepped into the room, brought herself closer to Gisel, and suddenly her hand landed on Gisel's forehead.

"Last night you had a fever. The doctor said the drug's effect was against the antidote. Thankfully, your fever is down" Rey said.

Gisel was quite surprised Rey did that. He then switched the conversation.

"This place hasn't changed, yes" Gisel said. She takes her eyes off Rey, distances herself from Rey's hands, and doesn't let Rey see her current face that is almost blushed because of the man.

Rey looked at the room and said, "Hmm .. I asked that this room be cleaned, but not changed anything in it."

"It's been five years, huh?" recalls Gisel. He looked at the corner of the room where there was a dresser there.

Gisel remembered Reina used to love dressing her up who never dressed up. He learns from the videos he watches, then practices them on Gisel. And Gisel never minded.

Gisel was born as an only child. He never felt like he had a brother. With Reina, he could feel her happiness. That was why, she never refused anything Reina asked of her.

Gisel's affection for Reina is the same as Rey's affection for her sister. But, Gisel knew no one could match Rey's affection for Reina.

"Five years ... But his voice still feels heard in this room," said Rey Lirih.

But Gisel agrees with Rey on this. Looking at all of Reina's things that were still neatly arranged in her room, Gisel could also still hear Reina's voice calling out to her, her laughter, her babbling voice, everything felt very close to her ears.

"Hm ... Reina is like never leaving here" said Gisel, who was as clean as Rey.

Rey then sat herself on the carpet under Reina's bed, which Gisel was sitting on. Gisel followed him in the end. The two of them sitting together in the room began to reminisce about the times Reina was still with them.

"You know why Reina died?" asked Rey suddenly on the sidelines of their conversation.

"Hmm ... accident ...," replied Gisel.

He remembered very well that day. They're at school, Rey suddenly gets a call that Reina's been in an accident. Soon they went to the hospital as soon as they heard the news.

Reina's wounds are too severe. The doctor couldn't even save her. Both of Rey's parents continued to plead for Reina to be saved, but doctors repeatedly apologized for her inability.

"Last year, I just found out Reina was in an accident to save a little boy" Rey said.

This time Gisel heard about it. He only knows Reina was in an accident because a drunk driver was carrying his car at high speed. Under the influence of Falcon and Rey's father, the driver was sentenced. But, their heartache still persisted until now.

"The new lawyer found a video related to the accident. And they want to send it to mom and dad. But I asked to send it to me" Rey explained.

"You seen him?"

"Hm ... From beginning to end. I saw how Reina saved a 10-year-old boy who was almost wretched because of the driver. But, he didn't have time to save himself."

Gisel can see Rey's pain as the man tells her story. It was a long time ago, but still left a pain in his heart.

"I then investigated, finding out who the child Reina had saved was. How is he now? Is she okay? Is he living happily? At least, I want to know that Reina's sacrifice was not in vain" Rey explained.

"Do you know who he is?" urged Gisel.

"Hm ..." Rey nodded her head. He then looked at Gisel deeply. "The boy is Kanaya."

Gisel could not believe what he had just heard. Rey said it very clearly. Kanaya's. Rey just mentioned Kanaya's name.

Gisel was not surprised to hear that. He just felt weird about it.

"Why would Clara want to harm Kanaya? Doesn't he have Kanaya's guardianship?" asked Gisel.

Rey shook her head. "That's what I don't know why. It could be that she's bored, or it could be the guardianship's right to keep Farhan married to her."

Gisel is silent now. He looked at the room again. Imagine what a 15-year-old was thinking when he decided to save a 10-year-old. Did he also think what would happen if something happened to him?

"So, that's why you became a teacher at Kanaya school?" asked Gisel after a while.

"Hmm .. yes and no."

Gisel did not understand Rey's intentions. His face changed immediately. His brows furrowed as he tilted his head. Rey simply smiled at Gisel's reaction.

"I was indeed looking for Kanaya because of Reina. But, the reason I became Kanaya's teacher was more than just that" Rey explained.

Rey then looked at the photo of Reina sitting sweetly on the study table. She then said, "I met Kanaya the first time she came home from school. I followed him as he walked alone. Turns out he went to a bridge on a deserted street, then sat on that bridge."

"I'd like to think he's just sitting there. But his face, the look in his eyes, everything .. I felt something different" Rey recalled.

"He wants to kill himself?" asked Gisel to convince himself.

"When I look at it like that, I'm sure so. There's no one there. That's a deserted road. Therefore, I immediately ran to pull him down, then scolded him. He didn't dodge it at all" Rey replied.

"Since then, I decided to interfere in Kanaya's life. Like I said, I don't want Reina's sacrifice to end in vain. Reina gives him a chance to live at the expense of himself. It's painful to see the person Reina saved become like that."

Now it all makes sense to Gisel. Rey repeatedly says the relationship between her and Kanaya is not what Gisel thinks it is. And he repeatedly doesn't care about any of Rey's reasons.

"You should have said it a long time ago" grumbled Gisel. From a sense of pity turned to annoyance given how many times he thought Rey was in love with a teenager younger than Reina.

"I want a story, but I'm also worried that you'll get more misunderstood later. Therefore, I was looking for a really good time to explain it" Rey explained, giving a smile of relief.

Gisel breathed his relief. Although he did not know why, but upon hearing Rey's explanation, his heart felt light, without burden. Rey seemed to have just taken that burden in half.

"So, now it's clear that I don't have feelings for Kanaya as you've thought" Rey asked.

"Who is that, too? If you had explained it a long time ago, I couldn't have misunderstood this" said Gisel.

"Hmm .. therefore forgive me, Gi. It's all my fault. I should have said everything before. I should have told you who I really love."

DEG!

Gisel instantly felt a surge in his heart. That, that was the one Gisel was most afraid of. She had just realized that not all the burden in her heart was lifted by Rey. There were still other burdens that had been filled deeply so that he could fully escape every time he thought about it.

"I-I don't think that's necessary anymore, Rey. Just introduce me to her sometime," said Gisel nervously. He felt he still needed time to prepare himself. Her heart was still not ready to listen to who the girl Rey would mention to her was.

"You know why Reina always wanted to play with you?" asked Rey as Gisel was about to move from his seat. Rey's hand prevented him from leaving. Inevitably Gisel returned to his seat when he heard Rey mention Reina's name.

"That's because you rarely want to play with Reina. He said so," said Gisel. She attacked Rey with her vexed look when she remembered Reina had once told her that.

But Rey shook her head. "That's just the excuse he used. Ever since I told her I liked someone at school, she kept begging me to introduce her. He wants to be close to the person I like."

Gisel's eyes were wide open. He could not believe what he had just heard. Even at a time like this, he still continued to reject everything Rey said.

It was no longer real for Gisel when Rey's hand landed on his face, then rubbed it gently.

"Yes, Gi. My fault. I should've said it a long time ago if I liked you."