Leave Me Alone, Big Brothers! [BL]-Chapter 63: Enemies in Disguise

Chapter 63: Enemies in Disguise
The school day ended with a gray, overcast sky.
Nathan walked out of the class, his brain exhausted. He adjusted his scarf, ready to call Louis. He had already told Eli that he would go straight home, so there was no need to meet him.
His focus right now was only on studying and graduating with good grades. It would be very embarrassing if he failed. Deep down, he wasn’t just chasing graduation, but also watching how Nael had managed to enter a class for gifted children.
In a sense, he was losing to Nael, for now. Although no one said it openly, everyone seemed to compare him to Nael. He didn’t like it, especially because he was on the weaker side and losing.
But what was Nael’s talent, really? The kid seemed dumb, meaning there was nothing remarkable about him. He seemed just like Nathan himself.
Nathan was sure it was his brother’s money that got the kid there. Whatever it was, he had to show that he could graduate with good grades.
He walked toward the pickup zone, his breath puffing white in the air.
"Hey."
Nathan stopped.
Leaning against a pillar near the parking lot, looking bored and cold, was Zane. He had his hands in his pockets, his jacket collar turned up.
Nathan frowned, gripping his bag strap. "Are you waiting to insult me again? Because I’m really not in the mood."
Zane pushed off the pillar. He didn’t look at Nathan directly, his gaze was fixed somewhere on a distant, white-coated tree, nervous.
"I don’t have time to insult you," Zane muttered.
He reached into his bag and pulled out a sleek black box. He looked tense, taking deep breaths repeatedly before walking over and shoving it into Nathan’s chest.
"Take it."
Nathan reflexively grabbed it to stop it from falling. He was a little surprised.
"What is this?"
"Dinner. Or a late lunch. Whatever," Zane said quickly, looking uncomfortable. "My chef... he made too much. He was testing a new recipe or something. It’s not leftovers."
Nathan looked down at the box. The box looked expensive. It definitely wasn’t "leftovers" from a recipe test.
He looked up at Zane, raising an eyebrow. "You waited out here in the cold to give me... leftovers?"
Zane’s ears turned pink, but he hid it by staring intently ahead. "I said it wasn’t leftovers. Not yesterday’s either..."
Nathan frowned.
Zane looked away. "I was joking."
He shifted his weight, looking at his boots. "Just take it. The food in the cafeteria is trash. You’ll get food poisoning if you keep eating that cheap fried chicken."
Nathan stared at him. He remembered yesterday’s events, then today Zane storming out angrily at lunch. And now, this awkward, terrible attempt at kindness.
Slowly, a small smirk touched Nathan’s lips.
"Is this your way of apologizing for being a jerk yesterday?" Nathan asked.
Zane scoffed, finally meeting Nathan’s eyes. "I don’t apologize. I’m just clearing my inventory."
"If you want to apologize, at least say it properly. You’ll be wasting your effort," said Nathan, looking at Zane, who now looked like a boiled shrimp. Somehow, it was funny to him.
He saw a strange kid he had thought would be very difficult to approach, but it turned out the kid had given him a lunch box—twice. He was sure Zane wasn’t that bad. In some ways, he realized the boy was probably just like him, finding it difficult to express his feelings.
Zane was still standing there, staring in another direction while occasionally looking at his boots.
But instead of talking, the boy turned around and walked quickly away from Nathan toward the parking lot.
"Hey!" Nathan called, walking after him.
Zane turned, surprised to see Nathan following him. "What? What do you want?"
"I saw you still have one box in your bag. Why don’t we eat together?" Nathan asked, walking closer.
Zane stared as if Nathan had come from another world, his face suddenly pale. "No, I don’t have anything else."
"Oh, come on. Let’s eat together. Where do you usually eat?" Nathan looked around the parking lot. Then he looked at Zane’s sports car.
"In the car?" he asked, walking over.
Zane was silent for a moment, still processing what was happening. He hadn’t expected this at all. His eyes widened when Nathan walked toward his car.
No!
He quickly ran to block Nathan. He imagined the state of his messy car. He wouldn’t let Nathan see it and mock him.
"Not there. You’ll make a mess in my car. I won’t allow it," Zane said, panicking.
Nathan stopped and sighed. "Fine. Where can we eat?"
Zane wanted to refuse; he wasn’t used to eating with other people. But here he was, sitting on the edge of the parking lot with a bento box on his lap.
They both ate in silence for a few minutes. Then Nathan spoke up.
"Wow, this is really delicious. I think you have a great chef. I never thought of bringing a lunch box to school," said Nathan.
Zane ate his own bento. He had been a little disappointed since morning because he hadn’t been able to give it to him on time, and now the bento was cold. But Nathan’s words made him feel a little relieved.
And he agreed, the bento was delicious. It tasted better than usual. He didn’t know if it was because of Ben’s cooking or because of the boy next to him.
Nathan was surprised when his phone vibrated. He widened his eyes because he had forgotten that Louis was waiting for him.
"Ah, Louis, I’m sorry. I’m eating with my friend. Can you wait for me a moment?" he said, panicked.
He heard Louis’s voice on the other end. "No, it’s okay. No problem. I thought something happened. Nael isn’t here yet either."
Zane glanced over quietly, his ears tingling when he heard Nathan call him a friend. Why was it so easy for him to consider others friends just because of food?
He couldn’t hide his small smile and covered it up by stuffing his mouth with food, chewing quickly.
Until he started coughing.
Nathan ended the call and turned to him. "Hey, are you okay?" He reached for his drink bottle.
Zane immediately pushed his hand away, panicked. "Don’t touch me!"
Nathan clicked his tongue, offended, as if his hand were dirty. He just stared as Zane gulped down the drink.
"Ugh, are you some kind of ancient artifact? Can’t be touched? Seriously!" Nathan grumbled, finishing his food.
Zane closed his lunch box and walked toward his car. Nathan clicked his tongue again; the boy was really worse than him at communicating.
Nathan stood up. "Hey, Zane! Thanks!"
Zane turned his head for a moment, lowering his gaze before opening his car door and getting in, without saying a word.
Nathan took a deep breath. A real ancient creature.
He watched Zane’s sports car drive away from the parking lot. He stared at the black box in his hand and couldn’t hide his small smile. "Such a weird kid."
Finally, he walked toward the front. As he left the parking lot and headed for the corridor, he saw Nick and Jonas passing by.
He looked down the corridor, trying to find Nael. No one was there.
It would be better to ask them where Nael was. But before he could speak, they said something that made him fall silent.
"Forget it, you can’t compete with him," said Jonas. They walked slowly but didn’t paid attention to Nathan behind them.
"I’m sick of him. He always gets the attention just because he’s Salazar’s son."
Nathan frowned when he heard that name. They were obviously talking about Nael—their best friend?
"Well, he has talent, and his family has power. There’s nothing you can do."
Nick sighed. "Help me. I have to give a speech at graduation. My grades are three points below Nael’s."
Jonas spoke softly, and Nathan couldn’t hear him clearly. But resentment filled him, and he didn’t know why. He didn’t like his twin either, but hearing them talk badly behind his back was unethical. He hated hypocritical people.
"You guys are really two-faced," Nathan said, loud enough to make them turn in surprise.
Jonas was the most shocked, his face turning pale instantly.
Nick went silent, his eyes wide. "N-Nathan... how long have you been here?"
Nathan stared sharply at the two of them, disgusted. "Long enough to hear your plan to bring down Nael, your own friend. Truly enemies in disguise."
Nick and Jonas looked at each other, still shocked.
Jonas cleared his throat, his voice suddenly hoarse. "I don’t know what you heard, but I’m sure it’s a misunderstanding. We were talking about someone else."
Nathan snorted openly, surprising them even more.
"Where’s Nael?" Nathan asked, not wanting to hear excuses since he had heard clearly.
Nick and Jonas kept trying to distract him. It would be bad if Nael heard this. They would lose his support and possibly gain an enemy.
Becoming Salazar’s enemy would be the worst outcome.
"Where’s Nael?!" Nathan repeated.
Finally, Jonas sighed. "Please don’t tell Nael anything. I’m sure you misunderstood us. I don’t want you to ruin our friendship."
Nathan chuckled in disgust. "Friendship? With rotten bananas like you two? Nael is truly the unluckiest boy I’ve ever met."
Nick felt his face flush. Before he could say anything, Nathan stepped closer, forcing him to retreat. After the cafeteria incident and the rumors about Nathan’s temper, he didn’t want to get beaten up.
"Where is Nael?" Nathan asked again, his voice low and threatening.
Nick swallowed hard. "I-I don’t know..."
Jonas finally spoke, grabbing Nathan’s arm. "Listen. You think you guys are perfect? If you cause trouble, you know the consequences. I’ll reveal Nael’s secret to everyone. Do you understand?"
Nathan frowned, jerking his arm free. "What? Are you threatening me?"
Jonas fell silent. "I have no other option. If you ruin our lives, I’ll ruin your brother’s reputation."
Nathan gritted his teeth.
What did they mean?
Jonas stepped backward. "He’s behind the school with his boyfriend."