One Shot of Chance

Chapter 9 - Old self

Kazuhiko Hibiki came rushing to The Midnight Bar after the manager called. When he saw Galen, he immediately asked for his friend.

"He has been drinking for two hours. I thought you might be able to stop him." Galen motioned to Shintaro.

He saw him at the far corner of the room, slumped on a table with at least five bottles of beer on the table. There were also bottles scattered on the floor. Kazu tried counting them but failed.

"We have an important practice match tomorrow, and he is here, ruining his lungs and liver." Kazu could only rub his forehead.

"I know. That is why I called you. Send him home now before he starts a fight. That other group is already eyeing him."

Kazu caught a piercing glare at the other side of the room. They were a group of five guys with different tattoos all over their bodies. They also had piercings everywhere, on their noses, their ears, even at their eyebrows.

"Thanks, bro! I will handle him from here." He tapped Galen's shoulder before jogging towards his friend.

"Shin," he called while poking his friend's cheek. He tried slapping them a little, but Shin was not moving at all. Kazu even placed his finger under his nose to check if he was still breathing.

Kazu sighed before he gently carried him on his back. "You are going to pay for this, Shin-chan," he whispered and groaned as he lifted him. He was afraid of breaking his back because of him. He was not particularly fat, but his muscles were heavy enough to snap a bone or two.

"Wait, I can't take you home like this. Your father will surely kill us both."

He fished for his phone in the back of his pocket and dialed his friend's number.

"Hey, Peter, can I crash over your apartment?" he asked, panting. He placed Shin in the waiting area outside and rested for a bit.

"What? My sister is here, we can't stay up late again and play games."

"Ahm... well, it is not really me who is sleeping over." He scratched his cheek and looked at Shin who was so wasted he could not even sit straight. "It's Shin. He is so drunk right now I can't send him home. You know his parents."

"Oh." Peter must have understood what was happening, so he immediately asked for Jennica's permission. "He can sleep over. But only Shin."

Kazu chuckled. "Okay. Okay, protective brother. Only Shin."

When he ended the call, he waited for Peter. Kazu only had his motorcycle and it would be dangerous to ride it with a drunk person behind.

He stared at Shin. "I thought you were going to stop drinking and smoking. What happened?"

He could not help but worry about his friend. He was so excited about not drinking anymore to celebrate or to mourn, but here he was, so wasted he could not even lift a finger. Something must have happened with their date. He needed to know the details.

When Peter arrived in his car, he immediately thanked him.

"No need to thank me, dude. You know I am just here whenever you need help. We are not strangers anymore."

Kazu smiled a little. "Thanks. I would have liked to take him home, but his parents knew about my place. You are my only choice."

"No problem. " He patted Kazu's shoulder. "You should go home too. It is getting late."

"Sure. I will stay a bit to smoke."

Shintaro's father was a retired marine. He was so strict that even Kazu and his friends were afraid of him. They could not even hang out at Shin's place without the fear of getting caught by his father, even though they were not doing anything wrong.

His mother was abroad, working as a fashion designer. Kazuhiko could barely remember Shin’s face because every time she went home, they were away all the time.

On the other hand, Shintaro's older brother was a policeman. He had just graduated from criminology with top scores and was already making his way to the top. That was why Shin was kind of rebelling from his family.

They wanted him to pursue something with a similar background. They were pressuring him to study and have an advanced reading about his career, but he had different plans. He wanted to open his own bar like The Midnight Bar. But with a family like his own, he could not achieve it so easily.

Just like what he said, Kazu lit his cigarette and sat in the waiting shed near the bar. He was watching all the people entering and exiting the bar. He was not really a fan of beer and alcohol, but one thing he learned was to smoke. Unlike Shin, though, he only puffed one or two a week.

Kazu was busy scanning his surroundings when a passerby dropped his things. As instinct, he helped the lady pick up the groceries she was carrying.

"Thank you so much," the lady said as she started picking up her things. "I did not see the hump so I was caught off balance."

"It is okay. Here." Kazu handed her the plastic bag and checked if she was okay. "Are you hurt?"

"No. I am fine. Just the groceries. Sorry to bother you." The lady smiled, catching Kazu off guard.

The lady was wearing a long skirt up until her knees, and a white blouse normally worn by old ladies. He thought she was an old woman or something. That was why, when he saw her face, he did not expect a beautiful lady.

Kazu's mouth was left hanging. The lady was starting to feel awkward because of his stares. "I... ahm... I need to go. Thank you again."

He snapped back into reality. "Yeah! Ah... okay. No problem."

When the lady walked away, Kazu continued watching her. He only stopped when someone called him.

"You are still here?" Galen asked. "It is already morning."

Kazu looked at his wristwatch and cursed. "I lost track of time. I need to go before my mom kills me."

Galen only laughed at him and left. Kazu rode his motorcycle and went home. He felt his back pocket vibrate, causing him to curse. "I am so dead."

ROWIE SHUT THE door close behind her before leaning against it. She sighed, thinking of the confrontation a while ago. She regretted leaving Shin there after getting the guy’s hopes up. But part of her was telling her that she had made the right decision.

Even after what she did, it still left a huge impact on her heart. It would not stop hammering so fast inside its cage that it started hurting.

So, this is what regret feels like, Rowie thought.

“Why are you just standing there, Rowie?” Janice asked after emerging from the kitchen.

“Ahm… I was just getting in.” She took off her shoes and went inside, kissing Janice on the cheek before changing her clothes.

“Oh Rowie, you should not go outside with that look on your face.”

She snickered. “What does my face look like?”

“Did something happen?”

“No,” she answered, “Nothing happened. Why would you ask that?”

“Because it is written all over your face, Rowie. You can’t hide it from me.”

Rowie sighed. “It’s nothing, really. I just showed up at a… meeting, and then left as soon as I arrived.”

“Care to tell me more of the details?” Janice made her way to Rowie and pulled her.

Rowie knelt to see Janice’s face and sighed. “I was asked to go on a date but this guy…”

“And you did not tell me?”

“I know. I am sorry. But that was the day when my dad came, so I thought it would be impossible to go. Not until Clyde pushed me to go, then there. I guess I’m unlucky with relationships.”

“Rowie…” She placed Rowie’s face in between her palms and gently squeezed it. “Do not let something stop you from doing other things. If you are not lucky to have something, it does not mean you will be unlucky your whole life. There are things you cannot control but there are absolutely things that you have control over with.”

I spaced out a little, absorbing what Janice told me. She was right, I know. But there were just things that I did not want to pursue, at least not just yet.

I am still young. I still have so many years ahead of me to be with someone, to love someone. And I do not think this is the right time. I want to focus on my family now before anything else. If, in time, Shin still has feelings for me, then maybe we have a chance.

But not now.

To be continued~