"Uhm... Okay," Rhys hesitantly answered. He was uncertain if he should object.
Kiiro led them out of the garage and into the house, towards the reading room. It was a small space at the third storey that separates Kiiro's attic and the other bedrooms.
"Alright, Franco," Kiiro blurted as soon as they were in the reading room's sound proof walls. "Time to tell us what you're hiding."
"What?" Rhys was caught by surprise to even know how to react to Kiiro's remark. He stood there, turning speechless.
"Zeiss?" Kiiro indicated for his confidante to start.
"Let me get this straight," Zeiss spoke with the unreadable face of his. "You said you're a senior at the Science Fac. - Final year, right?"
"Y-yes, I am," Rhys answered. "Is there something wrong?"
"I'll tell ya what's wrong," Kirro interrupted. "You told Chenkov and Saku that you're out of the Foster Program and for the record, the college had handled it without fuss cause you're a final year senior, all that."
"And?" Rhys inquired timidly.
"And we think you're a big liar," Kiiro revealed. "You can lie to the folks but you're ain't fooling us, Franco. Spill it. - Why are you here? And are you even a student at the same college as us?"
"Just cause we're at a different faculty," Zeiss added his thoughts in. "Doesn't mean we couldn't check up on the other students records."
"No, really," Rhys answered. "I am on my final year at Landgraab. I can give you my lecturer's contact and you can verify immediately that I am a student there. - Plus, I can assure you that I have no more involvement with the Foster Program."
"Are you hearing this, Kiiro?" Zeiss finally showed an expression. A disbelief one. "He said final year, as well as Foster Program."
"Listen, Franco, I'm not sure if you're aware of this, or that you're just not careful with making up stories," Kiiro felt his patience is running low since Rhys still didn't budge with his claim. "But the Foster Program is only for the transfer students. - ONLY."
"And like us," Zeiss continued. "The transfer students are in the second year first term. Care to rephrase your story again, Mr. Final Year?"
"I-I'm sorry," Rhys admitted recklessly as he had no other excuse he can make up to hide who he really is. "It's true, I'm not part of the Foster Program but... I really do have foster parents. I mean, I'm adopted. And ever since I was a kid, I always felt I did not belong there. - They have... e-expectations I couldn't meet."
The two didn't interrupt him.
"I sort of found out who I was a few years ago..." Rhys proceed with a painful tone. "That was when I knew who my real father was. - And once I'm done with college, I'm going to look for - "
"That is not an excuse for you to lie to people," Kiiro heard enough.
"Dude, he was just twisting careless story," Zeiss tried to calm him up. "Basically, he's just hiding the truth, and whatever else it may be, it's not far off from the twisted one either. I believe the guy's legit."
"What? So you're on his side now?" Kiiro glared at the silver guy. "Zeiss, people who need to hide their background is just what scares Saku. Legit or not, he's obviously suspicious."
"Well, the way I see it; If, he decides to be open with them, I bet Saku and Chenkov will definitely understand something like this," Zeiss was being indifferent now. "At least to me, it's still acceptable to hide this one out. - It's your call anyway,"
Kiiro didn't answer him. But he knew Zeiss was right.
"Imma head up for some Tokyo Drift," Zeiss made his way upstairs. "You're on?"
"Kiiro, I really didn't mean to hide, I'm very sorry. It was very immature of me," Rhys straightened up. "I'll talk to Mr. Chenkov tomorrow and tell him the truth before I leave. I don't want my presence to cause any prob - "
"Hold it right there, dude!" Kiiro stopped him. "I wasn't even suggesting that. You're getting the wrong impression here. I just don't like it when I can smell a liar in the house."
"Now that we've known the truth, you're clean," Kiiro walked away. "Stay as long as you please. It's none of my business anyway."
As Kiiro reached up his attic, he contemplated his actions. Perhaps he had misjudged Rhys a little too much.
"Uh, yes, correct," he still stood in the reading room. In between relief and exposed.
"Come up here, will ya?" he called. And Rhys slowly made his way up.
"Wow..." Rhys was breathless at the sight from above. "Your room is so high up."
"I know right," Kiiro smugly replied. "You can watch anything from here."
"And if you look closely," Zeiss was getting excited. "You can see that the huge craters are like - "
"I do have a telescope in the garage," Rhys chirped in. A little tone of excitement in his timid voice. "If you'd like, I can take it up here."
Zeiss laughed hard.
"Geez, Rhys," Kiiro sighed helplessly. "Not you too."
★ End of Act I ★
