Looking For You

Chapter 58 - Prejudice

Chapter 58 - Prejudice

The sound of Mason’s grunts hurt me as much as him, feeling the vibration of his yelps flow throughout my body via our intertwined hands. I hold his tightly as the first aid staff are cleaning up his wounds and holding up ice to his bruises. The purple lumps swell and become puffy, making it hard for him to see. He sucks in sharp breaths every now and again, trying to be brave through this tough time.

I lean on the bed where Mason sits, his legs dangling from the edge. I’ve been standing in this position for a while; thankfully the doctors are nearly done with the final touches to Mason’s beaten up face. I can’t stand looking at him, reminding myself of that horrible scene when Christian nearly punched me. The thought sends shivers through my spine, feeling the knives stabbing my back but turning my head to see white bed sheets behind my back. I sigh, calming my body.

“All done.” Says one of the doctors, removing the ice from Mason’s cheek. The three doctors step back to reveal their work. I look at his face; the wounds have been bandaged up but blood stains the dressing as it tries to seep through. The purple bruises have gone down slightly, but they mark his face so badly that there seems to be a totally different person right in front of me. I want the old Mason back.

“You will be healed in less than two weeks.” The doctors pack up their equipment, helping Mason off the bed to his feet. I let go of his hand, rubbing my palm on my thigh to relieve it from the sweat we started to build up together. I promised to never let go, trying to be the good friend I am.

Mason looks at me through his slitted eyes, looking exhausted all of a sudden. Black rings surround his brown eyes, making them appear black. I give him a reassuring smile, trying to regain his life back. No words are spoken between us, the only sound that enters our ears are the rummaging of the doctors. I want to talk to Mason about what happened, but we need a quiet space. So I start leading him out of the first aid room and enter the hallway, wondering where in this college are we.

Keeping my eyes glued to the floor, our feet start taking steps through the deserted halls, hearing our tiny steps skid across the ground. I wait a couple more seconds before I speak, realising where we are — the cafeteria doors.

“Mason, I’m so sorry for what happened, you can blame me for everything.” I blurt out, looking up to him where he keeps his gaze on the floor. His lips are pressed in a thin line and his body stays rigid, not wanting to speak. But before I can register that silence is all he wants, he speaks up with a laid back voice, not expecting his words to be so calm yet so powerful.

“No, that’s okay, I don’t blame you. Maybe we shouldn’t hang out anymore now that we know what you’re boyfriend is capable of if he sees you with another man.” Mason just looks at me with sharp eyes, his eyebrows raised and his lips stretched out. I sense sarcasm, but I know that he has meant his words. There’s really nothing else to say apart from repeating my apologies, but the real apology he wants is from Christian. There is a slim chance that will happen.

“Oh look, there’s the boys’ dorms, I must hurry to get my homework done.” Before I can say goodbye, Mason scurries down a hallway I stop my feet from entering. I just watch him walk away from me, from the trouble I’ve caused him and from the pain he’s feeling. It’s my fault he’s turned out like this and there’s no way I can fix him. He’s so right, but I just don’t know what for.

Sighing, suddenly feeling empty again, I make my way to my dorm, wanting to escape the thoughts flooding my mind. They all scream into my ears, but no one seems to hear them, leaving me to defend myself. Everything that’s happened to me since I’ve met Christian has hurt me, but the mental and emotional ones hurt more than the physical ones. It’s just a shame I have to deal with this alone.