September 5th

Chapter 6

When I woke up, I realized that I couldn't might even move. Everything was hurt: my limbs ached until the last bones and very tiny cells. Yesterday I didn't feel it because of the stress I had experienced and the anger that gripped me, but now I could feel all the torments of the hell in all splendor.

Looking around, I groaned in pain, but I realized with relief that I was at home, not in the monkey cage at police cell. Although I didn't remember how I got here at all. Probably someone helped my mother to carry me. She was sitting next to my bed, her head was resting on bent elbows and she still had asleep. Her breathing was even and her face looked exhausted.

I didn't want to bring so much trouble... It was just that I was in an affective state at that moment. As if I knocked my socks off when I saw Xiao Zhan in this state: naked, beaten, almost raped by some degenerates... If I hadn't had time? If I came a minute, two or more later... I can't imagine, what could have happened. But definitely worse than what happened.

Mom woke up due to my attempt to get out of bed and the subsequent rustling and groaning.

- Yibo!

Her gaze expressed all the emotional experience of the world. It seemed that in the reflection of her eyes I would see all the injustice of the Universe, oceans of tears and the silent prayers of the oppressed. But I didn't see it. Mom looked very tired, worried, with a bit of reproach, but she wasn't angry yet.

- Why do you bring so much trouble? – she breathed out heavily. – I was so worried!

After got over a sleep, nevertheless rage awoke in her. She hit me a couple of times on the shoulder, repeating why I did it, but realizing that I was in pain, she stopped doing it. Tears sparkled in her eyes.

- What I've done? – I didn't understand, while patting my bruised places. – I had protected him from the damn rapists! I saved him!

- All these people are in serious condition with fractures in the hospital! How could you have beat them up all alone? And what if you would got hurt more seriously?! The doctor said that you surprisingly didn't get fractures, but there are some serious injuries. You should stay in bed for two weeks.

- And Xiao Zhan? What about Xiao Zhan?

Mom sighed.

- He had a post-shock condition... He was taken to the Xiao family's attending physician. You didn't see it already, but Xiao Zhan began to have a panic attack and hysteria, he almost crippled himself... This was because Mrs. Xiao was screaming too loudly, and her sudden movements frightened him. He thought that she also wanted to attack him.

I squeezed the blanket as tightly as I could.

- Yibo... They want to expel you.

I raised a surprised gaze to my mother. As her anger was replaced by devastation she looked just weary.

- Because I saved him?

- Because of the fact that you got involved in a fight, and because of you several people were seriously injured. I know, it was self-defense, everything was already explained to the investigator. However, the Xiao family doesn't intend to give up on this incident, intending to present this as completely unacceptable behavior, which caused a damage to the reputation of the school.

- I saved Xiao Zhan! – I shouted, almost breaking my voice from resentment.

- I know, but they believe that it was because of you that he was harmed. You both shouldn't have communicated... Xiao Zhan has a weak form of autism, he can perform many actions on his own, including walking alone, but this doesn't negate his defenselessness and lack of understanding of many things and situations. If you hadn't met that day, nothing might have happened...