Class - Season Two

A Heart for a Heart, Part 2

April tapped her foot, anxiously waiting for Ram to arrive. But when he arrived, what could she say? 'Sorry I look like the monster that killed everyone you held dear but come hold me close.' That wouldn't work.

A knock on her door stopped her train of thought, and after a moment, Ram cautiously stepped in. He'd taken off his turban from the funeral, but the somberness in his eyes was still there. There were dark patches under his eyes as if he hadn't gotten sleep in a long time.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey."

There was an awkward silence until Ram finally broke it. "So, have you decided what you're going to do with it?"

April glanced at the bed, where her prone body lay. "Not yet. I was hoping there was something I could do to restore myself."

"What about that Doctor guy?"

"The one who gave you your leg?"

"Yeah. Maybe he could rig something up."

"I don't think so. Besides, you've done nothing but complain about that leg since you got it. Do I really want him to give me a new body? What if I end up as, like, a robot or something?" She tried to offer a smile at her weak joke, but her new body didn't let her smile. Corakinus likely never had many reasons to smile.

Ram looked shocked at her words. "Complained? If you had a passive-aggressive leg, you'd complain too!"

"I know Ram, that's not what I meant. I meant--"

"I know what you meant, April. I'm sorry." There was another long pause.

"You know what the worst part of this is?" she asked.

"What?"

"I can't use my phone anymore. It's like they only designed the touchscreens to work with human skin, not stone."

Ram forced a smile. April knew it was hard for him. It was hard for all of them, but out of everyone (besides herself of course), she knew her appearance impacted him the most. They hadn't fallen in love because of each other's looks. It was more because of their shared experiences. And their looks, to some extent. But it had grown so far beyond that. Out of her friends, April felt like Ram was the one she could trust the most. Not with secrets and such, but with her soul.

"I love you," she said.

He looked at her for a long moment before he mumbled, "I love you too."

April fumbled with her hands the way she always did when she was nervous, but her hands felt too clumsy, and the action just reminded her of her newfound condition. "How's football going?" she asked.

It was the wrong question.

"Still trying to get back on the team. Able to make a few goals now." The answer was short, and April knew why. Ram's father had died when they had been practicing football.

There was another long break in the discussion.

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to," April said. "I get it."

"That's the thing. You don't." Ram leapt to his feet and ran his fingers through his hair, "My dad died. Rachel died. When I look at you, all I see is--" He paused, trying to find the words. "I love you, April. But I can't look at you like this. I have to go." With that, he ran out of the room, without another look at April's face.