The Outcast | 지금 우리 학교는 All Of Us Are Dead

8 || The Outcast

Ara finally woke up; she groaned, feeling the dull pain on her stomach as she sat up. The previous events rushed back to her like rain after its first drop. She's back outside the recording room with all of the familiar faces of her classmates clearing in her sight. She looked around and observed her surroundings. The first person she notices is the blushing Cheong-san at the bottom of where she's lying down. "Ara! Your awake."

A smile spread on everyone's lips, except a huffing Na-Yeon on the corner. Ara is lying down on a thin silk curtain that is covered in her dried blood.

"How are you feeling?" Ms. Park asks her. "I-I'm feeling better, t-thank you." She slightly bowed to everyone to show her appreciation for helping her. And when she thought the interrogation was done, Cheong-san blurted out his question; it's been bothering him a lot, so he had to know some explanation. "How does that happen? Your wound, according to Ms. Park, it's a reopened stitch. "

Ara peered at Su-hyeok, who was already looking at her. "It's w-was an accident, a-and the running triggered i-it." They all stared at Su-hyeok, who scoffed at her answer, clearly not happy at her lies. "More like than d*amn accident to me." Ara throws a pointed look at Su-hyeok; she's not in the mood to give details to others. 'When did he care? It's not like his not part of them back then.'

Getting the message that she doesn't want to talk about it, he clamped his mouth shut and slowly backed away from the gathering, raising his hand in a surrender position.

Ms. Park doesn't want to push more questions to Ara, nor does anyone ask her more curiosity that will be left unattended, so she disperses the group from their small gathering around the injured girl. "Shoo, space, everyone. Ara is fine now. Go back and rest."

When they're all done wishing Ara to get well soon, Ms. Park looks at her and pats her head gently.

"Ara, you have to be more careful. I fixed your wound enough so it won't get infected," She grabbed Ara's hood and handed it back to her.

"And here's your hood back. We found some painkillers in it, so we gave you one."

Ara's head shoots up to Ms. Park so fast that it results in some minor whiplash. 'Gave me painkiller? But I'm unconscious. Wait, don't tell me-'

"Ahm...Ms. Park...W-who gave it to me..."

Her English teacher released a nervous laugh. "Well, you see..."

*Flashbacks

"It's all good now. She will be fine. You guys can look." Ms. Park stated, wiping the sweats on her forehead. Su-hyeok, Cheong-san, Nam-Ra, and Gyeong-su walk towards Ms. Park and Ara. She was lying down on the make-shift bed. The bruises on her face are now visible to them. Nam-Ra noticed it when she was wiping Ara's face; they all gasped and were shaken at the blue bruises that painted across her face. They all sighed deeply; the remorse was eating their guts up. In their place is the thought of them not seeing her distress, flinching, or paying much attention to her. Putting her palm on Ara's, Nam-Ra sniffs, wondering if there's anything else wrong with her.

Nam-Ra reached the grey hoodie next to her to cover it up to Ara's resting state when a plastic of pills falls. 'Painkiller?'

She grabs it from the floor before calling the attention of Ms. Park. "I found this on Ara's hoodie; maybe this can help."

Ms. Park nodded, grabbing it from Nam-Ra. She glanced at Ara's sleeping form and tucked her in with her hood. "This will numb some pain for a while, but how are we supposed to give it to her?"

"Can't we wait until she wakes up?" Gyeong-su suggested.

"No. Ara will be needing it right now before she wakes up." Su-hyeok thinks about how they will give the medicine to Ara in her current situation. "How about someone will be the way to put the medicine and make sure she swallows it easily?"