Oreo Ice Cream

Chapter 3| Humanity comes before bitterness

Before you start: Some of Flora's monologues are written in Italics to emphasize them more. Booker's a new character and has a different type of personality. But that's not a way to offend anyone's perspective. Forgive me if that does. Enjoy!

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Josie fell to the ground with a loud thud when I turned around. I widened my eyes in shock. Her forehead was bleeding profusely. Rose nearly shrieked her name in fright as Ada and Lucy ran towards them. The boys, along with Mr. Booker, ran toward the spot as fast as they could. Josie was crying bitterly as she convulsed in pain. Tristan ran the fastest of all. I stood there in shock. My legs felt like they have stuck to the ground. My heart was beating faster than before, thinking about the consequences of such an accident.

I was standing a bit away from the crowd yet could see everything. Everyone was shocked, frightened, and confused at the same time.

"Cole, bring the first-aid, quick!" Booker ordered Cole. He half-ran, half-walked to the campus to bring the first aid. Everyone was nervous and shocked. Booker ordered two girls to call for Mr. Stewart, our class teacher.

Tristan kneeled near Josie and tilted her head. He started rubbing her hands while Rose suddenly stood up and said in a dry voice, "Let me bring some water." She ran in the blazing sun to our classroom.

"Boys and girls, step aside. Tristan, stand up! Girls, Ada, Kerry? Come," he waved his hand at them, beads of sweat crowded his forehead, "Take her to the shade, carefully, okay? Yea, carefully. The girl has got a good amount of blood on her forehead..." 

Booker didn't like boys getting closer to girls. He was a very restricted and disciplined man. And I liked him very much for that. 

Ada, Kerry, Rose, and Lucy dragged Josie to the shade. Tristan ran behind. 

I was still staring at the whole thing. Everything happened so quickly that I couldn't understand the entire thing. Meanwhile, Cole came with a first-aid box.

"Where's Mr. Stewart? This girl's half-conscious, you know that?" Booker frowned. 

"None's there on the ground floor except Ms. Gabriella and a few senior students. I took this from the medical room." He said, pointing to the first-aid box.

He handed it to Kerry, who was sitting close to an unconscious Josie. I felt sorry for Josie. Poor girl! She must have got pain in her forehead and waist. I saw Lily examining her toe and saying something to Tristan, to which he took his face closer to her toe. It must have got injured severely. Our playground was full of grits.

"Ew! I- I can't, ugh! I can't clean her wound! I'm sorry, I can't, Mr. Booker." She shrieked as she was handed the box and hurriedly stepped aside, covering her face with her palm. The other girls were silent too. Josie was still crying bitterly, "Mum! Ahh, it's- it's so painful!"

"Cole! Just give this to someone. We must clean her wound. Any boys?" Booker finally asked after he found none to clean Josie's wounds. The unmarried man himself was a bit clumsy and couldn't do anything properly, even in his mid-fifties, or he could've tried helping Josie out. 

I felt happy hearing him ask the boys to help Josie. It was the first time Booker allowed boys to mingle with a girl. Never has he ever allowed that. I think he felt uncomfortable in that stuff. 

However, everyone hesitated and remained silent as Mr. Booker got frustrated and muttered something in anger. Murmurs and whispers made the environment filled with tension and fright.

I went slowly towards them. A part of my mind wanted me to stop and watch the thing. However, Gran's words started ringing, "No matter if you don't like anyone, he's your friend, after all."

Tristan frowned, "Shit! Give that to me, let me," he paused and looked back at Booker, who was still hesitating. 

"Give me that, Cole." I half-jogged towards them, pushed the crowd, and took the box from Cole before he could hand it to Tristan. Josie looked at me in disbelief. I smiled warmly.

"I'm doing this, Tris," I said quietly and looked at Booker, whose face glowed in delight. While coming near Josie, I murmured to his ears so that it's only audible to him, "Booker doesn't like it, so..." I didn't look back. I heard Mr. Stewart coming to Mr. booker and exclaiming in nervousness.

I dipped the cotton in Dettol and titled Josie's head. It was a deep cut. It felt weird as I cleaned the wound on her forehead. I was quite surprised too by my action. Never have I ever cleaned anyone's wound. Not even my own. And today, for the first time, I, the girl who vomits at seeing blood, was cleaning someone's wound. Josie's wound. 

I heard Stewart saying, "We can take her to the medical room later." This was the first time I was doing something for someone I disliked, something we call 'humanity'.

I felt both happy as well as awkward for myself.  My eyes turned teary as I cleaned that. I coughed twice, covered my nose with my palm a few times, and even smelled Josie closer. She closed her eyes in relief, as a smile of gratitude and relief washed her face. It was filled with dirt. 

I took her elbow and rubbed arnica gel in the little cut she had got as I looked at Tristan. His eyes were shallow as he slowly came to my side and stood quietly, smiling proudly. 

The bell rang as the butterfly came near Josie's feet, stayed there for a while, and flew away. I was rubbing arnica on her wound, the bruise in her elbow. 

J-o-s-i-e, the person who broke my friendship into pieces, the only girl who changed my Tristan completely. I was cleaning her wound. But I knew I had to clean the mess around as well.