Med Romance

Chapter 4

Akira

"Are you in trouble?" I ask Esme as she returns from the washroom, a hand towel in one hand while she gently scrubs her face with it. It's been an hour since the waterworks, the stress eating and some more crying. Esme still hasn't told me anything about the cause of her breakdown and I will not push her to tell me but at the same time the worry is gnawing at me like an itch. I lean back the cushioned headboard and release a soft sigh.

I've always been a loner since my childhood. I've spent several camps, picnics, lunch breaks alone without any company which has irked mom to no end. She had wanted me to 'fit in' with the kids of my age group but it was like there was a giant red button on my forehead which prevented people from talking to me. I had tried by joining several cliques but I still felt like the odd one out. Nerds? Check. The outcasts? Check. The mean girls? Check but the mission was a fail after I dumped my cold coffee on Claire. Bullies? I'd rather die than befriend them.

It's different with Esme. She's my polar opposite yet I'm drawn towards her like a moth drawn to a flame. She's the sunshine to my night, the calm to my inclement. Though there still are a lot of similarities between us. She's a rebel like me and lives to defy. A feminist by heart, she's not afraid to speak her mind and be an absolute bitch when she needs to be. I've seen her fight bullies and at the same time I've seen her learn to throw punches. I feel....normal with her. That maybe there's someone out there who's just like me.

"I am. But I can handle it." She gives me a small smile but it's a real one. Not the fake ones which feels like it's been painted on her face. Her eyes crinkle around the edges and her cheekbones sharpen.

"I know you can handle it, no doubt about that. But we woman gotta stick together, you know? I'd be breaking girl code if I let you suffer alone in thy misery." I stand up and grab the cupcake box and the coffee glasses and walk to the kitchen. Esme follows me and watches me as I dump the empty box and plastic glasses in the bin and place the remaining cupcakes in the small refrigerator.

"No you won't. You've done more than anyone has ever done for me in my whole life." She says and grabs spaghetti from the cupboard. "Lunch?"

"Absolutely. Though I didn't know you cooked."

"It's the only thing that helps me relax in this place." She grabs a pan and fills it with water and sprinkles some salt and pours olive oil and keeps it on the stove and drops the spaghetti in it.

"Look, I know you're of age to get out of here. Are you being kept here without your free will?" I hesitate. "Because if that's it then I can help you get out of here. Escape. Start a new life."

Esme clears her throat. "It's a good thought. But I'm too involved and I don't want to give myself hope. Besides, I have Hope and Kris to take care of. And you my knight - knightess? - in shining armour have your own shit to take care of."

She's not wrong. Mom and dad are civil with each other and they will be separated officially in three weeks. I have apologised to them about my 'loss of control and utter disrespect' - mom's words, not mine. Though I completely forgot about them - Hope and Kris. They are twins whom Esme has adopted as her own siblings. I do know for a fact that she'd rather die than leave both of them here. They're just 12 and are the runt of the litter or in this case, pariah of the orphanage because of the scars covering their bodies due to the torture inflicted on them by their birth parents who were both junkies and died by the hands of two smugglers.

"Don't worry about any of it. Me and Alex will take care of the rest. You just give me the go if you need my help."

A hopeful glaze covers her eyes and she shivers. "What about the money?" She bites her lip and focuses on chopping the garlic.

Shit. I didn't think about that. My parents are well-off but we're not filthy rich to ensure survival of three orphans including giving them enough money to survive for a few months in a new place. Also, we'd need a fuck ton of money for passports, new identities and they'd need a place to live too.

"Leave that to me. I'll arrange something." I clasp her hand to stop her anxious chopping. "Look at me. You're Esmerelda and you're the baddest bitch I've ever met. I know baddest is a wrong word but feel my words. You've fought bullies, been through a very rough life and you're still the brightest fucking person I've ever met. You. Do. Not. Cower. You're gonna get out of here and you're gonna be happy and live the most amazing life with a beautiful restaurant you yourself run and away from this place. With Hope and Kris and me. Maybe Alex? Capiche?"

She nods and swallows. "We're gonna have to make a plan. And I cannot just leave. I have to make some ground work first. Give me a month to formulate a plan and monitor the exit points and the rounds of the guards. I'll get Hope and Kris prepared and we'll get out of here."

"I'll save the money and get the passports made along with adoption certificates and your new identities. Alex has some friends who can help with that. I can't ask my parents for help because of the shit going on in my home but I will not let you down."

"I know you won't. But how are you gonna get so much money on your own?"

Fuck if I know.