BIG-J

19

As the evening turned into night, James and I found ourselves strolling along the beach. The serenity of the surroundings provided a tranquil backdrop to our conversation. Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind, and I mustered up the courage to ask him about the picture I had seen in his room.

"What happened to your mother?" I inquired, not fully comprehending the weight of my question. James appeared taken aback, his expression briefly displaying a mix of shock and pain. He looked up, avoiding my gaze, and remained silent for a moment. The realization hit me that I had touched upon a sensitive subject, one that I shouldn't have probed.

Finally, in a subdued tone, James responded, "She died." The weight of his words hung heavy in the air. There was a palpable silence between us as the gravity of his loss settled upon us. Then he continued, his voice filled with anguish, "She died because of me. It was my fault."

Feeling a surge of empathy and sadness, I placed my hand gently on his shoulder, offering comfort and support. But he looked at me briefly, silently pulling away from my touch. Instead, he took my hand in his, intertwining our fingers. His words carried a mix of concern and self-blame as he pleaded with me, "I don't want the same thing to happen to you, so please don't hang out with me."

Speechless, I couldn't find the right words to respond. We walked back to my home in silence, the weight of our unspoken emotions hanging heavy in the air. James dropped me off and left without another word. I sighed heavily as I returned to my room, feeling a sense of emptiness settling within me.

Opening my phone, I checked for any notifications from Dominic, but unsurprisingly, there were none. Changing into my nightclothes, I lay in bed, lost in my thoughts and emotions. The events of the day weighed heavily on my mind, leaving me unsure of what lay ahead.

As I arrived at school the next day, an uneasy atmosphere filled the air. Murmurs and whispers echoed through the hallways, hinting at a commotion involving Dominic. Curiosity compelled me to inquire, and when a fellow student informed me that Dominic had been in a fight, I felt a twinge of concern.

Without wasting a single moment, I hurried towards the location of the fight. As I approached the gathering crowd, a mix of cheers and boos filled the air. I spotted Elinia and her gang amidst the onlookers. As I stepped into the midst of the fight, my heart sank at the sight of James lying on the ground, blood staining his face. Despite his injuries, he wore a defiant smile.

Dominic loomed over James, relentlessly delivering punches. Overwhelmed by my emotions, I impulsively pushed Dominic away and rushed to James's side, cradling him in my arms. "James, are you okay?!" I exclaimed, my voice filled with worry and desperation.

Dominic, fueled by anger, looked at me with fury and spat, "Leave that motherfucker alone!" I glared back at him, determined to protect James. "What the hell has he done to you? What is your problem?" I retorted, frustration seeping into my voice.

A chilling smile crept across Dominic's face as he responded, "Oh, you shouldn't be talking, you fucking bitch. Weren't you hugging him on the rooftop just yesterday?" The weight of his words hit me, and I felt a mix of confusion and betrayal. And then, Elinia joined the conversation, offering her input. "Oh, Dom baby, did you know that day James hit me too? It wasn't just Anushka," she added, further shocking me with her revelation.

I turned to look at James, his face smeared with blood. He met my gaze, a mixture of pain and defiance reflected in his eyes. A smirk played across his lips as he spat out a little blood, his laughter filled with bitter irony. "You deserved it, bitch," he uttered, directing his words towards Elinia.

Dominic, fueled by anger and a desire for revenge, prepared to strike James once more. Acting on instinct, I stood on my tiptoes, placing myself between the two, shielding James from further harm. With determination in my eyes, I blocked Dominic's path, silently declaring my allegiance to James in that moment of chaos.

As anger filled my voice, I firmly declared to Dominic, "You touch him once, and you'll have to deal with me too." Dominic appeared taken aback by my words, a mix of shock and defiance crossing his face. He glared at me, but I stood my ground, determined to have a serious conversation about his actions. I turned away from him, focusing my attention on James, and with whatever strength I had left, I lifted him off the ground and carried him to the nurse's room.

Carefully placing James on the bed, I requested the nurse's assistance in taking care of his injuries. As she applied medicine to his wounds, I took a seat beside him, my concern evident in my eyes. Curiosity burned within me, and I couldn't help but ask, "How did you end up in a fight, James?" He responded with a playful grin, and before he could continue, I interrupted him, speaking in a stern tone, "James, Dominic is strong. I don't want you to mess with him and get hurt again."

James snorted and chuckled, dismissing Dominic's strength. "Strong, him? Sweetheart, I didn't even fight back. I wanted that lame bozo to have his moment. He probably would have been knocked out if I had hit him even once." His nonchalant attitude left me both worried and confused. I couldn't understand why he was so carefree about such dangerous situations. However, my concern for him outweighed my frustration with his behaviour.

Then, I mustered up the courage to ask the question that had been on my mind. "Did you do something to Elinia?" James looked at me, a mischievous smirk gracing his face. He pulled out his phone and showed me a picture, commenting on it as his "beautiful painting." The image displayed Elinia with a bleeding nose, dishevelled hair, and blackened eyes. I was taken aback, but for some reason, I couldn't help but burst into laughter. It was a peculiar mix of satisfaction and relief.

At that moment, we exchanged a handshake, silently acknowledging our newfound connection. I spent the rest of the day by James's side, providing him with support and companionship. After school, I dropped him off at his home before heading back to my own. Reflecting on the day's events, I couldn't deny that getting to know James had introduced me to a whirlwind of emotions, both positive and negative. Sighing, I entered my house, contemplating the complexities of my relationships and the unforeseen paths they were leading me down.