Forever Friends

O5 - Bleeding Days

~We all have our share of calamities~

As the days bled into one another, Kelly's resentment for Amaya only grew. Given her rude nature, Kelly got into fights with the other inmates.

Each time Mrs. Olivia came to visit her daughter, her heart sank, seeing Kelly bruised and beaten.

One afternoon, as Kelly takes a nap, Naomi, a cellmate, kicks her awake.
'Hey!'
'What?' Kelly responds angrily. Naomi places her feet on Kelly's lap
'Massage my foot'.

Kelly shoves her legs, however, Naomi returns them. In a fit of rage, Kelly lands her a much-deserved slap.

Naomi signals for two of the other inmates to hold her down, covering her mouth. Naomi pulls out a small knife from her pocket and drives the knife into Kelly's back, making an X.
'That will teach you, bratty girl'.

Kelly slept with one eye closed from that day, her hands trembling in horror. The following day, her mother stopped by with Andrew.

'In my opinion, a heart-to-heart talk could have resolved this mess'
'What's done is done, and I will never apologize'
'Don't say things you may lament'
'Amaya spoke in such a dismissive voice like she had been waiting to get it out'
'Nonsense. She supported your dreams more than any other'

Kelly sighs, 'It isn't who departs or remains that pains, it's believing. I thought Amaya understood me' A tear fell from her left eye.
'My looks seem to be the one good thing about me, it's where I find myself. Yet, she talked like my dreams didn't matter to her.

Mrs. Olivia pats her back, accidentally touching her wound.
'Ouch!' she groans in pain.
'What is the meaning of this?' Mrs. Olivia said, peeping through her shirt.

'Mammy, nothing'
'What nothing? I need to alert the wardens'
'No. It may worsen things for me'
'So should I sit with my legs crossed as my daughter is being tormented'
'Mammy my sentence will soon be up, a couple of months more, and I will be free'.

Mrs. Olivia sighs in annoyance, 'Andy let go'
'Aunty, I want a word with Kelly'
'I will wait outside'. Andrew watched Mrs. Olivia exit the building.

'Your mother blacked out yesterday. Before that, she'd been experiencing a loss of appetite and her eyes were sunken.

'Why? When?'
'For weeks now, she worries about you. I'm scared something alarming may occur'
'Don't think in that manner, this too shall pass'. Days turned into weeks, and Kelly was released from prison.

At this point, she felt things would only get better. We all wish that each stage of despair would be our last, but life spares nobody.

Wiping the dishes one evening, Kelly heard a loud thud from the living room, her mother had keeled over.

Her heart grew weaker from panicking whilst Kelly was put behind bars. Mrs. Olivia would have to undergo a series of treatment to recover.

'How can I go about this?' Kelly speaks to herself in the hospital walkway. 'Mammy's medication has begun, but I lack the funds to settle her bills'.

A nurse opposite her observantly stares at Kelly talking to herself.
'What!?' Kelly yells, irritated by her gaze.
'You need money?'
'I do, do you have?' answering shabbily
'No, but, I know where you can get some'.

Her statement caught Kelly's attention, 'Where?'
'Sir Gregory' Kelly pauses, endeavoring to recollect who he is. It clicked,
'The wealthy merchant'.

Sir Gregory is a mysterious indigene of Ashton. Distinct from other inhabitants so much that he built his house on the outskirts of Ashton.

People could receive his aid, but he requested something in return. After much thought, Kelly approaches him.

Standing at the gate of his mansion, Kelly nervously rings the doorbell. The guard interrogates Kelly before letting her in and leading her to the indoor lounge.

Sir Gregory is playing the game of pool with a pal, and he pleads with his friend to excuse them.

'Kelly O'Neil, please sit' pointing to a sofa opposite the pool table.
'How do you know me?' sitting down edgy.
He smirks, 'Who doesn't? You are the upcoming beauty queen from Ashton'.

How he knew something about basically everyone when he barely interacted added to his strange nature.

'What can I do for you?' he asks, positioning himself beside her
'My mother is hospitalized. Her bills keep piling up but, I don't have the cash'
'How much is it?'
'Three thousand Rocks'
'That's all?' he snorts.

Sir Gregory pulls out his chequebook and writes the amount required, returning to sit beside her.
'What do I get for helping you?'
Swallowing a lump in her throat, 'What do you want?'

He places one hand on her waist and with the other gently strokes her cheek. Kelly furiously shoves him, springing off the sofa, she understands what he wishes for.

'Forget it' she swings around to exit,
'I admire your tenacity. I leave the country in two days, make up your mind'
Turning to face him, 'Do you have to acquire from those you assist?'
'People solely approach me when they need my help, so, yes'.

She falls silent, presuming she is out of options, Kelly says with a heavy heart,
'I will accept your request'. He tears off the cheque placing it in her hand.

The doctors completed Mrs. Olivia's treatment, and she was finally discharged. However, she would have to cease worrying to escape falling ill furthermore.

Kelly sees an old newspaper in the market one day, and on the front cover is the beauty pageant from the previous year. Tears surround her eyes, and she storms out to a solitary place, allowing the tears to fall freely.

Pressing her palms against her chest, she breathed heavily.
'Amaya, you will rue hurting me'.