Heirs Of Aurous

CHAPTER XVII

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The clock blurs as the back of my eyes stings, trying to contain this feeling. It makes me feel like I'm not human. A diamond. That's what they call me. She said I really shone like one. But only if she knew this very diamond would break into shards and pierce her back.

My breath comes in puffs as my fingers tremble against my biceps. Hands crossed, I can only hope I'm sufficient enough to hold myself together. Would she hate me? For what I did. For whom I helped. She would definitely hate me.

But the words, the screams, they're not leaving my head. I just wanted to punish the person who made her like that. No matter, if that meant to take help from someone who supposedly ruined her life.

"Elijah?" Garrett's voice startles me, pulling me out of my thoughts and making me stand up straight. I widen my eyes, trying to clear the blur from my vision, until his face finally comes into focus.

"What's going on?" my voice comes out squeaky. I clear my throat and continue, "What's going on with Layla?"

"She's resting. But she hasn't woken up yet," he replies, his voice gentle. Tension marred his forehead, creating creases of unease. Leaning against the wall, he lets out a heavy sigh.

"You also know what's happening to her, right?" I ask, my voice huskier than I expected. He nods. For some reason, we all understand what she's going through. In this messed-up world, everyone gets it when they see something like this, but no one does anything about it.

"So are we going to--" I'm cut off by the sound of a vase shattering. Garrett and I exchange a glance before rushing to the infirmary.

"Layla, just relax and lay back down. Vice Chakraborty has been called and she said you're not allowed to leave until she arrives," Lina says firmly, keeping a tight grip on Layla's wrist. "I'm fine, I'm not dying or anything," Layla insists, as she shakes her off.

"No, you're not fine," Lina pushes Layla back onto the bed, gripping her bicep, "Stay here and tell me what's going on." Lina demands.

Layla's eyes widen in surprise as she tries to push off Lina with a bit too much force. Before I can react, Garrett suddenly appears behind Lina, holding her up with his arm around her waist. I stop in my tracks as I watch Layla's features freezing. For a moment, she silently eyes him, focusing on his hands on Lina's waist.

"You need to start behaving, Layla. I may let you walk all over me every day, but that doesn't mean you can do the same to everyone else," he says, his eyes as cold as ever, but it's his voice which surprises me. He's not a sweet talker, but this much coldness is something I've never heard before.

I see a flicker of hurt on Layla's face as Garrett's fingers tighten slightly on Lina's back. She glances between Lina and Garrett, her hurt morphs into one of caged fury. Wild enough to burn this whole building down, along with us.

This isn't how we should handle things. I can't let Lina make a enemy out of Layla.

I clear my throat, their eyes turning to me. Garrett's hand drop from Lina's back, fists clenching into a ball.

"Layla, could you please sit down? The doctor said you should rest. You passed out from too much stress." I take a step closer, "Please? Okay? When Mrs. Chakraborty arrives, she'll scold us if you're missing. Please don't make it tough for us. After all, it was Garrett who brought you to the infirmary building, in his arms."

I deliberately let her in on this detail to quench her bubbling jealousy. Her eyes shine, curved lips thinning; definitely trying to suppress a smile. "And Lina sat beside you throughout the time you were unconscious."

She looks at Lina, staring at her for a while, then nods, quietly saying thank you as she returns to the bed.

Mrs. Chakraborty has been busier than ever since what happened with Drea, and this hospital building is the farthest from her office in the South Building. We hear footsteps coming closer, and we all look at the door. Aiden steps in, looking worried.

"Is someone hurt-- Oh, Layla," he says, looking confused. "Not one of us, but her. She fainted."

"Oh, I thought--" "You probably thought I was hurt, which is why you came running here?" Lina says, moving next to him, fingers entwined, cradling her cheeks. Garrett shifts, pockets out his phone, and starts typing something. While I watch them, Layla's eyes stay on Garrett, and she lets out a soft snicker before turning to me, raising an eyebrow when she catches me looking at them.

I turn to the other two in the room. "How did you know we were here?" I ask, but it sounds stupid after I say it. I mean, every hospital on the campus belongs to his family. The Hawthorne Group, they own the biggest hospital chain in the world.

Everything happened quickly after that. The Vice arrived, the school nurse took her to the office for some questions she couldn't ask in front of us. We asked Layla if we were allowed to talk about what happened, but she refused, so we went back to our classes. As we walk into the classroom, leaving Layla in the infirmary to rest, murmurs erupts. Not because of us, though.

In the midst of a group of students, Arianna stood, glaring angrily at Michael, who had a smug expression on his face. Suddenly, all heads turn towards me when I accidentally knock over a glitter bottle from someone's desk, and the whispers grow louder.

Are they taking about me?

Arianna stalks towards me, filled with rage. I take a step back. Without warning, she grabs Layla's MacBook from her empty table and place it on May's desk. She then pulls me towards her by my tie and pushes me against it. As my back meets the cool surface of Layla's table, I feel something warm on my lips.

Her lips.

Arianna kisses me with a passion I have never experienced before. How could I have? Right at that moment, in front of all those students, Arianna had just taken my first kiss.