Minutes later...
Upon reaching the school infirmary with Derin, it fell upon me to tend to her wounds, as the nurse had already left for the day.
"Don't worry, Derin. I have a bit of knowledge when it comes to medical matters."
"Isn't there a saying, Ece, about a little knowledge being dangerous? They say half a doctor, kills the patient."
"I'm not half a doctor, don't worry," I said with a cough, adding quietly, "Maybe a quarter of one."
Whispering "Bismillah," I donned gloves and carefully applied antiseptic to her forehead with a piece of gauze.
"It's not deep enough for stitches," I announced. "It'll heal in three or four days, inshallah."
"Good to know."
I then gently lifted her shirt to inspect the bruise blooming on her side. "Hirudoid cream," I murmured. "It'll help the bruising fade faster. I use it myself sometimes—clumsiness, you know... I think I have half a tube in my bag. I'll put some on for you. Just promise not to bite me when I do."
"Relax, Ece. I'm the non-venomous type of snake."
"Just make sure you don't swallow me whole in the process..."
"I'll do my best."
My eyes widened. "So there's a chance that could actually happen?"
Derin laughed. "I'm kidding! Just go ahead and apply the cream."
I found the cream in my bag and began to massage it into her side. Her leg only had a minor scrape, so I left it as it was.
"I'll give you the rest of the cream, Derin. Apply it twice a day for the next few days. Does that sound good?"
She took the tube from me with a nod. "Sure thing, Doctor."
"One day, inshallah... I've been thinking about med school, honestly."
"Ah, too bad!" Derin exclaimed.
"Why?"
"If you were a vet, I could come to you every time I got hurt."
I chuckled. "You should talk to Kerem about keeping you out of harm's way next time."
"I'll do more than talk. I'll bite his ear off if I have to."
***
Wednesday, 5:20 p.m.
The long-awaited moment had arrived. Soon, Fatih and Kerem would be locked in a swimming race, and I had been invited by Derin to watch.
After the last class, we had gathered at the indoor pool. Apart from Derin, Kerem, Fatih, and me, the pool was empty. While Derin and I still wore our school uniforms—white shirts and skirts—the boys were already in their swimsuits, preparing for the race.
Though the pool wasn't as large as an Olympic one, it was significantly bigger than the one at Derin's place. It was wide enough to comfortably accommodate five or six swimmers racing side by side.
When we arrived, Kerem switched on the lights and ventilation, which had been turned off. We then walked over to the pool's edge.
The boys donned their swimming goggles and began warming up, stretching their perfectly sculpted bodies. Or, at least, from my perspective, Fatih seemed to be flaunting his flawless, triangular physique right in front of my eyes.
"Guess the defeated rooster wants another round, huh, Kerem?" Fatih said, smugly adjusting his swimsuit.
"Don't get too full of yourself just because you've won our last 1,683 races, Fatih," Kerem replied with a playful grin. "Mark today in your memory, because all you'll be seeing in the water today is my back."
YOU ARE READING
BLACK ROSE (COMPLETED)
عاطفيةStudents who no longer confined their flirting to hidden corners but now openly teased each other in the middle of the classroom, girls competing to see who had the shortest skirt, and boys walking around with their shirts wide open as if they had n...
