Kiss Of Death

10

Xandra slowly opened her eyes, only to find herself in a hospital bed wearing a white gown. Her vision still blurry, she turned toward the sound of her mother's voice. "Xandra, you're awake," her mother said, her voice tired and strained.

Panicked and worried, Xandra immediately sat up, trying to process what had happened. "M-Mom, how is Alfred doing? Is he okay? I need to see him! I want to make sure he's okay!" she cried out, trying to stand up but feeling a sharp pain in her leg.

She tried to stand up, but her mother stopped her, saying, "Calm down, Xandra. Take a rest first." Xandra's mother's eyes were sunken from crying, and she was visibly tired.

Despite her mother's attempt to calm her down, Xandra couldn't control her desire to find out what had happened. Desperately, she asked, "What happened? Did Jasper find me? Who found us? Jasper? Mom, please tell me or I'm gonna go crazy here!"

However, her mother didn't seem to be in the best condition to answer her questions. Instead, she snapped, "You're not crazy, Xandra! Don't suggest that you are! My daughter is not crazy! Don't ever say that!"

With her mother visibly shaken, Xandra furrowed her eyebrows. After a sigh, her mother finally said, "I'll call Jasper in, okay?" The nurse finally arrived and checked on Xandra, before her mother left the room.

Xandra asked, "What's going on?" as soon as Jasper entered her room. The man lifted his gaze at her, tired and confused. It left Xandra with more questions than answers.

"Your teachers said you skipped class that day I saw you at the park," Jasper said, as she just nods along.

"Of course I remember that, I was on a date with my boyfriend at that park, Jasper, all I'm asking is what happened to Alfred? Is he alright? Where is he? Is he admitted to this hospital as well?" she threw questions at him that made him even more confused, he felt chills down his spine as realization dawned on him.

"Boyfriend?" he asked, his voice reflecting his confusion. "You were alone when I saw you at the park, and Alfred? Who's Alfred? Please don't tell me that your boyfriend is Alfred Velasco," Jasper said, horrified by the thought.

Xandra shook her head, as her tears were flowing down her cheeks. "I was with my boyfriend! I was with Alfred Velasco! What are you talking about? Where is he?" she pleaded, growing increasingly desperate for answers.

Jasper became pale as soon as he heard Xandra's persistent questioning. "Is he alright? Jasper, please, I'm begging you tell me where he is, tell me he is alright, please..." she said, her voice trailing off.

Jasper cuts her off. "Alfred Velasco has long been dead, Alexandra, stop playing with me," he said firmly. Xandra pushed him, still not willing to accept his response. "No! What the hell are you talking about!" she screamed, her hands shaking.

"You've gone crazy, Xandra! He is not your boyfriend, he has long been dead! What you saw at that cliff?! It was him! He accidentally fell off the cliff and died, that was all last month! I'm not about to witness you get involved in that case!" he exclaimed angrily at her.

"You just found his dead body at that forest, Xandra, whatever you're talking about-" Jasper continued to try and convince Xandra that her perceptions were off, she became even more hysterical. "No! Stop lying!" she screamed at him as her fit reached a fever pitch.

Despite Jasper's repeated attempts to reason with her, Xandra refused to listen. "I'm not insane! I wasn't talking to myself! Alfred was right there with me!" she insisted, her hands trembling with anger and disbelief. "And I have the proof," she continued, digging through her pockets to find her phone.

As she flipped through the text messages and scrolled through the notes, she became even more distraught when she realized that all the messages she saw were sent from her phone, with nothing from the receiver. She threw the phone to the ground in a fit of rage and frustration before falling to her knees and sobbing uncontrollably.

Jasper looked on in shock as he watched his friend descend into a state of utter despair. He tried to approach her to offer comfort, but she pushed him away, sobbing and screaming, "Get away from me! Get away!"

As Jasper backed away, Xandra's cries grew even louder and more anguished. The sound of her sobs could be heard throughout the entire hospital as the realization that she had lost touch with reality and the love of her life set in.

The doctor and nurses rushed into the room at the sound of the chaos, attempting to contain the situation.

They approached Xandra, who was screaming and crying hysterically, and attempted to calm her down.

They tried to restrain her to prevent her from hurting herself, while the doctor spoke to her in a soothing voice, "Xandra, please calm down, it'll be okay. Just take deep breaths and listen to me." Her mother, who had just witnessed the whole ordeal, also broke down in tears, unable to bear the sight of her daughter's distress.

"Mom, please stop this, mom.." Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the doctors and nurses managed to inject Xandra with a sedative.

She slowly drifted off to sleep, no longer yelling or crying, but still overwhelmed with emotions.

The doctor and nurses took a few deep breaths, relieved that the situation had been resolved for the time being. They knew that they would have to keep a close eye on Xandra, as it was clear that she was still in denial about Alfred's death and in need of further counseling.

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