You Can't Hate Me

Chapter 5

    For all Alia knew, every single day in the hospital just got more boring and uneventful.
    Her cheek never stopped throbbing, and neither did her elbow. The doctor said that she couldn't leave the hospital before the bones in her cheek healed completely.
    The most lucky news was that the doctor confirmed that her bones would heal properly, and her face would return to normal in no time. Now that, was a relief. At least she wouldn't come out of hospital with her face all twisted for the rest of her life. Except that she would have a scar on her face from the stitches the doctor gave her.
    Zac came to see her everyday, mostly being so annoying that Alia had to eventually shoo him away. He could never keep his mouth shut when it came to arguing about their number one idols.
    It was Saturday, and she had been in hospital for an entire fortnight, which felt more like two whole years, granted she never had anything to do.
    Sitting back, she stared at the magazine about wildlife in her hands that she'd been reading since a week ago for the eighth time.
    Life in hospital couldn't be more boring.
    "Visiting hours have started everyone! Prepare to see your visitors! "a nurse called. It was the exact twelth time Alia had heard the same nurse say the same words as soon as visiting hours started everyday.
    Rolling her eyes, she went back to the magazine she had practically memorized by heart, knowing that no one would come to visit her today because Zac had Bball practice and her parents had to go on a three-day business trip.
    Her eyes barely flickered upward as the first visitor came through the door.
    But who she caught sight of made her drop her magazine, her eyes widening in surprise.
    He was none other than Ajax Hunter.
    As soon as Ajax caught sight of her, he stopped in his tracks, swallowing nervously.
    Ajax Hunter was nervous. Alia couldn't believe it.
    His eyes flickered from her to the motionless woman beside her and back, looking unsure of himself.
    Alia glanced toward the woman. Was she his relative? Or a friend of one of his relatives? For all Alia knew, the woman had only ever moaned, never sitting up or even moving around much. She needed the nurses' help to feed, change and bathe her, and she always seemed to be talking to herself.
    And from what she had learned, the woman had Alzheimer's disease and an unsure case of whether she had cancer. Alia didn't really understand why the woman had been put in the same ward as her due to their entirely different conditions.
    At least Alia could talk.
    Ajax took a deep breath, entirely ignoring her existence and heading toward the woman.
    Alia frowned.
    Pulling the green curtains that hung on a rail above the bed close to give them some privacy, Ajax breathed a sigh of relief from having temporarily escaped the new girl.
    Outside the closed curtains, Alia strained to hear what Ajax had to say to a woman who didn't even seem to be able to hear anything around her.
    She gasped when she caught the first word out of his mouth.
    "Mom... "

                               ~~~

    Alia's breath caught in her throat. The woman was Ajax's mother? His mother? His mother of all people??!
    She seriously couldn't imagine a fifty year old as Ajax's mother. She'd always thought his mother would be rich and glamorous and totally young and beautiful. But a fifty year old who had Alzheimer's disease and maybe-cancer? Okay, definitely not.
    From what words she could catch, Ajax was trying to tell his mom that he was her son since she probably couldn't remember him with Alzheimer. Alia almost felt sorry for him for having a mother who didn't even remember him. Almost.
    Ajax started to talk about things like school life and people she didn't know. Alia doubted his mother was listening. Fifteen minutes passed before Alia slumped back onto her bed, finally giving up her eavesdropping. Straining to hear a conversation was a pretty tiring job.
    "Why can't you just try and remember me?! Or at least listen?"Ajax yelled.
    The entire ward turned toward his loud voice. Alia blinked.
    The curtain was yanked back as Ajax stormed from the the bed and out the door, looking frustrated. Alia could practically feel his anger radiating off him.
    And he was still the cruelest bully known. Alia had a feeling he wasn't done with her yet.

                              ~~~

    The next day, Zac came to visit Alia, giving her a chance to tell him what happened the day before.
    Zac looked thoughtful. "Hmm, do you think he could be bullying so mercilessly for a reason? "
    That was typical Zac for you. He was understanding and smart instead of being so overprotective he'd miss a perspective of another person.
    "Still. It's not as if he can make an excuse for bullying people,"Alia said sourly.
    "Yeah, I know. I'm just saying you could be the first one to try and understand him."
    "Seriously? Are we playing bad boy romance? What if he bullies solely on the fact that he enjoys other people suffering? "
    Zac shrugged. "It's not as if I've seen him before. "
    "Trust me, you'll take back all your words as soon as he corners you in a deserted alley."
    Zac frowned a little. "How's your cheek? "
    "Fine, I guess. The scar isn't that visible. "
    "Good. "
    "And don't think that I don't know you changed the subject, "Alia said.
    Zac grinned sheepishly.
    "I really want to stay, but Bball practice is waiting for me,"he said.
    Alia shook her head. "You and your basketball. See you tomorrow? "
    "Yeah, see you tomorrow," Zac said, getting up and out of the ward.

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Okay this is still short chapter and I can't guarantee that the others will be longer. But I promise the book will be long enough! Thank you for reading it, I hope you guys will follow through 'til the end.
                                              -thcjasmine