What Am I?

Chapter 13

The school didn't see Dylan for a few days. He wouldn't get out of his house. Forget the house, he wouldn't get out of his room. He hadn't told anybody what the doctor had said. It was just disturbing to keep hearing the same words from his own mouth. He had lost heart to do anything, may it be eating or meeting someone. He wouldn't even get out of bed. Sometimes he spent the entire day just looking at the ceiling of his room. He would stay reserved in his own little space.

Andrea had found out what the doctor told them during the appointment from his parents and told the rest of the group. She tried to talk to Dylan, but he wasn't ready. He wasn't ready to talk about the doctor's suggestion. Andrea didn't force him, she knew he needed time and space.

Max did his bit by dropping off the medicines from Dr.Frazer's clinic to Dylan's place.

"Can he talk?" Max asked Dylan's mother.

"You tried two days back too, but if you wish, you can try again."

Max walked up the steps to Dylan's room. Every step he took was accompanied by the creek of the wood. He took slow steps, trying to process how to start, what to say. He'd never been nervous to talk to Dylan, but it seems he was that very minute.

"Dylan, you in there bro?" he knocked.

But there was no answer. He couldn't hear anything from inside the room.

"C'mon bro. You can't do this to us. You need to talk to us. No human being can suppress his emotions in his heart, his feelings his thoughts, his...I don't have any more words. We've had enough of you shutting us out. I know everything was so fast that you didn't realise what happened, but you need to open up some day. The earlier you open up, the lighter your heart will feel. You have no clue in what state Andrea is. I really need to talk to you."

The door lock slowly opened.

Max lightly pushed the door open.

"Dylan you really-" He paused.

"What went through here?! A tornado?!" asked Max looking around, with eyes as widened with shock.

The room was completely destroyed. Books were thrown all over the place, the chair was lying in one corner, the table had been literally smashed with the hammer, the entire room had 'I am a MONSTER' written all over, his bed was broken, his laptop's screen completely shattered. Basically, it was a mess.

After processing the condition of the room Max looked to the left to see Dylan sitting all scared in one corner.

"Dylan!" he said as he locked the door behind him and ran to Dylan's side.

Dylan was crouched on the floor of his room. His face pale with stress and worry. He kept murmuring something, but Max couldn't understand. His hands were cold and bleeding. He looked like a body without a soul.

Max put his arms around Dylan and pulled him to his chest. He could feel Dylan trembling in his arms. The hammer was by his side, covered in blood.

Max embosomed Dylan till he felt his hands becoming a little warm. He slowly got Dylan's face out of his chest and wiped away his tears.

Max looked around the room again, sighed and looked at Dylan.

"Wanna tell me what happened?"

Mia and Mason were racking their heads as to what to do in with their English assignment.

"Mason, everyone's ready with their work and we still don't know how we're going to go about this."

"Why does everyone think we're smart. Like seriously. You don't know anything except for copy paste on the laptop" he said while going through some books for reference.

"Hey, that's not true!"

"Really?" he said shutting the book and looking at her.

"Ok Mia, tell me what is the full form of ADSL?"

"Oh I know that. ADSL is...ahh...is....umm"

"See?"

"Well I'm better than you in English" she said confidently.

"Really? That's why we're here since an hour and a half with only English Assignment typed at the top of the screen."

"The topic's too complex for you. It's about love. You won't understand."

"Hey hey hey, don't you go there. I know a lot about love."

"Helping a girl pick up books from the floor isn't called love Mason. Anyways, you're even allergic to the word so talking about love to you is like trying to convince Shakespeare not to complicate his language."

Mason had had enough. He kept the book down, held Mia's hand and pulled her to sit on his lap. The only thing left for Mia's heart to do was to come out of her chest. Mason didn't look anywhere else except for Mia's eyes.

"Do you know how fast my heart beats when I see you?" he asked.

"Wha...what...what are you saying..."

"Sshh..." he said keeping his finger on her lips.

He took her other hand in his and locked them together. He started leaning in, every movement getting him closer and closer to her lips.

"There's something I want to tell you Mia."

She wasn't in the condition to process anything he was saying.

"The thing is that...is that...I.."

"You.."

"I...I know how to do it, it just makes me sick."

"What?"

Before she could say anything more, Mason left her hands and sahe fell to the floor.

"Hey!"

Mason behaved ignorant as Mia sat back up and looked at him as if she was all ready to rip him apart.

"Chaji" she murmured.

"You said something?"

"Nothing at all."

"So you're saying he thrashed his entire room because of what happened..."

Max just nodded in response to Andrea's question.

Andrea was sitting on her bed, holding on to her favourite pillow. Dylan's condition was worsening by the day. The medication was only reducing the symptoms for a short period of time.

"I think he should consider the doctor's suggestion."

"Andrea, are you out of your mind?! You know he's doing this because of that."

"I know I know...but it's for his own good..."

A great sob escaped Andrea as a tear trickled down her cheek. She covered her face with her shaking hands.

Max held his head in despair. He sat on the bed next to her and let her cry on his shoulder.

That day was a long time since all her emotions had flowed out of her eyes.