From The Ashes We Rise

Chp 33: Killing Anger

Ariff's POV

A few days after the incident, Ebony and I went to the hospital to visit Delta. The doctor told us that he had a concussion and may wake up again in around a week. Because of that, I could only watch him as he slept.

Ebony and I wouldn't go to visit him together; we would always go alone. Sometimes, Delta's family members would be present when either of us came.

When it was only me and Ebony, we had nothing to talk about. I still hated his fucking guts but I had to prevent myself from trying to murder him. I tried to keep my cool when he was around so that I didn't end up trying to rip his head off again.

Deep inside, I still think him stabbing my hand that night caused all this. If he could've just left me alone, none of this would've happened. But still, my outburst also caused this, so Ebony and I were equally to blame for Delta's injuries.

I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Ebony. "I'm gonna go. See ya," he said.

I nodded and sat on a stool as he left the ward. I placed my hand on Delta's arm.

"I'm sorry for what I did. I wasn't myself and I couldn't think straight. I can't seem to control my anger... ever since... that night I found out," I apologised.

Unable to hold it in anymore, I started sobbing. "Just please... forgive me Delta." My voice cracked and my breathing hitched.

I couldn't bear to see my best friend suffering like this, but I was the one who did this to him. Some best friend I was...

I couldn't forgive myself for what I did to him. I couldn't bring myself to do it. If he succumbed to his wounds at school, I'd be worse off than this. I would be blamed for manslaughter.

I wiped my tears away. "Sometimes I wished I wasn't like this, really. Why... why do I have to be the one who could... who could murder?" I muttered, stroking his arm.

I sounded crazy, talking to a sleeping patient. I glanced at the bandage wrapped around Delta's head. Some of his thick silver hair stuck out in odd places from underneath, which made me feel uneasy. My bad hair days wouldn't have anything on him.

~A week later~

Ebony's POV

Delta had finally been discharged from hospital and Ariff couldn't be any happier. When he first stepped into the classroom, Ariff ran over and embraced him tightly. His wrist was in a cast and may take a while to recover. Despite that, we were happy that he was okay.

Unfortunately for Ariff, during Delta's absence, our classmates have reduced communication with him. The rest of the class alienated him for what he was. I'd love to welcome him to the club but I don't think that would be the best response. His other Malay friends rarely ever spoke to him, which made him feel lonelier when they went up to their class. Ariff didn't wanna hang out with me; he still thought I was the cause of this. I couldn't blame him though. I was the one who stabbed his hand after all. But still, he shouldn't hold a grudge on me for that long.

Ariff became more isolated the more people distanced themselves away from him. In spite of this, everyone was afraid that he might go panther on them and tried to be nicer to him. I remembered there were a few girls who had a crush on him. Even they were afraid of him. Despite that, they made it a point to just give him some nice notes so he didn't feel that sad. I'd usually be the one to give him these notes since they couldn't find the bravery to approach him in person. At least they still pitied him.