INVICTUS

X

The saint soldier laughs

In the face of death herself

His wounds smile up to the heavens

I woke up the next morning with a terrible headache.

"Your mum's pissed." says a voice, Salih.

"Why?" I ask.

"You don't remember?"

I realize I do. I had drunk three large glasses of plain vodka. Who in their right mind would do that? Besides I was underage as well and it was my first experience with alcohol. I must have been a mess when I got home.

"So the whole thing with this Mrs. Wilkins, is it true?" He asks.

"Yeah..." I say. "Yeah, it's true."

There is a deadly silence from his end before he says.

"I'm going to kill her."

"You can't ride your motorbike in prison," I say weakly.

A world without her might be a better world but a world without Salih would be absolutely miserable. Suddenly I realize that I must have talked nonsense. What if my parents found out?

"Did anyone hear me talk about..."

"No, you were passed out." He said.

No wonder I couldn't remember coming home.

"You should tell your mother or father." He advises.

"No!" I say quickly.

"You need help, professional help." He says. "That was rape, she can't get away it."

"She did though. She's already gotten away with it."

"No, she..."

"Drop it!" I say, perhaps too harshly, he looks a little hurt.

"I'm not..."

"Just drop it!" I snap.

His jaw clenches as if he's containing the words he was about to say. Good. I didn't want to hear them.

"Okay fine." He says.

Another tense silence fills the room.

"You stayed here with me all night?" I asked.

"I fell asleep on your chair." He admits. He doesn't say much else.

~~~

Mr. O'Reilly was pacing up and down his office, drinking from his favorite Star Wars mug. The school has requested a mufti day, which we never have and I had just given him a petition with signatures from every grade. When I first started out as Captain it made nervous seeing him pace up and down. But today I felt like a Cersei Lannister because I knew I was in control. If I had a cup of wine and an iron throne, I would definitely be swirling the cup while sitting on the throne.

He's about to open his mouth but that is when the door opens and in comes, Salih followed closely by a noticeably angry Mrs. Wilkins. Instinct told me to get out of the room. If I had a glass of wine in my hand, it would have shattered. But I held my ground and the imaginary glass of wine, I pretended she wasn't there. I pretended I could see through her.

"This better be important." Says Mr. O'Reilly, glaring at the two of them.

"Go on," urges Mrs. Wilkins. "Tell him what you said.'