I am Loved

I am loved episode 2

    I jolted awake and felt the tug of chords being ripped out of machines. I was in the hospital. My jerky movement caused a multitude of wires and plugs that were connected to me to pop out of either me or their respective machines. Panicked and gasping for breath, I ripped the oxygen that was wrapped around my face off and leaped out of the bed.
    I immediately felt the pain that surged through my body as soon as I landed. I stumbled forward and when I looked down it looked like I reopened a wound on my stomach and red blood seeped through my hospital shirt. Shit. How did I get here? I don't even remember making it to that bench, let alone get myself to a hospital. I can't even afford a hospital. I gotta get outta here I realized. I spun around and scanned the room. My phone and keys were sitting on the bedstand. After grabbing them, my ears filled with the loud beeping of the machines that were spazzing out because of their wires being pulled out. I was about to make a run for it before a doctor and a man and woman in civilian clothing ran in just in time to see me wince at trying to run and eat it on the floor pathetically. Smooth Pang, real smooth. I thought as I pushed myself off the ground. Immediately two nurses were at my sides helping me back onto the bed.
The man and woman looked at me with very serious and calculating eyes. They looked Hawaiian. Crap! Were they the parents of one of those boys? Did they want me to pay the hospital bill for that jackass whose chin I broke, and probably his nose now too? I panicked as I tried to get up again before some doctors made me calm down.
The woman leaned towards me and I instinctively pressed myself against the headrest of the bed
"Hi Lee, My name is Healani 'Aukai. My husband Kaiko over there found you on the street two nights ago and brought you here." She said with a kind and gentle voice. Despite her politeness, I responded with
"Well, you shouldn't have. I can't afford a hospital."
"Don't worry, we've covered the expenses," Kaiko said
"... I can't pay you back you know. I don't have that kind of money." I said.
"Lee, we're covering it for you," Healani said
"How do you know my name?" I asked
" we looked at your ID on your phone. You can call us aunty and uncle"
I just nodded in acknowledgment.
"Well, we heard about your story from the police officer who came to see if he could ask you what happened. If it's alright with you we would like to take you in for a bit while you get back on your feet." Aunty said with a smile. I cocked my eyebrow in confusion and doubt. No one is ever this nice. Why would she want me? Not even my own parents wanted me. It was all too suspicious
"I appreciate the help but no thanks man, I hope you know that there is nothing I can offer you," I said
"We know, We don't want to do this because we want something from you" uncle said.
"Still no thanks, I don't like being in debt," I said declining again.
"You don't owe us anything, but If you want to earn your keep we have jobs and chores around the house you can do," Aunty said.
Hmm. Tempting, I wouldn't be in debt. They seemed nice enough, and I might actually be able to live in a house.
"Deal.." I said
"Great! You can come with us as soon as your discharged!" Aunty said. Taking my hands in hers. She looked happy.
Actually, now that I look at her, she looks really familiar. Thinking hard it finally hit me.
A small gasp escaped my lips in the form of a sharp intake of air.
"Your Kia's mom!" I said. She cocked her head in confusion.
"You know him?" she asked
"Yes!" I said
'Kia', Short for Hikialani. He was my classmate in elementary school. We hung out a bit because he and Aydin got along. I think they did hula together, at the time I opted to start Lua instead. "The art of bone breaking" was a little more up my bloodstained alley.
    He left our school in fourth grade when he got accepted to one of the best private schools on the island. The private school that we both currently attend now. We were separated approximately three or so years but he changed a lot. He had always been popular in elementary because of his looks, but that was in like second grade. When lovestruck 7-year-olds went home all giddy and told their parents they were getting married. Y'now, that sort of thing. But when we were reunited halfway through middle school. He had changed his hairstyle, got into trouble with the teachers all the time, was always surrounded by people who seemed relatively competent, or should have been at their age. The girls weren't crazy fangirls like how you would see in manga at least, most local kids here are pretty chill for the most part.
But if you throw away a perfectly good spam musubi because "it was the worst thing you've ever tasted",  well then buddy. I hope you can pray to the Hawaiian gods and run faster than a triathlete at the same time. At least until one of the big guys catches up to you. Usually a Hawaiian, Samoan, or a Tongan. Or the occasional small Japanese kid who has too much energy for his tiny body to handle.
The point is, Kia was legitimately popular by the time I transferred. Which I guess I shouldn't have been surprised about. But after all that time he didn't even say "Hi".
Once he came up to me during a break in math class and asked about Aydin. I told him that I don't really see him anymore and he just said
"Huh." then he left and I've barely spoken to him since. I've known him longer than almost anyone else in our school but he's been really distant. And frankly, I didn't care. He was really Aydin's friend, not mine. I was probably just a pity acquaintance to him, even if I thought we might have actually been friends when we were little.
Hikialani's parents left relatively quickly after telling me all about what it would be like and how great it was going to be. They seemed suspiciously happy. Still, they were Kia's parents and I guess a small part of me still trusts the Kia I used to know. Even if the Kia I used to know hasn't been showing himself recently.