Liquid Courage

Night 024

“Are you sure you want to go home now?”

I stopped zipping my backpack and sat on the hospital bed. I faced Matt who’s standing just behind the door. “What do you want me to do? Stay here and be bored as hell?”

He sighed and walked closer to me. Matt looks so serious right now, there’s no trace of goofiness on his face. It’s really rare to see him being like this. “I’m just worried about you, Marg.”

“I’m really okay, I promise.” I smiled. “It’s just a scratch, I won’t die.”

“Won’t you really tell your parents about this?”

“I don’t want to worry them, Matt,” I sadly smiled. “My parents…they have been through a lot. I don’t want them to blame themselves for what happened to me. So please don’t ever tell them.”

On the night of the Valentine’s Ball, I never thought something like that would happen to me. I was lucky to get on that elevator and Alfonso was too late to follow me inside. I was struggling to walk when I get off the first floor, I wanted to run because I still feel like Cesca’s coming after me.

Then Pax suddenly came into my direction. He was surprised to see me soaking with blood. My hair is mess, my make-up smudged because of tears and my gown—it was so horrible, the ends are filled with red stains. I was barefoot; the left shoe was the only one in my hand. I don’t know where I left the right shoe but that’s not important.

Pax was looking for me for an hour, he said. He waited outside the bathroom when he noticed that I’m taking too long but I did not come out. But he didn’t think I would go to the second floor. He assumed that maybe I went somewhere else.

He immediately carried me to his car and rushed me to the hospital. When I woke up, I was already lying on the hospital bed. My friends are all still dressed in their Valentine’s Ball attire, Lyra and Kia’s eyes were so red and I instantly knew they cried.

Fortunately, the doctor said that the cut in my shoulder is not too deep. And the one on my face is just a scratch so it will easily heal. I lost a lot of blood that’s why I was forced to say in the hospital. But tonight, my second night here…I decided to go home.

A few minutes later, Kia and Lyra entered the room with papers on their hand and some medicines. Kia handed me the receipt and my eyes widened in shock.

“Php 32,075 for just two nights?! Are you kidding me?” I blurted out.

Kia laughed. “Blame Pax, okay? He brought you to a pricy hospital.”

“I’ll pay you back, Ly. Just give me time, okay?”

“No, you don’t need to.”

“Ly, I’ll pay.” I insisted.

She shook her head. “I did not spend a penny on your bill, Marg. It was already settled when Kia and I went to the cashier.”

“What? Who paid?”

“The cashier doesn’t want to say but you know me, Marg, I’m a persistent person so…”

I rolled my eyes when she stopped talking. “Just say it!”

“It’s Alfonso. He already paid for it yesterday.”

That shut me up.

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Matt dropped me in my unit an hour ago. They wanted to stay with me and have a sleepover but I insisted that I wanna be alone. Right now, I’m lying on my bed while the television is on. I’m not really watching, I just wanted some noise.