Chasing the Sun

044

I was motionless as I sat in front of Tawan's unconscious body. My system refused to function, and I couldn't think straight seeing him in front of me, covered in blood and sustained injuries from fighting Aj and his men. Aj, who was still unconscious was just a few steps from where I sat. The guy who hit Tawan on the head was sitting against the wall, completely fatigued and unable to move. My senses were not functioning properly--my hearing was gone, and I could onky hear a constant high pitched sound even when behind me the students and teachers were clamoring. Tears constantly fell from my eyes as I held Tawan's hand.

I knew I had to do something though, so even if I was still shocked by the turn of events, I gathered all of my strength and carried Tawan on my back. I walked like a drunk person but I tried to maintain my balance so I could continue carrying Tawan on my back.

"MOVE!", I screamed as I pushed through the crowd of students on my way to the exit. My voice was cracking, and I could feel my throat burning as I spoke. My eyes were getting heavier and all the crying has reduced my eyesight to a poor condition. Still, I picked up my pace and ran for the exit.

The teacher who was adamant about not letting me out was still guarding the exit, but this time he was still in shock at what had just happened.

"E-excuse me sir, we need to go out.", I said as I supported Tawan's weight with my hands. I was bawling while I spoke that I myself did not understand the words that came out of my mouth, but thankfully the teacher understood and opened the door for me. I immediately went out of the activity area and looked for a medical team around the area.

I walked fast, the soles of my shoes rubbing aggressively on the asphalt. I felt the sole of one of my shoe peel off, but it was the last of my worries. I was desperate to call for help.

When I walked out of the activity area, the blinding light caught me off guard and I was stunned for a bit, maybe because the room I just exited from was very dark. I blinked a couple of times so my eyes could adjust to the light and when I did, I went to the souvenir shop just beside the activity area to get some help.

"P-please, help me. M-my friend's severely injured."

The souvenir store employee was shocked at my sudden entrance of the store as I carried Tawan behind my back. Quickly, she ran to assist and helped me place Tawan on the empty bench inside the store.

"Oh dear, what happened to him?", She asked, still perplexed about Tawan's state.

My mind was blank, and I didn't have the energy for a story time so instead I reached for the telephone that was placed on the store's counter and dialed for an emergency medical assistance from the hospital. I stuttered as I talked on the phone, and I could barely give out the details to he hospital, but I tried my best to maintain my sanity and still talk to the person at the other end of the line. When the phone call ended, my knees went frail and lost my balance, causing me to trip and fall on the floor. The store employee who was busy tending to Tawan ran to support me, and helped me rest my back on the wall. She then left for a while and came back with a glass of water.

"Drink this, it will help you ease your mind for a bit."

I chugged the glass of water in an instant and placed the glass on the floor. Sitting against the wall, I was a few feet away from Tawan who was still laying unconscious on the bench. My eyes were stinging from the mixture of tears and sweat that entered it, but I still couldn't help but tear up at the sight of the man I love the most, completely beaten up and passed out.

Everything escalated very quickly that my mind was not able to keep up with the turn of events. One moment there were words being flashed on the screen, and the next thing I knew Tawan was already fighting with Aj's group. I was beyond devastated, and I could feel myself slowly deteriorating with the unfortunate event that happened to the both of us. I remained seated on the floor as I spaced out and thought of the miserable thing that just occurred.

Had I stepped out that day and just revealed to the whole school that I was gay, would Tawan still be hurt because of me?

I tried so hard to make out the reason why Tawan ended up getting himself beaten, but my mind was too loaded with confusion that I felt like my head would explode if I continued stressing over it. And maybe my adrenaline kicked in as soon as things started to get rough, but my whole body started aching when I sat on the floor. I was feeling immeasurable pain om my abdomen and back, the same ache I felt back at my place.

After a few minutes of waiting, I heard the sound of an ambulance outside the store. I tried to gather my strength again and stand up to bring Tawan to the ambulance, but the moment I stood up, I felt so stupefied that I almost instantly fell to the ground. My eyes started to get heavy, and I was getting close to also losing my consciousness. Before my eyes could even close, I saw the doors flung open and there came the nurses rushing towards our direction.