The Legacy Of Jewelox

CHAPTER 21

     I can remember Violet biting that finger when I aimed for her nose. I didn’t bother pulling it away. I just kicked her in the abdomen sending her flying. The finger looked as if, “Shit just got real...”, I muttered. It had a purplish-blue hue forming around the bite mark. It sent a tingling painful sensation through my whole body now that I saw it. The tip was growing pregnant! And it was blue.

     “The nurse has taken a holiday to meet her dying grandma. Nevertheless, we have the room to ourselves”, he said, opening the door for us and Ashton helped us in.

      Three walls were fully white while the fourth was entirely glass, furnishing a view of the town, Wellspring. There were six large beds and two considerable medicinary cabinets.

     Me and Rachel relaxed on the ‘Miraculous Ladybug' themed bed and entailed ourselves in a conversation about the animation while Ashton busied himself in the cabinets looking really apprehensive. He returned with one of those trolleys you’d find in a hospital when they’re planning to do a surgery or something. I gulped fearfully.

     “I'm nursing your finger before it grows blueberries”, he said, picking up a tinted bottle and eliminating the cap off. I swallowed hard as Rachel cackled.

     Ashton dipped the cotton in it slightly before bringing it back up. Gross! Yellow has never prevailed as a gentle colour when healing. He then cut a strip of bandage and kneeled down beside me. I jerked my left hand behind before he can reach it.

     “Y-y-you know what, Ash? I-I-I th-think I’ll go home and err... Treat myself there! I’m... Err... Erm... A-allergic to... Erm... Cotton!”, I fabricated. Ashton gave a hearty laugh and turned to Rachel.

     “Is she?”

     “Liz? Allergic? She’s a teeny bit allergic to sentiments and Colin’s happy or delighted face and Violet”, she sneered. “She's a lying Pinocchio”

     “YOU are supposed to be my BFF!”, I glared indignantly.

     “Oh, Liz, sweetie! Isn’t that why I told him what I told him?”, she dramatized. “I care about you!”

     “Im ex-best friending you!”, I fake-sniffed.

     “Suit yourself!”, she cracked up.

     “Now, now”, Ashton interrupted our fake argument and gave Rachel ‘THE EYE'. Rachel winked with a smirk and snagged by hand from behind, bringing it to Ashton.

     “So now you’re DOCTOR Gray?”, I mumbled absently. “What betrayers!”

     “I heard that! Chillax, Liz, it won’t hurt!”, he cajoled. I sealed my eyes rigid as he brought the cotton closer.

     “Have you tried this shit?”, I snapped.

     “No”, he replied with honesty. “Infact, I dunno if this thing DOESN’T hurt. Seems like you’ve become my experiment”

     I looked at my finger gloomily. He dabbed my index finger with that white ball who certainly doesn’t have any right to be called COTTON! Or fluffy.

     “Eurgh!”, I winced when his grip strengthened. I gave him a harsh pat on his head. “Ow! Liz~ That hurt! What did my poor head even DO to you?”

     “Go easy on me, man! I still haven’t been to Paris”, I scowled as Rachel tittered at that. Probably wondering why I brought up Paris when that was never a country I was addicted to like most girls. I only said that cuz Hazel's image paid a visit to my brain and still why Paris? Because Hazel was a Paris addict last year. After that, she let go and became Teddy craze and putting that aside, she started clinging onto an Indian actress and then the world’s most famous K-pop band that me and Sky introduced to her. BTS. And a few months back, she loved the K-pop girl band, BLACKPINK. And now... She’s crazy for Chocolate milk. Before all these, she was totally admiring a teacher by the name of Star. Me, Sky and Rachel didn’t like her very much though.

     When at last he had plastered the bandage, he grinned cheerily. “Now THAT didn’t hurt, did it?”

     I gave a little thought before giving a reply. “My finger's numb, Fly Emirates”, I told him truthfully. “This probably an early gift from God to me. No left index finger. No pain”

     “LOL, Liz. You know that wouldn’t happen!”, laughed Rachel. I gave her a nod.

     Ashton started cleaning the mess on Rachel's ankle and he was kinda furious that I didn’t stab Violet when I got the chance. He moved to mine, cleansing the blood.

     “Does it hurt?”, I asked pointing at the venomous finger scrape on her shoulder though mine was bigger. I also had a silk material rubbed through my neck harshly leaving a tremendous cut mark there. She nodded.

     “Very much! I feel like being stung by a bee”

     “Huh? You never told me you’d been stung by a bee!”

     “That's cuz I HAVEN'T!”

     “But you just said—”

     “It's a figure of speech, D.bag”

     “I don’t think it’s one of those either”

     Rachel groaned at my purposeful folly. I touched the wound on her shoulder brutally. She jerked off her seat, scowling at me.

     “LIZ! That hurt, you dimwit! I hate you! I’m ex-friending you!”, she puffed, storming to the ‘Home Alone' themed bed. I let out satisfied cackle.

     Ashton gazed up at me with a confused look. “Wow... Sorry for whatever happened”, he mumbled.

     “Why apologise for something you haven’t done?”, I giggled.

     “It's a way of saying ‘I share your grief' in the human world, outer-planet alien”, he sneered.

      “Count down from three in your mind,” I grinned.

     Three, Two, One.

     “Liz, on second thought, never mind. You're a qualified idiot and who could change that?!”, Rachel came over as Ashton plunged the last of the bandages on my ankle. He looked bemused.

      “You didn’t have to add idiot. That’s considered ‘insulting', not ‘reassuring’”, I cackled and she threw a pillow at me, chortling.

      “You know, even the teachers admire your friendships”, Ashton's voice broke our talk. Me and Rachel grinned proudly.

     “Anyways, you know the saying. ‘Don’t let the muggles get you down’”, he cited, referring to Violet, Ingrid, Rose, Lya and Jess. I rolled my eyes at him. “Don't quote book at me!—”

     “YOU’VE READ HARRY POTTER?!”, Rachel launched. “Have some manners, Potterhead”, I chimed cackling. She ignored me. Ashton was surprised by her blast off behind his calm blank expression. I could tell cuz I’ve encountered it a lot in the bus.

     “No, only ever watched it”, he smiled. “Theo’s taking long. I’ll go check”

     We waved at him as he vacated the place. I laughed knowing that he only left so me and Volcano can aid each other.

     “So where to start?”, I smirked deviantly, glimpsing her up and downn. “I don’t trust you”, she narrowed her eyes at me.

     In the end, it was war. We nurtured each other rather roughly, throwing remarks here and there.

     I had my ankle on the bed, with my hands stroking it softly, where Rachel ‘accidentally’—mark the word ‘accidentally’—dropped the scissor. Like, HOW MEAN IS THAT?! But all the same, we had fun discerning the suffer we brought each other.