Chapter 33

The professors acted as if such light injuries were nothing of their concern, and it was completely to be expected after the special exam.

"Let's go, Clause. The atmosphere in here isn't so welcoming."

Well, all eyes were on me. They might have despised me for what I have done, but I have no regret whatsoever. I've done what a friend must do, or else it would be who'd end up in the clinic. Surely, I won't be off with just a few bruises, considering how angry Allen was.

'Ira, good job! I was like a block of ice slowly melting in their blazing gaze!'

***

By the time we arrive in the infirmary, the clock hits 9:26 PM. We are past our curfew hours, but our phone never went off with a loud beeping sound.

Ira and I saw students near the entrance of the clinic, waiting for their classmates to finish with their treatment. Fortunately, it was only Allen who was in the worst condition.

I heard from the three lackeys that Allen needed surgery, and only the nursing students were treating the students with mild injuries such as bruises and shallow wounds.

"Go on. Have your swollen face checked and your wounds patch up."

"Actually, I am here only for the pill I took earlier. I wanna request for more of that pill because it miraculously put my mind to ease."

"Huh?! What are you saying?!" Ira exclaimed, roughly grabbing my arm and dragging me inside the clinic. "You need to have yourself checked up after what happened to you."

***

"You're quite clever, Clause."

Ira suddenly said, wrapping his arm and shoulders and pulling me closer to him.

"Had you used your knuckles to beat the crap out of Allen, all of your bones in your hands would have been broken!"

We thought only the nursing students would be treating the injured students, but luckily there were other doctors. The school predicted that something like this would happen, so they called for more helping hands.

Going back to the dorm at this time of night is not so terrifying when you are walking with people unless you don't have someone to walk alongside with. Also, I still had not forgotten that one night when someone chased me all the way to our building.

I was hoping that I'd see what it looked like, but unfortunately, I did not. Fear got the better of me, and I sprinted away with my heart raging inside my chest.

A lot of crazy things had happened in an hour. What happened here tonight just unlocked a core memory. Something I would not wanna go back to after unwillingly recalling it.

"So, what do you think, Ira?"

I had to know what my friend thinks of my revenge. I would not be satisfied with a half-ass answer.

"About what? Oh... Honestly, I think it is a bit overboard."

'I overdid it, huh?'

"Is what I'd like to say but fuck it! HAHAHA! That bitch got what he deserves!"

"Eh? O-Oh, right. Right!"

And thus, the two of us talked about my fight with Allen, and Ira told me how pretty badass I was when my fist came crashing on the poor dude's

face.

***

Tomorrow came, of course, but since I was still feeling tired. I woke up late. I was now feeling the pain in my body and the exhaustion after effect?

Over the window, with its foggy glass, I squinted my eyes and saw outside that it was raining a lot, but I did not hear the splashing of raindrops since I was on the second floor.

It's been weeks since I last experience rain, so I immediately opened my window, pulled a chair I had and got on top of it to watch the rain.

Something about the heavy rain, along with its windy attribute fascinates me. There was one time I was glad that it was raining a lot. One day, after a long day of getting bullied, stepped on, spitted,

humiliated, and beat up when I could not handle it all. I broke down. And as I was crying, suddenly the sky turned dark, the sea of grey clouds formed that shrouded not just the heaven but also my tearing up my heart of mine. It felt as though God wept along with me at that time. So whenever it is raining, I would remember that time, and I'd be grateful that I am still alive, for as Scarlett O'Hara said in her last line, "After all, tomorrow is another day."

No one knows what awaits us tomorrow. You yourself don't know if you will even wake up. We might find ourselves lying on our bed, surrounded by our beloved families, weeping at our bedside while our souls depart from this world.

So when is the best time to change ourselves? I dunno! Why are you asking me? I am not a teacher. You should find the answer yourself, not the other way around.

"The fragrance of the ground on the first rain of the month is one thing I like, along with the smell of a new book and gasoline."

Do you know what's so good about continuous heavy rains? Here in the Philippines, it is every student's favorite time of the school year because the school tends to suspend the class for a day or two if the rain would not stop. There are times when the class suspension lasts for a week.

When I was just starting to melt in the sound of raindrops falling someone banged on my door. It got louder and louder as I lazily dragged my feet towards the door.

"Wait!"

Tch! Just when things were about to get calmer and cold in here, someone had to disturb me.

"Clause!"

The door's locked clicked when I turned the doorknob, and Ira came crushing on my room.

"Be careful with your drinks, man! You're soaking wet! Did you bathe in the rain?!"