I fought back harder, thrashing, hitting, kicking—
I thought maybe… maybe this was it. Maybe it was all over.
But then—
I heard it.
The sound of the door unlocking.
At first, I thought it was just a trick of my mind, a false hope.
But no. The door… it really began to open.
A flicker of desperate hope filled my chest, so fragile it could've shattered with a breath.
From behind me, I heard Hugo's voice—sharp, panicked.
"F*ck! Who the hell is here?! Where are Elish and Sifra? They were supposed to be watching!"
Cursing under his breath, Hugo hastily pulled on his shirt and rushed toward the back, disappearing into the shadows of the storage area.
I didn't understand what he was doing, or why he was running that way, but none of it mattered.
I just wanted to get out.
But fear still coiled inside me like a snake, hissing,
"What if it's Elish? What if Sifra is back?"
And then—
The light came.
The door creaked open wider, and standing there was a tall boy, silhouetted in the glow.
He was… breathtaking.
His hair tousled, as though he had run through wind and shadows.
His eyes locked onto me, wide and horrified, holding shock, fear… and a depth of pain I couldn't explain.
I couldn't see his face clearly, because my eyes were filled with tears, with no glasses to guard them. But in his eyes, I could see something—feel something. I didn't know what it was, but it pulled me toward him.
I didn't think. I didn't pause. I just ran.
My legs moved before my brain did.
And the next moment—
I threw myself into his arms.
Without a word. Without a thought.
I just held him.
I threw myself into his arms, not knowing why I was doing it, not understanding what I had seen in his eyes. I was scared, disturbed, my mind filled with a thousand questions, but his embrace offered me some serenity.
I didn't say anything, nor did I hear anything from him. He stood still, calm. Perhaps even he didn't understand what was happening, but he didn't push me away like everyone else. He held me—without asking anything, without saying anything. He just held me.
Tears flowed down my face, my strength was fading, when I suddenly heard his voice in my ears. It was soft, soothing:
"Are you okay? Nothing happened. Everything's alright."
The words, "Are you okay?", felt like a weight on my heart, as though those words had cast a spell, making me realize that my ears were hearing something wrong? No one had ever said these words to me before, and this boy, whom I didn't even know, was saying them to me.
But in that moment, I wasn't in a state to respond, and perhaps he didn't expect an answer.
Everything was calm. The large room was still, and even the light flickered. The darkness held its grip, and I was holding onto him.
"Are you okay?" His voice grew softer, perhaps he was speaking more quietly, or maybe my hearing was fading. My head was spinning, my eyes were becoming heavy.
I could hear his voice, but couldn't respond. My eyes were closing, and I could feel the same warmth from him, just like I had felt from that hoodie earlier. Was this the same warmth?
Before I could say anything, sleep took over, and I drifted into unconsciousness.
But just before I lost consciousness, I turned to the guy and whispered, "Please, don't tell anyone about this. I thought to myself , I don't want anyone to judge our friendship… or tell my friends anything."
I don't love them anymore. I used to, but now… I don't like them. I don't care for them. But there's one thing I need—answers. Why did they do this to me? Why?
And the other reason I don't want to accept—
What if they do something worse next time?
I could hear the faint murmurs in my ears, and my head felt heavy. I tried to sit up, but a sharp, unbearable pain shot through my stomach. I struggled to get up, and when I opened my eyes, I realized I was lying on something like a mattress. My head throbbed with pain, but I slowly opened my eyes, and to my surprise, I found myself in the infirmary room.
A nurse stood beside me, talking to herself, almost as if she were speaking to no one. She seemed a bit mad, muttering softly under her breath.
When she noticed me trying to sit up, she smiled and came over to help me. With her assistance, I managed to sit up.
She asked, "How are you feeling now? Are you okay?"
I nodded in response, then slowly asked, "Who brought me here?" I already knew the answer in my heart, but I asked anyway.
As soon as I asked, the nurse's face lit up with a smile, and it seemed like she was deep in thought for a moment. Then she said, still smiling, "A tall, handsome boy brought you here. You were a bit out of it, but not in a really bad condition."
I felt a brief jolt of fear, but then she reassured me, "But now you're fine. And by the way, how did you get that wound on your stomach?" She asked, her eyes examining me like a detective, carefully scrutinizing my condition.
I lowered my gaze, and in a soft voice, I said, "I fell."
The nurse didn't seem to pay too much attention to my answer. Instead, she advised me to rest and take some medicine, which I did. As I held my stomach, she looked at me with a concerned expression and asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"
I nodded again, forcing a small, reassuring smile and said, "Yes," and started to move away.
But then, I suddenly heard a soft voice behind me — "Wait!"
I turned around and saw the nurse smiling.She said to me, with a curious glint in her eyes,"Well… I wanted to ask you something. That boy… is he your boyfriend?"
I froze, completely stunned.Without thinking, flustered and wide-eyed, I blurted out,"No!"
Hearing that, the nurse raised her eyebrows in surprise and then laughed softly.There was something about her expression… something I couldn't quite read.She said,"Don't get me wrong. It just seemed like he really cared about you. He sat here for a long time... looked really worried. But he left just before you woke up."
I didn't know how to react.Still, I brushed it off, turned to leave…But then, I paused and asked,"Do you know him?"
She gave me a look, as if confused by my question, and replied, "What?"
"The boy who brought me here," I clarified.
She shook her head and smiled, her face lighting up as she said, "No, I don't."
I nodded, thanked her, and left.
then , I walk towards home