XXXIII | Alone

❦

Aspen tips Kumar's head back.

In the torchlight Rowan is holding,
his eyes blink painfully.

There's bruises on his face.
Not all of them are new.

A cut on his lip.

Looking at his battered appearance,

it didn't just happen once.

He's always smiling.
Saying stupid things.

I remember him greeting Rowan.
I remember being surprised

she responded.

I didn't know anything.

'Oi, Kumar.
'Who did this?
'Tell me.
'I'm going to teach them a lesson.'

He groans.

I think he's losing consciousness.

Aspen stops me
from shaking him awake.

But I need to know
who are the bastards
who did this.

Aspen takes Rowan's tote bag,

the free National Day one
she brought to the zoo,
the one I made fun of.

A first aid kit falls out.

I can only stare at her.

Rage.
Confusion.

'You knew?'

I clench my fists,
then unclench them.

No,

I'll deal with her later.

Kumar first.

'Who? Who are the culprits?
'Obviously got more than one.

'Tell me. I'll do anything you want.
'Really.'

Her expressionless eyes
only make me

feel more impatient.

She's not answering.

She doesn't care.

If she knew,
why didn't she stop it before it happened?

I don't mean fight back.

Call the police.
Tell a teacher.

Even better,
her God should have prevented it from happening in the first place!

[Read the full story at novelconbini.com!]