They Say Opposites Attract

XVI. Painful Memories / Recovery

[Raven]

I blew out a sigh as I took another large gulp of my drink. Of course I'm not supposed to even have it, but I don't care. All I cared about was forgetting about her.

No matter. She should hate me more now. Enough to avoid me. There shouldn't be a-

The sound of someone clearing their throat caught my attention, making me turn to face the person.

"Seems like I'm right about where you'd be," the dark haired girl spoke up, a single hand on her hip.

"You sure know everything, huh, Claire," I reply, taking another gulp of my drink. "What do you want," I asked, looking back at the ground.

"I don't know everything, Rae. I only know what I know," she told me in response. At which I simply flipped her off. "Are you drunk?" She asked me with an exasperated sigh.

"I'm not drunk," I say immediately, pushing off the wall of some building nobody remembers. Claire walked over to me and swiped the bottle out of my hand, downing what was left.

Afterwards, she tossed the bottle to the floor, letting it shatter into thousands of shiny, yet deadly shards. I blew out a sigh in frustration and shoved Claire to the ground.

"What the hell!?" I yelled at her loudly. "What's your problem?"

"What's your problem?" Claire yelled back. She stood back up and pushed me against the wall, holding me there. I could easily break out of her grasp. However, her glare stopped me. "You only ever do that when you're trying to forget something."

I sighed at that and shifted my gaze to a spot behind her. "So what if I am?" I say in a near whisper.

"This is about Sumiko, isn't it? That transfer student?" Claire asked in a soft voice. I looked away from her in response. She noticed my reaction, her grip loosening. "So it was you..." she whispered, her voice trailing.

"Look, just leave me alone," I say loud enough for her to hear before twisting out of her grasp. "I don't care what that kid does anymore," I muttered.

"That 'kid' actually can't walk right now," Claire says, leaning against the wall. Her gaze was focused on the broken bottle. I glanced back at her and sighed at that.

"That's her problem, not mine," I replied, sliding my hands into my pockets. The fact didn't bother me in the slightest. Well, that was until...

"Even if that wound you gave her went untreated for too long? Do you know how long she was stuck there?" Claire told me in a raised voice. I clenched one hand and blew out a frustrated sigh.

"Look," I started, turning around to face her, "As long as the kid leaves me alone. I don't care," I say, forcing out the words. "I don't want her to end up like Aimi..." I let my voice trail off at that.

Since when did I care what happened to her anyway...

"She called your name multiple times in her sleep. Sure, she could only speak in whispers, but... it doesn't change the fact," Claire told me, walking away.

What the hell is that girl thinking.

[Sumiko]

At some point I had lost track of time. It was so warm in the room, I had pushed the blanket onto the floor. I don't know how long ago that was.

All I could think of was how much the wound on my thigh was burning. I couldn't bring myself to check to see why either.

"Awake again?" Came that familiar voice. I couldn't bring myself to nod or lift my hands. Or, rather, I couldn't find the energy to. "I talked to your parents," Lana spoke up.

Does she know them?

"I wasn't aware that you didn't have a strong immune system," she told me, resting a hand in my hair. I could only expect to hear that I got sick or feverish from those words.

It burns... I wanted to tell her, but couldn't find the energy to. I was facing the wall, so I couldn't see her, but I'm guessing that she got the memo when I hear the ceiling fan turned on.

I was thankful for that, but it didn't do much to cool me down. With difficulty, I could at least force myself to roll onto my back, my limbs extended in their respective directions.

Lana sighed and leaned against the wall as she looked at me. She looked as if she had a question to ask, but couldn't bring herself to ask. She noticed and shook her head. "It's nothing. You should just rest for now," she tells me before leaving the room.

Are my thoughts that obvious?

(Sorry for short update, had to deal with a lot this week)