Unanticipated Turn

TWENTY FIVE

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"Your pupils are looking good...."

The first aid lady clicked her light off, and Fariq rubbed his eyes to get rid of the dots in his vision with one hand. The other was occupied pressing an ice pack against his head.

"Great, so can I go now? I know what happened, I know where I am, I know my name and all that nonsense. Come on, I was only out for like a second."

The nurse gave him a deadpan utterly unimpressed stare. Her frizzy mane of hair danced on her shoulders."Maybe it was just a second, but you did black out. You took a few hard hits."

Fariq snorted,"Yeah tell me about it."

He was well aware of having taken a beating. The lingering dull pain in his stomach was a reminder, and so was the throbbing in his jaw especially when he spoke, and the headache.

He'd been able to walk to the infirmary though, somehow, supported by the football coach. The football coach appeared out of nowhere, and found him unconscious in the football field, after receiving the beating of his life again from Muneer Fawaz's bodyguards. They followed him this morning and beat him again. That was the last he heard and saw from them.

"So," The nurse lady held out a pamphlet. Fariq automatically took it. With one glance, he established it was a set of instructions on after care of head injuries.

"You nay seem fine now," the lady said,"But we can't spot internal bleedings right away. So you're going to promise me you'll rest, have someone with you for the nest 24 hours, and immediately go to the hospital if you experience nausea or other alarming changes. Are we clear?"

She was all business, with her hands on her hips and a stern look on her face. Firm and authoritative, but in a gentle kind of way. She clearly had to cope with stubborn, injured athletes all the time. Fariq didn't envy her.

"Yeah, I'll take care," he finally agreed."I'll stay with my grandmother and my parents will be around to check me at home after six, honest."

At least his grandmother had a valid reason to tell his mother so she couldn't scream at him for engaging in a fight again, with his head and all. Gotta take the small victories in life.

The nurse narrowed her eyes, scrutinising him. Apparently she decided to believe him, because her expression softened."Alright then. Let's make a deal Fariq. We wait for your coach to come back, or someone else, to take you home. Then you can go."

"No need to wait. We're already here!"

Jason and Aurora made their entry, Aurora grinning somewhat inappropriately for an infirmary."Hi!"

"Hey." Fariq nodded in greeting. He'd expected Jason or Aurora to step by sooner or later given what happened.

"Hey Fariq."

Fariq's eyes opened wide."Meenah?"

He jerked upright, stifling a wince at the jolt of pain that shot through his abdomen at the sudden movement, as Meenah came walking through the door after Aurora.

Meenah's wrinkled brow was in sharp contrast with Aurora's ever cheerful expression.

Fariq shifted on the bed, locking his hands together to force stillness, although he couldn't force his anger to do so.

"What are you doing here?" He asked shaking with anger.

"So, you're still in one piece? No mow brain damage?" Jason asked, making Fariq tear his eyes off of Meenah to turn to him.

"I'm sorry about what happened last Friday Fariq, I'm really sorry." Meenah said eyes down casted in shame."I hope this doesn't ruin our friendship."

"Yeah, I'm fine I guess." Fariq said ignoring Meenah.

"Your friend's too stubborn to not be fine," The nurse lady chimed in from her desk chair.

"Well," Meenah cleared her throat."I should go, I uh," Meenah vaguely gestured to the door."Have some urgent things to do."

"Hope your good-for-nothing gang leader is keeping you busy." Aurora said with a sneer.

"Aurora stop it!" Jason warned her.

"No Jason let her know the truth or let us show her that we know what her boyfriend did. Can't you see how he's in so much pain. And that jealous boyfriend of hers stooped so low for a business man. And let me warn you Meenah, tell him that Fariq is better off without you." Aurora snapped and brush past her leaving the infirmary.

Meenah gave a curt nod. Her eyes filled with unshed tears trained on the floor as she turned, and Fariq watched her walk away. He released a sigh once Meenah was out of sight.

"Hey, you sure your brain is fine." Jason asked with a smirk.

Fariq pushed him away with a playful scowl."Shut up."

"I didn't expect you to take that coward's punches again Fariq. I thought you made it clear to him that you will stay away from her."

"I didn't expect it to go smoothly anyway. That doesn't work me and my motor mouth." Fariq said with a shrug.

It was strange though. He'd thought that Muneer Fawaz would leave him alone after the beating that weekend, but he never knew that he was so wrong. Being kicked in the head and knocked out side, he was... alright. Maybe it was just shock about what happened, it hadn't gotten through to him.

How alright he was would also depend on what Muneer Fawaz and his gang members would do next. Woozy and blurry with the putrid test of vomit in his mouth, Fariq wasn't exactly sure he could remember every single detail about the beating he received.

"Aurora is a little bit mean to Meenah. I never thought she could say that, you know she's the hyper one amongst us." Jason said scrunching his nose.

"You're insane! Are you really saying that about your girlfriend? I thought you are truly loyal to her. And I think Meenah deserved everything that happened to her."

"I won't argue with that dude. Did you know that Meenah was the one who ran to get the coach when she found you unconscious? You should've seen the panicked look on her face. And she came to see at the infirmary right after. She does care about you." Jason explained

"She doesn't." Fariq mumbled looking down at his hand.

"Look," Jason continued,"Aurora is kinda bipolar you know, she will definitely sort things out with Meenah when she comes to her senses. Go talk to her, go for a date, and skip off into the sunset."

Fariq snorted, automatically picturing it. Jason made it sound simple. Meenah had cared enough to visit him because she was guilty conscious and she never knew what Muneer Fawaz did.

"I will think about it. And I think she's in love with that punk." Fariq said inhaling deeply, and exhaled through his mouth.

"That's the spirit! Let's go!" Blake said with a grin completely disregarding Fariq's second sentence.

Immediately his words up by the deeds, Fariq hopped off the bed and strode over to the nurse, with Jason right behind him."Ma'am, this guy over here is gonna stay with me, so I can leave right?"

The nurse lady looked up from her paperwork, glanced from Fariq to Jason, and back."Yes, you're free to go Fariq." Her eyes narrowed in another one of her stern looks."But remember to take it easy."

"Got it." Fariq held up the pamphlet with information to emphasise his point, and placed the icepack on desk."See you. Thanks for everything."

*

Word count-1264

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