Haywire Ranger

Chapter 37: To The Rescue

In a dimly lit room in the basement of her home, Hazel gathered their friends around a worn-out wooden table. The atmosphere was tense, an unspoken weight hung in the air.

"Guys, we need to talk," she said sternly, breaking the silence.

She was filled with determination.

"Maybe?" Kenji replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Look, I get it. We've become... different lately," Hazel said in a defensive attitude.

"Because of you," Charlotte replied, her arms crossed over her chest. "And your... condition."

"We've come here only because we... somehow still feel some friendship for you," Luca said, his eyebrows furrowed. "But if word gets out that we're socialising with you, we're doomed."

"Stop this nonsense right now, guys!" Hazel answered, slamming a fist on the table. "You guys ditching me, mocking me in public just to make sure everybody knows you don't wanna be friends with me anymore, it's cruel and pathetic. I didn't choose to have a damn brain aneurysm. It's not like I wanted this."

Their friends shifted uncomfortably, guilt etched across their faces.

"We did this when Sky failed the admission test," she went on with a saddening expression on her face. "It was awful. We were awful to him. And for what? To be considered cool by the rest? Because society dictates it? What?"

None of them replied, their lips pressed into thin lines.

"Exactly," Hazel said for them. "Shame. Shame on us. He was our friend—is our friend, and he needs us right now. I need you right now. Giving him the cold shoulder was mean and cruel. It's time we stepped up these stupid social rules and did something that matters."

Winona spoke up, her voice softer now, "Hazel, we're sorry. We've been arseholes, and we know it."

"Yeah," Kenji chimed in. "We should've been there for you, both of you."

Hazel's eyes softened. "Good, because we have a problem. Sky's in jail. It was... somehow my fault, I guess." She took a deep breath. "We need to get him out."

Shock rippled through the room.

"What?" Charlotte asked, with disbelief in her voice.

Hazel nodded. "Yeah. He's been arrested."

"How is that your fault?" Luca asked.

"Have you seen the news?" Hazel asked. "The photograph of him and the golden ranger?"

"Yeah," Charlotte said. "What about it?"

"Who do you think took that photo?" Hazel asked, shifting the weight on her feet with discomfort as she awkwardly pointed a finger at herself.

"Fuck," Kenji whispered, baffled. "You knew?"

"I found out about their friendship only a few days ago."

"Wow," Charlotte said. "And you didn't tell anybody?"

"Nope, even though I had sealed a deal with Mrs Evergreen that I would."

"Jesus Fucking Christ, Hazel!" Luca exclaimed in a bewildered whisper as he put his hands on his head. "She's gonna kill you!"

"Not really. Guess who spilt the beans about my brain aneurysm and got me kicked out of the academy?" Hazel asked with sarcasm.

"No kidding," Winona replied, with wide-open eyes.

"Yeah, she let the cat out of the bag only because I kept the truth from her. She found the picture. She discovered I took it, and now Sky is in jail," she said with guilt and a sad expression on her face.