It was during chemistry class after the lunch break when Karin suddenly handed her a note in the middle of their lesson.
"Thea, are you alright?" the note said. Althea had been dazing off and barely speak a word today, unlike her usual self. Not to mention her horrible complexion.
"I guess. Do I look that bad?" Althea handed the note back. She tried her best to still listen to what their teacher was saying though, as she still wrote whatever it was on the whiteboard.
"Yes, you look bad, Thea. Did you not get any sleep yesterday?"
Althea noted down the string of chemical terms without understanding what do those mean other than a jumbled mess of alphabet and numbers, "Not sure. I felt like half asleep half awake the whole time," she wrote in the letter.
"Nightmares?" Karin poked Althea's left hand on the table, her face full of worries.
"Yeah, and something with Ray came up." Althea tapped her friend's hand back reassuringly, coding that she still could handle it.
Karin sighed and gave a "Details later, baby" kind of glance and Althea nodded.
Some time after the school bell rang signaling the end of classes today, Althea told Karin about how her and Ray's relationship had been, Ray's increasing stress and burden on his body, how he changed to be more controlling of her, and how yesterday's fight happened.
Karin's expression kept changing from concern, to anger and irritation, then to an understanding.
Just like the good friend she is, she told Althea that it wasn't entirely her fault that the fight happened. Karin agreed on Althea's protectiveness towards her own freedom as she knows just how much Althea was deprived of it these whole years. Moreover, things have been hectic for Althea lately.
She was supposed to be able to rest, but instead another problem came up.
Karin shook her head at her friend's misfortune and said, "You must have been exhausted too." She paused, "But I also know you always hold dear those who are close to you, Thea." Karin rubbed Althea's back and Althea tried hard not to break down then and there.
"Just talk it out later. You both have such brilliant minds and loving hearts. You'll solve it." Karin nudged Althea's shoulder, making her smile.
"Thanks, Karin. For always being here for me." Althea hugged her friend and let go when Karin said she needed to go home soon.
"Are you staying?" Karin's eyes swept over the empty class and rolled her eyes to how fast students are when it comes to going home.
"Yeah, just for a bit. I don't really wanna go home and add my mother's complaint to the mess."
"Umm.. do you want me to stay longer?" Karin offered.
Althea felt touched to her friend's consideration. She had said she needed to go so she there must be something she gotta do. Yet she still offered to stay longer.
"No. It's okay, you should go home. Sorry to hold you back for long" Althea smiled apologetically.
"What are you being so serious for? We're best friends." Karin pouted her lips before waving her hand, "I'm going home first. Take care and go home soon!"
Althea waved back until Karin's back disappear from the class.
She slumped and sighed on her chair.
Freedom was a dream that Althea yearned to have. That's why it was hard to take when someone tried to keep compromising it.
But maybe Ray has his own reasons as well. He must do.
Althea knows just how bad he is at communicating his feelings and intentions, and sometime even after being asked, he still wouldn't be able to convey it.
But it doesn't mean they should have such a fight.
Their life was tough as it is, and they needed to make it work.
"Ray, I guess you fell unconscious." Althea typed.
"I'm immensely worried about you. I hope someone could bring you to get medication." Althea remembered Ray living alone and her worries grew stronger.
Being this faraway was painful for she wouldn't know his condition unless someone told her, and even if she knows, it would still be painful since she couldn't do anything about it.
She just prayed that he's safe or someone can get him to safety.
"After it's all done, let's talk properly. Properly, dear." she emphasized.
If they don't solve this now, the upcoming conflicts would keep being such a jumbled mess. And she was sure both of them wouldn't want that.
Later on the evening, Althea finally got the reply from one she had been dying to hear from: Ray.