Sounds of plastic cups hitting the floor were followed by a loud gasp.
"Why can't you watch it?!" Oliver barked, the veins on his neck popping, he was red on the face with rage, his pupils were narrowed and his glare was sharp as daggers.
The girl flinched. "I'm sorry." She muttered.
"I guess because you have no idea how expensive this is, your stupid milkshake is littering it now!" He continued. "I don't pick my clothes from the cheapest stores! Now it has a stain it would fucking remain! Why can't you idiot walk with your eyes! Do you need glasses?"
"I tripped, I'm sorry." The girl on the verge of tears pleaded.
"Oh please, save it for your fucking boyfriend." He turned around only to be met by Evelyn with furrowed brows, his frown deepened.
"It is just a stain, Mr. Moneybag, you can lick it." She added with her hands crossed.
Oliver saw red at that point, "you should be stupid." He spat.
"Uh, I think between us, the most arrogant and childish here is you. You're screaming over so little like a little barbie." Evelyn rolled her eyes and the student in the hall burst out laughing.
Oliver took a step forward towering over her, "you have stepped on the wrong foot, bitch." He growled before walking off, with Tim following behind him.
He got to the washroom where he tried to take off the stain on his gray sweat vest, he had a serious meeting after his last lecture with the employees at Zilda, and he had to visit an orphanage in his father's name and make donations, not to speak of his piano lessons, and secret sketching course, walking around with a stain would be so shameful.
*ugh, stupid bitches everywhere.
Oliver sighed when he felt his heartbeats pick up and pain began spreading through his chest. He grimaced while reaching for a bottle of pills, he fumbled to open them before pouring them into his shaky palms and swallowing them.
He waited for some minutes while taking off his sweater that had a stain. He reached for his phone typing a quick message.
Before walking out of the toilet where Tim was waiting outside.
"You took it off?" Tim asked when he saw the sweater resting on Oliver's shoulders.
"Forget it, I want you to drive me to a store and get a similar sweater vest, I just need something fitting." He said.
"Whatever, prince, as you wish." Tim started ahead as Oliver paused to stare at the lunch room. Evelyn would definitely pay, she had crossed the line.
*******
One week later
Oliver had attended his scheduled program as usual, but the pain in his chest was becoming unbearable for him, his pills weren't working and he still had many other virtual meetings to attend. His life was not the ideal life of an eighteen years old, while his mates were partying he was kicking his ass for a future he was being forced into, using parts of his being he was building the colorless future with wealth his father had always had for him.
It was hard when he didn't have anyone to lean on, it was one of those days when he was helpless about his situation and tired of breathing but kept it locked within his soul as his driver together with Tim drove him to the hospital for a checkup as he had said but he knew there was more to it than a check-up.
He held his phone up to his ears as he rang his mother's number.
A voice came from the other line sweetly as always.
"Darling dearest," she exclaimed. This time Oliver heard the sound of the sea in the background. Must be chilling on the beach.
"Mother, how have you been?"
"I'm fine honey, living young and pretty, not like the time when I had to live with your father." She ranted. Oliver could imagine her running a hand through her golden blond hair while flapping her eyelashes.
"You must be right." He stared at his fingers which were clean and not eaten. He stopped the habit a long time ago.
"Why did you call, honey? Are you okay? Are you taking your pills?"
He paused, deciding against revealing the truth. "Yes mother, I have been doing just that. I wanted to check on you." He said.
"My little baby is now a gentleman, as I can see, who is the lucky girl?"
He rolled his eyes because he had never thought of looking at any girl after his breakup with his father's friend's daughter. Olivia, they thought they would form a perfect couple but it couldn't work. Olivia was asking what he couldn't give, she was an attention freak, and they had never had one day without breaking into a fight. Sometimes it got to his father's ears and the man would be furious. Oliver decided to terminate the relationship himself. It was too much stress. Olivia of course had made a scene out of it and when his father confronted him about it, he came from the angle the man couldn't argue with, business. He had brought up the story of him being always busy and Olivia wouldn't appreciate it. All his father replied was, *"Maybe you should focus on building your life first, at least you get a taste of what a relationship entails."
"No one, mother, I'm very busy I can't let father down." He replied.
He could hear her sigh, "Jonathan and Steven are here with me, your cousin Emma is also here. You need a break, I don't accept your father's attitude towards you."
Oliver felt betrayed, a family reunion without him but he didn't care much about his siblings and cousin, all they did was tease, provoke and belittle him, but he was saddened by the fact his mother hadn't thought of calling him. She never calls him, she was always busy with holidays, the last time they saw each other was the previous year.
Oliver felt his heart clench and the pain that came with it. "I have to hang up now, mother." He said in a low tone.
"Okay baby, bye." She hung up without hesitation probably in a haste to return to her tranquility
He looked out through the window without a word. Tim beside him gave him a soft stare.
The driver helped him with the door after he had pulled in. Oliver stepped out and was escorted to his doctor's office who took him in immediately and checked him up.
After the doctor ran a test on him where he had to take off his shirt, the man wrote something on his note.
"How many times do you skip meals in a day?"
Oliver slowly buttoned his shirt, as he thought about it, "sometimes twice or once."
"How often do you have the pain surface even with the pills?"
"All day since last week."
"How much stress have you been going through since last week?"
"I don't know." He replied frankly.
"How happy have you been this past week?"
"I don't know."
"Hmm, have you passed out during the week?"
"No, but I almost passed out during the donation at the orphanage last week."
"Mr. Brooke. This is serious, your pills aren't doing much, if it continues, they will stop working, and you'll be faced with surgery or either given the exact days, I'm afraid, you have to live." The words left the doctor's lips and Oliver's blood froze. Days he had left? Before his demise?
"Do you mean it can worsen?"
The doctor nodded, "you are suffering from a hole in your heart since thirteen and your state is slowly getting worse even with the pills. But all hope is not lost. I can recommend another option but knowing you this might not be the best choice."