Ayra's POV
I just woke up. What happened from yesterday are still clear in my mind. They won't leave me alone. This situation is so damn frustrating.
I woke up feeling heavy-hearted. I didn't want to get up yet, but I had to. No matter what I do, thoughts of what happened yesterday keep entering my mind, putting me in a bad mood.
I can handle this on my own. I don't need friends, especially my parents. I'm sure they'll be furious if they find out what happened. Everything I've done in my life.
And that's something that can't happen.
Bryxwell's POV
I'm in the kitchen now, waiting for Ayra to come down since she hasn't eaten since last night.
After finishing cooking, I set the food on the table. She comes down right on cue.
"Eat here," I said.
"Okay," she said. Her words were so plain, making me uncomfortable.
I'm getting frustrated with myself. She didn't even speak much, just nodded when I invited her. It seems like she's even colder now than the days when she used to be distant and emotionless. It's like she's lost all hope in herself and it's because of me.
She sat down and started eating. While we were eating, I felt something strange. This is the first time this has happened, and I don't know why I'm feeling this way.
She's just Ayra!
"Is your class early?" I asked, trying to hide my anxiety. I'm making an effort not to be affected by her presence.
She nodded reluctantly and resumed her cold gaze.
"A-Ayra," I called her to get her attention. She looked at me again, indifferent. I quickly said what I needed to say. "I'm so sorry."
She just looked at me, no response at all. She shifted her focus back to the food and continued eating.
I want to apologize because I'm afraid she might break up with me. I won't allow that to happen.
"Are you going to break up with me?" I asked, fearing the answer.
"Is that what's bothering you? Why? Do you want me to?" she asked seriously.
"Of course not."
She smirked, making me nervous. "Annulment papers aren't really in vogue these days. Usually, people just head straight for the divorce court but I want to kill someone."
I understood the implication behind her words. Can she really kill me?
She stood up from her seat, leaving me alone.
Ayra's POV
I'm driving now, with a lot on my mind. I abruptly hit the brakes because someone blocked my way. This idiot just showed up out of nowhere.
I got out of the car and shouted at him.
"What's wrong with you, Dark?! Are you trying to kill yourself?! If yes, go lie on the train tracks!"
My morning wasn't good to begin with, and he's just making it worse. I'm really trying to control myself because I don't know where to direct my anger.
"There's a traitor in the underworld, Cancer. I don't know them, but they want you dead. I'm here to warn you to be careful," he said quickly.
"I'm ready to die. Stop chasing me!" I snapped in annoyance.
I don't care if I'm being rude. He's used to my behavior anyway, and it's his fault for how I'm treating him now.
He grinned at me. "Don't take it too hard, HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Idiot.
I continued on my way, parked, and went inside.
"Good morning, ma'am," the security guard greeted me.
I just nodded. As I walked towards the building, I could hear students whispering about yesterday's happen. I expected this since what happened yesterday was quite public. Embarrassing.
"She's the one Bryx and Nicol cheated on."
"Lower your voice! Do you know she's scary?!"
"Oh my gosh! She's cool!"
I clenched my fists upon hearing them. My patience is running thin, so I faced them head-on.
"Where's the nearest cemetery around the university? Go there and die."
I couldn't bear to listen to them, so I continued walking without waiting for their response.
"Be!" someone called me.
From a distance, I saw Jean approaching with a smile on her face.
"What?" I replied with a frown.
"I've moved to a different dorm. I went to the office earlier, and they agreed. Even though I'm mad at Nicol for what she did, I can't believe our good friendship was ruined so suddenly."
I took a deep breath. I didn't want to discuss what happened yesterday.
"Let's just eat," I invited.
She nodded, and we walked towards the cafeteria. I was surprised when a girl came up to me, knelt down without hesitation. It was Nicol, her face full of tears.
What's going on here?
"Ayra, please..." she begged, tears streaming down her face. "Forgive me! Please! I'm so sorry, Ayra! I regret everything! I'm begging you..."
I noticed she had been crying for a while, her eyes were red and puffy. But because of the anger I felt towards her, I just ignored it. Unconcerned.
"I'm willing to do anything. I want you to forgive me. Ayra, I'm begging... I don't want our friendship to go to waste," her voice was trembling.
"Are you not affected at all?" I asked, causing her to look up at me. "I've shown you all my bad sides, Ayra. Hell, and now you want Cancer? I can kill anything I want, Nicol."
They were taken aback by my words. Nicol's grip on me slowly loosened. She couldn't believe the words that came out of my mouth.
I rolled my eyes before turning away from her. Jean followed me, unable to take her eyes off her friend.
"I don't know what decision I'll make regarding her. I know you're the victim here, Ayra, but I also feel anger because of what she did," Jean said. She paused. "Our friendship was ruined because of that. It's frustrating."
"Those kind of people no need to give them care," was my worthless response.
We sat on empty chairs once we reached the cafeteria. Jean ordered some food. She quickly returned, and we started eating.
"By the way, what are you planning for your anniversary with Bryx?" She suddenly asked while chewing.
I didn't look at her, but I answered. "It's Nicol and Bryx's anniversary. If they want, I can even set up a date for them. It's ridiculous."
"Haha. What if we do that for your anniversary?"
"Are you serious?"
"Of course. It's free."
I rolled my eyes. "Let them have their fun."
I continued eating. I didn't care about their decisions in life.
As I opened the door to leave the cafe, I was surprised when Kim suddenly hugged me.
"Ayra..." Her hugs were full of longing. "I'm so sorry." Her lips quivered, and her tears wet my shoulder.
"It's okay," I replied.
I gently pushed her away. If yesterday I would've felt weak just hearing about my friends, now it's different. I feel nothing. If they didn't wrong me personally, I forgive them right away. I don't dwell on their mistakes.
She faced me, her eyes slightly red from crying. She smiled.
"Are we okay?" she asked to make sure.
"Of cou—"
I couldn't finish my sentence as I suddenly felt weak, dizzy, and lost my balance. All I knew was I fell down and lost consciousness.
Kim's POV
My eyes widened as Ayra suddenly collapsed to the ground. I couldn't move immediately due to shock. Jean and I exchanged glances and quickly sat down to wake Ayra up.
"Ayra, are you okay? What's happening to you?! Why are you unconscious?!" I bombarded her with questions, filled with worry and anxiety. This was the first time this had happened to her.
"Ayra! Wake up! What's going on with you?!" Jean tapped her, trying to rouse her.
Why is this happening? Is she depressed? Stressed? What?!
Everyone was just staring at us. People were watching. No one even called for help.
"What?! Are you all just going to stand there?! My god! What's happening to the students here?!" I shouted angrily at everyone.
"Ace!" Jean called for Ace. Thankfully, she saw him. "Ayra needs your help!"
Ace paused what he was doing. When he saw Ayra lying on the ground, he furrowed his brows and approached us, worriedly looking at her.
"Don't scare us. Fuck, wake up!" Ace said as he lifted Ayra.
We walked together.
"What are you saying, Ace?" Jean and I asked simultaneously.
He didn't answer our question. We arrived at the clinic. Just when we thought Ace was going to bring Ayra inside but he took a different turn towards his dormitory.
"Ace, what are you doing?! Ayra needs to go to the clinic immediately!" I shouted out of concern.
He didn't respond. He laid Ayra down on the sofa and finally answered my question.
"The clinic can't do anything for her. They might just give her some random medication. All we can do now is wait for her to wake up."
"What?!"
Those were the words that escaped all of us. What? We're just supposed to stand here and wait? Is he serious? What if something happens to my friend?
"What day is it? How long do we have to wait? What can we do to speed it up? What are you even saying, Ace?! Be fucking serious!" Bryx angrily questioned him when he's arrived.
"Bryx is right," Ross agreed.
"I don't know about this," Ace sighed, rubbing his face in frustration. It was clear he didn't know what to say, and he seemed frustrated by it.
If that's the case, who knows what's going on?
"Who knows?" I asked.
"Only Nicol. Ayra confided in Nicol," he replied.
"So we need Nicol?"
"Yes, because I have no idea, but this has happened to her before. She woke up after three days. The problem now is her heart rate is slowing down, and she has to fight that because it could endanger her."
"We will call Nicol."
We quickly found Nicol, it wasn't hard. I explained what happened to her, and I could see the worry and concern on her face.
"Where is she? Don't take her to the clinic," she said seriously.
"At Ace's dorm."
We hurried to Ace's dorm and found a handkerchief on Ayra's forehead. With Bryx and Nicol, there was no need to feel awkward – it felt like Ayra was the most important thing right now.
Nicol approached Ayra and touched her wrist. She let out a sigh of relief. "She's okay now. Let's just wait for her. She might wake up today, tomorrow, or the next day."
"What?! Seriously? What's going on with her? Why aren't you telling us anything?!" Bryx sounded annoyed and worried.
"Because of the antidote, that's why she's experiencing this," Nicol replied, making us even more puzzled.
"Antidote?"
"Yes, antidote. Ayra mentioned it to me."
"What's in that antidote?" Ace calmly asked.
"Dr. Newin is Ayra's doctor in the mafia organization. That antidote is only for the mafia, queen or king. Her antidote is for emotional," she explained to us. "Ayra's doctor can do a lot. That person is incredibly intelligent. It numbs you to emotions, no matter how dark or sad your life is. The doctor explained to Ayra what needs to be done. When you feel an emotion, it should be focused on just one, so the antidote works properly. But Ayra ignored that. Her emotions are all mixed up now, so she fainted. Her body couldn't handle it, and she chose to hide her emotions," she said. "I don't know what Ayra was thinking, but you could die if you can't control your heart."
"She's insane," Bryx commented. "She's willing to risk her life for that?"
Ace suddenly spoke up. "Because you hurt her."
Oh, they're going to fight now.
"Will she wake up, right?" Ross reassured.
"Yes."
"Do her parents know about this?" Dave asked.
"No."
"What if she never wakes up? Is there a medicine to wake her up?" Jean asked.
"She needs motivation."
"Really?" I asked in disbelief.
Ayra told Nicol everything, but Nicol also deceived her. So maybe Ayra chose to hide her emotions because she didn't want to show her weakness to many people, and I know she was hurt by what happened yesterday.
"I need to leave. I'll go ahead," Nicol said her goodbyes, and we nodded as she left.
As she left, Ayra finally woke up.
"Bryxwell..." she called weakly.
"A-Are you okay, Ayra?" we asked.
When she saw all of us, she quickly got up and stepped back. She was shocked by what she saw. She abruptly stood up from the sofa.
Her husband immediately questioned her, "Ayra, where are you going? You know what's happening to you, right? What is it?!"
"Fuck, I don't need your concern. I'll go out whenever I want," she replied defiantly.
It seemed like she didn't care about what was happening to her.
"Ayra—"
"You shut up, Falcon," her mood suddenly changed.
Is that what the antidote does?
"What's happening to you?! We're worried!" Bryx added.
"Stay away from me. When I see you, I'm disgusted! Got it?!"
Bryxwell was stunned.
"You heard what Nicol explained earlier, so let's leave her alone," Ace said to Bryx.
"Let's follow her," Jean invited me, and I nodded in agreement.
Ayra's POV
I couldn't forget what happened yesterday, so I was furious with Bryx. I slowed down my pace and headed to the garden.
When I arrived, I sat on a rock to clear my mind.
"Damn it," I whispered. "I keep forgetting that thing. It's already happened—"
"What's happened again?"
I suddenly looked to my side as a man spoke.
"Who are you?" I irritably asked.
"My name?" he asked coldly. "I'm Dace."
I just rolled my eyes at him.
"Do you have a problem?" he asked again.
"Yes. You. So just get out of my sight."
"I'm by your side."
"I'm facing you."
Kim and Jean arrived, interrupting our conversation.
"Ayra, are you okay now?" she quickly asked.
"What? What are you feeling?" Jean chimed in.
They followed me.
"I'm fine now," I said, and they looked at the man with me.
"Hi, girls!" he greeted. Dice or Dace? Dice?
"Hi, handsome!" they playfully greeted him.
I noticed the man smiled. He approached me and whispered.
"Nice to meet you, Cancer. I'm here for you. Let's start."
I couldn't react immediately to his lengthy statement. I just looked at him as he left.
He wants me to die. He knows I'm Cancer in the mafia organization.
To be continued...