"Nick, please! Can you just please focus and be faster so we can be done with this f-cking activity? Use the blue paint because there is no such thing as a yellow sea!"
My temper was already frayed from Nick's last activity for the day at the rehab center, and I could not stand another minute of it. I had been breathing helplessly all afternoon because of Nick's stubbornness.
"Are you that artless? This yellow thing here is the sun's reflection on the sea's surface! And stop nagging me to finish fast! I almost died last night if you forgot. And may I remind you that you broke my left hand and struck my neck even after you took advantage of me when you should be nothing but grateful for me letting you kiss me over and over again!" Nick smirked, even acting in pain as he tried to move his arm with a cast and biting his lower lip.
"Really? Shouldn't you be the one grateful to me that I always save your lame ass? So finish it or I'll break that darn right hand of yours!" I threatened before turning around to face my back toward him. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even finish a single task because no one would dare have you as a groupmate!"
The thought of last night's happenings had been wallowing in me all day. The sensation, unusual confusion, and tingles brought on by Nick's weak persona were getting me drawn to him more than I did to William. And I dislike it very much. I should just be focused on torturing him, and I'll be gone. I might not be allowed to kill him, but at least I could torment him until I unraveled the deeper truths behind why my father had to play along with that old man Ben's game.
"It is your job after all, right?" Nick's voice made me turn around once more, and my eyes narrowed in anger at his cocky tone. I wanted to tell him off, but he looked too damn pitiful in those bandages around his body. He was looking like a zombie, with bruises and cuts all over his body. His eyes were still plump from the punch he got from the member of the Secret Order who tried to kill him.
"Just finish it!" My voice raised an octave in annoyance, which made all the attention of the patients turn to us, and the head facilitator marched in rage.
"STOP!" the head facilitator gritted through her teeth. "If you will keep this disturbing attitude, you might as well consider another year for your patient to stay." She glared at me and stormed her way out of the recreation hall.
"Well, you might want to consider retiring now! I could see you not making another year with us!" I yelled to her.
Nick chuckled at my words before going to work on making the painting even more beautiful. He painted the beach's surface until all the colors were blended together. Even the sky, the sea, the sun, and a few rocks were added. It looked so pretty—it was sickening, I thought. Then he also decided to add some clouds in the background and create the most perfect effect by combining the sand and the water. The waves rolled in majestically with every step, reflecting the colorful ocean behind them, creating a masterpiece in itself. I could hardly believe how beautiful and realistic this image was.
"Ok, I know you like it, but you won't admit it. Nick cut into my thoughts, feeling so proud of his work.
"It is beautiful, but I don't like beautiful. Anyway, you are not worthless after all. Does your father know your craft?" I asked, crossing my arms over to my chest.
"He doesn't have to know because he is not interested," he said. His emotions turned dark, and the next thing I knew, he splashed his artwork with different paints, turning the masterpiece into trash. Now, do you like it? "He asked me.
"What did you do?" I asked in shock, my voice raised in irritation when I saw the mess he had created on top of his almost masterpiece.
"You told me you don't like beautiful. So now, did you like it?" he questioned me once more.
But even before I could answer, he splashed the last of the paint colors on me. He chuckled harshly, and at that moment, all the disturbance in me calmed down with the rhythm of his laughter.
An unexpected smile formed on my face as I stared at him and everything around me seemed unimportant at the moment.
"Now, you die!" I yelled as I snapped back into reality before grabbing the other paint on the floor and splashing it on him.
"Oh yes!" Nick grinned in excitement.
Everyone was stunned, and later the other patients joined us.
Nick dipped his hands in different colors of paint and wiped it around his painting until it was too colorfully awful!
The recreation area turned noisy, messy, and dirty, but everyone was happy. The nurses were soaked with different paints and were running around like crazy to stop the patients. The commotion lasted more than an hour before the head nurse came in with security.
"OK, present your works!" the head facilitator announced, almost choking in dismay as she held in her frustration from the mess that happened.
One by one, the patients presented their messy artworks. And neither of them expected that each other's work would look awfully beautiful.
When it was Nick's turn to present, I immediately walked beside him to hold the portrait since he could not do so with his broken arm.
"Here is the sun, here is the sea..." Nick started.
"This is the sea!" I cut in, and immediately his eyebrows furrowed, glaring at me.
"Oh really? You know what, why don't you present it instead? You made this art after all," Nick sarcastically said.
My fist closed tightly and wanted to throw him a punch. I never let anyone talk down on me this much. My jaws tightened as he lingered his eyes on me.
"Please! Just finish it!" begged the head facilitator.
Nick winked at me and turned his eyes away before proceeding with his presentation.
"It's funny to think that each of us here in rehab are like our paintings. Messy, difficult to recognize, and unacceptable in normal society, but if you look long enough, we are bright, diverse, and interesting. Unlike the norm, we stand out of the dull world," Nick smiled sadly while holding on to the painting.
I am speechless.
He was more than I thought he could be!
Nick was turned into his room at the end of the day, and surprisingly, the annoying beep after punching my ID into the scanner for my time out turned out to sound less annoying.
I headed to the garage and kicked on my motorcycle to ride to the hospital. It was depressing; even the thought of Cavin's face rolling to the ground when he learned about me driving within a 20km/h speed limit was killing me.
"These are the lists of schools that I wanted you to visit with Nick by tomorrow! I had already arranged his release papers for a week, so I am expecting that he would go into one of those schools without them knowing he was being treated!" Mr. Ben laid out different files on his desk after I reported to him about Nick's agenda for the day as I reached the hospital.
"So you want me to lie?"
"I want you to be smart! You made it long with your secret identity; I expect you to handle this smoothly without me putting my name on the edge."
I scoffed, "You are one hell of a cunning man! You are making me do the dirty work for you!"
"Isn't that what you're supposed to be?"
My fingers scratched the table in an attempt to contain my irritation.
A ring then startled our conversation, and I didn't even have any doubts that it was Nick again.
"That useless crap!" I slammed both of my hands on Mr. Ben's desk and forcefully clasped the folders with one hand. "I'm leaving! I am 100 percent sure that it is your useless son again, getting out of the center!"
I hastily slammed the door behind me as soon as I got out, already weary that Nick might get hurt again if I didn't get to him sooner.
But William got hold of me, stopping me from running in the corridors.
"Where are you going?" he asked in a very disturbed manner; his pupils were dilated, and his whole appearance was very worried. "Are you going to Nick again?" he asked, sounding agitated.
"And what is it to you?" I tried to let loose of his grip; my eyebrows furrowed with the tone as if accusing me of something.
"Do you like him?" he asked out of nowhere, which made my insides turn into a rampage.
"What are you saying? He is my patient, and I must maintain his well-being!"
"That is not my question!"
"Let go, William! I am not going to tarnish your reputation at all costs if that's what you are worried about!"
"Don't go near Nick ever again! If I have to kick you out of this hospital, I will gladly do so!"
"Why are you so upset? It's not like you."
He didn't answer, but instead, he dragged me to the emergency room, and there I was shocked to see Ferine lying unconscious.
"What happened?" I mumbled, hoping that he would not say what I thought happened.
"Nick stabbed Ferine!"
My knees felt weak, and within seconds, I heard gunshots coming behind the hospital.
"Nick?"