My heart raced at the mere thought of seeing Ulrich again. As for my parents, well… they yelled at me when we got home and locked me in my room. Of course, the thought that my handsome Senpai had returned was enough to stop anything from holding me back. I climbed out of the window, carefully. His relatives' house was close to my street, so I ran straight there. I knocked, rang the doorbell, pounded on the door... people would've thought it was the police. Something ignited within me, and I felt warmth throughout my entire body. I kept banging on the gate until a woman opened the door. She seemed like the housemaid:
Housemaid: Goodness, child, what are you doing? Are you out of your mind?
Hel: Where's Senpai? Bring him here!
Housemaid: What Senpai? I don't even know what that is! Look at the state of the gate, what have you done to it?
Hel: ULRICH! WHERE IS ULRICH?!
Housemaid: And who are you to him?
Hel: (I paused, trying to calm down for a second, and looked away.) Well... I'm his... girlfriend.
Housemaid: Ha! Really?! You're not some little stalker trying to sneak into this house to steal something?
Hel: Where's Ulrich? Tell me now!
Housemaid: My goodness, what an ill-mannered child. Where are your parents? It's like you've been let off the leash!
I grabbed her arm, squeezing unconsciously with all my strength, and asked once more:
Hel: Where is Ulrich?
She stared into my eyes for a few seconds, then pushed me away.
Housemaid: You little brat!
She turned to the door and slammed it shut. I stood frozen until I heard her yell, "HE'S IN THE HOSPITAL!"
My Senpai, in the hospital? I didn't even know he was back, and now I hear he's in the hospital? How could I have let this happen? I sat down, staring at the ground. I was lost in thought and didn't hear when the gate opened. A stranger stood in front of me and spoke:
???: Who are you?
Hel: ...
???: Are you the friend Ulrich met here?
Hel: YES! I'M HIS ONLY FRIEND HERE!
???: Right, I know, you're the only one he befriended in Serbia. I'm his sister, Agatha.
She started speaking to me in German, recognizing who I was.
Agatha: So, you understand German.
Hel: Why is Ulrich in the hospital?
Agatha: He broke his arm last night, so he'll be there for a few days.
Hel: How did he break his arm? What was he doing? Is it serious? How long will he be there?...
Agatha: Hold on! If you care that much, go see him yourself.
Hel: I tried, but you stopped me! Now I've wasted minutes with you when I could've been with him!
As I stood up, Agatha gave me a stern look, and all that friendly aura she had disappeared. (Like I even care about her!)
I ran to the hospital, but they wouldn't let me in. They were even ready to call my parents to come and get me. That's when I had an idea. I'll get myself into the hospital too. I'll do something to myself. I'll endure anything, but I have to see Ulrich.
I returned home, climbing back through the window into my room. My street is quiet, with few people around, so I wasn't worried about being seen. I sat on my bed, thinking about what to do. So many ideas ran through my head, but I had so few options. I didn't have many things in my room that could help me—oddly enough, I couldn't even find a simple pair of scissors. Then I got frustrated and kicked the little table hard. It hurt. Realizing what I had done, I did it again. It didn't hurt immediately, but after a few seconds, the pain kicked in.
I blasted music loudly, tied a piece of Senpai's shirt around my mouth, and started kicking, hard, over and over. Tears streamed down my face. But I didn't stop. I kept going until the pain faded, replaced by a numbness. I couldn't move my toes anymore.
My parents, worried about the noise that kept them from doing their usual chores, rushed to my door and started banging. When they saw I wasn't answering, they unlocked the door and looked shocked, like they'd seen a corpse. Sure, I was lying on the floor with a bloodied foot, but I was alive. My mother began hugging me, crying, while my father said they needed to take me to the doctor.
We arrived. I smiled as I got out of the car, limping on the foot I could no longer feel. I just stared straight ahead, moving as best as I could. They put me in a room, the doctor checked me out, and said I'd need to stay for a few days because I'd injured myself badly. But doctor, you don't understand—what hurts more is being in the same hospital as Senpai without knowing which room he's in. My mother wanted to stay with me all night, wanted to talk, but I didn't let her. I told her I was in too much pain and needed rest. They left. Finally, they left me alone. Finally.
A nurse came in soon after they left, and right as she stepped through the door, I asked:
Hel: Do you know where the boy with curly blonde hair, light eyes, and a few freckles on his face is? It looks so cute on him. His name's Ulrich, and he's from Germany.
The nurse stopped in front of me, surprised, then suddenly started laughing. I wasn't in the mood to laugh. She wouldn't stop. She disgusted me more and more.
Hel: STOP!
Nurse: Did you hurt yourself like this because of him?
Hel: That's none of your business. Just tell me where he is!
Nurse: Fine, I'll tell you, but if you're thinking of visiting him, I won't allow it.
Hel: How can I visit him when I can't even feel my leg, and you've wrapped me up like a mummy? I just want to know in case I get out before he does, so I can visit him.
Nurse: Hmm, since I don't really trust you, I'll just say he's on the floor above.
I'll kill her. She's dead. Finished.
Hel: Why won't you tell me the exact room?
Nurse: Well, that would make it too easy. Figure it out yourself.
I wanted to hurt her, but then I remembered why I'm here, and that's the most important thing. My Ulrich. As for this sick nurse, I've decided to make a special list of "victims," and when the opportunity arises, justice will be served by none other than HEL!
I waited for night to fall...