Part 6: The Exposé

"He was left alone as darkness proceeds to move further, he was the friend of the crows.. but not a friend of the world.." Johan started reading slowly as they sat eating a cold chicken pie.

"Seems to dark for Jason, isn't it?" Harris said.

"I know, usually it's about an acne-ridden guy meeting a girl everyone wanted, they fall in love, the guy's face got better, guy starts flirting around with his new found confidence, girl dumps him and his face got worse.. turns out the girl was a witch who made the guy's face better through witchcraft. Odd.." Johan recalls.

Johan picked up that crumpled piece of paper from the paper bin in Jason's house before they left. He was curious, as was Harris. Jason used to share more of his writing with them, but not recently. They continued reading.

"You think this is about Kamilla?" Harris' curiousity was expressed.

"I don't know, wasn't that too long ago to affect him now?"

"Love can do... wonderful, dreadful things, it knows no fabric.." Harris said.

"Quoting literature class again, huh?" Johan smirked.

"I don't know.. I forgot that feeling somehow" Harris took out a packet of tea he kept in his pocket.

Both of them sat back, continued to discuss the dismal dynamics of being in a relationship to fill their time waiting for their friend who literally fell bleeding for a girl. They both never could understand the proposition nor could they ever imagine bleeding for anyone. Especially Harris, who through active affiliation with parkour and climbing buildings, only knows how to bleed for himself.

"This was quite the fall.. you're lucky you didn't tear anything."

A young houseman was examining Jason's head.

"How did this happen?" The houseman asks as she scribbles down swiftly on her brown board.

"It's.. too long of a story.."

"It involves a girl, doesn't it? Night's pretty dull and you looked like a complete mess when you walked in, I'm sure nobody would mind if we just hang out for a minute or two.."

"Well.."

So he told her, a complete stranger, about a big part of his life. In age, they both weren't really that far apart. Jason got just a little more comfortable and leaned back on the heavily cushioned blue seat. The houseman tried to keep it professional, acting more like a psychologist but tries to be friendly. She listened and took a few sips of water from her little flask she has with her all night.

It exceeded the time intended, neither of them complained.

"You know what? You're nice. I'm going to put you in one of my stories" Jason smiled.

"Oh you write? Interesting.. For a website?"

"I do, but it's not that active. I do write regularly for a stories column for that newspaper over there. Every two Thursdays, nothing big. Just in a section of the newspaper for youths." Jason pointed at a ruggedly folded newspaper at the side of the table.

They continued talking for just a little bit more.

"Okay, bad news. Bad news, bad, bad news..." Johan almost choked on tiny slices of chicken as he directs his eyes on the far north of the cafe.

"It's nothing." Harris sighed while sipping on chamomile tea he mixed himself with hot water he ordered.

"Don't be too much overdosed in confidence, man." Johan put down his fork.

They both quickly wrapped up their meal and walked towards where they left Jason.

When they got there, they saw Jason coming out of the emergency ward, smiling, reaching out for his phone in his pocket. Just as he had a slight touch on his phone, Harris grabbed his hand and told him to look at the waiting area seats with a cock of his head. Jason took just one quick glimpse. It was Ardilla and Kamilla's father.

"Run?" Jason whispered.

"Again? I'm tired!" Johan said, well, almost screamed out.

Johan said it loud enough to be heard by people outside their triangle. Jason and Harris quickly took refuge behind a pillar after punching Johan on the right arm, being hopeful that they were out of sight. Running away was cancelled, but they couldn't risk being visible in the sight of the twins' father. As their backs pressed on the marble pillar of the hospital, Harris hatched a plan.

"Okay, here's the plan. Johan, lets put your mouth to good use." Jason rallied them close together.

Just one minute later, through the speakers system of the hospital "Would the owner of yellow compact parked in the emergency lane across the street, your car is blocking a garbage route."

Johan smiled and winked at the young attending nurse who announced before disappearing behind the pillar, again. The nurse could still see him.

Daus was distracted by the announcement and lead the way for the exit of the twins and their father. Jason saw the car parked going in, he wasn't sure if it was the right car but he took the risk anyway, he didn't care.

Kamilla was the furthest behind in the pack but not totally behind. Her hand was held by her father. Jason observed. She acted as if was looking for someone as they walked out and secretly, but desperately, he was hoping that someone was him and that she could see him. He couldn't call her so he just continued looking, their eyes never met that morning.

He rushed back to his car with Harris and Johan behind without taking the medicine he was supposed to wait for.

Jason cranked up the engine and tried to drive back home like nothing happened that dawn. He tried to blanket his heartbeat with a reassurance that the worse is over, and the sound of morning radio.

"We'll go see the Robin Hood of Hearts first thing in the morning!" Harris said from the back seat loud enough to counter the sound coming from the speakers.

"Or, whenever we wake up. Any one would do. It's the holidays. I got exemption." Jason added.