44| For A Friend

In the lunch break, Zoey made her way straight to the school cafeteria, where she found Zachary and Ethan already sitting in the top left table. She propped herself in front of them and took a handful of fries from Zachary's plate.

"Where is Althea and Olive?" She asked, looking at the empty chairs beside her.

"Olive is at the soccer practice and Althea... Well, there she is." He pointed and Zoey angled her neck to look at her. She had her hands full of flower bouquets, which made Zoey confused. Another guy was trailing behind her, picking up the rest of the bouquets.

"Have you started a new flower business or something?" Ethan asked when she reached them.

"Ha ha," she rolled her eyes. "These are some of the gifts from students for winning the pageant."

"More like these are gifts from some desperate horny boys trying to score a chance." Zachary added.

"Whatever. You are just bitter that Maya didn't win. Right?" Althea smirked. "You and your friend should have known better than competing against me."

"You are so obnoxious, sis." Zachary said.

"And you are a backstabber," she hissed. "Brother."

Zoey, who was listening to their argument with a bored face stood up when she noticed Maya and Mario sitting in a corner seat. They both were discussing something with a very serious look on their faces.

She silently made their way to them and asked, "Where is Travis? We had a presentation today and I got a do-over because of him."

Maya and Mario exchanged a glance and then the latter said, "We thought you knew. Travis' Dad was rushed to City Hospital's ER last night after a fall."

"Oh My God! How is he now?" Zoey asked in a worried voice.

"He had a surgery that lasted three hours. Apparently, he had lost a lot of blood." Maya told her. "We went to the hospital before school and he still hasn't woken up from the surgery."

"And Travis? How is he holding up?" She asked.

"Not good. I mean, he was obviously really stressed out." Mario said. "We felt bad leaving him alone but Rose and Travis both insisted that they were fine and we shouldn't skip school."

"Fuck school." Zoey said on hearing this and rushed back to her table, picking up her backpack, mobile and wallet. All her friends were staring at her in confusion, trying to figure out what she was doing.

"What happened? Where are you going?" Althea asked her when she started to walk away.

"Travis' Dad is in the hospital. I am going to meet him, see if he is okay." Zoey told them and then rushed out of the cafeteria.

She then heard Zachary coming after her. "I'll drop you. There is still half an hour before my next class." He offered.

"Okay." She nodded and they both made their way to the parking lot.

••••••••••

Following the receptionist's direction, Zoey reached the floor where all the post-op rooms were. She walked through the hallway, looking here and there for any sign of Travis and stopped walking when she found him sitting on a bench in front of the glass door of a certain room.

"Hey." She said as she reached him. He lifted his head to look at her and pity filled her on noticing his tired, swollen eyes.

"Hi." He replied.

"Here." She extended her hand and gave him the brown parcel. "There is a muffin and a cup of coffee inside."

"I am not hungry." He replied.

"I know. But you need to eat." She said and seated herself beside him. "Where is Rose?"

"She is talking to the doctor." He said and took the parcel from her. He then took out the coffee and took a sip of it, giving the muffin back to her.

"How is he? Has he woken up yet?" She asked.

"No. He is still in coma." He said and they both stared at his lying figure on the bed. There were many wires and tubes connected to his body and his condition didn't look good.

After a long pause, Travis broke the silence and said, "I won't be able to come to the store today."

"It's okay. Maya and I will handle it." She said.

"Thanks." He whispered.

She wanted to do something, anything that will comfort him but she didn't know what. He always looks so tough but right now, he looked so sad and distressed that she couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

"Are you okay, Travis?" She asked, resting her hand on top of his large one.

Travis turned his head towards her and a thick layer of moisture was coating his beautiful hazel eyes. "Why do all the bad things happen to us?" He mumbled under his breath.

Zoey leaned forwards and rested her hand on his shoulder in a confronting manner. "Because you are one of the strongest person I know." She smiled.

Their eyes locked together, hazel against brown, the former filled with grief and the latter dripping with worry. "Miss. Zoey," Rose's voice reached their ears and that's when they both looked away.

"I just heard from Maya." Zoey said.

"Thank you for coming. It really means a lot." She passed her a weak smile. "I am sorry I won't be able to come today."

"It's okay Rose, don't worry about that. And if you need anything, just tell me. Okay?" Zoey asked and Rose nodded. She herself looked tired and her eyes were bloodshot, as if she had cried the whole night.

Zoey spent the next hour in the hospital, to provide emotional support to both mother and son. She left two hours later, telling them that she would visit them once again in the evening.

••••••••••

After the school, Zachary made his way to the parking lot where his car was standing in its all glory. He seated himself on the driver seat and that's when he noticed Maya and Mario standing in a corner, waiting for someone.

"Maya!" He shouted her name and she whipped her head to his direction. "What are you waiting for?"

"We called a cab." She replied. It reminds me that usually Travis was the one who drops them back to home but he wasn't here today.

"Come on. I'll drop you guys." He offered.

Mario and Maya exchanged a look. "No, it's okay." Maya said. "We can wait."

"Maya!" He glared at her. "Come, sit. Both of you. I don't want to hear anything."

They both exchanged another look and then slowly trudged forwards. Maya seated herself in the front while Mario slid in the back seat.

"Can you drop us at the hospital?" Maya asked.

"Sure." He replied and started the car.

His eyes then went to Maya who was unusually silent today. He wanted to comfort her but with Mario present there, he couldn't ask her properly. So once they reached the hospital, he asked her to stay for a moment while Mario left.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Not really. Travis... he is not just a friend. He is my brother. I can't see him in pain." She said, taking a long breath.

"You can't go in here like this. You need to be stronger for your friend." He said.

"How?" She asked innocently. "Because I can't. Every time I look at him in distress, I feel like I am going to cry."

Sighing, Zachary leaned forwards and enveloped her in a hug. "Cry." He whispered in her ears.

"I can't---"

"You can." He said and made comforting circles on her back. After few seconds, he felt some wetness on his shoulder. Maya's body trembled a little as the sound of her small hiccups reached his ears.

They both remained like this, until Maya had cried her heart out. When they slowly parted, her nose was red and her cheeks were stained with tears. Zachary pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the tears off Maya's face with that.

"Now, you are ready to meet him." He smiled, grazing the back of his fingers along her cheeks.

She smiled at him and then walked out of the car towards the entrance of the hospital, while Zachary kept staring at her retreating figure.

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