Geo knitted his brows, wondering who it could be. He and his mother weren't close to anyone. His mother in her earlier years was away at work all day long, so she didn't have any friends or neighbors she talked to. After she quit working because of health issues, she mostly stayed at home, unable to bear the wind and rain outside.
That's why Geo really had no idea who could be visiting.
"Come in."
The door opened and two people came in.
Geo's eyes widened in surprise. He stood up to greet them.
"Carter. Gracie. What are you two doing here?"
Carter smiled carelessly and waved his hand coolly in greeting.
Gracie smiled and lifted up the paper bag in her hand. She said, "We heard your mother finished her surgery and can see visitors now, so we decided to come and pay her and you a visit."
Geo took the bag with a smile. "You didn't have to. Thank you for coming."
Geo put the bag down somewhere and turned to call his mother, "Mom." His mother looked at the unfamiliar visitors curiously. Geo introduced the three to each other, "Mom, this is Gracie, this is Carter. Gracie, Carter, this is my mom."
The three greeted each other politely.
Geo's mother beamed with a bright smile knowing that these two people were her son's friends. To think that she would meet her son's friends one day. She could wake up laughing in her dreams.
Geo looked helplessly at his mother who couldn't hide her joy. He also felt warm in his heart. Although life was hard, he had his loving and caring mother. Now he even had friends who would come and visit him during his troubled times.
Since the last time the three young people collided with each other in the hospital hallway and bared their hearts to each other, they became quick friends.
Especially Geo and Carter, because they had one thing in common.
After Carter greeted Geo's mother, he immediately pulled Geo to the side with straightforward excitement, not caring at all if his actions were rude and gangsterly.
"Hey, hey, tell me more about what happened. You didn't explain it clearly last time. I want to hear more. What was it like when you were saved from your bullies by my cool boss!"
Carter chatted enthusiastically beside Geo's ears, making Geo's head buzz from the constant noise and nagging.
Besides the pain he felt in his head, Geo also wondered—when did Ian become Carter's boss?
Maybe because Geo's confusion was so strong that it manifested in reality and became tangible, Carter solved his confusion, "Whoever is boss and manly is the boss! And boss is so vicious, so powerful, and so ruthless—I, Carter Williams, will only ever recognize him as my boss and no one else!" Carter declared solemnly with an oath.
Geo: "..." What should he say?
'Whatever floats your boat.' He thought, and then started telling Carter in detail about the day Ian saved him, just as Carter fervently requested.
Geo told Carter everything, including the last words Ian left him.
Carter's eyes sparkled as he listened with relish. His unruly, short green hair swayed with his body's restless movements. His similarly green eyes, like those of a snake, narrowed in innocent and simple joy at the storytelling. His canine teeth peeked out with every laugh and cry.
Whenever Geo talked about what Ian did or said, Carter would make sounds of exclamation or admiration.
"Ohh!"
"Ahh!"
"Awesome!"
"That's my boss!"
'…Sure, your boss.' Geo smiled fakely. But he had to agree with Carter that Ian is really cool and powerful. And kind, Geo added for Carter. Geo wanted to be like Ian.
He wanted to be the master of his own destiny and make others fear him.
The two fanboys enthusiastically discussed their idol's attractive points that made him both scary and awe-inspiring. They were squealing over how cool he is, so decisive, so fearless, so powerful, so etc. They didn't get tired of it no matter how long they went at it.
Gracie sat on a tall stool next to Geo's mother, who was sitting up on the hospital bed, accompanying her auntie to chat and watch the two childish boys talking excitedly about Ian.
Geo's mother wondered who her son was talking so happily about. Was it a girl?
While Gracie huffed. She thought back to her efforts to befriend that seemingly gentle and polite, but actually cold-hearted, boy. Thinking about it made her fiery red hair come alive like real flames.
She fumed in her heart, 'What an ungrateful and cold guy! A beautiful and popular girl like me wants to be his friend yet he always either avoids me or ignores me. He doesn't even have any friends yet he's pushing away those who approach. No wonder he's alone. What a faker. Humph!'
Gracie blamed the fact that Ian became a loner after the bloody incident behind the school on Ian's indifferent and distant personality. Then she rolled her eyes and thought, 'Well, I did one-sidedly declare myself his friend.' Her eyes straightened, her fists clenched to show her strong will. 'But since I have declared it, it will be done! We will be true friends one day, Ian!'
Her green eyes were set ablaze with determination and courage.
In this room, besides the clueless mother of Geo, everyone was either talking about or thinking about Ian.
Unknowingly, Ian's influence has begun to spread among certain crowds at S High School.
Yes, many students were fearful of Ian, the freshman year student representative who had a cruel hand.
But there were also a minority who admired and respected Ian despite the fear he struck in their young hearts.
Carter and Geo were two of them. Gracie was an outlier in that she wanted to befriend the tough nut instead of revering him. Nonetheless, she was considered part of the crowd who didn't only fear Ian.
Gracie came out of her high spirits, smiled, and turned to chat with Geo's mother so that the latter won't be bored.
The two females talked and talked until their throats felt dry.
Geo's mother coughed.
Seeing that Geo's mother was also thirsty, Gracie stood up to pour a cup of water for the both of them.
Gracie lifted the kettle on the table beside the hospital bed and instantly felt how light it was. She suspected that the kettle was empty. She opened the lid and saw that it really was empty.
"Oh no. There's no more water. I'll go and refill it," Gracie said and was about to head out with the kettle when Geo's mother stopped her.
"No, no. No need to trouble you, Gracie, have Geo go and fill it up." Geo's mother winked at Geo who was secretly paying attention to his mother's side.
Upon hearing his mother's command, Geo stopped chatting with the still hyped Carter and went to get the kettle.
"No, it's okay. I can do it." Gracie refuted, she wanted to insist that she can be the one to go. Just because she's a girl doesn't mean she has to be taken care of by boys. Other girls and boys may think it is the girl's right and what should be done, but Gracie doesn't agree. Why should she take for granted that others have to help her? She can obviously do it herself.
It's not about not wanting to look weak, it's a matter of attitude and belief.
But Gracie's courage was shattered with one sentence from Geo's mother.
"Do you know where to go for a water refill?"
Ccrack—
That was the sound of Gracie's belief breaking.
Just joking, it wasn't that serious. However, Gracie did give in and handed the kettle in her hand to Geo who went out of the ward to fetch more drinking water.
Gracie bowed her head, dejected. She lost, all because she didn't know her way around the hospital besides the psychiatric wing.
Carter walked up to her and patted her shoulder as a gesture of comfort. His naturally mischievous-looking face oozed sincere pity.
***
Geo held the kettle and steadily walked to the water dispenser area. There was a place in Hospital A that was specially set aside for the patients to conveniently get water. That was where Geo was headed.
The hospital corridor, like any other hospital's, was full of cold air flows blowing in from the air conditioner along with the scent of disinfectants. Everywhere was scrubbed clean and disinfected to prevent patients from falling ill again due to bacteria infection.
Geo was starting to get used to the strange smell, having frequented the hospital lately.
"…failed… task… useless—"
"—'s son… medicine… What can I do?... no…"
"Shh! Lower your voice!"
"You should lower your own voice!"
Geo suddenly halted his outstretched foot and retracted it. He stepped back behind the wall he had just come out of.
Around the corner of the wall stood two people. Both women. One looked annoyed, the other looked nervous.
They were chatting in a low voice, but the nervous one couldn't hold herself back from raising her voice due to the unbearable anxiety she felt.
The two were of similar age and talked informally and familiarly with each other. They should be friends. The nervous woman's friend looked clearly annoyed by her friend's unbecoming look.
Geo happened to hear his mother's name come out of the mouth of the two people who looked like they were the hospital's staff. Suspicious, he started eavesdropping into their conversation.
Surprisingly, one of the parties was recognized by Geo as the nurse who came to give Geo's mother medicine a few days ago.
A few days ago, Geo had noticed something different about the medicine that day, and during that day, his class happened to lecture about the topic of fake medicines, so Geo was particularly on alert and refused to let his mother eat that day's medicine.
The nurse could only give up, but out of a cautious mentality, Geo didn't allow his mother to take any more medicines out of fear that she would be harmed if she took suspicious medicines. It's better to be safe than sorry.
Geo firmly believed that those medicines were fake. Although he didn't understand how a big hospital like Hospital A could get their medicine supplies mixed up, Geo didn't doubt it too much.
The doctor in charge of his mother disapproved of Geo's actions and advised against taking his mother temporarily off the medication.
Geo's mother, though, supported her son's decision. She knows that her son won't harm her. She believed in her son. The doctor had no other choice but to quit his persuasion efforts since Geo's mother was unmoved as long as Geo was unmoved.
The doctor left with a deep frown that day.
Because of this incident, there were a few whispers and murmurs these days from the hospital staff that Geo was just using the fake medicines as an excuse to save money, and that he cared more about money than his own mother.
But Geo didn't take those gossips and slanders to heart.
It's not like he had never experienced this kind of malicious speculation and bullying before.
Their mouths grew on them—it's not like he can control them.
Geo shrugged.
This time as well, Geo also thought that it was just two nurses gathering together to talk bad about him and pity his mother.
It would be awkward for both parties if the protagonist of their topic walked into the scene while they were badmouthing him.
Unfortunately, though, he was mistaken.
Yes, they were talking about Geo and his mother, but it wasn't because they were discrediting him.
If anything, what they were saying could be counted as a praise for Geo?
The more Geo listened, the harder his grip on the kettle in his hands became. If he had a fist of steel, he may have directly deformed the kettle in his hand like a crumbled piece of paper.
A dangerous fire began raging in the pits of his stomach.
No wonder that nurse appeared so guilty and fidgety that day. He thought that it was because she felt guilty for giving his mother the wrong medicine, but she was actually in on it! She was just nervous that she might be caught!
Geo almost laughed out of anger. He sneered, his naturally gentlemanly face with soft contours revealing a deep hatred and evil.
Unable to hold back anymore, Geo stomped out from the hidden corner. He was determined to confront these ill-intentioned people.
That was his mother they were plotting against!
"Um—"
Geo's mouth was covered by a hand and he was dragged back around the corner.