Hey there! This chapter is mostly dialogue and stuff. :) Hope you like :D I am on fire these days :P Dunno if should change this to M rated...if you think so please do say so :P
"Aerith?..." I let my hand fall. What was the point? Could this possibly be true? Was Aerith really...
"HA HA HA HA!" Link laughed mockingly. "By the look on your face...chortle...Wait...haha...Wait! Let me guess...hahahaha...She didn't pick up did she?" My flinch only encouraged his amusement and he laughed harder. Bastard. Fucking bastard! My disappointment and pain only inflamed my anger and resentment. Unknowingly, I had made my way towards Link and shadowed his form with my threatening height. His laughter died down but that annoying smirk was still plastered on his bloody mug. I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth.
"Do you think it's funny?" I hissed. He only shrugged and smirked further. "DO YOU THINK IT'S FUNNY YOU SON OF A BITCH?! TELL ME!"
"Chill dude...haha..." He lamely answered. Bastard was having a hell of a time. "It's only a woman. There are plenty of them out there. Some even come well endowed in the watermelon section, you know?" He snickered. "Hell, I known some gals who will be willing to even screw a dog for a few bucks. Lots of them on this neighborhood. Harsh times, you know? Ha! You'll get a better shagging here for less than 50 bucks than any other time with Aerith even with some sex drug on her system! Seriously! That girl lost her tight..." I slammed a fist on his nose as hard as I could!
"I recommend you to shut your face before I beat it to a pulp you fucking asshole." I spat. How dare he? How dare he speak of that when I am in no condition to tolerate his impertinent comments?
"FUCK! That hurt!" He slurred. Served him right. Man! I had missed his nose. "Seriously? Be mad at your fucking cunt not at me. Fuck! I can't afford to loose more blood." I hadn't realized it but he was unnaturally pale. I knelt before him and touched his shoulder. Never once wondering how I could change from a rabid beast to a mother hen with just a select choice of words from him. His mangled arm was a main concern of mine as well as his leg.
"We need to get you to a hospital." I said and turned to get my cellphone.
"NO WAIT!" He said and began to crawl his way towards the bed. "I am expecting someone." What?...Wait. WHAT? Here he was barely conscious and dying, and he wanted to wait for some random stranger?! It's official this guys is off the rocket!
"Link! I guess this is more important than some random guest you are having!" I said as he climbed up his bed, his teeth clenched and a frown of pain showing how hard it was for him to just move normally. Well, how wouldn't it hurt? His arm looked like a shredded cloth and his leg was practically useless.
"No!" He stated dryly. "That's what's important to you. To me this random stranger is by far more important than going to some damned hospital to get my persona checked. Besides...what do you care?!" His icy blue eye glared my way. "You weren't here when I needed you..." The last was said in a sorrowful whisper.
"Link...I"
"Why would you be now, huh?! Trying to act some hero bullshit, right?" He exclaimed, the fire in his eyes burning me. "Your fucking conscience can't tolerate it, right?! BUT WHY NOW?! Why when I called you when all this bullshit started didn't you come?! WHY?! I''LL TELL YOU WHY?! BECAUSE YOU ARE A FUCKING NARCISSIST AND A HYPOCRITE!"
"HEY! SHUT..."
"NO! YOU SHUT UP!" He spat and threw me a book that was conveniently placed near him.
"YOU FUCKING PSYCHO!"
"SINCE YOU MET ME IT WAS ALL A CHARITY CASE TO YOU RIGHT?! ALL OF IT! POOR LINK! NO FRIENDS! NO FAMILY! I MUST HELP HIM! WHY? CAUSE I AM FUCKING CLOUD STRIFE! THE ANGEL OF THE SCHOOL! THE PROTECTOR OF THE POOR AND NEEDY! MY REPUTATION! I MUST KEEP MY REPUTATION! FUCK YOU MAN! AND SHOVE YOUR FUCKING REPUTATION UP YOUR ASS! FUCK ME, MAN! CAUSE I COULDN'T SEE PASS YOUR FUCKING ACTING! I THOUGHT YOU CARED! I TRUSTED YOU! BUT..." He took coughed and tried to regain his breath. And now that I looked at him. Well...he looked so...So lonely. So vulnerable. And he seemed to have aged days and years. Why? "But when I needed you...you weren't there." He said so softly I had to strain myself to hear it.
"But...when was it that..." I tried and stepped closer to his bed.
"YOU WEREN'T THERE! I...I thought that you wanted to be my friend. I thought that you cared." He laughed bitterly. And then his icy blue eye that had turned to a sad color of blue, regained the fierceness from before. "Was it fun Cloud?! Was it fun to make fun of me? To trample over me? To treat me like someone to then throw me out the window like a used toy?! HUH!? WAS IT FUN YOU FUCKTARD?!" He was mad. He was really mad. His pain he was transforming it to anger in order to protect himself. That wasn't true! That wasn't true at all! I tried to contact him so many times I lost count. If he could only listen. If he could only see past his fury and hear me for a second. I considered him a friend since we started the project. True. I made a mistake at the end and tried to amend ties, but...I couldn't get him. No one at school could.
"Link! When..." I tied but he yelled louder and blocked me out.
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR LIES ANYMORE! HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR BULLSHIT, YOU PIECE OF SHIT! I BET YOU WERE REQUESTED TO COME HERE! I BET THE SHCOOL ASKED YOU TO, SINCE WE ARE CLASS PARTNERS! YOU NEVER REALLY CARED ENOUGH TO LOOK FOR ME, RIGHT?! I COULD'VE BEEN DEAD AND YET YOU WOULD GO ON WITH YOUR LIFE AS IF NOTHING HAD HAPPENED! RIGHT?! AM I RIGHT?! ANSWER ME!"He demanded as his hands fisting the bedsheets and his eyes got bloodshot from unshed tears. But by now, my rage had built up from his crap. He didn't even allowed myself to explain the situation.
"NO!"
" THERE YOU GO WITH YOUR LIES AGAIN! FUCK YOU CLOUD!" He yelled and threw me his pillow. I caught it and threw it back, hitting him square on the chest.
"NO! FUCK YOU FOR NOT LISTENING!" I retailed and clenched my fists. Keep calm, Cloud! He only wishes to get on your bad side. He wants you to loose control.
"I AM THROUGH WITH YOUR CRAP AND PETTY WORDS! YOU ONLY CAME TO KEEP UP YOUR FUCKING EGOTISTICAL EGO, YOU FUCKING JERK! I BET ALL THE GIRLS PICTURE YOU AS THE KNIGHT IN SHINY ARMOR WHEN YOU OFFER YOURSELF FOR GOOD DEEDS! BUT I KNOW YOU BETTER, YOU FUCKING DECEIVER! OH YES! I KNOW YOU BETTER! YOU ARE AN INSECURE BRAT WHO JUST WISHES TO GET ATTENTION! YES! DON'T SHAKE YOUR HEAD AS IF I WERE STUPID YOU SHITASS! YOU KNOW IT'S TRUE!" He crawled closer to the edge of the bed, trying to intimidate me with his aura. "YOU PARADE YOURSELF THROUGH SCHOOL AS IF YOU WERE SOME SAINT CLOUD OR SOME SHIT! BUT YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A LIAR! YOU DO WHAT YOU DO ONLY TO KEEP UP APPEARANCES! YOU ACT ONLY TO DECEIVE PEOPLE AND MAKE YOURSELF LOOK LIKE THE GOOD GUY! YOU DECEIVE JUST LIKE YOUR WHORE OF A MOTHER DECEIVED TO GET YOUR FATHER ON BED AND FUCKED HIM SENSELESS! YOU BOTH ARE..."
"SHUT IT! WILL YOU SHUT IT!" I yelled and pushed him down on the bed, straddling his legs and gripping both his wrist with one hand over his head, I began to slap him on the face with my left hand. "SHUT UP!" Slap. "SHUT UP!" Slap. "SHUT UP!" Slap. "I WON'T LET YOU SPEAK OF MY MOTHER THAT WAY! FUCKING SHUT UP YOU PRICK!" I slapped him like no tomorrow and kept on slapping him until my hand hurt. Not once did he cry out. Not once did he groan in pain. And not once did he fight back. It wasn't until I felt that I lacked air on my head that I stopped and realized what had I just done. Ashamed and repulsed with myself, I moved away as if I had seen a ghost. What had I done? I asked myself over and over as I felt all the blood drain from my body and the cold seep into my bones. What had I done? I asked as I looked at Link's reddish and swollen cheeks. His sickly looking pale face turned my way and his ice cold eye empty and void of all emotion. "L-L-Link, I..."
"You done?" He said in a raspy voice. His wound free hand moved to his left cheek and massaged the abuse flesh.
"Link, I am so sorry. Please, understand that..." I tried to apologize but he raised his hand and looked out the window silencing me.
"If you are done, leave. I got a guest coming over and I don't wish to carry our conversation any further." His dead voice carried my way and made me feel even worse.
"Link! Please, understand...I..."
"I said leave!" A knock came and he sighed tiredly. "It's unlocked!" He yelled and as soon as he said so, the creaking of the door resounded on the room.
"Hey Link! Woo! What happened here? How's the fella?" A young man dressed in ripped jeans, a white shirt and a black hoodie appeared on the threshold. He seemed like the kind of guy who was an easy conversationalist and could be quite fun to be around. Yet, his unnatural red eyes and his whole demeanor contradicted that idea. He was probably a serious and intellectual guy from the way his eyes scanned his surroundings and his expression was that of contemplation. Not only that but his body language spoke volumes of how guarded he actually was. As they say, first appearances aren't enough to judge ones character.
"Hey Kaffei! You brought the stuff?" Link asked and slowly propped up on his elbows. "This is Cloud by the way. Classmate." He gestured with his head my way. "But he was already leaving." His ice eye stared my way.
"Nice to meet you Cloud." Kaffei said and let his blue hair loose from his low ponytail, before presenting his hand to me. I shook it and went to pick my stuff. I was clearly unwelcomed here. Wait, speaking of stuff...what kind of stuff did Kaffei brought?
"Yes. I got it for a special bargain price. Not cheap though." What were they talking about? What wasn't cheap?
"How much?" Link asked and slapped a hand to his forehead. He seemed uncomfortable.
"$1500 the gram. Half-price." Kaffei answered and sat on the bed. "Link? What happened to you? This is getting worst." Kaffei face turned sombre. "You promised it'll never get this bad." He traced with his finger the slashes on his arm, his other hand massaged Link's neck. Wasn't he getting a bit to intimate with him? Who was he to him anyway?
"Mmm...I know but...Shit Kaffei it just keep getting stronger and stronger..." Link said, his voice sounded kind of desperate and laced with a tiny bit tint of petrifying terror. What was getting stronger? I pretended to get my stuff in order to get to eavesdrop more into their conversation. Not ethical, but surely useful in the future. They were whispering, but hey I had got hearing. I turned my back to them so as not to make it too obvious and finally placed my cellphone in my bag. I guess I'll learn more later on. I heard Link open some metallic box and rummage around it. "I just got a thousand." His voice sounded sad, the desperations still palpable never overwritten by the other emotions.
"Link...sorry but I really need the cash this time. Total. The guys are getting on my neck as it is and I don't think I can pull it off this time." Kaffei said and he sounded sincere. "Believe me...if I could I would pay it but...I can't Link. This time I can't."
"Kaffei..." Link said the man's name. And it sounded so desperate, so needy that I almost turned to look at him. I had to walk as quietly as possible towards this entrance. I didn't want to get caught by Link listening to their conversation. Yet...I felt compelled to stay till the end. So, I prolonged as long as I could my visit. "Please...I need it. I can't pay now, but I could later. Please. Please. I need it. It's getting harder Kaffei. It's getting worst. I can barely sleep, let along function normally. Please. Please. I need it." What does Link need so badly? What is getting worst? But more importantly...who is Link Hanlon? Surely, he isn't Truant. No. That man had died months ago. Link wasn't what they thought of him. He was different. Way different. Yet, although I know he is different...is this Link really Link Hanlon? From what I've gathered...this Link is a creation of the doubts and fears from Link Hanlon. A Link born to protect himself from hurt and nightmares. A Link who lashes at anything and anyone who wishes harm upon his persona. This Link is different from the ever aloof and ignorant Truant. This Link is different from the one who I met at the strange Temple the other day. That one had been an insightful, educated and well-versed Link. And yet...now I see another Link. One who feels lonely, one who feels pained beyond measure, one who begs for something that I yet don't know of. A Link who cries. A Link who begs. A Link who sounds so destroyed, beaten and broken that I feel he's about to give up on life itself. A Link that hopes for something behind tears, but a broken hope for he feels that it is fickle as a whisper. So many Links, so many faces...but who is Link Hanlon. I'll find out another day. If he had one, I thought. I remembered then that I had to ask Link if he wishes that at least I called a doctor to see him. But when I turned...lets just say I wished I hadn't. Was I that absorbed in my thoughts that I never heard a word or a name? Was I so absorbed that I never heard the faintest whisper nor the most breathless exclamation? Was I that high in the clouds that I never managed to hear the creaking of the bed nor the sound of rustling clothes? But those questions were meaningless besides a sudden realization that came to me when my eyes landed on the picture a few feet away from me. Seeing Link in the arms of Kaffei, his eyes closed and mouth opened in rapture thanks to the likes of Kaffei, a few droplets of sweat running down his neck that was being nipped and sucked by the likes of Kaffei, his shirt slightly hunched upwards thanks to the hands of the likes of Kaffei, his whole persona being manhandled by the likes of Kaffei...it pained me far more than finding out that Aerith was, probably, cheating on me. The main question here was...Why?