A Y O

I ran out of the gym without giving a hoot about the teacher I just bumped into or my friends calling me. I can't believe my best friend just said that about me. My legs took me outside the school and I just ran wherever it led and ignored the worried calls of the gang. I lost them soon enough because I was fast and pretty soon, I got lost in my thoughts.

It took a red bike pulling over in front of me to wake me up from my raging thoughts and make me realize that I was heading for the road. The owner's green eyes bored into my hazel ones emotionlessly as always and with a jerk of her head, she motioned for me to get on. I crossed my arms over my chest and raised a brow at her, questioning why I have to get on the bike but she just drilled a hole into my head with her emotionless staring.

I groaned and she tossed her helmet to me, which I caught with ease and I leapt unto the red and grey beauty. The ride was silent, much to my liking, and short because we pulled over at a work out gym.

I returned her helmet and she led us through the gym to the boxing area. Wordlessly, she tossed red boxing gloves to me and picked up another red one. I got her message at once and slipped them on just as she slipped hers on and we began to fight. This went on until the both of us collapsed in exhaustion.

"Mind telling?" She asked as she heaved to take in as much oxygen as possible with me being no different.

"What?" I feigned ignorance but her gaze on me intensified and I sighed in defeat. "It's Logan." And then I proceeded to tell her what happened in the gym and what Logan did. "I mean, I was just looking out for him and then he lashes out and tells me to go..." I couldn't bring myself to say it again and shook my head. "How could he do that?!"

"Hn." Was Scarlet's creative response. I rolled my eyes at her antics and laid back with my hands under my head for support.

"I don't think I can forgive him for that." I stated.

"You forgive him for being the son of a murderer and you can't forgive him for saying something he shouldn't have said?" Scarlet asked in her raspy monotone voice.

"That's different! He can't control who he is birthed to but he could very well control his words!" I retorted.

"I don't remember you being able to control your words either." I would rip my hair out of its roots if it wasn't so short so instead, I sat up and wrinkled my nose in annoyance.

"Whose side are you on?!" I asked. Guilty tactics always work when trying to convince somebody about something.

"Logan's." She replied bluntly and I groaned at the failure of my psychological tactics. "Talk to him."

"What, why?!" I half yelled. If she thinks I would just walk up to him and have a 'nice little chat' before he apologizes, she must be out of her mind.

"People make bad choices if they're mad, scared or depressed. All they need is to have someone that can point them in the right direction." Why do I feel like she got that first sentence from a movie? "Talk and sort things out before you regret it." Something about the way she said that last part sent shivers down my spine. Scarlet's eyes are always dead and dull and always so emotionless but when she said that last sentence, I saw something flash there that I haven't seen in her eyes before. It was something that disappeared before I could pinpoint what it was but it was definitely there.

"Okay...I'll talk to him." I succumbed and she nodded. I got up, she followed suit and we both wiped our sweat with towels and had a drink of water before heading back to school only to find out that I practically missed school. Luckily for me, the school wasn't closed yet so I retrieved my bag pack, phone, car key and wallet from my locker, where I had kept them for gym, before joining Scarlet outside. I dialed Logan's cell phone but he didn't pick it up. I tried three times but ended up with the same result. "He isn't picking." I informed Scarlet.

"Maybe because it is you calling." I nodded in understanding and waited patiently as she spoke to her AI.

"Alex, call Sunny." I raised a brow at the name but questioned it not when she stared emotionlessly at me. She's creepy. After a few rings, we were informed that he wasn't picking the call and I began to get worried.

"Please assist me in calling on the gang, I have a bad feeling about this." I said as I dialed my mum's number. "Hey mum, is Logan home?" I asked as soon as she picked up.

"No...he isn't. Where are you boys? You are awfully late-"

"I'll call you later mum, love you." I cut the call and looked at Scarlet, who shook her head.

"Bryan hasn't seen him." She said and proceeded to call Dork, aka Don, while I called Phyllis. When I ended the call with Phyllis, Scarlet informed me that Don had taken him to the nurse due to panic attack and hasn't seen him since then. "Panic attack..." I whispered and ran my hands through my short hair.

"He could be lingering around here. Should we search the premises?" I heard Scarlet ask and I nodded weakly. We split up and searched the hood for any sign of a brown haired, green and blue eyed boy who is undergoing symptoms of depression... Oh my God! Logan is depressed and what did I do? I friggin' left my suicidal friend alone!

My heart raced at these thoughts and I searched frantically for him, asking everybody I met if they saw him. Some had the decency to shake their heads no while others insulted me for looking for Maru's son. I paused when I got a call from Scarlet.

"Humawod. Somebody saw him taking the bus to Humawod." She spoke. I put two and two together and figured out where he was and immediately ran back to school to get my car.

"Scarlet, thank you." I said to the girl through the phone and she grunted in response before cutting the call. "Okay Ite, we're going full speed today." I spoke to my green beauty as she roared to life and I drove out of the school in a flash. I swerved through cars and ignored the angry horns I left behind. Sure enough, I attracted the police and was chased down the streets but I am not the fastest in BVA for nothing.

I began driving since I was thirteen, under my father's guidance and instructions but didn't openly drive till I clocked sixteen, when I got my licence and got Ite so out-driving a police car was no problem. I outright ignored the sirens and the officer announcing my plate number through a megaphone and telling me to pull over and went ahead with full speed.

It was a battle of speed and I was winning. When the police was about to overtake me, a red and grey bike suddenly drove in between us, overtook the police car and stopped abruptly in front of it while it balanced on its front tyres so that the rear tyres were spinning in the air and in front of the car. I hooted a thanks to Scarlet for the distraction and continued my journey to the mansion we met Maru at and Logan's identity was revealed.

'Please be okay, please be okay.'

I chanted in my head as I stepped on the gas. Luckily, I filled my car yesterday so I didn't have to worry about running out of fuel. I slowed down once I reached the neighborhood and pulled up at the mansion. Without wasting any time, I bolted out of my car and dashed into the abandoned building like my life depended on it but I was met, however, with a sight that would forever be etched unto my brain.

My blood ran cold and my hear took a dive into my stomach and immediately got digested. Sprawled on the floor was Logan in a bloody mess, with bruises and cuts patterning his body. His eyes, which were half open, were glassy and dull.

'No...'

My eyes caught the sight of his bloodied hand on his phone and the razor not too far from it.

'No no no shit no!'

I ran towards him and knelt beside him immediately and frantically searched for a pulse, not caring about the blood that stained my hands and body. "Please let there be a pulse, please let there be a pulse, please!" I yelled as my hands roamed his pulse points in search for a beat. My eyes got wet with tears and brushed them away with sleeve and carefully rolled him till he lay on his back.

I tore his shirt and bloodied bandages open, letting what mother taught me come to practice, and gasped at the terrible bruises and lacerations that filled the flesh. I choked back a scream and tried to calm down. The bruises looked fresh and recent and his previous stitches were open. It was then I realized something I should have a long time ago...he was bullied...he has always been bullied. It probably was when I wasn't around and knowing Logan, he willingly took the hits. I placed my head gently on his chest and waited for a heart beat since his wrists were damaged.

The relief that flooded my system when I heard a weak beat could drive me to joyful tears but that relief was short circuited when I realized that his pulse was irregular. My brain began to go through the different first aid techniques that mum taught me until I found what was wrong with him, pneumothorax.

Pneumothorax occurs when the lungs or chest wall suffers an injury and causes air to fill the pleural cavity. I knew what to do and immediately picked my phone and called the ambulance. "Hello? My friend has attempted suicide by slitting his wrists but he has suffered injuries to his chest before that and has developed pneumothorax or hemothorax or even both. I am taking first aid measures now and the location is..." I told the location without even stopping to catch my breath.

I searched for something sharp and found a pen in his bag pack. Uncapping it, I aimed for the area above his lungs and impaled the flesh there. I removed the pen and sighed in relief when he inhaled sharply and started breathing again though it was laboured. I used the bandages I tore off to wrap his wrists that were stained with clotted blood and a little bit of oozing blood and sat back praying that he hadn't lost too much blood. When I heard the sirens of the ambulance, I ran outside to flag them down just as Scarlet pulled up on her bike at the front of the gates.

"Where is the emergency?" One of the medics asked.

"He's in the house! Hurry, he's lost so much blood!" I exclaimed and led them in. Few moments later, Logan was carried into the van on a stretcher and I followed it. I didn't care that Scarlet was still at the house, I didn't even care of anything. I just kept calling his name to keep him subconscious while the paramedics did their work.

When we got to the hospital, he was wheeled into the surgery room and I was told to sit outside. I slid down the wall and landed on the floor as my calm demeanor broke. Tears ran down my eyes like waterfalls and raging emotions choked me. Memories I didn't want to remember were brought up and I could feel my anxiety rising.

'No! Not him, I can't lose him, God I can't lose him!'

"Ayo." I didn't look at Scarlet as she sat next to me. "He'll be fine." She reassured.

"Would he? Scar, I can't lose him! If he dies, I don't know what I would do...I can't lose somebody again! I can't!" I cried.

"Look at this." I wiped my tears with my blood stained sleeves and reached out to hold what she showed me in my hands but she moved it out of my reach. "You'll ruin it with the blood on your hands." She informed. I nodded and she let me see it again. "You guys have a stronger bond than meets the eye, I see."

"So he is...I didn't even remember." I rasped.

"You see, he would survive this. I feel like he has a lot to tell you so he won't leave just like that." She handed me Logan's phone and showed me the draft message he was writing.

To Ayo,

Im sssßsßddorryy gfcfor efcverhuyythingg.,..

Was what it read but I understood every word of it. "I am sorry for everything." I whispered and once again felt myself close to tears.

"Here, you have a missed call." I collected my phone from her and gave her and small smile.

"Thanks. You know, despite your heartless demeanor, you are a great person to talk to." I complimented to which she grunted in response and I called my mum, whom I missed a call from, and informed her about what happened. Less than an hour later, mum and dad arrived and ran to me once they saw me.

"Ayo! Where is he?" Mum asked as she was careful not to touch me.

"In the OR. Mum, he can't...he can't die on me!" I tried not to cry. He would be okay, he would make it, this I know but why do I feel like crying? I was pulled into a hug by dad and he rubbed comforting circles on my back.

"It's okay, let it all out." And I did. I soaked dad's shirt with tears as I let all my emotions out. Memories I wanted to forget came back to me in waves and it made my knees go weak.

"Who are you?" I heard mum ask.

"Scarlet. Have this please, I would be taking my leave now." I heard Scarlet's voice and mum's thanks next before her fading footsteps. Some minutes passed and some nurses came to draw some blood because Logan lost too much. He was, fortunately, a universal recipient AB positive type so he could receive blood from all of us.

After hours of waiting, the doctors finally emerged from the OR looking really exhausted. Mum and I scrambled to our feet, dad was out to fill the guardian form, and went to meet with the surgeon.

"The surgeries were successful but he lost a lot of blood and sustained several injuries to his torso and an internal hemorrhage." She explained.

"Please elaborate." Mum asked and the woman nodded.

"Before slitting his wrists, he had suffered numerous injuries to his ribcage and chest wall. Further more, he had a wound close to his heart that reopened and his fractured rib pierced his lung and caused a pneumohemothorax just before being brought here. It is a mystery how he managed to remain conscious enough to slit his wrists. I commend whosoever took first aid measures for him," The surgeon said looking at me. "Otherwise, it would have been a lost cause. However, he lost a lot of blood and so he would likely be in comatose and would have to fight for his life. Right now he would be moved to the ICU. I recommend you take him to a  psychiatrist when he awakes. So then, I shall take my leave."

"Oh, thank you for your hard work." Mum appreciated and I sighed.

"Fight for his life huh?" I whispered.

"He would be fine." Mum comforted. "Can I hold you?" She asked and I nodded a bit. She smiled and held my hand. I flinched at the contact and jerked my hand away from hers immediately. "So it came back." It wasn't a question. I solemnly nodded and dad came back from filling the form.

We were not allowed to visit for the first week and Logan was transferred to Beast ville, which was closer to home. I retrieved my car when dad deemed me mentally stable to drive and not crash and I told the clique and Sean and Nata about his injuries but not the fact that he failed at committing suicide.

'Logan when you wake up, I would kill you.'

***
Super sad, right? Don't worry cause though sorrow lasts the night, joy comes in the morning. (Psalms 30:5b NKJV Bible).

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