Sparks

Chapter 39: Saturday.

~~~

Saturday, two days ago.

We arrived at the clinic after a five-hour drive; a group of protesters greeted us. There was a lot of writing on their posters, such as "Save the unborns," "Let their heart, beat," and more. I saw Lydia, next to me, slumping down on her seat. She must be feeling pressed because of the protesters.

I thought of a gentle gesture to make her comfortable walking to the clinic. I remember my jacket and my hat on the back of the car. I reached for it and gave it to Lydia, took her hand, and caressed it, "You're not alone."

She took a deep breath and thanked me. We got out of the car and jogged to the clinic. The protesters were screaming in our ears, but we got in safely. It was like running through a storm. Walking to the receptionist was not a problem while I was looking out for someone I might know. I pulled my hood up and waited for Lydia as she filled out the administration.

After that, I need to wait for hours for waiting for Lydia. As I walked down through the waiting room seats, I sensed something terrible, and I couldn't put my finger on it. I sat at one of the seats and covered my face with the hood of my hoodie.

"Damn," I muttered. The seat was more comfortable than my car seat. It was comfortable and made me sleepy. So I shut my eyes and drifted to sleep.

~~~

"Holy shit, Martin, has a side chick?!" I said to Kinsley.

"That's his girlfriend, Hannah."

I just watched Joy's memories after the homecoming party. Martin was getting more aggressive with Joy as I tried to punch Martin in the head, but it felt like I was hitting the air.

"I can use that Hannah girl to cancel their engagement, can I?"

"Well, if you have Wayne's full trust and solid proof, yes, you can," Kinsley answered.

"I would like to try," I said impatiently.

Finally, after knowing about this Hannah girl, I could make an excuse to break their engagement. I am saving my girl from this devil with everything I've got.

I couldn't look when Martin choked her and pushed her to the wall. I want to punch this guy, but all I've done is spit on him. I feel useless. I didn't know it was this worse; it's even worse that this happened not long ago. Gosh, Joy is the strongest person I've learned.

~~~

I opened my eyes after a nightmare; a giant Martin stomped his foot on me. Gosh, it'd be sucked if I saw him after having that nightmare. I looked at my watch, and it was two o'clock. Damn, I slept for four hours. Am I that tired?

Anyway, my throat was dry as a Sahara dessert, so I left the room and looked for a vending machine and how lucky I was to find one. I put my money inside and chose a coke. After drinking the can, I felt I was gaining more energy, but the goosebumps returned to my skin. I tried to shake it off, but as I walked to the waiting room again, the goosebumps worsened.

I saw familiar hair, face, body, and that annoying grunt.

My worst nightmare has come to life.

Martin is sitting down with his laptop on his lap, typing something vital as he keeps grunting. I can hear him muttering curses. He's wearing a Harvard sweater; I forgot he studied there.

I can feel my hand shaking badly. Martin felt someone watching him because he stopped tapping his keyboard and looked into my eyes.

That's Martin.

"Claude?"

"Martin?"

We spoke simultaneously.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Martin said it first.

"I'm waiting for my ex. What are you-" as I was about to ask the same thing, I realized something, "holy shit-"

Martin must have understood my realization because he dragged me from the room and pushed me to the wall, "don't you fucking finish whatever you're going to say."

"You pregnant a girl, didn't you?" I smirked at him, "let me guess, is it this Hannah girl?"

Martin looked baffled as he leaned back a bit, "how did you know her?"

"It doesn't matter-"

"It matters to me," Martin balled his fist and hit the wall next to my ear.

Too bad I didn't flinch. I can use this excuse to blackmail him-

"If you know her name, I also know your ex's name. Lydia, isn't it?"

My mouth turns upside down.

How the fuck did he know?

"Oh yeah, don't even think about acting like a detective here. I know more about you than you think."

"You have a bit of a stalker personality, huh?" I said, trying not to get him into me.

"I know you have some relationship with Joy," Martin leans closer, "I even have solid proof."

I pushed him away, "shut up."

"Oh, now you're scared?" I can see the joy in Martin's smile.

Martin is a psycho. He even said he had solid proof. I wouldn't know if he's lying or telling the truth. Judging by his expression, he's serious. What if he said about me and Joy's relationship with Wayne?

"You love her, don't you?" Martin grabbed his phone and showed me a picture of Joy and me kissing in the car. Fuck, "what could happen if I show this to Joy's father?"

"Don't even think you're the only one who can blackmail. I could take a photo of you here in this clinic and say that a patient named Hannah is getting an abortion, and the father is you," I said, "rich people could snoop on anything, right? You even have a photo of Joy and me kissing. Wayne could easily take the patient record in this clinic."

"That's... True," Martin said. He scratched his head and kicked the vending machine.

Gosh, is this how a man gets angry? He's like a manchild or something.

We were looking at each other as Martin caught his breath. Then he approached me for the second time, "what are you-"

"You love her, don't you? Say it!"

"Yes!" I was forced to say it as he put his hand on my neck.

"Then don't you dare say a fucking word about this day. If you do, I'll also say a word about you and Joy. That would give enough stress to her."

I felt my hand trembles from his word.

He's not joking.

"Fuck off, Martin," I said. I was about to punch him, but we were interrupted.

"Mr. Clifford," a woman came, and it automatically stopped us from fighting, "Ms. Lynn had finished her operation. You might want to see her."

Martin fixed his hair as he walked down the hallway and entered a room. I leaned back on the wall and slid down. I put my head on both my legs and thought about Joy. What if she knew about this?

Then I gathered myself and went to the receptionist. Asking Lydia if she's done, and she is. I went inside the room and saw her eating a pudding, "Take you long enough."

"To be here? I had to ask the nurse if you were done," I said as I sat next to the bed where there was already a chair available.

"You okay?" Lydia asked, i nodded, "you look pale."

"I'm not, Lydia."

"How long have we been together? How can I not know if there's something wrong with you?"

"I can't tell you. Even if I could, I don't want to."

Lydia shrugged it off, "suit yourself then. I was being nice."

~~~