Out of Focus |finished|

24- 5 months ago

5 months ago

While Elder loves the cold weather, he hates the rheumatoid pains in his body that come with it. There is an ache in his bones that feels like a hammer is being used to hit them slowly but continuously. His little brother also suffered from the same rheumatism during the cold weather so it ran in the family.

He pulls his large dark hoodie over his head and takes out his earpiece from his backpack. As he does, he checks his bag whether he hasn't forgotten his camera and it turns out he hasn't.
Elder is on his way to visit one of his closest friends who'd just come to the university as a freshman.
They were supposed to have been in the same hostel but Simi's parents chose a less expensive hostel.

He lets out a grunt and wishes the sun would just come out. Feeling the need to distract himself from the pain in his bones, he dials Jamal's number.

A lot of people found him weird for taking photos all the time and maybe they were right but it was a hobby that had turned into something else. Now he had a whole photobook that he was sure would rattle the University to the core. And then Jamal gave him some photos too that had surprised even him.

Jamal picks on the third ring, his voice panting and out of breath. "You going to help me?"

Elder flexes out his fingers as he talks. "I want to, Jamal but I think we should leave this to the police. They can help in the right away."

"No, no they can't. Besides I'm of legal age, do you really think they'd believe me?"

"They have to. This is danger-,"

"Please don't leave me dry man, I came to you because I knew I could trust you," Jamal pleads. "I want to get out of this mess with Forson. You wanted to help one of your friends too right?"

"I'll think about it man. That's cool with you?" Elder asks.

"That's your way of saying no isn't it?"

"Think about it Jamal. We can't just blackmail a senior lecturer. Things could get seriously messed up and I thought you had your sisters to think about?"

Jamal seethes on the other side of the line, "They're the reason why I'm doing this."

Elder pulls his hoodie around him and tries to ignore the pain in his bones. He's just reached his friend's hostel. "I'll call you back Jamal. Please don't do anything rash,"

"You mean be a chicken like-,"

Elder cuts the line. He enters the hostel and walks along the hallway looking for the room number Simi gave him. He finds it on the ground floor and knocks gently.
There's no response even though he can hear Simi's voice.

He opens the door gently and pokes his head into the room to find an agitated Simi sitting cross-legged on her bed, pulling at the bedspread.

"Isn't there anyone who can help us?" she asks whomever she's talking to.

Elder watches her as she nods a few times and looks like she's on the verge of crying.

"I know mom. Don't worry about me now, I'll ask one of my friends and see if they can lend me some money. Just focus on dad's medicine. He can't get another attack."
Simi places the phone beside her when she's done talking and screams into her pillow.

Elder pulls his head out of the room quickly and hopes that Simi didn't seen him.

He'd always known that Simi's parents had financial problem, that was why decided to help Jamal in the first place. But he hadn't thought they were this serious.
An idea strikes him and quickly, he writes it down on his phone.
He may have decided not to help Jamal anymore but Simi needed him. Elder knew another powerful secret in the school and it was time he utilized it to help his closest female friend.

Bracing himself, his hands in his pockets and acting as if he didn't hear anything, he knocks on the door and waits till Simi opens.

"El!" she hugs him.

Elder takes in her lavender scented body splash and asks himself why he never asked Simi out.
He hugs her tighter and thinks, if it means helping Simi, I'll take any bullet for her.

Only he didn't know how true that would be.

Author's Note

Amigos and Amigas! Thank you for reading this far and sticking with us.
Please feel free to leave any constructive criticism.
Until we meet again, be yourself!