Out of Focus |finished|

38- ezekiel, bromance and the List

A million thoughts moved through Malachi's head as the guards ran towards them. He glanced at Jamal, trying to wipe the smeared blood off his face.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Malachi whispered to him.

"Got this bro, relax."

The guards, one burly and the other, slim but muscular reached them. The burly one looked at both boys from head to toe and pointed at Jamal, "You, what's going on here?"

"We were- we were," Jamal pretended to be out of breath and heaved, "We were attacked by some men. Our friend is still – is still hurt."

"Where's your friend?" the slim guard asked him.

Malachi pointed to where they'd left Peter. "Over there. You have to help him, he's really hurt and I think the men are still there."

The burly guard took off in the direction of Peter and the slim one followed him but not before giving Malachi and Jamal a stern warning,
"Stay here. Don't go anywhere."

Both boys nodded and as soon as the guards were far from them, sped out of the park. They ran until Malachi was out of breath and stopped, panting. When they were sure that they weren't being followed, they slowed and walked to Malachi's room.

It was almost 9pm and when they walked along the corridors of the hostel, the other students stared at them; Malachi with his bruised face and Jamal with his bloody knuckles, blood smeared face and camera hanging on him.

Malachi locked the door when they entered his room. Jamal threw the camera on to the bed, took off his shirt and furiously wiped at his face and hands.

"What happened to you there?" Malachi asked him.

"I don't know bro," he replied. "I just," he paused and continued, "I was angry when he hit you. He's the bad guy here, not us."

He sat down on Malachi's bed and Malachi sat beside him. "Thank you. I don't know what he'd have done to me If you weren't there."

Jamal smiled and punched Malachi on the shoulder. "Your cheek and right eye are swollen. You should wash your face."

Malachi stood up. "Yes sir."

As Malachi washed his face in the washroom, Jamal went through the photos he'd taken of Peter and Malachi. The first three shots were useless but the last two he'd taken were priceless.

One captured Peter when he took the money from Malachi and the other captured his full face when he caught Jamal taking the photos.
Jamal looked upwards at the invisible sky and smiled, "Thank you."

The following morning, Simi woke up early. She had an annoying 12pm class and had to see her parents before she left. Her mom would throw a tantrum that she'd come to the neighborhood and hadn't come to see her.

She walked to the bathroom adjacent Julia's room to wash her face while smiling at Julia's murmurings.
Simi walked out of the bathroom, her towel in one hand and checking for any bumps on her face when she saw Ezekiel.
Julia and Elder's younger brother was right outside the door and almost gave her a fright.

"How are you Ezekiel?" she bent down to the height of the little guy.

"She's scary," he said to her, his puppy eyes large and almost wet.

Simi's forehead creased in confusion. "Who?"

Ezekiel held Simi's hand in his and led her back into Julia's room. Julia was still asleep, the bedsheet covering her torso. He directed her to a framed photo on Julia's nightstand and pointed to a photo of the Benson family.

In the photo, Mr. and Mrs. Benson were at back. Mr. Benson had a gruff look and Mrs. Benson was smiling. Julia was staring at Elder and Ezekiel with a smile on her face and Elder was tickling a laughing Ezekiel.
Simi could feel the love and joy in the photo.

"She's scary," Ezekiel repeated.

"Who's scary? Your mum?" Simi asked him.

Before he could reply, Julia stifled a yawn and stretched her arms. Ezekiel dropped Simi's hand and ran out of the room.

"Was that Ezekiel?" Julia asked Simi, whilst she got out of the bed.

"Yeah," Simi replied, a frown on her face.

Throughout her lecture classes, Simi kept thinking of what Ezekiel had said. 
Who was scary? Mrs. Benson or Julia?

She'd known them her whole life and never once, had she seen any of them to be scary. Mrs. Benson could be strict and impossible to get her to change her mind but she was nothing if not loving.

Getting to the end of her last class, Simi shook her head and dismissed it as probably Mrs. Benson scolding Ezekiel that made him say that.

When she walked out of her department building, she saw the familiar back of a person. He was wearing a camo hoodie and she was sure it was Malachi. His head was covered and he was walking with his head down.

She walked faster, careful not to shout his name. Other students were also moving around her and in this modern era of 'cool' young adults, if she called out his name, they'd look at her as if she were an alien.

Simi caught up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and Simi let out an almost gasp. She touched his face lightly,
"What happened to you?"

The light bruise on his face from the previous night had developed into a full bruise. His right eye was so swollen it was almost closed and his left cheek was also swollen.

Malachi shook his head, "Just hit my head that's all."

"Don't lie to me Kai," Simi sighed and placed her hand on Malachi's un- bruised cheek.

"Nothing."

"Malachi Smith, don't lie-,"

"We got the List," Malachi cut in.

"What?" Simi retracted her hand.

"Jamal and I got the List. And guess who gave it to us? Peter, you super loving and all innocent boyfriend."

Simi could do nothing but stare at Malachi.

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