Their Days of Nights

28 : Help

Benjamin

Saturday

I wake up later than usual. And I'm still supposed to be sleeping if not for the sound of my phone ringing. I reach for it on top of my desk. Whoever this is better be—

"Kim! Thank—"

"This is Aya."

"Where's Kim?"

"She's here. Listen."

"Uh...I'm listening."

"How fast can you get here within the hour?"

"Thirty minutes tops. Why?"

She sighs. "I'm going out to have dinner with my aunt. I can't cancel on her this last minute. And I don't want to leave Kimberly here alone like this."

"Like what? What's wrong? What happened?"

"Just get here, please. As fast as you can."

"Okay."

I go in and out of the bathroom, change clothes in a heartbeat, and grab my stuff. And in a matter of seconds, I'm brisking outside of the compound on my way to the corner of the street to find a taxi.

The guard is standing by the closed window of that pawnshop. He nods at me and opens the door. And I climb the stairs two steps at a time.

Their door opens after my second knock. Aya slips herself out. "Good. You're here," she says while closing it. "Just in time. I'm about to leave."

"What's...going on?"

"Kim went home last Thursday, remember?"

I nod, still catching my breath. Of course, I remember.

"She got back earlier. Sometime around noon, I think. When I woke up, she's already like that. I just don't want to leave her here in that state."

"Did she tell you what happened?"

"We didn't have the chance to talk. But I know you have an idea."

"Okay," I say. "I'll stay here."

Aya is about to say something but hesitates. She closes her eyes, breathes out, and opens them again. "Don't leave her alone, okay?" Unlike a couple of days ago, she sounds nicer to me this time.

"I won't."

She nods. Then she opens the door, turns around, and starts going down. Her footsteps echo against the marble staircase.

It's bright inside their room. The bed on the left and next to the window is unmade and has pink sheets. There's a stand fan near its end, but it's off. I turn it on and open the window a little wider.

Kim is curled on the other bed, completely covered by her grey blanket. I walk over there and stand next to the bedside table in between. There's a blue-and-white desk lamp on it, and her Corby on its side.

"Hey, uh, Kim."

She moves and immediately lifts the sheet up. She stares at me wide-eyed and begins to get up, taking her time while doing so.

"Your friend called me," I say. "She let me in," I point back at the door.

Kim runs her hands on her face, sets aside her blanket, and sits Indian-style in the middle of her bed. She's wearing an oversized black t-shirt with the My Chemical Romance logo circa The Black Parade, and grey pajama bottoms with black dots on it.

There's no chair inside the room, so I just sit down beside her and near the foot of the bed.

I press my hands on my knees. Then I turn my face and see her already staring at me, waiting.