Everyone, just shut up and be quiet!" Angel snapped.
Tamayo frowned, looking around the tense room. "I don't think we're dealing with just one or two people here. There are a whole lot of them."
Suddenly, the scene shifts to the hospital. Zoya's fiancé had just burst in, completely losing it. He was sobbing violently, trying to push past the doctors, but they blocked him from entering the ICU. Frustrated and desperate, he marched straight up to Siddharth and grabbed him.
"All of this happened because of you!" he screamed, tears streaming down his face. "This is all because of your Emma! I told her not to go, I begged her! But she wanted to join your damn gang one last time. Look at what you've done to her!"
Right then, Haruto walked down the corridor. The moment Zoya's fiancé saw him, he snapped. He lunged forward and slapped Haruto right across the face.
"You promised me!" Rayato yelled, shoving Haruto hard against the wall by his collar. "You told me to let her join the gang! You said nothing would happen to her! How could you do this? I explicitly told you to keep her away from all this!"
Siddharth lost his patience and stepped between them, ripping Rayato away. "Calm the hell down!" Siddharth barked. "Look around you! Do you think Zoya is the only one hurt? Look at the state Emma is in—she's literally getting a blood transfusion right now! Look at Haiku! Do you honestly think we don't care about them? You think we're just sitting here enjoying this? Emma woke up for a split second, and do you know what the very first thing out of her mouth was? She asked, 'Where is Zoya?' You've only known Zoya for a little while. We've known her for years! She probably hasn't even told you a single thing about her past, but I know all of it!"
Hearing that, the anger completely drained out of Rayato. His knees buckled, and he dropped to the floor, breaking down completely. "I'm just so scared..." he choked out, burying his face in his hands. "I'm terrified she's going to die. I'm losing my mind. She's the only thing I have left in this world, I have nothing else. Your Emma has everything—she has her gang, her friends..."
"She has everything?" Siddharth cut him off, his voice cracking with emotion. "Her brother isn't here. Her sister isn't here. Her family doesn't even talk to her! Half our gang is lying in these hospital beds right now, and we don't even know who is going to make it through the night. We don't even know if Emma is going to be okay."
Siddharth's voice softened slightly as he looked down at him. "Just stop panicking. Everything is going to be fine."
Meanwhile, inside Haiku's dark room, he was barely holding his eyes open. Everything was a blurry mess, and his head felt incredibly heavy from the sedation. He slowly turned his head to the side and noticed a girl sitting right next to his bed.
"How are you feeling?" she asked quietly.
Haiku blinked heavily, his voice barely a whisper. "Who... Emma?"
The girl stiffened. In a flash, she stood up, her face twisted in pure rage. Holding the small knife she had been using to slice an apple, she pressed the blade right against Haiku's throat.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she hissed, her hand trembling with anger. "Every single time I look at you, it's always Emma, Emma! I absolutely loathe that girl!"
Before Haiku could even process the blade at his neck, the door swung open and Siddharth walked in. Siddharth took one look and snapped, "I never want to see you talking to—"
"There was a girl here..." Haiku interrupted, his voice shaking as he stammered. "She... she had this terrifying, haunting face, but she was staring at me like she was deeply in love. Her eyes were bright red... or maybe orange. She was just looking at me and smiling, and she..."
Suddenly, a sharp, blinding pain shot through his skull. He groaned, clutching his head. "It's like a foggy memory... it's literally torturing my brain."
Siddharth quickly rushed over, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. I'm right here with you. Don't worry about it."
Haiku managed a weak, sweet smile. "Is Emma okay? Did she wake up?"
Siddharth rolled his eyes, though his voice was fond. "First of all, worry about waking up your own damn self!
Seriously, how much do you love her? Just go and tell her already. Or are you planning to literally die in love one day?"
Haiku let out a heavy sigh, looking away. "I just don't have the guts. I'm terrified. I'm scared that if I say something, our friendship will break in a second. Years of being close, ruined in the blink of an eye." He closed his eyes as the drowsiness washed over him again. "My head hurts so bad..."
"Then just sleep," Siddharth said softly. "Stop stressing about her, we're all watching over her."
"I'm fine," Haiku muttered, trying to sit up. "Can't I just see her for a second?"
"You can't even stand up straight, what the hell are you talking about?"
Siddharth scolded, shoving him gently back into the pillows. "Go to sleep! How many times do I have to repeat myself? Honestly, it feels like Emma will recover just fine, but you'll end up dead. The doctor told you to rest, not to give speeches. If you want to live a long life with Emma, you actually need to stay alive first. At this rate, you're going to kill yourself."
Haiku mumbled a faint, "Fine," and drifted off.
The scene cuts outside to Angel's group. They had made their way downstairs, and the moment they saw movement, Angel and the others immediately drew their guns. But as the shadows cleared, Geto stepped forward.
"What, no welcome party for us?" Geto smirked.
Angel's eyes widened. "You?! How the hell are you here?!"
Monster looked between them, confused. "Wait, how do you even know this guy?"
Angel slapped her forehead in sheer frustration. "Did this guy swear a blood oath to always ruin my day? Seriously, you're like a black cat crossing my path! What do you want?!" She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. "Alright, everyone lower your weapons. A gang war is definitely brewing, so he probably just came to deliver the invite."
Geto stepped forward and handed her a sealed letter. Stamped on it was the date: September 24th.
"This isn't going to be your casual, everyday gang war," Geto warned, his eyes turning cold. "Oka and Gotaru are going to be there too. It's the perfect opportunity for you to finally take your revenge. Today is only September 1st, so you all have plenty of time to heal up. At least, I hope you do."
Angel held his gaze and gripped the letter tight. "Fine. I accept."
Without another word, Geto and his men turned back into the darkness and disappeared.
Angel let out a massive breath she had been holding. "Ugh, I stressed myself out for absolutely no reason." She turned to the rest of the crew. "Alright, let's just go home."
Tamayo sighed in relief. "Please, let's."
As they walked out to the parking lot, Obhi jogged up to Angel. "Hey Angel, why don't you hop on the back of my bike?"
Monster instantly cut in, pulling Angel back. "No way in hell! Why would she ever sit behind you?"
Obhi and Tamayo immediately burst out laughing. Tamayo watched them, highly amused, thinking to herself, 'Man, I am so glad I came along, this drama is top-tier. I am definitely going to keep teasing Obhi—the poor guy just cannot let these couples live in peace!'
"Alright boys, wrap it up," Tamayo called out. "It's late as hell."
Angel ignored Obhi, walked right past him, and sat behind Monster. Obhi opened his mouth to complain, but Monster turned around and shot him a glance so deadly it could kill.
Obhi quickly raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, whatever you say man! Forget a bike, you should go fly an airplane!"
"You're talking way too much," Monster growled, revving the engine, and they blasted out of the parking lot.
Halfway down the road, Obhi drew his bike level with Monster's and yelled over the wind, "By the way, your friend is seriously cute!"
Monster yelled back, "Who the hell are you talking about?"
"Who else? Angel!" Obhi shouted with a massive grin. "I think I have a massive crush on her!"
The words hit Monster like a physical blow. He got such an instant, raging headache that he violently rolled the throttle, the engine roaring as he flew past Tamayo and Angel's bike, leaving them in the dust.
Tamayo blinked, watching the tail light vanish. "What the hell is wrong with him?"
Angel groaned, holding onto Tamayo's waist. "How should I know? You put a donkey and a pig on the same bike and this is what happens." She paused for a second, feeling a bit guilty. "By the way... I'm really sorry I threw that lighter at one of your guys earlier. Is he okay?"
Tamayo laughed out loud. "Honestly? I low-key loved it! And yeah, he's totally fine. We made him wear a fireproof jacket before we left. I knew your first instinct would be to think we were tailing you."
Angel realized with a jolt, "Oh right! I completely forgot today's date. I totally forgot you guys were supposed to arrive today."
Meanwhile, Monster was driving like an absolute maniac. He was going so fast that the headlights of oncoming cars were just a blur, and he wasn't even attempting to dodge them.
Obhi was gripping the seat, his face pale. "Slow down! Slow down, you idiot!"
Monster, trying to play the tough hero, yelled back, "No!"
The next second, the tires lost grip. The motorcycle skidded violently across the asphalt, flipped, and both of them went flying headfirst straight into a deep roadside ditch.
Angel, who had just caught up, stopped her bike and stared at the wreckage. She put her face in her hands. "And there it goes, completely ruined. Look at the 'heavy driver' go! Go on, enjoy your life now! Can someone please call a damn ambulance?!"
The scene cuts right back to the hospital waiting room.
Siddharth stared at them, completely dumbfounded. "Wait... what the hell happened to you two?"
Angel was practically vibrating with rage, pointing a finger at them. "It's all because of his royal highness, the brave 'heavy driver' over here! This absolute idiot never listens to a single word anyone says! He just has to do whatever he wants, and now he's sitting here with a broken leg!"
Just then, Tamayo stormed into the room. She marched straight up to Siddharth, grabbed his ear, and twisted it hard.
"What is wrong with your brain, you idiot?!" she yelled. "Could you not have picked up the phone and told us what happened? Emma went through all of this, and you're treating us like outsiders? Are we not even a part of this gang anymore?!"
Siddharth winced, trying to pull away. "Ow, ow! Why are you losing your mind? Calm down, my goddess! Have some mercy on me and just relax!"
A few feet away, Monster and Obhi were sitting side-by-side on the hospital beds, looking incredibly pathetic with their heads hung low as the doctors wrapped thick plaster casts around their legs.
Angel walked over and glared at them. "Just sit there and suffer. I hope you're happy now. You really think we're idiots, don't you?"
Monster opened his mouth to defend himself, but Angel instantly reached out and pinched his ear. Monster winced, but then he looked up. Her hand was still resting on his ear, and as he looked into her eyes, he realized that despite her furious expression, they were full of nothing but pure love.
Without thinking, Monster reached up, gently took her hand off his ear, and pulled her tightly into his chest, hugging her.
Angel froze. Her brain completely short-circuited, and she went into a total state of shock. A second later, she snapped out of it, pushed him away frantically, and stammered, "G-get away from me!"
Monster's face flushed bright red. He felt so intensely embarrassed he wanted the floor to swallow him whole. 'What the hell did I just do?!' he screamed at himself mentally. 'I am such a massive idiot! A complete clown! God knows what she thinks of me now...'
But secretly, deep down, Angel's heart was racing with joy.
Meanwhile, Obhi was watching the whole thing from the next bed, looking so incredibly jealous it felt like his soul was literally turning to ashes.
Haruto, watching all of this chaotic romance unfold in the middle of a hospital ward, rubbed his temples.
'What kind of a twisted spiderweb is this love triangle?' he thought to himself, completely baffled. 'I am going to lose my mind. One person's love never ends, another person's doesn't even start, and by the time one finally starts, the other one refuses to end!
God knows if I'll ever get Emma. Wait... could someone else be in love with her too? No, no way... though I do get seriously suspicious of Haiku sometimes. But Emma just sees him as a friend, so that's impossible.'
Right then, a hand smacked the back of Haruto's head.
"What the hell are you daydreaming about?" Siddharth muttered. "The nurse is calling you."
Haruto rubbed the back of his neck, snapping out of it. "Yeah, yeah... I'm going."
Author's Note:
Hey guys! 💖 I know, I know... I'm incredibly late with this chapter, and I'm so sorry! 😭 Honestly, there wasn't much I could do. My school tests just wrapped up, and now my final exams are right around the corner. Like seriously, our school isn't a dharmshala where you can just chill—exams literally pop up whenever they feel like it! 🏫🙄
But don't worry, I am trying my absolute best to update the story as quickly as possible. My exams will finally be over by next Monday, so until then, please hang in there and enjoy this chapter! ✨ As for me, my life has officially turned into a crazy roller coaster ride lately 🎢🫠, but I just want all of you to stay happy and smiling!
By the way, if any of you have exams going on right now too, wishing you all the very best! You've got this! 💪📚
Happy reading, and see you all very soon! 🥰👋
_____Night