All About Blues

Chapter 12

Klay entered and directly went to her room. He knocked for some time but seems no one was inside. Yet he decided to wait for minutes not until when someone came—

“Who are you?” A woman who is approaching Klay asked, it was Piper. Azul’s roommate. “W-Wait— you look familiar...”

“Are you staying in this room?”

“Y-Yes. Why are you here?” Piper is stuttering. Her brows were knitting, entirely suspicious and questioning the man.

“I am here to check on Azul” he replied not even diffident “I assume you are her roommate.”

“But why?”

“I have to”

“Okay—okay. I assume you are someone whom she just met. Like, as what I know she knows no one in this city aside from her personal doctor. Are you her friend? A classmate?”

“I couldn’t say I am like what you mentioned— but I was with her last night when it rained. We’ve been stuck in the same place and I sent her back here in the university just this morning.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, around early six in the morning.”

“She hasn’t arrived actually. I left for my first class around eight and I haven’t seen her coming back. Are you sure you dropped her by?” Piper started to feel an intense worry, although Azul messaged her already that she might not be able to come back any sooner. Telling that she’d be staying to her older brother’s residence in the adjacent city.

“Y-Yes, you can even check the surveillance camera or ask the guard about it”

“But why were you even together last night?”

“It’s not like we intended to do so” calmly, “We just happen to see each other and we’re in the same place when the rain poured down.”

“You look familiar— you both knew each other already, don’t you?”

“Yes, I am Klay Nepomuceno. If I wasn’t mistaken you are working on Consuelo Montreal’s bookshop.”

Piper’s face rested but then she pouted her shoulders dropped and she started at him intently until she recalled the first time she saw him “Oh yes! You are that guy who— handed Miss Consuelo an invitation letter. Right?”

“Yes”

“You are also with her in the party, it was your mother’s right?”

“Hmmm...” he nodded.

“Oh... well I won’t doubt anymore whether you and Azul were friends— but you know she texted me last night— no, it was already around one in the morning. She told me that she may not be around for days because her older brother invited her to his house in the adjacent town.”

“She has one?”

“I don’t know but her records says she have so...”

“O-okay” Klay began having questions on his mind. He is wondering why Azul didn’t tell anything about it when they’re together last night. But he just dismisses that thought, realizing that she really don’t have to tell him something. She’s not obligated to do so or what.

“So she hadn’t told you”

“She did not, she don’t have to either.”

“Oh” Piper only managed to respond, seconds of an awkward silence prevailed not until when she comes up with a question “Don’t you have her number?” Klay shook his head “Would you like to have it? Sure she won’t mind if I’d give you her contact.”

“Would you mind?”

“I won’t, of course!” she exclaimed chuckling. She then took her phone out her shoulder bag afterwards. She gave him Azul’s number and that they talked a bit after before bidding their goodbyes.

Piper then went inside and checked wether there was a trace of Azul in the room but she found nothing. She found the same setup as what she left earlier, Azul’s bed and all her stuffs remained untouched. And she again went troubled but ended up shrugging it over revoking every negative thoughts, she also updated someone about Azul’s departure.

Klay on the other hand went more troubled and worried not only about Azul’s unaddressed departure. He also was troubled why he seems to be so worried about her and why does he seem overthinking about it. He always question himself, he has always been troubled— and that he is not often like that before— something that made him more troubled.

After Azul came entering to his life it seemed he has been so troubled, always questioning himself, always doubting and overthinking stuffs— so often. Azul always stirs his mind making a maelstrom of thoughts. Thoughts that would soon turn out into a noxious havoc, ending him up having numerous questions that always starts with either ‘why’ or ‘how’. And it seemed he had even get to the point where his questions no longer have answers, and he no longer could grasp reasons.

***

“What have you been doing lately?” the doctor asked to Azul.

“A lot”

“He is not asking that, Azul” Lyle Finch, her childhood and only friend reparteed.

“Yeah but I’ve been doing a lot lately that I can’t really elaborate each of them.”

“That’s fine, Lyle. That alone is enough to explain why she has been weaker. What are you feeling right now anyway?”

“Same old” nonchalantly.

“Be specific”

“Like— I’m seriously not feeling well. My head hurts and my insides are burning— I have a fever, of course”

“What have you been consuming lately?”

“Foods”

“What kind of food, Azul?”

“Foods that isn’t really good for me.” She admitted. The Doctor and Lyle could only sigh by her demeanor. “But it’s not like I am always consuming those kind of foods, I did for some time, but I still often eat those healthy food that I was usually served.”

“Your medications, have you been taking your medicines properly?”

“There were times that I missed taking them, I’m just kinda busy”

“Can I see your joints?” The doctor calmly asked which seems reinforced by Lyle saying—

“Can you remove your sweater?” sarcastically.

“They are swelling” Azul said revoking Lyle’s statement.

“Remove your sweater please” and in that soft and gentle voice of the doctor she was coerced to do as what he say.

She removed her sweater, leaving a plain black shirt with a v-neck. She then looked sidewards, looking away from everyone. She is ashamed with how she looks like. With how skinny she is, how pale she is— and those bruises that is scattered all around her body. The ones in her arms are sparsely imposed, some purplish and greenish or bluish bruises. That’s why she always wears something that is wrapped, she has a lot of sweaters, jackets and cardigans. She aims to hide those bruises— not just from others but also to herself, she hates seeing skin as every inch of it reminds her of what she got.

“It seemed your bruises are getting several” the doctor said upon scanning her body.

“Of course one appears day by day.”

“That isn’t quite good”

“When was the last time you see Doctor Craig?”

“Last—last month. I didn’t attend my check up the previous month.”

“You got a couple or three sessions every month, Azul.”

“I didn’t attended both”

“What?” Lyle again intervened but was once again revoked.

“You know that isn’t good right?” Azul nodded her head “You must consult him as soon as you come back there. I couldn’t give much advice or anymore medicines to consume, i asume you have your usual medicines with you.”

“I do”

“Great.”

And like what the doctor said Azul rested. She was in Lyle’s house in the adjacent town, she has been there since morning. Right after she was dropped by Klay in the university gates, he came. She has been contacting him since the night when the rain poured so bad. She sent him numerous message and even rang his number when Klay was asleep.

Azul knows that something is happening in her body right when they entered inside that rink. She knows that there’s more to happen sooner, later or the next day as when her sight gets blurry and she started grasping for air. Azul is so used to be attacked by it that she could well manage to suppress how she has been having hard time breathing or even moving. Klay did not notice it, as all he saw was how her chest rose and rest in haste— something that he always notices to her.

“Why would you do that to yourself?” Lyle asked Azul. They were in the porch, Lyle is drinking a wine while Azul is just sitting in the hammock gripping and pulling the seams of her cardigan. All they hear was the sound of the crickets, the rustles of the leaves when a strong nightly breeze strays in and the sound of the crashing waves that is barely audible— they were near a shore.

“I want to” she muttered

“You’re a masochist now” Lyle chuckled, and Azul joined unconsciously joined him laughing “But seriously, don’t push yourself too much Azul.”

“L-Lyle” she spoke his name in the lowest tone that it’s almost a whisper “Don’t tell Mom and Dad about this.”

“You’re insane” he snorted “You reach out to me after years, asking for help and now asking another favor. It seems you’ve been so used to ask me something”

“I am so sorry” she just said and looked away, disappointed by his remark. She did not expected that, for some reason.

“Look, Azul” he walked towards her. When she did not turn to him he heave a heavy sigh, that it was audible “I won’t tell them” he said calmly “I am just upset— but not to you, just on what happened to you”

“I am so sorry, Lyle. I am not actually planning to reach you out that way, it just happened. We haven’t seen each other for years and barely have contact, I didn’t expected you still have the same numbers or that I don’t even know why I called you instead of my doctor— perhaps, I just really used to do it.” She explained.

Lyle was the first person apart from her family, to know that she was sick— she told him. Since then he used to look after her, always on her back, always one call away. He was a trusted friend, not just trusted by Azul but also by Azul’s family. He was a year older than Azul but they get along pretty well. But then he left, since he is older than her he has to go to college first and Lyle’s family decided to enroll him in a university in the downtown. Leaving Azul all alone, but Azul seemed to have left first as when she got on 10th grade they started barely seeing each other— she was always inside her room or in the hospital, she was also homeschooled.

“How are you?” she asked to Lyle.

“Same old s**t” he replied, laughing.

Azul also laugh along while scanning him and then she said “I don’t think so” noticing how a lot has changed to his friend. His complexion or his voice or even his whole personality itself. He went almost bulk, voice were orotund and also went calloused— she remembered how he had always been jolly around her before.

“Why?”

“Seeing how you seem so grown up, now.” She just said, smiling but melancholy was still on her voice. And Lyle instantly perceived it. He doesn’t know what exactly the words that’s on her mind but he knows and recognized the poignance from her— “It seemed I missed a lot in this life” she mumbled, barely audible but he heard it.

She was happy about Lyle but the changes makes her sad. Everything around her has changed and she is expecting it, she knows it would and it did— but she missed witnessing the process that it seemed like she hasn’t also change. She just came out from her cage and she found that everything had changed.

She was thinking about how everyone is getting bigger or slimmer and she even barely gains weight, everyone is getting their job or has been paid or is striving for their passion and she was still knowing what she wants in life, all she seemed minding about was how to escape from her tragic life. Not really knowing her path, not really knowing what awaits her in the near future— or that if she is still present in that near future.