Chapter 22


    22. A favor?


    I was told to stay in the hospital for a week,


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    I really could not answer the questions the doctors asked me about my health. It is true that I have not


    been to the hospital much, at least not as much as a person my age should’ve. It was only because I


    never got sick enough for the hospital. The handful of times I visited the hospital was for some kind of


    broken arm or leg or a vination shot. Whenever I got sick, I would be healed before it got serious. A


    cold would onlyst a day in my body, and a stomach ache from eating something off-putting wouldst


    only a few hours. It was a blessing, in a way, because my mother and I were not that well off as my


    mother refused any kind of financial help from my father. I considered myself extremely lucky to have


    such a good immunity system.


    Which was why it was such a surprise when I was told I had an allergy to silver of all things. Because this


    isn’t the first time I have ingested silver, and never before have I gone to anaphctic shock because of


    it.


    A sudden onset allergy is thest thing I needed.


    My days in the hospital are so boring. I’m forbidden to do any sort of schoolwork as the doctors think it


    will affect my healing ability by tiring me out, so I spend my days watching movies or doing some light.


    reading. When they are also taken from me in the guise of ‘providing me enough rest to recuperate,’ I


    spend the time daydreaming, thinking about my father, Stone and his bullies, Coraline, Gerald, and


    everyone else who had turned up in my life to make it seem different from what it was just a year before.


    I think about my mother who had the misfortune of being at the wrong ce at the wrong time. I wonder


    how it would’ve been if she was still alive.


    One thing is for sure, she would’ve never let me put up with the bullying for so long.


    Coraline visits me on the second day when the doctor deems me adequate to have visitors. As soon as


    she enters the hospital room andys her eyes on my still-bandaged being, her hand goes to her mouth


    to hide her gasp, “Oh, my god, Jace, what did they do to you?! Did they stab you?”


    I realize that Coraline is not aware of the incident that took ce. So, I tell her about the silver allergy,


    hoping to cate her worries, but it makes things worse because her eyes start to get shiny.


    “You could’ve died!” she shrieks, “if the doctors had been the tiniest bitte…”


    “But they weren’t,” I remind her, “nothing bad happened. They managed to patch me up just fine. And


    apparently, I got a really good immunity system, so I’m healing just fine and really fast.”


    She still looks shell-shocked. After some contemtion, I hesitantly take her hand, which is lying next to


    me on the hospital bed, and give it a reassuring squeeze. She turns her teary eyes at me, “I’m okay now,


    Coraline. I’m getting better. You don’t have to worry about me.”


    “Oh, Jace,” she squeezes my hand back, and shoots me a wobbly smile, “you’re my friend. I won’t stop


    worrying until you’re out of the hospital and all the bandages are gone.”


    Her words bring me such warmth that I can’t help but smile back.


    She visits me almost every day afterward. Coraline had been assimted into her position as my


    assistant quite well, and during my absence, she takes care of my work. I wonder out loud if she feels


    the workload is too much, but she is enthusiastic about it, gushing about the sheer experience she is


    umting.


    It also helps that she genuinely loved the work.


    My next visitores in the form of Gerald, who goes pale when I mention my allergy to silver.


    “Silver, you say?” he asks in a strange sort of voice, “how interesting.”


    This peaks my attention. “Why is it so interesting, Gerald?”


    “Your father used to have one,” he informs me, “when he was younger. Not anymore.”


    “Oh.” Suddenly a puzzle piece falls into ce, “so I inherited it from him. Figures.”


    “Indeed,” Gerald’s expression changes into one of relief and determination. “Get better soon, young


    master. Because we have to teach your attackers a lesson, and I’m not going to let them go scot-free this


    time. By the looks of it, neither will the university.”


    “The university is concerned? What exactly is happening anyway? Also, I told you to just call me, Jace.”


    He ignores that. “The university’s reputation is on the line, as they pride themselves in being a


    prestigious but anti-bully, non-discriminatory establishment with a zero-tolerance policy. The fight got


    leaked to the inte because of course the students videotaped it and released it on social media. The


    university had been getting a lot of bacsh for letting a student be attacked like that.”


    I groan, “Oh, god, seriously?”


    “I’m afraid so.”


    “Does that mean everyone is aware of who my father is?”


    “No,


    no one had made the connection yet. This is why the discrimination charges have been brought up,


    ording to the university records you’re still a student from a lower-ss background, who is also on a


    schrship. Even if your identity is revealed, there will be a hearing because you were assaulted.”


    “When is this hearing scheduled for?”


    “It hadn’t been scheduled yet. They’re waiting until you’re released,” he reminds me.


    Gerald leaves after giving me all the information and bringing me up to date with the proceedings.


    The very next day, my fatheres to visit me. He looks stoic as he takes in my condition, which is way


    better than when Coraline visited me at first. At first, our conversation is awkward, but slowly we warm up


    to each other. He does not talk about Zelt Tech or the argument we had before. Rather, he asks me all


    about my life at the university, especially about the bullies. After protesting reluctantly, I finally open up


    and reveal to him everything that’s happened from then to now.


    After listening to my story, my father watches me with a contemtive gleam in his eyes.


    “They aren’t going toe after you again,” he promises, “Believe me, I’ll go and talk to the Dean myself


    if


    I have to.”


    I nch at that. “Please don’t. I can handle this on my own.”


    “You always say that,” he observes, “Jace, it’s not a weakness to ask for help, especially from your


    parents.”


    “And I will ask when I need it, just like I did before when I returned home,” I reply, wanting him to stop


    talking about this subject.


    My father sighs. “You’re as stubborn as your mother. Alright, I won’t stick my nose into the hearing.” He


    murmurs, “but at least do me a favor.”


    “What favor, father?”


    “Learn to defend yourself,” he advises. “Enroll in a ss or a club, learn to fight. Something tells me that


    this won’t be thest fight you’re going to face, so better be ready. Besides, no one would willingly pick a


    fight with someone who they know would kick their ass. I’m not saying you can’t already, but when you


    learn how to do it effectively, you would be able to gain power over those who wish to attack


    you.


    it will do you good to have self-confidence as well. Learn to fight after you get released,” he smiles


    mysteriously, “you won’t regret it.”


    I think