CHAPTER 29

"Is he no longer content with his life?" Iris spoke to me in hushed tones as she looked at Seven. Seven was currently reading a book, but it was not a fairytale or a fictional book. As he had been previously, he was silent.

"I'm not sure. We are not that close, to be sure. When I awoke from a coma, it was the first time we spoke." It had been hours since Seven arrived, and he hadn't returned home yet. I believed he was thinking deeply because his forehead was furrowed while reading a book.

"How old is he?"

"I'm not sure. He was already old by the time I was eight years old. You know Iris, he used to be my crush since he's so handsome. I'm simply in denial because I despise him for being my crush. I consider myself to be a fairly conservative woman, but I have feelings for someone? Not gonna happen." I cast another glimpse at Seven in the living room. We were currently enjoying supper; we had asked him several times but he made no plans to join us. I truly liked him when I was younger, but I won't consider him as my first love. I was unaware of love back then.

"True, he's handsome, but he's also rather reserved. Can't he talk? When you asked if you could stay at Pierre's condo without him, his final words were 'I don't care.' That's it, he didn't speak again." I gave a gentle laugh. That was the final thing he said before he went silent; he said that he was unconcerned. He wouldn't intrude in my private life.

"Ah, I'm stuffed." I rose and went to the sink. Iris wasn't finished yet, and as a result, she was left alone at the table. She was using her phone while eating, that's why. She didn't care whether I stay with her the entire time she was eating or not.

"Sev," I called. He looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"Don't you want to eat? It's now 8:00pm, dinner time." I crossed my arms across my chest and shifted my gaze to the wall clock. Since this noon, he had ate nothing but Iris's meal. He skipped snacking and was now skipping supper as well.

"I'm waiting for you to finish before I leave." He handed me a piece of paper from his pocket. Even though I had no idea what it was, I accepted it. I opened it and read what was written.

Geez, I couldn't read these.

I was certain they were medicines, as they were far too hard to read. Seven's handwriting was not unattractive; in fact, the letters were more readable than my hand writing, but the words were so lengthy. The only readable words were three times a day, four hours apart, or two times a day, or whatever.

"What is this for?"

"That's your medication guide; you must follow it, all right? Don't worry; all of your medications are capsules; they taste fine." He put down the book he was holding and stood up.

"What if I forget to drink one of these?"

"You won't, I'll make sure of that. Alright, I'm going home. I saved my number in your contacts; just call me if you need anything and I'll be here immediately." For the first time since I knew him, I saw him smile. He tousled my hair slightly and stroked my shoulder as he passed me.

"Sev..." I called. He came to a halt and lifted one eyebrow at me.

"How's mom doing?"

"She's alright. Still looking for you though." He turned away from me and walked out of the house. It was comforting to know that my mother was coping well without me; I hoped she adjusted to life without me when the time came for me to say goodbye.

I entered my room with a violent groan. I was drowsy, but I still had to tidy up. Iris and I attempted baking something earlier, and as a result, I was somewhat sticky.

I put down the paper on the side table and entered the washroom. I stripped down to my underwear and entered the bath tub. I waited for it to full before shutting off the faucet.

What's gonna happen now? Since Seven and I met, I'd never lost sight of how quickly time passed. It had been about two months since I arrived here, and each day flew by without my awareness. It was depressing to consider that my time was nearing.

For a few moments, I was spacing out in the bath tub. Despite that it was cold, I didn't use hot water; my mind was preoccupied with something else, and I didn't have time to feel cold.

I collapsed on the bed after completing my routine. I didn't get to speak with Pierre today because I hadn't use my cellphone since this morning. I had no intention of contacting him today; I knew that he was swamped with our projects, and I'm afraid I'd be a nuisance.

#

"Iris, could you please pass me my sunscreen?" We're both late; we awoke late, so we're both pressed for time.

To be sure, we were not late for class; yet, we were late for practice. If Seven hadn't arrived, we could still be sleeping.

"Do I look okay?" Iris asked. I examined her from head to toe. She appeared to be flawless.

"You look pretty. Let's go?" I slung my backpack over my shoulder and took her hand in mine.

Before we went inside the car, I cast a brief glimpse behind us. It was Seven's car, it was also a lambo, but in black.

Iris flew the car to EastWood. Even if she was the cheering team's captain, the coach would still scold her. She could be removed from the position because of her bad records.

"You should wake up early next time; you may die not from your disease, but from a car accident," Seven muttered as we got out from the car. I giggled quietly; I was sure he was concerned as well about Iris's speed. I was initially like that; I almost twitched Iris out of fear; I had a feeling my death would occur sooner because of her driving.

"We'll practice first before heading to Dean, as we're running late." Iris and I proceeded to the gym. Members had already arrived and began stretching. They were even shocked when they saw us enter, particularly the girls when they saw Seven.

"Keep up the good work, everyone! We are not celebrities!" Iris exclaimed. We left our bags where Seven was sitting and went into the changing room.

"Double time, Jenkins." Iris' demeanor shifted abruptly; she was now the rigorous, serious, and more seductive team captain. She was not my buddy in this mood, and I knew I would be scolded if I didn't obey her.

After getting dressed, I dashed to the formation. Iris was holding her whistle, and anytime something went wrong with us, she would blow it.

"How's your body, Jenkins? Are you still acting strong?" Nellie teased.

I was sure she was referring to what happened last last week. I forgot that already; why couldn't she? Pity. She was positioned behind me as part of our formation. Perhaps she used this opportunity to annoy me.

"No, I'm still sore," I replied with a small giggle. She laughed as a response.

"Is your fall painful—"

"Pierre fucked me last Saturday; it was so intense that I'm still store right now." A slight smile formed on my lips as she didn't speak once more.

There, there, Nellie. I knew exactly how to make you shut the hell up. Your insecure ass no longer works on me.

"Third formation!" We shifted positions one by one. If Nellie was just behind me previously, she was now quite a distance away.

"The President is here; regain your composure," the girl next to me murmured. When I turned to the entryway, I saw that they were right; Pierre was indeed here.

With Alyssa?

Alyssa was giggling uncontrollably, like if Pierre had told her the most hilarious joke she had ever heard.

Was there something funny?

Pierre took a critical look around. When his glance fell on the bench where Seven was seated, his demeanor shifted dramatically. He grimaced from head to toe at Sev before turning his gaze to me.

I was ready to wave at him when he gave me a sneering look. What? What's his problem? He diverted his sight and walked over to the nearest bench. Alyssa leaned next to him, who retained her large smile until now.

They appeared to be having a good time, huh?

"Focus Jenkins!" I rolled my eyes and returned my gaze infront. What's his problem? What did I do and he was giving me that attitude? I was aware that he was always rude, but duh? We were fine before I left his condo. I even placed a letter for him beneath his phone!

My sweat began to stream until we took a drink break. Even Iris, who didn't dance much since she was too preoccupied with monitoring us, was drenched in sweat. The gym was not air-conditioned. It was not hot here because the windows were large and the yard was densely forested, but the sun wasn't cooperating, and a warm breeze was in the air.

I walked slowly up to the bench where Seven was resting, exhausted. Iris, who sat next to me, felt the same way. It was the first time I'd seen Seven without his lab coat; he was wearing a gray shirt with the word "oversized" printed on it, which I found very amusing. He was dressed casually in black jeans and sneakers. His shirt was tucked into the waistband of his jeans.

He didn't look like a doctor, he just appeared to be a typical college student.

"What are you feeling? Do you have any body pains?" Seven asked and offered my tumbler. I took and drank it as soon as he handed it to me.

"I'm completely exhausted. There are no physical pains, only fatigue. It's quite hot in here." I returned the tumbler to him and fanned myself with my hand to cool myself down.

"I'll ask our dean to bring in more fans because it's been quite hot in here lately. I'm on the verge of passing out at any moment," Iris complained. She and Seven were sitting next to each other on a bench, but there was a significant distance between them. It seemed as if they were disgusted with each other and didn't want to be in close to each other.

"You really should. You didn't do anything other than look at your members, yet you're dripping with sweat," Seven remarked while staring at Iris from head to toe.

"Are you trying to tell me that I'm not making any contribution?" While looking at Seven, Iris' eyes formed into a narrow line, as if they were about to engage in combat at any minute.

"I didn't say anything like that."

I couldn't help but shake my head in disbelief. Seriously, they were acting like a child. They didn't talk yesterday, but based on the way they were acting today, it appeared that they had a history of fighting.

"Let's go, Iris." I combed my hair back and wiped away the sweat from my brows. I looked at Pierre, who had no reaction while he was gazing at me.

The moment Iris drew me back into the middle, I averted my gaze. The music started up again, and now was the point at which we would start doing tumblings.

"Jordan, could you kindly keep an eye on us for a moment?" Jordan took over for Iris in order to keep track of our movements because Iris was required to be in the formation.

Nellie got things started with a walkover, and then we came along. Three of us, including me, performed a few of flashkicks before stepping to the side. Iris and her team were about to do a dangerous stunt, and Iris would be the main character.

I got a little nervous when they threw Iris. I nearly screamed when Iris performed a basket toss followed by a pike jump. Even the other members were cursing beside because of the nervousness.

She was quite skilled at this. She was not going to be our ace and captain without a reason.

"WHOOOOOO!" the people next to me exclaimed when the stunt was successfully done; there had been no error. Iris didn't even smile when she walked toward me; she was panting and frowning.

"What's up with that face?" I tucked the stray hair behind her ear. She maintained her expression, as if heaven and earth had collided in her face.

"I almost slipped." She scratched her head, as if that were her primary concern.

"Psh, you did an excellent job. Do you want water? I'll go get you some. What you did is clearly exhausting." I didn't wait for her response and left her there.

I was running back to the bench when a peculiar sensation began to radiate from my waist. I came to a halt for a minute, waiting for it to vanish, but the longer I remained there, the worse it became.

"Ah..." I grumbled. The searing pain was coursing through my stomach. I collapsed to the floor, unable to bear it any longer.

I fought to open my eyes when I heard a voice from afar. I could plainly hear all the conversations from a distance, but I was having difficulty seeing them.

"Aurie, what's going on?" Seven asked. I saw Iris terrified on his side, while Pierre was trying to approach me but unable to do so because Seven was already ahead.

"My stomach...burning and it aches," I sobbed as I pressed my hand to my tummy. I was sure I didn't eat anything unhealthy earlier. If I did, Iris' stomach would hurt as well, as we had eaten the same food earlier.

"Can you walk?" Seven aided and assisted me in transferring to the nearest bench. I could hear the other members talking, suggesting that it might be due to the heat. I have my doubts. I was sure it was because of my illness.

"Bring the fan here," Iris ordered. Even though she gave that command to Nellie, it was Pierre who did it. Pierre was looking at me intently, as if I was some kind of puzzle. He was probably wondering what was happening to me.

"All right, I'll go get something in my car to make you feel better, alright?" Seven stepped away from me. I hoped he moved quickly; I was already in tears from the ache in my tummy.

"Step away," Pierre instructed. Iris could do nothing but obliged.

"Where does it hurt?" he asked. I indicated an area of my abdomen that was really sore. He removed the clothing that was blocking it. He softly rubbed it with his hand.

"It won't take the pain, but it will lessen it; we should be patient and wait for that guy to return, hm? Hold on for a while, baby."