Upon arriving back at the hotel, the quiet tension that had simmered on their way back finally boiled over into a collective scolding.
The room felt suddenly crowded, packed to the gills with Zade's friends shifting restlessly on the floor, their voices a chaotic blend of adrenaline and frustration.
Rai sat on the edge of his mattress, completely detached from the noise. He couldn't care less about the lecture echoing off the walls, nor did the sharp reprimands from the others manage to penetrate the thick fog settling over his mind.
His entire universe had shrunk to the sight of Zade's right hand resting on a plastic chair. He watched Shawn meticulously dab a cotton ball soaked in dark brown Betadine onto Zade's bloodied knuckles.
Each precise press of the cotton left a stark, medicinal stain over the raw skin and Rai kept staring at them.
