Seraphina almost jumped out of the car, rushing into the hospital. The reporters made to follow her but the security personnel hired by Roger quickly stopped them from going any further.
"Baby" She rushed to Jack, still laying unconscious on the bed.
"Jeez, I should have believed you when you said something was wrong" She faced Roger with teary eyes.
"It's fine" He responded, gently patting her back.
"I shouldn't have let him leave school. I should have boarded a taxi and go after him" She wept.
"Jack was at school today?" Roger questioned.
She nodded in response, slowly sitting beside Jack.
"Yeah, he even attended the first lecture" She added.
"Why did he leave? You two got into an argument again?" He questioned, already fed up of the constant quarrels.
"We didn't have an argument. I said something to a friend and he got furious about it, that's all" She explained.
"You spoke to Dylan?"
"No, I didn't. I said something to Nerdy boy" She answered.
"Stop wasting my time, Sera. Who did you say something hurtful to that made my friend end up in this condition?" He almost snapped at her.
"I don't know, okay? I don't know his name" She muttered slowly at the realization.
"Interesting" He scoffed.
"But, I can describe him-
"Just shut it, okay? What am I supposed to do with the description? Are you that dumb? The only friend we both know is Dylan and we recently haven't been on speaking terms so, don't bother giving me any dumb description, got it?!" His eyes burned red in fury.
"Don't yell at me, okay?! You're not the only one who loves Jack. I'm his fiancee, got it?!" She bolted up.
"Sounds rich coming from someone who barely knows her supposed fiance" He taunted and then hissed.
"Are you trying to blame me for his unnecessary anger?" She folded her arms.
"Just wait til he regains consciousness and he tells me who exactly got him pissed. I won't spare that person, I promise, even if it's Seraphina West" He spoke, moving closer to her.
"Now, use the door" He said.
"I'm not leaving" She refused.
"Seraphina leave" He opened the door.
"W-wait?" She stuttered in disbelief.
"I'll have to drag you out at this point" He said, already proceeding towards her.
"Shush" She hushed as her phone rang. It's from a brand she has been emailing recently for ambassadorship.
"Good day, Glow cosmetics" She said nervously.
"Good day, Miss West" A masculine voice said from the other side.
"We've read your emails and would also like to work with you"
She almost screamed out.
"We've gone through your socials and given how trendy you and your partner have become in the space of few hours, working with you guys will be beneficial for you and him. But there's a condition though" He said.
"W-What condition?" She asked in confusion.
"Hit 600k subscribers on YouTube and 1 million followers on Instagram"
"Huh?!" She gasped in shock.
"You have from now til the end of your documentary. Do have a good day, Miss West"
The call got disconnected before she could utter another word.
"What documentary is he talking about? When did you start filming with Jack?" Roger questioned.
"I need to find nerdy boy" She immediately dashed out of the ward.
"Who is this nerdy boy?" He muttered, already searching up her channel on YouTube.
The recap of her live with Dominic has over 15 million views already. The comment section is buzzing, girls are drilling over him, commenting on how innocent he looks, blah blah blah. Some loved the way Seraphina stood up for him.
That was when it clicked; Nerdy boy is Dominic!
"It can't be" He chuckled in disbelief.
"You're definitely not in this condition because of him, right?" He faced Jack.
A cop knocked on the door before going in.
"Good day, Mr Roger" He greeted.
"What is it? Are you here to arrest him while unconscious?" Roger snapped angrily.
"Of course not. I came to give you these. There were found in his car" He handed over the shopping bag to Roger, and then exited the ward.
"When did Jack start liking purple shopping bags?" He chuckled in surprise but the smile vanished into thin air when he saw the things in the bag.
A new phone and a purple glass case.
"Wait a minute, it can't be" He laughed.
"They better be sunglasses" He turned serious when he saw that there were medicated ones.
"Okay okay okay, I get it now" He said in disbelief.
"One more confirmation" He turned on his phone, to call his informant.
*
The address of the bar where Dominic works at got leaked and now there's a crowd in front of the bar. The boss managed to lock it before they could rush in.
"Dominic has finally landed me in trouble. Only the Lord knows what he did to them. They just keep banging the door!" The boss flinched in fear.
"He didn't do anything, boss. Dominic is now a celebrity" The other bartender chuckled, already showing their boss the video on YouTube.
"What?" His eyes and mouth widened in shock.
*
BACK AT DOMINIC'S PLACE*
Dominic was having a shower when the news of Jack's accident was casted on TV. Dylan quickly switched it off. Dominic's phone is broken so there's nothing to be worried about.
"Why is the television off?" Dominic questioned, already taking the remote from him.
Dylan snatched it back.
"What's wrong?" He faced him.
"Y-You don't want what happened last night repeat itself, do you?" Dylan stuttered.
The memory flashed in his head, making him turn red.
"Do you want it to repeat itself?" Dylan mentioned again.
"I forgot something in the bathroom" He looked away.
He turned to enter the bedroom when the door swung open.
It's Seraphina with her selfie stick in hand.
"Just act normal, I'll explain later" She said quickly, focusing on Dominic, not even noticing Dylan's presence.
"Hey guys, I missed my friend a little bit too much and decided to come visit. Yeah, you could say I'm attached to him but not as much as I am to baby boo" She flaunted the promise ring.
"Nerdy boy is here guys" She shifted the camera to him.
He just stared blankly at the camera.
"Jeez, not again" She stopped filming.
"Why are you here?" He questioned.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you with my words, I promise it won't happen again" She apologized sincerely.
"When did you return, Seraphina? And since when did you know each other?" Dylan questioned.
"Oh my baby, I didn't see you, I promise" She beamed happily.
"Have you gone to visit Jack at the-
"Are you here to bully Dom like Jack did back then?" He interrupted her.
"Bully? Did Jack bully you?" She faced Dominic.
He didn't respond.
"Did he take the video of Dylan and you down from the school platform to make up for his past mistakes? Has he apologized to you?" She questioned.
Dominic's eyes widened in shock.
Jack brought down the video?
"I guess that was why he followed you here when I told him that I made a comment on your phone"
"I didn't see him" Dominic responded slowly.
"What? But he had an accident on his way back" She said.
"Accident?" His eyes widened.
"Yeah, you didn't know? - You don't look surprised, Dylan" She faced him.
"Are you sure you didn't see Jack, Dylan? He was here, wasn't he?" She questioned.
Seraphina smirked, turning on the TV. The news of his accident is still being broadcasted on TV. Fortunately for Dominic, they disclosed the name of the hospital.
He dashed out of the house immediately.
He already got to the bus stop when he realized that he didn't take any cash or even his ATM card with him. It didn't even click that he was supposed to take his bike.
He started running.
"Why did you hide Jack's accident from him? You obviously didn't tell him about the video too neither about Jack's visit today"
Dylan fell silent.
" Eyes on you, Dylan" She smirked and left.
*
Dominic finally got to the hospital, drenched in sweat, his heart beating so fast like it's about to burst out of his chest.
The reporters aren't outside anymore.
He just entered the hospital, and headed to the reception.
"Good day ma'am" He greeted.
"Good day" One of the nurses replied.
"I'm here to see Jack Carter. He was rushed here earlier today"
"And you are?" The nurse asked calmly.
"Dom-Dylan, a friend. We are best friends"
"Oh Mr Dylan, I called earlier today but you ended the call immediately you heard about the accident. I waited few minutes expecting that you'd call back but you didn't so, I had to call the second person on his emergency contact" She explained.
"You called?-So sorry about that, I'm here now" He comported himself.
"Okay, no problem. He's in the VIP wing, second floor, number 34" She smiled.
"Thank you very much" He said, walking out of sight already.
The elevator opened when he got to the first floor, and right in front of him was Roger with a food bag in hand.
He ordered food online and asked the dispatch rider to come deliver it on the first floor, in order to protect Jack's security.
Roger pulled him out of the elevator, boiling in anger.
"You've come to accomplish your mission, right?" He almost punched Dominic's face but then stopped himself.
"You're happy now, right? Jack is in coma all because of you. It's all your fault. You have bad luck, that's why you got abandoned by your mom. A mother's instinct is always right" He said.
"Roger!" His eyes flooded with tears immediately.
"Stay away from Jack. I won't be this nice the next time" He warned sternly, and with that he left in the elevator.
Dominic leaned his back on the wall, slowly falling to the ground.
Tears dropped uncontrollably from his eyes.
"I didn't even know he visited and yet, I get blamed for his accident" He cried bitterly, burying his face in his knees.
Back at Jack's ward, Memories of Jack bullying Dominic replayed in Jack's head from Grade 7 to Grade 12. How he made fun of him in class, made him cry in front of their classmates. How he always taunted him for being a scholarship student. He'd at times make Dominic lose his balance at the canteen and his face would land in their tray of food.
A particular scene made tears drop from the corner of his eyes.
A YEAR AGO, CHICAGO, HIGH SCHOOL*
Dominic frightened in fear as Jack and his friends (Roger and Dylan) marched towards him.
Students gathered in the hallway waiting for the usual show.
"On your knees" He ordered.
"Phones down" Dylan glared at the students.
They quickly did as instructed.
"I hate repeating myself" He said angrily, and made Dominic fall to the ground.
He burst out in tears.
"Save the tears for your poor grandma not me. Clean my shoe with your uniform, be fast about it. I dislike dirt" Jack smirked.
"Jeez, you're so hard to tolerate" He hissed in annoyance, and placed his right foot on Dominic's back, making him cry out in pain.
Dylan looked away, not being able to stand the sight.
"This is what you'd get anytime your Romeo (Dylan) disobeys my order, okay?" He kicked his ribcage.
"Ouch" Dominic cried out in pain.
"Get to work" He kept kicking him until he passed out.
"He's so annoying" Jack smirked at Dylan, and the electric bell rang immediately. It's closing hour.
"Head home, everyone. Now!" The students quickly rushed out of the hallway.
"Both of you follow me" He ordered, and the guys did as instructed.
"Are you okay?" A teacher rushed over to Dominic.
He weakly separated his eyelids. He pretended to pass out so Jack will let him go.
"Yeah" He said calmly, sobbing quietly on the floor.
*
BACK TO THE PRESENT*
"He keeps bringing out tears, Doctor" Roger said worriedly.
"It's a good thing" The doctor smiled.
"What?"
"It shows that he's still a bit conscious and is aware of his surroundings. He can also hear us. Please, stay close to him in case he calls out anyone's name, then I'd advise you let the person be around him most of the time. That'd speed up his recovery" He advised.
"Noted" Roger replied.
"A nurse will come check up on him later" He said, and with that he exited the ward.
"Who could it be?" Roger muttered to himself.