Chapter 7 Loss

• “What are those?” Andrew asked as he sat down on the chair, staring at Karl with a pile of notebooks and intermediate papers placed on the table in front of him.
• “Ahh, these… These are the vice-captain’s notes when he was 3rd year. He lent these to me.” Karl answered.
• “Hmm, that’s so nice of him.”
• Karl smiled as he read on Sam’s notes. Karl is in the same course as Sam, so it is also the reason why he’s closed with him. Unlike their other teammates, Sam is that one varsity student who not only has talent in sports but has an intelligent mind as well. That’s why as much as possible, Sam wanted to help his teammates, not just in volleyball but also in academics.
• As Karl read through Sam's notes, he noticed Andrew became quiet. He looked at him and saw that Andrew’s eyes were deeply gazing at what he was doing.
• “What’s wrong?” Karl asked as he held Andrew’s hand resting on the table.
• “Nothing… I’m just… Worried.” Andrew muttered quietly.
• “Is it about Allen?” Karl asked with a worried expression.
• Andrew nodded in response, “I don’t know… It’s just that, he’s being silent. It’s making me more anxious. W-What if…” he stuttered, “What if he’s just taking his time to plan on doing something to us?” he added, darting his eyes at Karl.
• Karl then gripped his hand tightly. “But… But what if he’s not? I mean, maybe he’s changed that’s why they released him.”
• Honestly, Karl still couldn’t believe they released Allen. He’s afraid as well for Andrew’s safety but, he wanted to believe that nothing bad will happen to them. And that Allen won’t bother them.
• “Do you really think someone like him would change?” Andrew asked in a tone of frustration. He didn’t want to believe it.
• Karl knew how frustrated Andrew was. Despite him trying to give Allen a benefit of the doubt, he didn’t know him personally. He’s not the one to talk lightly about him and he’s not in the position to tell otherwise.
• “I know… I’m sorry.” Karl muttered, gently rubbing his hand on Andrew’s “Please calm down a little, hmm?”
• Andrew sighed heavily. He then pulled his chair backward. “I’ll make you some juice,” he then stood up from where he was seated.
• Karl just let him go. He stared at him as he finally loses his sight of him.
• He then slacks his back on the chair as he stared down at the pile of notebooks on the table. I shouldn’t have said that. He said to himself as he sighed. After a few moments, he went back to reading Sam’s notes. Andrew went back at the same time with a glass of juice in his hand.
• “Here have some,” Andrew offered as he placed the glass on the table. Karl looked at him and immediately caught Andrew's eye. “I’m fine. I’ll go to bed first,” he assured as he leaned over on Karl and hugged him. He then planted a soft kiss on Karl’s forehead.
• “Should I go to bed with you?” Karl asked as he looked up at Andrew.
• “No, It’s okay. That’s more important,” Andrew responded as he let go of his arms from Karl. He then walked over and left Karl in his seat.
• Karl stared at him until he finally loses his sight of him again.
• *****
• "Hmm" Karl slowly opened his eyes as he straightened his body. He was still sitting on the chair. He then rubbed his right eye while looking at the surrounding. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he squinted at Sam's open notebooks that were still placed on the table.
• He didn't realize that he had slept in his seat last night and he didn't even know how long he had slept there. He tried to stand up, even though he was still very sleepy. Maybe I was too tired from yesterday’s practice, he thought. He had never felt so drowsy before. He then walked towards their room onto the bed. He didn't even turn on the light so that Andrew wouldn't wake up. He immediately sat on the bed and threw his hand in the air as he tried to look for Andrew. But then he realized Andrew was not even there.
• "Andrew?" he called as he looked around the room, but no one responded.
• He stared at the wall clock and saw "4:37 am" in it.
• Maybe he went to the comfort room.
• He stood up and went to the comfort room to check if Andrew was there, but there’s no sign of him either. He then went back to the living room where he was earlier, thinking that Andrew might be there and he just didn’t notice it. But again, he was not there. He was about to check his phone when he heard a beeping sound from their entrance door. From there he saw Andrew, he was holding a plastic bag.
• "Where have you been? I was looking for you," Karl asked worriedly.
• "Sorry, I couldn’t sleep," Andrew responded then he raised his hand holding a plastic bag, "I bought some drinks in the convenience store."
• "You should have woken me up so I could come with you."
• Andrew then plastered a smile, "How can I disturb you when you’re sleeping? You look so tired."
• Karl sighed heavily. "What did you buy?" he asked.
• "Hmm, soda, and I bought some chicken. I suddenly felt hungry."
• "Alright, I’ll eat with you."
• "No, It’s okay. You can go back to sleep. I’ll just wake you up at five-thirty." Andrew retorted.
• Karl nodded. He wanted to be with Andrew, but he felt really sleepy for some reason. He immediately went back to the bedroom and left Andrew in the kitchen.
• *****
• It was already seven in the morning. Andrew and Karl were already walking towards the University gate when they noticed a lot of students and some police officers at the entrance gate.
• "What’s with the crowd?" Karl asked curiously.
• They were about to get close to the swarming students when Nelson emerged from them and ran towards the two of them.
• "Nelson, what happened? What’s with the commotion?" Andrew asked.
• Nelson was just staring at Andrew with a frightened look. His face was pale and his body was a bit trembling.
• "S---" his voice trailed off and tears started falling from his eyes.
• "Hey! What happened?" Andrew asked apprehensively. He held Nelson’s shoulders and shook it. “What’s wrong?”
• But Nelson didn't stop from sobbing as he wiped his eyes repeatedly with his arm.
• "Andrew, Karl."
• The two turned their attention to a very tall man with short blond hair, pale skin, thin eyebrows, and golden-brown eyes. He has an incredibly slim build for a volleyball player. He is the tallest member of their team. He has a serious face as usual, but this time, his eyes are swollen.
• "Let’s go,” the man who approached them ordered quietly.
• "W-Where are we going, Kaye?" Andrew asked confusedly at the man, but Kaye did not answer. He stared back at Nelson, but the latter just lowered his head while still holding back its tears.
• Andrew and Karl just followed Nelson and Kaye. Kaye called a cab and the four of them went in it. There was silence in the cab and they still didn't explain to the two what was happening.
• Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at a hospital. When the four of them got out of the cab, their other teammates were already waiting for them except for Sam, Dale, and Herbert.
• "What are we doing here?" Andrew asked, “Is someone injured?”
• But they didn’t answer as well. Martin was about to speak, but he couldn’t find the right words. His throat felt dry and at the same time, he just didn’t want to say something he didn’t want to believe. He just turned his back to them.
• Karl suddenly felt anxious. He’s having some gut feeling just by looking at his teammates’ expressions, but he tried to put it aside and thought to himself that he was wrong.
• "Come with us," Angelo uttered.
• They finally entered the hospital. Karl felt his footsteps getting heavy with every step they took. He stared at Andrew, who was walking in front of him. He could not see his face. He’s worried that Andrew might have the same gut feeling as he was and would panic anytime soon. They stopped in front of an elevator that was not spacious enough for them to get in all at once. Andrew, Karl, Kaye, and Nelson took the second one while their other teammates went ahead of them on the 12th floor.
• When the four arrived on the 12th floor, Dale and Herbert met them.
• "Captain! What happened? Is someone hurt?” Karl asked anxiously.
• He didn’t want anyone to get hurt, but that was what he kept on hoping to hear instead of something else. He stared at their captain’s expression but the latter avoided his gaze.
• “Follow me,” Dale muttered as he turned his back away from them.
• Andrew and Karl exchanged glances, then decided to just follow their captain. It led them across a room. They heard a weeping sound coming from it. And when Dale opened the door, they saw a woman crying in front of a body covered with a white blanket.
• "C-Captain… W-Why are we-"
• But Karl’s face went pale when the woman accidentally pulled the blanket that was covering the face of the person lying on the bed and from there, he saw the man’s face.
• "V-Vice-captain..." Karl muttered in disbelief.
• His eyesight immediately darkened when he saw the lifeless body of Sam on the hospital bed. He couldn’t even walk towards it and checked. All the strength he has on his feet moved him back from it. He took a step away from the bed. And before his legs could give up, he grabbed all his strength to run away.
• “Karl!” his teammates called, but he avoided them.
• He immediately went out of the room and ran off to the nearest comfort room he could find. As soon as he got there, his legs gave him up. He fell on his knees as he tried to hold on to the sink. He suddenly felt cold. He couldn’t believe what he just saw. He didn’t want to even process it in his mind. It was just yesterday when he and Sam went to the library. He helped him out. Sam gave him his old notes. Sam was there during their practice, giving his best and encouraging them like he always did. And now...
• He didn’t want to believe it.
• He tried to stand up, grasping the sink with his hand to support him. As soon as he finally got himself to stand up, he opened the faucet on the sink and started washing his face repeatedly. Maybe the cold water might wake him up into reality? He thought that maybe this was all a dream until he heard a phone text notification.
• He shakenly reached for it. It was the same number he thought was spam before. He opened it and as soon as he read the contents of it, blood suddenly came rushing down his face.
• I warned you.
• "Allen..." Karl murmured with contempt under his breath. His anger threw his fist in the air towards the mirror in front of him, jabbing it hard. The glass shattered; its shards falling on the sink as his blood trickled down from his fist. But he couldn’t care less. It was not important compared to the lifeless body of their vice-captain, now lying on a cold hospital bed.