DELENE

SEVENTEEN

Delena knew she had better stay calm. Delena felt like she had experienced something similar before, but she didn't really remember what happened. "Stop pretending" said Jovita. The jeep he was driving was still walking at an average speed, but the woman's gaze pierced straight into Delena's net.

Gosh, the dream of falling from the top of a cliff can't be this bad. Delena.

"You're the worst person I've ever known, Delena. How dare you live so easily while I suffer!"

"What does it mean it-"

"I'm sorry, but we're gonna die again."

TIIINNN!!!

The two-meter-high tour bus rotated almost one hundred and eighty degrees in front of them. The sound of horns, screeching brakes, screams and swearing of the riders filled the air on the streets that afternoon.

The children from the bus went outside. They pushed each other until they made their own commotion amid the panic. Motorists and drivers around them also went outside checking things out. Delena thought they would swarm Jovita's jeep in an instant, cursing at the crazy woman and such. Delena stared at the object of the serious accident a few meters near the jeep.

People swarmed him, and Delena was not sure she could take a closer look. Because Delena didn't want to make sure that in front of her it was really Joshua. Being in the same car that the man used to use.

Not far from Joshua's smoke-producing car, lies a blood-soaked biker man on an asphalt road without a headguard. The man did not move at all, and people stared at him in horror.

The ambulance arrived shortly afterwards. Then what Delena was worried about really happened. Joshua lay unconscious on a stretcher carried by two officers. Fresh blood flowed on two sides of his handsome face.

It all happened so quickly, and Delena forgot something important. Jovita's missing.

***

Delena was so aghast when suddenly a middle-aged man touched her shoulder and sat down next to her. The man was none other than the father of the man who was struggling in the room in front of him. Joshua lost so much blood that he had to enter the emergency room. And Delena was the only person who just sat nailing outdoors until Arfa came along.

"Sorry, Delena." Arfa looked devastated even though he did not show clearly. Delena could not find her voice and her tears spilled back. He hugged Arfa tightly, shedding the fear and pain he had endured. Delena has promised herself not to look weak, especially in the presence of Joshua and the man's family.

"Shua's a strong boy. Sorry son for making you cry again." Arfa patted the girl's back gently.

The two then fell silent, until a woman whom Delena thought was the doctor who handled Joshua came out of the room. He looked exhausted but there was satisfaction from his eyes. The woman approached Delena and Arfa with a smile. "The patient is past his critical period, he will be fine."

Arfa and Delena greeted the woman alternately while saying thank you. Both of them looked relieved even though there were still tears on each other's faces.

"Om told you he's a strong boy."

***

Delena forgot her phone and many other things when she decided to wait for Joshua in her room. It was almost night time when he woke up from his sleep due to hunger. And she woke up completely when she saw her sister, Selena standing on the other side of the bed staring at her fiance. "Sister," Delena said in a hoarse voice. He hasn't even found drinking water since the accident.

Selena turned her head, she looked at her sister.pity?

"You awake?" ask the woman softly. Delena did not answer.

"I heard everything. You're not papa?"

"No... Why is my sister apologizing?"

"We shouldn't have put you in danger. That woman, sister doesn't know she's free. And he almost fucked you again."

"Jovita? Brother knows him?" Selena nodded. He looked at Joshua who was still asleep and led his sister to sit together on the sofa.

"Jovita your best friend in college."

"What?" Delena could not help but be surprised by that statement. He had never even met Jovita before today. And where is there anyone who madly intends to harm to kill his own friend? Then the woman's last sentence inside the jeep hit her head hard.

"You're the worst person I've ever known, Delena."

"Delena, you don't papa?" Selena was surprised to find her sister suddenly looking down while holding her head.

"I'm not papa, brother. Please continue."

Selena still looks worried, but she continues her story.

"Your relationship gets bad when Jovita finds out your relationship with Joshua. Later, after she was arrested a year ago and conducted an examination, we know that the woman had a psychiatric disorder. She was sexually abused from elementary school to high school by her own uncle. The boy's tragic story ends when his uncle is arrested for drug smuggling."

Delena felt sorry for Jovita and a little understood her bad deeds. But Delena was still curious, how could she forget that woman when she was even once her best friend?

"Joshua tells her that he once happened to meet her once and saved Jovita from his uncle's pursuit. So we all think that Jovita hates you because of your relationship. She likes Joshua."

"Enough!" another voice interrupted between them. Selena and Delena turned and found Joshua sitting firmly on top of his ward. The bandages wrapped around the man's head and his face looked pale. Even so, the baritone sound was loud enough that Delena thought Joshua was not sick.

"Why?" "Sister Shua doesn't papa?" Selena and Delena asked together.

Joshua stared intently at Selena while the one who was stared at rolled his eyeballs slouching. "You now know that there's a crazy woman out there who's intent on harming you. Your safety is more important until we find out he's been re-arrested."

Joshua must have recovered completely. After all Delena knew, the man's head was a stone that was not easily injured in a single impact.

And Delena can guess the continuation of Selena's story without them even telling her. The dream image above the cliff seemed more real now, it was part of his memory that was lost.

To Delena's dismay, Joshua has proven never to intend to betray her, the man even protects her to the end despite knowing Delena only remembers her as a bad man. So how's Delena going?

"Dell.."

"Delena?"

His vision became blurry, just a few moments before everything became dark and void. Delena did not remember what happened after that because she no longer heard and felt anything.

Tbc