Wise Men

Chapter 12

 I knew her not more than a week. Kissed her once and said not more than a thousand words to her over the course of that time. But there was a sudden shock, like a bolt of lightening that pained me, tore at me; a pain because I knew I had caused someone's death.

Above all of that, my ankle ached—not so much that I didn't want to walk, but enough that I would cringe when I had to leave for the bathroom.

Utterly despondent and sure the world was out to destroy whatever was left of my shattered psyche, I bought myself a six pack. The convenience store clerk didn't even ask for my ID, but I suppose it isn't often that someone is so downcast at such a young age. The stubble growing on my chin and my blood shot eyes just finished the disguise.

“Drinking yourself into a stupor?” Revelin asked upon my entering the dorm. I tossed him a weak glare, but didn't take a bottle quite yet. Instead, I flipped him off and sat on my bunk. He chuckled briefly when his cell phone rang. He didn't give me a second thought as he tapped the screen and put it to his ear.

As soon as the other end spoke, I saw his eyes narrow and his nostrils flare.

“Speaking.” The frown on his face grew.

“I'm not going anywhere,” he said into the phone.

“I most certainly will not be getting into any car you send.” His hands clenched at his side until there was no blood in his knuckles.

“Just tell me--” The other line cut him short. His face paled. He set his jaw and within a moment he hung up the phone and tossed it away. He stormed out the door leaving me just as bewildered as I had been.

I still hadn't opened a bottle when Vi stepped into the dorm. She looked from me to the alcohol at my feet and scrunched her nose.

“It's cheaper than a psychiatrist.” I shrugged and took one of the bottles.

She sighed but didn't push. Frowning, she asked where Revelin had gone since she saw him hurrying down the hall.

“I have no idea.” I pulled the cap off of the bottle and took a drink. “He looked upset.” At that moment, I didn't really give a damn unless Revelin had the compassion to lend me a magic cure from his drawer of narcotics. The burn of beer down my throat didn't do much for me, even on an empty stomach.

I'll admit, it took me a very long time to fully appreciate the love Vi had for Revelin, and until I did, what she did next would always surprise me. She picked up the six pack and left the room with speed I couldn't match. I followed after her, despite the pain in my ankle, more worried that my pursuit for drunken oblivion would be shattered.

She left the student's quarters and stopped for a moment, silhouetted by the sunset. Her hair not a match for the red and orange which painted the sky. In thought, she looked up at the sky, unaware of me just behind her. She shook her head slightly and guessed at where he would be. I had told her where Revelin often went, the broken down bridge downtown, but he hadn't the time to get there. By her logic, he had to be somewhere close.

There was a hill, she had told him, where you can see the entire city. That's where she went, a small, secluded hill covered in trees with low hanging branches and lush green leaves, reflecting the moon in every dew drop. Revelin sat there, unmoving and almost unliving in his stoic nature. Vi approached him.

“You look like you could use a drink.” Vi sat by his side with a huff, laying a six-pack next to him. She immediately took a beer, unscrewed the cap, and took a long drink. She looked over the rim and gave Revelin a look that commanded him to drink until he couldn't see straight. He yielded and drank a bottle.