Chapter 4

A few meters into our uncomfortable night walk, I started to hear the sound of him squeezing his teeth hard against each other—in an effort to ease the pain he was experiencing. 

At that moment, I realized I was walking too fast. Without a second thought, I shamefully came to a stop before turning my vision towards him.

"I am so sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

"Your leg must be hurting bad, let us rest."

"I can manage it"

His face refused to get rid of his strong smile as we threw words at each other. 

I could see clearly how badly he was hurting but still, he insisted that we keep walking in search of a taxi. 

Unable to argue with him, I continued to walk with him as he rested one of his arms around my shoulder. Every time I notice him flinch due to the pain he is experiencing, my heart will sink as I desperately wish for a taxi to come our way.

 We kept walking side by side even with the wind blowing my long black hair towards him, I was concerned that my dusty hair was making its way to his left ear.

Seven minutes after we started walking, a taxi passed by us and I called for its attention. 

It stopped near us and we gently walked to its location, while we were standing next to the taxi, I asked the strange guy with me whether he was going to the hospital and I offered to go with him. 

However, he smiled and said, "I am Justin, a final year student at Virginia College of Fine Arts, no need for you to be worried about me, the clinic at our college would be enough to take care of me."

I was shocked when I heard him mention Virginia College of Fine Arts, the very same college I am also attending, I wondered how we never met, even though we are attending the same college. 

Without wasting any time, I replied, " I am also a student there." While holding the door of the taxi, stopping him from closing it.

I then excused myself and also entered inside the car.

In the taxi, I watched as his face softened and the veins coming out of his forehead went back to their original position. Without even forming eye contact with him I began to speak.

"I am Janna, thank you a lot for saving my life."

"You're welcome," he replied, this time his voice clearer than before.

Looking through the glass window of the yellow taxi I began to wonder what situation I would be in right now if Justin had not made the split-second decision to save my life.

Would I have died right there, or would I have made it out alive with all of my bones crushed into pieces?

"What course are you studying at the University?" Justin asked, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"I am a fine art student" I replied.

"What course are you studying?"

"I am studying applied art with a specialization in fashion design," he responded.

My face was still positioned towards the glass window to my side, I was not able to look directly at his face and I was too shy to return my vision towards him. Because of that, I gently tried to steal a glance of his face through the rearview mirror of the taxi.

When I did, I noticed that Justin had also leaned to the side of the window but unlike me, he was not looking out the window, his vision was narrowed down to the empty seat in front of him.

At that time, I realized that we were studying two different forms of art, he was in Applied art and I am in the fine arts department.

Our lectures are separate and most of the things we do are different from what he is studying in the applied art department, no wonder why I could not remember seeing his face even though we are both final-year students. 

While we were conversing about our studies, the taxi arrived at our college ten minutes after we started our ride, I quickly paid the fair without giving him any chance to offer paying. 

We stepped outside the taxi and started walking towards the college clinic.

I was still helping him walk that time when we got inside the clinic, the nurse working there quickly took Justin from me and guided him to the doctor's office, I followed behind her as we entered the office where a female doctor was on duty that night. 

I was the one who explained to her what happened to us, she then asked each of us what we were feeling. 

I told her that apart from the minor bruises on my body, I was feeling okay. Justin told her that his leg pains a lot whenever he presses it against the ground.

After the doctor finished listening to us, she ordered the nurse to take us to another section of the clinic for an X-ray, she said both me and Justin would have our entire body X-rayed to ensure there was no unnoticed fracture or internal bleeding. 

After the X-ray, my result came out that I was okay but it was found out that Justin had a minor bone fracture on his left leg, he was asked to stay in the clinic bed until the doctor decided it is okay for him to go back to campus. 

I stayed until the nurse finished dressing Justin's injury. 

She took him to a separate room and cleaned his wounded head, she applied bandages to where the head was bleeding and then proceeded to give him a clinic gown to wear.

After he changed clothing she slowly treated his fractured leg, she first put on gloves and a mask before continuing to clean his leg with an antiseptic solution, she then went ahead and applied a splint to his leg. 

After that, the nurse took Justin to one of the clinic beds and he was made to lie down to get some rest.

I went to his side before leaving the clinic to thank him once again for saving me. 

I asked him if he needed anything so I could bring it for him tomorrow morning, I was surprised by how he did not hold back, he asked me to help him get toiletries and a phone charger. 

He told me most of his friends would probably be sleeping until 10 am or more, because tomorrow is Sunday, no lectures or any classes.