Two weeks and two fights later, Karmin had exactly 4,500 dollars stuffed into the mattress of her bed.

She couldn't exactly tell her parents about the money. She was just going to have to 'donate' the money to her Dad's surgery and say it was from an anonymous donor.

Not only that, but it was getting harder and harder to hide the bruises. The last two matches weren't as bad as the one with Nadeem, but that wasn't saying much. Whenever she moved, another wave of pain would flood her body. Hot baths were now her best friend.

The yellow tint mixed with a nasty green on her face and arms was hard to disguise, but that was what make-up was for. However, she had to be careful about not accidentally wiping it off, and it was a hassle keeping it on the entire day.

For example, she had walked out of the bathroom fresh from a shower when her Mom saw the awful bruise on her upper cheek. Her Mom freaked out immediately, gripping her face tightly and examining it with the utmost importance. Karmin quickly told her that she had fallen down the stairs at school, but she didn't know if her Mom bought the lie.

When it came to Maddox, not much had changed with their relationship. He would pick her up for her fights and then drop her off later. She would do most of the talking while he listened, or at least she thought he was listening with his one-worded answers.

Her crying in the back seat of his car didn't really help since it was a little embarrassing and awkward when they saw each other in class after. Now looking back, it was funny to see how he reacted with her tears.

Whenever she had the chance to think, whether it was at 2 a.m. or during her Psychology class, she wondered why he was so standoffish. Maybe he wasn't as comfortable with her as he was with Rhys. From her stalking session, Karmin had found out that Rhys and he had been friends since they were children. He had just met her a few weeks ago after she had forcibly entered his life.

Maddox had every right to be reserved around her.

But the one boy who wasn't quiet around her was the gorgeous Leo Cortez, who was currently sitting across from her in the NYU library.

They had finally decided to meet up to work on their essay, and although he was half an hour late, she was over the moon. Karmin had dressed up for their meeting in an ivory floral dress with a chunky cardigan. Sure, she was a little over-dressed, but that was kind of her thing.

Karmin rested her face on her hand as she twirled her pen, gazing at the light streaming in from the window, casting a glow on his olive skin. The library was overflowing with students who were doing some last-minute studying, or like them, working on projects. It was quiet for the most part with the occasional student cussing over their organic chemistry work, but since Leo and Karmin had decided to sit in the very back by the windows that gave them a clear view over the bustling New York streets, it wasn't too bad.

"So," Karmin started, placing her coloured pens on the desk and opening her notebook, "what do you think we should write the essay on?"

Leo looked up for his phone lazily as he leaned back in his seat. "It's up to you," he drawled.

"Well, it's on any social issue so it can be about immigration, women's rights, racism, or gun laws," she listed, trying to get some input from him.

He shrugged, eyeing his phone intently. "I don't really care."

That wasn't very helpful.

"Come on," she urged. "There has to be something you're interested in writing. There are no bad ideas."

Leo ran a hair through his curls, sighing until he finally had an idea. "How about the lack of funding in university sports teams?"

Okay, I was wrong. There were bad ideas.

"Um," Karmin faltered, wondering how to approach his idea gently. "Sports teams are the highest funded extracurricular in colleges around the States. I don't think that idea would work."

"I disagree. Just yesterday, the coach told us the team won't be getting free massages anymore before games," Leo stated in complete disbelief. "He said that they're using that money for the art program."

His words dripped in privilege. The football team was treated like royalty at NYU, but Karmin didn't pay too much attention to it. The only reason she would even watch the games was because of Leo. But did he just say massages? She understands that training and practices must have been tough, but come on. That extra money could be used for underfunded programs or making the building more accessible for all students and staff.

"Okay, it's going to be hard to find research to back that claim," she mentioned, her voice sweet and casual. "So how about we write on the racism in the health care system?"

This topic hit close to home, recalling the times her Dad was faced with racial slurs and stereotypes during his visits to the hospital. She knew it wasn't any better for other people of colour with all the stories she had read.

Leo slowly nodded, looking at her dejectedly. "Sure."

"Maybe we can start off by talking who is the most affected by it?" Karmin suggested, picking up a pink pen and writing the topic at the center of the blank page. "I read an article that said Black women are four times more likely to die during childbirth. I'll try finding the website again."

"Sounds good," Leo said. "I'm not really good at the research part, so do you mind collecting it? I can help with the writing part."

"Oh," Karmin said, shocked. The research was the most important part of the writing process since it determined the strength of the argument.

Leo leaned closer and brushed a piece of Karmin's hair behind her ear gently. "It's just that you're a lot smarter than me. I want us to get the best grade possible," he remarked in a hushed tone.

Her heart raced when his fingertips gently caressed her skin, his hands skimming the gold hoops in her ear. "I... yeah okay," Karmin stammered out.

"Perfect," he grinned triumphantly. "You get working, and I'll go grab us some snacks." Leo stood up from his seat as it creaked ever so lightly, walking through the several bookshelves, and getting lost in the midst of the library traffic.

She watched him leave, sighing dreamily. Karmin was so glad that they finally had the chance to hang out by themselves. Hopefully, he would be back soon, and they could talk about things except for school, but before that, she needed to get some work done.

Karmin turned on her laptop, accessing Google to find some articles and research papers that they could use. Her fingers clicked the keys with ease, her eyes skimming the websites that would be of use. Essay writing always came easy to her, especially if she was passionate about the topic. She would much rather do that instead of things like analyzing books or writing poetry.

There were several articles online, and they could even find a book about discrimination in the healthcare system. She stretched her hands, preparing herself for the amount of researching needed.

Time flew by, and thirty minutes later after finding loads of information, restless typing, and a quick social media break, Leo had finally come back with two iced coffees and donuts. She realized how long it had taken him to return.

"That took a really long time," Karmin mentioned airily.

"Oh yeah. The lineup was huge," Leo replied, passing Karmin her coffee.

She nodded, taking a sip to be greeted by the cool espresso drink with a hint of caramel. "Thanks for the coffee."

"No worries," he smirked. "How's the essay coming?"

"I found several scholarly papers, and I think I have the topics for the first two paragraphs," Karmin said, pointing at the screen for Leo to bend down close to her.

Oh lord, he smelled so good.

"That's awesome," he remarked with one of his hands on the back of Karmin chair and the other close to her hand on the desk.

"Yeah...um so the first topic," she stuttered, unable to breathe with the close proximity, "can be about the –"

She was cut off when someone stumbled around the bookshelf holding a pile of books in his hands. It was the same green eyes, the bored expression, and disheveled hair that she was so accustomed too.

"Oh hi," Karmin greeted, a smile automatically making its way to her face.

"Hey," Maddox said, surprised, glancing at Leo to give him an acknowledging nod.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, finally able to speak now that Leo had stood up.

"Reading," he replied simply, gesturing at the books in his hand. "I didn't know anyone would be here, sorry."

"No worries," Leo interjected. "We're just working on the Soci essay."

"Right," Maddox nodded, his eyes flickering between the two of them. "I should go. See you in class." He left the way he came, his hoodie-clad figure disappearing around the corner.

She waved goodbye, surprised he was leaving so soon, but what did she expect. It was Maddox.

"He's still so quiet," Leo commented.

Her brows wrinkled in surprise. "You two know each other?"

"We went to the same high school together," he replied. "We never really talked since we were in different social groups. Nice guy, though."

Karmin leaned forward in her seat, pushing her laptop aside with peaked interest. "What was he like in high school?" she asked.

Leo shrugged carelessly. "Maddox spent most of his time in the library or with Rhys. He only ever talked during English class, so the teacher loved him. But he's smart. I think he's just shy," he said analytically.

She hummed in response. Maybe he wasn't as mysterious or broody as she first thought. Maybe he was just a boy that liked his peace and quiet, two words that weren't very common in her vocabulary. Karmin wanted to ask more questions about him like if he played sports or if he had a girlfriend during his high school years, but she didn't want to come off as creepy or obsessive.

"Anyway, I think we should decide..." but she lost her train of thought when she saw a text from Aaliyah. Before she could reply, she got a call from her. Thankfully, it was on vibrate, so she quickly picked it up, excusing herself from the table. Karmin took several steps away and picked up the call.

"Karmin, where are you?" Aaliyah demanded instantly, her tone laced with worry.

"At the library. I'm working on my essay."

She heard other voices on the other end of the line. It sounded like they were in a moving vehicle from the traffic, but the one sound that caught her attention was the loud siren.

"You need to get to the North Shore Hospital now. Dad had a seizure," she replied urgently, her voice cracking.

Karmin felt her heart drop to her stomach when she heard those words. "What? How?" she questioned, holding on to the bookshelf for support.

From her research, she had read that seizures weren't uncommon in patients in the final stages of kidney failure, but she didn't think her Dad would be one.

"I don't know," she whispered, sniffling. "Something about toxins accumulating in his body. Mom and I are almost there, so come quickly. I'll text you the details."

She nodded frantically. "I'm leaving now," and she quickly cut the phone, running back to the desk and shoving all of her work into her backpack. Karmin looked at Leo who stared at her with a confused expression. "I have to go, but I'll call you about the essay," she said.

"Yeah, sure. Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Uh -huh," she replied quietly, and before he had the chance to ask another question, she was already clambering down the rows of the library, running down the stairs swiftly.

Her backpack rustled at every step as she passed by students making their way inside the library. Urgency rushed through her and her heart thumped violently from the stress making its way to her nervous system. She knew her Dad wasn't doing well, but she thought she had at least a bit more time to get the money.

She needed more time.

***

The train ride to the hospital felt longer than it really was.

She was on edge the entire time, her knee bouncing up and down in nerve-wracking rhythms. Her hands fumbled with her phone or the straps of her backpack, needing something to do to distract herself from the anxiety slowly bubbling over the rim.

The second the doors opened, Karmin rushed out of the station, her legs thumping against the concrete sidewalk. Everything was a blur from the cars to the pedestrians beside her. Nothing else mattered except for her to get to the hospital.

Beads of sweat rolled down her hairline, her perfect curls coming undone. Her cardigan slipped from her shoulders, rolling down her arms as she entered the glass doors of the hospital, the smell of disinfectant heavy in the air.

Hospitals were always a tricky thing for her. On one side, they brought in new life and healing, but on the other end of the spectrum, it represented sickness and death. She liked to look at the positive part, even though this was the place that handed her the news of her father's sickness. But soon enough, this hospital was going to be the place that told her good news.

She was going to make sure of it.

Karmin checked her phone to see a text from Aaliyah regarding the room number. She knew her way around the hospital pretty well as she climbed onto an elevator. It stopped once for a nurse clad in navy scrubs to get on, but moments later, it dinged, signifying her floor.

She quickly got off, turning the corner to see Aaliyah standing outside the door, impatiently tapping her shoes on the tiles.

"How is he?" Karmin demanded, grabbing a hold of her sister's hand as she led her inside.

"He's okay, but he's sleeping. They put him on antiepileptic drugs to help," Aaliyah said, her eyes bloodshot.

Karmin nodded, her eyes gazing around the room. Another patient with a broken ankle laid on his bed closest to the door and at the very end, was her Mom sitting beside the bed, her hands in a prayer. Her Dad looked sickly as he slept with the cheap blankets hugging his thin body.

Her Mom looked up when she heard footsteps. She rushed over, throwing her arms around Karmin. The tears started almost immediately.

"Mom, if you start crying, I will too," Karmin murmured, tightening her arms around her.

"I'm good," she whispered in Punjabi, stepping back as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Karmin didn't believe it but she nodded anyway, slowly walking to the bedside. She took a seat on the bed, grabbing her Dad's hand, the blue veins prominent against his yellow-tinted skin. "What did the doctor say?"

"There's good news and bad news," Aaliyah started, her voice hoarse. "Dr. Ambrose said that Dad has a perfect match."

"That's amazing," Karmin exclaimed.

"Some patient is on life support and the family is going to pull the plug, but it's going to take a couple of weeks since they want the entire family to be there when they do it."

Karmin sensed something off about Aaliyah's voice and her eyes flickered to her Mom, who looked tired and stressed. "And what's the problem?"

Aaliyah pulled the sleeves of her sweater, wrapping her arms around her body. "Bad thing is that the dialysis isn't going to be much of an option soon enough and there is a 40,000 dollar down payment, which we need to pay by the time they take him on life support, or they'll give the kidney to someone else."

She gulped nervously. The only way she could get that much money was to up the number of fights. One fight per week wasn't enough.

Karmin needed more fights.

***

Author's Note:

Hi!!

I hope you're all doing good!! If you liked this chapter, please vote and comment! I would love to hear your thoughts!

Until next time – m.k.t