Part 24 — The Answer

"Fuck..." Xin looked at her knife, its tip still touching Zap's leg. She quickly tossed it aside. "Fuck, fuck, fuck..."

"Xin, are you alright?" Zap sat up, looking at her with concern.

"No! No, I'm not!" Xin looked at Zap, then at her knife, then at the college.

"Xin...wait, Xin! That's not what it is!"

"Are...are you sure?"

"Yes! You know what? Fine! I'll tell you!" Zap snatched the knife from the ground. He chucked it towards the nearest tree, which the knife pierced. "Listen here. It...it has to do with Ed." He rubbed his hands, preparing for what he was about to say. "Okay. It has nothing to do with your knife. A knife, yet, but not yours."

"Explain."

"Imagine Ed, and the large size he is."

"Go on..."

"Imagine him close to you, and you're not being able to move."

"Yes...?"

"Imagine him chucking a knife at you, the same way I did to a tree."

Xin recalled how deep the knife went into the tree. "And?"

"Imagine your heart rate when the knife misses you barely, so it rips your shirt but doesn't impale you."

"Huh?"

"It was worse because he attempted it twice more. I didn't talk about it when punching him because you were nearby. It was all in my head, though."

"Why couldn't you talk about any of this?"

"P...T...S...D."

"That's not how it works."

"P fucking TSD."

"Okay..." Xin decided to accept it. She walked over to the tree to pull out her knife, which took a little bit of effort. Once she pulled it out, she walked towards the apartment. "I'm ready to go back."

"Yes! So am I! Hurry, now." Without explanation, Zap sprinted towards the house. Xin, confused, continued walking.