Chapter 19

                                    

                                          
"WAS THAT RIDER'S VOICE??" Someone called out from the other side of the door.
Headphones jumped, making sure the door was locked. 'Carp!'
"Huh???? Stealth, don't be silly!! Rider's dead!!"
"BUT I HEARD HIM...!!!"
"If Rider's alive, then Goggles could be too!!"
Specs looked at Rider nervously. 
Rider's mouth was gaped open. He forgot about his team.
"Goggles was pale and limp! He can't be alive...!! How would that make any sense...?!"
"You know Rider, it's still a possibility."
There was a knock at the door.
Headphones stepped away, sweating.
Rider stood still.
"Is anyone in there?? Rider?? I'M SO SORRY...!!! I....-"
Goggles coughed as he tried to say something.
Specs jumped, quickly covering Goggles's mouth. He started to sweat too.
"......was that a cough?"
"IS RIDER SICK?!!?!!"
"Rider!!! Let us in!!!!"
"Rider..! Go tell them now's not the time!!" Specs whispered. 'They're his teammates, if they know Rider's okay, maybe they'll leave us alone!'
Rider went a little closer to the door. "I-I'm fine, you can go away now..."
"RIDER'S ALIVE!!!" 
There was banging on the door. 
"PLEASE LET ME IN!!!!!"
"AH-!!!" Headphones's eyes widened. She hesitantly grabbed the doorknob and looked at Rider, as if saying, 'Go out there!'.
Rider shook his head. "I'm not meeting with those lunatics."
"LUNATICS?!!?!?!?"
Headphones looked desperate. 
"Make them go away!!" Specs whispered, trying to keep Goggles and himself calm.
"Rrrghhhh!!!!" Rider opened the door. "GET OUT OF HERE!!!!"
Stealth nearly fell forward and cowered in fear. "R-RIDER—?!"
Headphones quickly pushed Rider out into the hallway and shut the door so that his team wouldn't risk seeing Goggles. 'Sorry Rider..!'
She locked the door.
"GYAAAAA—" Rider stumbled a bit, Stealth backing up. He reached out to hug Rider before he gave Stealth Goggles the meanest glare.
"How are you alive?!" School Uniform asked in disbelief.
"W-we thought you...."
"LET ME BACK IN!!!" Rider banged on the door.
"WAIT— RIDER!??!?" Bamboo Hat's eyes widened.
No one answered from the hospital room.
Rider slammed his fist on the door one more time, glaring at his so-called 'team'.
"Rider..! Please listen to us..." School Uniform reached for Rider's arm. 
Rider hissed at her. "WHAT?!!?!! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!!?!"
"WE- WE WANT TO APOLOGIZE!!!" Stealth cried.
"LIKE THAT WILL MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE. YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!!!!!" Rider yelled.
Bamboo Hat rubbed her shoulder. "It's- we're sorry...."
Rider glared at them. "I don't care. You've ruined my life, you've ruined Goggles, and you've been the absolute WORST TEAM KNOWN TO SQUIDKIND."
Stealth stared at him in disbelief, trembling a bit. "I didn't mean- to-"
"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!!! THE DEED HAS BEEN DONE!!!"
School Uniform put her hand on Stealth's shoulder, in shock.
"It's not entirely our faults-!! (The disease—)"
"YES. IT. IS." Rider snarled with his teeth bared, one of his sharp teeth chipped. 
Bamboo Hat's eyes widened. 'I DIDN'T MEAN TO TRIP HIM THAT BAD—'
"YOU, IGNORING EVERYTHING I SAID ABOUT GOGGLES BEING WHO I WANTED TO BE AROUND, TRIED TO TAKE HIM FROM ME AND THROW HIM OFF A BUILDING." Rider went on.
"Rider..." Bamboo looked down.
"I think something's up with your head..."
"MY HEAD?!!?! WHAT ABOUT YOURS?!?!! STUPID TRIANGLE...!!!"
"YOU AREN'T LOOKING AT THE FULL PICTURE!!! WE'RE TRYING TO HELP YOU!!!! (STUPID TRIANGLE—??)" Bamboo Hat flinched.
"FULL PICTURE!!!! KILLING GOGGLES IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO?!!?! HAAH?!!???!!?!!?! GOING AGAINST WHAT I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO??!??!!? I'M YOUR LEADER!!!! YOU LISTEN TO ME!!!"
"YOU DON'T EVEN TREAT US LIKE A TEAM!!! WHY SHOULD WE LISTEN TO YOU??!!?!" Bamboo Hat snapped.
"BECAUSE— BECAUSE———" Rider's eye twitched.