Chapter 20: ♤Chapter 14♤

When I got to school, I went straight to class instead of waiting in the main hall like I usually do. Before I met Chris, I wasn't waiting on anyone in particular, it was just a way for me to kill time until school started.

But whenever I stood there by myself, a familiar face would keep me company not long after.

Today was different. I didn't know how many people knew that I was the one that was in the accident, but I didn't want to risk it, so I found myself sitting by my classroom door. I was there for a while but I didn't even realize it since I was on Instagram and time flies when I'm on there.

I only checked the time when my teacher came out of nowhere with her personal bags and started opening the door. It was ten minutes until the bell would ring.

I pulled one of my earbuds out when I saw that she was saying something to me, “What?” I got up and got my bag from the floor.

“Good morning,” she repeated.

“Oh, morning,” I replied, walking in after she went in and flicked the lights on.

I sat my bag down on my desk before turning toward the table that was pushed against the wall. She had a stand that she put the worksheets and stuff on, that we have to check if we're absent, for missing work.

I let out a breath when I saw that there was only a small packet and two other worksheets. I quickly flipped through the packet and looked at the worksheets. They looked pretty easy so I pulled my chair out and sat down. I pushed my bag over to Chris’s table with my left hand and tried to open the small part of my bag.

Groaning lowly, I ended up having to pull it into my lap to open it with both hands seeing as I couldn't lift my hand that far up.

I did not think this through.

I sat there for a moment, just thinking how difficult this day was going to be and how completely dumb I am. I sighed, pulling a notebook out of my bag and throwing it back on top of the desk and took the worksheets from the table. I placed them on top of the book and started writing.

I guess this is how it's gonna be.

Not long after, the class started filling up with kids as it neared the bell. I kept my head down as I did my packet, hopefully I could get them done at least five to ten minutes into class so that I can turn them in.

There was a knock against the desk and I looked up. The teacher was standing next to Chris’s desk but leaning toward me.

“Are you okay?” She asked lowly.

I nodded, my eyebrows creasing in confusion, “Yeah.”

“If anything happens,” she says, giving me a look and I realized what she was saying, “If you don't feel good, you call me and I'll give you a pass to the nurse, alright?” She said.

I nodded again, “I'm fine.”

It was her turn to nod, “Let me know.”

She exited the class and I caught sight of a couple of kids staring at me. A couple of them looked away subtly when they saw that I was looking but others just continued to stare. My stomach tightened and my face warmed.

Looked back down at what I was doing, taking deep breaths. I could feel their eyes on me and that made a cold sweat break across my skin and it felt like my skin was crawling.

The chair next to me pulled out suddenly with a screech and my heart jumped at the suddenness of it startled me.

“Why are you here?” He asked.

I frowned, turning to look at him, “Well, thanks I guess.”

He shrugs his bag off and sets it at his feet. He was sitting sideways on the chair, facing me with his elbows now resting on his knees and pushing himself closer to me.

“Ari, you should be home right now,” he said, his eyebrows raised, “I'm happy to see you, but isn't it too soon for you to be-”

“I'm fine,” I cut him off, my tone almost coming out as a whine.

“Is that why you're writing like that?” He retorted, his eyes casting down to the book on my lap then back up at me, eyebrows raised.

I frowned at him in response, not saying anything.

He stared at me for a moment before letting out a breath, “Are you sure?” He presses.

I nodded, holding back my irritation, “Yeah.”

“Why didn't you tell me you were coming today?” He asked next.

“Why?” I retorted, turning back to my work, “So you could tell me to stay home?” I said, semi-teasingly.

“Yeah,” he nodded and I smiled, “And so I could bring you something to eat. I had breakfast in the cafeteria since I thought you weren't gonna be here.”

I shook my head, looking up at him, “Stop spending on me,” I feigned irritation, going back to my packet, “And I already ate this morning. I have to eat before I take my medication.”

“That's a plus,” he said, reaching down and unzipping his bag, “And I spend on us,” he emphasized, “I don't just buy food for you, y’know.”

“Man, here I was feeling special,” I shook my head dramatically.

He chuckled, taking out his binder and a pen. He sets his bag on top of mine on both our desks and places his binder on top of it.

He places his elbow on top of the desk then leans against the side of it, “How are you?”

I let out a breath, setting my book on top of the desk with my pencil and look over at him, “I didn't think this through. I forgot that I write with my right hand and I can't lift my hand past my hip. So my life sucks at the moment.” I told him voicing my recent frustration, then the next, “And these people keep staring at me like I'm gonna drop dead any second.”

“Don't jinx it,” he said teasingly.

I narrowed my eyes at him, “I want to punch you.”

His playful smirk stretched into a grin, “I bet you do.”

Staring at his stupid, attractive face, grinning at me was enough to have me holding back a smile that I couldn't mask. So I ended up shaking my head and looking away from him.

He chuckled lowly, then leaned forward, “Guess what?”

I turned to look at him, “What?”

“Guess,” he grinned.

I stared at him blankly, “No.”

“You're no fun.”

“I'm not gonna get it,” I laughed.

He rolled his eyes teasingly, “They're having assemblies today. Now guess what it's about?” his grin came back full force.

I threw my head back, groaning, “No.”

“Yeah. What to do in case there's a shooting and we'll probably have a drill for it some time this week,” he tells me and I made a dying sound in the back of my throat.

“Hate. This. Place.” I don't know how loud I said it, but I didn't care.

“C’mon, it's for the safety of the school,” he said and I could hear the grin in his voice. He knows how much this is killing me.

“Please stand for The Pledge of Allegiance.”

I let out a breath, staring up at the ceiling and listening to the multiple cheers screeching against the tiles. I sat up and pushed myself out of my chair.

After the pledge, we sat back down and the teacher made her way to the front of the class.

“Alright, warm up’s on the board. Get to it.”

Letting out a heavy breath, I slapped a hand on top of my book and pulled it off of the desk onto my lap again.

♤♠♤

Chris filled me in on how the assemblies were gonna go. Freshmen went in first block. Sophomores in second, Juniors, third and Seniors fourth. The assemblies didn't last longer than forty-five minutes, so that's a no to getting out of a class today.

I, on the other hand, was looking to skip mine. I know I should probably go, but I'm not going to. I was already a victim of it, I don't need to be reminded of all the things I didn't do, like run. I can assure them it won't happen again.

Throughout first and second, I had to endure stares and questions from people who I didn't know, who were pretty inquisitive. All they had to ask was how it felt and if it hurt.

Of course it fucking hurt, I was hit by hot metal going like a hundred miles an hour, you idiot. It's common sense and the fact that they're in school and have to ask dumb questions like that tells you a lot about their IQs.

But I kept those thoughts to myself and told them it was nothing and that I just wanted to learn today. I didn't have to tell anyone, but I wasn't planning on coming back tomorrow, or the other day, or the other day, until my arm felt a lot better.

I can't function and I have to be flinching away from everyone that came to close to me, especially in the halls. I had to carry my bag on one shoulder —actually, Chris carried it. He made a big deal about the situation and went as far as walking me to my second class. It was slightly embarrassing but I didn't mind the company.

I even bumped into a couple of his friends that I knew and got to catch up and have a decent conversation. They were the only ones that I didn't have a problem asking me questions because I knew them. I despise random people walking up to me and talking to me like I knew them. Not that it happened a lot before, but I definitely know how it feels now.

I didn't know if they were sincere or they just wanted a reason to get in my business but I wasn't a bitch when they asked me if I was doing alright. I just didn't stick around to hold a conversation. Like I said, I don't know them, but I was grateful for their concern.

His friends asked genuine questions. They asked me how I was doing and if I was okay with being back so early and I told them the truth. That I was just waiting for this day to be over with so I can go home and stay there for possibly the rest of the week.

I thought I was ready, I wasn't. And the phrase, ‘mother knows best’, popped up in my head. I would call my mom to come pick me up and I thought about it multiple times, but I didn't want to bother her. It was just a day. I could do a day.

Chris’s voice sounded in my head, with him saying, ‘don't jinx it’.

At lunch I stayed in my second block class with my teacher because she doesn't have a third class. I was deathly scared of going back out into the halls, so I asked her if I could stay there. And when she agreed, I pulled my book out that I was dying to read all morning and got comfortable.

With my legs folded under me on the chair, my earbuds in—with my music turned up, but not blasting— and my book settled in my lap, I was at peace with the world. And for that brief half an hour, I was okay. I was somewhere else, not here with a hole in my shoulder that was restricting all my movements. I was somewhere else.

There was a tap against my shoulder and I jumped, pulling my earbud out and looked up at where the hand came from.

“The bell rang, you need to get to class, sweety,” the teacher said, glancing at the clock above the door.

I shot a look at the clock and quickly placed my bookmark between the pages. My movements were becoming even more restricted because my shoulder felt even more tender and achy than it did half an hour ago. I didn't know why, seeing as my medication was supposed to last six hours.

I don't know how long it took me to get everything, but I hope it wasn't long. I quickly told my teacher goodbye and left. I cringed when I stepped into the hall and the place was filled with them. Cockroaches climbing along the walls and crawling their nasty little limbs- this is going to far.

But the hall was filled with people, all of them leaving A lunch. And me? I was trying my best to shield my shoulder by hunching in on myself as much as I could without hurting it.

All throughout this, I couldn't not think about the ache in my shoulder that was making its way down my arm. In that moment, I decided that it was time for me to leave. My mom did say that if my shoulder started bothering me, I should have the school call and she'll pick me up. That way I'll be excused.

So I maneuvered my way through the crowd, my mind set on getting to the nurses’ office.

I eventually came across a really clustered place in the hallway where the kids hardly had room to move around and I groaned. I stopped and looked around for any staircases I could go through but I came up empty.

I huffed, trying to push my way through and soon found why it was so crowded. A bunch of idiots were ruff housing in the middle of the hallway. Not exactly in the middle, but they were right there.

I glared at them as I neared and stared in disgust. The attention they seek is pathetic. I shook my head and looked away, walking as far away from them as possible.

And I should've expected it, but I didn't.

I smacked into the wall hardly, making me cry out as a sharp pain flared in my shoulder. I couldn't even hold myself up, it's like for a split second, that pain vibrated throughout my whole body and left me immobile. And that's how I ended up on the ground, causing someone to trip over me, their foot caught at the back of my shoulder and that made it ten times worse.

Mother knows best.

My eyes watered and I rested my forehead against my forearm, wheezing as the pain racked my body. It was like an earthquake. It was strongest and vivid at one spot, but I felt it all over. And maybe it was just in my head, but I felt it everywhere and because of that, I couldn't move.

“Hey, are you okay?” A shaky voice asked by my ear, “I'm so sorry.”

I couldn't even focus on whatever he was saying, but I tried to push myself up, but couldn't.

“You need me to help you up?” He said and I felt a hand on my upper arm.

I pulled away when pain flared right where he held a little too tight, “Don't touch me,” I gritted, trying to even my breathing.

I rubbed my eyes against my arm and the wetness of my tears rubbed off on my arm and left my eyes a wet mess. I turned over onto my back slowly, gritting my teeth when, as I thought, pain racked my body.

Have you ever been so overridden with pain that you're scared to move, because you don't want to feel it? That's how I felt. I couldn't move and I was hesitant to breath, that's how scared I was. I was embarrassed to just be laying there on the dirty floor with kids surrounding me and staring at me, but I was more terrified of the pain that I'd feel if I even moved my finger to care.

There was chaos all around me. I could here kids saying they should get help and some of them even came to kneel next to me, not knowing what was happening.

“Ari!” His voice broke through the fog in my brain and Chris knelt next to me, pushing some chick out of the way and apologizing quickly. His wide eyes were running over me rapidly. He didn't know what to do and he was searching for something to say.

“Rich!” I said, with a laugh, but I'm pretty sure the pain could be heard in it, “I jinxed it.” I added teasingly.

“W-What happened?” He got out.

Before I could answer, someone else did, “He knocked into me and I ended up knocking into her,” the voice cane from somewhere above me

I didn't know who that was but I didn't care at the moment. I couldn't care.

“Can you sit up? We have to get you to the nurse or something.” He said, his voice urgent as he tried to slip his hand under my back.

I shook my head once, “I can't move,” I laughed and a tear fell out of the corner of my eye, “Shit hurts.”

Suddenly the crowd started going back and there was shouting. The couple of kids that were kneeling next to me stood and started backing away.

“You're bleeding,” Chris said and he reached over me, “Like a lot, Ari,” he breathed and truth be told, I felt the dampness in my shirt, making it stick to my shoulder uncomfortably, “You have to sit up.”

“Why?” I said, trying not to let it show how scared I was and how much a didn't want to move.

“We have to stop the bleeding, or slow it down,” he told me.

Chris slipped his hand under my back and I held my breath, pushing myself up off of the ground and he help me sit up. I bit down on my lip hardly, feeling the sting in my lip but it was much better than the pain in my body. My ears rang and I felt nauseous for a second which cause me to squeeze my eyes shut.

“My shirt or yours?” He said, pushing my hood off my shoulders until it fell around my elbows.

“Just let me bleed out,” I grumbled, my head swimming.

“Not funny,” he grunted.

I opened my eyes just in time to see him pulling his dark T-shirt over his head, leaving him in a muscle-T.

Oh wow.

My eyes ran over his shoulders and biceps and I wasn't the only one who was checking him out, because a series of hushed whispers fell over the crowd of students that seemed to grow in past minute.

“You have a tattoo,” I stated, staring at the tattoo that was peeking out just behind his shoulder blade.

“Yeah,” he said, not worrying about it in the least, “Can you lift your arm a little?” He said, rolling his shirt.

My eyes started watering again and the pain came back to the front of my mind, making it intensify, “Chris, I really don't want to. It hurts,” I emphasized.

“What happen?” A teacher finally came over. He's probably one of the few who'd know what to do. A couple other teachers broke through the crowd and tried to keep the kids back.

“Her wound opened back up and it's bleeding really bad,” Chris told him.

“Wait, it's you?” He asked incredulously.

I smiled a pain filled smile at him, “Hi.”

“C’mon Ari, just a little bit so I can tie this around it,” Chris said, gesturing to my arm.

I gritted my teeth and stopped breathing again, hesitantly holding my arm away from my body. I held back a pained noise building in my chest and Chris quickly maneuvered the shirt under the space between the side of my body and my upper arm. He held both sides and pulled it up, looping a tie above my shoulder before pulling it. He pulled it gently when it got to my wound but that didn't make it any less painful.

I dug my fingers into his thigh that I didn't realize my hand was resting on, “Christian Rich,” I gritted out in pain.

He looped it again and as he was, he quickly and nonchalantly placed a kiss on the side of my temple, as if that's his way of apologizing. I would've cared a lot more if I didn't feel like I was on the verge of death.

“The ambulance is on its way,” another teacher came over, eyeing me in a pitiful way.

I almost told her to fuck off.

My eyes started to droop and I had to shake my head and blink a couple times to keep them open.

“Everything's getting blurry,” I voiced.

“Probably cause you're not wearing your glasses,” Chris responded, trying to lighten the mood.

“I said getting, genius,” I retorted and he smiled a little.

“Did you eat lunch?” Came from my other side. I shook my head and he nodded, “That's probably why and you're bleeding so that makes it worse.” It was a gym teacher and I had no idea what he was doing on this side of school, “I'll go see what they have left in the caf.”

I turned to look at Chris, “Y'know, I was on my way to the nurse,” I started lowly, in an attempt to push the pain away, “I was gonna tell them that I wanted to go home and then.. this happened,” My eyes started drooping again.

“We're not doing that,” Chris said, watching my face, “We're staying awake until the ambulance gets here.”

“Maaaannnn,” I dragged out tiredly, “I'm tired. I don't have time for their bullcrap. I need some drugs in me and food, cause right now...” I trailed off, shaking my head.

His eyes averted from me, “Can't we do something? Get her some ice?”

I choked on a laugh, “Shut up,” if I could move I would've punched him, “I hate you,” I said, trying not to laugh as he grinned teasing at me. I appreciated that he was trying to lighten the mood and make me feel better.

“Talk about something,” I told him, letting out a slow breath. I winced when even that hurt.

“Like what?” He said, adjusting himself.

I shrugged my good shoulder as he pushed himself closer to me. He was eventually sitting with one of his legs extended behind me and the other bent at the knee, the bottom of his shoe pressed against the inside of his thigh.

His chest brushed against my arm and I leaned into him absentmindedly.

“My mom's gonna lose her shit,” I voiced, feeling his palm press against my back.

I happen to spot a couple of his friends at the edge of the crowd not far away. They looked worried and I could tell they wanted to come over but wasn't sure if they should.

I smiled and waved them over.

It was Thion and Mariana.

“How are you doing?” Mariana asked worriedly, eyeing the material tied around my shoulder that was almost soaked through with blood.

“Y’know,” I smiled weakly, “Just casually bleeding out, cause the nurses here aren't really nurses.”

“I asked them if they could get you ice-”

“Stop talking,” I breathed out,  trying not to laugh but Thion laughed loudly.

He stooped down to our level next to me and Mariana lowered herself onto her knees and sat back on the heels of her shoes.

I let out a slow breath, my eyes closing. My eyes opened a couple seconds after that when something flicked my nose gently.

“Up.”

I groaned, “I'm tired.”

“Okay, okay,” he adjusted himself and I winced when he shifted me in the process and he apologized quickly. His arms circled around me, hardly touching me, “You remember the girl that brought in the towels for you at the hospital?” He asked.

“Mhm,” I hummed, fighting to keep my eyes open.

“She's my ex.”

I found enough energy in my body to pull away to look up at him “You're lying.”

He shook his head, “I swear on my truck.”

“Is she really?” I turn to Mariana.

She laughed, “How are you so sure he told us?”

“Cause you're friends,” I reasoned.

“He did though,” Thion said, turning toward her.

My jaw dropped and I looked back at him, “But I had my hand on your-”

I got cut off by someone coming up behind me. Chris tilted his head back, reaching for something.

All the while Mariana’s eyes bulged and Thion held his hands up, “Woah, hol’ up, wait a damn minute,” he said with a disbelieving laugh.

Chris placed a tray on my lap and I looked down at it.

“I advise you eat all of that…” I ignored everything else that the teacher said, reaching for the chicken patty and dipping it in the side of ketchup before biting into it.

I finished it in about five bites and reached for the other one. They gave me double the amount but I was fine with it.

I could hear a teacher shouting along with security, trying to get the crowd of kids to get to class but most of them weren't leaving.

“You ain tell us she had her hand on somn?” Thion said, staring at Chris expectantly.

I turned to look at Chris and he stared back at me expectantly.