Chapter 15: Chapter 14: A Friend is All She Needs

CLAIRE

Pain. It was everywhere. It was like a garden of thorns blooming in my stomach. I could hear the screams, the panic, but I didn’t understand why.

I remember the fight with ~her~. I remember winning. All seven rounds. But that’s all. Did I faint from the thrill or the exhaustion?

No, that can’t be right. I’ve never done that before.

My mind is a whirlpool of thoughts and memories, but the more I try to make sense of it, the worse my headache gets.

Suddenly, a sharp pain stabs my stomach. I wince, letting out a shallow breath. It feels like a relentless kick to the gut.

The pain is unyielding. I can hear a voice, close to my ear, but the words are a jumbled mess. I can only make out a few mumbles:

“Stay… be okay… with you… okay now…”

That’s all I can decipher. My head throbs and my stomach clenches in pain again as my thoughts collide.

Another wave of pain washes over me, and I realize it feels like I’m being jabbed with needles.

My eyes squeeze shut against the pain. ~What happened?~

~“You’re going to be alright...”~

A familiar voice echoes in my mind before exhaustion takes over... and I black out, ~again.~

~***~

My eyes flutter open slowly, the world around me a blur. I take in my surroundings. I’m in a room. A familiar one.

The walls are a soft blue with little designs along the border. I’m lying on a twin-sized bed, a white blanket pulled up to my chest.

I’m still in my red boxing shorts and blue sports bra. My shoes are by the door and a cup of water is on the bedside table.

I recognize this room. It’s the guest bedroom in ~Nancy’s~ house.

The door creaks open, and Nancy peeks in. Relief washes over her face when she sees I’m awake.

“Oh, thank gawd,” she breathes, rushing over to me.

I try to sit up, but a sharp pain in my stomach makes me hiss.

“Careful,” Nancy warns, gently pushing me back down. “Don’t hurt yourself now.” Worry and fear cloud her light blue eyes.

I nod. “Yeah, yeah,” I rasp. “Can you pass me some water, please?” I ask, pointing to the cup on the table.

She hands me the water, and I take a long sip. The cool liquid soothes my dry, raw throat.

“Thanks.” I nod. “Now, what happened?” I ask, completely lost.

Nancy tilts her head. “You don’t remember?” she asks slowly. I shake my head, and she sighs. “Poisonous Silver stabbed you,” she begins, and my eyes widen in shock.

Suddenly, everything clicks into place. The stomach cramps, the pain, the feeling of needles piercing my skin. I pull the blanket down to my waist and see a clean, stitched-up wound just above my belly button.

I look up to see tears shimmering in Nancy’s eyes. I nod, staring ahead, dazed. The memory of the stabbing is now etched in my mind.

Her knowing grin, her words that made me frown.

~Boss’s orders,~ ~she had said.

I look back at Nancy, wanting her to explain what happened after I blacked out.

She nods in understanding.

“After she stabbed you, everyone froze. They were too shocked to move. But when you knocked her out, that’s when the chaos started,” she explains.

“People were screaming, pushing to get out, others pushing to get to you. I got to you first and told everyone to shut up and leave.” She shrugs.

I smile. That’s classic Nancy, always taking charge when my life is on the line.

“Most of them left, but a few stayed, including that guy who always watches you from the back.” She’s talking about Blake. Her eyes fill with a mix of awe and confusion.

“He looked so worried, so scared. His face was a mix of emotions: Fear, worry, anger, pain,” she lists them off. Then she grins. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he likes you.”

She raises her eyebrows at me.

I look away, uncomfortable under her knowing gaze.

Nancy just shakes her head, amused. “He refused to leave until he knew you were okay. So, I brought you to the back room, he followed—”

I interrupt her. “He what! He didn’t see me, did he?” I ask, dreading her answer.

She shakes her head. “No. I made sure your hood was up, covering your face, the whole time. He questioned it, but didn’t push, as long as you were okay.

After I stitched you up, he took one last, sad look at you, then left. I brought you here and let you rest.

It’s a little past two in the morning now, so I suggest you get some sleep. You’re still going to school tomorrow,” she says, giving me a challenging look.

I swallow hard and nod. I need to get my grades back up anyway. Plus, my matches don’t start until spring. Might as well make the most of it.

I settle back into bed. “Your clothes are in the closet, backpack there too, and your gym bag is on the living room table. Goodnight,” she says.

She gives my shoulder a reassuring squeeze, then leaves, closing the door behind her.

I close my eyes and rest my head on the pillow.

~Since when did my life become so fucked up?~

I wake up to the blaring alarm clock. Groaning, I roll over and hit the snooze button. It’s six in the morning. Way too early for my liking!

Nancy pokes her head in the door. “Up. Breakfast is on the table,” she says, then closes the door.

I let out a sigh as I rise, a twinge of discomfort in my belly reminding me of my new reality.

I’m going to have to adjust to this scar and the stitches. And I’m going to have to be more cautious.

Ten minutes later, I’m in the kitchen, dressed in a dark purple long-sleeved shirt, dark grey skinny jeans, and black knee-high boots, topped off with my black jacket. My hair is brushed and under control.

I quickly eat some toast and bacon, grab my bag, and start to head out.

“Hold on,” Nancy calls out. I turn to see her approaching, keys in hand, dressed in blue skinny jeans, brown UGG boots, and a matching blue jacket. “I’m driving you,” she declares, heading out the door.

I smile and follow her out.

~Here comes Nancy’s protective motherly side.~

~

After Nancy drops me off at school, I make my way inside.

As I pass by my peers, I catch snippets of hushed conversations about last night’s incident involving White Wolf.

“Did she die?”

“Was she stabbed?”

“When?”

“Who’s Poisonous Silver?”

I squeeze my eyes shut as I hear ~her~ name. Her real name is Selena. She’s one of Ashley’s friends.

Selena is a big part of why I can’t stand her and Ashley. What they did is unforgivable! Just like I’ll never forgive James again—at least, that’s what I hope.

Suddenly, an arm grips my shoulder. I stop and wince in pain. There’s a nasty bruise on my shoulder from last night that hurts like hell! I bite my tongue and clench my jaw.

“Hey, are you okay?” a familiar masculine voice asks from beside me.

I don’t need to turn to know it’s Blake.

I nod and slowly turn to face him. His hand is still gripping my shoulder, and I shoot it a glare.

He follows my gaze, chuckles, and releases his grip. “Sorry.” He scratches his head, then looks back at me, a hint of nervousness in his eyes. “Who were you running from?” he finally asks.

I freeze, my eyes narrowing as I stare down the hallway. I can’t look at him right now. If I do, he’ll see right through me.

So, I say the only thing I can think of. Without taking my eyes off the end of the hallway, I respond, “I fucked up.”

I tighten my grip on my bag and start walking down the hall again.

BLAKE

I watch her walk away, her words echoing in my mind. What did she fuck up?

From the moment she walked into school, I could tell something was off. When I grabbed her shoulder, I heard her hiss in pain. My concern for her grows with each passing moment.

I can clearly see the heavy layer of foundation on her face, no doubt hiding the bruises underneath.

Ever since last night, two things have been on my mind: Claire, and White Wolf.

Somehow... both intrigue me. Why? I’m not sure. But I think I want to know more about Claire. The real Claire.

I can tell she’s hiding something behind the facade she puts on every day. Why is she always so harsh and distant? It’s as if she doesn’t want anyone to know the ~real~ her.

My thoughts drift to the guy in the picture with her. He must’ve brought out that side of her. He must’ve been the only one to truly know her.

But what happened? Something must have changed for Claire to become so harsh and distant.

I watch her retreating figure.

I’m convinced that all she needs is a friend. I nod to myself, a small smile playing on my lips.

~She needs a friend. And I’m going to be that friend for her.~