“It looks fine. It’s so close to your hairline that I doubt anyone will notice,” Violet insisted as I complained about the cut on my head for the twentieth time. I had taken a look at myself in the mirror about fifteen minutes ago when Violet had come in to visit and that was the first time I’d seen it.
Well, it was still wrapped with gauze, and underneath it was stiches, so I didn’t really see it, but I saw how big the bandage was. The doctors said it wasn’t too deep but it was pretty long, going from my temple to just above my ear. Violet was right, though, it was right next to my hairline, so probably no one would notice it when it healed, and there was always make-up. I was sure she could hide it if I asked for help.
“I just can’t believe he freaked out like that,” Violet insisted.
“I know. I was doing some research, and one of the side effects of oxy is, like, this crazy rage that bursts out of you.”
“Well, I guess that plus macho entitled asshole equals this accident.”
I had explained everything to her, just not the part where I expressed my love for Jason. I only told her I was warning him. It didn’t seem right to tell her first. I needed to see him. Frankly, I was a little surprised when he didn’t walk in with her.
“So what’s going on with Finn? Anything new?”
She smiled big. “You’ll never guess. The investigator came through. Apparently, Finn and Trent are cousins. After Trent told Finn he was interested in me, it became, like, this competition that turned into obsession. Anyway, Trent visited him in jail and that’s how the whole crap started. Trent wanted to get back at me for putting his cousin in jail and Finn is still a little obsessed.”
“Are you serious?”
“Dead serious.”
“I don’t even know what to say to that.” I was shocked. But it made sense. That kind of behavior ran in their family, so naturally they were both jerks. “What happens with all that now?”
“Well, now we know. Trent still hasn’t technically done anything wrong but at least I’m not waiting for some ridiculous shadow to pop out anymore. I know what to look out for and I got this little hot pink pepper spray bottle,” she said as she fished her keys out of her bag. Sure enough, a small pink canister hung next to her dorm room key.
“What about you and Berneli and your relationship? What’s going on with that?”
Violet looked down at her feet and spoke softly. “I made a decision about that. I’m going to study abroad next semester. I’ll be going back with David as soon as I take my last final. I applied for a couple schools, and as long as I get in, I’m going to take them up on it. I just think it might be a good time for me to get out of town. Trent will be graduating at the end of this semester and Finn still has a few more years in jail. I don’t know, I feel like if I leave, then when I come back, it can be like a fresh start.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he doesn’t like the idea of not seeing you when he returns to England at the end of this semester.” I tried to keep this conversation light, but my heart was breaking. I was really going to miss her. If I was being honest with myself, I kind of knew she’d make this decision. A small and selfish part of me wished she wouldn’t, but she deserved to be happy. “But it’s just for one semester, right?”
“So far. I just applied for the semester program. They have a year one but I don’t think I’m ready for that just yet. I still love it here. I’m just gonna keep playing it one semester at a time.”
“You’re lucky that you can dream this big.”
“You can too.”
I smiled at her, thinking about everything that had happened. Applying a little more of Violet’s boldness with Kingsley had felt good. While it didn’t exactly turn out well, I had lived. Maybe it was time I started dreaming a bit bigger.
“I really hope you get into the program.”
“Me too. David said he wasn’t ready to give up on us yet. We fell in love in England over winter break and I really enjoyed it there. I think it will be a good move. He asked me to move in with him.” She looked up at me weakly. It was like she was waiting for my response. Like she needed me to be okay with all of this as well.
I put on a fake smile and forced some enthusiasm. “That’s so awesome.”
She tilted her head at me. “How do you really feel?”
I laughed a little. She really knew me. “Okay, I’m bummed. You’re my best friend and I don’t want to see you leave. But I agree with why you’re going. It will get you out of the country and away from Finn and Trent. It’s more than that though. Berneli looks at you with so much love, I’m surprised no one else has noticed it. You guys need to give this a chance. And besides, he could always get a job at another university here. In fact, I highly suggest this plan of action.”
“Yeah, he has to finish his contract in England first, and then we can talk about it. But…David did tell me that you can visit whenever you want, so start saving up for that flight!”
“Definitely. I’m going to need a break after all of this crap,” I said, and smiled at her.
“I’m glad you’re all right. You really gave us all a scare.” Tears filled her eyes as she gently stroked my hand.
I gave her fingers a little squeeze and smiled up at her. Our beautiful best friend moment was interrupted when three new people walked into the room.
There was a doctor, Shane, and Christie. Shane was wearing a dress shirt and khakis, looking like quite the professional.
“Good morning, Miss Lewis, I am Dr. Choi. This is my son, Shane,” a new doctor said. “Your friend, Christie, and Shane go to school together and they insisted I come check you out. I’m the neurologist on call today so I knew I’d be here eventually. I hope you don’t mind me coming a little early?”
“No, not at all,” I said, trying not to laugh. Christie must have worked her magic to get the doctor here. Well, looking at Shane watching Christie, it might not have been magic after all.
“I hear you’d like to be discharged,” he commented while looking at my chart.
“Yes. No offense, but I’m not the biggest fan of hospital.”
Dr. Choi laughed and examined my cut, my head, and my vitals. After another glance at my chart, he sighed. “Well, it looks like you can go home. But you shouldn’t be left alone today.”
“Don’t worry,” Violet assured him. “We’ll bother her for the next two days nonstop.”
“Perfect,” he said, chuckling.
The doctor gave me some more instructions about caring for my wound and then said a nurse would be coming in soon with another prescription for pain meds in case I needed them. He and Shane bowed out, but not before Shane and Christie shared a longing look.
“How did you find him?” I asked Christie when she closed the door.
She giggled a little and blushed brightly. “We were in the waiting room almost all night, scared you’d fall into a coma or that something would happen. The doctors told us that head injuries were tricky. Anyway, I got up to get some coffee and he was at the machine.”
“Are you sure you aren’t following him?” I asked her.
“No, but I was a little worried he was following me. It was just a coincidence. I don’t even have his phone number. Well, I didn’t until earlier. He’s interning here with his dad on the weekends. When he told me that his dad was in neurology, I practically dragged him to see his dad. He said his dad was the best and you obviously need the best.”
“I knew you insisted on the rush. So thanks, I really do want to get out of here.” We were quiet for a minute and I tried to build up enough courage to ask what I’d wanted to know since Violet walked in twenty minutes ago. “Um, you guys were in the waiting room all night. So you would have seen everyone who was there, right?”
Violet and Christie exchanged glances. “Kingsley wasn’t there,” Violet told me.
I waved my hand at that. I didn’t want to see him anyway. “He’s not who I was thinking about.”
They both smiled, apparently knowing exactly who I meant. “He’s been in the waiting room all night,” Violet said. “When Kingsley went for your phone, one of you hit the call button. Jason heard the car accident and called us. He didn’t know where you were so he called me and I called your mom. That’s how we found out about this.”
“Well, why isn’t he in here with you guys?”
“Oh, honey,” Violet started. “He’s blaming himself for the whole thing. He doesn’t think you want to see him.”
“That’s insane. This whole thing is Kingsley’s fault. I need to see Jason. Can one of you get him?”
Violet nodded and headed out the door.
“So you got his number?” I asked Christie, trying to distract myself before my big romantic declaration.
“Yeah, it’s all innocent though. He just thought I might want to go for a ride or something. You know, blow off some steam. Apparently, he has this badass car he races illegally on back streets.”
“Wait, that kind of thing happens in real life?” I knew it was super popular in movies, but I’d never actually heard of anyone doing it.
“I guess. I’ve never seen it either. I kinda want to check it out though. It sounds like a lot of fun.”
“Definitely,” I responded with a lot of trepidation. Illegal street racing wasn’t really my scene, or a scene I wanted anything to do with. It sounded even crazier for Christie. But then again, this was the same gun totting mamma who threw back whisky like a pro. Maybe it was more her scene.
She looked giddy, like a girl just enjoying time with a new guy. This could possibly create problems with her relationship with Rob, but I wasn’t going to say anything yet. She was just having fun for now, and like she said, it was all innocent.
Jason and Violet walked in a minute later. I smiled weakly at him and tried to control my heartbeat. Violet and Christie snuck out of the room and Jason looked at me but wouldn’t make eye contact. Instead, he was focused on the bandage over my scar.
“I’m so sorry, Annabelle. I should have never said anything to you about my feelings. You’re with Kingsley and I know this. I just couldn’t accept it. Then when I heard you screaming in the car, it almost ripped my heart out. If I hadn’t done that, then he wouldn’t have gotten mad at you. I’m just so sorry about it all.” He sat down in the chair next to the bed and dropped his head into his hands.
I swung my feet over the side of the bed and walked over to him, dragging my IV pole with me. I sat down next to him and rubbed his back. “Just listen to what I have to say and don’t comment. I need to get this out. I’ve been afraid to admit my feelings for you. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship and I didn’t want to be a homewrecker. But when I heard Kingsley was going to hurt you, I just knew I couldn’t let it happen. When he asked me why not, it just came out. I fell in love with you a long time ago. It’s just taken me some time to be brave enough to allow myself to admit it.” My heart raced as I waited for him to respond. He had to forgive me for leaving him like that. I would completely fall apart if he didn’t.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, he nodded. “Annabelle, I think I’ve loved you since I saw you that first day in the EET classroom. At the very least, I knew I could love you. After that, everyone else, including Janice, was like a dim light in my eyes.” He started to lean in to kiss me.
I pulled back for a second, needing to know one more thing. “Are you still with Janice?”
“No. After I kissed you the other day, I spent that night trying to figure out what I wanted. You were right, how could I say I wanted you but still be with Janice. I was just afraid. Janice and I had been together for so long that it was comfortable, but it wasn’t love. I was settling. Looking at you now, I feel more fire and passion than I ever felt with her. This feels right.”
I couldn’t help myself and pulled him in for a kiss. It made me a little dizzy but I held on anyway. With Kingsley, my stomach did little flips. With Jason, it was as if the small butterflies turned into giant eagles. Kissing Jason sent a sensation through me that could ignite a city, while when I was with Kingsley, it was just a slow burn. It felt good, but not right. With Kingsley, I wanted to make it work. With Jason, I knew it would. That was the difference.
Jason brought his hand to my face, and the other weaved through my hair, resting on the back of my neck. My senses were heightened, my body was buzzing, and I felt heat radiating through me that didn’t just excite, but it comforted me as well. For the few minutes I was kissing him, I forgot my pain.