So I know i've dropped off the face of the internett. But i was swamped with homework and stuff. But i'm back now..hopefully for good. You shouldn't have to wait that long for an update next time. I hope this makes it up everyone! It's my LONGEST chapter yet! =]
Enjoy, and again, sorry!
Chapter 3
The game was nice. Kevin moved with a quickness, he thought on his toes, and he had skills. He wasn't as bad as I'd always imagined. Kevin Martin was pretty good.
But I was better.
He didn't like that too much. I guess that why he purposely elbowed me in the face when I attempted to do a layup, which would have been the winning shot. I don't remember what happened…one second, it was nothing but me, and the basket. Next, I have nurse Jenny, with her chalky double chin and wide-rimmed glasses peering over me.
I had to blink a few times before my vision refocused.
"Oh, Ms. Brandon, you're awake." Nurse Jenny observed, and jumped slightly. She pulled back from my personal space zone, and began to smooth down her outfit, looking flustered. "I was just checking your head and nose. Took a nasty fall there, you did."
"Hm." I mumbled, still trying to make sense of it all. My head was throbbing, and my nose felt numb. What happened? I glanced around the room, seeing all the other students in worse conditions then me. It felt all wrong, being here. I hated hospitals. Ok, so this wasn't a hospital, but it was close enough. I could feel the sickness in the air, and it was suffocating. When I could no longer stand it, I glanced up at nurse Jenny and asked, "Can I go now?"
"Hm, let's see," She used the back of her hand to feel my forehead again, and then nodded. "How do you feel, sweetie?"
I shrugged. "I feel fine. So can I go?"
"I don't know…you took a nasty fall. Your head hit the bleachers, and knocked you out cold. I'm not sure you're fit to go anywhere."
I grimaced. I was not about to stay cooped up in a school-hospital all day. School wasn't even halfway over! I took a deep breath, and it hurt a little. I winced.
"Are you okay, dear?" She asked, gently touching my shoulder.
"Yep. Can I please go?" I tried again, frowning at her. She stared at me for a minute or two, which irritated me. She seemed to be thinking it over in her mind.
"If you feel dizzy at any time during the day, I'd like you to report back here, understood?" Fat chance, I thought drily, but I just nodded in response. "Okay." She said, and reached into the pockets of her scrubs. I watched her pull out a little blue slip of paper and write a pass, and then right as she was about to hand it to me, she paused. "Perhaps I should add Mr. Martin's name too…" She was talking more to herself than me, but I answered anyways.
"What? He's here?" I asked, looking around. He actually had the guts to show his pathetic, cheating face?
"Oh yes," she nodded, as she scribbled his name on the pass. "Mr. Martin was kind enough to bring you here! You could barely walk; you were so out of it." She laughed, as if she was telling a funny joke instead of talking about my pain. I narrowed my eyes, but said nothing. "Yes, yes…," She continued, "You kept going on and on about some basketball lingo. I can't say I recall what it was you were saying exactly; I'm not so much into basketball myself." She shook her head, looking over me once more.
"Would you like your clothes, so you can change?"
Oh, right. I was still dressed out in my P.E uniform. I shrugged, not understanding. "Why would I change clothes when I'm going right back to P.E?" I asked, confused. That made no sense.
I watched her forehead crease in worry. "Dear, we are in third period now. I'm afraid you've missed the beginning of class. You were out for a little while. We were debating on calling your parents or a hospital when you started to come around. You're sister came to see about you, too."
"Alice? Alice was here?" I groaned. She would be upset.
"Mhm. She is your sister, correct?"
"Yes." I whispered, closing my eyes. I already knew what she would say. "Is she still here?"
"They both are, dear. Waiting just outside the lobby. I made them leave the room when you started to come around; didn't want you to be too surrounded." She pointed outside the room, and I craned my neck but saw nothing.
Nurse Jenny hands me my pass, and then checked my forehead again. She grimaced, as if she was going against her better judgment. Which she probably was. I hopped off the make-shift hospital bed and walked into the lobby. I glanced around for Alice or Kevin, but saw no one. Then I saw him. Well, I saw his back, but still. He was walking away from the clinic, towards gym. It was weird, because it was as if he knew I was watching. He paused, half-turned, and grinned his stupid grin; waved, and then continued walking. I narrowed my eyes at him, but he didn't see. He was too far away to probably see me do it anyways.
I huffed quietly, and glanced around the room. I spotted Alice sitting at the end chair, closest to the wall, fidgeting with her clothes. So, she was a bundle of nerves, great. I sighed, and started walking towards as I prepared myself for what I knew was coming. She jumped up immediately when she saw me.
"Cynthia!" Her voice was annoyed, and she rolled her eyes.
"Hey." I mumbled meekly.
"Ew." She said, scrunching up her nose in disgust. "You need to change." She stated, still recoiling from me. What was with everyone and me changing? There wasn't a school rule that required mandatory dress out! I could stay in my P.E uniform all day if I wanted.
"I'm fine." I muttered, not wanting to get upset.
"But, you have—you have blood on your shirt Cindy."
Oh. That could explain it. I glanced down at my shirt, and sure enough, there was a few spots of blood; nothing to get worked up about. They were already dried up. But Alice hated blood. She couldn't stand the sight or smell of it.
"Oh. Right." I said.
"Didn't I ask you to be careful today?" She sighed impatiently, and then she huffed. "Why must you be so difficult?"
It was my turn to become annoyed. "Alice, do you really think I meant for this to happen?"
She was quiet for a moment, and then her shoulders dropped slightly. "I guess your right…" Abruptly, she was angry. "Ugh! But this ruins everything!"
So I've just learned one interesting fact: Alice's life revolves around me.
"Alice, what are you talking about?" I asked in an exasperated tone. Alice was so hard to figure out sometimes, it was impossible to even try.
Suddenly, Alice's cheeks are bright red as she blushes. "Well, uh, um…" she stammered. I waited. "I was sorta planning you a surprise party."
"Wah?! Alice!" I groaned loudly, which caused a few worried glances from Nurse Jenny, who was walking out of the makeshift hospital-like room. Alice bit her lip, and then gave me a shrug.
"It was going to be at Susie's shakes…on the way home today…" she trailed off as I narrowed my eyes. "But you a total mess now!" She tacked on, scrunching up her nose.
"Alice—" I started, but before I could get a word in, she perked up suddenly.
"Oh! That's it!" She began to do her bouncing in place thing again, while I huffed impatiently.
"What's it, Alice?"
"That boy, Kevin—"
"What—"
"You know, the one that just left." She waved her hand towards the window.
"You know Kevin?" I asked, utterly confused. Since when did she hang out with freshman? Besides me, of course.
"No," she shook her head, but she was still smiling.
"Then what—"
"As soon as he saw the door knob turning, just jumped up to leave. He said he was going to the gym to get you something you'd probably need!"
"Kevin's gone to get my clothes?"
I did not notice nurse Jenny had been eavesdropping, but she didn't hesitate to step in. "Oh yes, dear," she nodded from the counter a few feet away, "Kevin offered to go get them for you when he first arrived here with you, but I told him there was no need. But I hadn't expected you to stay in here so long. I thought you would have had enough time to make it back to gym…" She trailed off, looking at her nails. "Guess I was wrong…but isn't he just the sweetest thing? Such a gentleman!"
'Yeah, real sweet.' I thought dryly.
"So, this is great! The party's back on!"
"No, it's not."
"Why not?" She pouted.
"Because I don't want a party." I stated simply.
"Cindy—"
"No."
"Humph!" Alice folded her arms together tightly, and withdrew her lips to form a thin, angry line. Not even 5 seconds went by before she was smiling again, I'm assuming as another idea struck her. Again, with her random mood swings. She was looking over me, out the window. "Brilliant!"
Before I could say anything, I heard the door behind me ding open. I turned, and saw Kevin strolling in with a basketball in one hand and my clothes in the other. I narrowed my eyes into slits, and saw nothing but red. Of all the nerve!
"Hey." He said, smiling. Smiling! Kevin Martin just killed the majority of my day and he was smiling. Oh, that did it alright.
"You." I growled the word, so that it was barely understandable. His eyebrows shoot up in response briefly, before relaxing into a smooth mask.
"Yes?" His voice was still calm, cool and collected. This bothered me the most.
"Ooook then," Alice steps between Kevin and me before I have the chance to really give him a piece of my mind. She knew my tone, and she knew what it meant. She blocked my view of him, so I could do nothing but stand there fuming.
"It's Kevin, right?" She said sweetly to him. She should have yelled at him, or at least sounded mean. That was next to impossible for Alice, though.
"Yep."
"You helped bring my sister here, right?"
"Yes, I did." Kevin's voice was dripping with pride. Ugh.
"Well, thank you. She thanks you, too." Alice replied. I snorted.
"No problem. I brought back her clothes, too."
Alice moved aside, and I was presented with my clothes.
"I wasn't sure if these were yours when coach Mason handed them to me." He smirked, as he picked up my skirt, and held it up with his hand. I watched it unravel and flop midair, as he clutched my sweater in his other.
A little of my anger turned into embarrassment, and I didn't know what to say. "Hm." I mumbled.
"So, are these yours?"
"Yeah." His smirk deepened to a grin. My anger came flooding back. "Shut it, Kevin!"
"I didn't say anything."
"You're so—"
"Cynthia." Alice cut in, taking the clothes from Kevin, she handed them to me. "Enough. Go change, and I'll we'll go home." Her voice had that note of seriousness to it, which was rare. I knew not to argue with her.
"School's not over, dear." Nurse Jenny objected. I inwardly groaned. Home sounded good right now. I wanted to go home. Before Alice had a chance to say anything, I turned around to face nurse Jenny, and plastered a look of sickness on my face.
"On second thought, Nurse Jenny, I don't think I feel so good…"
"Hm." Her voice was skeptical. I guess my yelling and little tirade act didn't flow with my lie so well. Oh well.
"Please? We only have a little over an hour left nurse Jenny." I continued as I glanced at the clock above her head, attempting to reason with her.
"Okay, I guess. But you girls need to go straight home."
"Yes ma'am." Alice and I replied at the same time.
"And you ought to go back to class, Mr. Martin."
"Sure, sure, Nurse J." Kevin replied patronizingly.
"Go change, hurry!" Alice whispered to me when Nurse Jenny left to go see about another student.
"Why? We're going home."
"Yes, but—"
I thought about it for a second, and then turned to glare at her.
"We are going home, right Alice?" I questioned.
"Yes, we are…" She trailed off, before finally meeting my eyes directly. "But can we at least stop on the way and let everyone know that it's off?"
"Know that what's off?" Kevin asked curiously. I'd forgotten he was here.
"Nothing." I lied quickly, before receiving a glance from Alice.
"He doesn't know?" She whispered.
"Know what?" Kevin said, staring at Alice.
"He does now," I grumbled, glaring at her.
"Oh. Woops." Alice smiled innocently.
"Um, hello?" Kevin motioned to himself, with his left hand holding the basketball. It was then that he seemed to notice he still had it. "Oh, yeah, I brought this for you." He grinned suddenly, while I stared at him like he was stupid. He took in my expression and laughed. "What? I thought you might want to finish our game."
"Why don't you take that ball and—" Before I could make good with my threat, Alice intervened yet again.
"Stop. Cindy, you never answered my question. Can we do that?"
"Hey, wait, you guys still never told me." Kevin said suddenly, remembering his place in this all, which wasn't anything at all.
"And I don't plan too." I growled, wishing he would leave. "Don't you have class or something?" I said angrly.
"Nopee. Well, yea, but I'm an aid this period. Mrs. Marsha doesn't care." He shrugged. "So, what's going on?"
"Just tell him, he'll find out eventually." Alice suggested.
"Uh! Fine. …Today's my birthday." I mumbled.
"Nice, so, when's the party?"
"There is not going to be a party!" I hissed. Alice rolled her eyes at me.
"Well, we still need to at least wait for everyone, to tell them it's off."
I thought about this. "How are we going to do that? Everyone will be in school still."
"We'll wait, of course."
"Fine," I said grudgingly, "but we aren't staying for the party. The first person to get there can tell everyone else it's off."
Her face fell, but she nodded. "It will all be a waste…and you're in such pretty clothes!"
"I agree." I stared at Kevin in disbelief. I couldn't tell if he'd meant it or if he was being sarcastic.
"So, go change!" Alice ushered me into the nearest bathroom, and quickly stripped of my bloody gym uniform. When I went to slip the shirt over my head, I felt a sudden warm sensation as it passed over my nose. Oh, great. I glanced in the dirty spotted mirror and saw my fountain of red. I reached for some paper towels, and held my head back. Alice wasn't going to be happy about this.
So, does this make it up a little bit? It doesn't? Well, how about this: I'm also going to be posting a super-duper [who says that anymore lol] long chapter of The First Born, my other fanfic! check it out if you haven't already! Don't expect it today though, it might not be ready until the weekend maybe. MAYBE. but it will be worth it, i promise. Again, i'm sorry for keeping everyone waiting!
Review?
