Allison was determined not to collapse in Brian's arms as he led her down the hallway. Her cheek throbbed with pain from the force of the fall. She'd landed face first on the cold tile of the cafeteria, and was the laughing stock of the student body once more.
"Come on, we're almost there." Brian said when they reached the nurse's office. He opened the door for her and ushered her inside.
"Sit here." he ordered.
Dutifully, she climbed onto the cushioned bench and lay down; her head pounding.
Brian walked around the tiny office, opening doors and peering inside.
"What kind of place is this? No medical staff of any kind! Totally unacceptable!" He said when he returned.
Allison swung her legs over the side of the bench and sat up, immediately feeling a rush of dizziness.
"I'll be fine. Thanks."
"Are you sure?" Brian asked, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder.
She nodded. "Yeah."
When the door opened, they looked up.
"Thank God." Andy said, rushing inside.
"Hey Andy." Brian said with a smile.
"Hey Man. Is everything all right?"
"I think she'll be okay, although I can't believe the school nurse is nowhere to be found." Brian said. "I'll see if I can find someone."
"I'll take it from here." Andy said. "Don't you have Shop class next?"
Brian laughed at Andy's subtleness. "Yeah, unfortunately. I wanted to quit, but my parents said that staying in for the rest of the year is punishment enough. Well, I'll see you later. Take care, Allison."
"Thank you." Allison said, smiling at Brian.
"Hey, Brian?" Andy said.
Brian paused in the open doorway. "Yeah?"
"Thanks for taking care of her, man."
"No problem, Andy."
Just then the bell rang, and Brian flew out of the room.
"Let's get out of here." Andy said to Allison. They slipped into the hallway, hidden by the swarms of students that rushed past them. He took her hand in his and pulled her through the crowd.
"Where are we going?" Allison asked.
"Somewhere that I hope Vernon won't be able to find us." Andy said.
They ducked into the darkened gym and Andy led her into the locker room.
"What if someone sees us?" Allison whispered.
"The team is at a meet, and the gym isn't used this period anyway. We'll be fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Stay here, okay? I'll be right back."
She watched as he walked through the locker room, and disappeared around the corner. Suddenly she was terrified.
What if this was all a set-up? She'd heard about things that had happened to girls at other schools when the popular guys started paying attention to girls like her. She sank down on a bench; her heart racing beneath her chest, as a chill ran through her body.
True to his word, Andy returned moments later carrying something in his hand.
"What's that?" She asked, trying to keep the fear from her voice.
He sat down beside her. "Just relax."
To her amazement, he unfolded a small towel and dropped some ice cubes into it, and then wrapped the towel securely. Ever so gently, he brushed a lock of hair from her forehead and put the towel against her bruised cheek, causing her to flinch.
"I-I'm sorry." He whispered, pressing the towel gently to her cheek. "I know it hurts."
"I'm sorry." She said. Tears sprang to her eyes at the sweet gesture. No one had ever been so kind to her before.
"Don't be sorry. It was my fault. I'm the one who's sorry. No one has ever done anything like that for me before. "
She closed her eyes and felt Andy brush away a tear with his thumb. Then his lips touched her cheek in a feather-light kiss.
"Thank you, Allison."
He smiled at her and then ever so slowly, moved toward her until his lips began to caress hers in the most gentle kiss she could have ever imagined.
It was the perfect blend of passion and sweetness; the kind of kiss she'd dreamed of her entire life.
For the first time in her life someone truly cared about her, and she was happier than she ever thought possible.
"I love you, Andy." She whispered.
