I felt something move beneath my arm making me wake up from my nightmare. I
couldn't believe I just dreamed that the guy who was Josie's room William
had just beat me up and then an angel fell asleep with me. I must be so
crazy.
"Adam?"
My eye shot open, the other wouldn't move. I took a harsh breath and looked around. I was in my room, and Josie was in my bed.
"Good afternoon." She yawned sitting up and looking down at me. "Roll over, let me get a good look at you."
I obediently did as she said, still in shock.
She bit her lip and she ran her fingers along my cheek gingerly. "Does that hurt?"
I swallowed; my eye wide in amazement. "A little." I squeaked.
She nodded. "Do you have a fridge in here? We should put some ice on it. Fulton said that they did before I came but it looks like it's still swollen."
I blinked. "Averman has one in his closet." I blinked at her as she walked into the washroom, grabbed a towel and wrapped the ice in it. "What are you doing here?"
She looked up at me bit her lip. "Portman knew I would want to know, so after they got the nurse he came and found me, pulled me out of class and we both have been excused for all our classes today."
I shivered as she applied the ice to just below my left eye. "Oh. But why you?"
She pulled the ice away from me and frowned. "Because I have the best average of them all and out of all of them I could miss a day of review without failing the test."
"I understand that, but why are you here?
"Jesus Adam! You were unconscious. You needed someone to watch you. Your team needed the review and I didn't. I must say you were much more likeable when you didn't know where you were."
I closed my eye guiltily as she reapplied the ice. "I'm sorry but you seemed like you didn't want to be around me anymore when you ran off."
She sighed and moved the ice a little. "Ducks fly together, right?" She whispered. "Well it seems to me if one of the ducks doesn't like a person the rest of the team doesn't either."
I opened my eye to look at her. "Tammy and you just don't get along so well. It's no big deal. That's like this thing with Lynda last year with Charlie. None of the team liked her. She was bull-headed and completely annoying, but Charlie liked her. Just because everyone else didn't like her doesn't mean that Charlie didn't stop liking her."
She rolled her hazel eyes. "Yes, but they broke up. Charlie is single now."
I nodded. "Well that's what happens with relationships, but it had nothing to do with the rest of the team."
"Why did they break up?"
"Charlie wouldn't tell us." I laughed. "Although Guy told me that sometimes he would mumble 'opinionated lesbian' in his sleep."
Josie snorted and continued to concentrate on my eye.
I rolled over slightly and winced as my weight moved onto my kidneys.
"Hey!" She yelped dropping the ice pack. "Back onto your back, no moving. Now let me see." She began to reach for my shirt.
I tried to swat her hands away. "No. I'm fine, really."
"Adam! Let me see!" She said pushing my hand away and lifting my blue polo up, I had put on that morning revealing a black and blue bruise about the size of a size eleven or twelve boot. "Oh! Ok, this is coming off!" She yelped tugging at my shirt.
I frowned and pushed her hands away again. "I'm ok! I swear!"
She put on a serious face. "Adam, let me take off your shirt, it's easier to ice, and I'll be able to see if you have anything else on you. Now can you sit up or are you still dizzy?"
I sighed. I didn't like her beating me this way. I sat up and she quickly pulled the shirt off over my head slowly, her eyes drifting over my body slowly, her fingers tracing the outside of my bruise.
"Adam, are you ok?" she whispered looking up at me. "I mean. . ." she stopped and frowned, looking down away from my eyes. "Never mind, I don't know what I mean. I know your not ok, because look at you, your more colorful than a bowl of Fruit Loops, and that's my fault because of Will. If I hadn't pulled you into my room you wouldn't have met him and you wouldn't have been beat up and if we hadn't gone down to the dark room my roommate wouldn't have said some things that he heard and. . ." she paused for a beat. "I knew you would get hurt. Anyone who gets close to me gets hurt. First Peter then you. It's my fault."
My jaw dropped at her little rant and lifted her head with my hands. "Yes, that could be true, but if none of that ever happened we wouldn't have kissed."
She jerked her head away from my hands. "That was a huge mistake."
I smirked. "The biggest mistake is to be afraid to make one." I blinked and looked down at her. "I believe you told me that."
She looked away from me. "I still wish I could take it back."
"I don't." I breathed. "The only thing I wish is that our first kiss wasn't acted."
I heard her mumble something quietly, that I'm sure sounded like 'It wasn't'.
"Adam! My baby!"
I looked up terrified and swallowed nervously. "Mom?"
She ran into my room and stopped a few feet from my bed staring Josie up and down.
My father thumped in a few seconds later his eyes widening, looking Josie up and down judgingly. I saw a look of terror flood Josie's face as she realized she was still holding my shirt in her hands.
I weakly smiled. "Hi Dad."
His eyes flashed as they met mine. "Son. Who is this?"
I touched Josie's shoulder and smiled. "Joslyn Best. She's a good friend of mine."
Josie got up and put my shirt at the foot of the bed. "I was told to look after him while he was out." She coughed quietly. "It isn't what it looks like. Adam has this bruise on his side and we were just about to ice it. It looks pretty nasty."
My father nodded and smirked. "Go on with what you were doing. We just wanted to see how Adam was." He eyed her, with his eyes ordering her to sit down and continue.
Josie obediently sat down and grabbed the ice that was slowly melting. She eyed me silently and bowed her head. "Lie down and arm up." She quickly put the ice to my side.
My mother sat down beside Josie and traced the bruise on my face with her nails. I winced a little trying not to give away that I was feeling any pain. I certainly didn't want to get a lecture from my father that went along the lines of: 'You're a hockey player, hockey player like pain, get used to it.' "Are you dizzy baby?"
I thought I was going to be sick. Did my mother just call me baby in front of Josie? Great, what a wonderful way to up the manly points. First I get the snot kicked out of me and now my mother starts using my pet names. "No mom I fine. I'm just bruised."
"I think he had a concussion." Josie whispered. "He seemed a little out of it a while ago."
"Well Dr. Best is coming over right away. He wants to make sure you're ok. I think you'll like him sugar." Mom said patting my purple cheek making me wince again.
Josie's eyes flew to my mother. "My father is coming?" She blurted out.
"You're Dr. Rupert Best's daughter?" My father asked in surprise
She bit her lip and nodded.
A smirk danced upon my father thin lips. "It's nice to know my son is keeping good company at this school. We'll have to invite him over for supper."
"Dinner!" Josie and I yelped at the same time.
Josie composed herself and continued. "My father is extremely busy right now; I doubt he would be able to come. Setting up a good practice is very tedious. He has to organize files and. . . ."
"Joslyn?"
Josie looked past may father and immediately paled, I was almost certain she would faint. "Father."
"Are you answering a question for me?" He said carrying in a black bag, sitting it on my nightstand and smiling.
Josie swallowed. "No not exactly."
He looked over at my father and shook his hand. "Ah. . . Phillip, it's good to see you. I hope my daughter hasn't been distracting, God knows she can be."
My father shook his head. "Oh no. Actually she has been looking after my son since the accident."
Josie and my mother got off the bed leaving room for Dr. Best. "Good, good. I wasn't expecting to see you so soon Alan."
I coughed. "It's Adam actually."
"Ok Adam, I'm just going to check for a concussion ok?" He looked into my eyes frowning. "Ok, can you follow my finger with your eyes?" I did as he said as he moved it back and forth.
He nodded and smirked. "Good, good. Now let's look at these bruises. He touched my check forcefully making me yelp in pain. As he moved his hands to my side I protected it with my hands, making him frown. "Adam, I just want to see ok? I want to make sure you don't have a cracked rib or anything. Now hands."
I eyed him as I dropped my hands letting him touch it bracing myself for the pain, squeezing my eyes closed.
"Don't worry about hurting him. He's a hockey player. Hockey players are used to pain. Hell my son played with a hurt wrist during the Junior Goodwill Games. He'll deal." My father announced.
Typical.
I felt the mattress spring up once Dr. Best got up to speak with my father. "He has a mild concussion, other than that bruises. He looks worse than what he really is." He turned to Josie. "Keep that ice on him. It's making the swelling go down. Other than that, rest." He turned to me and frowned. "And no hockey for a few days."
My father's eyes widened. "But scouts! He has a game tomorrow! He has to play!"
"A game? Absolutely not!"
"But. . ."
Josie's father blinked un-phased. "Your son has a concussion, if he goes down during a game he could develop 'second impact syndrome', where his brain could start swelling which is life threatening. Being a father I know you don't want that so, I will be contacting his coach, this boy is not to touch the ice for twenty-four hours, until I can look at him again, you got that Phil?"
My father's mouth closed and nodded. I knew he didn't like not getting his way. At first when he said no hockey I was going to object but after hearing Dr. Best's rant, I didn't want to go near the ice now. I guess Josie's father knew my dad fairly well.
"Now I ought to be on my way." Josie's father announced grabbing his bag and smiling. "The only thing I can recommend is to take some Tylenol. I'll be seeing you tomorrow at the nurse's office tomorrow at 2:00pm Adam." He turned to Josie and kissed her forehead. "Be good Jo-Jo." Her father quickly slipped out of the room.
After a few minutes my father finally responded. My father blinked rapidly. "No hockey, I hope you're happy Adam." He turned on his heel and walked toward the door. "Come along dear. Best we leave or son to his 'rest'." He mocked staring Josie down.
My mother bowed her head caressing my hair once and following my father to the door.
Josie swallowed and bit her lip as she sat down on my bed beside me. "I'm sorry. I'm ruining your life and . . ."
I leaned up on my elbow and kissed her pulling her down toward me.
She quickly pulled away from me, getting up off the bed. "That was so wrong." She whispered.
I shrugged and smiled. "I figure I should at least be able to kiss the girl I just got beat up over."
"Adam please. . ."
I closed my eyes. "Don't tell me you're doing this for me, because I know you aren't." I opened my eyes. "Don't deny the fact that we are meant to be."
She shook her head. "Adam we're fifteen. How do you even know?"
"Even if we aren't I don't care. I don't want to know that we aren't." I grabbed her hand. "Don't leave."
She squeezed my hand as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Adam I have to. Let me go ok?"
The opened again and my team began to slowly file in. They all began to look at us funny, but then again who wouldn't? There was a girl who was supposed to be taking care of me crying and there I am grasping onto her hand for dear life.
"Are we interrupting something?" Charlie asked cautiously eying us both.
Josie shook her head. She quickly kissed un-bruised my cheek. "I'm sorry Adam." She whispered before she turned and pushed her way through my team, leaving me once again awe struck and this time completely unable to chase her.
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A/N: Yes . . . she ran, again. Are we getting a pattern here? Anyways. Another post, only because I will be unable to write tomorrow (visiting my grandparents and they don't have a good computer). And I was absolutely amazed to find out that *gasps dramatically* I have a reviewer from Australia! I think? Am I correct? Well I'm sure she is in the southern hemisphere which makes me very pleased! Ok I'm weird to be so excited over that but its Super Cool because I have never been contacted by anyone further than Tennessee, or Vancouver whichever is further (I live in Ontario). I can't remember which is. OH! I forgot to mention in my last author's note, I DO say eh! I say it all the time! Not many Canadians do, but I am one of them that do! *grins proudly.* Anyways! That is Super Cool and I just wanted to say that! REVIEW!!
~Toodles!
"Adam?"
My eye shot open, the other wouldn't move. I took a harsh breath and looked around. I was in my room, and Josie was in my bed.
"Good afternoon." She yawned sitting up and looking down at me. "Roll over, let me get a good look at you."
I obediently did as she said, still in shock.
She bit her lip and she ran her fingers along my cheek gingerly. "Does that hurt?"
I swallowed; my eye wide in amazement. "A little." I squeaked.
She nodded. "Do you have a fridge in here? We should put some ice on it. Fulton said that they did before I came but it looks like it's still swollen."
I blinked. "Averman has one in his closet." I blinked at her as she walked into the washroom, grabbed a towel and wrapped the ice in it. "What are you doing here?"
She looked up at me bit her lip. "Portman knew I would want to know, so after they got the nurse he came and found me, pulled me out of class and we both have been excused for all our classes today."
I shivered as she applied the ice to just below my left eye. "Oh. But why you?"
She pulled the ice away from me and frowned. "Because I have the best average of them all and out of all of them I could miss a day of review without failing the test."
"I understand that, but why are you here?
"Jesus Adam! You were unconscious. You needed someone to watch you. Your team needed the review and I didn't. I must say you were much more likeable when you didn't know where you were."
I closed my eye guiltily as she reapplied the ice. "I'm sorry but you seemed like you didn't want to be around me anymore when you ran off."
She sighed and moved the ice a little. "Ducks fly together, right?" She whispered. "Well it seems to me if one of the ducks doesn't like a person the rest of the team doesn't either."
I opened my eye to look at her. "Tammy and you just don't get along so well. It's no big deal. That's like this thing with Lynda last year with Charlie. None of the team liked her. She was bull-headed and completely annoying, but Charlie liked her. Just because everyone else didn't like her doesn't mean that Charlie didn't stop liking her."
She rolled her hazel eyes. "Yes, but they broke up. Charlie is single now."
I nodded. "Well that's what happens with relationships, but it had nothing to do with the rest of the team."
"Why did they break up?"
"Charlie wouldn't tell us." I laughed. "Although Guy told me that sometimes he would mumble 'opinionated lesbian' in his sleep."
Josie snorted and continued to concentrate on my eye.
I rolled over slightly and winced as my weight moved onto my kidneys.
"Hey!" She yelped dropping the ice pack. "Back onto your back, no moving. Now let me see." She began to reach for my shirt.
I tried to swat her hands away. "No. I'm fine, really."
"Adam! Let me see!" She said pushing my hand away and lifting my blue polo up, I had put on that morning revealing a black and blue bruise about the size of a size eleven or twelve boot. "Oh! Ok, this is coming off!" She yelped tugging at my shirt.
I frowned and pushed her hands away again. "I'm ok! I swear!"
She put on a serious face. "Adam, let me take off your shirt, it's easier to ice, and I'll be able to see if you have anything else on you. Now can you sit up or are you still dizzy?"
I sighed. I didn't like her beating me this way. I sat up and she quickly pulled the shirt off over my head slowly, her eyes drifting over my body slowly, her fingers tracing the outside of my bruise.
"Adam, are you ok?" she whispered looking up at me. "I mean. . ." she stopped and frowned, looking down away from my eyes. "Never mind, I don't know what I mean. I know your not ok, because look at you, your more colorful than a bowl of Fruit Loops, and that's my fault because of Will. If I hadn't pulled you into my room you wouldn't have met him and you wouldn't have been beat up and if we hadn't gone down to the dark room my roommate wouldn't have said some things that he heard and. . ." she paused for a beat. "I knew you would get hurt. Anyone who gets close to me gets hurt. First Peter then you. It's my fault."
My jaw dropped at her little rant and lifted her head with my hands. "Yes, that could be true, but if none of that ever happened we wouldn't have kissed."
She jerked her head away from my hands. "That was a huge mistake."
I smirked. "The biggest mistake is to be afraid to make one." I blinked and looked down at her. "I believe you told me that."
She looked away from me. "I still wish I could take it back."
"I don't." I breathed. "The only thing I wish is that our first kiss wasn't acted."
I heard her mumble something quietly, that I'm sure sounded like 'It wasn't'.
"Adam! My baby!"
I looked up terrified and swallowed nervously. "Mom?"
She ran into my room and stopped a few feet from my bed staring Josie up and down.
My father thumped in a few seconds later his eyes widening, looking Josie up and down judgingly. I saw a look of terror flood Josie's face as she realized she was still holding my shirt in her hands.
I weakly smiled. "Hi Dad."
His eyes flashed as they met mine. "Son. Who is this?"
I touched Josie's shoulder and smiled. "Joslyn Best. She's a good friend of mine."
Josie got up and put my shirt at the foot of the bed. "I was told to look after him while he was out." She coughed quietly. "It isn't what it looks like. Adam has this bruise on his side and we were just about to ice it. It looks pretty nasty."
My father nodded and smirked. "Go on with what you were doing. We just wanted to see how Adam was." He eyed her, with his eyes ordering her to sit down and continue.
Josie obediently sat down and grabbed the ice that was slowly melting. She eyed me silently and bowed her head. "Lie down and arm up." She quickly put the ice to my side.
My mother sat down beside Josie and traced the bruise on my face with her nails. I winced a little trying not to give away that I was feeling any pain. I certainly didn't want to get a lecture from my father that went along the lines of: 'You're a hockey player, hockey player like pain, get used to it.' "Are you dizzy baby?"
I thought I was going to be sick. Did my mother just call me baby in front of Josie? Great, what a wonderful way to up the manly points. First I get the snot kicked out of me and now my mother starts using my pet names. "No mom I fine. I'm just bruised."
"I think he had a concussion." Josie whispered. "He seemed a little out of it a while ago."
"Well Dr. Best is coming over right away. He wants to make sure you're ok. I think you'll like him sugar." Mom said patting my purple cheek making me wince again.
Josie's eyes flew to my mother. "My father is coming?" She blurted out.
"You're Dr. Rupert Best's daughter?" My father asked in surprise
She bit her lip and nodded.
A smirk danced upon my father thin lips. "It's nice to know my son is keeping good company at this school. We'll have to invite him over for supper."
"Dinner!" Josie and I yelped at the same time.
Josie composed herself and continued. "My father is extremely busy right now; I doubt he would be able to come. Setting up a good practice is very tedious. He has to organize files and. . . ."
"Joslyn?"
Josie looked past may father and immediately paled, I was almost certain she would faint. "Father."
"Are you answering a question for me?" He said carrying in a black bag, sitting it on my nightstand and smiling.
Josie swallowed. "No not exactly."
He looked over at my father and shook his hand. "Ah. . . Phillip, it's good to see you. I hope my daughter hasn't been distracting, God knows she can be."
My father shook his head. "Oh no. Actually she has been looking after my son since the accident."
Josie and my mother got off the bed leaving room for Dr. Best. "Good, good. I wasn't expecting to see you so soon Alan."
I coughed. "It's Adam actually."
"Ok Adam, I'm just going to check for a concussion ok?" He looked into my eyes frowning. "Ok, can you follow my finger with your eyes?" I did as he said as he moved it back and forth.
He nodded and smirked. "Good, good. Now let's look at these bruises. He touched my check forcefully making me yelp in pain. As he moved his hands to my side I protected it with my hands, making him frown. "Adam, I just want to see ok? I want to make sure you don't have a cracked rib or anything. Now hands."
I eyed him as I dropped my hands letting him touch it bracing myself for the pain, squeezing my eyes closed.
"Don't worry about hurting him. He's a hockey player. Hockey players are used to pain. Hell my son played with a hurt wrist during the Junior Goodwill Games. He'll deal." My father announced.
Typical.
I felt the mattress spring up once Dr. Best got up to speak with my father. "He has a mild concussion, other than that bruises. He looks worse than what he really is." He turned to Josie. "Keep that ice on him. It's making the swelling go down. Other than that, rest." He turned to me and frowned. "And no hockey for a few days."
My father's eyes widened. "But scouts! He has a game tomorrow! He has to play!"
"A game? Absolutely not!"
"But. . ."
Josie's father blinked un-phased. "Your son has a concussion, if he goes down during a game he could develop 'second impact syndrome', where his brain could start swelling which is life threatening. Being a father I know you don't want that so, I will be contacting his coach, this boy is not to touch the ice for twenty-four hours, until I can look at him again, you got that Phil?"
My father's mouth closed and nodded. I knew he didn't like not getting his way. At first when he said no hockey I was going to object but after hearing Dr. Best's rant, I didn't want to go near the ice now. I guess Josie's father knew my dad fairly well.
"Now I ought to be on my way." Josie's father announced grabbing his bag and smiling. "The only thing I can recommend is to take some Tylenol. I'll be seeing you tomorrow at the nurse's office tomorrow at 2:00pm Adam." He turned to Josie and kissed her forehead. "Be good Jo-Jo." Her father quickly slipped out of the room.
After a few minutes my father finally responded. My father blinked rapidly. "No hockey, I hope you're happy Adam." He turned on his heel and walked toward the door. "Come along dear. Best we leave or son to his 'rest'." He mocked staring Josie down.
My mother bowed her head caressing my hair once and following my father to the door.
Josie swallowed and bit her lip as she sat down on my bed beside me. "I'm sorry. I'm ruining your life and . . ."
I leaned up on my elbow and kissed her pulling her down toward me.
She quickly pulled away from me, getting up off the bed. "That was so wrong." She whispered.
I shrugged and smiled. "I figure I should at least be able to kiss the girl I just got beat up over."
"Adam please. . ."
I closed my eyes. "Don't tell me you're doing this for me, because I know you aren't." I opened my eyes. "Don't deny the fact that we are meant to be."
She shook her head. "Adam we're fifteen. How do you even know?"
"Even if we aren't I don't care. I don't want to know that we aren't." I grabbed her hand. "Don't leave."
She squeezed my hand as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Adam I have to. Let me go ok?"
The opened again and my team began to slowly file in. They all began to look at us funny, but then again who wouldn't? There was a girl who was supposed to be taking care of me crying and there I am grasping onto her hand for dear life.
"Are we interrupting something?" Charlie asked cautiously eying us both.
Josie shook her head. She quickly kissed un-bruised my cheek. "I'm sorry Adam." She whispered before she turned and pushed her way through my team, leaving me once again awe struck and this time completely unable to chase her.
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A/N: Yes . . . she ran, again. Are we getting a pattern here? Anyways. Another post, only because I will be unable to write tomorrow (visiting my grandparents and they don't have a good computer). And I was absolutely amazed to find out that *gasps dramatically* I have a reviewer from Australia! I think? Am I correct? Well I'm sure she is in the southern hemisphere which makes me very pleased! Ok I'm weird to be so excited over that but its Super Cool because I have never been contacted by anyone further than Tennessee, or Vancouver whichever is further (I live in Ontario). I can't remember which is. OH! I forgot to mention in my last author's note, I DO say eh! I say it all the time! Not many Canadians do, but I am one of them that do! *grins proudly.* Anyways! That is Super Cool and I just wanted to say that! REVIEW!!
~Toodles!