Ugh! I hated mornings. That said I hated this one most especially. Why you ask? I could feel actual pounding in my ears as I tried to sit up. And that's not even part of it.
"Hey, hey slow down," I heard as a pair of hands settled on my shoulder pushing me back down and I frowned.
"Huh? What? Ethan, what are you doing here? Where...?"
"You're in heaven. Don't you remember? You died yesterday evening," he said before a smack reached my ears through all the blurriness as Tess came to view.
"Shut up you idiot."
"What!? I was just trying to answer her," he said but from the corner of my eye I could see Tess shake her head as I tried to sit up again when my blurry vision cleared, without any resistance this time.
"How are you feeling?"
"Honestly, like I got run over by a truck. What happened?"
"You tell me. One minute we're at Alex's soccer practice and the next we're bringing you home unconscious."
"Oh my God, Alyson," I jumped startled almost falling out of the bed, at the thought only to have Ethan steady me.
"Don't worry, I picked her up. I have to say I think Mrs K has a baby crush on her," he said cheekily and I let out a sigh.
"Thank God," I breathed out as a knock came on the door and Tony walked in, a tray of food in his hand.
"You're awake. I brought breakfast," he said and I frowned.
"Thank you but I'm not really hungry," I said and clearly it wasn't the answer he was expecting.
"Can you leave us alone for a second?" He said and the two left almost immediately.
"Look, there's no problem. I'm just not hungry."
"I heard you and I believe you," he said setting the food down and pulled the chair from the dresser beside my bed. "If I may ask, when was the last time you had a good night's sleep?"
"Honestly? Before my 8th birthday, give or take," I said with a shrug and he looked shocked.
"Umm, have you.." he started fumbling with his words but I cut him off.
"Gotten some help? Sure. Not much help though. Look, I have my doubts that the only reason Eve sent me here was so you could help me, being the chief of a hospital but please just quit while you're ahead."
"But I..," he started before he seemed to second guess himself and stopped. " Okay, just try to eat something. You've been out all night."
He said before leaving the room and I let out a sigh dragging myself out of bed and into the shower. This is going to be a long day. I could already feel it in my bones.
*************
"Back already. I told you we'd be good friends," Susan, the school nurse called out as I entered her office and I smiled.
If it weren't for Tony I wouldn't exactly have come here. And promising that I would see the nurse for a 'routine check-up' as he called it was the only way I could come to school today. I wasn't sick if that's what you're thinking, I just that I wasn't much of a morning eater. But that was only when it came to eating. The only issue I could ever admit to having however, was when it came to sleeping and the strange thing is I'm no insomniac. But it wasn't anything I'd admit out loud, not that anyone would understand.
"So you fainted?"
"Just exhausted and as you can see I'm alive and everything is functioning properly. And I didn't even have to get caffeine in my system. So I can leave right?" I said and she laughed.
"Let me be the judge of that, Dr Peters," she teased and I sat back in my seat grumbling profanities under my breath.
After that totally uncalled for check-up, I ended up being late for my Math class. Funny, how that class always seems to come when I visit the nurse and how everytime I seem to get detention. For the second time this week all from the same teacher, even with my slip and I was left wondering if he had a secret vendetta against me but that wasn't the only surprising thing.
On my first day, I came to learn that this teacher insisted on permanent seating position for the rest of the year. Given I came a week after the year had started, I got the seat at the back. Honestly, I hadn't known whether to be grateful or suspicious that there were two empty desks or not, but today, I came to know why. And the reason, came in almost a minute after I took my seat and I tensed.
For the time, I'd been here it had always been empty and being my aloof self, I never bothered to know who usually occupied it. And looking at him, now I realized that maybe I should have asked for a heads up as his gaze ran from one corner to the other before his gaze landed on me and he let out a half smirk as he made his way over.
"Princess," he greeted with a half salute and I didn't exactly know what to make of it but despite myself I glowered at him and he chuckled patting my head and it took all I had not to tackle him onto the floor and this time cause some damage when it hit me.
The boy on the beach, who was nothing but sweet yet vulnerable, was just a one-timer. And his dominant alter ego was this suave, cocky yet aloof brat who treated me like a clumsy child. I was clumsy, but only when I was worked up. More so he probably didn't even remember who I was other than the girl who ruined his jacket and when I came to the realization that it didn't bother me as I thought it would, I was nothing but relieved. After all, I had heard about his escapades along with the rumors of how I had supposedly become his personal slave or something along the lines of that.
It was all for the best, I concluded. But the more I thought about it the more questions arose in my head. We did not interact anymore that lesson and it hit me. The more I held on to his stuff, the more it seemed like I would be indebted to him. Strangely though he didn't ask for his clothes or his supposedly favorite jacket, I thought deciding to track him down and give them back.
"You're in a pissy mood," Jordan said as she found Alice and I at lunch.
"Well, you've heard the rumors. I'd be pissed too," Alice said and I rolled my eyes.
"Actually, I'm pissed at the fact that I missed my daily dose of caffeine. I've been lagging behind all day," I grumbled as I took a bite out of my pizza.
"How are you feeling? Tess told me you weren't feeling well yesterday?" She asked and as if on cue a body slumped down beside me and cold fingers touched my forehead.
"Ethan!?" I scolded pushing his fingers away.
"What!? I'm just checking up on you."
"You are no doctor."
"But I could be for you," he said with a wink and I rolled my eyes.
"Eck! I just threw up in my mouth," I said and all over sudden he was on the floor clutching his chest.
"You wound me, caríno," he said in a small voice before slumping on the floor playing dead and I could hear the girls beside me snicker as I watched Ethan in amusement.
"Are you done with all the dramatics?" I asked and he peeked at me through one eye.
"Really? Nothing."
"Nope," I said and he frowned sitting up.
"You really wound me. Other girls would be kissing the very ground I fell on," he said before throwing a wink at one of the girls at the tables nearby and they practically fawned as if to prove a point. "See?"
"Your point?"
"You're different, I like it," he said before his phone pinged and he glanced at it briefly before getting to his feet. "As much as I like your company, duty calls."
"Girl, I'd kill to be in your shoes right now!?" Jordan exclaimed and I turned to her confused. "Please tell me you know who you were talking to."
"Ethan, I babysit for a friend of his also apparently, my neighbor," I murmured the last part more to myself.
"Not that," she said rolling her eyes for dramatic effect before waving her hand dismissively.
I wasn't a fun of gossip but the way this girl told them you'd be too hooked to forget how much you hated it.
"Ethan Marshall, former captain of the football team. Last year's homecoming king and one of Ryder's best friends," she exclaimed and all I could think was, I didn't see that one coming.