Emma's POV
Just two days after our fallout, Chase had an accident.
I was the only one home, and it made sense to be there for him.
All the nights I spent near his bedside praying that nothing happens to him.
My grades started to slack, I slept in class, my social battery was down, I was even beginning to look malnourished.
I tried to fight the fact, which is that I cared about Chase, but it was impossible.
I hated seeing him like that. I'd very much rather he be up and well, than sick, bedridden and housebound.
I passed out on him so many times, the doctor advised a maid to check up on me whenever I went in to see him.
Life was beginning to look colorful again, when two weeks after crashing himself and his car, he blinked.
Blood tests showed he was under the influence of drugs, but Mark paid heavily to kill the investigations at that stage. It was all anyone needed to know, really.
Three weeks after, doctors certified him okay enough to go about daily activities
"Rise and shine, Pimple." He teased me by leaning against my door.
It's the first civil and voluntary interaction we'd had since he say Lily kiss me in the bathroom
Unfortunately, it wasn't a good day. Lily took pictures of the score sheet and sent it to me.
I still can't describe how bad I felt. I lacked zeal for anything again.
"It means I failed two courses. I'd never get into college. Just go one without me." I replied.
"I know what to do." Chase said after I replied to him.
"And what could that be?" I asked him. "Using your meds?"
"Don't be silly." He said. "Come on."
"I'm driving." I wasn't taking chances with my life by letting Chase drive me. Life hasn't been so colorful, but not bad enough for me to want him to kill me in a car crash like he nearly did to himself.
I grabbed my car keys and locked my door behind me.
"Pissy, huh?" He teased me.
"That's your business. You better know what to do." I said, walking out on him.
We drove in silence and in less than an hour, we were in the school parking lot.
Then it occurred to me to ask Chase what he really was going to do.
"What the hell are you gonna do anyway? Or this is your attempt at making me drive you to school?" I asked him.
"You wish! I'm a better driver, you know that. I just have one or two things to say to Mr Rudd." He replied to me.
It would be a lie for me to deny noticing the growing tension between Mr Rudd and Chase, but I didn't care cause Chase and I weren't on really good terms.
"I really hope you're not planning to put me in more trouble." I said.
I knew it was something I could do. I knew it was the only proper way to go about it.
But something about going to see Mr Rudd did not appeal to me.
He had been too close to Jessica for comfort. Plus I kinda turned him down about a week after I got admitted into the school.
"If I could, I would." Chase replied, smiling very naughtyly.
"Just forget it." I was in a bad mood, and clearly very blinded to his humor. College was the only prospect of escaping my life.
I wanted to start a new life in college. There were nights I stayed up late fantasizing about how estranged I planned to become.
"You don't get to be that rude." Chase said, closing in on me.
He wasn't smiling, but didn't look angry either.
"Chase please get out of my way. You made me come already, I just wanna leave through today and go back home. I'll meet you here at exactly three." I said and brushed past him.
I didn't care what he wanted to do, I didn't care what he was going to do. I just wanted to be mad, and left alone.
Lily, who was already in class, had the puppy look when I walked in. But I didn't care, after all she wasn't the one who would stay back while others left for college.
She put her arms around me as soon as I sat in the seat she reserved for me beside herself.
Chase waked in almost twenty minutes later and sat next to Gray. I didn't realize they were back together. Although Gray did visit a couple of times when he was still bedridden.
They looked happy and chatty, everyone did and it made me so mad.
The day passed by quickly, like I wanted it to do. But that also meant that I had to live through lunch break.
It probably wasn't the smartest thing, but since I didn't want to be among a crowd, I made Lily get my food and wait while I went into the bathroom.
I had no appetite for food, nor for people, and it was the best place I could be.
"Emma." I heard Chase's voice from outside the bathroom.
"You can just wait there till you get busted for eavesdropping on a girls bathroom, or go where you're wanted." I said.
"Come out." Oops. He wasn't in the mood for my tongue.
Reluctantly, I went out to meet him.
"Mr Rudd has fixed it." He said, shoving my papers in my face.
"Thank you." I didn't know what else to say.
"That all?" He asked. "Speechless?"
I couldn't even bring myself to look him in the face.
"Thank you, Chase." I repeated.
"Save that for someone who cares." He said. I instantly felt bad for treating him the way I did earlier. "I'll show you how to thank me later." He winked and walked off.
He still had a slight limp, from the injury.
But he wasn't mad, and that made me happy.
My plans for college were back in place.