by Debbie Civil
Chapter 5
Jake
Carmen tripped and was sprawled on the sidewalk, and those vermin still kept taking pictures. I squeeze the steering wheel in and tempt to not lose control. I can’t believe what happened to the girl. I try not to speed. Carmen is the cautious type and won’t appreciate it. The paparazzi isn’t following us because they probably know what will happen. The police will be called, and they will be arrested for trespassing.
“Jake,” Carmen says. The last thing that I want to do is talk to her.
“We’ll be home soon.” She gets the hint and is quiet for the rest of the ride. I drive up to the mansion’s gates and roll down the window to enter the password. I pull into the garage, slide out of the car, open the door and gather her into my arms. After kicking the door close I rush from the garage and up the porch stairs and to the front door. The door opens before I can ask Carmen to reach for the knob. Standing in the doorway is a confused looking Eli. She has no idea of why I’m holding Carmen in my arms and let me just say that I don’t care to explain.
“Move,” I snap. Her eyes fill with anger.
“What did she do?” I have no idea what Eli is asking.
“Move,” I order in a frustrated tone, not feeling like she needs any explanation.
“Is Carmen drunk or something?” As if Eli hasn’t drowned in the bottle.
“No, she sprained her ankle. Now move.”. Eli brushes the attitude off as my usual treatment and holds the door open as I walk into the foyer. She doesn’t understand the urgency. Carmen was hurt because of me, and I have to fix this. Nathan, Dom, Bridget, Danny and Nate are standing there dressed in casual designer clothing. They probably went to an upscale restaurant. It irks me that Carmen wasn’t included. But I tamp the feeling down.
“Hi Jake,” Dom greets. We haven’t been close friends since Amber, but the minute he dated my sister, our friendship became nonexistent. Carmen stares at everyone and then presses her face to my chest.
“Move,” I say again, wanting to bring her back to her room and get her cuts cleaned.
“Do you want to go to the ice bar with us?” Bridget asks me. I look past the redhead and stare at Danny, whose closest to the door.
“No, now move.” Danny understands me well, she opens the door, and I carry her deeper into the house. When I’m by the elevator, the doors slide open revealing Peter, whose eyes widen.
“Jake, what’s happened?” His eyes are focused on the blood on Carmen’s chin.
“She tripped and sprained her ankle,” I tell him. Peter nods in understanding before moving past me.
“I’ll get the first aid kit,” he offers as I hit the number three. Carmen’s room is down the hall from Chelsea’s. They were offered a suite, but the couple turned it down. My guess is that they don’t intend on staying in this house long. I walk into Carmen’s room and am surprised when her parents are sitting at the small table by the window.
“Maybe tomorrow, Bianca,” Kenny says before I purposefully startle them by bumping her cluttered dresser. Bottles of lotion and body spray tumble to the ground. Carmen lifts her head from my chest and rolls her eyes at me.
“Sorry,” I express to Carmen, who sighs, deeply.
“Carmen? What’s happened?” her father asks. He walks over to us and reaches for her. But I shake my head and gently lay her on the bed.
“My ankle,” she complains. I brush a strand of her wild hair back from her forehead.
“It will be all right,” I tell her. She looks up at me, and her eyes are vulnerable.
“When you called me beautiful, did you mean it?” Her question is soft and fragile. She’s starting to feel insecure because everyone, aside from her parents, Peter and Chelsea treats her so horribly. I nod, and she relaxes and Peter comes in with supplies. He’ll probably know exactly how to treat all of her cuts. But Carmen shoots a glare at me before sitting up.
“Thanks, Peter,” she whispers, but she’s cut off by her mother grabbing her arm and putting rubbing alcohol on it. I move aside so that Peter can do her other arm. It takes a while, but Carmen is all cleaned up and her ankle, which is a sprain, is wrapped and elevated. When her father requests to take her to the hospital, she tells him that she doesn’t want to go. After everything is done, I sit in a chair by Carmen’s bed and keep her company. Chelsea, who had been picking up dinner for her and Peter, runs in her room after hearing of Carmen's mishap. Her parents smile at us and leave. It’s now the four of us.
“I tripped,” Carmen simply says. She doesn't tell Peter and Chelsea about Wildflower. I’m relieved by that.
“How do you feel about Dom being here?” Chelsea asks her. Carmen sighs.
“Annoyed. I’d rather he and his girlfriend vanish. Whenever he comes around, Eli blows me off.” Her words are full of frustration. I reach out and pat her shoulder.
“You hate Silver's,” I remind her. She chuckles.
“But Eli is under the illusion that I like it,” Carmen groans. Chelsea laughs.
“I never thought that you liked Silver's. You make a face whenever we go there,” Peter adds.
“Who was the girl, Jake?” she asks me. I sigh and hold a finger to my lips. Peter and Chelsea don’t tell Carmen to talk about the girl. Instead, they stand and leave.
“Carmen, it’s complicated. I…”
“I understand that you don’t want to tell me. That’s perfectly fine,” she says.
“No, I do want to tell you. I just can’t tell you. It isn’t my secret to tell.”
“She kissed you,” she points out, her eyes growing sad. I gently brush my lips against hers. Before she can respond, I pull away.
“And I kissed you. You didn’t kiss me,” I explain, trying to make her understand.
