by C. Morgan
Curious about why a girl like her would’ve subjected herself to spending so much time on the floor in front of a guy like me, I bent over and picked up the page she’d left behind. It had to have been important, or she would’ve just left those few notes behind that my foot had been on.
As I glanced down at the paper, though, I was a little stunned. Which didn’t happen to me often. This chick was learning shit I couldn’t make heads or tails of.
Between the way she looked, her fierce attitude, the politeness I’d seen her interact with others with, and her obvious dedication and intellect, she was the kind of daughter who would’ve made my parents proud.
My fist crumbled around the page when the thought crept into my mind, and I tossed the paper into the trash instead of following through on the vague notion I’d had of returning it to her. She’d told me to fuck off, and I’d happily do it. Let her figure out a different way to get her precious information back.
Chapter 9
RUBY
After my last class of the day, Professor Adams asked me to stay behind. She smiled at me, her blue eyes twinkling behind her thick glasses as I approached her from my desk in the front row.
She was busy packing up her things, but she stopped when I reached her. “I won’t take up too much of your time, Ms. Sprite. I know you’re probably eager to start reviewing all the work that was covered today, but I have some exciting news to share with you.”
I frowned, but at least that explained the twinkling eyes. “Oh?”
“An incredible opportunity has come up to be a working physiotherapist’s aid in the campus clinic,” she said. “When I heard about it, I put your name forward and the application was accepted. The spot’s yours if you want it.”
My head spun. “Really?”
Chuckling as she nodded, she went back to sliding her teaching materials into her satchel while she explained. “Only a select few students are chosen to help out in the clinic as the opportunities open up each year. How would you like to earn some extra credit and the chance to apply what you’re learning hands on? There are others in line after you if you don’t think you’ll have the capacity to take it on. It won’t count against you.”
“No,” I said immediately. “I mean yes. I’d love to. I definitely have the capacity. Please don’t ask anyone else. I’ll take it. Thank you so much.”
“I thought you’d leap at the opportunity. I’m glad to see I was right.” She chuckled again, then handed over a printed sheet that I’d be guarding like treasure from now on. “That’s the weekly schedule and some of the other details you may need. They’ll give you proper orientation at the clinic, though. That’s all, Ms. Sprite. You can go now.”
“Thank you so, so much, professor,” I gushed, my heart racing as I said my goodbyes and stumbled up the stairs and out of the lecture hall.
This was amazing. I hadn’t been expecting anything like it at all, but it was exactly what I needed. Not only would it definitely help me in my efforts to be considered for early graduation, but getting some practical experience would also give me an edge not many of my peers had. Putting the theory into practice would help cement it in my brain and it would look amazing on my resume when I finally started applying for jobs.
It was an all-round win, and it felt like a good omen for the semester to start this way. Rushing back to the dorms to share the news with Hadley, I stopped short when I found her fussing over and pampering her bruised up boyfriend.
“Toughen up, you big baby,” she was saying when I opened the door. “If you want to fight, you should be able to take the consequences. Now hold still. I need to dress that cut. Ryker did a terrible job of patching you up.”
Hearing me come in, she smiled at me over her shoulder and motioned to Dax. He was lying on her bed with one of his arms behind his head and his other hand in her lap. She held a cotton ball and was dabbing carefully at his knuckles.
“This one doesn’t think wound care is important,” she said, rolling her eyes to make it clear what she thought about his opinion. “Can you please tell him that bad things happen when you let your fraternity brothers fix you up with nothing but vodka and wit?”
“Vodka and wit has worked for us for ages,” he objected lightly, sending me an imploring look. “Tell her, Ruby. Frat guys have way more experience tending to injuries than most of you medical types at this point of your careers.”
Haddie smacked his thigh playfully, turning back to him to lower her head so it was hovering inches above his. “That may be true, but you’ve got someone who loves you. You don’t need to settle for their rudimentary patch up jobs when I can fix my man up properly.”
Just like that, they seemed to forget that I was even in the room. He tilted his chin up so his nose touched the tip of hers, then he pulled his hand out from under his head and threaded his fingers into her hair.
“Your man,” he murmured, looking deep into her eyes. “I still like the sound of that.”
When she smiled and pressed her lips to his, I cleared my throat before I saw things I really didn’t want to see. “Still here, guys. Since you’re being so intolerably lovey-dovey again tonight, I’m just going to grab my stuff and head to the library. Do not, I repeat, do not have sex on my bed.”
Hadley giggled and hid her face in Dax’s shoulder, but I heard her muffled voice when she apologized. “Sorry, Rubes. And you know we won’t. Don’t go. We’ll behave.”
I crossed over to my desk and put my bag on my chair to swap out what I needed before I headed off. “Don’t worry about it. I was going to go to the library tonight anyway. I want to stay on top of things, and that’s the best way I know how.”
She lay down with her head on his arm, but brought her eyes to mine. “How was your first day?”
“It was great,” I said while deciding on which textbooks to take with me. “I actually got offered a spot as an aid in one of the campus clinics, so that’s amazing.”
“Wow. Congratulations.” She rolled off the bed to come give me a hug.
Although she annoyed me when she was with Dax sometimes, I still loved the girl. Wrapping my arms around her, I smiled and hugged her back before releasing her. “Thanks. I’m really excited about it, but it’s going to mean that I have to be even more careful not to fall behind on the day-to-day stuff.”
“True, but your time management skills are great,” she said as she moved back to Dax. “I’m sure you’re going to be the best student aid they’ve ever had.”
“Congrats, Ruby,” Daxton said, pulling her back down when she reached the bed. “You’re going to kill it.”
I spoke to them for a few more minutes about what Professor Adams had said, then picked up my backpack when it was packed and took off. As much as I loved those two, being around them could be a lot.
I was also pretty sure he had some serious groveling to do after last night, and it wasn’t the kind of groveling that involved a third person. Unless all the participants were into the three people thing, of course, but none of us were.
It was cold outside and the air had that thick stillness to it that said it might snow soon. I dipped my head down as I hurried across campus to the library, shivering by the time I finally stepped into its welcoming warmth.
Exhaling a sigh of relief, I rubbed my hands to warm them up and went to find a study nook near the window. Once I was unpacked and got stuck into the books, time started flying by. In the late hours of the night, I looked up to see it was snowing outside.
Taking a break for a minute, I watched the flurries fall and thought back to this last Christmas. Mom always made time on Christmas mornings to have a cup of coffee somewhere quiet where she could do exactly this.
Watching the snow on Christmas and making the time to take it all in for a moment was a tradition for her, but I’d never really gotten it. We lived in Massachusetts. It wasn’t like snow was anything new or strange to us, but Mom still thought there was something special about a white Christmas.
<
br /> For as long as I could remember, I’d never been able to really feel present in the moment like that. I’d tried, but I inevitably got bored and moved on.
Everything always felt like it was happening around me, but never to or for me. School was the one place where things felt real. Where I really managed to immerse myself without feeling like I was just an outsider watching other people drink in the moments they’d remember forever while wondering what that felt like.
It was one of the reasons why I was so focused on my future. I always felt slightly out of place and like I was just wasting time anywhere else. Surely, that would change once I started working. Once my efforts would actually start making a real difference in people’s lives.
At least, that was what I was hoping for. Maybe the clinic would even be the start of that. Maybe it will become a place where I finally feel like I am where I’m supposed to be.
But before I even got to the clinic, I needed to study. While all the work I’d already put in this last week or so had given me a decent head start, I wasn’t quite done for the night yet.
Turning my attention back to the textbook open on my desk, I took one of my colored markers and picked up where I’d left off. A little while later, the sound of screeching tires ripped me out of my thoughts.
My head jerked up and as I looked outside, I watched with wide eyes as a car slammed into a tree right outside the library. I was on my feet and running before my brain had even actively given the command to move.
Shit. The driver of that car could be seriously injured.
Since it was so late on a Monday night, there was nobody else around to help. Crap. Crap. Crap.
I might not be able to do much once I got out there, but I raced toward the doors as fast as I could anyway. After seeing the accident happen, it was the least I could do. As I ran past the librarian’s desk, I called to her over my shoulder.
“Dot! Call 911. There’s been an accident.”
Without waiting to make sure she was doing it, I banged open the double doors and ran out into the freezing night. I’d left my coat hanging over the back of my chair, but I was hardly aware of the cold.
Fuck a damn duck. Where were the professors and the people who really knew what they were doing when you needed them?
Chapter 10
BRYSEN
When I came to, the first thing I became aware of was that my head was still pounding. Or maybe it was pounding again. I didn’t even know. All I knew was that it fucking hurt. Everything hurt.
What the hell happened? I heard a low groan, then wrenched open my eyes to see who it’d come from.
As I looked around, however, I realized two things. One was that I was alone, which meant I was the one still groaning every so often even though I wasn’t aware of making the sounds and two, this wasn’t my car.
Gingerly sitting back, I started moving my limbs slowly one by one to assess my injuries. This wasn’t my first crash and all things considered, I didn’t think it was too bad. Nothing felt broken, in any event.
As I blinked the world back into focus, I saw the badge on the steering wheel and it brought up a hazy memory of seeing that same badge earlier tonight on a key fob. Oh, yeah. That’s right. Daniel let me take his new wheels out for a spin.
Another low groan echoed around me when I tried to sit up. Fuck. My shoulder’s definitely busted.
A warm trickle on my cheek and one on my chin told me I was bleeding, too. How did I end up here?
One minute, everything had been fine. I’d been cruising past the library putting the car through its paces and the next, I was waking up here, broken and bruised behind the wheel. I couldn’t remember what had gone wrong at all.
The airbags hadn’t gone off, which was confusing since it was a new car. Something must’ve malfunctioned, but I didn’t know what.
As awareness sank in, I realized I might have been wrong before. I hadn’t thought I was very hurt, but I was starting to feel like I was. My nose was starting to throb, and a sharp, blinding pain shot through me when I pressed my fingertips to it. That’s definitely broken.
Also, my fingertips were numb. If it hadn’t been for the pain in my nose, I wouldn’t have realized I’d already touched them to my skin.
When I tried to move again, it occurred to me that while my left leg wasn’t sore, I also couldn’t move it. Couldn’t feel it.
There was a weight on my chest that didn’t make any sense since there was nothing on it. My ears were ringing, and my tongue tasted like copper.
None of this is good. It’s not good at fucking all.
Confusion set in and it suddenly felt like my brain matter had turned into sludge. Everything just felt… slow. My head was spinning and it was difficult to grab onto thoughts before they evaporated again.
Before I could start panicking, a noise at the driver’s door caught my attention. I turned my head slowly, sluggishly realizing there was a girl outside.
A golden halo surrounded her head, and I briefly wondered if she was an angel. Maybe I’d entered the twilight zone and was actually dying. But then I remembered who I was. When I died, there wouldn’t be angels around to guide me into the light. Demons were the more likely bet, and this girl definitely wasn’t one of those.
The door clicked, then a rush of cold air stung the bare skin on my face and arms. A soft, caring voice broke into my thoughts. “Are you okay, sir?”
There was slight pause before I heard her melodic voice again. “Oh my God, Brysen? Is that you?”
All I could do in response was to groan again. Smooth, dude. Real smooth.
“Okay, try not to move,” she said. “I’m not going to hurt you. Don’t worry. There’s real help on the way. I asked Dot to call an ambulance. The paramedics will be here soon. Just relax. I’m going to take care of you, Brysen. I know what I’m doing.”
I thought I heard her adding “sort of” under her breath, but I couldn’t be sure. The blood rushing in my ears made it hard to be absolutely sure of anything she was saying. All I knew for a fact was that she was beautiful and gentle.
People didn’t speak to me in the tone of voice she was using. Their voices were always harsh and barky when they were addressing me. An instinctive part of me wanted to tell her that I wasn’t some delicate fucking flower that she needed to treat like it was going to break, but I fought against the urge.
Because for once in my fucking life, it was nice to be treated so tenderly. And that confirms it. I must’ve hurt my head worse than I thought, too. I have to have a brain bleed or something to be thinking shit like this.
But I still didn’t tell her to stop.
The accident had happened on campus property. By my last bearings, I was right in front of the library. Sooner or later, Tommy and Alison were going to receive a phone call about my latest fuck up, and no one was going to be gentle or tender with me once they arrived.
I groaned again, and the angel leaned over me to look into my eyes. There was a slight crease between her brows. She looked genuinely worried for someone who didn’t even know me. “What’s wrong, Brysen? Did I hurt you just now?”
Wait. She called me Brysen. Also, I think she did that before, too. Which means she does know me.
Squinting in an attempt to bring her fuzzy features into focus, I realized it was Ruby. The hot med student or whatever she was studying. Nursing? Physiotherapy? Both? Something medical. Definitely.
“No, you didn’t hurt me,” I managed to murmur.
The words made my throat feel like it was on fire, and I winced as I tried to gather some spit in my mouth to wet it a little. Her face swam in and out of focus, but the concern on it was there every time I zeroed in on her and it was real.
“I’m just checking you out,” she said. “You can tell me if anything hurts.”
“Everything hurts, but not because of you,” I rasped out. “Just admit it, you’ve been checking me out since we met.”
Quiet laughter met my ears when my vision we
nt blurry again. “Well, at least I know you can’t be too hurt if you’re still saying crap like that. On the other hand, maybe you’ve always been delusional and the crash just didn’t affect that part of your brain.”
I started laughing, but I didn’t get very far before the resulting pain choked me up. Holy shit. This hurts.
Ruby’s soft hands pressed very gently against my chest. “Stop moving. Stop talking, too. I don’t want you to make it worse.”
“Can you just get me out of the car?” I bit out. “I need to get away from here.”
“Oh no, you don’t,” she said firmly. “There’s no way I’m moving you. The paramedics will know what to do, but I don’t. I also don’t have the equipment I’d need to move you safely. You could’ve injured your neck or spine, and if you did, it could be catastrophic if I help you to get out without us knowing what’s going on.”
“Catastrophic, huh?” I tried to waggle my brows at her, but I wasn’t sure if they were working properly. “That makes it seem like you actually care about what happens to me.”
“Delusional,” she muttered again, but I swore I heard amusement in her voice when she said it. “What happened to the stop talking rule? I’m not kidding, Brysen. This could be serious.”
After pausing for a beat, I dropped the bullshit and reached for her even though I didn’t quite know why I was doing it. “I’m pretty sure you’re right. It feels serious.”
For a second, I thought she was going to leave me hanging but then I felt her small fingers slide between mine. She cradled my hand in hers more gently than anyone had ever held it. I relaxed back into the seat and just let it all be.
I was too out of it to do anything else. Usually, Emily was the only person who I allowed to see me anywhere near the way I was right now, but it wasn’t like I had a choice. I couldn’t move until the paramedics got here apparently, and Ruby had just happened to be wherever the fuck she’d appeared from. She was the only person around right now and it didn’t look like she was going anywhere either. We were stuck here together, and I was too drained to be a smart ass right now.
