“Oh, I found some ibuprofen, but you need to eat some crackers too.” Mei rolled two tablets into my open hand. “Should I call a doctor, or a hospital? Or your dad?”
“I’ll be okay. No need to worry my dad.”
“I could send for your friend, Jeremy.”
“No,” I said a bit too loudly. “No, please don’t do that. I’m fine.”
Mei blinked, crossing her legs as she lowered herself onto the floor. “Okay, I’ll stay for a while.”
“You’ll miss the rally.”
Mei shrugged. “It’s fine. Now eat!”
The next timeI opened my eyes, it wasn’t to Mei’s kind face, but to Francesca glowering at me from the doorway. She cut an eerie figure against the stark hallway light behind her.
“Oh, you’re finally awake.” She stepped into my room and closed the door. She wasn’t wearing her usual ripped goth-girl getup, but clothes akin to those she’d worn to meet the Daltons last Christmas. She wore softer makeup and even had a different scent.Is this who she is for him?
Get out —I wanted to scream at her —of my room, of my head, of my life. I swallowed the little saliva left in my sour-tasting mouth, but the words wouldn’t come.
Francesca shifted onto the edge of the bed, and themovement sent pain coiling through me. I gasped and clutched at my side.
“That’s right, your little friend said you’d gone and hurt yourself.”
“I didn’t hurt myself. Some lunatic on a bike knocked me over.”
Francesca shook her head as if disputing the fact.
“Where is Mei?” I asked.
“I knew that’s who you’d go running to.”
“What? No, don’t try to twist this around,” I hissed. “I hope you weren’t awful to her, Francesca.”
She shrugged.
“How long have you been sleeping with Jeremy? He already knows about you and me, doesn’t he?”
A smirk played on Francesca’s lips, and I wanted to smack it off her face, but it hurt too much even to sit up properly, let alone to inflict a wound on someone else.
“It must have been a shock for you earlier.”
Tears prickled my eyes. “A shock? You’ve been sleeping with both of us!”
“I never said that you and I were exclusive, did I?”
Her question landed on me like a bucket of ice water.
“I, I thought you… you said that… it was me…” I frowned because I couldn’t grip hold of the evidence I was looking for.
No, she’d never said we were exclusive.I couldn’t fight my corner, because I was already on the floor, her boot pressing into my back whilst the referee held up her arm and declared her victorious.
How on earth had I lost this fight whenI’d had the upper hand? Pain throbbed in my head, and it became harder to pull air into my lungs as my chest tightened. Francesca cupped a cool hand around my burning face and swiped her thumb across my cheekbone. Anyone else might have mistaken the look on her face for concern, but it was a thin mask. I could see right through it now, because I’d read about people like Francesca.
“You look terrible,” she said. “You should get some rest.”
I nodded, blinking away stinging tears as she pushed the damp hair back from my forehead and kissed it.
“I’ll come by to check on you later. Maybe then we can smooth things over properly.”
