Hailey
After mine and Jensen’s performance, I suddenly madefriends. Well, that might be a big word for now, but Chloe came over to introduce herself, dragging a timid girl called Rachel behind her and they both took a seat beside me. Now I’m following them into the cafeteria, my stomach empty and clinging to my spine.
Twenty-four hours without food is not the best way to speed up my recovery.
The mouthwatering smells hit me as we enter the busy room. A blend of grilled chicken, baked bread, and the addictive bitterness of freshly brewed coffee. Not the brown water they served at the hospital. No, this is a rich, gorgeous scent of properly ground high-quality beans.
Yet another vertiginous ceiling, but no stone walls. This space looks modern save for the imposing windows overlooking the forest. It’s clinically clean. Sterile like the hospital. Whitetiles on the floor, different-sized tables, chairs, even lounging areas with tall bookcases.
Chloe pushes her shoulder-length hair behind her ears as she impatiently steps from one foot to the other when we beeline for the plate station, then move along the buffet-style arrangement. There’s something for everyone here. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, meat, fish, salads...
“That’s a regret waiting to happen,” Rachel warns, scrunching her nose as she pushes my hand away from the tuna salad. “I had it last week and ended up curled around the toilet all night.”
I doubt they’re serving the same batch they did last week, but I mutter, “I don’t need that”, moving further along toward a table with six kinds of pasta calling my name.
I feel eyes trailing my every move while I add coffee and a heavenly-smelling slice of apple pie to my tray, but whenever I peek over my shoulder, no one’s watching.
Still, the feeling lingers as I shadow the girls toward a table at the far end, tucked by the huge windows overlooking the forest. There are a few people there, including Jensen.
“This one you know,” Chloe says. “Freshman, acting, his dad plays drums forBroken Anthem.” She shoots him a cute smile before pointing out a girl with a head of long, tiny braids. “That’s Amari, military brat. Modern dance, sophomore. And this...” She grins at the guy with his arm casually thrown over Amari’s shoulders. “This is her boyfriend, Levi.Justa brat.”
Levi cocks an eyebrow, moving his eyes from Chloe to me. “Senior, film production,” he adds. “Chloe here loves giving me shit. Pay no attention.”
“What are little sisters for?”
“Blackmailing, mostly,” Levi shoots back.
I slide into my seat, pointing a finger at myself. “Hailey, freshman, acting.”
“So we heard,” Levi muses. “You’ve made quite the entrance.”
“Have I?”
He nods. “Arriving a week late, battered, bruised, and kicking everyone’s ass in your first class. News travels fast here. “What’s with the sling and all the bruises?”
“Oh, um... car accident. Dislocated shoulder.”
“Damn, that’s bad,” Levi says, leaning against the back of his chair. “What happened? Your fault or...?”
“My fault. At least that’s what I gathered. My dad’s a cop. He said either the tire blew, or a deer jumped onto the road.”
“You can’t remember?” Amari asks, sipping her coffee.
“No. I can’t remember the last two years.”
“No way!” Chloe exclaims loud enough to turn heads five tables away. “So like, amnesia, right?”
I nod, poking my pasta. “Hopefully it’s not all lost. My doctor says I might get my memories back, but I had a meltdown at the hospital and my dad sent me here to...” I air quote, “...heal in a neutral environment.”
“Dad’s a cop, huh?” Jensen smirks, wagging his eyebrows. “Maybe you were drunk driving and he’s covering it up.”
Levi’s gaze roams the bruises covering my arms and chest. “She wasn’t driving.”
“Yes, I was.”
“You sure about that?”
“Yes. Dad gave me an extensive lecture about how it’s better to hit the animal than swerve.”
