The good news was that Aria was alive.
After a huge fuss on the field, Bulk and I helped Nurse Redheart with getting her on a stretcher and back to the nurse's office. There was a small gathering outside the door as they waited for the verdict. As the perpetrator, I was allowed to stay inside and help. She didn't say but I knew it was because Nurse Redheart knew what it would be like for me out there.
Why'd you do it? It was on purpose, wasn't it? Were you trying to kill her? Was it because she dumped you?
After a while, the snow colored nurse walked outside and announced that Aria was indeed breathing and that she needed to rest for at least another hour or two. She left me in the room while she went to attend a staff meeting.
Looking down at Aria, I saw the girl I had a humongous crush on. I saw the girl who had chewed me out in front of a crowd and crushed my cellphone in a fit of supernatural rage. I saw the girl who, along with her sisters, tried to eat my soul. I saw the girl, who more than anything else, needed a friend.
Sure, she had made it abundantly clear that I was off the list as an option but she'd neglected to say why. Why was it that she hated me that badly?
Well, she had a reason now: I gave her a concussion with the business end of a soccer ball. I'd have to apologize for that when she woke up. You know, before she killed me.
I looked around the room at all the medical supplies. Our school was well stocked; it was almost like being in a real hospital room. There was even a heart monitor and a defibrillator and a-
Ugh! I was boring myself.
I seriously just wanted to leave but it didn't feel right just abandoning the girl I'd knocked out. Still, I wanted to do something. I could have passed the time playing a game on my phone but... yeah.
The bandage over her ear had become fully soaked red and was starting to leak. I cautiously opened the door and looked out. Nurse Redheart wasn't on her way and I really didn't want to leave Aria alone.
I sifted through one of the cabinets and pulled out a bandage and gauze. Remembering my 4H training from back in grade school, I set to work removing the soaked bandage. I tried to peel it off slowly.
"Ow!"
Aria sat up with a start and clasped her hand to her ear.
"Ow!" she exclaimed again.
She looked around and settled at me. I waited for the incoming slap that would have probably shattered my jaw. But it never came.
"Who are you and what are you doing?" she asked.
Was she serious?
"Are you serious?" I asked.
"Do I look like I'm joking?" she was angry but also genuinely confused. And then she was scared. "Oh God, I'm bleeding."
"Lie back down," I ordered. "And stay still."
She did as she was told and I changed the bandage.
"Thanks," she said with a smile when I was finished. "You still haven't said you you are?"
"Lost," I answered. "Lost Legacy."
She smiled sweetly.
"Well, Lost Lost Legacy, it was very nice of you to help me with that bandage... even if I don't know where it came from," she said. She looked around again. "Looks like I'm in the nurse's office, because of this injury I guess."
I nodded.
She sat up and hopped off the bed. "I feel and little better now, so could you please tell her that I left?" she asked me.
I nodded again.
"Thanks," she said again and went over to the aquamarine flower print book bag in the chair by the door. "Is this mine?"
Once more, I nodded.
She took it up and opened the door. Before going through, she came back inside, planted a kiss on my cheek and skipped out.
"That's not funny, dude," Snips told me.
"I josh you not," I said, my feet folded at the foot of his bed.
Snails was playing some fighting game or the other on Snip's PlayOffice 3.
"You are my idol, man!" he praised. "Knock a girl out and get a kiss."
"It's not funny," I shot him a glare at his computer chair. "Something's wrong with her."
"I'll say," Snails joked turning around. "Maybe you gave her brain damage."
Snips laughed but I didn't. It was a distinct possibility. Oh crap, what if I did give her brain damage? In addition to the never-ending guilt, I doubt her sisters would take too kindly to that. If all of them were experiencing the weird power surges that was enough to destroy the very ground they walked on... and they had my address... I drew up my knees and buried my face in them.
"C'mon, man, chill out," Snips said. "I'm pretty sure it was just a fluke. Monday morning, she's gonna be hating on you just like the past few weeks."
A little part of me hoped so. It was what I was used to; what was normal. If anything, brain damaged Aria was scarier than pissed off Aria. Whatever damage I'd inflicted could wear off at any moment and then what? One second she's nice and giving me pecks on the cheek and the next she'd have me in a choke hold until I blacked out.
A message came in on Snails' phone. He paused the game and read it. He unpaused it and handed it to me.
"It's for you."
I took it and read it:
Hi snls (or is ths snps) i cn nvr tl u gz aprt anwy its pinkie with an ie and dsh wnts 2 tlk 2 lst cz she cnt rch hm n hs fn cz of wat hpnd wth aria tht dy u knw course u do u wr ther bt anywy cn u pt hm on?
My eyes and brain hurt trying to decipher the message. Eventually I tapped in:
This is he
A minute later:
Hey Lost, its me Dash. Anyway, Aj said we could use her farm for som last minute training so we were gonn meet there at like 12 or sum on Saturday. That cool?
I thought about it. I definitely didn't need to be bugging about Aria all weekend and hanging with Dash seemed to be the only surefire way that didn't happen.
Totes
Kl. BTW could you erase Pinkie's number from Snails' fone when your done. I don't want him trying anything
No prob
Then I proceeded to erase the conversation. Alright, now I had something to take my mind off of Aria this weekend. At least for Saturday.
"Knock, knock," Sugar stuck her head inside Snips' bedroom.
"Get out," Snips threw his Ninja Tortoise action figure at her. As a testament to his physical skill, it missed by a wide margin and cracked the wall.
"I need help with my math homework," Sugar said, she wiped and strand of amber hair behind her ear. "I need help from Snails."
Snails paused his game and whipped around in excitement.
Snips glared at him. "I'll help you!" he shouted back at Sugar.
"No way," she scoffed. "I want higher than a D this time."
"Lost," Snips called to me. "You're good at math, help her out."
"No can do," I said. "I've gotta go rest up. I have training tomorrow."
Before Snips could find another option, Snails was up and out the door with Sugar. I followed. As I closed the door behind, I could hear Snips mutter forlornly:
"Hit a girl, get a kiss. My sister likes Snails. The end of the world is nigh."