I glanced down at my thin pink shirt and my cotton shorts. I made a face as I caught sight of my foot. I’d managed to block out the pain pretty well, all things considered, but seeing the blue green discoloration spreading across the joint of the big toe made me feel queasy. Maybe I should’ve called Kella.
I limped inside the house, kicking the sandal off on my good foot, and gingerly easing it off the other. My first stop was the kitchen, where I grabbed a bag of frozen beans. My second stop was the sofa.
Sitting down, I sighed as I put the towel wrapped frozen beans on my foot. The pain was back with a vengeance. I don’t think I’d ever felt this much pain before. The deep throb was beginning to extend all the way down to my ankle, and my toe looked like some kind of over boiled frankfurt that was about to burst out of its skin.
“Hey how did-” Kella stopped short, staring at my foot, “What the hell happened?” She screeched as she plopped down next to me. She lifted my makeshift ice pack and made a face, “Fuck Lil, I think that’s broken,” She gasped, her face going a shade of green, then white.
I peered around my knee to get a glimpse. It wasn’t good. My whole foot was now swollen. I was beginning to think Kella was right. There was a teeny tiny chance I’d broken my toe, or rather, he had broken my toe.
Dane Hanson. My heart swooned.
My mind wandered back to eyes. So blue, the color of the sky on a clear, sunny day. When he looked at me, I felt like he was staring right inside of me, feeling my feelings, and reading my thoughts. Then there was his smile. Oh god, that lopsided grin, those lips I’d just wanted to touch.
“Lil?” Kella wacked my shoulder. I jumped.
“What?”
“I said I should really take you to the hospital,” She repeated, “I’m no doctor, but I’d bet my entire shoe collection that it’s broken.”
Wow. This must be serious. Kella loved her shoes more than she liked eating. At last count she had more than a thousand pairs, everything from flats, to heels, to boots. Why someone needed so many shoes I never understood. Just as Kella couldn’t understand how I could get by with only five pairs. My runners, sandals, two pairs of pumps, and a pair of boots. And Kella was the last person you’d expect to have an obsession with shoes. She hated shopping, unless it was for shoes. I couldn’t drag her down to the mall to shop for clothes without promising to look at shoes too.
“Okay,” I relented, letting her help me up. I winced, unable to put any pressure at all on my foot now. Part of me worried I’d more damage by walking home.
“How the hell did this happen, anyway?” She asked, bearing most of my weight as we made our way to her car.
Thank god for her car. Everything being so close for me, I’d convinced mom I didn’t need a car, mainly because I felt guilty enough about moving away, without having her dip into her savings. Now, I wasn’t so sure. What if Kel hadn’t been home? Not that I would’ve been able to drive myself, but in another kind of emergency, not having a car could have been really bad.
“I was so busy perving on the guy in front of me at student admin, I didn’t realize he’d taken a step back. Right onto my foot,” I blushed, “I literally fell over,” I added.
Kella would be the only one to hear the real version. For everyone else, like my mom, I’d tripped over the footpath. This was way too embarrassing to repeat.
“Lil!” Kella laughed, shaking her head. She checked my face, as if she wasn’t sure I was serious. I raised an eyebrow. She laughed again, “Jesus, you’re so unco,” She giggled, “Who was the guy, anyway? He’d better have at least been hot,” She added as she helped me into the car. I rolled my eyes. Like his cuteness made me breaking my toe almost worth it? I waited until she was in the driver’s seat before answering.
“Hi name is Dane Hanson,” I replied, with a giddy smile. God, even his name brought goose bumps to my skin.
“Dane?” Kella looked surprised, her eyebrows shooting up.
“Yes. Why?” I asked suspiciously. Kella appeared to be squirming in her seat.
“Nothing,” She murmured. Kella was not a good liar. One second ago she had wanted to know everything, and now she was paying extra close attention to the chip in the foam of the steering wheel.
“Kella. I love you, but you can’t lie for shit. Spill,” I ordered. She hesitated, before rolling her eyes. What didn’t I know here?
“Well, it’s just…it’s probably nothing, but there were rumors around college last year…” Her voice trailed off. She glanced at me, biting her lip, her dark eyes full of worry.
“Kella!” I yelled, exasperated.
“Okay!” She put a hand up to quieten me, “He was one of the top boxers in the state, apparently. Then he just quit. He went from being ‘Mr Socially Popular Always Out Drinking And Picking Up Women’ to a recluse. Nobody really knows what happened. I’m shocked he’s back in classes, actually. I didn’t even know he was back.”
“He quit school?” I repeated. That kind of explained his little tiff with the office lady, “And what were the rumors, exactly?” I asked suspiciously. I was always wary of rumors. Spending weeks in a mental ward kind of did that to you.
“Drugs, mainly. There was a rumor he’d killed someone and had gone to juvie,” Kella thought for a moment, “And then there was the rape rumor.” Murder? Rape? My heat raced. Not my Dane. As silly as it was, I couldn’t believe I could have such a connection with someone capable of those things.
“Well, it’s not like I was planning on dating him,” I said defensively, cutting her off. I didn’t want to hear anymore. “And besides, if he murdered someone last year, he would have been eighteen and sent to prison, not juvie.”
Why was I being so defensive? Kella eyed me as if she was thinking the same thing.
“What?” I snapped.
She raised her eyebrows, but said nothing as she pulled into the emergency parking area. As soon as the car came to a stop, I hobbled out of the car. Kella rushed around to help me.
“Lil, don’t put pressure on it,” Kel said testily, putting my arm around her shoulder like a human crutch.
“Thanks for this. I’m sure you had better ways of spending your Saturday night,” I said dryly, as I leaned on her. She laughed, and I couldn’t help smiling like I always did when she laughed.
“I was planning on spending it with you, anyway, dipshit,” She giggled, kissing my cheek. I grinned. Kella was an awesome friend.
After an almost three hour wait in emergency, during which I almost walked out three times (but was stopped by an insistent Kella), I was finally seen by a doctor.
“That’s definitely broken,” He said after a quick look at my foot.
Whatever happened to X-rays? How the hell could he tell it was broken?
“I’ll order an x-ray to confirm, then we will plaster you up and have you on your way.”
Hold up, plaster? Who said anything about plaster? There was no way in hell I was going to be hobbling around campus with a plastered foot. I wanted to be inconspicuous; blend in, not stand out!
I may as well wear a sign that read ‘Uncoordinated idiot, steer clear’.
And then there was Dane. I groaned inwardly. As soon as he saw me on crutches, he’d know. I could almost picture his smirk. And those sexy piercing eyes, and his smile…
“Look, I’m feeling much better already. I think I’ll just be going,” I snapped back to reality, and started getting off the trolley, only to be pushed back onto it by a pissed off looking Kella.
“Hey, sit your ass back down and do what the doctor says,” She growled.
The doctor, who understandably looked more than a little bit terrified of Kella, nodded in agreement and left the room.
“Kella!” I wailed, “I can’t be hobbling around campus on crutches!”
“What are you, twelve? This is college, Lily. Nobody gives a shit!” Kella barked. I looked at her and started laughing. God I loved her and her no bullshit attitude.
At only five foot, s
he was a tiny little thing. That paired with her tumbling curly dark hair and brown eyes, looking at her you’d think she was a dainty little princess. Not Kella. Growing up with five brothers, she could swear and drink half the frat boys at Fairhaven College under the table.
Another three hours and we finally arrived home, me, complete with my plastered foot and crutches. And a lot of attitude.
“I’m not using these on Monday,” I grumbled, hobbling my way to the couch.
“Yes you fucking will be, and every day for the next three weeks. You heard the doctor, Lil. You want to end up with a deformed foot?” she demanded. I rolled my eyes at her dramatics.
“You want me to call your mom?” She asked sweetly, completely changing her approach, knowing that would make me oblige. I was going to tell mom, but not yet. I didn’t want her worrying, and breaking my toe on my first day away was not a good look.
“Fine. You win,” I growled, grabbing the TV remote off the arm of the chair. The pain killers were starting to wear off, “Actually, I think I might go to bed, Kel. I’m pretty tired.” Kella looked like she wanted to argue, then smiled.
“Okay, Lil. Sleep well,” She called out to me.
I glanced around my room, thankful Kella had set up the bed. Everything else was boxed up still. I peeled off my clothes, and took two of the painkillers the doctor had given me. My foot still ached like crazy, though the support of the cast did seem to help. As did the drugs.
I climbed under the covers, glad it wasn’t an overly cold night. My pajamas were still boxed away, so I was sleeping in my underwear. It had been such a long day, it was only minutes before I fell asleep.
Chapter Three
“You broke your toe,” Abby giggled, looking at my plastered foot.
“More to the point, Abs, a very attractive boy who may or may not be a druggy rapist broke my toe,” I grinned in spite of myself. Abby laughed again.
I loved hearing her laugh. That was probably one of the things I missed most. Her laugh. She could find humor in almost any situation, right up until her death.
“Lil, he’s not a bad guy. Just trust your gut,” Abby smiled at me. I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. Was she saying all the rumors weren’t true? I was about to ask her when I felt my arm being pulled…
“Lil.”
I struggled open my eyes to see Kella crouched down beside me with a coffee and two slices of toast.
“What time is it?” I grumbled, struggling to sit up, which was proving difficult with the weight of the cast.
“It’s nearly midday,” She grinned, handing me the coffee. Midday? Shit, they were some serious pain killers!
“Shit,” I yawned. I’d slept close to twelve hours.
“How’s your foot?” Kella asked.
“Sore,” I admitted, “But I’m okay. I’ll rest it today and hopefully feel better tomorrow.” If I felt like this tomorrow, I’d struggle to get through the day. Kella nodded.
“Good plan. I’ll be around most of the day if you need me. I just have to pop out for some food shopping. Let me know if you need anything,” She kissed my forehead, and left the room.
After my coffee and toast, which was a great way to start the day, I got out of bed, reaching for my crutches. My first few steps were crazy; I wobbled all over the place, nearly toppling over more than once.
Surely these were some kind of safety hazard?
After several trips up and down the hallway, I had them mastered. Using them was hard work though, and my underarms ached like crazy from bearing the weight of my body.
For most of the day, I slept on the couch in my shorts and t-shirt from the day before. I hadn’t even bothered trying for a shower. Kella joined me on the couch for the midday movie, then went shopping.
She cooked me dinner, helped me find an outfit for my first day, and even helped wrap my leg in plastic so I could shower.
“You’re such a good friend,” I smiled at her as she helped me into the bathroom.
“I’m only doing this so I can perve on you,” She joked, helping me out of my shorts. I giggled. Kella had seen me naked plenty of times, so I knew that wasn’t true. Her sexuality had never bothered me, nor had it ever made me feel uncomfortable being naked in front of her. She slapped me on the ass.
“Call out if you need a hand drying yourself,” She said, closing the bathroom door.
Showering in a cast was difficult, and it was only day one. The doctor said it could be up to six weeks, although I might be able to ditch the crutches after three. As I lathered myself up, my mind wandered to Dane. I’d never spent this much time thinking about a guy, but to be fair, I’d never had a guy break my toe either.
Regardless of Kella’s warnings, I couldn’t not think about him, and every time I did (which was often), my heart raced, I felt light headed, and I felt sick. As much as I was dreading college tomorrow because of the whole broken toe thing, part of me couldn’t wait to see Dane again. Of course, that same part of me was also panicking about Dane seeing me in a cast.
I dried myself off without too much trouble. Wrapping my robe around me, I yawned. The pain killers made me tired, so I had another early night. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been in bed before midnight on two consecutive nights.
I woke up to my alarm at eight the next morning. If I dreamt of Abby, I didn’t remember it. The painkillers did make me hazy though. The thought of not seeing Abby in my dreams, or at least not remembering, made me anxious.
I always remembered. Every little detail.
After allowing Kella to drive me to my first class, I hobbled from the parking lot to the lecture hall. Her first class wasn’t until the afternoon, lucky bitch. Apart from the odd look here and there from curious passersby, Kella was right.
Nobody really gave a shit.
My first class was Sociology 101. It was a class I’d previously completed, but due to the assessments not matching up exactly, the school had refused to credit me for it, which was a huge pain in my ass.
Outside the lecture hall, I waited in line with other students, listening to them talking and giggling in their little groups, trying to pretend I was preoccupied with my schedule.
“You’re new here, right?”
I turned to the source of the voice. A girl standing to my left smiled at me. She looked friendly, dressed in her leggings and oversized sweater. Her petite frame and long hair reminded me of Kella, except this girl’s hair was a fiery red. I nodded.
“Yes. You could tell?” I joked, trying to tame my nerves. “I’m Lily,” I said, relieved to have someone to talk to.
“Nice to meet you Lily. I’m Gem,” She glanced down at my foot, “What happened?” She asked.
“I tripped. Over the footpath,” I lied, positive my face was glowing. She laughed.
“Yeah, those footpath things can be hard to master,” She joked. I relaxed, and smiled at her, loving her personality instantly. Some people you could just tell right away you were going to like. Gem was one of them. Come to think of it, so was Dane.
“So you live around here?” I asked. She nodded.
“Yep. Born and raised here. Well, the next town along, but close enough. I thought about getting into a college in LA or somewhere, but I didn’t think I could handle a long distance thing with my boyfriend,” She blushed, as if embarrassed that she’d worked her education around a guy.
“I’m the opposite, I couldn’t wait to get away,” I replied. Everything about home reminded me of Abby. Getting away had meant I could finally try and move on with people who didn’t know about my past.
The door finally unlocked, and, to my embarrassment, everyone hung back to let the cripple on the crutches through first. My face reddened as I hobbled through the double doors. Even the teacher smiled at me sympathetically. Great.
“Thanks,” I mumbled to everyone, my head down so I didn’t have to make eye contact with anyone.
I took a seat in the front so I didn’t have to try and master the st
airs. I could just imagine me, losing my balance and falling flat on my face. That would be a good look, and if it was going to happen to anyone, it would happen to me.
“Do you mind if I sit here?” I looked up and saw Gem.
“Please,” I smiled, relieved. Having someone to talk to made me feel like I fitted in, and took my mind off everything. She sat down next to me, “So, what’s your major?” I asked.
“Human Resources,” She smiled, rolling her eyes, “My dad owns several large companies, and it’s kind of expected that I go work for him after college,” She made a face. I got the feeling that was the last thing Gem really wanted.
“My major is Psychology,” I smiled, “Which I’ve always wanted to do. I get the feeling working for your dad is not really your choice?” Gem laughed, her pretty face lighting up.
“It’s that obvious? No, well my love is art, specifically painting. I’ve been painting since I was like five, but apparently that’s not really a relevant or acceptable career choice…” She rolled her eyes, “Thank god my father has no control over my electives,” She joked.
I smiled. Gem was nice. Really nice. I’d only known her for twenty minutes, but we already felt like friends.
I glanced around. The lecture hall had filled up pretty fast, to the point where free seats were few and far between. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a familiar mop of hair.
Shit. Fuckety fuck.
My heart raced as I looked at him, Dane, sitting in the back row. His head was down, as if he were asleep. I quickly turned around facing the front, then I turned around again, unable to resist another look. If I thought I could’ve gotten away with snapping a picture of him, I probably would have. My weird behavior caught Gem’s attention.
“Are you okay?” She asked, concerned. She glanced around, trying to figure out what had freaked me out. I forced a smile, debating whether to tell my new friend about Dane or not.
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