woman like me - j.f✔️

XI

"I'm so sorry." Justin apologised, holding the ice pack tightly against her face. She'd gotten out of the hospital, after suffering an indirect fracture to the jaw. She was rushed to the ER, the game had been postponed after the scrap, and Justin had left with a few bruises on his face. But Love was left in a much worse condition. She was punched in the face by a fucking athlete, so there was some hefty damage.

Justin had taken the trip down to the ER, after she'd told the nurse he was collecting her. And they sat in the parking lot, in his car, as he aided her with soft foods and holding the ice pack for her. "How long is the healing going to take?"

"They said it's not out of place, but badly bruised, and it's going to hurt like a bitch, but if I go careful... two weeks." She spoke, her movement limited as she was still in so much pain. A bruise had formed on her jaw, the spaces between her teeth covered in blood. Which spooked Justin at first, but it was only because, on collision, she bit the inside of her mouth and bled.

"I'll take you home," he spoke softly. "Also, the game has been postponed until next week." She nodded in confirmation, resting her head against the seat cushion, hoping the pain would disappear at some point.

Her phone began to ring, and she answered it to hear her mom's frantic voice. "Love, what happened? The school called and said they rushed you to the ER." Whenever she tried to talk, it sounded like she'd had a mouth full of marshmallows, so words weren't coming out right. She handed the phone to Justin, who held it between his ear and shoulder.

"There was a fight between the teams, an opposing member accidentally caught her jaw." He explained. She couldn't hear what her mom was saying, but she could only guess from Justin's responses. "I'm driving her home now. But she's got an ice pack and should be okay within a couple of weeks."

"Thank you for taking care of her," her mom spoke, her voice filled with relief. "Tell her I love her and I'll be home in a few hours." Justin hummed and ended the call, parking outside her home. As he handed her phone back to her, he'd seen her eyes were closed and her chest rose and fell in a slow, rhythmic pattern. Only God knows how she can sleep through the pain.

He gently shook her shoulder, seeing her head lift up and look around in confusion. Once she'd become aware of her location, she took the phone and smiled at him. "Thank you for helping me, Justin. I appreciate it."

"Anytime. Don't worry about FaceTime tonight, just get some rest." She giggled, groaning abruptly after as a sharp pain ran through her jaw. He saw her enter the house, driving away as soon as she'd entered through the door.

After her aunt's worried questions, Love explained the situation as best as she could, before heading to bed. Taking the ice pack from her face, there was a heat that had appeared and made the pain so much worse. It felt like she'd been burned. But she undressed herself, Justin's jumper still around her. She smiled and breathed it in, sighing contently. After replacing her outfit with some sweats and a shirt, she'd crawled back into bed. It wasn't long before her door had opened, and her aunt handed her a fresh frozen bag, taking away the almost melted pile of ice in her hand. After a quiet thank you, she left Love to sleep.

The coolness from the bag had numbed her jaw a bit, making it easier to sleep. But she'd grabbed her phone, writing a message.

You're going to have to pick me up tomorrow, my car is still at school.

Justin: Of course, see you at 7.30?

Rowan hadn't shown up at all tonight, there seemed to be no concern on her end. Love had to choose between pettiness or peace. But her anger had taken over.

Thanks for your help tonight. It means a lot.

She felt better, closing her eyes and letting her slumber take the pain away from her jaw. Morning had arrived far too quickly, the frozen bag melted hours ago and was replaced with warm water now. She stood up, the pain almost felt like nothing. Nothing a Tylenol couldn't fix. She'd jogged downstairs, opening the cabinet to find the Tylenol box. The white capsules were swallowed down with some water, before searching to find a soft food. Nothing but ice cream, except she couldn't have ice cream for breakfast.

She ran the shower, quickly lathering her body and cleaning herself before jumping out. It was a pants day today, the sun was barely showing through the clouds and they were lined a soft gray. With her hair dried, minimal makeup on, and her bag packed, she'd been ready for school. Concealer and foundation and all sorts of blemish covers weren't working, so she'd given up on skin makeup. Just letting her eyes be the main focus.

"You don't look too bad." Justin complimented her, starting his car. She threw her bag between her legs and strapped herself in, watching his hand spin the wheel to turn the opposite direction. "What soft foods are you meant to eat?" He asked her. Something she hadn't given a thought.

"Everything needs to be puréed. I'm like a baby again." She laughed, hearing Justin laugh alongside her. "Rowan hasn't checked in at all." The definitely dampened the mood, but it wasn't long before they'd arrived at school.

"I have my psych class, I'll see you later." She shouted, leaving his car.