Princess to the Rescue

9 || everything you are

NINE || EVERYTHING YOU ARE

WARNING: This chapter includes swearing, so please read at your own discreet

A few seconds passed before any of us moved. All the while, he stared down, refusing to meet my eyes at all. My heart felt as if it was going to jump out of my chest soon, still trying to process the face of the boy who was in front of me. The person who I had helped just a few weeks back. How had he ended up here?

A thousand questions flooded my mind. I felt everything and nothing at once, but most of all I was bewildered. How had he ended up in this mess? What had he done?

When he finally lifted his head up, his green eyes seemed darker than usual, a look of resignation in them. He breathed out a sigh. "I can explain."

I wanted to agree, to get him to explain everything now. I felt a hint of betrayal from him for not telling me anything all this while, but the rationale side of me reasoned that I had not know him that long, so I had no rights to his privacy.

"No." My throat was dry and my voice came out hoarse.

He looked up at me in surprise.

"No," I repeated, more insistently. "I'm bringing you to the hospital to get you bandaged up. Then you'll give me your explanation."

He sighed again dejectedly, knowing from the firmness in my voice that he had no way of winning an argument if he started one.

I kneeled and lifted his arm over my shoulder. He grimaced as I hauled him up, trying to lean as little weight on me as possible. To my surprise, he wasn't as heavy as I expected, and I barely staggered as I dragged him to the hospital.

One of the doctors checked him and soothed his injuries. Throughout the entire process, Tristan said nothing, staring at the ceiling with a blank look in his eyes, lost in thought. It pained me to see him like that, lost and vulnerable. But isn't that what had drawn me to him in the first place?

The doctors reassured me that he would be just fine and he would recover in a blink of an eye.

"Rest well. Don't get into too many fights." The doctor joked, ruffling Tristan's mop of dark hair. Tristan, still in his trance, stared up at him blankly. He opened his mouth to say something before I interjected.

"Thank you, Doctor. I'll take him home." I smiled.

"My pleasure. He's so lucky to have such a wonderful girlfriend in his life."

At that my cheeks turned crimson red and I averted my eyes, flustered. "Oh no, we're not dating— " But the doctor had already left.

I blew out a puff of air and turned to Tristan. "You alright?"

He shuffled his feet, head bowed. "Yeah."

I checked my watch. I had about half an hour before my drama lesson started. Initially, I had wanted to go for class earlier so that I could get some extra tips from the teacher before the others came in. But now...

I lifted my head and gave Tristan a sideways glance. "Let's grab a drink."

π

"A vanilla frappe, please," I told the waitress with a smile. She scribbled down my order and turned to the boy opposite me. "And you, sir?"