DWTS 100 Prompt Challenge!

Let the Games Begin (2)

"Ma'am," I squinted my eyes as whoever was shaking me woke me up. I sat up, startled, groaning at how sore my neck was when I moved it. It didn't take more than a minute for me to realize that this was a doctor waking me up, and that I had fallen asleep in a hospital waiting room chair. "You're with Mark Ballas, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. I'm sorry." I tucked the hair that had fallen out of my braid behind my ear.

"Nothing to be sorry about." The doctor smiled a warm smile. "Listen, he's awake now, the nurse back there can tell you more, but the man you came in with is back there already."

"Thank you." I smiled. The doctor told me the room number and let me venture back to the hospital room.

I turned the corner and flinched at the sound of Travis screaming at Mark.

"I TOLD YOU! I SIDELINED YOU FOR A REASON! SO THAT YOU COULD GO THROUGH REHAB AND PROMISE ME YOU'D STAY CLEAN!" A string of curse words passed his lips before Mark called my name. "Don't talk to her either. She just wanted to help you and look what you did to her!" Travis didn't yell this time, but he still had a raised voice.

Mark's shoulders fell. He caught my lingering glance, and to avoid tampering with this already messy situation, I faked a call with one of my teammates. "Hey, how are you?" I asked into my phone to literally nobody. I walked from his sightline, and he didn't think much of it.

Good.

Soon enough, Travis let me in there after his lecture, and I completely broke down. "Marcus Ballas, I hate you!" I closed the door and walked up to his hospital bed.

"B, what do you--"

Nope, I wasn't having any of it. "I hate you!" I said once more and straight up slapped him across the face.

"Brittany! What the heck was that for?!" Mark yelled and winced when his hand came to his cheek.

"That was for all of this!" I yelled through sobs and fell onto the chair in the room. The room fell silent, my muffled sobs being heard every few seconds. "I-I'm sorry." I looked up when I heard shuffling around. "Mark, you shouldn't be standing up."

"I don't care, come here with me." He grabbed my hand and laid me down next to him.

"I'm sorry." I whispered once again.

"For what, B?"

"I just slapped my best friend across his face!" I shouted through sobs. "And...and I couldn't save you." I said that last part a lot quieter than before.

"Brittany," Mark sighed. "Nothing about this is your fault."

"I was supposed to save you."

"You weren't supposed to do anything. I was stressed, and I should've gone to you or the team, but I didn't. It's my fault. I turned to the one thing that I shouldn't have. This isn't your fault." Mark kissed my forehead, and I laid my head on his shoulder.

"I just feel like I could've..." My voice trailed off as I realized it was just talking in circles. I sighed. "I don't know. I'm just sorry."

Mark tilted my chin up. "Hey, you heard me." He smirked and in a moment of weakness, titled my lips towards his.

"We shouldn't do this." I said quietly, even though I didn't reject it.

Mark smirked once more and leaned closer to me. "You're probably right..." And in that split second, he kissed me. Or maybe I kissed him. Or maybe it was a group effort, but in the grand scheme of things, I just kissed my best friend. "...but what's the fun in that?" He finished his sentence when we broke apart.

I took a moment to catch my breath, laughing gently at the stunned look Mark had on his face. I soon realized that his stunned look had morphed into a sad one. "I'm sorry, for all of this." He whispered.

I playfully chuckled and rolled my eyes, even though the sincerity of that statement brought tears to my eyes. "No, no more crying." I said softly and lightly laughed, drying the few stray tears from his face. Mark's breath hitched in pain when my hand touched the cheek I hit. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, I hit you really hard, didn't I?" With that, we both fell into a fit of laughter, because in that second, Mark wasn't mad, I wasn't mad, we were safe, and we were calm.

But in our hearts, we knew this calm wasn't going to last long, so let the Games begin.