Untamed

Chapter 12

Nya slams open her bathroom door, coming out in old jeans and a ratty t-shirt. There's no makeup on her face.

"What did you do to him?" she demands, her voice laced with anger. She comes to sit beside him on her bed and hugs him protectively.

Cole's face is white. "N-nothing!" He gives me a look that says, 'If we show her this part of the video, we're done for.'

I groan. And we were just about to get Jay confessing he's in love with her on tape. It would've been priceless to see her reaction! But we'll have to delete this portion. I don't want to wake up to Nya holding a knife at my throat.

Speaking of Nya, she's currently using a wet paper towel to clean up Jay's face. "You need a new shirt. This one's a little...messy."

I come to sit at his other side, helping pull off the clothing.

"But this is my favorite shirt," Jay mumbles.

"Trust me, it'll feel much better to wear a new one." I begin to pull it up over his head, and he doesn't have the strength to resist.

Nya helps me get his sleeve off. "We need to talk once he's taken care of," she whispers.

I nod. "Yeah. Cole and I are counting on it. Zane's already doing what he can to threaten some of those websites with a lawsuit. The kid's a tech genius."

"What lawsuit?" Jay asks.

"Nothing, Jay." Nya retrieves his water from Edna and holds it to his lips, helping him drink.

Edna coos. "Aww, you're such a sweetie, Nya. It really means a lot that you're doing this for him."

"He deserves it, Mrs. Walker." She sets the glass down on her bedside table. "Are you comfortable, Jay?"

He wipes at his eyes. "Yeah. You're so nice for letting me have your room."

She rubs his shoulder. "You're welcome. Hey, I'm going to go have a talk with Lloyd and Cole, okay? But your mom will be right here to take care of you."

He gives her huge puppy dog eyes. "I'll miss you, though. I don't want you to be gone, or I'll freak out."

"This is something the others and I really need to do, Jay. I promise we won't be gone for long."

"Will you tuck me in?" he asks softly.

Nya swallows a laugh, pulling the blankets up around him. "Will you be warm enough without a shirt?"

"Mm-hmm. As long as you're okay with me being shirtless in your bed."

We all blush. It's a good thing Kai's at the police station, or he would have Jay's hide.

"I-I don't, er, mind," Nya stammers.

"Good," Jay smiles. "Just because you probably think I have germs."

"I really don't care. I spend all my time around boys. And believe me, Kai has some gross germs, and we shared a room back at my old house."

Jay gets a sick face, and Nya helps hold his head over the side of the bed as he throws up the water he just drank.

"I'm sorry," he mewls, crying. Again.

She sighs. "It's okay, Jay. I guess you can't keep anything down right now." She gives him back the glass of water. "Just swish it around in your mouth this time, okay? Then you can spit it out, and you shouldn't have to throw up again. All the food and water you've had must have been regurgitated by now."

He does as she says, looking absolutely exhausted.

I clear my throat. "Nya really does need to talk with us, Jay. We can leave you with your mom, though."