New chapter! I loved the votes on the previous one! Do the same this time? Pretty please?
I actually had a lot of trouble trying to write this chapter and they're a question at the end that I hope you guys can answer for me!
Check out vanillanightsky's story Volleyball Princess! She's my new editor and her story is superb; deserves more reads and votes!
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<3 Infatuated
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The next morning, I awoke to the sound of beeping and my mother flipping through a gossip magazine, her heels tapping against the floor in a quick staccato, a bad habit she had whenever she was anxious or worried.
When she saw me open my eyes, my mother jumped up to her feet and hurried to my bed, her wrinkles etching deep into her weary face.
"Thank God you're awake Kirsten. I was getting so worried." My mother said, gently brushing away the hair on my forehead with her warm hand. I blinked groggily, realizing that I was in the hospital, and that the pain in my ribs was gone.
"What happened?" I asked tiredly, my head falling back onto my pillow and my hair spilling out behind me. I remembered details. Garrett and I rescuing Amelia, Adam being dragged unconsciously into the ER, Amelia telling me about her being date raped, and Garrett telling me that it was over.
'What was over?' I wondered as my mother started describing in detail what had happened the night before. 'Garrett had once said that we were just friends, but then what was up with the kisses, the glances, the promise to ask me out after the competition? Not to mention that he had said that he wanted to break up with me when we weren't even a couple to begin with.' The phone call seemed strange as well but before I could dwell on it more, a couple of my mother's words diverted my attention back to her.
"You have a broken rib. I don't know how you managed to last so long last night without medical attention. Then again your father...."
'I was completely numb. Of course I didn't notice the pain.' I thought to myself, letting my mother talking about how my father had always been the fighter.
"But thank god you got out of there before you could of been slipped a bad drink."
Exhausted and not in the mood of talking, I asked in a scratchy voice, "where's everyone right now?"
"Well let's see. Mr. Bianchi and Yivanni came by earlier today and came to visit, Garrett just left before you woke up and..."
The rest of my mother's words were zoned out as I focused on the fact that Garrett had just left. Everything seemed so confusing.
"What about Amelia?" I asked softly, propping my head against my pillow in a more comfortable way so that I could focus on my mom's worried face.
"Your red-head friend? She's still in the next room down, resting up."
"And um... Adam?"
Immediately, my mother's face fell, clouding over, her eyes getting tired and slightly wet and her mouth turned down in a frown.
"He's in Intensive Care right now. I think his right collapsed or something thanks to Garrett."
Before I could say anything else, a soft knock echoed and a petite nurse walked in with a clipboard, her face pleasant and almost superficial looking.
"Hi! Kirsten Bellini right? I need to take your pressure and check you up before we can release you. It'll be quick, don't worry."
I grimaced at her over cheery disposition, wishing that her bright ray of sunshine would go away and let me wallow in my gloom.
Letting her prod and poke me, I continued to stare at the white sheets, emotionally and physically drained to the extent that I could care less about Adam or Garrett. Especially Garrett. All I wanted to do was grab a box of chocolates and watch all the chick flicks I could find.
Wincing, I realized that that was what girls did when they were moping over a boy.
"Oh honey I'm sorry, did that hurt?" The nurse asked, an IV in her latex gloved hand and a concerned yet happy look on her face.
"No, no, it's fine." I replied scratchily, wishing that my voice was as hollow sounding as the feeling on my inside.
"Alright. Well everything seems fine. Let me just go grab the doctor to check out your ribs."
After she left, I drooped back into my bed, just wishing that everything would hurry up and I could go.
"Are you okay sweetie? Do you need something to eat?" My mother asked, her voice laced with motherly concern.
I nodded my head no. "Just tired."
"Well if it makes you feel any better, what you did deserves a wild round of applause. I could never of done what you did in a million years. You were so brave, so strong, I'm just so proud that you did the right thing." Her sniffles made me look up just in time to see her wipe away a tear.
Suddenly, I felt horrible. I had gone out and done an irrational action that could of cost me my life or body while knowing that I was all that was left to my grieving mother other than a cat. How had I become so selfish?
"Oh my God mom, I'm so sorry." I whispered, reaching out a hand to pat my mother's shoulder.
She looked up, patting her hair back in place, and gave me a wobbly smile. "For what? For saving your friend from a criminal, learning how to be brave? Those are all proper actions to take."
"No, for making you worry about..." I paused, thinking about me leaving her for the school. "Everthing."
"Don't worry about it honey. You're safe now and that's all that matters. Really."
She came over to me and gave me a hug, the familiar smell of lavendar making me want to sob into her shirt, however, just as she released me, another knock on the door revealed the doctor that helped out with Amelia the night before.
"Ah Ms. Kirsten Bellini. It is good to see you up and running, figuratively."
I smiled weakly at his joke as he continued talking.
"Just one fractured rib. Not even broken. I must say you were very lucky."
"Thanks." I replied softly.
"He has a hard right hooker. Nearly got me in the stomach when I went to check up on him."
Guiltily, I looked at the doctor. "Did you get hurt?"
He laughed. "No, but I was close."
Thank God. That was one less person I had to feel guilty about.
"We stuck you in the hospital overnight because you had a low sugar and blood pressure probably from all the stress, adrenaline, and shock. I hear that Mr. Ramsey is actually a criminal?"
I gulped, nodding slightly. "Yeah, he um, killed my father. Drunk driving. You know."
The doctor's eyes were friendly, softening a bit. "Yes, I know."
There was a pregnant pause before he said, "well, your vitals seem good and your blood pressure is up. Keep on eating some Halloween candy and drinking more juice, okay? Just sign here mom, and you're checked out."
Nodding, I shook his hand and watched him say some soft words of consolatation to my mother who was smiling and nodding her head. After he left, closing the door softly behind him, she pulled out my bumble bee costume from a large bag.
"I'm assuming you don't want to wear this right?" She asked, flicking the attenaes of my head band.
"No." I replied, eyeing my costume in shame. It was covered in blood and dirt, ripped in numerous places. Overall, it was a reminder of something I wanted to forget. "Please throw it away."
"Alright, well Garrett brought in a pair of jeans, a bra, and a t-shirt. I hope that's okay with you.
Automatically, my stomach sunk at the thought of Garrett but I managed to smile and not grimace at the fact that he chose a hot pink bra with a white lace shirt and a pair of tight black jeans. First he has to break up with me after Amelia is raped by my father's killer, then he has to dress me like I'm a cheap fifty cents whore. What did I ever see in him?
Gingerly, I got up, wincing at the feeling of my sore muscles screaming. Looking down, I notice a massive bruise on my forearm, the ugly blotch all purple and black.
"Here you go." My mother whispered, handing me my clothes. "I'll be out in the hall if you need any help."
I tried to dress quickly, shedding the hospital shift in haste and putting on the tight jeans as fast as any not so skinny girl could. Throwing my hair up into a ponytail, I looked into the mirror and groaned. My face was pale, blood not visible in my cheeks, and my eyes looked empty, vacant.
Grabbing the bag with the bumble bee outfit, I ignored the pain in my body and slammed it into the trash can, not looking before I headed out, trying not to sway.
My mother hurried over, gripping my elbow. We slowly passed Amelia's room and I stopped, looking at my mom.
"Do you have any plans today?" I asked.
"I was supposed to have a brunch with a couple of friends even though it's Friday." She said hesitantly, her hand not moving from my elbow.
"Well go ahead and enjoy it." I muttered, pushing her gently to the exit. "I need to talk to Amelia and I don't need you to be my chauffeur. I'll call a taxi when I'm done. Are you okay with that?"
Indecision flickered on her face but with one more gentle nudge from me, she finally sighed and said, "call me when you get home?"
I nodded, half relieved to be on my own, and half in guilt. Knocking on Amelia's door, I waited for her to say 'come in' before I gingerly entered her room.
Amelia looked much better than last night though she had a big bruise on her cheek and on her arm like me. Her hair was tangled around her face, and there were dark circles around her green eyes which were bloodshot.
Looking up from a People Magazine, she gave me a bright smile before placing it on her mahogany nightstand.
"Hey you." I muttered quietly, sitting down onto a stool.
"Hello you. Damn, someone's not afraid to show off her body."
I blushed, ashamed that my slutty clothes were the first thing she noticed. "Yeah well, some people just aren't very good at deciding what is the proper thing to wear going out of a hospital."
"Yeah, you'll give all the doctors heartattacks and who knows, maybe you'll have to do mouth to mouth CPR on-"
"Oh shut up." I laughed.
Amelia sobered up, her eyes landing on the bruise on my shoulder. "Heard you got a fractured rib."
"It doesn't hurt." I said, immediately wanting to comfort her.
"I'm sure it doesn't." She replied, looking up at me with a small smile on her face. "But hey, thanks for saving me even though I don't remember anything."
"Still?"
She nodded sadly. "That's what that specific date rape drug does. I probably won't ever retain my memory of that night. I heard you kicked ass though."
I raised an eyebrow. That didn't sound like anything a doctor would say.
"That's what Garrett told me at least." She muttered shrewdly.
I wanted to groan at the mention of his name.
"Okay come on Kirsten, spill! I want all the juicy little details. I'm bedridden for god sake and incredibly sore. Just humor the cripple please."
Sighing, I realized that it was time to tell someone whether or not Garrett approved. Because now? He couldn't tell me what to do and what not to do.
"What do you want to know?"
"First, are you in a relationship with him?"
Not anymore at least. "No."
She looked at me carefully. "Were you ever in a relationship with him."
"Now that's complicated." I muttered.
For the next thirty minutes, I spilled everything. Garrett's history, our relationship, Halloween night, the date. By the time I was done, I was in tears and Amelia was trying to comfort me.
"Oh god, Kirsten. I'm so sorry. Really. That must really suck. It sounds like you like him. A lot. And you have to live with him for another seven months? And you're his sous chef? God. Do you know why he broke up with you?"
Shaking my head no, she sighed sympathetically. "That was you on the cover of People last month right?"
This time, I nodded shakily, trying to control my breathing as I wiped away the last of my tears.
"Damn guys. Just wait until I see him when I get out of this hellhole-"
"No please don't. I'm over it. Seriously." I pleaded.
"Fine, but if I ever see him in a dark alley alone, I'm going to kick his ass for you." She muttered fiercely.
"Please keep it a secret. Please. I don't want anyone to know."
"I pinky swear but still if he ever comes across my path..."
"Amelia."
She gave me an apologetic look. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright. But now I've told my story. It's your turn. What's going to happen between you and Ricky?"
Immediately, Amelia sobered up, plucking at the hem of her sheets. "We're still together. He still loves me."
"But?" I asked, sensing that she was leaving something unsaid.
"His parents are kind of mad at me fore being irresponsible."
I looked at her baffled. "Amelia! It wasn't your fault. It was that bastards."
"Yeah but I'm still like spoiled goods. His parents are oldfashioned and Catholic. They don't really understand that Ricky and I have done 'the deed' before."
"Ew, ew, ew, I don't want to hear that." I muttered.
Amelia laughed a little before sobering up. "Oh well. All done is done. I won't be back to school until November 15. Doctor's orders."
"Darn it." I muttered, giving her a sad look. "I'll have to do the work myself then."
"I'm sorry." She whispered.
The mood in the room swiftly turned to sadness as we each dwelled in our own thoughts.
I took her cold hand. "It'll be alright. I'll visit you as often as possible, okay?"
A tear escaped her eyes as she squeezed my hand back. "Okay."
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When I finally stepped into the fresh air, I was beyond exhausted. My side had taken to throbbing and my crying had left me empty and apathetic on the inside. Watching the cab pull up to where I was, I could barely sit into my seat and tell the cab where I was going.
Reclining into the seat, my mind plunged into my own thoughts.
'Would it have been a better decision to just have stayed at L'amore, caring for my mother and living a normal life, not getting involved with the rich and famous? Would I have suffered through as much if I had chosen the other path? No it couldn't have been worse.'
'I would still be living my life, a life that I wanted for myself. I would of talked to Elle everyday, met new people at the restaurant, and tried to avoid Jackson as much as possible.'
'But that was a lie. Everyday, I would of wondered what it would be like to learn from the top chefs of the world, to be on TV and let everyone see me as I cooked in a fervour. I would of regretted staying with my mother.'
Thinking about all the people I had met in my journey at the Bianchi Culinary Institute- Toben, Amelia, Harrison, Alonzo - I realized that I wouldn't have wanted it to be any different even if I had to deal with a handsome prick who had just broken my heart the night before.
After thanking the cab driver that kept on ogling my chest, I gave him a fifty, slowly walking up the steps to the mansion, my muscles screaming in soreness and pain. I dreaded having any confrontations with Garrett but with a sigh, I tried to build up my courage to speak to him. Reaching the top, I was just about to open up the door when my cell phone rang from my back pocket, surprising me and warming me heart for the second at the fact that Garrett thought to put my phone in my jeans.
Looking down at the screen, half of me groaned at who it was while the other was just a bit excited and looking forward to the conversation.
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So who do you think it is?
And also, do you think I should add a bonus chapter of Harrison's and Kirsten earlier coffee date? (Remember that?)
Harrison kind of become a pretty important character so I thought it would be kind of necessary but it's up to you guys!
Please please, remember to vote and comment. You guys made me so happy last time when you gave me over 100 votes. Please do that again?