Chapter Five
"You know, you don't have to go back to school right away. The only reason the Doctor said you could go back the first day is because he knows you hate resting and sitting around. But I just don't think your body is ready for the stress." Sal said as he helped me slowly down the stairs with Baize walking backwards down the stairs with both his hands up in caution, ready to catch me if I fall.
Funny thing is, if I happened to fall; I would take him tumbling down with me.
"Sal, I'll be fine. I think." No way was I going to be fine.
The little walking i've done around the mansion has already strained me enough, and I've only walked twice down the stairs, this time included.
"Baby steps, Kiddo, baby steps. You know I support any decisions you make, but I just want to make sure your head is clear when you're making this decision. Can you really handle a full day of running around hallways and getting to class on time? The stress, everyone talking, whispering, knowing who you are now. Liv what i'm trying to say is don't rush yourself." Sal looked down at me, stopping me at the bottom of the stairs, placing both hands on my shoulders, forcing me to look straight into his concerned eyes.
"I hear you Sal. And believe me when I tell you that you'll be the first to call if I can't handle it." I raised my right hand and put it on his shoulder, giving him a stern look.
"Okay?" I whisper
Sal started to nod his head. "Okay."
But he made no move to move his hands from my shoulders, which resulted in the pressure of the weight from Sal's hand weighing down my bad shoulder, sending shooting pains down my arms and all around my shoulder.
I cleared my throat. "Ehh, Sal. You're kind of in a way tweaking my shoulder a bit."
"Sh*t, my bad Liv. See you're not going anywhere! You're not ready!" he bellowed in my face and turned around hold a fist up to his mouth pacing back and forth like a mad man.
"You're losing it old man. It's just school, I'll be okay. Now, get my snow jacket off the rack and help me put it on!" I laughed, completely entertained with his mini freak out happening before my eyes.
He turned on his heels and gave me and incredulous look. "I am NOT old! How many times do I have to tell you i'm only thirty-two? People still tell me I look like i'm in my mid twenties." He hmphed at the last part and crossed his arms like a little child.
I rolled my eyes. I knew he didn't look old, he actually looked mouth watering hot, but I knew calling him old irked him, so me being me, took every chance I got to pick on the poor guy.
"Jacket, Sal. I'm already running late as is." I said as I patted him on the cheek and slowly made my way to the large oak doors.
Sal helped me slide my right arm through the jacket then draped the other side on my shoulder and zipped the gold zipper all the way up, encasing me like a cocoon in my snow white, down jacket. Sal handed my keys over to me once I wrapped my teal scarf around my neck. After helping me put on my teal beanie, he kissed my cheek and opened the doors for me.
Baize helped me down the stairs and into my car. I made sure to keep a straight face the whole way, making sure Baize believed he was really helping me.
"Thank you Baize. You did good kid." I smiled and winked at my brother as he stood up and went to close the door.
He smiled so brightly and proud I couldn't help but laugh. He closed the door quickly and sprinted around the front of my car and jumped in the other side.
*
Baize hopped out of the car and ran around the front again just as Nate pulled the door open for me. I smiled, my cheeks flushing, my heart rate picking up pace, my entire body feeling jittery as Nate leaned into my car, smiled that same smile he gave me the first day of school, and helped me out of the car.
"Thank you. Both of you." I said as I grabbed my books from Baize's outstretched hands and nodded my head to both Baize and Nate.
"Yea yea, just make sure you don't get all mushy and crap on me. That's my job, remember?!" Baize said, waving his hand in my direction as he took off to find his friends.
"Don't get used to all this special attention, either. I need you to recover quickly because frankly i'm sick of waiting on you hand and foot." He turned his back on me and started walking away.
I stood there completely shocked, mouth hanging open and all. What just happened? I knew we're from the streets so I didn't expect us to be all lovey dovey, but that was just a straight up dick move. If I could I would have on top of him already with my hand squeezing the life out of his neck.
Just as my thoughts started to get more violent, I noticed Nate had only taken two steps before stopping. He whipped back around, and was in my face the next second, grabbing flushed cheeks with both of his hands and slammed his lips against mine, making me gasp from the intensity of the kiss.
He pulled away and winked at me. "I was just kidding." He said, wearing a shit-eating grin.
I slapped him in the face, not hard enough to leave a mark, but enough for it to sting in the frigid weather.
"Now we're even." Then proceeded to take his hand in mine, dismissing his surprised face, and led him towards the front doors of the Academy.
At one point Nate wrapped his arms around me to keep me warm as we hurried towards the stairs. My teeth began to chatter and I could feel my skin was crawling with goosebumps. Pleasant? No. Do I mind the cold? No. It beats the brutal summers here. I'd take snow and hypothermia over heat waves and hyperthermia, any day.
Once instead, my body gave one more shudder before slowly starting to thaw itself out. I pull off my beanie and shook my hair out, running my hand through it, releasing the knots that were worked into my hair from wearing the hat.
Nate kissed the top of my head as we continued to walk down the hallway, his arm still draped over my shoulders. Instead of pulling away, his lips lingered as he started to murmur something to me. I barely caught it, but I did causing a smile to spread across my numb face.
"I'm glad you're back to your old self." He stayed there for a few moments longer before returning to his towering height.
I'm assuming by saying I was back to my old self he was referring to when I slapped him in the face. Hey, we're street. Just because we both confessed our love to one another and I cried doesn't mean our relationship will be all mushy, ooey gooey crap you see in the movies. Plus, a little force is needed to keep your man in line. After all, I've always been the dominant one, the alpha if I must. But I also can tell Nate is not one for backing down and won't play the role of beta. We're like two thundering tornados clashing together, two bulls smashing their horns against one another, but somehow we work and no matter how stubborn or hardheaded we are, I wouldn't want us to change around each other, because I do not do sentimental.
The warning bell signaled and I knew I was only slowing down Nate. Plus, I had to stop by my locker and drop off all my snow gear before head to class.
"Go." I shrugged out of Nate's embrace as he made sure no one would hit me on their way, rushing to class.
"No."
"Go" what did I say? So stubborn.
Before he had a chance to tell me no, again, I cut him off. "Stop. I'll be fine, scouts honor." I held up what I thought was the Girl Scout sign.
Nate gave my hand a wary look and fixed which fingers I had to hold up. "You weren't even allowed in the Brownies." He smirked at me. One that I had the urge to smack off his face.
"How do you know!" I crossed my arm in front of me and glared at him. He was right.
"Because I wasn't allowed in the Cub Scouts." He shrugged and there came that shit-eating grin again.
"Just go." I rolled my eyes at him.
"Yes mam." And held up the scout sign in the wrong way, mocking what I had done earlier.
Before I could react, he ran off laughing down the hall. I rolled my eyes and kept the smile on my face as I stopped infront of my locker. I shed all of my layers and stuffed it into my locker. I was just about to my locker when I felt to sets of hands on my back.
I felt pain shooting everywhere through my body. My shoulder, my stomach, my ribs; everything was in pain. I opened my eyes and gazed up at the ceiling as I lay on my back, trying to settle the pain down.
Bing. Bing. Bing.
And now i'm late.
I bit my lip hard as I rolled to one side and stood up. I started to taste blood in my mouth from biting my lip so hard.
I closed my locker slowly. Who the hell slams a damn crippled person into a locker? Seriously? Only one name popped up into my head.
The devil reincarnate.
The spawn of Satan.
Mandi.
I slowly, painfully made my way to calculus, trying to calm myself down and rid the thoughts of ways I could torture Mandi.
I opened the door quietly and immediately had the entire class's attention. I saw a young man standing at the front of the classroom. Must be a student or something, he looks too young to be a teacher.
"You're late." He had the sweetest Irish accent I've ever heard.
"No, I'm Liv. You were close though." I replied, not letting his accent faze me, which seemed to be melting every single girl's heart in the class.
"Detention Miss..... Wilde." He said looking through his roster.
"No thank you." I replied as I slightly cringed from the sharp pain in my stomach.
"It wasn't a suggestion." He squared his body to mine and turned his piercing green eyes into a cold stare.
"Today's my first day back. Besides, who are you to tell me what to do!?" I tried keeping my voice even, even though pain was rushing through my body.
"Today is everybody's first day back. You're no exception." He raised one eye brow.
"And oh, i'm your new calculus teacher, Owen O'Brady." He finished with a stupid smirk.
I slowly made my way to him and looked up into his face, completely ignoring his personal space.
"Well Mr. O'Brady, I have been in a coma for over two months. I only woke up a few days ago." I said meeting his cold stare with my heated glare.
"Hmm, over two months.... You should be well rested then. I'll see you after school today." His voice held a sort of finality in it, telling me that this conversation was over.
"No you won't." I turned my back on him and started making me way to Jamie.
"Excuse me? What did you just say?!" his voice raising an octave higher, almost sounding angry.
I turned around quickly, too quickly. But I held back the gasp that wanted to escape and kept my face blank. Clear from any discomfort i'm feeling.
"I didn't stutter." I said in a snarky tone before turning around again.
I squeezed my eyes shut again from the quick movement, causing a ripping sensation to spread around my wound.
I heard a chair scraping against the floor and a gentle, familiar touch brush against my face. I opened my eyes to see Nate staring at me in concern.
"Liv, you're bleeding, again." He whispered, glancing down at my stomach then back up to my eyes.
"What!" I half whispered, half shouted.
Forgetting my surrounding, I shifted my sling, which resulted in shifting my arm causing my shoulder to tweak.
This officially blows.
I lifted my shirt and held it up with my chin as I peeled back the bandages, which were already soaked in blood... again. I took a better look at me wound to see a steady flow of blood running out of the hole and into the bottom of the bandages.
"Shit." I murmured under my breath.
"What does the back look like?" I asked Nate as I turned my back to him.
I felt him peeling away the tape of the bandages. "Same." He murmured.
I closed my eyes and groaned as I put the bandage back to my stomach without looking. I took out my phone, letting my shirt drop in the process and text Sal telling him to send Dr. James to the Nurse's office.
I gave Nate a light kiss before slowly and carefully turning away from him again and headed to the front door.
"Where do you think you're going?" that stupid Irish accent rang throughout the room.
"To the nurse. Where does it look like i'm going? So stupid." I rolled my eyes and kept walking.
"Take your seat Miss Wilde. You've already interrupted this class enough. Now sit!" he demanded harshly.
"Kiss my ass teach." And with that I walked out of the room.
I made my way down the hall vaguely aware of footsteps hurrying from behind me. That stupid leprechaun's voice was echoing through the hall, ordering me to stop. Like hell I will.
I felt a hand grip tightly around my arm and spin me around at the same time I shouted "Don't touch me!" and swung my fist.
My fist slammed into the palm of Mr. O'Brady. He slowly lowered his closed hand that was still clenched around my fist but never let go. Our breath was both coming out in deep huffs and we both bore into each other's eyes, neither one of us wanting to be the first to back down.
A little late, not as late as the last one, but this new teacher will be creating hell for Liv. he's and exciting hot headed character that I can't wait for all of you to get to know! Hope you all like it, I loved everyone's comments from last chapter, and the votes are amazing as always. You're support is what keeps me writing, but i'm still wracking my brain for new stuff to keep you all interested and on your toes. Let me know if you come up with any ideas and I'll set it into motion. And anyone who is creative, I'd love to see if anyone comes up with a Book Cover!! Till next time my lovelies, ciao!