Chapter Twenty One
What part of staying away from Daniel do you not understand Dumberly?
I replayed the message again and again in my mind, trying desperately to unravel the mystery behind the sender.
Could it be Bianca? She'd threatened me at Daniel's house and she'd sounded quite serious about it. Could she really be the one sending all these messages or was someone just using her derisive nickname for me to mess with me?
All of this was so hard to comprehend. Nevertheless, Daniel and I kept up the act of avoiding each other at school, only texting and calling. We never met in my car after that day because I had a feeling the stalker had seen us together, hence the creepy text.
In school it was awkward waves and us trying to gauge our surroundings, to see if anyone was lurking too close, staring too hard.
I remember being on the walkway two days after the text and Harvey had come to school to see me, saying he didn't have any classes at his own university and he wanted to hang out.
It was just me, Harvey, Jennifer and Aurora. He'd leaned in too close to whisper something in my ear that was funny and I had laughed and that was when I noticed Daniel walking down.
The look he threw at Harvey was murderous, his jaw clenched so hard I was afraid he'd ground his teeth to dust.
I waved at him when he looked my way but he didn't wave back.
Lucas was next to him and he was the one who came over to me. Daniel had no choice but to follow.
I looked around in fear, hoping I wouldn't spot anyone suspicious but also hoping I would so I could finally put a face to the stalker.
"Daniel, aren't you going to say hi to Kim?" Lucas said, sitting between me and Harvey who opened his mouth to protest.
I was grateful for this but Daniel ignored Lucas's question and continued to scroll through his phone. He acted like I wasn't even there.
"Lucas, I have to go get something." Daniel said and without waiting for a reply he left.
"That was strange. Are you guys okay?" Aurora asked me.
"Yeah, it's nothing." I said, shrugging.
Next to me Jennifer and Harvey were arguing about something and Lucas was laughing too loud. Lucas and Aurora hadn't amounted to anything romantic because well... Aurora didn't like him that way.
My phone beeped with a text from Daniel.
I'm sorry for ignoring you.
Don't apologize. It's not your fault.
This is one of many apologies if this is how it's going to be.
Guess I'll just have to deal with it.
Needless to say, I didn't like that we had to hide us being together but it was clear this...stalker maniac didn't want us close, together. They wanted us apart. I don't know but it fits into Bianca's suspicion pretty well. She didn't want me with Daniel.
But there was also Henry who had threatened me during the carnival, telling me I would regret being with Daniel and not him. But Henry had never met Bianca so he would be oblivious to the nickname she gave me. God, there was so much I couldn't keep up with.
I got into the driver's side of my car, turning to glance behind me, lips tucked in in apprehension as I made sure no one was in the back seat hiding.
I was on my way to get my phone checked at a phone store, to make sure there wasn't something on it like a virus that may have hacked it.
I smiled. "It's okay. There's no one back there."
Paranoia was now the order of the day for me.
I blinked rapidly and took a deep breath, turning on the car and backing out of my parking space.
My mind was churning with questions as I drove that desperately needed answers. I was so confused. Just how had it gotten to this point where everything was so complicated.
I turned on the radio and let out a sigh as a song I knew came on.
I sang along distractedly, my grip on the steering wheel tight, my other arm placed on the armrest, my fingers tapping unconsciously on the gear shift.
My phone rang. I actually expected to get another message from that same number, threatening me. The last message had also disappeared just like the other two had which is what spurred my decision to get my phone checked.
I reached into my purse to check who it was so I could put on my Bluetooth earpiece to answer it when the car jerked. I froze and turned to look at the dashboard where the fuel gauge and speedometer was.
"Okay, what's wrong now?" I muttered to myself.
The car kept running smoothly so it probably wasn't anything serious. My damn phone was still ringing. Who the hell was calling me?
I swerved out of the way of another car when my car jerked violently once again, startling me.
"Oh no!" I exclaimed in horror as I looked down at my feet.
My brakes weren't working.
"Oh God." I shrieked, looking around wildly as the car continued to speed up and I was having a hard time controlling the steering wheel. The brakes refused to kick in which was very weird because they had been working perfectly this morning.
"What the hell?" I said, confused.
I needed to park the car. Safely. Without brakes. Fuck.
Agitation ran through me as the car was swerving now, the tires screeching as it went too fast, blindly, on its own accord.
I hit the pavement before going back onto the road. Fear gripped me as I struggled to take control of the car, trying to avoid hitting other cars and people.
My damn phone was still ringing. I didn't get the chance to answer when the car bucked suddenly, my whole body going forward towards the steering wheel, the seatbelt catching me.
I noticed people ahead moving out of the way and the pole in which I was headed towards. I tried to avoid it but without my brakes I knew it was a lost cause.
I screamed as the car rammed viciously into the electrical pole, the force of the hit shattering the hood of the car, the lights, the windshield.
The airbags activated, blocking me from meeting the steering wheel. I slammed back into my seat forcefully, my ears ringing.
It felt like static was floating through my ears, I could hear screams, calls, shouts. There was smoke. The car was getting hot. Too hot.
Dizzying sickness came over me, I blindly reached for the door handle, my hand sliding away weakly. I could smell blood, something was trickling down the side of my head. There was also pain, glass everywhere.
Someone was trying to get my door open, his eyes filled with urgency and panic.
I reached for the door handle again, the smoke going through my nostrils, choking me, suffocating me.
I blacked out.
***
"How did this happen?" A voice inquired.
"Brake failure." Someone else replied.
"What? How did her brakes fail?"
"I was told it had been tampered with." The voice sounded soothing, smooth.
"Are you saying someone tried to kill her? What the hell!"
"Sssh, she's waking up."
My eyes fluttered open weakly, a tiny groan escaping from me. I couldn't open my eyes fully because the room was too bright.
I finally managed to adjust to the light and saw two people towering over me. Daniel and Lucas. They smiled down at me. Lucas's smile is that of happiness, Daniel's that of relief.
"She's awake. Thank God." Lucas said.
"Kimberly, can you hear me?" Daniel said, looking at me intently. His brown eyes scanned me, worry slowly seeping into his pupils.
"What happened? Where am I?" I murmured.
"In the hospital." Daniel said, clasping my hand. "But you're fine." He stroked my hand gently, smiling softly.
"How did I get here?" I said, my head felt fuzzy.
Daniel looked towards Lucas as if silently asking for support, like he didn't have the strength to explain it himself.
Lucas took a deep breath and said, "You were in an accident Kim."
"What?" I choked.
"But you're doing okay." Daniel replied, smiling reassuringly.
"You took in a lot of smoke and a glass cut through the side of your head. You got some stitches. But don't worry you'll be fine." Lucas said and lightly brushed at my cheek with his hand.
I smiled weakly. I was beginning to remember the accident. I'd been on my way to a phone store. And then I got a call.
My brakes acting up, the car jolting, people screaming, the pole, glass shattering. I closed my eyes, trying to shut the images out.
"Sapphire, are you in pain? Do I need to call the doctor? Lucas, please call the doctor please." Daniel said, his voice filled with panic.
Lucas nodded and turned towards the direction of the door when the door swung open and three people sauntered in.
Jennifer, Aurora and... Henry.
Oh God, not Henry. I'd not spoken to him since my birthday. He tried to apologize, but I ignored him. What was he doing here? How did he know I was in the hospital?
"Kim! Kim, are you okay?" Jennifer ran to my side and looked down at me with teary eyes.
"How many fingers am I holding up Kim?" Aurora said, raising up a finger, her middle finger.
I resisted the urge to smack her on the head.
"Fuck you too." I muttered.
"Yeah, she's okay Jenny." Aurora placed a hand to her chest and sighed before turning to Daniel.
"What the hell happened?" Aurora asked.
"What is he doing here?" Henry said, pointing at Daniel.
"Can you back off?" Lucas said, from the other side of the bed.
Henry looked down at me with worry. "I want to know what happened."
"What happened Daniel?" Jennifer asked softly, eyes darting from Lucas to Daniel.
Daniel looked down at his feet, a look of guilt on his face. He raked a hand through his long curls, my eyes trailing over the corded length of his arm.
"The brakes in her car malfunctioned." Daniel mumbled, locking eyes with me.
"I believe you mean her brakes were tampered with Daniel." Lucas replied heatedly, throwing a miffed look at Henry.
"And that's the car he gifted her, isn't it?" Henry retorted. "Surely, you can find a more subtle way to get rid of her."
"Are you really going to blame this one on me?" Daniel said, tone peeved.
"Yes I am. Don't forget I know the real you. You're trying to kill her too." Henry said, voice rising.
Daniel's face was impassive, his jaw locked. He turned away from Henry.
"Can you calm down Henry?" Jennifer said, giving Henry a look.
"Is no one here worried about the fact that Kim could've died? I saw the news. The car blew up afterwards. You almost got her killed but of course that's what you're good at. Killing people and pretending you're a saint." Henry sneered.
Daniel plastered on a blank expression, acting like Henry's words didn't get to him.
"I won't stand here and listen to you talk about my friend like that so you better shut up or God help me I will smash your hideous face in." Lucas threatened, looking like he really was going to do it.
Henry smiled slyly. "And best friend of the year goes to Lucas Castle. Are you in on his secret too?"
Lucas rounded the bed to where Henry was but Jennifer stepped in the way just in time, pushing Lucas back from a smirking Henry. Aurora had a palm to her face, Daniel had his eyes down, his jaw clenched.
The door opened and the doctor came in with a nurse.
"Mr Daniel, it's time for you and your friends to leave. The patient needs to rest." The doctor announced, not noticing the tension in the room.
Daniel took a step towards me in a protective manner, he didn't look like he wanted to leave as he looked down at me.
"Alright everyone, visiting time is over." The nurse said and began to usher them all out.
Daniel leaned forward, trailing his fingers along my cheek before kissing my forehead.
"Good night Sapphire." He signed. I smiled, nodding. I watched him walk towards the door and out.
I closed my eyes and tried to go back to sleep.
***
I woke up suddenly, the sounds of the hospital machines beeping. I turned my head to see a clock. It was 10:47pm.
I was in and out of sleep every time but I wasn't in any severe pain except for the mild throbbing in my head.
I went rigid when the door to my room opened. Who was coming into my room at this time of the night?
I closed my eyes, opening it just a fraction to see a blurry figure in the darkness. I shut my eyes, tried to steady my eyelids and only relied on my ears.
The person walked slowly until they were standing next to me. I could hear them breathing heavily. Fear cut through my system but I remained calm. Whoever it was probably thought I was asleep.
"Why do you have to be so stubborn Kim?" The voice whispered. It sounded hazy, masked.
My stomach turned, my hands growing cold. Was this the person sending me all those messages?
The figure whispered once again. "You needed to be taught a lesson. Perhaps now you'll heed my words."
I wanted to scream but was afraid that if I did, this person might attack me. My mind was hazy from the pills given to me and I was having a hard time keeping focus on the person.
A gloved hand was placed on my stomach and my heart rate increased.
"Sleep well Kim."
• • •