Fallen Crest Forever
Page 21
Her entire face was black and blue. Her right eye had a bandage over it, and her mouth looked cut up.
This accident hadn’t been staged. It was the real deal.
Then her left eye opened, and she saw me.
I shot my hands out. “Please don’t get mad at me. I just wanted to see how you were.”
Her eye narrowed, and she rolled to her back. Grimacing, she sat up and pointed to a pillow on the chair next to me. I handed it over, and she placed it behind her.
She leaned back gingerly, still cringing. “Are you here to gloat?”
I sat down, my hand covering my mouth. I felt tears threatening. She was clearly in a massive amount of pain. “Faith thinks I had something to do with this. I did not.” I gestured to her. “I’m so sorry.”
Her mouth was stiff, and her words came out slowly. “The other driver was some drunk guy. He was going home from the bar. The cops arrested him already. It’s his third car accident. He’ll be in county jail for a while, and he’s supposed to get his license taken away. Unless you had someone proposition him, I doubt you’d know Jim DeLuca.”
“That’s his name?”
“He calls himself Jimbo.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I know you didn’t do this. You’re not like that.”
“Faith said the doctors don’t think you can run again?”
She groaned. “Faith is such a liar. That’s not true. I can’t run this year. I’ll be running next year just fine.”
“That’s a relief then.”
She looked away. “Not that it matters. Only two people from our team make it to nationals. It’ll be you and Faith now. I’d be out anyway. And Faith is going to milk my accident so she gets all the attention. Good luck with her. She’ll have everyone convinced you slept with Jimbo to try to kill me, and the cops were paid off by your rich daddy to keep quiet about the whole thing.”
“Are you serious?” I tensed.
“’Fraid so. It’ll be something like that. She’s going to turn everyone against you. She’s done it before. I’ve seen her do it since elementary school. She won’t stop either, not until you’re so bullied by the others—even other runners in our races—that you’re either in the room next to me or you quit out of self-preservation.” Raelynn looked toward the open door. “I should stop talking. She could come back soon.” She cast me a worried look. “You might want to leave. She’ll probably start yelling and get you banned from the hospital.”
I gestured toward the hall. “We already ran into her.”
“We?”
I nodded. “Logan came with me. He’s distracting her so we can talk.”
Her eyes darted to the doorway, but it was empty. She looked back to me. “Look, it’s over for me this year. I can’t run, and that means, I can’t be Faith’s backup. She and Nettie will become best friends now. Just watch. She’s here, but once she starts running again, I probably won’t see her until she finds out I’m coming back next year. She’ll reach out to me next May, I’m betting. She’ll want to run together over the summer. But I’m telling you this because you have to watch out for her. Okay? Watch your back.”
I nodded.
She moved her head ever so slightly up and down. The pillow crinkled from the motion. “Can I tell you something? Something no one knows?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m in love with her. I have been since elementary school. She knows, but it’s not something we talk about. She’s not gay. I know what I’m dealing with, but I still love her. I’m an idiot.”
I started to reach for her hand, saw how smashed up it looked, and changed my mind. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I’m not evil. She isn’t either. She’s just spoiled, and she’s never not gotten her way. I was going to try to watch her for you. I didn’t want her to do something that would jeopardize her future, you know? But I can’t anymore. I figured warning you is the best I can do.” Her voice grew shaky. “Thank you for coming to see me.”
“Yeah. Of course.” I was still taken aback by everything.
“I might try to sleep again.” She moved her hand until she could press the call button, turning back to her side. “The nurse will come in and give me something to sleep. Come back and visit, will ya? Faith will be around for another week, but she’ll drop me like a bad habit after that.”
“Of course.” I touched the edge of her bed and patted it. “I’ll see you in a week then.”
“Thanks, Sam. Run fast, okay?”
I nodded, returning to the hallway.
Logan was alone, lounging against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked over as I approached.
“Your number-one fan went to find the administration here. She’s hoping to get us banned. You know, just for standing in the hallway.” He whistled under his breath. “That girl is a special one. She’s all sorts of delusional, a spoiled princess, and off-her-rocker kind of crazy. You need to watch this one.”
“So I’ve been hearing.”
I looked over my shoulder at Raelynn’s room as we started back to the car. An uneasiness took root in me. It had been there since the party night and my confrontation with Faith, but it was shooting up at a record speed now. Should I believe Raelynn, or was what she told me complete bullshit as well? If it was some form of concocted manipulation plan, to what end? I didn’t know.
Either way, everyone needed to know.
“We need to have a family meeting,” I told Logan.
“This girl has just never not gotten her way?”
Nate had been asking the same question for the last hour. Logan had called everyone to the house this evening—Matteo too. And after I relayed what had happened, including Faith’s reaction to us and Raelynn’s warnings, everyone had fallen quiet.
Until Nate started with his questions. He hadn’t gotten ahold of the sister. “She’s spoiled? That’s why she’s doing this?”
I nodded again to him. “Yes. From what Raelynn said, yes.”
He shook his head, raking a hand over his face. “That’s insane.” He looked at Mason. “How do we fight a chick?”
Logan grunted, leaning back on the couch. His arm rested on the back of it, behind where Taylor sat next to him. He put his foot up on the table. “I’m thinking it’s time we take the JV spot.” He clapped Taylor’s shoulder and turned to look at me. “Girls, you’re up. You’re on the front lines with this one.”
I’d been standing as I explained everything, but I sat now. Mason shifted his legs so I could perch on a footstool cushion with him behind me.
“You never got ahold of the sister you dated?” Mason asked Nate.
“No.” Nate raised a finger and pointed it at me. “I think I must’ve pissed her off more than I thought. Pretty sure that’s a dead end for us.”
“Well, that sucks.” Logan glanced to Matteo and pursed his lips together. “Feeling up for infiltrating the enemy’s bed again?”
Nate grunted. “This time on purpose?”
Matteo grew wary, lifting his hands up in a helpless gesture. “Come on, guys. I felt horrible. And no, I’m not doing that. Not even on purpose this time. Feels too dirty to me.”
Logan shrugged. “All this brainstorming got me thirsty. I think we should plan this girl’s demise over drinks.”
Nate turned to Mason. “Maybe we could do more best friend bonding?”
Mason nodded. His hand slipped under my shirt to rub my back. “Yeah. That sounds fun.”
Matteo held his hand up again. “Best friend bonding? I want in.”
“Pub crawl. We haven’t done that in a long time.” Mason kept rubbing his hand up and down my back.
“I think it’s high time we get it done.” Nate pretended to crack his knuckles. “If we’re really nice, we could invite some hangers-on.” His grin deepened as he nodded his head to the side, indicating Logan.
This accident hadn’t been staged. It was the real deal.
Then her left eye opened, and she saw me.
I shot my hands out. “Please don’t get mad at me. I just wanted to see how you were.”
Her eye narrowed, and she rolled to her back. Grimacing, she sat up and pointed to a pillow on the chair next to me. I handed it over, and she placed it behind her.
She leaned back gingerly, still cringing. “Are you here to gloat?”
I sat down, my hand covering my mouth. I felt tears threatening. She was clearly in a massive amount of pain. “Faith thinks I had something to do with this. I did not.” I gestured to her. “I’m so sorry.”
Her mouth was stiff, and her words came out slowly. “The other driver was some drunk guy. He was going home from the bar. The cops arrested him already. It’s his third car accident. He’ll be in county jail for a while, and he’s supposed to get his license taken away. Unless you had someone proposition him, I doubt you’d know Jim DeLuca.”
“That’s his name?”
“He calls himself Jimbo.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I know you didn’t do this. You’re not like that.”
“Faith said the doctors don’t think you can run again?”
She groaned. “Faith is such a liar. That’s not true. I can’t run this year. I’ll be running next year just fine.”
“That’s a relief then.”
She looked away. “Not that it matters. Only two people from our team make it to nationals. It’ll be you and Faith now. I’d be out anyway. And Faith is going to milk my accident so she gets all the attention. Good luck with her. She’ll have everyone convinced you slept with Jimbo to try to kill me, and the cops were paid off by your rich daddy to keep quiet about the whole thing.”
“Are you serious?” I tensed.
“’Fraid so. It’ll be something like that. She’s going to turn everyone against you. She’s done it before. I’ve seen her do it since elementary school. She won’t stop either, not until you’re so bullied by the others—even other runners in our races—that you’re either in the room next to me or you quit out of self-preservation.” Raelynn looked toward the open door. “I should stop talking. She could come back soon.” She cast me a worried look. “You might want to leave. She’ll probably start yelling and get you banned from the hospital.”
I gestured toward the hall. “We already ran into her.”
“We?”
I nodded. “Logan came with me. He’s distracting her so we can talk.”
Her eyes darted to the doorway, but it was empty. She looked back to me. “Look, it’s over for me this year. I can’t run, and that means, I can’t be Faith’s backup. She and Nettie will become best friends now. Just watch. She’s here, but once she starts running again, I probably won’t see her until she finds out I’m coming back next year. She’ll reach out to me next May, I’m betting. She’ll want to run together over the summer. But I’m telling you this because you have to watch out for her. Okay? Watch your back.”
I nodded.
She moved her head ever so slightly up and down. The pillow crinkled from the motion. “Can I tell you something? Something no one knows?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m in love with her. I have been since elementary school. She knows, but it’s not something we talk about. She’s not gay. I know what I’m dealing with, but I still love her. I’m an idiot.”
I started to reach for her hand, saw how smashed up it looked, and changed my mind. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I’m not evil. She isn’t either. She’s just spoiled, and she’s never not gotten her way. I was going to try to watch her for you. I didn’t want her to do something that would jeopardize her future, you know? But I can’t anymore. I figured warning you is the best I can do.” Her voice grew shaky. “Thank you for coming to see me.”
“Yeah. Of course.” I was still taken aback by everything.
“I might try to sleep again.” She moved her hand until she could press the call button, turning back to her side. “The nurse will come in and give me something to sleep. Come back and visit, will ya? Faith will be around for another week, but she’ll drop me like a bad habit after that.”
“Of course.” I touched the edge of her bed and patted it. “I’ll see you in a week then.”
“Thanks, Sam. Run fast, okay?”
I nodded, returning to the hallway.
Logan was alone, lounging against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. He looked over as I approached.
“Your number-one fan went to find the administration here. She’s hoping to get us banned. You know, just for standing in the hallway.” He whistled under his breath. “That girl is a special one. She’s all sorts of delusional, a spoiled princess, and off-her-rocker kind of crazy. You need to watch this one.”
“So I’ve been hearing.”
I looked over my shoulder at Raelynn’s room as we started back to the car. An uneasiness took root in me. It had been there since the party night and my confrontation with Faith, but it was shooting up at a record speed now. Should I believe Raelynn, or was what she told me complete bullshit as well? If it was some form of concocted manipulation plan, to what end? I didn’t know.
Either way, everyone needed to know.
“We need to have a family meeting,” I told Logan.
“This girl has just never not gotten her way?”
Nate had been asking the same question for the last hour. Logan had called everyone to the house this evening—Matteo too. And after I relayed what had happened, including Faith’s reaction to us and Raelynn’s warnings, everyone had fallen quiet.
Until Nate started with his questions. He hadn’t gotten ahold of the sister. “She’s spoiled? That’s why she’s doing this?”
I nodded again to him. “Yes. From what Raelynn said, yes.”
He shook his head, raking a hand over his face. “That’s insane.” He looked at Mason. “How do we fight a chick?”
Logan grunted, leaning back on the couch. His arm rested on the back of it, behind where Taylor sat next to him. He put his foot up on the table. “I’m thinking it’s time we take the JV spot.” He clapped Taylor’s shoulder and turned to look at me. “Girls, you’re up. You’re on the front lines with this one.”
I’d been standing as I explained everything, but I sat now. Mason shifted his legs so I could perch on a footstool cushion with him behind me.
“You never got ahold of the sister you dated?” Mason asked Nate.
“No.” Nate raised a finger and pointed it at me. “I think I must’ve pissed her off more than I thought. Pretty sure that’s a dead end for us.”
“Well, that sucks.” Logan glanced to Matteo and pursed his lips together. “Feeling up for infiltrating the enemy’s bed again?”
Nate grunted. “This time on purpose?”
Matteo grew wary, lifting his hands up in a helpless gesture. “Come on, guys. I felt horrible. And no, I’m not doing that. Not even on purpose this time. Feels too dirty to me.”
Logan shrugged. “All this brainstorming got me thirsty. I think we should plan this girl’s demise over drinks.”
Nate turned to Mason. “Maybe we could do more best friend bonding?”
Mason nodded. His hand slipped under my shirt to rub my back. “Yeah. That sounds fun.”
Matteo held his hand up again. “Best friend bonding? I want in.”
“Pub crawl. We haven’t done that in a long time.” Mason kept rubbing his hand up and down my back.
“I think it’s high time we get it done.” Nate pretended to crack his knuckles. “If we’re really nice, we could invite some hangers-on.” His grin deepened as he nodded his head to the side, indicating Logan.
