If you're reading and enjoying Love Symbol, thanks! Please vote or comment so I know you're there:) Here's chapter 21!!!! Dedicated to Banana because your comments rock! All you other commenters I see you, along with the new readers:) Hold on and the next one might be just for you! <3

On the outside, just looking at him, Michael is the perfect guy, the one I spent hours imagining. I mean, yeah, I spent most of my childhood with my nose in a medical book at my mother's job (an old-school diner) but that doesn't mean I didn't daydream. I pictured a tall, dark, and handsome man, with deep eyes and a perfect smile. Michael has those things (on the outside anyways), but one of the requirements of my imagined love was to be down for me no matter what. And that's Michael's flaw: He hates me. I can't read him, I can't understand him, and he's hurt me in ways I never thought possible. Despite all these things, when he merely glances in my direction, still, my heart raises to my throat.

He leans against the nurse's station, gazing at me as he pretends to update his charting. He's been booted back to Cardiothoracics, but that hasn't stood in the way of his brutal pursuit of everything that has to do with me. He looks perfect today, as usual, black curls falling over his face.

And then there's Will, standing on the other side of the Nurse's station. He's pretending to update the OR board when I know he's standing there staring at me point-blank. His green eyes seem to dance, and his tattoos poke out from under his lab coat. He's also everything I imagined, and he's got the whole 'down for me' part on lock. He proved that last week. His flaw: He's way older than me.

And then there's Jay. Wait... Jay? He struts down the hall towards me, just as Michael is closing his binder to walk over, just as Will is putting his piece of chalk back on the board to come talk to me. Jay slides in front of me, blocking my view of both of my pursuers. My smile falls as his rises, his eyes lighting at the sight of me.

"Hey babe!" He exclaims, folding me into a tight hug. At first, I'm stiff, but then I relax, and give into the embrace. This is my boyfriend, he checks all the boxes. It might also sound wrong to say that he's a perfect distraction from what's going on right now.

"What's up, what're you doing here?" I smile, blocking out all other eyes on me, Sea Green and Brown alike. "Nothing, I... haven't seen you in a while. I ran into your friend Ana, she said you'd be here. Is everything alright?" His mouth has settled into a worried line and his eyebrows are crinkled a little.

"No, nothing's wrong. I'm fine, I promise." I lean into him, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Ha, what's with you?" He smiles, prodding his cheek where I kissed it. "Nothing, I just missed you."

"And, who's this?" "Nobody important." I remember when Michael said that about me. Will and Michael stand side by side with the same looks on their faces, and their arms crossed. They may both be in the same mood, but I can still sense the rising tension between them.

"Oh, yeah. Chief Rose, I want you to meet my... boyfriend Jay." I plaster on a smile, looking up at him. He frowns deeper, and his eyes darken along with it. "Boyfriend?" He blinks. Michael rolls his eyes. "Nobody ever cares. Jay being her boyfriend never stopped me from-" "Ok, well. Chief, I was wondering if Jay could maybe... stay for a day? Watch one of our surgeries up close?"

"Up close?" I can tell he's still stuck on the 'boyfriend' part. "Yeah. We have that.. Corpus Callosotomy in a half hour, he could watch that." "I don't like strangers in my OR." "I'd like to watch you up close," Michael snickers to himself pervertedly. I ignore him and look up at Will again. "Please?"

"Sure. For you." He smiles, placing a hand on my shoulder. I shiver despite my mind telling me not to, and look at Jay. "You should start scrubbing in." "What?" "Rose! Why don't you show our guest how to do that?" Michael asks in a faux polite voice, cocking his perfect head slightly. Will returns the smile, clearing his throat. "Good idea."

He walks away stiffly, practically barking at Jay to tell him which way to go. As I'm giving Jay a smile and a wave, Michael's arms lock on either wide of me, his hands grasping the side of the nurse's station and locking me in. I give a small gasp, looking back and forth. My nerves bite at the back of my throat.

"Long time no see," He chuckles, his voice oily slick. "W-what do you want?" I stutter, pressing as hard as I can into the counter. "Come on now, you know what I want. It's standing right in front of me." "Could you please stop?" I choke. He leans into my ear, his mouth just brushing my skin. "Don't act like you don't like this part of me." I can't help but take in his aroma, it's one of my favorite scents.

"Please, we're in the middle of the hospital." "I frankly don't know what else to do. This seems to be the only thing that makes you understand." "Understand what?" I dare to ask as he presses closer to me. "That I feel for you." His face is less than an inch from mine, my breathing has shallowed and my mind is exploding.

"So.. now you're gonna kiss me?" He shakes his head. "No. I need to know you feel the same. All you have to do is move your head a little bit," He teases, waiting. I shake my head. "Never." "Junior? Where are you?" I hear Will call down the hall. "Crap, get off!" I hiss, beating on his chest with both hands.

"No." He gives a sinister smile, and just as Will walks over I tip over and fall flat on my back, looking up at the ceiling. Will and Michael stand over me, looking down. "Damn, did you see a ghost?" Will questions, half smiling. "No, I think she saw your face." Michael quips, earning a scowl from Will.

Jay walks over. "Babe? Are you ok?" He stands over me as well. My heart is moving at full speed, I'm beginning to cold sweat. I can't take this kind of pressure all the time. The tension in the room has materialized and thickened. I see a ceiling fan from my spot on the floor. If the air gets any thicker, I'm sure the blades will stop.

"Oh, she's fine alright. She looks pretty hot from down there," Michael laughs. Jay shoots daggers at him, and Michael smirks. "Shut the hell up, she hates you." Will waves his hands, shaking his head. "Back off guys, she's my intern." "What the hell does that have to do with anything?" Michael sneers, sparking a whole big argument right in the middle of the hallway.

My breath catches in my rapidly swelling throat, and I don't think I can take this anymore. I pick myself up off the floor, and speed down the all toward the OR. "I'll see you guys in there!" I pant, desperately trying to get away. Most girls my age have different problems, like running out of nail polish. Those girls have never been me.

****

I almost felt bad for Jay in the OR. He stood right beside me at first, but Will soon protested and stole the spot right out from under him. Every question Jay asked seemed to be stupid and irritating to him, and Will answered them as such.

And before the kiss, I would've thought he was just angry, but now I know it's pure jealousy. Poor Jay got kicked out of the OR, but there was nothing I could do about it.

****

I hear the locker room door open, and hear the quick-paced step of Michael. Oh god, please not now. Surprisingly enough, he brushes right past me, speeding right past me to his locker. I wonder what's his problem now, he was flirtatious enough earlier.

I peer past my locker door at him, watching him carefully. His stiff and forceful movements expose the fact that he's angry again. "What?" He snaps. I guess he caught me staring while I was thinking. I jump behind my locker door even after he's caught me out of impulse.

"God, irritating." He curses under his breath slamming his locker door. "God, what is with you?" I burst, unable to keep my thoughts in my mind. He spins my head around constantly, and just when I think I've got him figured out, I realize that I'm missing several more pieces to the puzzle that is Michael.

"What is with you! I'm tired of you bouncing back and forth from guy to guy! Pick one, fuck! It's slutty."

His words burn in my chest, just like they always do, but I don't try to fight him on it this time, I just turn away and speed towards the door. "Damn it, Skip!" He yells after me, speeding around in front of me.

He practically slams both of our bodies against the lockers, his on top of mine. "Michael, quit!" "You know I didn't mean that shit, I just-" "You just what?!" I yell out of rage, staring him down. He doesn't shrink or back away at all, only rises up higher. He is literally a whirlwind, a hurricane. I've built storm shelter after storm shelter to deal with him, but I'm out of wood. And patience.

"You just... you confuse me alright?! You know I can't get you out of my mind!"

"You know what? I'm done caring! I'm done listening! I'm done coming back to you every time you hint at having feelings for me! I have a boyfriend. I have Jay!" "And Will too right?" He spits, and I push against his shoulders.

"Done!" I yell, and he pushes my shoulders back against the lockers. "You're not done! You're not done until it's over!" He growls. "What's over?" His face falls, and he looks away for a moment before his eyes raise back to me. "It's not over."

"Jay." "Shut up. You didn't deny being with Will."

I shrug. "It's none of your business. He's my boss." "Fuck that, just..."

He leans closer. "Michael, I swear! When I said I'm done with this I meant it!" "You talk to much." "What-"

His lips interrupt my sentence, and I'm ashamed to say I'm not pull away. He may be insufferable, he may be the most unreadable person I've ever met, he may drive me crazy, but on top of that, he's one of the most attractive people I've ever met. Gives a new meaning to 'opposites attract.'

"God, Michael," I mutter through his kiss. "Stop talking."

The door to the locker room opens slowly, but figuring it's some intern, we don't stop. I hear something clatter to the ground, something liquid spills. "Why, Skipper?"

Jay's strained voice sounds, and I practically push Michael off of me. He stumbles backwards, brushing off his chest disdainfully. "He already saw us, there's no point playing innocent." He kills me. He just kills me.

My head is exploding once more, and I'm kicking myself. I've done it again. Despite everything I've promised myself, I've let myself melt into Michael again. I've let myself hurt Jay again. "Is there something I've done to you?" I can tell from the crushed look on his face that I've really hurt him this time. It makes me feel like an asshole. Now I'm turning into Michael.

"Jay, please-" "No, Skipper! No. I'm done... believing you! I'm done giving you the benefit of the doubt! You're different now, Skipper, you've changed! You've been around Michael so long... you're just like him now! You're not the girl I met at the party, not anymore! As much as I care for you, and as much as I miss that girl... you're not her. So I'm done."

"Jay-" "Done." He walks out of the room, slamming the door behind him. I sag, but I've deserved this. The humiliation burns in my face, the sadness weighs on my shoulders. Jay is right, and he's too good for me now. After everything I've done, I don't deserve him anymore.

I turn back to Michael who only shrugs. "Looks like you're free for me now." I shake my head, walking to the door. The smug look on his face irritates me, like the knew this was gonna happen.

"You ruined me, Michael. You ruined me. I'm not going to be with you either."

I'm going to make sure of that this time. Or Michael will truly be the death of me.

"That's what you think, baby girl. But you are a drop of blood in the water, and I happen to be a great white shark."

Sorry I feel like I waited forever to update this :) I feel like Skipper got what she deserved for cheating on Jay all those times she wasn't even thinking of him. And I'm the one writing this hah:) Vote and Comment, I wanna know how you feel about this.... Keep reading!!!