𝓣𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓷𝓸 𝓪𝓬𝓬𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓼... 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓸𝓷𝓵𝔂 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮 𝓹𝓾𝓻𝓹𝓸𝓼𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮𝓷'𝓽 𝓾𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓽𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝔂𝓮𝓽.

Trigger Warning: The first part of this chapter, before the first-page divider is the description of pain and being hurt. It may be triggering so if you don't feel comfortable reading pain and all that then you can skip to after the first '***'

If anyone says that they've been in an accident and it all happened so fast, it's a lie. For me it was all in slow motion. I could feel the hit against my stomach and legs. I heard a scream somewhere, and later I realized that it was me who was screaming my head off. I could feel the force on my stomach, and it felt like someone just gutted me. I could feel the bones in my legs break under the pressure. My feet left the ground from the sharp force and in a minute I fell face-first on the ground.

If I hadn't been hit by a car, I would have been laughing at the way I fell.

My forehead hits the ground first and I feel a familiar warm liquid dripping down my forehead. I flip myself over with a groan, but I have no strength in my hands. I feel numb. It's only after a few moments that I become aware of all my injuries. The pain hits me like a truck, and I shriek again. A few tears escape my eyes as I lay here, withering in pain. My forehead throbs and burns as I try to seek some relief. My legs hurt... it's like the pain of stubbing a toe but at least a gazillion times worse.

Loud, gut-wrenching sobs escape my mouth as I lay here on the road. My hair, which was once bouncy and shiny, is now matted with blood from my forehead and the dirt from the pavement. I push my head against the road, my body tensing up as I try to eliminate the pain. But whatever I do, the pain just keeps increasing. I try not to move my injured leg, but I can't help it. It's torturing me. This pain... this pain is too much. I try to calm myself because the crying is just making my head hurt more, but the cars zooming past me are a painful reminder as to why I can't calm down. I just can't.

I can hear footsteps as someone runs up to me, and soon Albert's face comes within my line of vision. He starts to go after the car that hit me, but I call him back.

"Albert," I say, "please." My voice is just barely above a whisper. Can he even hear me at all?

"Oh my God, Ari!" He kneels down beside me, studying me.

Guess he heard me.

Once he's done assessing all my injuries a deep, guttural sound escapes his mouth, causing me to look at him incredulously.

I'm dying here, stop growling. You sound like a hyena defending itself.

"You're okay, you're okay," he mutters, as if trying to reassure himself.

"I don't think I am, Albert," I say. I try to smile, but it comes out as a grimace.

"Shut up, Ari," Albert replies, clearly panicking, "You'll be okay." He pulls out his handkerchief and presses it to the gash on my forehead, applying enough pressure to make me cry out in pain and glare at him. He then proceeds to slip a hand under my knees and the other one under my shoulders as he picks me up. Goosebumps rise on my skin, sparks forming wherever his skin touches mine. I gasp at the pleasurable contact, but then groan in pain as I feel something poke me near my rib cage.

"Sorry," he whispers apologetically. I give him a slight nod as I rest my head on his chest, letting his strong musky, masculine smell overwhelm me. He walks over to his car and puts me down carefully in the passenger seat, closing the door.

"Take me to the dorms," I croak out in pain as soon as he slides into the driver's seat.

"Are you insane?" he shouts and I wince. "You have like a broken leg, a couple of broken ribs, and a probable concussion..." I start coughing when he's mid-sentence, and even though I try to stop, I can't seem to. I try covering my mouth with my hand, groaning and holding the side of my ribs with my other hand as I cough. As soon as I pull away my hand, I can see blood on it. "...And by the looks of it, you've got internal bleeding too. I need to take you to the hospital, not your freaking dorms." The familiar purring of the engine indicates that the car has started. Before I know it we're speeding past buildings and leaving behind the God-forsaken restaurant.

"Albert," I whisper, "Listen, I don't care that I'm bleeding, I don't care that I'm in pain, I need to get to the fucking dorms and not the hospital."

Going to a hospital is too dangerous. I can't risk getting caught. I can't afford to go back to that hamlet.

"Okay, well now I'm sure that your head has been hit pretty hard, and that it's your injury talking. You need to get to the fucking hospital, not the dorms."

"Please," I beg, my voice barely above a whisper. I rest my head against the seat as I feel my eyes get droopy. The soft purring of the engine lulling me to sleep as I close my eyes.

"Hey, hey." I feel him softly pat my face. "Keep your eyes open, we're almost there."

"I don't think I can," I say, "I'm too tired and it hurts." I end up coughing again, supporting my ribcage with my hand and making sure it doesn't move too much. I start to pant softly as my hand twitches, the pain overwhelming all of my other senses.

"I know," he says in a soft voice, "I know it does but you might have a concussion, so don't- don't fall asleep."

"I- I can't," I reply, a few tears escaping my eyes, "It hurts too much."

"Shh." He shushes me, wiping my tears, "I know, I know it does. Also, don't talk too much. It'll only hurt you more. Just a little longer," he mutters, "we're almost there."

A few minutes later the car comes to a stop, and my body jerks forward due to the inertia. I groan in pain again, my legs feeling even worse due to the movement in my body. My whole body is aching at this point, and my head feels like it's going to fall off. I'm having trouble keeping it straight on my neck.

"We're here," Albert announces, exiting the car.

"And I'm done," I say as I finally close my eyes. The exhaustion finally creeps up to me as I stop fighting to stay awake, and I slip into a dark, black and endless abyss.

***

A soft, constant beeping pulls me out of my deep sleep. My head throbs, painfully reminding me of the events that took place earlier. I lay still for a while with my eyes closed, trying to digest everything that happened. I feel a little breathless and soon my heart rate picks up, which is indicated out loud as the machine by my side goes wild. I try to calm myself a little and become more alert. I feel a rough, cold and stiff substance covering my left leg. I also feel the familiar uneven and rough surface of gauze on my forehead.

Something has been pushed forcefully into my nostrils, making it uncomfortable for me to breathe. I try to move my hand to remove the tubes from my nose, but something pulls at my hand and restricts me from doing it. I slowly and cautiously lift my left hand, which is a challenge. But honestly, at this point, everything is a challenge.

My left hand gradually reaches across my body to my right hand, and I try to pull at whatever tubes have been pierced into my arm.

"Yeah, you don't want to do that." I hear someone say as they wrap their hand around mine and pry it away from the tube. My skin tingles as soon as the hand touches mine. It feels as if their touch ignites sparks on my skin, and pleasurable sparks nonetheless.

I open my eyes carefully, squinting due to the bright light from the LED overhead. The white ceiling does nothing to soothe the burn in my eyes. I slightly tilt my head to see Albert towering over my bed with scrunched up eyebrows and a frown on his lips.

"Hey," he whispers.

"Water?" I croak, my throat feeling like a desert.

"Here," he says, reaching over somewhere and then bringing a glass to my lips. He helps me sit up a little straighter with a hand on my back to support my weight. My hand lands itself on his, holding the glass as I slowly but greedily sip the water. I'm halfway through it when he pulls it away, causing me to glare at him. "Let me call the doctor, you can have more later," he says.

In a few minutes, a female doctor with blonde hair struts in and starts looking at the machines connected to me, but not before giving Albert a look. Albert walks out to let the doctor do her work in peace, but I don't think she appreciates him being here very much.

"How are you feeling?" The doctor asks as she checks my vitals.

"Like I slept on a train track, got run over by a train, and somehow survived," I say.

"Well, that's one way to describe your situation," she chuckles. After a few minutes of being poked and prodded, she leaves the room and Albert comes back in. He plops down in a chair beside my bed and looks at me.

"What happened?" I ask him as I scrunch my eyebrows. I lay there on the bed, my head slightly tilted towards him as we talk.

"You don't remember anything?" he asks. This time it's his turn to look at me with a confused expression.

"The last thing I remember is telling you to take me to the dorms," I say.

"Yeah, that was it and after that, I just brought you here," he says as he leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. "You know, you've been asleep for a day."

"You were here all night?" I inquire.

"Yeah," he says as if it's obvious, "I couldn't just dump your ass here and go."

My eyes widen but a small smile appears on my face. My chest tightens, and a warm fuzzy feeling lights itself up in my chest. I look at him with grateful and appreciative eyes, but they soon disappear. My attention falls on his hair that's ever messier than normal and his lively beautiful eyes that are now dull with bags under them. He stayed here all night. He probably didn't catch any sleep, and now he's exhausted, all because of me. "I'm sorry for troubling you," I say sincerely, "You should've called Jade, but still, thank you for getting me here,"

"First off, I'm your friend, you're not troubling me. Second, I didn't have his number, it took time for my pa to get but he's here now, completing all the formalities," he says. Hearing his words makes the feeling in my chest reignite itself.

I give him a soft smile, which he returns. Something about his smile just... feels different. It feels as if his one smile will just light up the world and chase the demons away. His smile gives me hope, and assures me that everything will be okay.

But alas, not everything can be that easy. And moreover, I need to stay away from him, not draw hope from his smile. Because if I don't he'll be dragged into my mess and after that, I don't think it would ever be that bright again. They'll never leave me alone, and they'll even go to the extent to hurt anyone I get close to. I would hate to see his bright eyes not shine anymore, to see his smile be so small and fake like mine.

"So, how bad is it?" I ask, trying to change the topic.

"A concussion, a tibial shaft fracture in your left leg, a couple of broken ribs, and there was some internal bleeding and a scratch on your forehead and some bruising here and there," he says.

"Oh God, this is a disaster," I say as I look at the ceiling, estimating how much all this treatment will cost.

"Also, my mother's on the way," he says, and I look at him confused. "You know her?"

"Yeah, I do," I say and he nods.

"Oh my God, Ari!" The door flies open and I hear Jade shout. His heavy footsteps echo in the huge-ass room as he walks over to my bed.

He walks over to me and embraces me. "Ow, ow, ow," is what comes out of my mouth as soon as he hugs me.

"Oh shit, sorry!" He says as he pulls away. His eyes scan my figure laying on the bed. A frown graces his lips and lines appear on his forehead.

"I'm gonna be in the waiting room," Albert says and slips out of the room.

"What happened?" he asks as he sits in the chair near my bed.

"I saw Toby, again," I sigh, "He waved in my direction, so I think he recognized me."

"Was it them with the car?" he asks, slightly moving forward on the chair so he's sitting on its edge.

"I think so. I'm not sure, but like, the road was empty. It was a red light, so I think it was planned. But I want to be sure before I jump to any conclusions."

"Do you really think that it could actually be an accident?" he asks.

"Yes, I think it could've been," I say.

"Then you're delusional."

"Can we come in?" I hear Riona's voice. The door creaks a little as she opens it and pokes her head in.

"Yes," I reply.

"God, Ari," Riona says as soon as she sees me, "I left you for like ten minutes and you land yourself in the hospital. How irresponsible are you?"

"Don't be mean Riona, she's hurt!" Mrs. Stone slightly yells at her and I smirk.

"Exactly Riona, I'm hurt," I say, and she rolls her eyes.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Riona's mother comes over to the side of my bed, fussing over me. Making the blanket covers me, asking me if I'm too cold or if my hair's bothering me.

"I'm fine, Mrs. Stone." I say with a smile.

"How many times have I told you not to call me Mrs. Stone?" She questions.

"You've literally met her like two times," Riona says, rolling her eyes again.

"Did you not tell her?" Mrs. Stone, Elle, asks me in mock accusation.

"Guilty," I say, holding my free hand up in a surrender position.

"You've met her more than twice?" Riona asks. "I've only taken you home twice," she says, looking at me.

"I go to that flower shop she works at a lot, and sometimes I take her out for lunch because she works a lot and sometimes she just needs a treat," Elle explains, glancing at Riona.

"Then you lied to me that day?" She asks, glaring at me.

"Uh... I- um," I start, but I don't know what to say.

"Leave her alone Riona," Elle quiets her.

"Hey everyone, I think we should let her rest right now," Albert says, stepping inside the room. "Also, you can be discharged the day after tomorrow but you'll have to be on bed rest for at least three weeks after that." I give him a grateful smile for freeing me from these people.

"She can stay at my penthouse," Riona speaks up.

"And I'll stay with her," Elle completes.

"What? No, I'm fine in the dorms!" I say.

"No, you're not," Riona snaps at me, "Bed rest means not leaving the bed for anything except for taking a piss or shit or a bath." Elle glares at Riona for her language.

"I'll be fine alone, you don't have to do this all for me," I say, "Albert, tell them I'll be fine."

"What about your parents, can't they come?" He asks instead.

"It's okay, I... I don't have parents," I say, swallowing the lump in my throat. Jessica and Alessandro's faces pop up in my head, but I think about happier things to try and forget about them. Happy things like the three new friends I made after six years. New friends. My new friends.

Albert looks shocked, not expecting what I said, but it soon changes into a sympathetic gaze. "Oh I- uh, I'm so sorry! I didn't know, I-" Albert stutters, but Riona smacks the back of his head and glares at him.

"You're fine," I say, cutting him off.

"But if that's the case then I agree with them, you need someone to help you." I glare at Albert but he gives me an apologetic smile, his cute little dimples showing.

Try whatever you want hotty, I'm not gonna give in this time.

"Jade," I call him, "Help me!" I say. I turn to him with puppy dog eyes, hoping that at least he'll try to help me.

"I think I'm gonna go with them, they're right!" He says, and I look at him with hurt and betrayal in my eyes. His eyes soften for a bit but then he realizes what I'm doing, and his expression changes to a smug one.

"I'll stay at home for these few days with you so you don't feel alone," Ri says with a smile, so I give everyone a defeated look.

These are going to be a very long, three weeks.

That was... quite a chapter. It was a little difficult to write this chapter but I feel it is kinda good. I don't know. You tell me, did you like this chapter? Did you like the way it was written or was it too gory for your liking? Do you want me to change anything?

Now, I'm extremely excited for the next chapter, I hope you are too. Albert will be appearing a lot more in chapters from now on and yeah, that's pretty much it!

So, if you enjoyed this chapter make sure you tap that little star button at the end and make sure to comment about what you liked the most in this chapter. And if you feel like give me a follow, I might start giving a little sneak peek in the chapters but I'm not too sure about it. Tell me if you want that. Also, I have an Instagram account, make sure you follow that for some bookish content and recs.

Stay safe and see y'all with the next chapter!!

Edited by the ever-amazing