Chapter 21
GAbrIEL
THE HEALTH CENTER STAFF practically light up when they see me. Ella, the nurse at the front desk, waves and grins.
“Gabriel! Haven’t seen you in a while. How are you doing?”
“Good,” I say, shifting Scarlett in my arms. “But my friend here needs help.”
“Of course. Let me get you into a room.”
She leads us down the hallway and into one of the exam rooms. I set Scarlett down gently on the table, and she winces when her ankle moves.
“What happened?” Ella asks, already pulling out the supplies.
“E-scooter almost hit her,” I say. “She twisted her ankle getting out of the way.”
“Let me take a look.” Ella carefully examines Scarlett’s ankle. “Can you move it at all?”
Scarlett tries, and her face tightens with pain. “A little.”
“Looks like a mild sprain. I’ll wrap it up and get you some ice. You’ll need to stay off it for a few days.”
“Thank you,” Scarlett says quietly.
Ella nods and heads out to grab something. The room goes quiet, and I glance around. The medical supply cabinet is on the far wall, and I know from before that they keep the stronger painkillers in there. The stuff you need a prescription for.
I step closer to it, keeping my movements casual. Scarlett’s focused on her ankle, staring down at it with a frown.
I open the cabinet and scan the shelves. When I find what I’m looking for, I grab a bottle and slip it into my jacket pocket before closing the cabinet again.
Ella comes back with some bandages and an ice pack. “All right, let’s get you wrapped up.”
I watch as she wraps Scarlett’s ankle, her movements quick. Scarlett’s face relaxes a little once the pressure is applied, and Ella hands her the ice pack.
“Keep this on for twenty minutes, then take it off. Repeat that for the next few hours. And stay off your feet.”
“I will. Thank you.”
Ella smiles at her, then looks at me. “You taking good care of her?”
“Yeah. I’ll make sure she gets back to her dorm.”
“Okay then.” Ella pats my arm. “You’re a good guy, Gabriel.”
I force a smile, but guilt twists in my stomach. If she knew what I was really like, she wouldn’t say that.
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out while Ella finishes up with Scarlett.
The message is short.
Hurry up and make it official. Post something. People need to see you two together.
I stare at the screen, my jaw tightening. I want to reply that it’s not that simple and that you can’t just force a relationship to look real overnight. Scarlett might not even want to go along with this, and it’ll be weird to ask her to be my girlfriend out of nowhere and so fast.
But I know better. Arguing isn’t allowed. Pushing back gets me in trouble, and I’ve already caused enough problems.
I shove the phone back into my pocket.
“You’re all set,” Ella says to Scarlett. “Just take it easy.”
“Thanks again,” Scarlett says.
Ella gives us both a smile and leaves the room. I step closer to Scarlett and reach for her.
“What are you doing?” she asks.
“Carrying you back to your dorm.”
“I can walk.”
“No, you can’t.”
“Gabriel—”
I scoop her up before she can finish protesting. She makes a small sound of surprise, and her arms wrap around my neck.
“Put me down.”
“No.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
She glares at me, but she doesn’t try to fight it. Maybe because she knows it won’t work, or maybe because her ankle hurts too much for her to care.
I carry her out of the health center and across the campus. People are still staring and whispering. A few more phones come out, and I know this is going to be everywhere by tonight.
I don’t like how fast things are moving, how much control I don’t have, and that I’m being told to turn this into something public when it’s supposed to be simple and easy.
I just don’t like any of it.
But I don’t have a choice.