Chapter 46
The bell rings just as our teacher finishes telling us tonight’s homework assignment.
Fumbling to put my spiral notebook in my bag, I accidentally knock my pen onto the floor.
It rolls along and comes to rest next to the leg of the desk diagonal from me.
I heave a heavy breath. I’ve been dropping things all morning like a klutz.
A tall shadow falls over me as Marshall bends down to pick up my pen.
I’m in the habit of ignoring his existence which is made easier because he always sits in the back of the class.
He hasn’t spoken to me since that first time in the student parking lot when Fallon was with me, and I’m more than happy for us to continue with our mutual silent treatment.
Marshall offers me my pen and when I take it from his hand, he opens his mouth, then closes it.
He hesitates while looking down at me, then he walks out of the classroom without a word.
It’s lunch period and Hailey’s class eats now as well.
Our lunch schedules never lined up at Fallen Brook, and I’ve enjoyed sitting with her and Elijah every day.
Our new routine is to meet outside under the overhang.
During non-rainy days, we usually sit under one of the tall pines outside the gym to eat our lunch.
Hailey and I haven’t been eager to make new friends here, but I try to be nice and smile at everyone.
Offer a polite hello whenever I can. I’m kind of expecting the worst from everybody once I really start to show.
Will they taunt me with the same derogatory remarks of slut and prank my locker like Maria and Samantha did at Fallen Brook?
It takes me so long to pack and zip up my bag, the classroom is empty by the time I stand up from my desk.
A wave of dizziness hits me out of the blue, and I grab the chair beside me to steady myself.
Did I forget to eat again? I’m sure I had breakfast this morning.
Didn’t I? I try to eat something every couple of hours to make sure my blood sugar doesn’t drop.
Taking a few deep breaths, I make it to the classroom doorway before my legs start to shake and a spear of nausea rolls through me. Sweat pops out on my forehead and I hastily wipe it away.
Someone in the hallway stops in front of me, but the floor is beginning to spin. It feels like I’m being tossed on the deck of a boat being pummeled by huge waves.
“Hey, are you okay?” a guy asks me.
I know there’s a trail bar in the side pocket of my backpack. “Need to eat something,” I tell him.
My bag slips off my shoulder and drops to the floor at his feet.
“Let me help,” he offers.
“It’s okay. I’ve got it,” I reply and look up. The guy being nice to me is Marshall’s brother, Austin. Great. Just what I need.
“Thank you, but I’ve got it,” I tell him, which is a lie because I pass out in a dead faint at that very second.
“Is she going to be okay?”
“What happened?”
“I don’t know! She passed out!”
“Isn’t that Ryder Cutton’s girlfriend?”
“I thought she was dating Fallon Montgomery.”
“Should we carry her to the nurse?”
“That’s the chick from the Fields. The girl who races the red Hellcat. She’s so badass.”
“Oh, crap. I think she’s the one who’s pregnant.”
“Should we dial nine-one-one?”
“Doesn’t her sister also go here now? What’s her name? Amy? Heather?”
“I’ve seen her hanging around Elijah. I’ll go find him.”
“Somebody, go get the principal.
“We’ve called an ambulance and your uncle is on his way now.”
“Elijah, how long has she been out?”
“About ten minutes.”
“Ten minutes!...Jayson, it’s Hailey. Something’s wrong with Lizzie.”
As soon as my fingers graze the side of his face, his eyes change, his irises appearing almost black.
He takes a step toward me. I take a step back.
It’s almost like we’re dancing. My pulse quickens even more.
Jayson’s eyes track across my face like a caress of the hand. He takes another step forward
Something shifts between us. It’s electricity charged with lightning.
It's so palpable, I can feel it. Every synapse, every nerve ending, fires to life within my body. He takes another slow half step toward me. His mesmerizing eyes hold my green ones, and I couldn’t look away from him now if my life depended on it.
Slowly, very slowly, as if he’s about to touch something precious and fragile, Jayson lifts his right hand and cups the side of my face.
He repeats this with his left hand. Using both thumbs, he gently tips my face upward.
I freeze and my muscles lock up knowing what’s coming but disbelieving it’s about to happen.
Our eyes remain tethered together as he inches his face closer until I can feel the tickle of the breath from his parted lips onto mine. I hold my breath expectantly waiting for what’s to come. His lips touch mine
It’s like an out of body experience.
My first kiss.
My first kiss with Jayson.
“They called an ambulance.”
“Elijah is in the hall talking to Fallon.”
“Has she woken up yet?”
“Hold on, Jayson. Some guy is asking about Lizzie. I don’t know who he is…Who are you?”
“Austin. I was there when she passed out.”
“Thank you for helping her, Austin…I’m not talking to you, Jayson. I’m talking to Austin. I don’t know! What? Yeah, got it. Should someone call Ryder and let him know?”
“I love you, Ryder,” I loudly exclaim, unable to hold back the words. I have so much to make up for. I would crawl across broken glass for him if he can find it in his heart to forgive me.
“Thank God,” he exhales, the tension in his shoulders dissolving right before my eyes.
Neither of us makes a move toward the other, even though my body is screaming at me to catapult myself back into his arms.
“Please forgive me.”
“We have a lot to talk about, Elizabeth. A lot that needs to be said.”
“I know.”
He’s too far away. I need to touch him. I need my mouth on his. I just need him so much.
“You remember? Everything came back?”
I nod. “Yes.”
Tense silence ensues.
“I love you. It’s you, Ryder. I only want you. I will beg and plead and do whatever I have to do if you can find it in your heart to give me another chance. No more running. No more confusion. I know what I want. I know who I am.”
“And who’s that?”
“Yours, Ryder. I’m yours if you still want me.”
“I know he’s been an ass about everything. But he still needs to know. And call Fallon too. Thanks. Daniel is on his way now. I’ll keep you posted…Sorry about that. You said your name was Austin?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks for helping my sister.”
“No need to thank me. I hope she’s okay.”
“Ten!”
I link my right hand with Jayson’s.
“Nine!”
I twine my left hand with Fallon’s.
“Eight!
I miss you, Ryder. Please find a way to forgive me.
“Seven!”
I love you Mom and Dad. So very much.
“Six!”
Julien reaches around and joins his hand with mine and Jayson’s.
“Five!”
A few fireworks from the surrounding neighborhoods explode all around us. It reminds me of the Fourth of July at the beach when Jayson and I snuck off and kissed behind the dunes as fireworks detonated above our heads.
“Four!”
There’s a tug on my left hand.
“Three!”
“Elizabeth?”
“Two!”
I look up at Fallon. “Yeah?”
“One!”
Fallon bends down and kisses me
“Happy New Year!”
My eyes fly open just as a blood pressure cuff squeezes my arm. A woman in a paramedic’s uniform is bending over me, a soft smile on her face.
“Welcome back.”
Hailey is gripping my right hand so tightly, I wince.
“What happened?” I blink a few times to adjust to the bright overhead lights of the school’s nurse’s office.
“Episodes of dizziness and syncope are common during pregnancy.”
“Syncope?”
She presses two fingers to the pulse point on my wrist. “Sorry. Fainting. Your blood pressure dropped. It’s caused by hormones and is very common in pregnant women.”
“How long was I out?” I ask her. A male paramedic packs away some equipment and puts it on a rolling gurney.
“About twenty minutes. We’re going to take you on to the hospital just to make sure everything is okay and we’re not missing anything. Who’s your OBGYN?”
Everything after that is a blur. Daniel and the guys storm into the hospital soon after they admit me. An hour and a half later, all the tests came back normal. Nothing to be concerned about, but they’re going to keep me until the morning just to make sure.
My hospital room has been a revolving door of visitors.
Daniel, Hailey, Elijah, and Julien just left.
Meredith, Trevor, and Celeste dropped by earlier.
Jayson and Fallon are insisting they stay overnight with me.
Of course, Fallon being a Montgomery means the hospital’s rules don’t apply to him.
The staff wheeled in a cot for him to sleep on, and Jayson’s going to take the reclining chair in the corner.
Just as we’re settling down for a game of Uno, there’s a light tapping on the open door to my room.
“I can leave if it’s not a good time,” Jacinda says, looking unsure about whether she should stay or run away from the glowers Fallon and Jayson are throwing at her.
“It’s a perfect time. Come in,” I tell her, scooting up in the bed and readjusting the sheet over my legs.
Fallon presses a kiss on the top of my head. “Jay and I will go grab something to eat. Text us if anything changes.” He looks right at Jacinda when he says this. It’s clearly a warning to her.
“Want anything?” Jayson asks me.
“Something cold would be nice. I don’t care what.”
“Got it.” He gives me one last concerned glance before he closes the door behind him, leaving me and Jacinda alone.
“They really do hate me.”
“Eh,” I say. “Maybe a little.” I hold my thumb and middle fingers a half-inch apart.
She rolls her eyes, but smiles, taking a seat on the stool next to the bed.
“How’d you know I was here?” I ask her.
“Marshall called me.”