Chapter 2
I was at the hospital, sitting in a chair next to Demi’s bed. She had several tubes attached to her. I was scared for her. The hospital always gave me the jitters with its strange smell to all the blood and injuries. Demi wasn’t moving. My eyes started leaking, my once waterproof mascara now smearing down my face. I didn’t bother wiping my face since it was only Demi and I, and she had seen me cry several times. But the first few times she was scared to comfort me.
“Miss Gomez?” a nurse said, poking her head into the door. “There’s a visitor for Demi. Do you mind if he comes in?”
I nodded, thinking it was Cody her boyfriend. The nurse opened the door and Cody didn’t walk in, but the one boy did. His eyes were sparkling even in the dim room and his hair was shiny. He smiled and sat down next to me.
“Hello,” I said.
“Hello, Miss Gomez…”
“It’s…uh…Selena,” I said, looking back at Demi.
“Hello Selena…I’m Joe.”
“Hello Joe.” I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and then without looking at him I said, “What are you doing here?”
“I–well–I wanted to see if she was okay, if that’s all right with you.”
“Whatever.”
My mid-back started to itch. I bent and twisted my arm any way it could go but I couldn’t scratch it just right. Finally, Joe lifted his arm and lightly scratched my back in the right place. My body loosened up but my heart quickened.
I moved a little and he stopped. I avoided eye contact and tapped my foot to a random beat. I nearly jumped out of my skin when Joe spoke.
“Would you like to sit on the couch? I’m sure you’re uncomfortable and I doubt she’s going to be waking up in a few minutes. You should get some rest.”
For the first time, I really looked at him. His hair had a curly look to it as if he’d taken a shower and towel dried it; his eyes were light brown when light hit them but in darker places they were chocolate brown; he also had an almost unnoticeable red mark between his eyes and above his nose.
“Um…I…I’m fine.”
“Oh…okay. I was just –”
“What happened there?” I asked as I lightly touched the red spot.
“Oh. I ran into a wall.”
He must’ve seen my eyes widen because he added, “I know you must think I’m an idiot. But I was making a video with my brothers for YouTube. I was supposed to go through the wall, but it didn’t work in my favor.”
After I took in what he had said, I smiled. He smiled too. “I’m pretty clumsy you could say,” he shrugged.
“I have my moments too,” I admitted.
“Yeah. I –”
“Sel?” I heard. My eyes darted to Demi and saw her eyes were open a fraction of an inch.
“Demi!” I squealed. I hugged her.
“Be careful. I’m hurt,” she said giggling.
“Sorry, but…I thought you were dead. What happened?”
“It was weird. I was standing in front of McDonalds and then this guy came up to me and said he had a message to give me. So he led me into the alley and next thing I know I’m in here…”
“You got stabbed,” I stated plainly.
“Really?” she asked, her eyes looking somewhere other than me. I followed her gaze to Joe. Joe wasn’t looking at her though. He actually looked like he was trying to avoid eye contact.
“Demi…this is Joe.”
“Hey,” she said flirtatiously.
He looked at her and barely smiled.
“Um…hi.”
“He helped me out when I found you,” I explained.
“Well, obviously we have to give him something in return,” Demi said, twirling her hair. I nearly slapped her. Not because she was flirting with Joe, but because she had a boyfriend!
“Do you go to East Northumberland High?” she asked.
“Uh…yeah. I do. I’m a sophomore.”
“Really? I am too, but I’ve never seen you before,” Demi said, not even paying the slightest attention to me.
“I’m in a lot of AP classes.”
“Wait…so you’re a nerd?”
“No. I’m just smart.”
“So, a nerd?” she said again.
“Um…” I began to say.
“Sel’s in a lot of AP classes too. By the way, Sel, you should go wash your face. You look like a raccoon.”
My eyes started watering as I stared at her with disgust. She was completely embarrassing me. I got up, accidentally pushing the chair into the wall really hard. As I approached the door, I heard Demi say, “So, let’s talk and get to know each other.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I…uh…I’m going to go help Selena.”
“Wait – what?” she said, as of she’d been yanked back to reality.
“Yeah, she’s sort of upset.”
“I…wait…but!”
“Sorry.”
I smiled and waited for him outside of the door. He came out and took a sharp intake of breath when he saw me standing there.
“Oh…sorry,” I mumbled.
“No. It’s fine. Ready to go wash up?”
“You bet.”
“So, doesn’t she have a boyfriend?”
“How do you know that?”
“I talk to Cody occasionally and he says he has a girlfriend called Demi.”
“Yeah, that’s her, but she flirts with a lot of guys…even if I like them.”
“Wait –”
I sped up to the bathroom door and said, “I’ll be out in a sec!”
I got in the bathroom and nearly laughed when I saw my face. It was red and blotchy with huge black circles smeared around my eyes. I wet a paper towel with warm water and rubbed vigorously at my face. My face was getting clearer when I heard a soft bump in one of the stalls behind me. I finished my face when another bump made me jump. I dropped to the ground and looked under the doors. I saw a foot pull up from the floor just in time. My breathing became rigid. I slowly got up and backed toward the bathroom door when the stall door opened. A man with a shaved head stepped out with a knife in his hand. The knife that looked similar to the one that was in Demi when I found her.
I screamed as loud as I could, closing my eyes tight while taking deep unsteady breaths. The door opened behind me. I turned around to find myself face to face with Joe, his sweet cinnamon breath lingering like a safe presence. He grabbed me and said, “What happened?”
I looked over my shoulder. “He –”
No one was there. The man had somehow disappeared.
“He’s gone…”
“Who’s ‘he’?”
“The man…he had a knife…like the one that was in Demi before…it was all bloody. H-he…was going to kill me, Joe!”
“You do know this is a girl’s bathroom, right?”
“Yes! I saw him! Do you believe me?” I looked at him, my body trembling. He hugged me to him and rested his chin on my head.
“Yeah. I do.”
The door opened behind us. I looked around Joe to see an old lady. She was looking at us strangely.
“Shouldn’t you two get out of here?” she said.
“Sorry. She um…well…sorry,” Joe said, obviously embarrassed. We walked out and then I burst into a fit of giggles.
“What are you laughing at?” he asked me, his smirk tugging at his lips.
“That woman’s face and your reaction. Your face is so red right now.”
“I wouldn’t be talking,” he said. Joe tickled my sides and I could feel my cheeks reddening.
“Joe! Stop!” I breathed.
“Only if you say that I’m the coolest guy you know!”
“I can’t…” I mumbled.
“What?” he said, pulling away.
“I can’t say that. You’re the only guy I know. Well, besides Cody, but he never talks to me.”
“So, you don’t…talk to guys?” he said, raising his eyebrows.
“Well, I barely talk to girls either.”
“Oh, good. I mean, not good. But I was thinking you were gay or something.”
I gasped and hit him playfully. “I’m not gay!”
“I was just checking.”
I hit him again.”
“What was that for?”
I didn’t answer him. I saw a shaved head pass right by me and I shuddered.
“Selena?”
“He…he…”
“Selena!”
I turned around to try and find the man but he had disappeared. How did he get out of the bathroom without me noticing and then walk right by? I –
I felt arms wrap around my body and squeeze gently. Joe. I closed my eyes and breathed slowly. Joe’s with me, for now. The man can’t hurt me when he’s around…
“Are you okay?” I heard Joe ask.
I nodded.
“Are you sure?”
I hesitated then I shook my head. “He just walked by…”
“Who?”
“The man…”
“Wait. The guy that was in the bathroom with you?”
“Yeah…I saw his head…”
He stayed silent. He took my hand and led me back to Demi’s room where she has asleep. I sat down and stared blankly at the wall, the man’s face imprinted on my eyes.
