r. Cornell along with the school's nurse insisted that I went to the hospital so now I was lying in one of our

e bit messy and falling all over the place. His face had a little more color now since the last time I looked at him in school. I wanted to be mad at him; after all

gone down. Your airway is all cleared up too. That EpiPen really did help you

ven more than she did when she saw me in the hospital with a broken arm. As much as I didn't like

was now very close to my bed and looking at the doctor so seri

ust his declaration. Blake said, "I'm eighteen. I'm his b

s soon as the doctor lef

. Not my fault you w

ew my birth month and was about to tell him so, but then remembered that Stella, his mother, liked to cel

He took a sit on my bed and peered down at me intense

arce. Are you sure you're okay? You

dell," I said and grabbed a pillow from unde

lightly taken aback by how cute he sounded like that but

tting by the wind

e, will you have been here right now telling me to go

d somehow managed to open my locker, just like he did before when he and his gang of misfits stuffed it with

"Want me to get anything for you?" He didn't wait for my r

al, but for some reason my heart didn't feel or act normal. It kept skipping beats and thumping irregularly and aching but it

ake rushed back in screeching. His eyeballs were po

pulled me down so I was lying down right next to him and he covered us both with the little duvet there. We were facing each other, our breaths mingling, our skin touchi

at for a few seconds wi

n't think ou

ps approach. The little distance between us was bridged as Blake moved even clos

said. He was standing right beside the curtain that was suppose

d my dad ask. "He is supposed to be i

ze settle on us even though there was a curtain

...I just fee

. My back hurts. And

responded as if just c

e playing golf at this age?" my

aded away and soon they were gone. Blake released a breath beside me and I was remin

some. I hadn't seen Blake smile that much so close to me in a very long time. Whenever I saw him smile in

ch trouble. Well, I would ha

was slightly grazing mine, and my palm was still planted firmly on his chest. This position

are you

id dumbly.

overed us and

dn't realize we

d it freaked me out. He didn't even say sorry when he broke my arm and his mom threatened to file a lawsuit against him for physical

ure. My brain was starting to interpret some things the

?" he asked, his

come with me to

skip class for the

d you were my

m or your mom finding out you

hurt me, but he was taking the blame for it. Was he really that g

I continued. This seemed to amuse him beca

t want you starving to death after I he

around my E

with you and she would rathe

beat. How his hand touched mine and I felt a tingle and how he smiled so warmly at me for the first time

deep into your soul, like he could see your deepest, darkest fears and that he could ta

to me for almost suffocati

ared me a little. For the first time in years, I wanted the old Blake. The Blake who helped me learn how to ride a bike when the other ki

e...we're always arguing and you and your f

ane and then folded his arms across his chest, smirking. I watched as his musc

weird. And frankly it's fr

on't like you, doesn't mean I want you to die. I realized that when I saw you strangling yourself in your feeble attempt to get air back into your lungs. I thought to myself 'If Pearce dies, who will I torment for the rest of senior year? I

h her then?" All whatever I felt for and towards Blake in tha

the warning in my tone

ow, would she? I needed to secure my spot in her life. What better way than to valiantly save he

ing a large chunk of

d you to stay aw

arce?" He had that goofy grin on his face again and I coul

me in for some reason, but my cast was still on. To be honest, it

g me into a leftie, Lindell."

n't in the way we had stared at each other since the ninth grade when we stopp

generous today, so I'll cut you a deal. H

he pulled me down on the bed earlier to cover us up

d of myself as the lie flowed smoothly out of

will not treat you in anyway mean or degrading, and that includes b

. He opened his mouth in protest and when his wo

ou have to leave

e nice, just be n

flirting with girls. The kind of smile that made i

at no one likes a

and I noticed there was a little spike in the EKG machine. My eyes

o sign your discharge papers now so we can go

f how I so did not see him as a brother in that moment. An

h