Page 12 of Collided

“Do what?”

“Leave me hanging. If you start something you fucking finish it.”

Tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear, she puts away the cotton. “‘That’s strange. How else would you end up in a fight?’ I wanted to say that.” A lovely shade of pink paints her pale skin.

Fuck. That blush of hers is something else.

Taking some ointment on the tip of her finger, she applies it to my scrapes. A hiss leaves my lips as my skin burns under the antiseptic.

“I’m so sorry.” She blows air that quickly carries off the flaring sensation. “Is it better now?”

I nod, too stunned to say anything. Never in my life have I ever been tongue-tied before.

What the fuck is happening to me?

“I fight at an underground boxing ring.” That’s it. I’m not telling her anymore about myself.

“That sounds super illegal and super dangerous.”

A chuckle scratches my throat, I conceal with a cough.For fuck’s sake. Now she’s humoring me.

“It is.”

The pretty girl wraps my hands in a gauze and ties the knot. She does it so meticulously as if she’s done it before which once again piques my interest.

When she lifts her head, our faces get close. I hear the hitch in her breath.

Brown eyes. Just as pretty as her.

Clearing her throat, she applies a bit of ointment to the scratch on my head. Then stands up and puts away the things.

“What’s your name?” I assess my hands to avoid looking into her eyes.

“Hope.”

Wait, is it the same girl Marie was talking about?

Hope. I repeat the name a few times in my head until it’s ingrained in my memory.

“Thanks,” I mumble, not wanting her to hear me, but the way her lips split in a smile I know she did.

“Anytime.” Hope picks up her book.

“Have you done this before?” I hate that I appear interested in her. I don’t know why I want to know about her.

“No. But I spend my free time either in the library or here. Nurse Anna taught me basic stuff.” The more she speaks the more I want to listen to her.

“So, this is your first time doing it?” I inch closer to her like a moth to a flame.

“Yes. Before I just watched her.” She checks the time on her phone. “I should go.”

I arch an eyebrow. “Aren’t you gonna ask my name?”

“Everyone knows who you are,” she mumbles.

Anger burns up my body as I think about how people perceive me when they know nothing but shit. “Actually, they fucking don’t. My namecan’texactly tell what kind of person I am.”

She nods. “Do you have friends?”

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