Athena

10. I'm Fine

I float in the dark for God knows how long. Then, little by little, consciousness chases away the numbness, the nothingness. I feel my body sobering up in increments. One by one, my senses start functioning again.

Smell.

Pine-scented air freshener hits my nose.

Taste.

A foul tang lingers on my tongue. I try to swallow it. Mouth feels dry. Like sandpaper.

Touch.

Hands explore surroundings. My fingers glide across something smooth. Supple.

A leather seat?

I must be sitting down.

Sight.

Eyes blink open.

I see that I'm inside a car.

My awareness sharpens with each passing second. I no longer feel drunk. The foggy, fucked up heaviness has finally lifted. My mind's clear-headed enough to know that I'm slumped over the passenger seat of someone's car.

Hold up.

Whose car is this?

My entire body tenses up. I begin to panic all over again. 

That's when I hear the spawn's voice, "Thank God. You're finally awake."

I glance over. Cruz is sitting in the driver seat. He looks at me. For once, his expression appears anxious, concerned, caring.

He also seems... relieved?

It softens the usual harshness in his demeanor. I'm not used to seeing him this way. My heartbeat quickens. My skin grows warm. I avert my gaze to calm my nerves. I stare out the passenger side window. My mouth forms a small, shocked O when I realize that we're parked in front of a hospital.

"Why are we here?" I ask with an uneasy laugh.

"I was about to carry you into the ER. I worried you might be overdosing or something."

Alarm rises in me.

The emergency room?

I mumble, "Is that really necessary?"

"I mean, I guess you're awake now," Cruz observes, "but what if something else happened to you?"

"Like what?"

"You know."

Unfortunately, I do know. My memory is a little spotty, but something could've happened while I was unconscious. I try to stay positive, though. My bra and panties were still on when I woke up, so I'm pretty sure Cruz and Alison found me before—

Before what?

A chill travels down my spine. I don't allow myself to process this scary train of thought. I don't want to rehash the crazy shit that transpired tonight. I'm fine now.

I'm fine.

Nothing bad happened to me. I simply had a strong-ass reaction to some strong-ass punch. The spawn's totally overreacting.

"No, no, there's no need," I protest in a rush, "I feel great. I don't wanna go to the hospital. Let's just head home before my aunt realizes that I'm gone!"

He sighs, "Athena..."

"Yes?"

Cruz shoots me a troubled look. "You should still get checked out. I think your drink might've been spiked with something."