Stalker...

Chapter 2

"Hello?"

"Jake got in an accident. We're at Haymitch Hospital."

"I'll be right there."

Maria grabbed her bag and threw the phone back at Tyson, "Jake got in an accident. Tell the coach I'll be back tomorrow."

She ran outside and down ten blocks to the hospital. When she got there Mikhail, Rina, and Dima were all in the lobby. Maria ran over to them, "Any word?"

"Nothing." Rina replied.

Anxiety filled Maria's mind as she thought of how they had acted this morning. Rina felt the same. Her and Jake had known each other since the second grade. The thought of losing her best friend was one she didn't want in her mind. Mikhail and Dima had known Jake almost as long as Rina. No one could actually believe this was happening. Everything up until this point had been so calm and uneventful. Maria couldn't lose Jake.

After a few hours the doctor came out to greet them, "He'll live. He just needs a lot of rest."

"Can we see him?" Maria said while biting her nails.

"Yes, but like I said he does need a lot of rest, so you'll have to be very quiet."

Maria went down to Jake's room before the others. He was awake, but very, very tired. She pulled up a chair next to him, "Jakey?"

"Maria, what are you doing here?"

"Mikhail called me."

They sat in silence for a few minutes. His arm had a cast on it and his chest was bruised. He had a few cracked ribs as well, so breathing was painful to him. Well, at this point everything was painful to him.

"Maria?"

She looked up at him, "yeah?"

"Kiss me."

She leaned in and kissed him. Well, it wasn't really just a kiss. Yeah, you guessed it. They're making out. Oh, gross... will ya, show some dignity people!

Maria's heart was racing with excitement and fear. Rina walked in the room, but I guess they didn't notice at first. "I wouldn't let Mik catch you doing that."

Jake pulled away, "really Rina? That's what you're worried about in this situation? I just got into a huge car wreck."

"But you're not hurt that bad, are you?" Maria asked.

"Nah, I'll be fine in a few days. Maybe longer for my arm."

He brushed her hair away from her face as Mikhail and Dima walked in. Dima didn't say much, maybe a few words at the most. Mikhail and Jake talked for a while until the doctor came back in, "Jake, your injuries were not as severe as we imagined. You're free to go home and I'm sending painkillers to help."

"I don't need them, Doc. The pain ain't that bad."

"I'm sending them anyway."

Jake got out of the hospital a few hours later. He was sore, but happy to be out of there. The drive home was mostly silent. Mikhail and Rina were sitting in the front, and Maria and Jake were in the back. Dima had gone home with a couple of his coworkers. Maria had missed the first half of the school day. Her phone displayed missed calls from four different teachers and a lot of texts from her friends. She wasn't going to school today, and possibly not tomorrow. They got back to the apartment building. The van that the man had driven before was parked in the first spot. They went up to the apartment, but there was a problem. The man was dressed in a cleaning uniform and standing feet away from the door. They carefully went to the apartment door and went inside. Mikhail grabbed his gun out of the hidden safe and loaded it. He kept it by his side as they all got settled back into the apartment. Maria went to her bedroom to look for Percy, but he wasn't there. He wasn't anywhere to be seen in the apartment.