Wish Apon A Star

Nicole - Stupid

I hit the ground hard.

It was only about one and a half stories, but I felt like I was dying. All the air had been knocked out of me, and, for a moment, I just lay there trying to breathe. My head pounded. I tried to sit up, but a wave of dizziness pushed me back down. All I could do was lay on the ground and try not to throw up.

I didn't fall. Not ever. I didn't fall when I was climbing the queen's tower, even with the stone and the rain, I didn't fall when climbing any building, I just didn't fall. I'd trained and practiced enough that I shouldn't fall. I knew how to climb better than that, or I should have. Especially one and a half stories.

Falling from something as easy as this was stupid.

Slowly, I pushed myself to my feet. I was fine. I was fine. I dropped back down to my knees, the world spun too much for me to even think about walking. I felt like I was going to throw up. Maybe I was going to throw up. I made a small sound in the back of my throat. I wanted this to be all some sort of dream. I wanted this to be over. I wanted Leo, like I was some sort of toddler.

I pushed myself to my feet again. Enough of acting like this. I was fine, and I was going to walk away from here to make sure everyone else was okay. There wasn't time for me to be sitting here being stupid. Slowly, I started walking towards the front yard. I was fine. I was fine. I was fine.

Annabelle and James stood at the edge of the yard, talking. I could hear Isa yelling as she tried to see who was accounted for and who wasn't, but it seemed far off and distant. So did the chatter and cries of the other kids, as they tried to figure out what was happening, too. As I got closer to Annabelle and James, the fog in my head started to clear, just a bit. That's when I noticed Leo wasn't standing with Annabelle and James, and he wasn't anywhere else in sight on the property.

I started running towards them. "Where's Leo?"

James swore, which I took as an answer. I didn't even tell him off, just turned to start running back to the inn. James tried to grab for me but I dodged, taking off without another glance backwards.

I started coughing almost as soon as I entered the building. My face burned, and it felt like there wasn't a single shred of cool air. It was heat–all heat. I took a slow step forward, willing myself not to pass out. The smoke didn't help my headache, and my vision began to blur again.

You're fine. It's fine. I walked further into the building and coughed out, "Leo?"

Nothing.

I kept walking. Before I knew what was happening, flames had reached out, brushing my leg. It looked like it had touched me for only a moment, but pain shot through my leg, knocking me backwards. I cried out before I could stop myself, then bit down on my lip hard. I glanced at the burn, saw the burned flesh for only an instinct, and looked away. I sucked in a breath and got back up.

I was fine. I was fine. I headed toward the staircase, praying it wouldn't crumble beneath me, and yelled as loudly as I could (which wasn't very, with smoke in my lungs), "Leo!"

"Nicole?" I heard his footsteps a moment later, and then he appeared and darted down the stairs toward me. He grabbed my shoulders. "Where were you? Almost everyone was out except you, and I thought–"

"Me? I'm not the one who ran back in! I mean, I did, but you did it first, so–"

"And you decided to follow me? Why would you even think that? You should have stayed outside; I would've figured it out eventually..." He glanced over me, and I saw his eyes widen. "Nicole, what happened?"

"It was an accident. I didn't realize–and...I got burnt. But it's fine. I'm fine."

"You're clearly not, but we'll have to wait a moment. Can you walk?"

"Yes." I would, anyway. Even as the dizziness came back and my throat closed and my leg stung. I was fine. It was fine, and I could walk.

He shook his head. "Fine. Follow me, then, and be careful. Tell me if you can't walk, or need anything."

"We can practically see the exit. I'm fine." If you ignored all the smoke and fire that is. But it didn't matter. It was only a few feet–maybe a little further–away. I could make it.

When we finally stumbled out of the inn, though, I nearly collapsed. I felt Leo grab me to steady me, and I took a ragged breath. "It's fine. It's fine. I'm fine. Only–only dizzy."

"Why do you do this to yourself? Why did you follow me back in, Nicole, that was so–so..." He trailed off, apparently unable to find the word.

I pounded my fists against his chest and sobbed out, "I hate you, Leo Isaiah Dayal! I hate you, and your stupid moral compass!"

"That's unfortunate," Leo said, as he grabbed my hands and pulled me closer to him, "because I love you, Nicole Juliette. Even when you don't think and run blindly into dangerous situations."

"I run blindly into dangerous situations? I do? You did it first! It's not my fault you're a moron!" I was tempted to hit him again. Instead, I settled for adding, "Jerk."

He laughed. "Fine, that was me, too."

"You first."

"Okay, okay. Me first. Happy?"

"No," I mumbled against his chest. "I still hate you."

"I still love you, though."

And then I burst into tears, because I was an idiot who couldn't get a grip. "I fell," I gasped out. "I fell, Leo. I shouldn't have. It was so, so stupid. I've climbed a million buildings higher than this, harder to climb than this. And I still fell. It was only one and a half stories, maybe. It should have been easy. I shouldn't have fallen, I shouldn't have–"

I kept replaying it in my head. My fingers slipping. Hitting the ground. Not being able to breathe. I hadn't even been able to get up for several minutes, just laid there. It had been so stupid, and I hated myself for it. I couldn't even be halfway decent at the one thing I'd trained for years at.

"Hey, hey," Leo said softly. "It's okay. You shouldn't be ashamed for falling, especially because you were scared, and any sort of climb would be difficult for me. Honestly, I think I'd just jump. It wasn't stupid, and I'm just glad you're okay. You said you were feeling dizzy, right? Did you hit your head?"

"I don't know. Maybe." I tried to think. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Then we'll see if Annabelle knows a spell. And one for the burn on your leg, too, though I already know she knows one." He tucked my hair back, as tons of flyaway strands were falling in my face. "Have I ever told you that I think you're brave?"

"Yes," I said, my voice coming out as little more than a whisper.

"How about that I love you?"

"That, too." But I want you to say it again, anyway.

He pulled me into his arms, and I leaned into him, even though my head screamed that I was going to get him hurt, that I was going to mess something up, that I– "It's true," he said. "I love you." 

Word Count: 1,300