Wonderland

❅H45❅ A Luxury Not Many Were Given

Chapter Forty-Five

Heather's POV

A Luxury Not Many Were Given

Undated

I had never meant to cut myself so deep... But then again, maybe I kinda did. After all, cutting was something that came easily to me now.

When I first woke up, I wasn't exactly surprised to find myself in the hospital again. I felt lightheaded, and had a little trouble remembering what exactly happened before I landed myself in here. I do recall having been on a stretcher, and how earlier on, Isabelle and Brayden's roommate had found me collapsed out on the log, straining to keep my eyes open. I also recall Brayden holding me, telling me how sorry he was. That was the last thing I remembered before I blacked out.

The bright white ceiling was discomforting to my eyes. I could hear a heart monitor beeping in the background. Why do I always seem to get myself in here? God, I'm screwed up.

Just wait until your dad hears about this.

I gasped and sat up, instantly regretting it when I felt a tug from my right arm. I looked down to see an IV stuck into it. At the same time, I heard someone jar awake. "Shit, everything all right?" the person slurred, still sounding half-asleep.

I looked to my left to find Brayden there, gazing at me with tired, yet alert, eyes.

"My dad," I whispered, feeling my eyes wet. I buried my face into my hands and bit back a sob. He is going to kill me for sure. Right when I promised him I wouldn't find myself in the ER again, here I am doing exactly that. He's going to disown me—not like he hasn't technically already, but still! I probably cost him another ten grand for this mistake.

"Heather, calm down," I heard Brayden tell me. "What about him?"

"He's not going to be pleased," I said, my lips trembling. "And I don't know how I'm going to pay off this medical bill."

"I have a few thousand dollars left from the job I held back in high school," he murmured. "And I'm sure my dad would be more than happy to help out..."

I shook my head. "I can't."

"Stop worrying, Heather. Your dad finding out about this is in the future." He then did something that literally made my heart stop—he leaned in and kissed my forehead. My lips parted in shock, and I sucked in a small breath. My eyes instinctively fluttered shut as I tried to make sense of this moment. I mean, this wasn't the first time someone's kissed me on the forehead before: Kathy used to kiss me there when I was little, but the gesture still felt foreign to me. I could feel butterflies in my stomach, and a light tingling from where Brayden's lips rested.

When he pulled back, his face was red, but his eyes were filled with a softness that made my heart melt. "I'll stay with you when you have to confront your dad," he said, softly. As if to prove his point, he reached out and laced his fingers through mine.

My heart slammed itself against my ribcage, and I literally died when I heard the heart monitor matching that movement. If Brayden noticed it, he didn't show. He was too busy examining my bandaged left arm.

The gauze extended from my wrist to my elbow. I could see small blotches of dried blood on the white material.

"Why aren't you in class, Brayden?" I said, quietly, slumping back down onto the bed.

"Who gives a fuck about review sessions? You're more important," he answered. His words touched me, and I found myself unable to say anything in response to that. Luckily, Brayden decided to speak again. In a gentle voice, he asked me, "How are you feeling?"