The Fleeting Happy

Four

We were in gym class, playing stupid volleyball.

Everybody knows that zoning out during a game of volleyball is practically a death wish. One minute, you're noticing the little chip in the gym wall's paint job. The next, there's a sharp stinging pain smack-dab in the middle of your face and your vision's blacked out and tears start pricking the corners of your eyes.

That's exactly what happened to me.

I'd simply been communicating with Montana across the court through silly faces when suddenly, the ball hit. I heard a couple gasps.

"Sorry!" the perpetrator called out, giggling. "You okay?"

I felt my face. It was quite numb, a little softer and rawer than usual; no doubt bright red. My nose was burning with pain. "Yeah."

Suddenly, there was a shrill whistle sound that sliced through the air, halting the game. Coach Cheng pointed at me. "You good to play?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine--"

Everybody collectively gasped.

"Coach Cheng, her nose is bleeding," Montana said loudly.

Sure enough, daunting scarlet blood was trickling down my chin and I hadn't even noticed because of my numbed face. I tried to wipe it off, but that just made the scene even more gruesome.

"Elmer, take her to the nurse. Fix the bloody nose and bring her back. Both of you will play the next rotation." She blew her whistle and the game continued.

Montana slipped her hand into mine and pulled me towards the doors. Her hand was soft, sending warmth throughout my body and making me feel safer; more relaxed.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered as we left the gym and started walking down the empty hallway. "It's my fault, I was distracting you."

"We were distracting each other," I corrected her. "This could've just as easily been you, Montana. Come on. Don't beat yourself up about it-- I'm fine. I can't even feel my face!"

She stifled a teary giggle, looking over at me with those golden brown eyes. "That's not reassuring!"

"I'm serious. It's okay."

"Okay. But let's get you cleaned up, you look horrifying."

We decided not to go to the nurse's office and instead went to the girls' change room. Montana wet a paper towel and used it to dab at the blood on my face gently.

"Does that hurt?" she whispered, her face only a few centimeters away from mine and our eyes level. I was very aware of her fingertips softly placed below my chin.

"No," I mumbled. "Thank you..."

She continued with the cleaning. "I think it's stopped bleeding now. That's good."

I was kind of dumbfounded. I don't think I realized it before, how beautiful Montana was. Her face was timeless; classic. And up close, her brown-amber eyes seemed to almost glow, staring deep into mine and making me feel jittery and electrified. It struck me plainly then that she was completely enchanting and entrancing, like she was magical, somehow.

I hope Carter realized that, too.

Then I remembered Carter, her boyfriend, and I broke our eye contact, clearing my throat. "Um, we should probably go back to the game."

Montana was blinking rapidly, as though she'd just snapped out of a trance. "Y-Yeah, you're right. Wait-- you know what, fuck that. I don't want to go back out there. Get changed, we're ditching."