Loving Olivia

Chapter 2 - Sucker Punched

Nico

The first thing I notice is the blood rushing down my nose. The metallic taste reaches my lips, but I see it continuing to drip towards my white t-shirt and staining it red in what must only look like my very own death scene.

It takes me a few seconds to understand what just happened and orient myself. I cup my nose and pinch it closed, attempting to stop the blood from flowing, as I hear scuffled footsteps around me.

"Oh my god. Are you okay?"

I can only assume it's the girl's voice saying that, and I'm pretty surprised she's still sticking around after I just made a complete fool out of myself in front of her.

But she suddenly grabs my left arm and helps me stand up, not seeming to care that there is blood all over me. In fact, she doesn't even seem fazed by it. I look around to see that Mr. Doucheface is nowhere to be found. Of course he would run away like a little sissy instead of fighting fairly.

"Is there an infirmary?" the girl asks me in alarm.

I nod and quickly start walking in that direction, realizing I need to get there sooner than later. I'm afraid to talk as I don't want any more blood reaching my mouth. Also because I'm embarrassed of what just took place and kind of wish she would disappear.

Unfortunately, she follows me all the way to the infirmary, and I even see her take a seat in the waiting area after a nurse passes me through to an inspection bed.

The good news is that like with most nosebleeds, the damage appears a lot worse than it actually is, and after the nurse manages to stop the bleeding and clean me up, she confirms that my nose is not broken. I didn't think it was, but even so I feel a lot of pressure behind my eyes and around my cheekbones.

I inform her I need to get to soccer practice as soon as possible, but she says I can't leave for at least another half an hour, claiming I need to rest with an ice pack over my face to help the swelling. She also gives me a shirt to change into, and I'm actually thankful for that as I don't want to show up to practice looking like an axe murderer.

By the time she finally releases me, I'm seriously pissed off. I'm now over an hour late for our first day of practice, if not more, and I'm the bloody captain of the team. Literally.

To make matters worse, the girl is still sitting in the waiting room when I get out. Why won't she just leave?

She stands up and looks at me worriedly, but I brush past her and exit the infirmary without acknowledging her further. I don't need her wasting any more of my time, and I know I'll probably end up saying something I'll regret. Adrian would always tell me I should think more before I speak, and this feels like one of those situations.

Thankfully she doesn't follow me and I take off in a sprint towards the soccer field. At least she seems to know when to back off.

Once I arrive, I realize that practice has ended and most players have left already. It started to drizzle so maybe they decided to quit early. Coach takes one look at me, and I prepare myself for the ass whooping that he's about to hand me.

"Where the hell have you been, Durant?" he barks at me.

"Sorry, Coach. It wasn't my fault, I swear," I answer lamely.

"Who was it this time? Or was it Ruiz again? I've told you countless times to ignore him."

"No, it wasn't Ruiz. I'm over that. It was some freshman. I was on my way here, and he just –"

"Listen to me carefully, Durant. No more fights. I don't care if it's the Pope you're having a problem with, I don't want any of that shit on my team anymore. You're the team captain now, so you better start acting like it. We're already at a huge loss with Adrian gone, so I need you to pull the guys together."