The Class Reject: A Martyr in Maelstrom (Book III)

33

Heavy eyes parted just enough to see a harsh sliver of white. They closed again, but the reality of the situation dawned on her before she could pretend that she wasn't at the hospital.

She gritted her teeth and was hit with a million pings of a blunt, yet numb pain through out her body. It hurt to even think about moving, and as she forced herself to shift—to convince herself that her body wasn't completely broken—even more pain struck her like lightning. A small scream rippled from her throat as her heart threatened to burst.

"Miles?" Miren's bloodshot eyes shot open. The lighting of the room was too bright, assaulting her nerves. It was an unwelcomed distraction to say the least. Then she remembered she had been assaulted.

I'm at the hospital, she officially confirmed, blinking her eyes alert. A clock mounted on the wall told her it was 7:34 am. Morning light broke through the window to the left of her. But the person that had spoken was to her right.

Figuring she had nothing more to lose, she turned toward the voice, her eyes landing on her IV drip briefly before focusing on the woman. She clenched her jaw. Ow. Shit.

Ms. Cowdry.

The female instructor looked like she hadn't slept; she also looked more concerned than usual, which was saying a lot. But Miren's concern was unparalleled. Is the charade over? Does she know? She began to consider doctor-patient confidentiality rules when Cowdry started speaking.

"Here's some water. I'll have a nurse get you some food," the woman said, handing her a plastic cup with a straw. When Miren took a million and one years to shift toward it, she brought the straw to her lips. She reluctantly took a sip, her throat both dry and numb as hell. The blonde encouraged her to drink her more.

"Good to see you still have some bite." Cowdry's lip jerked upward, but it was hard to feel any optimism.

"Why are you here?" Miren finally managed to get out in a hoarse whisper. Cowdry frowned as she folded her arms.

"I was working late on your midterm exams and waiting on Dr. Edsel. He got held up with the whole incident with the documentary," she began. "But I think he's upset with me because I didn't evaluate the video properly, even though God knows he wouldn't have. Anyway, as I left the history hall, I could hear heaving from the woods. You were conscious and didn't appear to have any severe head injuries, so against my EMT training, I heeded your plea not to call an ambulance. Although, considering the fact you don't remember that, I guess I should have." Her blue eyes were deep and unsuspecting, like an ocean. "But I'm ranting. How are you feeling?"

Miren just swallowed (it was painful) and stared at the ceiling (because she was fucked). The blanket on top of her was thick enough to shield her upper female anatomy, but part of her felt like a fool for even focusing on that.

"Did the doctor say anything? What was the extent of my injuries?" Cowdry brushed a strand of honey-colored hair from her face, sighing.

"Naturally, she couldn't disclose much, but since you are a minor and we weren't able to contact your parents and you needed surgery—"

"Surgery?"

Cowdry shook her head. "You had quite a bit of internal bleeding, and your appendix was ruptured, so you needed an appendectomy. Other than a broken rib, a mild head injury, and some severe strains on your left leg, you should recover just fine. But you'll need to wear a cast on your leg for a week or two." It was almost weird how doctorly the woman suddenly seemed. "I wanted to stay here until you woke up. Maybe you'll be able to reach your parents. I can call some of your friends too—"

"No." Miren closed her eyes, her mind more messed up than her body. How the hell was she supposed to be able to afford surgery?! She wanted to move, but everything was heavy and hurting and hazy. And she didn't even have to look at Cowdry to know that she still had to answer some hard questions.

"Why?" There it was. "Why were you left half-dead in the woods to begin with?" Cowdry squinted her eyes tighter. "Who did this to you?"

"I don't know." Miren was technically telling the truth. But she knew why this happened. She and her fellow dumbass revengers played with fire. It was only fitting that she got burned.

"Miles."

"Don't play dumb with me. I know you know," Miren snapped. She knew it was wrong to take out her frustrations on her—she probably would have died of an exploding appendix had this woman not brought her here. But proximity played a crucial role in the blame game.

Cowdry just blinked. "What on earth are you talking about?" Miren bit her lip. She had just been given the lecture of life on lying. And maybe Jeno was being hypocritical, but he was also right.

He was always right.

So she just looked at the woman, tried to evaluate her genuinely confused expression. Tried to determine what cards she could still play, or if she had folded without even knowing it. It wouldn't be fair to rope her into her twisted world, but life wasn't even sort of fair.

Miren looked around the room, tried to see if there were cameras or something. But it wouldn't matter. This was the beginning of the end.

And the ball was already rolling.

"Come closer," Miren said, like some grandma on her death bed. Cowdry neared, but her eyes were filled with a swirl of suspicion and anxiousness. At least that made one of them. Then Miren dispelled the earth shattering words.