Love and Angels

sixteen

Laney

I took the long way to school this morning, knowing it might be the only time this year I will find myself walking instead of riding with Kass. The one-lane bridge over the creek is breathtaking this time of year.

I walk up to the edge of the bridge and climb up on the concrete railing. My jeans scrape on the rough surface as I sit down, my legs hanging over the side. Massive trees form a canopy over the creek. It's low right now—we haven't gotten much rain—but the clear water is still beautiful as it trickles over the rocks.

The granola bar in my bag calls to me. Opening the package, I hear a car pulling up behind me. The bridge is large for one lane, but too small for two, so I know the driver will have plenty of room to drive by without hitting me so I don't pay any attention to it. But that's not what happens.

The car rolls to a stop, and Sasha gets out of a brand new truck. Never would've pegged her for one to drive a pick-up, though it is adorned with hot pink stripes and logos from the maker. She must've special ordered those.

She stomps over to me, but I turn my attention back to the creek.

"He is mine!" she yells at me as she approaches where I sit on the bridge.

Sighing, I pull my legs up and over the other side of the railing and stand. "No, Sasha. He isn't."

Her fists clench at her sides before she lets out some sort of a scream-growl thing. My eyes widen when she comes at me. I've never been in a fight before. Sasha tackles me to the ground, and I try to push away from her with my legs but only succeed in moving both of us back.

"What the hell are you doing?" I ask her as she sits up, straddling me.

Her fist connects with my cheekbone and I cry out, pulling my arms up to shield myself from the onslaught of her hits. I groan as she hits my forearm especially hard. There has to be a way to get out from under her. I roll to the side, using all of my body weight to throw her off of me.

I stand, wiping at my cheek and coming away with blood. The bitch must be wearing a ring or something. I look at the backs of my arms and sure enough, they're bleeding, too.

Sasha screams and runs for me again, but I notice her attack too late. Just as I turn to look at her, Sasha's hands hit my sides and the concrete railing hits my thigh, my upper body tumbling over the side. My scream echoes off the trees as I fall, and I land on a bed of large rocks, the edge of my feet in the cold water. The last thought that flitters through my mind before I black out is, I wish there would have been more rain.

***

My head throbs as I try to lift it off of the soft surface. Nothing happens. My eyes strain as I attempt to open my eyelids but once again, nothing happens.

"Where the hell were you when this happened?" an unfamiliar voice yells.

I don't hear any response.

"Where was her keeper?" the voice asks, slightly less angry than before.

"I don't know," another unfamiliar voice comments, then everything goes black again.

Dreams of white rooms and angels with gigantic wings fill my unconscious state for a while, until memories of what happened flood my mind. I was fighting Sasha—well, she was fighting me and I was trying not to die. I fell over the side of the bridge and landed on a bed of large rocks.

Beeping noises break through the fog in my mind. Maybe I'm in the hospital? That would be good considering Sasha beat the crap out of me and I've got the worst headache known to man.

"Is she going to wake up?" Kass asks.

Kass is here?

"The swelling has gone down, but she has a severe concussion. She should wake up, but it's hard to determine exactly when that will be."

I hear leather creak as someone sits down in a chair; air moves out from underneath the seat as the weight settles. A hand picks up mine and settles beneath it. The touch is warm and soothing, easily putting me to sleep. I try to squeeze the hand holding mine as I doze, but I don't know if the message actually made it to my fingers.