on the REBOUND (On Hold)

Chapter 25

HAYWOOD'S POV

Bzzt, bzzt, bzzt!

The muffled buzz and tremors from within Stan's bag disrupts me from my usual note taking for what must be the sixtieth time in a row.

Oh my god, is he so popular that he has girls ringing him up every second of the day? Can they fucking calm their titties?

"Stan? Can you please deal with the three million girls trying to contact you?" I chuck him his phone with force corresponding to my annoyance during his water break.

"Woah, are you jelly, Princess Tiana?"

"Oh yesssss, of courseeee. Look at me wobble." I shake my butt dramatically to give an impression of a bouncy pudding.

"Someone's asking for a spanking eh?" Stan raises his eyebrows suggestively and rubs his hands like a little chipmunk ready to devour his storage of nuts. Gosh, this guy's mind really needs thorough bleaching and scrubbing, the way Ma demolishes dirt stuck to the floor. His naughty look however, melts right off his face as he scrolls through the explosion of notifications on his phone, leaving a blank canvas of pure shock and horror.

Shit has hit the fan. The dread in the air is palpable.

The churn in my stomach upon seeing Stan's stunned and blood-drained face tells me something has gone horribly wrong. Even his lips have gone white. Did someone get injured? Or did someone get into an accident?

"Stan?"

"I gotta go Tiana."

He rummages through his bag for his keys and bolts in the direction of the carpark without a backward glance, leaving all his belongings on the bleachers.

...did that just happen?

I'm thwarted for a short moment, then instinctively snatch up our bags and rush after him.

He nearly knocks me down when I reach the carpark.
==

This wasn't how I imagined my first trip in Stan's Bugatti Veyron would be - in my mind there would be shameless appreciation of the smooth leather seats, cheeky admiration of the sleek elegance of the car's interior design, maybe a little champagne even. At the very least I would have had more time to enter the car. But no, I had narrowly escaped a collision, flung the door open and thrown myself inside the car, as bags and files flew in behind me haphazardly. Stan didn't stop me.

"Google directions to Stonewood Hospital," Stan whispers and hands his phone over to me with trembling fingers. He's almost falling apart in front of my eyes.

I stroke him gently on his back in as comforting a fashion as I can. Stan is, however, completely oblivious and is lost in his need for speed as he works the engine hard, careening a couple of sharp corners according to my instructions and beating red lights recklessly.

Gosh, I'm too young to die.

I don't mean to be nosy but I catch sight of the beginning of a couple of messages that pop up on the screen and they sound urgent... if not downright angry. Almost as scary as the time I went for supper after training with Renn and forgot to inform Ma - 50 furious messages bombard the phone at one go. I have this niggling feeling Stan's in deep trouble. As I attempt to flick the small notification on the screen away, I accidentally click it.

MANDY

Call me right now.

How can you be so irresponsible?

Pick up!

Mindy's hurting...

I'll kill you if she dies. Fuck you!

Mindy, mindy, mindy.

Now why does that name sound familiar?

The swerve of Stan's car slams me against the car window and jolts my memory. Tasha and Gossip Judy mentioned her...

Mindy is the girl Stan cheated on.

The car screeches to a halt at the gates of the dreaded place no one really wants to be. We're at the hospital.

==

A distinct smell of antiseptic overwhelms me as we stride briskly into the cold hallway - the walls are a pale sickly yellow, not unlike the skin color of the jaundice patient who just got wheeled out of one of the rooms. The hallway is so quiet I can hear our footsteps echoing as we keep our eyes peeled for room 408. I can't help but shrivel up a little inside - I hope Mindy is gonna be fine.

"Tiana, stay here," Stan brusquely shoves me in the incredibly sunken-in brown leather couch in the waiting area, "Don't come in the room and don't acknowledge me no matter what happens."

He's so solemn I uncharacteristically shut up and follow suit.

Pandemonium erupts the moment Stan pushes the door to room 408 slightly ajar. A pair of pale arms spring from the room, scrabble at his shirt and grab him hard. Stan gets thrown out of the room roughly and the perpetrator emerges from the room three seconds later, her eyes burning, and brandishes a large baseball bat. This must be Mandy.

"YOU COMPLETE ARSEHAT STAN KINGSLEY!"

The swing she makes at Stan is not a playful one, which he fortunately escapes. The look in her bloodshot eyes is a deadly mixture of contempt, anger and fear and she advances upon Stan with the menacing air of someone way taller and stronger than her tiny stature.

"LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE! YOU ALMOST KILLED HER!" Mandy's eyes bulge as she screeches so loudly I'm surprised the nurses haven't come running to pack her off, "IF SHE DIES, I'M GONNA KILL YOU TOO!"

Stan doesn't move away quickly enough to avoid the second swing straight to his shin. The dull thunk of wood against bone sees Stan collapsing to the floor and gasping in pain. I decide not to interfere for fear of aggravating Mandy further.

"Please, Mandy, let me see her," Stan pleads in pain, "let me see how she is."

"WHY? AFRAID YOU'LL GET BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS? WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS? DOES SHE NEED TO SLIT HER WRISTS EVERY TIME BEFORE YOU SHOW UP?"

"Mandy, I..."

"This is a hospital, please keep it down in here or leave," an irate nurse reprimands Stan and Mandy curtly and disappears into room 408. I steal a peek into the room and vaguely see a figure lying motionless on the green covers of the hospital bed.

"I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses!" Mandy hisses vehemently, "I called you here so I could rid the earth of an irresponsible fucked-up jerk!"

Mandy flings the bat with full momentum and wallops Stan's Crown Jewels.

***
Sorry this took forever girlies. Thanks for the support so far! Do check out my other book "From Tracktown, With Love" for a short read if you fancy a bed time story ❤️