Radioactive Love

Chapter Two

"Yeah, I moved to Laurel Valley. We're both attending LVHS!"

"That's amazing! And...random." Artemis leaned in again and gave Kloey a quick peck on the lips. It was soon time to go to the gym, so Artemis and Kloey walked side by side down the hallway, eager to get some exercise. Once they got there, they grabbed the volleyball and gathered up a few more girls to play. Artemis threw the ball up into the air, then bumped it over to the other side. It went back and forth and soon fell to the ground, rolling over to the boys' side of the gym. The ball was thrown back, and it was served to Artemis. She hit it over to Kaylin, who wasn't the best at volleyball. Kaylin was a big liar, too, and overly dramatic. It drove the other girls crazy. Kaylin slammed the ball back at Artemis with such great force and speed driven by anger that it smashed into the side of Artemis's head. She fell to the ground, her vision going dark. Then she was out. Kloey gasped and crouched down next to Artemis.

"Artemis. Artemis! Can you hear me?"

Artemis suddenly sprang up, her eyes flashing with anger. "Who did that?"

"I did, bitches!" Kaylin shouted.

"You really wanna talk to us like that?" Artemis growled.

"You wanna go? Let's go!"

"I won't fight you unless you attack me!"

"Should we stop them?" George, a male staff member, asked Mike.

"Let them go at it."

Kaylin threw the first punch, hitting Artemis in the stomach. Artemis drew back, then lunged forward and struck her in the shoulder. The impact threw Kaylin back. They fought on, until Kaylin collapsed onto the ground. Everyone cheered, even George. Kloey raised her hand to high-five Artemis, but Artemis barely made it over to her when she collapsed into Kloey's arms. "My god, her skin is flaming hot!" When they got back to their room, Kloey and Rena set Artemis down on her bed. Kloey ran to the bathroom and grabbed a bunch of rags, getting them wet with cold water, then draped them over Artemis's hands, feet, neck, and forehead. In the morning, Artemis woke with a start, her bottom lip bruised and swollen. As she struggled to sit up, sharp pains stabbed through her body, making her collapse back down. The pain was terrible, and she let out a feral cry, alerting those nearby. Kloey ran into the room, her eyes wide. "What is it?"

"It hurts!"

"No shit, darling. You got into a fight. Of course it hurts." Kloey kissed Artemis and helped her sit up. "Can you stay up?" When Kloey released her, she managed to stay up but was starting to fall back down. "We have meals on unit, you know."

"Well, I understand why I was given meals on unit, but why were you?"

"I punched and kicked the walls for about a minute."

"Why didn't they put you in the ICU?"

"I dunno. Maybe they didn't want to mix me with Kaylin?"

"Good call."

"Hah, yeah. Well, it's time for breakfast."

"I'm not going anywhere without a kiss."

Kloey leaned forward, while Artemis lunged upward and smashed her mouth against Kloey's lips. "Let's go eat, okay?"

"Yeah," Artemis replied, swinging her feet off of the bed as she winced in pain. She tried her best to walk, and was surprised that she could still move quickly. When she and Kloey arrived at the group room, their meals were there waiting for them. Breakfast was pancakes with syrup, and they didn't seem too bad until Artemis tried to bite into one. "Wow, these are hard as rocks!"

"Just drench 'm in syrup, they'll be fine."

Blood was starting to seep through the bandages on Artemis's arms, so she went to the nurse's station to have them changed. "You one of the girls from the fight?"

"I was just defending myself."

"Mmhm. You fight mighty well for your age. Here, let's get those old bandages off." Artemis hissed through clenched teeth as the nurse, Miss Patty, cleaned the scrapes on her arms. "D'they sting?"

"Yeah, but I'll be fine."

"Y'know you're getting discharged soon?"

"Really? When?"

"Couple o' days. Same as Miss Kloey."

"Wow! That's good to know."

"Alrighty then, you're good to go. Why don't you go take a shower?"

"Why?"

"You didn't take one yesterday. I'll get you fresh bandages after you've washed."

"Alright," she replied, heading off to her room. After grabbing a few towels and rags, Artemis got her other toiletries and went into the bathroom. She laid out a towel on the floor, just to make sure the ground wasn't wet and slippery when she got out. Turning on the water, she stepped into the shower and gritted her teeth against the stinging pain of soap on open wounds. She scrubbed herself clean, using a washcloth to get the soap onto her body. The hot water poured over her skin, drenching her black hair. She had turned down the light in the bathroom, so it was rather dim. She blinked, water droplets beading on her long eyelashes. Her bright blue eyes closed again, and she pressed herself against the wall of the shower. The puddling water around the drain was a pale pinkish color, signaling that she was bleeding. The scrapes on her body were dripping blood, and when she got out and dried off, streaks of red were visible on the white towel. She dressed herself, then headed back to the nurse's station.

"Ah, you got a shower. That's good. Here, lemme dress those injuries."