Lies, Blue Eyes and Thunder Thighs

Chapter 7 - Sexy Banana Janitor

"I'm so sorry, Blue. I swear, I had no idea."

"It's not your faul- Ah! Hey, watch it!" I wince as Corey applies alcohol to my forehead. The slightest touch stings like a wasp.

"I can't believe she'd go as far to double cross us like that." He unwraps a bandaid and covers a small cut Above my eye. "I think I got it all."  He mumbles, turning my head in his hands.

Alice had shown up, just as planned, but not to protect me. Erica had found out about our little plan, and offered Alice a good couple grand to hold me down while the entire squad played volley ball with my face. For being so small and frail, those girls can pack a punch.

"You need to tell someone, Blue."

"I can't. You know how they are about fighting. Both sides would be punished, and what're they going to do? Suspend the volley ball team?"

Corey bites his lip, and I have the urge to tell him to stop. He's a gorgeous man and part of me wants to pounce on him right here in the nurse's quarters.

"Besides. It was going to happen sooner or later. I knew it from the start. Hey, why the hell did you date her in the first place?"

Corey looks ponderous for a minute and smirks. "She was hot."

I roll my eyes.

"But.. Not just that." He takes a seat next to me on the nurses table and taps his shoe against mine. "She was sweet to me. She was there, behind the scenes you know?"

Uh... no.

"She fixed me. She wouldn't let anyone see her true nature, but she was a sweet girl."

"Erica? Sweet? I can't imagine that."

"She's only human."

"Well, yeah. But Joseph Stalin was human. Adolf Hitler was human. Vlad-fucking-Dracula was human, Corey."

"Yeah." He gives this bitter sweet smile and lowers his eyes. "I guess you're right."

Part of me feels bad, and I want to hug him. But that would be overstepping my boundaries, wouldn't it? Instead I plant a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

He turns to look at me, and something's in his eyes that wasn't there before. He looks like he has just made up his mind about something. He reaches for me and I flinch, but cooperate. Maybe he found another cut? No, he wasn't scanning my face for injuries, he was staring straight into my eyes.

"Tch!" I wince as his thumb feathers over a bruise on my cheek. His eyes widen and he realizes that he's merely an inch or so away from my face. He flushes, I flush, we're two red balloons getting too close to the sun.

I pull away from him and jump down from the cloth-covered table. For some reason I want to cry. I want to curl up into a pathetic little ball of self-loathing and cry. Corey Webster almost kissed me. Twice. So why am I so sad?

I know exactly why.

"You don't want this, Corey." I give him a sad smile and he stares down at his hands. "You're hurting. And I can see it. But you're not the type to use others as a crutch. So please."

I can feel my eyes watering and turn from him to hide it. I can't allow others to see my weaknesses. I have to stay strong.

"Don't let them see you cry." I remember Brendan saying as he comforted me one rainy afternoon. We had gone to a pep assembly that day, and I had gotten Carrie'd. They called me up to stage to receive an award. I was confused and had no clue what was going on, but I had never been awarded anything, and it was exhilarating. But when I got on stage to receive my award, I was greeted by a hefty bucket of ketchup. I was doused in it, and everything I wore was ruined. I ran out of the building as quickly as I could, and by the time I made it home, Brendan was already waiting for me. I sobbed on his shoulder for what felt like an hour.