Twice The Trouble

Chapter 84: Worry

Stacy

Monday Morning.

"Hey."

I craned my neck to the right but instantly looked to my left.

Seeing him brought me back to that night. The night I committed a monumental mistake.

"Good morning."

I squashed down any guilt I felt for ignoring his attempts at conversation and just kept walking.

"Stacy, could you at least look me in the eye?"

That's it. I rounded on him with a scowl on my face. "Listen, Bryce. Whatever happened, let's just forget about it, okay? It was a one-time thing. I got carried away. And now it's over."

"You're just going to act like nothing happened, is that it?" His dark blue eyes narrowed at me.

"Yes!"

The brown-haired 18-year old halted before me in one end of the hallway. "As if I'm going to take any of your crap," he said, fuming. "Have you forgotten whom you're talking to, Stacy?"

I folded my arms in front of my chest and glared at him darkly. "I wasn't born yesterday, Bryce."

"Then you'll recall that we terminated our so-called friendship two days ago." He smirked.

I rolled my sky blue eyes. "We had sex--"

"We made love, that's different," he cut me off, irritated.

I glowered up at him. "Coitus, intercourse, copulation. However way you call it, just forget it."

"Stacy, get this through that pretty head of yours--I. don't. do. one. night. stands."

My fists clenched. "I find that hard to believe." With a face like that? It was doubtful.

He stared me down and said: "You're still prejudiced about guys, aren't you?"

"What do you think?" A mean smile curved my pink lips. My arms remained crossed.

Annoyance was written all over his handsome features. "I've never spent a night with someone I don't have feelings for, Stacy."

"Oh, now you're rubbing it in my face that you've slept with multiple girls?" I snapped at him.

"That's not what I--" He palmed his forehead, closing his eyes for a moment.

"If you don't mind, Bryce, I have five minutes left before my first class starts."

He opened his blue eyes and turned them to me. "Why is everything so difficult with you?"

"It wouldn't be fun if it were easy," I smugly told him. "Rule of thumb."

Bryce gaped at me. "Stacy---"

"ACE!" hollered a female voice.

Bryce and I swiveled around to see a girl with hazel eyes and mid-length dark brown hair.

Miles Martinez was fast-walking towards us like a brisk jogger in the park. "ACE!" she called.

"What?" I groaned, a sense of foreboding rising inside my chest.

She cut to the chase. She hated skirting around the issue. "You and Bryce are dance partners."

In the corner of my eye I could see Bryce's face twitching into an obnoxious smile.

"Details, Miles," I demanded my dark-haired friend.

"Orion University is sponsoring a Ballroom Contest and only fifteen couples are permitted to participate. But the catch is:The dancers are all freshmen picked by the deans."

I looked at Bryce. He was full-on smiling now. "I am not going to be your partner!"

Miles shook her head in dismay. "You have no choice, Ace.If you bail, you fail. The participation itself covers half your grade in PE."

A loud groan erupted from my throat.

"Would you stop grinning already!?"

"ACE!" a guy shouted.

I spotted Dylan Alonzo, my friend and classmate, sprinting towards me. "What now!?"

He raked back his short black hair off his damp forehead. "Sophia's in trouble."

My face paled. "W-what happened?"

"Just follow me." He went ahead, and I followed suit,as he ordered.

Bryce ran alongside me. Dylan noticed him, then asked me: "Did something happen between you two?"

"Nothing happened," I said through gritted teeth.

We reached the Humanities Building and urgently climbed up the staircases.

I could hear the curious murmurs and soft whispers of college students crowding up the hallway.

"Oh My Gosh,w hat happened to her?"

"She just collapsed. Good thing someone caught her before she hit the ground."

"If she felt ill,s he shouldn't have come to school today."

The world played out in slow-motion. Me looking over my shoulder at the medical aides.

Students scattering everywhere and dashing in one direction. Professors running around.

I weaved through the chattering sea of people and what I saw next tore my heart in half.

Two male aides in hospital uniforms were laying Sophia's unconscious body onto a stretcher. Her skin was pale and her nose was bleeding. I pushed my way through the thick crowds.

"What happened to her? Tell me NOW!" I demanded one of the male adults in a green v-neck.

He didn't even glance at me. "Ma'am, please step aside so we can bring her to the hospital."

They carried my 18-year old twin down the stairs,out of the building, and into an ambulance.

I caught sight of Lucas trying to chase after them but I hurried to him and pulled at his collar.

"Tell me what happened to Sophia," I hissed at him. "Why was she on a goddamn stretcher!?"

Bryce grasped my wrists in an attempt to remove my fingers from curling his twin's white polo.

"Stacy, calm down," said Bryce while he restrained me from crumpling Lucas' school uniform.

"Don't you order me around, De Los Reyes." I glared at Bryce. "Are you helping me or not?"

He stared at me for a minute before saying: "We'll take my car."