Bitter Heart √

Nine

Skylar's POV

"How did you get your hand cut this deep, honey?" The nurse lady questioned me with an odd look.

I've never really been in the nurse's office except for that one time when that kid in my PE class had thrown one of those heavy basketballs right at my face. And it wasn't really a nice moment to remember.

Still, the pain of it back then seemed so much better than the way my hand hurt right now.

I looked away from her and gazed down at my legs, dangling them from the small recovery couch I was sitting on, which was situated at one corner of the nurse's office.

"Oh, well." I hesitated a little, thinking. "It was an accident."

She raised a brow at me.

"I was slicing some onions." Perhaps that was valid enough to believe in. I didn't even know the first thing when it came to cooking, which thankfully, she had no clue about.

It was a relief when she didn't press on the subject, but I was also aware of the look Caden seemed to be giving me. He wasn't buying the bullshit I was currently feeding the nurse. I ignored him for the meantime though, even when this room was way too compact to avoid his piercing stare.

"Well, be careful next time. It wasn't that deep to get stitches but you shouldn't have wrapped it so loose." She said. "Keep it bandaged this way. All right?"

I nodded.

"I'll write you a note for the classes you missed. Then you're ready to go." She got up from beside me, passing me a warm smile before leaving the room to go to her desk.

I stared down at my hand, not even realising that I was fidgeting with the bandage until Caden snapped.

"Stop doing that." He said. I stopped, but didn't really look up at him. A beat of silence passed by when he repeated the nurse's question from earlier. "How did it happen?"

He was still frowning when I glanced at him. Seeing him frown felt so usual these days; I'd be so surprised if he smiled for once.

Since we were onto a repeating session, I did the same. "I was cutting some onions. It was an..." I faltered when the green in his eyes left my thoughts astray. "An accident."

Would he even believe me if I told him the truth? I needed to tell someone. I needed to tell my parents. Because what if it happened again?

Caden's frown deepened and I swallowed. Though before he could've said something, before I could've said anything more, the nurse came back inside with a handwritten note in her hand.

I was almost out of the office when I heard the nurse lady murmuring something under her breath. I stopped and turned around and saw her saying something to Caden, who for some reason, stiffened at her words.

I tried acting like I wasn't eavesdropping.

"It's fine." He murmured back, gaze cautious as he nodded, and then headed for the door too. It was a little strange that he didn't bother sparing me a single glance as he left.

And as I ventured into the school hallways once again, the lack of bustling told me that I had missed Biology and the last of my class too. The entire school was almost empty now. Which probably meant Alex had left too. I couldn't exactly blame him when I didn't even have my phone with me. He must be wondering where I had disappeared off to.

I walked quietly towards my locker and opened it up, watching as a folded piece of paper fell down and landed near my feet.

I'm gonna assume you don't have your phone with you. Do bother giving me a call when you finally decide to go back home.
- Alex