The Wrong Cinderella

Eighteen

My heart stopped.

"June, what the hell happened?" I asked, refusing to let the panic take over me.

She scrubbed her tears away and looked up at me in fear. "I didn't know that he was allergic to peanuts!"

I felt my heart skip a beat. "So you poisoned him? Is he going to be fine?"

"Well not fine, exactly. And I didn't poison him. All I did was feed him some of your favourite chocolate ice cream and you know how there's nuts in there right? So I gave it to him and he ate but then halfway, he asked if there were nuts and I said yes then he swore then he checked if he had medicine with him but he didn't. I didn't notice when his face turned red and his throat started to swell up. I swear I was too busy enjoying the ice cream. When I finally finished, he was on the floor then it occurred to me that he was allergic!"

I was annoyed that she was barely paying attention while my boyfriend nearly died in front of her but I knew my best friend well enough to know that she would never do something like that on purpose. "Ok, well is he ok now?"

She nodded. "Yeah he's stable but the doctor said it was a pretty close call. I'm sorry, May. I almost killed your boyfriend."

I wrapped my arms around her shorter figure and patted her back, ignoring the rage trying to flare within me. "It's ok, June. It was an honest mistake. As long as he's ok then I forgive you."

When her sobs finally died down, I went off in search of the doctor. I asked the receptionist where to find Jason but she wouldn't let me see him unless I was related to him.

I decided to sit down and silently protest until she let me see him. I had acted calm around June but I was far from it. My heart wouldn't calm down and my palms felt clammy. I refused to entertain the worries that probed at my brain: I forced myself to believe that he was ok. He had to be ok or else I would fall apart.

I couldn't lose him. Not like this. Not while he was angry at me.

The receptionist coolly ignored me for about two hours. Thankfully, visiting hours were far from over and my mom knew where I was. I sat there and stared at her, hoping to annoy her. It wasn't until a tall, brunette woman with Jason's eyes arrived that she finally looked my way.

"That girl claims that she's his girlfriend and she insists on seeing him." The receptionist stated.

The tall woman's chocolate eyes studied me carefully. A sudden wave of recognition swept through her face. "May? Oh, it's you! Yes, she can come with me to see him."

I frowned, wondering how the woman knew who I was. She seemed young, maybe in her mid-twenties and I could see Jason in her. It wasn't just her eyes that reminded me of him but also her wide, perfect smile. I felt my heart clench as I remembered what had happened between us.

I stood up and slowly approached the woman. "Hi. I'm Jodie. Jason's sister. He told me all about you." She smiled warmly at me.

From up close, I noticed the way that the tips of her mouth threatened to fall and the apparent worry in her eyes. She seemed on the verge of breaking down but she was trying to be strong.

I gave her my own weak smile. "He did? I'm sorry but I didn't know that he had a sister."

"Oh he doesn't like telling people about me." She replied, offering me no explanation why.

I nodded and followed when she suddenly walked off. I didn't even care about how awkward the brief exchange had been: all I noticed was the quick steps she took with her long legs. She was hurrying to see her brother. I quickened my pace as well. I needed to see my boyfriend.