Trapped ღ j.t

Ch. 35 Surprise, Surprise!

{ P E R R I E }

Aimee was applying my eye-liner when the door burst open, Jesy falling into the room.

"Jade, she's hurt," Jesy al but screamed. As if on cue, Claud burst into the room carrying Jade. My smile vanished.

"What?" I exclaimed, already making my way over to Claud, who was setting Jade down on the couch.

"We were arguing and she moved her head and then she just - oh god," Jesy wailed. I pushed Claud out of the way, kneeling down by Jade who was out cold.

"Claud, go get my purse," I barked, moving to sit on the couch, lifting Jade's head and laying it on my lap. Everyone was chattering around me but I ignored them, remembering what my instructor taught me.

"A, B, C," I mumbled. Everyone stopped talking and gave me a funny look. "A is for airways." I tipped Jade's chin back, so her tongue wasn't blocking her windpipe. "B is for breathing." I leaned over to place my ear over her chest, then over her mouth. Thankfully, I could feel her breath against my cheek.

I looked up, smiling weakly. "She's okay. She's breathing."

Everyone exhaled in relief. Aimee was watching me with a strange look in her eyes.

"What's C for?"

I smiled. "Compressions. That's only necessary if she wasn't breathing. No one ever wants to make it to a C."

"Why'd she faint?" Leigh asked. I shrugged.

"It could've been anything from dehydration to low blood sugar, or even emotional stress."

"Emotional stress?"

"Yeah, like if she'd been worked up over something." It clicked. "You said you were arguing. Over what?"

No one said anything, so I busied myself by trying to gently wake Jade. I blew softly on her forehead, stroking her hair back. I looked up to meet several guilty pairs of eyes.

"I'll ask again. What were you arguing about?" I raised an eyebrow.

"She was just mad that everyone thinks you look . . . nice," Claud said, running a hand through his hair.

I sighed, understanding. "I'm sorry for what she said, whatever it was. She didn't mean it; you guys are her best friends. I don't know why she gets like that, I'll talk to her about it after the show."

"Speaking of . . . can Jade perform?" Sam asked, coming into view from behind Jesy. How long had she been standing there?

I shrugged. "Depends on if she's awake by then and how she's feeling. It starts in an hour, right? We'll wait and see."

Leigh chuckled. "How did you know what to do?"

I winked. "I volunteered at a hospital one summer; they taught me CPR and all that fun stuff. Came in handy, huh?"

Everyone nodded.

"You're wicked," Claud whispered. I smiled and went back to trying to wake Jade.

"Shouldn't we throw water on her or something?" Leigh suggested. My eyes widened and I shook my head firmly.

"Never do that. She's barely breathing as it is; she could drown. This works much better." I raised my hand and slapped her across the cheek. I heard a few chuckles behind me. When she didn't stir, I slapped her again. This time, her eyes slowly fluttered open.

"Perrie? What happened?" she murmured, trying to sit up. I pushed her gently back down in my lap.

"You fainted." By now everyone had crowded around and were watching her face intently.