Lovesick With A Heart Of Glass

1

Linh pov

My head falls from my arm and against the library table for the hundredth time. I blink my eyes and lean my head back on the rigid chair.

I'm not in the mood for studying.
I don't know what it is but after a few hours, the words in the textbook stop making sense.
I stand up and stretch my limbs, deciding that I might as well call it a day... or night now actually looking outside.

I live in the dorms -they're okay- to put it nicely- and I have my own room.
I was supposed to have a roommate but she ended up moving elsewhere.
They left me in a room for two by myself!

Now in my room I start unpacking the stuff I was studying from my bookbag. My phone that's on my desk makes a ding. I pick it up and read it.

What's up bitches! It's Elsie here telling you whores to come party! Everyone can stop studying for one night and relax and maybe something exciting will happen haha! So come on over to 309 and have some fun hosted by yours truly!

Ugh, how did she get my number again? Sorority girls are another breed I can tell you that. But, a party might be the thing I need right now.

Hey Elsie I'll be there soon

Yess! I knew you were a babe! I'm waiting for you!

I set my phone down and scavenge for something decent to wear to the party. I settle on a dark green top and jeans. I pull some shoes on and start walking to the party.

My tummy flutters with every step. I'm social but, Elsie's parties are...
a lot.

Once there I realize that I may have made a mistake. As I walk into the house the smell of alcohol in the air is enough to get my nerves tingling. There are bodies smushed together all around dancing and chatting.

I weave through the crowd trying to see if I can find Elsie. A sweaty arm wraps around my shoulders and I look up in fear just to see my good friend Jackson.

"I throw a good party huh?" He says with a goofy smile.

"Yeah its totally packed here. Did Elsie know it was gonna be this big?" I say.

"She requested it." He says with a grin.

I simply nod and laugh at him. He walks with me to the kitchen. While I swish my hand around in the cooler trying to find something other than a beer he takes two shots of vodka.

"WOOO I'M FEELING IT!" He says while dancing in the kitchen.

"Come on you want some?" He says pouring another shot.

"Maybe later." I say sipping on my beer not really liking the cheap taste.

A new song plays in the other room and everyone cheers loudly.

"Come on!" He says.

Jackson pulls me into the crowd. His harsh grip makes me wince, but I follow.

I can't hear anything that Jackson is trying to say so I just wave him off and crawl to the edge of the room.

Everything was fine for about twenty minutes then people started getting stupid. I guess the alcohol was starting to seep into everyone's brains because it was getting crazy. Two boys had their shirts off and were "wrestling". It looked more like two half-naked guys running around and slapping each other, but whatever.

Jackson had disappeared.
Elsie went upstairs because she threw up.
And now I was all alone.

I was busy minding my own business sipping- well- holding my beer, and all of the sudden I was flat on the ground covered in glass!
It took a second to realize that the two dudes "wresting" had clotheslined me into the glass table.

For a few seconds all I could manage to do was lay there.
A million sorrys were said by the boys, which I ignored. I managed to pull myself up from the ground.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me," I say as I look and at my bleeding arm. I stumble into the nearest bathroom and attempt to rinse off the blood, but it just keeps trickling out of the wound.

I try to stay calm.
I don't want to bleed out at a stupid party.

A small knock on the door makes me jump.
"What are you doing?" A man with dark hair coldly asks me.

"Cleaning up," I say as a matter of factly.

"Sit." That is all he says and points to the bathtub's edge. I comply and he sits next to me. I now realize he has a first aid kit with him and it's filled to the brim with supplies.

I stare at him getting things out watching the way his slender fingers move through the supplies. He then pours some liquid on the wound and I let out a whine pulling my arm back. He hastily grabs it and continues to pour. Tears sting my eyes. He wraps some gauze around my arm and applies pressure, checking it every minute or so. Once it stops pouring blood he replaces the gauze and tapes it secure. I get up to leave when he grabs my hand.

"Where are you going? I'm not done." He says with no detectable expression.

"What?" I say then look into the mirror and see the back of my shirt is stained as well as a few small cuts on my face.

"I'm okay thanks for the help," I say as I wiggle out of his warm hand.

"I don't want it to get infected." He says looking at me.

"Okay," I say and sit back down.

He starts on my face. Using small pieces of gauze with solutions on them. I don't know where to look so I settle on the floor. He placed a small bandage on my cheekbone and left the others bare.

"I need you to take this off in order to clean your back." He says.
"Okay," I say again.

Has falling into the glass table made me lose all my vocabulary?

I try to pull it off with my good arm but it's a lot harder than I thought.

The medic's hands grab the bottom edge of my top.
"Do you need help? Your arm must be sore." He says.

"Yes," I say feeling my face burn red.
Keep it together Linh. Keep it together.

His hands grab the hem of my shirt and pull it over my head, being careful with my arm.

My green top is now off and I feel embarrassed. The beer I drank half of is not giving me any courage.

He instructs me to turn around and I listen. Good thing I picked a bra that isn't too raggedy today.

Once finished he stands and removes his sweatshirt. His undershirt rises up and I get a flash of his stomach. Handing me the sweatshirt with a weak smile, he picks up his kit. He also wipes the counter clean and leaves some gauze and medicine on it. Then he leaves brushing past me in the small bathroom.

"Thanks," I say but he'd already left.

I take my ripped, bloody shirt and toss it into the garbage. I take the gifted shirt and cautiously inspect it and sniff it to make sure it was clean enough to wear. After pulling on the warm crew neck sweatshirt that the medic left me I notice a tiny insignia on it that I don't recognize.

I leave the bathroom. I wander for a few minutes trying to find Jackson or Elsie to tell them I'm leaving, but I can't seem to find either one.

I walk out of the house and feel the cool air on my face. As I leave the party I see the medic that helped me leaning on a car's hood with his arms crossed. There are a few other boys. They all are laughing and chatting, but quiet down once they find me staring. I take a deep breath and walk a little faster not wanting any attention.
I cast a glance over my shoulder and see a few sets of eyes still on me.

I practically run back to the dorm. I pull off my jeans and shoes, but not bothering to change out of the sweatshirt and flop on the bed, falling asleep.