Rushed (The Rushed Series) (36 page)

"Seriously—how did you get it? It looks nasty." I paused and tried not to wince. "And painful."

"Do you think men who fight are sexy?" He switched the icepack to his left hand.

"No."

"Then I'll dispense with the lies and the really cool story I concocted to impress you. I had a run-in with a pool ball gone wild. Never play pool with Callahan when he's drunk. He's a wild man. And FYI, when someone yells 'duck!' in a poolroom, listen to them. They aren't kidding.

"If I hadn't had that third beer, my reflexes would have been quicker. As it is, I'm lucky I don't have a concussion, though the medic at the aid station said the jury's still out on that one. I'll know for sure within twenty-four hours."

"Why were you sitting up here? The poolroom's in the basement and the first-aid station is on the first floor."

"And filled to capacity with drunks and all their related accidents. This was the only place I could find to sit."

"Makes sense. But where are all your friends?"

"They ditched me for a couple of hot sorority babes who came by." The way he said it made me laugh again.

"Nice."

"Yeah. Those chicks weren't into a guy with a black eye."

Their loss
, I thought, half wondering if he was lying. Who could pass him up, black eye or not?

While we chatted, the line moved surprisingly quickly. We had started in the hall near the stairs. Now we were nearly at the door. Bre had been wrong about a lot of things, including there not being time.

"Well, support person, welcome aboard," I said. "I'm Ellie. You should know my name, just in case you have to comfort me. FYI, I prefer personalized comfort phrases like 'Hang in there, Ellie
.
' And
'You can do it, Ellie.'"

"Logan," he said. "In case you'd like to give me a personalized thank you, as in 'Thank you, Logan, for saving me from certain chickening out and regretting it my whole life.'"

"That's more like a speech. I hope I can remember it without writing it down."
 

He patted his pockets. "No paper on me. I'll refresh your memory when the time comes."

I couldn't believe I was smiling again.
 

We reached the door. A guy handed me a clipboard with a release form to fill out. It had a space for my address. I glanced over the shoulder of the girl in front of me. She hesitated at the address column, then wrote her school address in. I realized in an instant why—she didn't want her parents to be notified or find out.

"Don't know your school address?" Logan said beside me, seeming way too interested in where I lived.

I smiled and boldly filled in my home address. Let my mom find out. I wanted her to know and Logan to think I was mysterious. "I know it perfectly well."

"Whoa. Bold move." Logan had been peering over my shoulder. "The parents aren't going to go ape shit?"

"No," I said. "My mom's been wanting me to do this for a long time."

He looked like he didn't quite believe me. "Then why haven't you?"

"Because she wanted me to," I answered truthfully.

He grinned wider. "Rebellious. Excellent! A girl after my own heart."

I studied him. "Don't get along with your parents?"
 

"Mom's okay. Dad's a bit of a bastard."

"At least you have one," I said.
 

A girl approached and took my clipboard. She looked it over and directed me to a cashier. I pulled twenty-five dollars out of my pocket and handed it over. The girl at the register handed me a receipt and directed me to a line.

That was when it hit me that I was really doing this, thanks to Logan. That was also when I remembered my fear of needles and how petrified I was when I got my ears pierced. Of course, I'd been six. And I couldn't even see the piercing gun. But that quick zap of pain had been enough to give me nightmares for years.

In high school, I'd heard my girlfriends' stories about getting bellybutton rings, but I'd never paid real attention to the details. Because, like I said, I don't like needles or shots, or any of that stuff. Now I was confronted with the evidence.
 

We were in the ballroom. It was a big, open room with piercing stations set up throughout and lines before each. They pierced with precision, all right—assembly-line-like precision. As you stood in line waiting your turn, you could watch the current victim getting her piercing of choice.

I'd always thought I'd get to lie down on a table and look away while I tried not to think about that big-ass needle. Tried not to get even a glimpse of it. But that was not the case here. You had to stand and hold up your shirt while they worked. There wasn't a girl in line who didn't look scared. And the looks on the faces of the girls who were being worked on? Petrified.

Suddenly Bre's suggestion was looking a whole lot better and much saner. Screw the twenty-five dollars. I'd rather lose it than my lunch in front of Logan and everyone. I felt pale and cold.
 

Logan slid his warm arm around my shoulder. "Hey," he whispered in my ear. "They all look scared at first. Watch how thrilled they are when it's done."

"I hate needles." It was a bare whisper. As soon as I spoke I wished I could take it back. I sounded so pathetic.

"I'll be right here with you." He squeezed my shoulder. "Holding your hand."

Something about his voice was soothing and reassuring. He was so confident. And the thought of holding his hand…

That was dangerous territory. But at the same time, I didn't want to look like a coward in front of him. Or like he'd wasted his time trying to be nice to me. I wasn't going to make him a failure, too.

I nodded. "Hold on tightly. And don't let go."

"Never."
 

"Next!"

"You're up." Logan smiled at me, walking with me to the piercing station.

"What are we doing today?" the piercing guy asked as he read my paperwork.

"Bellybutton."

He nodded. "Good. Looks like you went for the jeweled stud."

I nodded.

"Stand right there." The piercing guy was friendly and reassuring in his own way. He grabbed a pen. "Pull up your shirt."

I looked at Logan. He nodded and smiled at me. I took a deep breath and pulled my crop top up a little higher, holding it just beneath my breasts.
 

The piercing guy stared at my abs, eyeing my stomach. "Hold still. I'm going to clean the area and mark where it should go. We don't want you crooked." When he was done, he reached for a pair of clamps that looked like a pair of scissors.

The sight of that clamp made me lightheaded, and I hadn't even seen the needle yet. I reached out my hand for Logan's.

He held his icepack in one hand against his side. But the hand he took mine in was warm and strong. His grip firm, but tender. "Just look at me. Eyes on mine." He was smiling and his gaze was mesmerizing, even one-eyed. The other eye looked awful—black and red and swollen shut.

He was so adorable and pathetic and brave. I bit my lip and stared into his deep brown good eye, thinking it was the most beautiful eye I'd ever seen, full of confidence and encouragement.

"There will be a pinch and then a quick stab of pain as I put the bar in," the piercing guy said. "Breathe in."

I took a deep breath and held Logan's gaze. I felt the pinch of the clamps. I gasped at the quick rush of pain that followed, trying not to imagine the needle going in.

"You're doing great." Logan squeezed my hand.

I forced a shaky smile and squeezed back, hanging on like my life depended on it.

"The bar's in," the piercing guy said. "I'll follow it with your ring. How are you doing?"

"Good." It came out a squeak.

Logan laughed. "She's doing awesome. Hang in there, El."

"Just keep looking at your boyfriend."

Boyfriend?

"Hang on to that one," the piercing guy said. "He's the first guy who's come in all night."

I opened my mouth to correct him.
 

Logan shook his head, silencing me. "She's damn lucky. But so am I. This shiner didn't turn her off."

"Okay. The ring's in. Now I just have to screw on the stud and you can look."

I felt a little tugging.

"All done."

I looked down and couldn't help smiling. "It's awesome." Spellbound by it, I let go of my crop top and made a move to touch it and make sure it was real.

"No! Don't touch it." The piercing guy shook his head.
 

I stopped mid-reach.

"You don't want to infect it." The piercing guy swabbed it again with cleaner.

I looked at Logan again.

"Gorgeous." His gaze was locked on mine, not my abs.

I went warm all over.

The piercing guy handed me a little bottle of cleaning solution and a page of instructions and I was done. And still clutching Logan's hand so hard it was turning white. Embarrassed, I tried to let go.
 

He shook his head and held on tightly. "Come on. There's a mirror over there. You'll want a look."

We walked to it hand in hand. In front of the mirror, I reluctantly let go of his hand and he let me. Framing my bellybutton on either side with my hands, like I was embracing a tenuous new life, I cautiously looked in the mirror. When I saw my reflection, I couldn't stop smiling.

"Thank you, Logan, for saving me from certain chickening out and regretting it my whole life." I turned to inspect my bellybutton jewel from another angle.

"Good memory," he said. "You
were
paying attention."

"And for letting me crush your fingers until they turned purple because I was so scared."

He smiled and flexed his fingers. "You're not as strong as you think. My hand's fine." He held his hand up and made a funny grabbing gesture. "See? It still works."

I laughed. "Seriously. I couldn't have done it without you."

He offered me his icepack.
 

I shook my head. "Thanks. But I don't need it. It doesn't hurt." I looked at him. His right eye was completely swollen shut. I took the icepack from him and gently applied it to his eye. I was so gentle that he only winced a little. "Your eye looks awful. Time for ice on." I smiled. "This will be an evening to remember."

He took the icepack from me and grabbed my hand. "Let's get out of here." He pulled me into the hall toward the stairs, past the dwindling line of girls waiting for their turns.

"Walker! Hey! Wait up."

It took me a second to realize someone was calling to Logan. He hesitated as a group of three boisterous guys approached us.

"Where have you been? Why didn't you text us back? We've been looking all
over
for you," the tallest of them said.

"Some thanks. We leave to get the invalid something to drink and you ditch us while we're gone," the blond one said. "This is getting warm." He shoved a can of energy drink at Logan.

Logan had to drop my hand to take it.

The three of them stared at me as I realized Logan had lied about being ditched by his friends. I couldn't decide if that was sweet or diabolical.

"What happened to your sorority babes?" I asked, ribbing Logan.

The guys looked puzzled. "What babes?"

I had Logan's number and he knew it.

"Guys, this is Ellie." Logan didn't seem embarrassed at all.

"Nice to meet all of you." My heart was pounding. I felt suddenly anxious. Things were moving too fast. Everything had been so perfect. At the same time, I didn't want it to end and I couldn't face the rest of the evening with his friends.
 

I went up on my toes and kissed Logan's cheek. "Thanks for everything, Logan Walker. Really. First week of college. I won't ever forget it." I gyrated my hips and flashed my new bellybutton stud.