Scarlett White (39 page)

"I…um…I think that…what were we talking about again?" Scarlett asked.

Christian chuckled. "Are you always this ADD?"

"No, it's just I have…this problem where I zone in and out of conversations," Scarlett said distractedly as she continued to marvel at her truly screwed up realization.

"So, what you're saying is you have a shortage of attention span?" Christian asked with a knowing smile.

"Yeah, exactly."

"So, in other words, a sort of deficit in attention? Almost like a disorder?" Christian continued.

"You nailed it," Scarlett replied, still watching with wonder at how she reacted to every word he spoke.

"As in Attention Deficit Disorder."

Scarlett then realized where he had been going with this all along and felt completely stupid for falling for his trick.

"You suck; I hope you know that."

"Wasn't me who wasn't paying attention," Christian replied with an easy smile.

"I was distracted," Scarlett argued.

"I can tell."

"I have to tell you something."

"Sure, go ahead."

"I'm leaving to visit Florida in a few weeks."

Christian stopped and gazed at Scarlett. "You mean you're leaving to visit my cousin in a few weeks?"

Scarlett swallowed. "Yeah."

"Why didn't you just tell me that? You don't have to act as if you're hiding something from me. We're friends. And friends can hang out with each other. It's not like you're cheating on him with me or anything," Christian replied.

But I don't want to be just friends.

Shut up. Shut up. Think of Tristan.

But Christian is so kind and caring and chivalrous.

And so is Tristan.

You were only his girlfriend for one week before you moved! You barely knew him. You've known Christian. And he knows you. And he likes you. And you like him.

I like Tristan.

"Scarlett?" Christian snapped his fingers, and Scarlett blinked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"You seem really distracted. Is it because of the…kiss?" Christian whispered the last word.

"No, no. I just am worried about going back to Florida, Tristan being in a coma and all."

"Yeah. I guess that will be weird, huh?"

"Definitely."

Just then the warning bell rang, signaling the beginning of homeroom. After Scarlett said goodbye to Christian, she turned around and ran right into Austin Barkings. She felt as if this was her first day of school again, but this time Christian wasn't going to save her because he had already left for homeroom. And not only had she run into Austin alone, but his gang was also with him.
Shit
was the only thought Scarlett had. She neither apologized nor demand for an apology, instead she clenched her jaw together and glared up at Austin, waiting for him to make the first move.

"You're such a conceited brat," Austin mumbled.

Scarlett kept her mouth shut. She remembered she had fought back last time and that had resulted in a small hand-shaped bruise on her upper arm. This time, she was going to let whatever he had to say hit her square on. She was going to be tough.

"Well, where's your witty, little tongue this time, cunt?"

Scarlett winced at the depraved nickname, but kept quiet.

"What? Cat got your tongue?"

Scarlett glanced at the two boys flanking Austin. She knew their names only because of Christian. Once she and Christian had become really good friends, she had asked him about Austin. And he had told her that Austin and his two buddies, Robert Daring and Neil Handler, thought they were the shit. They were like the gang of Humphrey Day. There was even a rumor going around that Neil had a gun registered under his name.

"I have to get to homeroom," Scarlett mumbled and tried to shove her way through them, but there was no way she was going to make that happen.

"No, I don't think you do," Austin said darkly.

Scarlett took a step backwards. She looked around the hall and suddenly realized they were alone. They were in the lone hallway that connected to the gymnasium. And nobody had physical education first period. The gymnasium didn't open until around lunchtime. There were no classrooms in this part of the school, no teachers' offices, no janitors' closets; nobody would be coming by this hallway anytime soon. And that was when Scarlett really started becoming scared.

Scarlett did remember something Christian had told her the first time they had met:
Don't worry about Austin. He's all talk and no walk. His bark is worse than his bite. Any more clichés?

"Get the fuck away from me, you fat, perverted, wanna-be gangster!" Scarlett yelled.

She earned a hard blow to the cheek from Austin for her retort.

"Say you're sorry," Austin commanded.

"No."

He slapped her again.

"Say it, now!"

"Not a chance."

Austin growled. "You stubborn, little bitch," he mumbled under his breath.

Scarlett's eyes were watering from the hard punches Austin had bestowed upon her. Well, so much for all talk and no walk. Scarlett then began panicking. He obviously wasn't afraid of violence. And Neil supposedly owned a gun. That could mean that they might not be afraid of killing someone? Especially someone who had gotten on their bad side, like Scarlett. Her mouth suddenly became very, very dry.

"Are you serious, right now?" Scarlett asked. "Are you seriously going to harm me simply because
you
ran into
me
? How pathetic is that? It's like you don't have anything better to do with your time. And here I was thinking you guys were this big, famous gang who stalked the streets and committed real crime. Nope, you are all just big losers who can't pick on someone their own size."

She watched as all of their jaws clenched at her words. Suddenly Robert's fist flew to the side of her head. She fell to the floor from the impact, but before she could regain the breath she had lost when she had the wind knocked out of her, Austin, Robert, and Neil were kicking her until she was knocked unconscious.

Chapter Nineteen

Christian wrinkled his
eyebrows together. Scarlett hadn't been in World History today. As soon as he could, he pulled Chloe aside and asked her where Scarlett had gone.

"I don't know where she is. She probably went home sick or something," Chloe said.

"She didn't seem sick when I talked to her this morning," Christian argued.

Chloe smiled. "So, you two talked, huh?"

"Yeah," Christian said slowly.

"About what?"

"Nothing," Christian mumbled.

Chloe smirked. "I already know, you know. I know that you and Scarlett kissed last night. I know that you always get what you want, but I always thought you were kind enough to stay away from girls who have boyfriends."

"I didn't mean for it to happen. It just sort of did."

"Whatever. I'm not one to judge. It's not like I'm an angel or anything—"

Just then, Christian and Chloe's conversation was interrupted by the sound of screaming and gasping coming from the hallway that connected to the gymnasium. It was the hallway that was by the lunchroom, so plenty of students were in there now, heading to the cafeteria.

"What's going on?" Christian asked.

"Well, it's Meatloaf Monday. So, that's probably what the uproar is all about," Chloe replied with an easy smile.

"I don't know about that," Christian said, completely serious.

"C'mon, then. Let's go find out," Chloe replied and led the way to the commotion.

Once they reached the hallway, they saw that over half of the school was crowded around a scene. Chloe and Christian started pushing their way through the mass of students. Finally Chloe found Zoey and Millie standing near the center of the group of teenagers.

"What's going on?" Christian asked Zoey.

"It's Scarlett," Zoey whispered back with wide, wet eyes.

"What?" Chloe asked in a gasp.

"She was beat up. There's blood everywhere," Millie explained in a choked up voice.

"Who did it?" Christian's voice came out in a growl, almost a snarl.

"Nobody knows. She was found only minutes ago," Zoey whispered.

"I'm going to kill whoever did it to her," Christian rumbled.

"I can't believe this happened to her," Chloe whispered as her voice cracked.

By that time, teachers were ushering students out of the hallway and into the cafeteria. It took about half an hour, but finally the principal ordered that all the students be let go, and the day be counted as a half day. The students were only semi-excited for the unexpected short day of school. None of them—except for three people—hated
why
they were being let out. The freshmen had to wait for their parents to come pick them up, and all the other students walked slowly out of the building to their cars in a dismal fashion. Scarlett's unconscious body was moved onto a gurney and transported to the nearest hospital. This was the second time in one month that Scarlett had been taken directly from school to the emergency room.

Timothy was called to the hospital within twenty minutes of Scarlett being found in her bloody condition. But instead of Timothy coming alone to the hospital, a sober Rosa came with him. They sat quietly in the waiting room until finally the doctor came out to explain what was going on.

"Mr. Harman, Ms. White, Scarlett has gone through an ordeal of head trauma. We had to stitch up a small cut on her forehead. She has numerous bruises covering her body—even a bruised rib, but nothing fatal. Her left wrist has a hairline fracture. Other than that, she should be fine physically. Now about the head trauma, we won't know too much until she wakes up, but I would like to warn you that the impact of the force her head has suffered might result in some very scary conditions. One particular ailment that is very likely is amnesia. She may only fail to recall a day ago, a week ago, a month ago. Or she may not remember portions of her life. Or, worst case scenario, she may not recall anything. We will only know this when she wakes up," the doctor explained.

"Can we see her?" Rosa asked with wet eyes.

"Right this way."

Timothy and Rosa followed the doctor to the room where Scarlett was lying. She had eight stitches on her forehead, a nasty bruise on her left cheek, a black right eye, a split lip, bruises on both of her arms, and a cast on her left wrist. Rosa sat down on the bed beside her daughter and, for the first time in either one of their lives, Rosa cried for her only daughter.