Spiked by Love(27)

And fuck, it hurts. Lights go off, and I swear, it feels like he poked my damn eye out with a stick. That doesn’t stop me, though, I somehow swing and get in another blow to his jaw, causing him to fall off me. I go to jump on him, but Aiden is there, pulling me up to my feet, his arms across my chest.

“Whoa there, buddy. Calm down. The campus police are here. Relax.”

Everything from that moment on is a blur. My adrenaline is flowing like crazy, I can’t see out of my left eye, and I can hardly breathe. I gasp for breath, and soon I’m being questioned by a police officer as I hold my eye. “He said you threw the first punch.”

I nod. “I did.”

“Yes, he did. But he assaulted me and sexually assaulted my cousin,” Ally says, and my good eye widens.

Together, Aiden and I both say, “What?”

Aiden whips his head to where the cops are with Taco, and now, I’m holding him back. Which is very hard with one hand since I’m still trying to make sure my left eye stays in my head. “You motherfucker, your ass is mine!”

Taco laughs, flipping him the bird. “Yeah, I bet it is. You love ass just like your faggot brother, you bitch!”

The cops try to settle everything down, but emotions are high. Our cop, his name is Murphy, sets me with a look. “Do you need medical attention?”

I nod, feeling sorry for myself. “If I say yes, does that mean I lost the fight?”

Murphy looks bored while Aiden scoffs. “Dude, you didn’t lose. It was a tie…that I’ll break!” he says, yelling the last part.

Murphy now sets Aiden with a look. “Do you want to go to jail?”

Aiden backs down as Murphy looks to me. “Go to the ambulance. And you, what’s your name?”

Ally pats her chest as she wraps her arm around Angie. “I’m Allison Titov, and this is Angela Paxton. We want to press charges against him.”

Angie looks terrified, but then Aiden is there, hugging her close to his body as another cop guides me to the ambulance. I don’t hear anything else as I’m being taken care of. I worry for Ally and Angie. I’m also livid about what happened to Angie, but it makes sense. She really had been acting as if something happened that night, and if I had known it was Taco, I would have kicked his ass earlier. I can’t even fathom how he could have hurt Angie—or even more, grabbed Ally by the neck. It doesn’t seem to register. Sure, he’s a fucker, but I never saw him as a threat to two women I care about very much. Soon, though, I can’t think of any of that because the verdict is in, and I need to go to the hospital.

I’m feeling more and more that I may have lost the fight.

The Force may not be present inside me when I need it the most.





* * *



When the EMT explained he thought I may have split my cornea, my dorky, weak-stomach self passed out.

The more time that passes, the more I realize I’m not the fighting type.

I bruise like a peach. Shit, I’m more like Ross Geller than I thought.

Because of my little episode, they have me under observation, and the beeping of my heart monitor is driving me fucking crazy. I don’t know why, it means I’m alive, but I know that since I can see out of my right eye as I watch the Jets play the Wild on the TV hanging on the wall. My left eye is hidden behind one wicked-sexy white eye patch.

Not.

I look like a broke-down pirate. Why couldn’t the patch be black?

I somehow lost my phone, so I’m bored out of my mind and I really wish someone were here. I’m worried about Ally and Angie…and my car. Hopefully, Aiden grabbed my car. I really hope Taco is in jail. Though, I heard that if he presses charges, I could go to jail. That would be fantastic. Right when I got a car, a place, and two jobs, bam, I catch a charge.

I’m winning at this adulting bullshit.

More and more, I think I should have stayed in California. For one, I wouldn’t be lusting after my best friend. I wouldn’t have gotten in a fight, and I wouldn’t have an eye that is falling out.

Yes, I’m being dramatic. It’s the meds for pain.

When there is a knock at the door, I look to it just as Ally pops her head in. When she sees me, she sighs deeply and quickly comes over to me. She wraps her arms around me, almost climbing in my lap as she squeezes me. “You left.”

“I really didn’t have a choice. They made me.”

She squeezes me even tighter. “I was so worried.”

I nuzzle my nose in her shoulder, taking in her scent and basking in her softness. “Funny, I was actually just worrying about you and Angie.”

She swallows hard as she pulls back, her knee on the bed between my legs. She rubs my jaw, and her mouth turns down. “They took Taco in. Angie is pressing charges, and he’s pressing charges against you.”

I make a face. “You hit him first, though. Why aren’t you catching charges?”

“It somehow didn’t come up, so I didn’t say anything,” she says, thankful. “I drove your car here, and Aiden stayed with Angie at the police station. Your phone is in the car.”

I take a deep breath as I look up at her. “Are you okay?”

She nods eagerly. “I’m fine. How are you?”

“My eye hurts.”

Tears gather in her eyes. “I’ve never seen you fight.”

“I basically kicked his ass,” I say more confidently than I feel, and she grins. “I know you’re impressed by my manly fighting skills—and now the patch.”

Her grin grows. “I’m in awe of you.”

Her words seem to mean more than she intended, but another knock sounds on the door, and the doctor comes in. Ally sits in the chair as I get examined. When the doctor clicks his tongue, I feel I might be fucked. “You have a small tear, real small, which is the best-case scenario. That can heal, no problem. You’ll just need to wear the patch for a week or two. Use the drops I prescribe, and don’t take off the patch.”

My shoulders fall. “Can I at least get a black one?”

He laughs, blowing his gray locks out of his eye. “Yeah, I can make that happen. Can’t have you walking around looking like a broke pirate.”

I point to him, grinning. “I thought the same thing!”

He pats my knee. “Follow up with this doctor tomorrow. I’ve sent over the referral for you, and he’ll see you again at the end of the week after the swelling goes down. Also, no more fights.”

I press my lips together. “Will do.”

“All right, let me get you discharged.”

He leaves the room, and Ally hops back up, wrapping her arms around my neck. I hug her tightly, and soon I feel her tears on my neck. “Ally, I’m fine.”

She sobs against me, and my heart breaks. She doesn’t cry often. “Why did you fight him? You know he wears that ring just for fighting.”

I pull back to look at her as I bring my brows together. “I didn’t know that. Would have been nice to know.”

She shrugs. “I thought you did, and he’s just such a dick. Now, you’re a pirate.”

I laugh. “At least I have both legs. And another thing, three pirate jokes a day is all I’m giving you.”

She chokes on a sob. “Wait. Three? I need at least ten.”

I scoff as I squeeze her hip. “Hey, you’re lucky you’re getting three. You’re the reason I’m a pirate, so hush.”

More tears fall as she takes in a deep breath. “You fought him for me?”

I chuckle. “Duh? Who else would I fight him for?”

“Angie. He sexually assaulted her.”

“I didn’t even know about the assault until way later. I saw him put his hands on your neck, and I lost it.”

Her green eyes swim in tears as she holds my gaze. “You did?”

“Fuck yeah,” I say with a grin. “No one gets to touch you, Ally. No one.” She blinks, her expression confusing. “Come on, you know I’d fight anyone for you. I’d lose eyes, legs, fingers, and toes for you, you crazy ass.”

She doesn’t smile the way I want her to. Something flashes in her eyes, something I’ve never seen before, and her hand comes to rest on my cheek. A tear rolls down her face, and I catch it, giving her a wide smile, but still, she doesn’t smile. She searches my eye intently. The mood changes almost instantly, and I find that I’m holding my breath. It’s like hours are passing as our eyes stay locked. When she moves, I know my right eye widens as her lips come for mine, but I don’t stop her.

It’s like my body explodes as her lips touch mine. Her lips are tender. Soft. Plump. Everything I’ve dreamed they are—that is, when I allow myself to dream. Her other hand cups my face, and my hands come up to her hips, holding her to me. I take over the kiss, sweeping my tongue along her lips, and she sighs against my mouth in such a soft but dick-tickling way.

Sparks. Yeah, they’re burning me, they’re so bright and hot.

Her lips, her body under my hands, it feels… I can’t even describe how it feels. I’m so overwhelmed all of a sudden, but one thing is for sure—it feels right.

When a knock comes at the door, we part almost immediately before my whole family fills the room. My lips burn, as does my body, and I try to get my wits about me, which is extremely hard as Ally turns her back to us. I look at my family; they’re all yelling, but all I can hear is my heart beating in my ears. I need to get it together. Did she mean to do that? I glance at her, but she doesn’t look back at me.