Teagan shivered violently as she did her best to control the massive chatter swirling amongst the band. Xander's threat had been far too close to home. Far too close to her Oriana. She swallowed her fears, trying to remember she had paid him off. He was gone. He had promised. The money would keep him away. Teagan furiously shook her head, finally growing quite perturbed with the scene in front of her. She withdrew a large book from her backpack, throwing it toward a nearby music stand. It clattered with a large slap, drawing everyone's attentions to her. "Can we practice now?" she snapped.
"Major T, is something wrong?" a sophomore flute player, Kelly, asked with a raised eyebrow.
"No!" Teagan growled, flipping through the pages of her music to locate the songs they needed to prepare for the upcoming football game. She tugged on her short locks, offering a sharp pain to her scalp. She winced, focusing on the notes. "You guys freaking know the routine, right? Come to the bleachers, get your stuff, focus, play, get the Hell out of here. Right? We have so much to work on between this game and the upcoming Homecoming. Damnit, we don't have time to doddle!"
"Then us what damn song we're doing so we stop 'doddling'! Jeez, it's not our fault you’re PMSing!" a voice said near the back by the trombones.
"Who said that?!" Teagan looked up into the crowd, her eyes scanning for the comment maker. "Speak up now or I'll ban you from performing Homecoming night!"
"Woah, damn, does she always run like this?" Alex breathed to Howie in shock. He had just been watching the entire start of practice with apprehension. He had never seen Teagan so roughed up before. She looked as if she would spit venom.
"No, something must have happened before she got here. I just hope it wasn't Xander. I’ve seen his truck around here before while we practice…" Howie whispered back as Teagan continued to yell at the band.
"Who said that? Stand up and take responsibility!"
"It was me, okay? I did it! Just lay off, Major T! Don't take it out on us, we didn't do anything wrong!" A saxophone player named Mike shouted, standing up.
"Dude, she's like Satan in a thong," Alex murmured in disbelief.
"Don't let her hear you, or else she'll ream you like she's reaming Mike."
"Well, I hope she'd at least use a condom with the monster dick she's slinging between her legs."
"Alex! Gross!"
"What?" Alex snickered with amusement.
"Man that was disturbing!"
"It's the truth though, right---"
"ALEX!" Teagan finally screeched after dismissing Mike from the entire practice. He would be given demerits and sided for the next performance.
"Sorry!" Alex yelped, sitting up straight.
"It's your first week in this group; don't start off on the wrong foot! You think you're above the law because you happen to be my boyfriend's little brother?"
"More like I thought I was above the law because I was your best friend's soon to be brother," Alex quipped, not really understanding the big deal.
"Either way, you're not. So shut up and pay attention or you'll get the same punishment as Mike. ¿Comprende?" Teagan snapped, hands on her hips.
"Maybe I'll take the punishment because I don't want to be part of some frigid---" Alex's voice was quickly interrupted with a sharp howl. The surprising howl caused him to stumble forward with shock, realizing something had to be dying. He immediately cringed as the animal cry of agony and hysteria continued to a sharp squeal of pain, almost shattering his heart. He turned to the source of the subject, noticing the football players huddled in a tight circle.
"Cheerleader broke a nail!" someone snickered.
"COACH! COACH! CHERRY-BOMB'S HURT, SHE NEEDS A DOCTOR!" One of the players shouted towards Coach Hanson. He was about to speak when the howl of pain interrupted him, causing Teagan to chill right down to the core. Duckie. Duckie's hurt! she thought, her heart beating fast.
"Damnit," Alex cursed in shock, immediately pushing through the crowd of band members. He grunted in surprise as most just froze in their places, unable to comprehend the shrill howls erupting from the still corpse in the middle of the field. Alex's blood began to chill from the screams. He needed to get to her as soon as possible. Fear turning to rage, Alex slammed heavily into the last few people to move them from the bleachers. "DAMNIT! LET ME GET DOWN TO MY SISTER!"
"ORIANA! EVERYONE, MOVE!" Teagan thundered, pushing people away so Alex and her could get through. "ALEX, GO!"
"Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!" Alex cursed openly, immediately rushing down the bleachers. He felt as if a fire had been lit beneath his chilled body, urging him forward. Oriana's animalistic cries seemed to shatter everyone. Alex just prayed it wasn't too serious.
"Oriana! Oriana, hold on, we're coming!" Teagan called, not too far behind Alex. The pain coming from her best friend's cries were enough to make Teagan want to cry, but she kept on running.
Numbness had washed over the band as they turned to Howie for advice. No one could figure the words to voice amongst the screams from below within the field. No one had ever seen Oriana in such a shabby state of affairs. She had always been quite strong and loving in school. To hear the chilling screams was almost like watching a murder. They noticed the coach of the football team rushing into his truck, rolling up to the school. The football players screamed toward one another, not knowing what to do to get Oriana help.
"Um... Howie?" one of the trumpet's voice shakily.
"What?" Howie turned around and saw the whole band looking at him, lost. He realized that without Teagan there, he was like a second in command when it came to orders. "Oh. You're all dismissed for the rest of practice."
"Is she okay..." Dee drawled shakily.
"I honestly don't know. I'm going to see right now," Howie replied, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze. He turned towards the band once more. "Come on, y'all. Go on home, there's nothing you can do to help Oriana. She needs to go to the hospital for that."
"For the love of God, don't touch me!" Oriana grunted in pure agony, curling herself tightly into the fetal position. She instantly brought her wounded arm into her chest to shield it from anyone's hands. She could feel the blood oozing from the throbbing arm. There was no doubt in her mind that Brian had shattered it. The pain was horribly intense, almost to the point that it made her nauseous. Her eyes were blurry as unshed tears thickly gathered. Her crushed arm felt as if it were pounded by thick hammers and pierced with the sharpest of kitchen knives. She wanted to die at that moment.
"Oriana, tell us what to do! We don't know what to do!" Chris exclaimed, feeling helpless as they watched Oriana writhe and cry in pain.
"Just let me curl into a hole and die!"
"Hey, don't talk like that!" Luke blurted, kneeling down next to her. "Ori, it'll be okay. Coach is getting Nurse Sanderson now, and she'll tell us what we should do."
"Then amputate the damn thing!" she howled, immediately wrenching away from Luke's warm hand. She curled into a tighter ball, pushing her head down into the darkness. She started to choke on the thick sobs as she pressed the arm closer to her body. A warm heat flooded from the throbbing arm, making her release the sobs with a yelp of pure torture.
"What happened, anyway? One minute she was fine and the next, her arm's all fucked up," One of the younger players, Shane, muttered to John.
"I don't fucking know," John grunted back, folding his arms across his chest. "I see that Richardson kid dive toward Cherry-Bomb, next thing I know, there's fucking blood on the ground... There goes our whole damn season!"
"You think that he would--"
"Everyone saw how he reacted towards her at the birthday party. I wouldn't put it past that fucker for a damn second. That bastard! We're not going to have our perfect record this year!"
"Would you two stop bitching and go grab the fucking first aid kit?!" Gabe growled at the younger students, slamming his hands roughly into their chests.
"Damn! We're fucking going!" John snapped, holding a hand to his chest as he and Shane ran to get the kit.
The others recoiled as Oriana released another sharp scream, struggling to deal with the overbearing pain. Ace cringed in disgust, pushing forward from the rest of the guys. He glared sharply at Brian before bending down to Oriana. Ace tried to rouse her attention, finally, just grabbing onto the tender right arm to yank her up. "Damnit, Oriana! What's wrong?! You act like you got shot or something!"
"Get the fuck off my arm!" Oriana screamed shrilly, immediately slamming her leg into Ace's stomach. The large man fell backward as Oriana immediately curled into a sitting position. She brought her broken arm into her lap, just rocking back and forth. Sharper sobs burst from her lungs as she struggled to breathe, feeling like she might pass out from the pain.
Luke shifted carefully, finally able to get a good view of the problem. He winced as John and Shane stumbled back with the first aid kit. Several puncture marks were located along Oriana's badly mangled forearm. It was already swelling at a rapid pace and a distinct black and purple coloration.
"Damnit, Oriana," Luke breathed with dismay.
"It fucking hurts," she sobbed to herself.
"I know it does. I know. You've gotta hang in there until we get you to a doctor, alright? You'll be fine, I promise," Luke replied, kissing her forehead as he took the kit from Shane. "Can you let me clean those puncture marks on your arm, Ori? They're bleeding pretty badly."
"No," Oriana objected, pulling back when Luke reached for her arm. She couldn't even bear to think about anyone touching it. "I'll die if you touch it!"
"You won't die. You need to calm down, or you will pass out. You're in medicine, you know I need to clean those wounds. Either way they're going to get cleaned. Wouldn't you rather have me do it gently then some smart-assed doctor do it carelessly?"
"I'd rather take a smart-assed doctor that amputates," Oriana moaned, leaning forward to huddle into a ball. She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing that Luke was going to move to clean her arm. She felt the tears start to streak down her paling cheeks as Luke gently grasped hold of her arm. She immediately arched in pain, biting down so hard on her bottom lip that she thought it might bleed.
"Shhh. Take a deep breath, concentrate on something that makes you calm," Luke whispered, taking the alcohol pad and placing it on the first wound.
"Nothing is going to make me calm," she whispered, whimpering harder as the first wound was drenched with alcohol.
"Deep breaths, that's good," Luke replied, changing the subject as he cleaned away the blood. "First one is done already. You're doing very good, Ori."
"It's fucking shattered... I'm going to be damn lucky if I don't need surgery..." Oriana whispered softly as hot tears continued to fall against her filthy uniform. She immediately yanked her arm away when Luke pressed too hard with the alcohol wipe, sending a sharp pain radiating up her arm. She immediately moved to get off the ground. "Damnit, we're done!"
"Whoa, where do you think you're going, Riley? Sit back down, Nurse Sanderson needs to look at your arm," Coach Hanson stopped Oriana from getting to her feet.
"Coach, it's broken! Okay? Can I just get in my car, drive to the hospital, and see whether or not I need to be sliced and diced?" Oriana fumbled, struggling not to cry in front of her coach. She bit down hard on her bottom lip, rubbing her wet face with her left hand. She kept her right arm securely against her chest for a moment before holding it with her left. "I can drive."
"The Hell you can. I'm not letting you drive yourself to the hospital with a broken arm, so enough of that. Nurse Sanderson, how bad is it?" Coach Hanson asked, keeping a hand on Oriana's left shoulder so she wouldn't get up.
"Well, I'm no doctor... And I'm no X-Ray Tech... But that's a broken arm," Nurse Sanderson sighed, clicking her tongue. She gently eased Oriana's right arm into her hands, inspecting it. She sighed heavily, motioning to the most swollen portion. "See that bump? That'd be her bone. It looks to be dislocated... She might need surgery... Sweetheart, how did you get these puncture wounds?"
"I was at the bottom of the pile, cleats are sharp," Oriana replied softly, gazing down at the grass. She tried to ignore the agony the nurse was inflicting.
"She definitely needs to go to the hospital. I've never seen a break this bad come from a simple football practice," Nurse Sanderson clicked her tongue again, feeling bad for Oriana. "I'll go call an ambulance--"
"No! No ambulance!" Oriana immediately yelped, struggling against the coach's hold. An ambulance ride meant a call to her mother. There was no way that Cassandra would react calmly to this accident. Oriana would be banned from any social activity in the history of her life. Tears of anguish flooded her eyes as she started to shake violently from the pain. "Please? Can't I just drive? It's not a big deal! One broken arm---"
"I told you once and I'll tell you again. You're not driving!" Coach Hanson interrupted in a stern tone. "Someone will have to drive you, if you insist on not getting an ambulance."
"Coach, it's not a big deal," Oriana fumbled.
"Riley, enough. You're getting a ride to the hospital. You're not driving. Understood?"
"You better call the ambulance then, because no one's going to offer that blood bath."
"I'll take her," a voice spoke up from behind the huddle.
Oriana arched her light brows with a painful surprise, hugging her right arm closer to her chest. She still sat on the cold ground, unable to see who was pushing through the crowd. She felt self-conscious, knowing she'd owe whoever it was her life. She almost prayed it was...
"I'll take her, Coach Hanson. My car is right by the field," the voice replied. Looking up, she saw that it was who she was close to praying for - Howie.
"And you are?" Coach Hanson drawled protectively.
"My friend! I'm Alexander Richardson... I'm Ry's... I mean, I'm Oriana's stepbrother... Or soon to be stepbrother," Alex interrupted, finally pushing through behind Howie. He immediately bent down to Oriana's side, pushing back her sweaty curls. "How you doing, Ry?"
"Fine," she whispered, bowing her head with shame.
"Mr. Hanson, we can take care of it," Alex announced.
"Alright," Coach Hanson nodded, leaning down to pat Oriana's back. "You did good, kid. Hang in there, okay?"
Oriana merely nodded as the team was ushered away by Nurse Sanderson and Coach Hanson.
"Damn, Ry, how are you doing?" Alex breathed in disbelief, continuing to push the damp curls away from her crimson face. Howie had yet to say anymore more, leaving Alex tot take care of Oriana's frazzled state. Tears still continued to pour from her eyes, alerting Alex that she was in terribly pain. He felt his heart wrench at the clouded irises of her usually beautiful sapphire-emerald eyes. He briefly glanced down at her arm, deciding it was far too grotesque for words. He swallowed hard, making her eyes lock with his.
"I can't breathe and I think my arm's going to literally fall off. I'm fucking peachy," she sniffled, struggling to pull the padding away from her heaving chest without startling her arm.
"Here, let me help," Alex placed her unharmed arm down and carefully took off all her padding so she was down to her jersey and pants.
"Thanks," she wheezed, shifting uncomfortably as she noticed Howie's eyes were locked on her form. She bowed her head again, allowing the tears to fall into her lap. It hurt so much and she didn't have much fight left in her. And she didn't want to appear weak in front of Luke, Howie, Teagan, and Alex. Then Brian's gleeful watch just made her sick.
"That's what brothers are for," Alex kissed the top of Oriana's sweaty head. He felt so bad about the pain she was going through and wished he could make it all go away. "Come on, let's get you to the hospital. The sooner you get there, the sooner you can leave. Alright?"
"I just want to go home..." Oriana sniffled harder, not taking Alex's outstretched hand. She was afraid if she stood up that she might pass out from the pain. She didn't want to move. She didn't want to aggravate the pain into a worsened extreme.
"I know you do. But you can't go home until your arm is fixed, you know that."
"I take it you won't let me use the duct tape in the Hummer for a repair job?" she tried to joke, only blinking back more tears.
"No, I don't think that would be a good idea," he chuckled, keeping his hand held out to her. "If you go get your arm fixed now, I'll make your favorite sundae when we get home. How about that?"
"I just want a jar of cherries," she compromised, still refusing to take his arm. She knew she would pass out from the agony if she stood.
"Alright, I'll get you a big jar of cherries," he agreed, still confused on why she wouldn't stand up. He looked over at Howie and came up with a plan. "D, if you carry her towards your car, I could start it up and we would leave right away. Give me your keys."
"I'll get up," she blurted, moving to scramble to her feet. She struggled more than anticipated, unable to use either of her hands to balance, because the left held the injured right. More tears started to trickle as she fell back, jarring her arm. "Damnit!"
Howie threw the keys to Alex and nodded for him to start the car. "Oriana, I'm not going to hurt you. Just let me carry you to my car, you can't walk."
"I'm not afraid that you're going to hurt me. I'm already hurting," she mumbled meekly, turning away as more tears started to flood from her foolish idea. She didn't know which hurt worse - her arm or her heart.
"I know," he whispered, leaning down to her. "Just wrap your good arm around my neck and I'll pick you up."
"Howie---"
"What the Hell's the problem?! Get her to the fucking hospital, Dorough!" Gabe shouted, coming back to the couple. "Her arm is fucking broken!"
Teagan looked like she might charge to attack Gabe, but Howie remained quite calm. He stood up from Oriana's broken form, just offering a stern look toward Gabe. "She's a little nervous about getting up. Her arm's really hurting her. So, give her some time to build her courage up. We're getting to the hospital when she gets ready to get to the hospital," Howie spoke, turning to Oriana. "She just has to trust me."
"I... I trust you," she whispered faintly.
"You do?"
"Yes," she nodded, biting her bottom lip.
"Alright. I'll try not to bump your arm," Howie leaned back down and carefully lifted Oriana into his arms.
"Okay..." she whispered, gently easing her left arm around his neck as he looped an arm around her back and underneath her legs. He lifted her almost like an infant with a gentle ease as Oriana instantly brought her right arm tightly to her chest. Once Howie was standing, she buried her face into his chest, inhaling the scent of Drakkar Noir. It only took a moment before fresh sobs burst from her chest again.
"Shh. It's okay, it's okay," Howie whispered, kissing her forehead repeatedly as he began to walk towards his car. Alex had already started it and was waiting for them.
"I'm so sorry, Howie. I'm really, really, really sorry," she continued to sob, hating the agony surfacing. She wrapped her left arm tighter around his neck for comfort. "It hurts so bad. So bad."
"You don't need to be sorry and I know it hurts. If I could take the pain for you, I would without even thinking of the consequences," he replied, gently rubbing her back.
"You won't leave me at the hospital, will you? Even though I got you mad at me? Even though I left a handprint on your face? Don't you hate me?" she mumbled against his chest, her attitude shifting with the intensity of pain.
"I don't hate you. I could never, ever hate you. I thought you hated me, that's why I gave you so much space after this weekend. And I won't leave you at the hospital. I will stay right there with you the whole way," he promised, holding her as tight as he could without causing more pain.
"Okay..." she drawled meekly, obviously exhausted.
"How are you going to get her in the car?" Alex asked as they finally reached the car.
"She'll have to stay in my arms--"
"Stay in your arms?" Luke drawled with apprehension, reaching for the backseat door. He had moved to join Alex in the car, refusing to leave Oriana alone in such a state of distress. He arched his blonde brows in confusion. "That's not safe with driving... Just slide her in the car. We'll get her a wheelchair at the hospital."
"I really don't think she'll let go, that's the problem..." Howie trailed off, looking down at Oriana. Her grip on him was almost impossible to remove.
"She doesn't have much of a choice in this situation," Luke sighed, opening the backseat door. He gently rubbed Oriana's shoulder, causing her to jerk with pain. He smiled apologetically. "C'mon, Sweetheart. We've got to slide you into the back."
"Um... Okay..." Oriana trailed as Luke shifted her into his arms. She yelped in surprise as he pried her hand away from Howie's neck, much to Howie's disagreement. Luke didn't seem to pay attention as he swiftly scooted Oriana into the backseat. She instantly curled into a tight ball, starting to sob softly again from the pain.
Luke sighed, leaning out of the car for a minute. He wanted to keep distance between Oriana and Howie for the time being. He had heard about the beach incident, though not really sure how to exactly calculate it. "Hop up front, Howie. I'll stay in back with her."
"No, I'm sitting back with her. I know you heard about this past weekend, and you heard it all wrong. She doesn't want me to leave her and I'm not going to," Howie replied stubbornly.
"Damnit, Howie--"
"What?!"
"You're in the fucking front seat. You're not leaving her. I just don't want you having her all cuddled in your lap then Alex gets into an accident and she goes flying through the windshield. Just for the love of God, get up front, please," Luke appeased with a low growl, not wanting to make waves.
"Just let Howie back here," Oriana finally called through her tears.
"I'm coming," Howie replied, giving a glare to Luke before climbing into the backseat.
"Luke, you coming or what? We gotta go!" Alex replied, sitting in the driver's seat.
"Fine," Luke grumbled with displeasure, moving to seat himself in the front seat. He quickly secured his seat belt, briefing glancing to the backseat. Luke had been quite easygoing with any potential boyfriend Oriana obtained, but Howie seemed like a threat, because he had the chance of taking Oriana away. It was already starting to happen.
"Howie... I just w-wanted to tell you that I..." Oriana's voice dropped off for a moment as a large plague of pain washed over her body. She felt the agony racing towards her already damaged heart. She cringed openly, knowing she'd probably ruined whatever chances she had with him. "I know it's stupid, can I just lean against you?" she whispered softly as Alex turned on the music to give her some peace to sob without embarrassment. She felt foolish for asking someone she had so viciously slapped a week ago, but when she was in his arms, the pain lessened.
"It's not stupid," Howie caressed her cheek for a moment, smiling softly. "You can lean against me... you didn't even have to ask."
"Thank you," she croaked softly, slowly sliding across the seat. She hesitantly moved, keeping her swelling right arm across her chest. She nestled her head against his shoulder, doing her best to blink back the painful tears.
"You're welcome," he whispered, placing his arm around her waist away from the broken bone. Wanting to comfort her more, he leaned down and gently kissed her forehead, humming softly.
"What are you humming?" she asked quietly, keeping her eyes closed as if to ignore the pain. She pressed closer to his body, keeping her arm pinned tightly to her chest with the other. The soft vibration of his humming catching against her forehead for a soothing sensation against the pain.
"A song I've been working on," he replied, stopping the humming for a moment.
"It sounds really beautiful. What's it called?"
"It doesn't have a title at the moment... but thank you. Do you want me to keep humming?"
"Please?"
"As you wish," he kissed her forehead once more before continuing to hum his song.
The song he was writing for her.
