Chapter 3 A Bandage and a Warning
Mayzie found a quiet spot on the grass behind the library and sat down there. She carefully pulled off her sweater to check the damage. The sleeve was torn and soaked in blood. After setting the ruined fabric aside, she looked at her elbow. Her thigh and other hand were scraped too, but at least those weren't bleeding.
Her elbow, however, looked like a total mess. She knew it probably needed stitches, but without insurance, the hospital wasn't an option. She sighed to herself, "Bellatrix is going to kill me, and I’m going to be bleeding from everything all day."
Suddenly, her contact book appeared right in front of her face. She looked up and saw Arking holding it out. He always looked a bit grumpy, like he was ready to snap at someone, but there was a kindness hidden in his dark eyes that made him handsome despite the scowl.
"You dropped this," he said.
Mayzie took it and tossed it onto her sweater.
He stood there for a second. "Oh, right. Since you didn't ask me to take it back, I guess I don’t get a thank you." He shoved his hands into his pockets. "See ya around."
"Thank you," Mayzie called out as he turned to walk away.
He stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "No problem." He stood there for a moment, watching her struggle with the wound. "I've got an antibacterial wipe and a band-aid. Want them?"
"Why do you even have those?" she asked.
He laughed. "Dalton gets into a lot of fights, so we all started carrying first aid kits." He pulled a small kit from his pocket, walked over, and knelt down. He gently took her arm to get a better look. "This is deep. You really need stitches."
"Stitches cost money," Mayzie said. "And going to the hospital takes too much time."
He looked up at her, and she realized his eyes weren't actually brown — they were a deep, dark blue. "Well, I guess we don't have much of a choice then. Nothing a band-aid can't fix."
Mayzie laughed; it was the first time she had felt like smiling in a while. She watched him carefully clean away the blood and blow on the skin to dry it before sticking the bandage on.
"You're staring at me," he noted. "It's making me nervous."
"Sorry," she said quickly. "You just look like the guy I saw on the stairs earlier. His hair was shorter, though. I thought you might be related, but he hangs out with The Destitutes."
"That’s my twin brother, Ariel," Arking explained.
Mayzie tilted her head. She wondered how one twin ended up with the elite crowd while the other was an outcast.
Arking grinned. "Done."
She looked at his handiwork and pressed her lips together. "Thanks."
"He got kicked out of the group for kissing a girl Dalton liked," Arking added, standing up. "Dalton is really possessive. He never admits when he likes someone, but you can tell by that cold stare he gives. Ariel just didn't see it coming."
"How did you know I was thinking about that?"
He smirked. "You're easy to read." He took a quick look at the bloody sweater. "How much did that cost? I'll pay you for it."
"It's fine." Mayzie stood up and grabbed it. "It belongs to my friend. She let me borrow it because I forgot mine. Besides, you didn't ruin it, so you don't have to pay." She folded it and put it into her bag.
"Are you sure? She'll probably want her money back. She's the other poor girl, right?"
Mayzie looked at him, confused and was hurt a bit.
"I know who you both are," he said. "The two girls who won't quit. You should think about transferring before this university eats you alive."
Mayzie frowned. "Oh, I see. You act nice just to threaten me. You’re all the same." She rolled her eyes and started to walk away.
Arking reached out and held her hand. "Wait. Take my jacket. You can give it back tomorrow."
"I don't want your jacket."
He took it off anyway. "I wasn't asking. Use it." He draped it over her shoulders. "Besides, if you have to give it back, it gives me a reason to talk to you again." He turned and walked away, leaving Mayzie standing there in shock.
As she made her way back, she saw Ariel sitting alone on the stairs. She walked over and set the jacket down next to him. He looked surprised but stayed quiet.
"Can you give this back to your brother?" she asked.
He nodded slowly. "Why do you have it?"
"Ask him," Mayzie muttered as the lunch bell rang.
· · ─────── · 𓅪 · ─────── · ·
"Wait, he rescued you?!" Bellatrix teased. "That's honestly so sweet!"
Mayzie rolled her eyes, "Not really."
"Look at them! They're all so hot and incredibly rich," she gushed. "Tell me, which one is Arking?"
"The one who looks like he is from an eighties' movie."
She laughed, "No one from an eighties movie has long hair, besides he wears slacks and button up shirts, it's just the jacket." She looked up into the blue sky, "It would have been so cool if he had carried you away, and…"
"Okay, that's enough of that. I am regretting ever telling you now."
She chuckled, "He's the best looking one."
"What do you do, stare at them all day?"
"They never go to class, but their names are always on the Dean's list, but they are always standing around the court near the garden. Even when I’m on my lunch breaks, I sit close by. The blonde one with the long hair, Blake, I think. He smiles and winks at me sometimes." She sighed.
"You're crazy. Oh!" Mayzie opened up her backpack and pulled out the sweater. "They ruined it. I'm sorry, I'll replace it."
Bellatrix took the sweater and sighed. As they passed a trash can, she threw it inside. "Don't worry about it. It's not like you are the one who ruined it. Every day I go to university, I know there is a chance my clothes will be destroyed, and that chance remains even when you have the clothes. I knew it was possible." She smiled, "Besides, I don’t want to make things harder for you than they already are."
"I am very sorry."
"I don't wear anything to university that I want to keep forever. So, don't worry about it." She sighed as they walked up into the shopping district near the university.
They hated bumping into people from school, but eight dollars an hour was the best they could find. Plus, it was the only job that actually fit their class schedules.
"I want a boyfriend so badly, don't you?" Bellatrix finally said.
"I don't have time for myself, let alone another person."
"That’s really true. You can never actually make it to the movies with me." She plucked a leaf from a low-hanging branch as they passed a small enclosure on the sidewalk. "One of these days, we’re going to have to find time to hang out away from school and work. Right?"
Mayzie nodded, "Sure."
"This spring break, maybe?"
"Well, I have to work as much as possible during spring break."
Bellatrix frowned.
"I'm sure I can find time for a movie or two."
Her smile returned, "You are so great, thanks!"
"You get excited over the dumbest things." Mayzie shook her head.
"What's wrong with me being happy that I got to hang out with my best friend?" She stuck out her tongue, "All my other friends from high school went off to their own colleges. I don't have anyone." Playing with her fingers, she continued, "I had hoped I could make friends at university, but so far only you."
"Only me, eh? That makes me feel loved."
Bellatrix giggled, "I didn't mean it like that. You are too sensitive." She smacked Mayzie's shoulder.
The café was in sight. There was a large patio with outdoor tables and an overhang to protect the customers from the sun. Mayzie would work a full eight hours, while Bellatrix would normally work four. For the next two weeks, though, she was stuck working six hours every night.
The café was known for its coffee, but they had a solid food menu, too. It was famous for its pies and people often came just for dessert and coffee before bed. As they stepped inside, Freya, the owner, smiled at them. She was an elderly lady who had run the café since she inherited it from her father forty years ago.
"There are my girls," she said.
Bellatrix and Mayzie were two out of three girls that worked in the café; all other employees were boys that worked in the kitchen or behind the counter. Except for the one boy waiter that worked during the day when the girls were at school. It was never busy during the mornings; people normally only wanted a coffee-to-go. Since there were no breakfast entrées, Freya didn't need much of a wait staff. She refused to hire another waitress, even though they desperately needed one during the evening. Though Mayzie didn't mind too much, it only meant she would have more tips. Bellatrix, on the other hand, was exhausted after only four hours, when another part-time waitress would take her place. The first few weeks of spring, the café was always super busy. You could tell the seasonal pies were the main attraction.
The two girls went into the back and changed into black slacks, white shirts, and green aprons before heading out to the front to wait for the customers to start coming in.