CHAPTER 26- THE FALL

Lopez walked into the hallway and straight to the dorm room ignoring any form of greetings, like a man on a mission.

She entered the room in the most noiseless way and went straight to the bathroom so she doesn't wake Chloe. She hurriedly poured the gooey slush all over the bathroom floor, in strategic places and in the tub.

Knowing fully well Chloe will certainly wake before her to prepare for the competition, she left the bathroom with a satisfactory smile and crept into her bed. She hid the bottle well enough and was soon asleep.

The familiar sound of the alarm clock was heard and it woke both ladies, but Lopez pretended to be asleep. Chloe stretched and went into the bathroom to prepare for the day.

Lopez turned in her bed after hearing the bathroom door close with a slight thud. The moment she has been waiting for was close. She could hear Chloe humming unsuspectingly and the brushing of her teeth, then running water.

Not long, she heard footsteps and the much anticipated crash.

"Oh my goodness. Ow. Ow. Ow." Chloe screamed in pain.

Lopez then rushed into the bathroom to supposedly offer her help. "Chloe, are you okay?"

"Oh my goodness! There is blood on the floor, can you stand? Oh my! That ankle sure looks twisted. Jeez, what do I do?!" Lopez seemed agitated but, she was full of glee. Her plans had worked.

The wash hand basin lay in cracks beside Chloe who kept chanting, "this is bad, this is really bad. Oww. Call the clinic Lopez, I can't stand." Her ankle felt numb and limp.

Lopez dialled the school's medical centre and not long, the doctors came by.

"What happened yet again? This same room." The doctor observed.

"That shouldn't be your concern now, get my roommate to the clinic. She had a bathroom accident." Lopez screamed.

"Hi miss, where do you feel pains?" The medic asked Chloe.

"All over my body, can't you see I'm in so much pain? Get me out of here." Chloe managed to say amidst tears.

"Help me carefully take her out, she is clearly a wreck." The man whispered to his colleague.

Soon, the stretcher was taken out with the star girl of the competition, broken beyond measure and in severe pains.

"I'd join you in a bit, let me have my bath." Lopez said loudly, as if concerned.

She lay on her bed and laughed so loudly at how much damage she saw. She was going to call the janitorial services to tidy up the mess and a plumber to fix the broken pipes.

She was too happy, she picked her phone and dialled Cindy.

"Loci, I really love you. The plan worked beyond my wildest dreams. She broke a lot of things and might not walk in a while or dance again in years. She might even need a bone grafting procedure or whatever medics call it. We won." Lopez said with sheer excitement in her voice.

"I told you to trust me. We can catch up later for drinks." Cindy said.

"Of course, let me call people to tidy up the mess our Humpty Dumpty made." Lopez cackled.

"Sure Thang." The call dropped with a click.

Lopez went to the bathroom and erased every trace of goo, just to be safe and called the janitors after her bath. Then, she went to the hospital to see Chloe like a concerned roommate. She took her bag which contained her phone and little necessaries and stepped out.

At the hospital...

11:25am

The doctors were few that morning and seemed occupied with trying to fix Chloe. Lopez walked up to the reception and asked to see Chloe.

"How is my roommate, Chloe?" She asked.

"Oh yeah, she just came out of the operating room. She is in the ward. Room 507, by your right. Meet the doctor to give you the necessary information before you go in.

"Thank you."

Lopez went to see the doctor who was still in his scrubs from surgery.

"Doctor, how is my friend? She was brought in this morning."

"Oh yes, she was in really bad shape indeed. Broken ribs, twisted ankle that got a big sprain... Would take months to heal completely. And she'd really not be able to dance again, like ever again or she might stress the tendons and ligaments in her leg entirely which could lead to being permanently paralyzed. I'm so sorry." The doctor heaved a sigh.

Lopez covered her mouth with her hands in mock surprise and shock, "oh my goodness 😩. This is so sad. I don't even know how she is feeling now. My poor roommate."

"One thing I can tell you is, severe pains. That fall was too bad, left her looking like a wreck from a truck hitting her or something. I hear she is the character in the ballet triathlon and she has to be in the finale by dusk?" He asked.

"That is correct doctor." Lopez said.

"Sadly, she'd not be dancing in a long long time. Besides, the school will just have to use her trainee as replacement. Good thing she has been practicing with her, in case of any emergencies. This clearly screams an emergency situation." The doctor concluded.

"Sad. Can I see her?" Lopez asked.

"Of course, you can. Follow me." He said.

The doctor ushered her into the ward and bid her a goodbye while he went about his official duties of attending to other patients.

"Lopez, is that you?" Chloe's soft voice filled the room when the door was opened.

Chloe looked like a mummified corpse, she was covered in a cast, except her face which was left visible. She couldn't turn her neck in pain.

"Aww, sweetheart. It is me. I'm so sorry about everything. It wasn't supposed to be like this, you just won the heart of your audience yesterday in the triathlon and you can't even be there to complete the process. I'm sorry hunie." Lopez said with her state of the century act.

"It's okay, I want to call home. Can I use your phone?" Chloe muttered.

"I brought your tote bag with your phone. Here you go." Lopez helped her dial her mum.

"Why not your dad first?" Lopez asked.

"My mum is much more available. Just dial her." Chloe said.

The phone was on speaker phone and Chloe's mum responded with so much happiness.

"Baby, I saw you on TV. That was a beautiful performance and the kiss was so romantic. Gosh, I'm rooting for you tonight."

"Mum, it's not happening tonight. I had a terrific accident in the bathroom and I'm in the hospital as I speak."

"Oh my world!!! What happened baby? Who is with you now?" Worry laced her voice.

"I really can't talk now mum, my roommate is here. Speak to her." Chloe said.

"Okay, hello Chloe's roommate."

"Ma'am, my name is Lopez."

"Lopez, hi. What happened to my daughter?"

"I'm sorry ma'am , she fell in the bathroom this morning and broke a lot of bones and got a bad sprain on her ankle. The doctors said she'd take months to heal and she can't dance ballet ever again. I'm so sorry." Lopez pretended to cry.

"Oh my gosh!!! I don't know what to say. This is not right. How is she?"

"Oh ma'am, really in bad shape. She is out of surgery but in a body cast. I'm so sorry." Lopez said, for the first time she felt remorseful.

The emotions Chloe's mother splashed all over the phone was getting to that hardened part of her core that was starting to reek of jealousy.

"I will fly down to see her by dusk. I need to tidy things up. Tell her I love her." Chloe's mum said.

"Okay ma'am . (To Chloe) Your mum sends her love."

"I love you too mum." Chloe said.

"I will be in your school in the evening baby, let me finish up here. Stay strong pumpkin. I'm so sorry about this sweetie. Hang in there for mummy." The call dropped with a click.

."You should rest Chloe, you need it. I'm sorry about all this." Lopez said.

"Nah, don't be. It is not your fault. Just me being clumsy. I'd be okay in time. I just worry about the competition." Chloe sighed.

"You're tripping girl? You're the one lying in the hospital with a cast and you're worried about a competition? Seriously though, you need to get well soon. The competition will take care of itself.

"For now, get some sleep. You can eat the snacks, I'm sure you're hungry." Lopez offered her doughnuts and watched her eat slowly.

"Thank you Lopez, you're a good friend."

Lopez cringed at the ignorance of Chloe but found herself saying, "it is the least I can do dear. You're welcome. I'd leave you to get some sleep now, to ease the pain."

"Okay then, see you later." Lopez left the ward, closing the door silently.

She felt a slight pang of guilt but she warded it off when Cindy called her and requested them to have lunch as a couple.

"Oh Loci, make a reservation. I'd be there." The call ended.

"Well, some things are worth more value than others." She thought and kept pondering about her decision.

In this case, payback felt good to witness in Chloe's situation.

Chloe cost her a lot of opportunities and finally got her dethroned and disgraced in the sorority for being unable to deliver anymore converts.

Mother Superior detested her all of a sudden, she became an outcast and fell into the wrong hands. In a bid to get restored, she sought help and was taken advantage of.

All because of Chloe in the picture, she was sexually assaulted, they raped her, made her OD on those drugs.

The dreaded day she was in this same hospital, half dead, bruised, drugged beyond recompense and decorated with lacerations from cuts she gave herself to purge her beautiful body of bad blood and semen released inside her. "Those miscreants." Lopez fumed.

"So, yes. Chloe deserves everything she is getting. Call me crazy, but this is bliss for me." She smiled with so much satisfaction and left to try on her new dress for the special

luncheon with Cindy, her Loci..