2. Fainting Coma

Every limb of mine was about to explode.

My heartbeat hammered against my chest. My nostrils flared as I blew air in and out in a feeble attempt to fill my stubborn, burning lungs as much as I could.

I didn't even care anymore about my reasons for being on that field. Playing that stupid, pass it game. I was tired, hungry, angry, and just about ready to pass out. Problem was, the side of me that usually wanted to push myself to the limit wouldn't let me quit. Despite all the aches, I continued limping my way faster and faster towards the finish line.

"Pass it!" A voice shouted.

The adrenaline surging, the overwhelming ache against my chest, the searing heat from the sun over my head, almost everything around me was too much for me to be able to identify whether the voice was from a girl or a boy. To be honest, I didn't care.

I kept limping forward.

All that mattered was the small ball clutched securely in my hands, encouraging me to go faster. If I'm being real though, even if I wanted to pass it to somebody, I'm not sure I would have been able to. I'm not sure I would have been able to pry my hands away from my chest. Every muscle felt like dry sticks, ready to break at any second.

"Amelia, pass it on, goddammit!"

Another voice shouted. This one sounded a lot more frustrated than the first person. Needless to say, it didn't help with identifying whom it belonged to. I could see the finish line, just a few more limps away. I was sure I could make it and then...

"Too slow," a voice growled. A male voice I was sure this time because the assailant didn't even bother taking a second to see how hard I was trying, or care that I was limping. Somehow, he'd managed to pry open my hands and took the ball away from me. The only thing I managed to see was his striking eyes before he turned around and ran in the opposite direction.

Anger and shock rushed within my whole body to the point my legs couldn't carry me forward anymore. To make matters worse, between his attempt at stealing my hard-earned ball, he had managed to jam his finger, maybe fist ... could have been both, at the place just under my breast and didn't even bother to stop and at least apologize.

Tears flowed in my eyes as the pain caused me to double over in a haste to reduce the unbearable suffering. The action was a bad idea because you know what it caused? Blood to rush at my head and in an instant, stars danced in front of my eyes.

The last thing I remembered, was a warm, gushy, content of food I ate that morning forcing its way out of my mouth onto the field, and the memory of green eyes that I would have loved to gouge out of its sockets before everything faded into complete darkness.

*****

"Amelia?" My best friend's voice along with her warm hand against my bicep slowly shook me out of my slumber. "Oh my God, you are awake, you scared me half to death."

I groaned and looked around the small room I was in. A small, lone, white table in the corner along with a few open white shelves with just as few medical supplies strewn all over told me exactly where I was. The school's pathetic excuse for a nurse's room.

Suzy moved her face closer, almost on top of mine, causing her long auburn hair to fane either side of my face. I flinched from the prickling her strands caused. The look on her eyes was one of relief as she slowly crept her arm on my face, but just as she was about to touch me, she recoiled and opted to a scowl. Her hazel eyes creased in a look that promised she was gonna give me an earful before she moved her face away and down my body, inspecting every inch of me from my face to my legs.

"You are okay," she said, bobbing her head, almost to reassure herself. "You just needed a rest and a drip full of glucose."

"How long did I sleep?"

"Sleep? You fainted. Out there in the middle of practice." She bore her eyes at mine. "Which begs me to ask the question, by the way, since when do you do any sport?"

"I wouldn't have fainted if it wasn't for that guy," I spat as I remembered exactly what happened.

"What guy?"

"The one who punched me in the gut and stole my ball."

I'm not an expert when it comes to sports but I'm pretty sure that was illegal on so many levels. First, I was a girl, any gentleman should have known not to do what he did, and second, since when playing ball allowed for vicious attacks?

I took in a deep breath to allow myself to calm and let it out slowly before I extended my arm for her to help me up.

"Err, do you remember him?"

I didn't. I didn't think I wanted to remember him. The guy robbed me of my victory and punched me into a coma. Remembering him was the last thing in my mind.

"Okay then, you wanna tell me what's going on with you? You hate sports."

True, but it seemed like a good idea at the time to help me get my mind off things.

Clearly, I was mistaken.

"I just needed a distraction."

Could have been the hint of dreaded doom on my face or the worry in my eyes that got her to lose all the fire in her eyes and sat down next to me in bed.

"What happened?"

I shook my head and reached up to tie my long hair up in a messy bun.

"Well, dad's wife is pregnant and I'm the only one who knows about it. Mom doesn't know it yet and I have no idea how to break the news."

Suzy's eyes widened as she took in the information.

"Oh, Amelia." She pulled me against her side in a hug, and I laid my head against her shoulder. "You know this shouldn't be weighing on top of you right? Their issues are theirs, and you should let them handle it."

"I know." I dragged my head away from her shoulder. "I just can't help it. You know mom never dated again and dad is there about to have another child. I don't know if mom can handle it."

"Tell you what? Why don't I..."

"Babe, you in there?" Luke, Suzy's boyfriend, stuck his head inside the room through the small opening of the door. His honey blond hair was the first thing to be seen as it flamed the sides of his forehead. His eyes landed on his girlfriend first then to me, lingered there before he threw an apologetic smile.

"How are you feeling, Amelia?"

"Still kicking."

"Kicking is good." His blue eyes clinked in agreeance. "So, listen." He turned his attention back to his girlfriend. "The guys and I decided to go get some ice cream. If you two don't have anything to do, maybe you can come with?"

I wasn't sure I wanted to go anywhere but home. With my mood and the body aches I still felt, I just wanted to lock myself in my room and sleep while contemplating how to break the news to mom.

"I think I'll pass."

"Oh, come on. This is actually a good idea. It will help you get your mind off of things. And maybe open it up to whole new possibilities."

The moment she wiggled her pretty, perfectly plucked eyebrows I knew where her mind had gone to. I rolled my eyes. But she had a point. About the ice-cream being a distraction, I mean, not the suggestions of 'new possibilities.'

"Agreed then? Cool. You guys meet us there and make sure you get a table for five if you get there before we do."

It seemed all was settled before any discussions really. I looked down at myself and the attire I wore wasn't quite ideal for a stroll through the ice-cream shop. In fact, I still wore my dirty, post disastrous game clothes I borrowed from one of the students. Loose printed shorts and a fitted pink tank top.

"I'll come with you, but we can't stay for long."

"I'll escort you to the bathroom then."

Suzy dropped down from the nurse's bed and offered me help to the girl's washrooms where I must admit after I had the much-needed shower, I felt a lot better and that much more enthusiast about letting her drive me to that ice-cream booth.

The place turned out to be a nice one-story design shop with a big neon open signpost outside its double glass doors. The interior had a nice, forestry design giving it the illusion the customers were sitting at a park or something of the sorts.

I liked it.

Apparently, we'd spent a tad bit too long getting me cleaned up because the boys were already there, seated in one of the many forestry corners inside the shop. Deciding we might as well get our fill of the creams first before going to them, Suzy and I walked to the ice-cream display counter.

"I'm dying for a chocolate cream cookie. What will you have?"

"I'll have frozen yogurt, please," I said to the cashier directly, who smiled at us and got to work on our order.

"Can you see the guy that's sitting between Luke and Leo?" She whispered against my ear. "That's Logan, he's super-hot, I swear it should not even be allowed or legal for that matter to look that hot."

I turned my head towards where the guys were sitting. Craning my neck trying to figure out who she was talking about that was super-hot to the point of being illegal to no avail. "I can't see very well, there is a board covering them from this angle."

"Don't worry." She stretched her hands to pay for the ice-creams. "You'll see soon enough just what I'm talking about."

Of course, I didn't know what I was really walking into but Suzy was right about one thing.

It definitely took my mind off my family issues.