“Are you in pain?” he asked suddenly, and I even bolted forward to look at her. The look she gave us was one of aggravation and impatience.
“I mean for both of you. Have you looked in the mirror?” she asked us both.
I hadn't, but looking forward, I saw my face in the rear view mirror. My lip was busted, and my cheek bleeding. I looked even more gruesome than normal.
Liam's eyes looked to the mirror, and then they rolled. “I'm fine. Still handsome. What about you, Falon?” he asked.
I looked at him through the mirror so he could see my mouth. “I'm okay. Just drive me home,” I told him. He nodded and started that way.
“Liam,” Julie started, but he stopped looking her way, which was just as good as ignoring her. If he couldn't see what she was saying, he couldn't answer.
I admired his courage to do so, but wanted to kill him too. That meant her gaze shifted to me, and it was not at all pleased with our decision.
“You need to go to the hospital. What is Ava going to think when you walk in looking like that?” she asked me.
“Ava is use to looking at my ugly face, Julie.”
If looks could kill, I would have died a very ugly death from Julie's glare. “I'm not joking. Ava is going to freak out when she sees that you got into a fight,” she told me.
I smiled, raising my brows. “It'll be fine. We have a first aid kit at the house. Ava can doctor me and Liam up, and it'll all smooth over,” I said, trying to look easy.
Julie closed her eyes in frustration, turning around in her seat again. She didn't look at me, or say anything else. I watched her staring out the window, shutting Liam and myself out of her little world.
♥
Ava was home when we pulled into the yard. It wasn't much of a surprise, but Dr. Martsens car was there too.
“Look, Julie! Who needs the hospital? We've got a doctor waiting for us,” Liam said excitedly to her as he turned to look at her.
Julie glared at him and opened her door. She got out, and started toward the house. I hurried to get out behind her, and Liam and I walked into the house with her.
“Ava!” I called, closing the door behind me. I looked to Liam and Julie. “I'll get the first aid kit,” I told them, but looked to Julie as I said it. She averted her eyes away, and I felt the tinge of despair again.
I walked into the kitchen and started looking through the drawers for the kit. I had no idea where Ava kept anything. I never needed the first aid kit, so there was never any reason to learn where it was.
“Hey, Fal- Oh my God, what happened?” she said, eying my face as I turned to look at her.
I laughed slightly, shaking my head. “Where's the first aid kit?” I asked.
“In my bathroom. What happened to your face?” she said, coming to me and laying her hand against my cheek.
I turned away from her touch. “We got into a fight with some guys at the arcade. It's no big deal,” I said.
“No big deal? Your cheek is bleeding! Is Liam and Julie here too?” she asked, but didn't give me time to answer as she went into the living room. I heard her gasp.
I started to head to her bathroom, but Dr. Martsens came out with the first aid kit in his hand. He smiled toward me. “Someone need this?” he asked.
Nodding, I gestured toward the living room. “Liam's in the living room,” I told him.
“Looks like you could use it too,” he remarked.
“I'm fine.”
“Looks like it.”
I ignored the dig and walked into the living room. Ava was standing in front of Julie, staring at her cheek with a grimace. “I think I might have some frozen peas for that. Your parents are going to be horrified,” she said, shaking her head.
“I'm okay. They need the peas,” Julie said, refusing to look at me as she said it.
Liam had his feet propped up on the coffee table, which Ava hated more than anything. He tilted his head back to look at her. “I want Ava to be my doctor,” he said with a grin.
“I want your feet off my coffee table.”
Liam smiled, taking them off. I couldn't help but smile as Dr. Martsens looked at Liam with a brow raised.
“If I didn't know any better, I’d think you were trying to steal my woman,” he told Liam.
“It's not stealing if she wants me bad enough,” he replied.
“You're incorrigible,” Ava said with a laugh, coming to the couch beside him with a wet rag and the bag of peas. She tossed those to Julie, who held them noncommittally in her hand.
“So I've been told. Maybe you should make me corrigible,” he teased her. Ava and Dr. Marstens laughed at him.
I kept my eyes on Julie, who looked close to breaking down. I knew it was mostly because of me, and the bruise on her cheek only added to that pain.
“Julie?” I asked. She looked to me, her face cool and closed. My mouth felt dry. “Would you be my doctor until they get done with Mr. Suave over here?” I asked.
She nodded, and broke our gaze. She came around the couch and followed me into the kitchen, grabbing the tube of ointment and a gauze and tape.
I sat down at the table, and Julie grabbed a rag from the counter and dampened it. She brought the stuff to the table and pulled her chair out to move it closer to mine.
I watched her face as she brought the wet rag to
