Opal hated hospitals. She hated the blinding lights and the overly enthused nurses who insisted on waiting on her hand and foot every second of every day. Most of all, she hated the stupid "rate your pain" scale. Saying a one would be a lie and saying a ten would get her rushed into the ER.  Opal had intended on never setting a foot in a hospital ever again since her fifteenth birthday. Unfortunately, it was unavoidable this time. 

A bright yellow splint was wrapped tightly around her left wrist, a color she wasn't even allowed to decided upon. It hurt to move her fingers, it hurt to speak and it hurt to think. Christen was perched near her bedside, staring intently at the older girl, waiting for her to communicate. The forward had rushed Opal to the hospital when she had found her unresponsive that morning. No matter how hard Christen shook, the Asian wouldn't wake. It turned out that Opal had a minor clot in her neck preventing blood from oxygenating her brain. The doctor said it was most likely caused from self-harm and drug/alcohol abuse. 

Opal's wrist was sprained and continents of bruises decorated her stomach and thighs. Her knuckles were wrenched and bloody. Christen couldn't imagine how she didn't notice these wounds when she had checked in on the other girl the night before. She blamed herself and Opal knew it as she gazed at Christen's solemn face from her spot under the pure, white hospital sheets. 

"Nî zài zuò shénme?" Opal spoke quietly, startling Christen who stared at her with a vacant expression. 

"What?" 

"What are you doing?" she translated, closing her eyes and sinking into the warmth of the soft pillow. 

"I- I don't really know," the brunette confused, her black ponytail swinging softly behind her as she shook her head. 

"Stay," Opal opened her eyes, sighing loudly. The only noise in the room was the hum of the unsteady air conditioner as both women sat, processing the proposition.  

"Okay," Christen finally replied, her mouth flattening into a grim line of hope. 

-

Hope sat at the desk in her dorm room, her crystal colored eyes scanning page 473 of her Communications textbook, not understanding the same sentence she had been reading for the last hour or so. Her hands shook slightly with restlessness and agitation and frustration. She was sweating in her Nike hoodie, but she didn't want to take it off. 

Behind her, Alex subconsciously murmured phrases from her English novel, the story slipping easily through her lips. The words danced in the humid room and Hope tried to ignore them, a task found particularly difficult. 

"I give up," the goalkeeper finally announced loudly, slamming the book shut and leaning back in her swivel chair. Alex glanced up from her spot on her bed, an eyebrow raised. 

"Okay," she responded, unsure of what to do. 

"I just can't bel-"

"Stop," Alex cut off her friend, knowing exactly where Hope was going to take the currently non-existent conversation. "Hope, we've been over this. We're not going to talk about Carli until you ask her out."

The brunette stared at her, her lips pressed into confusion. "But I never said-"

"Stop," Alex repeated, holding out her hand. 

Hope narrowed her eyes before cursing loudly and burying her face in her hands. "I'm going to the library," she decided suddenly, standing up and knocking her laptop, notebook and textbook into her backpack. 

"Okay," Alex chirped, diving back into the pages of her book. 

The walk to the library was short but chilly. Winds whipped Hope in the face, making her eyes sting and her nose tingle. She wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck, squinting against the vivacious roars of the dark night. The lite up building appearing in the distance, Hope breathed a sigh of relief as she was hit with the impact of heat and light. A young woman was seated at the help desk, black earbuds tucked into her freckled ears and her eyes glued to her Mac. Hope flashed her a smile, which to her disappointment, she didn't return. 

Moving on, Hope seated herself in what students called the "golden atrium" because of the gold rectangles that decorated the four story walls. 

She seated herself at a wooden table that held the bodies of five other students, books, laptops and stress splayed out in front of all of them. Hope copied, not speaking. She opened up to page 473 and opened her laptop to the Word document she was supposed to be writing. The minute she sat down, it seemed, a tap on her shoulder caused her to turn around and jump slightly at the warm smile that sat before her.

"Hey!" Carli whispered, hugging Hope softly. The goalkeeper went silent, letting her head fall quickly onto the girl's neck. The tan skin was smooth and delicate, a feeling that Hope had never had with Jerramy or any of her past boyfriends. 

"Hi..." Hope responded, sitting up again and touching Carli's wrist. 

"I wanted to apologize for the fire drill thing the other day... I'm not exactly sure what happened, but if I hurt you in any way, I really want to know," Carli promised quietly, placing a hand on the goalkeeper's shoulder. 

"Oh, uh, it's okay. I was just having a bad day. It wasn't you," she let the lie slip from between her lips. The embarrassed glint in the mid's chocolate eyes unsettled Hope and the keeper almost could tell that Carli knew she was lying. 

"Well, I'm glad it wasn't anything I did. I'm..." she bit her lip. "Sorry."

Carli walked away and joined her boyfriend at their table, leaving Hope in a state of shock and anxiety. She turned back to her books, but knew she wasn't going to finish reading her designated chapter. She would just have to finish tomorrow, hoping that any distractions wouldn't be carried with her into a new day.