When your a dancer or an athlete or anything along those lines, injury is part of the lifestyle. You get used to the bruises, broken bones, sore limbs and ever aches but in that moment I forgot all that and focused on being winded.

A first for me.

Lincoln had wordlessly taken me to the nurses office. Now I hate the nurses office because I think the nurse was an idiot and I hate the way anything medical related  makes me feel. I hated how the school painted the nurses office a burnt orange and awhile back there was a big thing about smoking at our school so they school had hung up pictures of what smoking does to your body all along the walls which in truth made me want to vomit.

"Alexandria , what have you done?" I swear Lincoln almost jumped when Nurse Cressida spoke. "She got winded in PE, coach wanted me to bring her" Lincoln spoke and I sat down on the sick bay bed, a white fold out thing which felt like concrete ( a stark contrast to its brighter surroundings ).

"Alright let me look at you" Lincoln sat next to me on the bed as nurse walked over to me and she gestured to my shirt and I lifted it up begrudgingly. "What were you winded with?" She asked staring at my stomach "a dodgeball" I told her and she hissed "yep your going to have some bruising but unfortunately there is not much I can do for that. But I'll let you stay in here for the rest of the period...yes Lincoln you can stay with her"

I rolled my eyes as Cressida left the room. Lincoln sat in the chair beside the bed and I sat up. "You don't have to wait with me you know, I'm a big girl" I watched Lincoln laugh and shake his head. "Maybe I just want to make sure my teacher is okay Cairo" and I couldn't help but feel fuzzy at the sound of that.

We stayed in a comfortable silence until the bell rang and we both went back to the locker rooms to get out of our gym clothes.

---

At the end of the day I was ready to eat. I was starving. I mean seriously our school had the most vile food I swear it violates some human right. I began to walk to my car and I saw Lincoln leaning against the car next to mine. "What are you doing?" I asked him and he shot up suddenly. "Just looking at you car?" Then I started to laugh because that ugly little blue car wasn't mine.

"That's not my car, that's my car" I pointed to my navy blue pick up which although it once belonged to Sebastian I loved it like my own. "Oh sorry I just..."
"Yeah I know" I know he assumed girls don't drive trucks but god hadn't he seen twilight? Wait no scratch that he probably hadn't.

"Hold on don't you have practice?" I asked him fiddling with my keys. "Yeah - in about ten minutes but I wanted to ask you something" I stepped forward a bit "I wanted to ask if you'd hang around and you'd get some food with me after?" I was tempted by the offer but I was actually starving now and I had a few things to do.

"I can't this afternoon but I'll tell you what, since you helped me today and we have arrangements tomorrow why don't we go tomorrow...my treat?" I can tell that caught him off guard. "Wait you'll pay?"
"Yeah"
"Then I'm in" he smiled and I rolled my eyes. "See you tomorrow Cairo" he waved and I waved back and when I climbed into my truck I could see in the rear view mirror I had gone a shade of pink.

Must have left the heater on or something...

---

After I got home and had something to eat I went upstairs and pulled off my dress and changed into my favourite clothes in the world:

Sweats.

I lay on my bed still full from my food when I heard my phone rang and the caller ID was one I hadn't seen in awhile.

Nearly six months.

"Hello?"

"Hello Miss Stappord...is now a good time?"

"Yes Dr. Jess it is" Dr Atticus Jess was one of my doctors and he had been since I was fourteen and I suppose ever since year ten they'd been a certain level of concern for me and after hitting a two year recovery. "I just wanted to let you know that your results are now up to par and your now up to a healthy weight again, I'm pleased to tell you that your weekly visits no longer need to continue but I will require you to check in bimonthly for the next six months"

"Yes Doc"

"Good girl, I'm very proud of your recovery Alexandria and I'm glad you took the initiative to get help when you did, it takes a lot of strength to do that...anyway that's all I needed to uniform you of, good day Alexandria"

"goodbye Dr Jess"

I hung up the phone and lay back on my bed, I should be proud of myself but maybe it hadn't sunk in yet that I had done it that I was now officially okay again.

Perhaps things were looking up.

---

Okay so you may probably guess what she's talking about I still won't spell it out until later.

Also Tale of Two Cities has nearly hit 500 reads! And Howler is getting close to 4K and I am so excited and grateful for you all

L xx