Chapter 2

~ Sarah's POV ~

"Did Saxton just get thrown over the shoulder by a girl?!" one of his hockey friends shouted. The room suddenly erupted into roaring laughter.

The tables had turned. His good-for-nothing friends were mocking him now.

Saxton scrambled to his feet, his cheeks burning with humiliation. "Shut up!" he barked at his friends, before turning to glare at me with pure rage.

But his angry eyes didn't scare me at all.

"Did you just flip me over your shoulder?" he asked, his voice shaking with disbelief.

"Yes, I did!" I snapped back, squaring my shoulders. "And I will gladly do it again if you ever dare to touch me with those filthy hands of yours!"

"Do you have any idea what you've just done? I can ruin your entire life, do you know that?!" he yelled, trying to intimidate me.

"I am not afraid of you, Saxton. You might bully others on this campus, but I will never let you do it to me. I..." I tried to finish my sentence, but the sharp buzzing of my phone in my pocket stopped me.

Keeping my eyes locked on Saxton, who was glaring back like he wanted to wrap his hands around my neck, I pulled out my phone. The anger in my veins instantly drained away, replaced by ice-cold dread when I read the screen.

It was a text notification from St. Jude’s Memorial Hospital.

Hospital: Your payment for this month is severely overdue. If the minimum balance is not cleared immediately, we will be forced to stop your father's life-support treatments.

Panic slammed into me like a brick wall.

I was terrified.

Completely terrified.

But I forced my face to remain blank. I couldn't let Saxton see me crack, or he would think I was suddenly afraid of him.

"What the fuck were you going to say, Four Eyes?!" Saxton spat. "You dare flip a hockey star to the ground? I'm going to make you pay for this!"

I quickly shoved my phone back into my pocket, fighting with everything I had to hide the panic in my eyes.

"You can do your worst, Saxton, and I will be ready for it," I stated, my voice coming out deadpan and lethal. "I am not one of your mindless pushovers. You have until the end of the week to get out of this study room. It's meant for studying... that’s why the word 'study' is attached to it, not 'club.' If you don't vacate this room before the week runs out, I won't just flip you over my shoulder next time. I will break your legs so badly you'll never be able to chase a tiny black rubber puck again."

"Are you threatening me?" he snarled, his chest heaving.

"You started this, Saxton. But too bad for you, mine isn't a threat. It’s a promise."

I didn't wait for him to reply. I turned around and walked out of the study room.

The very second the glass door shut behind me and I stepped into the hallway, the mask slipped. The panic I had been holding back completely crashed over me.

The hospital can't stop my dad's treatment. They can't pull the plug. If they cut off his oxygen, he is going to die.

With my heart thudding against my ribs, I didn't care about my classes anymore.

I burst through the hallways and ran all the way to the hospital.

Arriving at the hospital, I rushed to find the doctor in charge of my dad's treatment.

"Just give me some more time, please. I promise to pay what I owe," I begged, hot tears spilling down my cheeks.

"That is exactly what you said last month, Sarah. But up until this very moment, you haven't paid a single cent for the oxygen keeping your dad alive. The hospital is not a charity case," the doctor said, his voice flat and exhausted.

I nodded quickly, my tears completely blurring my glasses. "I know that... but it has been so difficult for me. Ever since I lost my part-time job, it's been impossible to find a new one that pays enough. Please, I am begging you to consider me."

The doctor sighed, his expression softening just a little bit. "Believe me, Sarah, I am being considerate. That is the only reason I haven't cut off his life support already. But I cannot protect his file forever. The hospital board is putting pressure on me. I am giving you until the end of this month. If the month runs out and you haven't cleared the minimum balance, I am pulling the plug."

He didn't even wait for me to respond before he turned and walked away down the hall.

I collapsed onto a plastic bench in the corridor, burying my face in my hands, trying my absolute best not to sob out loud.

Four years ago, my dad was involved in a horrific accident. He had been in a vegetative coma ever since. The doctors told me they had no idea when or if he would ever wake up, but they estimated there was still a fifty percent chance of recovery.

That fifty percent was the only thing I had left to hold onto. I had been working myself to the bone to pay his mounting medical bills ever since my mom completely gave up on him, packed her bags, and left to marry a wealthy man in Australia.

Wiping my eyes, I forced my shaky legs to carry me down to the intensive care unit. I stopped right outside the room where my dad lay.

Through the glass window, the only sound cutting through the quiet room was the rhythmic, hollow beep... beep... beep... of his heart monitor.

I couldn't bring myself to push the door open and walk inside. I felt too ashamed to look at him. I was failing him. I was failing to pay for his treatments, and his oxygen was going to be cut off because I couldn't afford to keep him alive.

My dad was a wonderful, brilliant father, and it broke my heart into a million pieces that I couldn't take care of him now.

Everything I knew about survival, I learned from him. Before the accident, he was the one who taught me how to defend myself, how to throw a punch, and how to stay strong even when the world felt like it was collapsing right under my feet.

I had always listened to his advice. I never let anyone intimidate me, no matter how powerful they thought they were. When he fell into the coma and my mom abandoned me, I stayed behind and resolved to be a fighter.

I had been strong for four years. But right now, standing outside the cold glass door with a twenty-day deadline hanging over my head, it was getting harder and harder to fight.

As my eyes lingered on my dad, my phone rang inside my pocket.

I pulled it out and looked at the screen. It was Jessica, my only true friend from Ride University.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, wiped the fresh tears from my cheeks, and slid the screen to answer. "Hey, Jess," I whispered, fighting to keep my voice from cracking.

"What's up, Sarah? Where are you? I didn't see you in the lecture hall," she said, her voice bursting with her usual high energy.

"I'm at the hospital," I murmured, leaning my head against the wall. "Is everything okay? Did I miss something important in class?"

"No, not exactly. School is fine, but listen to me... I found a job for you!" she announced.

Instantly, the heavy, suffocating pressure in my heart lifted just a tiny bit, and a smile touched my lips.