VALERIE.?

ARIANNA POV

I open my eyes slowly, looking around the place is quiet, there's another bed beside me demarcated by a blue curtain looking to my right side, I hear the beep monitor beeping, then I could hear muffled conversations from outside the room, it was like the sounds were coming back piece by piece, turning my head slowly to the right side, I see a dripping hospital bag, dripping water into a tube string that has been connected to my hand, one drop at a time, then my eyes drifted to the empty chair, and the blanket on it, " how long have I been here" I thought just then the doors open and Clarisse and her mom enters the room " hey you're awake" Clarisse said walking faster towards me till she's inches away from my face " welcome back best friend, I bought cheese burger from the restaurant downstairs, the nurse told me you would be waking up this morning so I had to rush back with something to eat" she said sitting on her chair,

" how long was I out" I asked trying to sit up but I'm reminded of the pain immediately, my rips still hurting, flashes of Josh stomping on me creeps into my head " hey careful" Clarisse said supporting my up " for a day and a half I guess, the doctors had to make sure you weren't bleeding internally, then you got treatment and then you slept for a very long time till this morning, it's been 35 hours since you were admitted here so " Clarisse said handing the burger over to me

" Clarisse take it easy on the kid, she just woke up for Christ sake, hey how are you feeling " Mrs Jewel said holding my hand gently," I'm fine " I said smiling

" if you feel intense pain anywhere let me know okay, I'll call the doctor " she said still holding my hand then her phone starts to ring" hello, yes it's her any problem, okay, I'll be right back she said leaving the room

" yep that's it, they're never letting her out of that office till 8pm, which leaves just the both of us" Clarisse said smiling , I bite through my burger, looking at her, her face is serious now, she always pouts her lips when she's serious, looking at her then I don't say anything, my teeth is busy chewing down the burger she brought

"' so you're not going to say anything" Clarisse said breaking the silence, I just shake my head

" I was going to handle it Ari, we agreed on that" she said looking at me with a worried face this time, " I'm sorry, I just had to do something"

" no you didn't, I already told my mom Ari, she's a fucking lawyer,she was ready to sue him for assault";

" assault.? that dumb idiotic addict is a fucking murderer, "

" so he would have gone to jail and you wouldn't have gotten hurt, or ended up at the hospital"

" I did it because I had to Clarisse and if getting hurt was the only way to end that dude, then fuck it I'm ready"

" of course you're ready to take punches and give them, you're always ready for a fight, then I will just have to wait there and watch you get hurt"

" so what I'm just going to sit back and watch a deranged pedophile touch you, her fucking left marks on your neck, how do you think I felt when I saw that " I said while my eyes started to get watery, before I could control it, a tear escaped, turning my face away trying to wipe the tears, I feel Clarisse's arms around me, her face felt hot and wet, she's the reason I hated crying, cause she can't control her tears whenever she see mine, although her arms are causing me pain in my rips cage I wrap my arms around her too, we stay there for a few more minutes before breaking out of the hug, " it was sick tho " she said looking at me smiling

" what.?"

" what you did with his balls, you know the scissors move "

" yh it was, the funny part is the after effect, it looks like a tap rush but from under his dick " I said smiling hard trying to control my laughter, just then Clarisse bursts out laughing, " yh I get it now", she said still laughing then we're interrupted by a ping on my phone, Clarisse open it up and her eyes widen, I stretch my hands to get my phone but she doesn't give it to me " what is wrong".? i said confused

" you don't wanna know" Clarisse said putting the phone back into the bag, then the program on the TV in the hospital room, it's the results for the state competition, I sit up immediately, resting my back on the wall, and here are the state competition results, looks like the Frost academy will represent our state after all " she said as the results pop up in the screen, looking up into the results my face goes dark, my name wasn't there, Li Shan Yu came in third place, Anna and Keisha came in second place and Shakes and Valerie came in first place, my heart is pounding did I just lose, to the Frost skaters, , turning to Clarisse" are you seeing this " I said frustrated, all my efforts and down the fucking drain, I lost to losers that didn't even know how to skate

" look Ari, we'll get them next time " Clarisse said patting my shoulder, I shrug it off, first I needed to go to the internet, snatching my phone off Clarisse hands, I move to the Canada figure skating platform, the results were there, pasted for the whole state of celebrate, it wasn't my ears, it actually happened, scrolling down the comments the people are disappointed, which warms my heart a little bit, I click the competition score record there I saw my name on fourth place, Arianna Johnson 207.9 , my eyes widen, my heart stomps, pounding like it wanted to be out of my chest entirely, throwing my phone across the room I cover my face with my hands, I was perfect, I perfected my fucking routine, I gave them everything, and they reward me with fourth place.?

" it's the Frost skaters they always win

" I don't know what she was thinking putting in all that effort

" too bad for Arianna,

" isn't she the one that almost killed a guy live on I***a , the comments kept flooding my head, squeezing my head with my hands

" hey you wanna get out of here" Clarisse asked, silencing the uproar in my head, looking up to her I nod.

Clarisse drops me off at my door " Thank you" I said breaking out of our hug " if you need anything, please call me" Clarisse said putting her palms together while looking at me I manage to smile again," hey I might come over at your place, I need to watch the news and see what the Frost skaters are up against during the international competitions " I said waving her goodbye while she leaves, soon I'm in the house, checking my phone it's Saturday, I need to clean out the fridge and dust the bookshelf, usually I do it every week but I've been so busy that I had to skip for two weeks, opening the fridge it stinks of yorghut and expired milk, I roll my eyes, my refrigerator can be just a decoration some times, I head over to the garage to get cleaning supplies, picking up the liquid cleanser, I hear silent breathing, steady like that of someone who is asleep, walking around quietly I trace it and then I drop my detergent from shock covering my mouth, she jerks up awake, it was Valerie, Valerie Stones that went missing the day of the competition, the Valerie I lost to, she had bruises and cut on her legs and she looked like she has been wandering around the forest or something still shocked, I was expecting anyone, anything but her no she didn't cross my mind, just then she gets up and pulls me to a hug," finally I found you" she said tightening the hug, why is she looking for me I asked myself.