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Post by ɪɴᴛʀᴀɴꜱɪɢᴇɴᴛ on Jul 17, 2018 0:25:49 GMT -5
Cass was silent on the trip up, at first. She couldn’t find the words to gently tell Ry, I’ll rest when she’s dead. After all, Cass wasn’t usually one to make threats. However, she could make an exception.
Hazel moved about, getting the rooms set up for the boys. She paused, giggling at Eli’s statement, shaking her head slightly and then shrugging. ”Maybe you’re cursed,” She grinned, tucking the clean sheet under the corner of the mattress.
When they got up to the top, Cass let Ryder in, stifling a yawn as she dragged through, plopping the stuff down. She turned to Ry, smiling. ”I’m going to go get Noodle. Want to come?” She offered a tired smile that disn’t reach her eyes, shifting her weight to the other foot.
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Post by 𝒞'𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝐿𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝑒 on Jul 17, 2018 3:50:38 GMT -5
“Maybe I am cursed. That’s a really bad curse, I can never love anything without bleeding all over it. “ he said dramatically. “hey ry, what do you think?”
“Oh yeah. Totally cursed. The worst kind. Never wear shirts you like Eli. “ he called, managing a faint smile before answering cass. “I’ll go with you. I miss noodle. “ he stated, though honestly he was just scared of mike or Selena showing up. They had both threatened his friends in the past, and it was part of why he had never talked to his social workers about his situation.
Because he had been told if he told anybody, cass would get hurt. Ryder scowled at the memory, remembering when mike figured out threatening him didn’t work. By thirteen Ryder had screamed back on one of the worst nights. Death can’t be worse than this. mike had instantly switched to threatening cass instead of saying he’d kill Ryder. As soon as the words got out, mike had clamped his hand down on ryders throat, pinning him to the wall and lifting him up a couple of inches so ryders feet couldn’t touch the ground.
Ryder had blacked out, and when he had woken up his book bag has been thrown at him. That was the first time he had been kicked out for a week.
Ry absently squeezes cass’ hand, taking a second to calm down, but at least his hands were steady. He was fine. He wasn’t thirteen anymore, he had a little control now. He could get a restraining order if he could prove even a few of the things they had done. “Let’s go get her. She’s probably driving the neighbor insane. “
Eli had watched ryders expression change, only relaxing when Ryder did. He had heard about mike showing up, and while that angered him, Selena’s appearance was worse, in his opinion. Ry had expected his parents, at least a little. But not the hag.
Finally dragging his gaze back to hazel he gave her a soft, tired smile. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
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Post by ɪɴᴛʀᴀɴꜱɪɢᴇɴᴛ on Jul 23, 2018 13:57:58 GMT -5
Hazel couldn't help but giggle and shake her head again at Eli's statement, grinning wider now. "I mean, you've never bled on me, so really, is it a curse?" She teased, fluffing the pillows as she put the clean pillow cases on them.
Cass nodded at Ry, waiting until Eli and Hazel were settled. She noticed his mood shift, and she frowned slightly, moving closer and placing a warm hand on his arm, letting him know she was there for him. Then, she turned, heading out and over to the lovely Mrs. Gallagher to collect sweet little Noodle.
Hazel grinned at Eli, putting the last pillow on the bed and shaking her head. "Well, actually," she smiled, heading to the kitchen and getting him seated. "You could keep me company while I make dinner. I'm sure you're just as hungry as I am," She grinned, heading to the fridge and rifling through it to see what they could make.
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Post by 𝒞'𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝐿𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝑒 on Jul 23, 2018 18:01:16 GMT -5
Ryder crouched down as soon as he saw noodle, picking the cat up and letting her perch on his shoulder. He gave Cass a soft smile, trying to look more up best than he felt. Every time he saw the bruise on her face he felt like getting sick. He just replayed his father showing up over and over. He still had bruises on his neck, but he barely seemed to notice.
Eli gave her a bright smile despite how tired he felt. He stood up again with a small groan before nodding. “Yeah. I’d love to come hang out with you. “ he murmured, limping after hazel to go to the kitchen.
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Post by ɪɴᴛʀᴀɴꜱɪɢᴇɴᴛ on Jul 23, 2018 18:25:54 GMT -5
Cass pressed some cash into Mrs. Gallagher's hand, despite the older woman's protests. "Thank you again," She smiled, ignoring the concern and pity she felt radiating from their neighbor at the sight of their bruises. She turned back to Ry, looking rather pale, reaching a slightly trembling hand out to scratch Noodle's head, looking rather absent.
Hazel waited for Eli to sit before propping his leg up on a chair. "What do you feel like eating? I can make lasagna or meat loaf, or spaghetti and meatballs, or grilled cheese. Whatever you want," she smiled, leaning down to kiss his forehead gently.
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Post by 𝒞'𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝐿𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝑒 on Jul 23, 2018 18:29:59 GMT -5
Ryder gave her gentle look. “Let’s go take a nap. How does that sound?” He asked softly, glancing up as noodle started licking his hair. “Thank you again for watching her, ma’am. I really appreciate it. “
Eli shrugged a little at the question. “Uh I’m good with anything. Whatever is easier for you. “ he said gently, smiling up at her. He looked like shit, but at least he was alive.
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Post by ɪɴᴛʀᴀɴꜱɪɢᴇɴᴛ on Jul 23, 2018 19:24:35 GMT -5
Cassiopeia nodded, yawning and turning, trudging back to the apartment. Once there, she found Hazel working on vegan chili, something they all enjoyed, so she sat down on the couch, flicking on the television to try to stay awake.
Soon enough, Hazel had dinner ready and Cass was sound asleep on the couch, mouth hanging slack as she slumped against the arm of the sofa.
--
A month had passed since the hospital, and things were finally starting to calm down. Cass and Ry moved into their new apartment just a few blocks away from Eli and Hazel, and Hazel finally got a job at a large graphic design company. Sure, she's just an over glorified assistant, but it's a job and it's a start, and she loves it. Cass got a job at the local hospital they frequent so often, having finished schooling for her nurse degree. Eli and Ry had both gone through (and passed) police academy training and were just starting up at the local station.
Life was well. For now.
--
It was a bright Friday and Cass was given the night off (for once). Grinning as she came home early, she let herself in, throwing herself across Ry's lap where he was sitting on the couch at roughly 7:30 pm.
"Guess who has the night off?!" She sang, leaning up and kissing him warmly for a moment before pulling back, grinning at him. "I'm all yours," She winked, giggling as a pink hue lit up in her cheeks.
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Post by 𝒞'𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝐿𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝑒 on Jul 23, 2018 22:26:01 GMT -5
Things had finally settled down, and Ryder had to admit, the academy had been fun. He had missed cass while he was gone, but he finally had something he was good at. It was a nice feeling.
Ryder looked up when he heard cass come in, grinning as she came closer. He kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her waist. “All mine? So that means I can kiss you like a bunch, right?” He murmured, brushing his lips over her jaw. It was rare that they had the same night off, so he was already excited. He kissed her again and shifted to hold her closer. “How was work today babe?”
Eli was exhausted as he walked through the door. He bit back a yawn as he took his shoes and jacket off, running his fingers through his hair. “Haze, are you home?”
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Post by ɪɴᴛʀᴀɴꜱɪɢᴇɴᴛ on Jul 23, 2018 23:21:05 GMT -5
Cassiopeia wiggled to a better position, giggling at his questions and nodding, kissing him back just as warmly. She rested her head against his shoulder, adjusting her scrubs, sighing.
"Oh, you know, the usual. There was a pregnant woman that thought she was just bloated from some spicy nachos. Definitely hilarious," She giggled, again, sighing. "Although, there's this little girl in the icu. Name's Molly. Absolutely precious, but she was in a car wreck and might have some brain damage as well as has like, three broken ribs. She's somehow worse off than you. You've got some competition," She teased, though the humor was gone, a tiredness seeming to settle in in response.
Hazel was in the kitchen, making dinner, and was singing to herself. She didn't hear him come in, pots bubbling and delicious smells filling the air as she stuck her head in the fridge, searching for the carrots, still singing.
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Post by 𝒞'𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝐿𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝑒 on Jul 23, 2018 23:36:10 GMT -5
Ryder took a deep breath as cass explained, gently rubbing her back as she listened. “I’m so sorry, Cass. That has to be tough. “ he murmured softly, kissing the top of her head. “I don’t know how you can do it. “ he said, brushing son hair out of her face gently. He knew there were cases that got to cass more than others, Nd he hated to see how upset they made her.
Eli took the time to change into a pair of sweat pants and a loose t shirt before he found hazel, wrapping his arms around her waist. “Hey love. How was your day?” He asked curiously, pressing a wwuick kiss to her cheek as he watched her cook.
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Post by ɪɴᴛʀᴀɴꜱɪɢᴇɴᴛ on Jul 24, 2018 0:09:03 GMT -5
Cassiopeia was quiet, leaning into his hand slightly as she did. She sighed slightly, eyes coming up to meet his.
"I love what I do," She said firmly, but it seemed like she was trying more to convince herself than him.
When Eli wrapped his arms around her, Hazel jumped, giggling and turning her head to kiss him back, turning her gaze back down to the onion she was working on.
"It was busy, but good. I hear there's going to be a promotion soon of someone, though I haven't heard who. I'll bet it's Cindy; she works so hard," She grinned, tossing the onion into the pot bubbling in front of her, then wiped her hands on a towel before turning to cup his cheeks, kissing him lightly on the lips. "Anyway, why are you home so early?" She grinned, heading over to the pantry for spices.
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Post by 𝒞'𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝐿𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝑒 on Jul 24, 2018 6:46:07 GMT -5
“I know you do. “ Ryder said with a soft. “But just because you love something doesn’t mean it can’t huet you,” he leaned forward again to kiss her forehead. “I can make dinner tonight, you should try to get some rest.” Ryder had already seen some strange things at work, but he handled them surprisingly well. The first accident he had responded to had been rough for him, he could admit to that. But at least he hadn’t like exploded.
Eli smiled as he listened to her talk, returning the kiss she gave him before talking. “You work really hard too though, so maybe it could be you? And I switched shifts with somebody because I wanted to spend some quality time with a beautiful girl. “ he said, kissing the tip of her nose gently, smiling like an idiot.
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Post by ɪɴᴛʀᴀɴꜱɪɢᴇɴᴛ on Jul 24, 2018 11:07:57 GMT -5
Cassiopeia's gaze became distant as Ryder spoke, heart thumping a little harder in her chest. she knew all too well how loving something, or rather someone, didn't mean it, or they, couldn't hurt you. She blinked, focusing in, eyes swiveling to rest on Ry's, and she halfway smiled, leaning over and kissing his cheek.
"Actually, I'm kind of in the mood for pizza," she admitted, grinning cheekily now at him, eyes warm once more.
Hazel giggled at his comment, shaking her head slightly. "I doubt it. Cindy's been there at least half a year longer than me. Plus, I've only just started," She sighed, stirring the pot on the stove before smiling at him again. "I'm glad you did though. I feel like I haven't seen you in ages," She grinned, eyes warm on him. She was quiet for a moment, thinking.
"Oh! We should see if Cass and Ry are home! Have a game night, yeah? We haven't done that in so long, and we've hardly seen them since they moved out!" She grinned excitedly, eyes lighting up in anticipation. She turned her gaze to the stove once more, lowering the temperature to a simmer. "Unless, you'd rather it just be us, which is fine too," She smiled, leaning over to kiss his cheek once more.
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Post by 𝒞'𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝐿𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝑒 on Jul 24, 2018 11:19:05 GMT -5
Ryder kept his gentle smile in place. “Pizza sounds great. The normal or did you want something else?” He asked gently, brushing some hair out of her face. He knew the feeling as well. It had taken him a long time to see that Selena didn’t actually care about him, and sometimes he still tried to justify her actions. It wasn’t an easy thing to admit that somebody didn’t care about you.
“We can call them and see if they’re free. It’s been awhile since we’ve all hung out together.” He said, kissing her head. “I’m going to go change real quick, so I’ll be back soon. I love you. “ Eli said, finally stepping away from her. He shut the bedroom door behind him, sitting on the edge of the bed instead of changing right away. Game night would be nice. Comforting.
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Post by ɪɴᴛʀᴀɴꜱɪɢᴇɴᴛ on Jul 24, 2018 12:07:57 GMT -5
Hazel blinked slightly in surprise at Eli's admission, blushing and grinning as her heart thumped a little faster. She grabbed her phone, dialing Cass's number.
Cass sighed, thinking for a moment. "Well...I don't know-" She stopped, pulling her buzzing phone out of her pocket. "It's Haze! Hello?" She greeted, smiling warmly.
After chattering for a few minutes, the two girls decided that game night would in fact, be wonderful, and that Cassiopeia and Ryder would be over in 20 minutes with dessert.
"So Haze has dinner for us, and we're going over for game night. It's a good thing I made cookies yesterday," She grinned, stretching up to kiss his nose before pulling away, getting to her feet and heading back to change out of her scrubs and into some at home clothes. She emerged five minutes later in sweatpants and a t-shirt, hair pulled back in a simple braid instead of a tight ponytail. She smiled at Ry, heading to the kitchen to grab the cookies.
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Post by 𝒞'𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝐿𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝑒 on Jul 24, 2018 12:14:32 GMT -5
Ryder listened to the conversation, grinning as he stood up. “Sounds perfect. I should probably find actual clothes. “ he said, wearing a pair of fluffy deadened street pants because he’s a dork.
After getting dressed and making sure noodle had everything, he grabbed his car keys and wallet. “Alright. Is there anything I can help carry?”
Eli eventually came out again, wearing sweats and a loose t shirt. He felt horrible, but he wouldn’t dare mention it tonight. It had been so long since they had game night, Eli didn’t want to be the one to ruin it for everybody.
He smiled at hazel again, glad he could blame his exhaustion on work.
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Post by ɪɴᴛʀᴀɴꜱɪɢᴇɴᴛ on Jul 24, 2018 13:44:04 GMT -5
Cass giggled when he returned, poking him gently in the stomach as he adjusted his shirt, shaking her head. "Nope, I've got it all," she grinned cheekily, eyes glittering warmly.
Hazel smiled, already adding more to the pot, stirring faster now and chopping vegetables rapidly. She had noticed Eli's exhaustion, but was herself tired, and figured it was just how hectic life had been getting settled. She knew he would perk up soon. She hoped so, anyway.
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Post by 𝒞'𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝐿𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝑒 on Jul 24, 2018 13:56:47 GMT -5
Ryder grinned at her, stepping closer. “Oh well, I guess that forces me to carry you. Come here. “ he said, still grinning like an idiot.
Eli sat down in the kitchen, taking a second to catch his breath before he lifted his head, looking up at hazel with his normal soft smile. “Hey. Is there anything I can help out with?” He asked hopefully, looking up at her.
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Post by ɪɴᴛʀᴀɴꜱɪɢᴇɴᴛ on Jul 24, 2018 14:05:01 GMT -5
Cass blushed at Ryder's comment, giggling and shaking her head, eyes glinting mischievously. "You wouldn't," She started, unable to keep from smiling.
Haze turned her head, smiling. "Uh, sure. If you want to set the table, that would be great," She grinned, turning back to her broccoli. She began humming again, dancing slightly as she worked.
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Post by 𝒞'𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝐿𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝑒 on Jul 24, 2018 15:36:48 GMT -5
Ryder wiggled his eyebrows at her and then picked her up without a word, shifting his grip on her in the process so he wouldn’t drop her. “Oh I would. And I will. Alright, time to go down to the car. “ he said, turning towards the door.
Eli nodded and stood up again, getting the table ready and everything. He only sat down once, blaming it on something in his foot. He didn’t want to worry her. She didn’t deserve that stress.
eli had known for about a week already. He had gotten the call Thursday morning that he had needed to come in again as soon as possible, and any little bit of hope Eli had felt was gone. He didn’t have a lot of treatment options, and he was terrified. He remembered watching his mom die, how it took months and there was nothing they could do. He remembered how they said she had beat it, but it had come back, spreading to other organs.
Eli remembered filling in as a parent, even though he was so young. It was a nice distraction though. It hadn’t taken long for his mother to not remember who he was, so anything to distract himself with was nice.
Eli took a deep breath, standing there was he worked his way through muddled emotions before starting to move again.
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Post by ɪɴᴛʀᴀɴꜱɪɢᴇɴᴛ on Jul 24, 2018 23:12:32 GMT -5
Cassiopeia burst into giggles, cheeks flushing as she squirmed, doing her best to look offended. "Hey, put me down! How dare you!" She shifted, making it easier for him to carry her, however, looping an arm around his neck and grinning at him.
Hazel wasn't completely oblivious to Eli. She knew something was up by his behavior, but she had allowed herself to believe that it was just what he said: work problems. So, when he sat down at the table, she felt her heart rate pick up, worried that it was something else.
"You okay Eli?" She asked softly, stopping what she was doing to turn her gaze to him, eyes concerned. Her eyebrows tugged downwards towards each other in her concern, lips pressing together into a faint line.
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Post by 𝒞'𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝐿𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝑒 on Jul 25, 2018 2:06:10 GMT -5
Ryder carefully maneuvered through the door, managing to close it without setting her down. He absently hummed while carrying her towards the car, smiling brightly at her whenever they made eye contact. “You left me no choice cass. “
Eli gave her a reassuring smile before standing up, ignoring the dizziness he felt. “Yeah I’m alright, Haze. Just thought I had a hair or something in my foot, I’m fine. “ he promised, moving to kiss the top of her head again. “I’ll go dig out the games. Let me know if you need anything, alright hun?” Eli asked, still smiling softly at her.
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Post by ɪɴᴛʀᴀɴꜱɪɢᴇɴᴛ on Jul 26, 2018 1:20:03 GMT -5
Cassiopeia shook her head, giggling and just staring up at him, holding the cookies securely with her other hand. At his comment, she rolled her eyes, grinning wider.
"Ry, this wasn't even a choice to be left with," She giggled, leaning up to kiss him.
Hazel's expression softened, but the worry did not disappear. She nodded, kissing his cheek before returning to her work, heading over to the fridge to get out some extra condiments and some other things they might need, doing her best to calm down. They were going to have game night, and it was going to be great. And that was all that was going to happen.
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Post by 𝒞'𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝐿𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝑒 on Jul 26, 2018 4:46:35 GMT -5
“I don’t make the rules cass. I have to help carry something. “ he said, grinning at her.
Ryder only set her down once they were at the car, closing into the drivers seat and waiting for her to put her seatbelt on. They didn’t live far from their friends, so it didn’t take long at all to get there.
This time ryder helped carry the cookies, only them in one arm so he had a free hand to knock.
Eli was the one to answer the door, giving a bright smile to the two of them. “Hey guys. How’s it going?” He asked curiously, stepping out of the way so that they had room to get past him.
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Post by ɪɴᴛʀᴀɴꜱɪɢᴇɴᴛ on Jul 27, 2018 14:09:25 GMT -5
Cassiopeia rolled her eyes, laughing again and sliding into the seat, buckling up quickly. When they arrived, she bounced up to Eli and Hazel's apartment, unable to quell her excitement, eyes shining brightly. She greeted Eli with a hug before darting to kitchen, setting off a fit of giggles and instant chatter between the two girls.
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Post by 𝒞'𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝐿𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝑒 on Jul 27, 2018 14:25:49 GMT -5
Ryder stayed behind to talk with Eli, questioning Eli. “Hey. Do you feel okay man? You look exhausted. “
Eli flashed him a smile. “I’m fine, mother. Just tired from work. Promise. Anyway. We need to ask the girls what they want to play. “ Eli said, dismissing the subject as fast as he could. He smiled at hazel and cass, helping with everything he could and ignoring the looks Ryder kept giving him.
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Post by ɪɴᴛʀᴀɴꜱɪɢᴇɴᴛ on Jul 31, 2018 6:49:44 GMT -5
Cass grinned at Hazel, getting to work on the vegetables, hands steady as she chopped quickly.
Soon enough, they had dinner ready and on the table. The girls sat down next to each other and their respective boys. Tonight was going great, for now.
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Post by 𝒞'𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝐿𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝑒 on Jul 31, 2018 7:02:45 GMT -5
Around half way through the game Eli got up to get something. He seemed steady, laughing at something as he walked away. Of course when he stepped back into the room he was pale and shaking, looking like he was going to vomit. Ryder was already scrambling to his feet when he saw how rough Eli looked.
Eli blinked rapidly, like that would help stop the dizziness. He felt his knees buckle, dropping the glass before he collapsed, out cold. Maybe game night hadn’t been a good idea.
Ryder swore, diving towards Eli even though there was no chance of catching Eli. At least it was carpet, right?
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Post by ɪɴᴛʀᴀɴꜱɪɢᴇɴᴛ on Jul 31, 2018 7:20:17 GMT -5
Cass was on her feet instantly, moving ove to them cautiously. Hazel stayed seated for a bit longer, staring blankly at Ei.
”Is he bleeding?” Cass asked, moving to kneel beside him, checking for any external injuries. When she found none, she rolled him onto his back, listening to his heart for a moment. Then, she nodded, getting up and raising his legs above his chest slightly, eyes on him.
”Eli, wake up buddy,” She said softly, beginning the count down in her head. Hazel got up and got the broom and a towel to clean up the mess of the broken glass
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Post by 𝒞'𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝐿𝒶 𝒱𝒾𝑒 on Jul 31, 2018 7:26:48 GMT -5
Ryder watched Eli to make sure he was breathing, searching for his phone to call 911 as he listened to cass.
Eli had a few cuts from the glass, but other than passing out he seemed fine. He groaned softly after around 45 seconds, squinting against the light. He still felt dizzy and like he was going to vomit, pain radiating through his chest. He could hear Ryder on the phone, calling for an ambulance. There was no way they’d let him take a nap and avoid the hospital.
Eli closed his eyes again, pressing s hand to his forehead. Hey Guys, sorry for blacking out during game night. I’m going to die in six months, how have you been? so much for not making them worry.
”calm down ryder. I’m fine. I just got dizzy, it’s fine. “
”You blacked out, Eli. How is that fine? When I black out-“
”yours is from not eating right and not sleeping. It’s different. “ Eli rasped, letting cass help him sit up right.
Ryder froze, his expression hard to read. “You’re going to the hospital. I excused it the first time you passed out. I’m not overlooking it a second time in one week. “
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