“Oh, I was just thinking about what I did to Nick today,” Heather replied, giggling a little bit.
“Oh, Heather, what did you do to him? You didn’t you scare him away, did you?”
“No, I didn’t. I just conned the information out of him that he was a Backstreet Boy, and then I pretended not to believe him. He actually called Brian to prove to me that he wasn’t lying. I messed with his mind.”
“I think you like him.”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
“Because if I like him, I’m gonna get hurt.”
“So is it that you don’t like him, or you do like him but you don’t wanna like him?”
“How do you know me so well?” she grumbled.
“I’m your sister. So you do like him.”
“Yeah, a little bit. He is really cute, after all, and he’s a nice guy.”
“Heather, you should just tell him! He’s a sweetheart, and I definitely get the feeling that he likes you, too. What do you wanna bet he would do everything in his power not to hurt you?”
“I would bet my life that that’s not true.”
“I think you just need a more positive outlook,” Elizabeth groaned.
Chapter 12 “Hey, Heather!” Nick exclaimed. He looked at his friend and saw the huge smile on her face. “You look happy. Is something wrong?” he teased.
“Shut up. I’m leaving tomorrow, and I’m excited. I don’t like it here,” she stated.
He put on a false frown. “Who am I gonna come bother when you leave? I’ll have to find a new patient!”
“Ugh, don’t call me that! I feel like something is wrong with me when people call me a patient.”
“Sorry, I’ll have to find a new victim.”
“Okay, that’s better. So give me a hug! I’m happy!” she exclaimed, standing up.
He wrapped her in his arms and couldn’t help but smell her Herbal Essences styling products. “Mmm…your hair smells good.”
She pulled away from him suddenly, realizing the hug had lasted a lot longer than it should have. “Thanks.”
“I’m really happy for you, but I am gonna miss you. Maybe we can hang out sometime.”
“No…I…I just can’t, Nick,” she whimpered, avoiding his gaze.
He tilted her chin, forcing her to look at him. “Why not? I mean, not on a date or anything, just as friends. We’ve never seen each other outside of the hospital.”
She stared into his eyes, hypnotized, unable to respond. Almost surreally, the distance between them disappeared, and she felt his lips against hers. Then, just as quickly as it had happened, she pulled away. “That is really something I would do, isn’t it? I would fall in love with a guy whom I could never have. I’m such an idiot! Nick, please, just go.”
“What’s wrong, Heather? What did I do wrong?”
She bit her quivering lip and refused to let any tears out. “I will not let myself get hurt.”
“What makes you think you’re going to get hurt? I care about you so much, more than I ever thought possible.”
“No, you’re looking for a replacement for Sara, and it won’t last long.” Suddenly, the floodgates opened, and the tears rolled down her cheeks, one after another.
“Come here,” he whispered, pulling her into a hug. She gave up and cried into his shoulder.
When she finally calmed down, she looked up at him with puffy eyes. “Why do you even care? I’m so screwed up, I can’t imagine why anyone would be friends with me.”
“I want to help.”
“You can’t help me. I’m beyond help.” She sat down on the bed. “I think you should leave.”
He opened his mouth to reply, but realized she needed to be alone. Without even saying bye, he turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.