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stella.

The emergency room was filled with unnecessary beeping and surges of machines, and it made her anxious. Stella hated Simon, but she needed to keep her secret. She was still a little drunk and her head was killing her after the fall, along with her arm. The girl laid there miserably in the hospital bed as they pumped some fluids into her and she waited for the doctor to come back with her xrays.

jace.

Jace never went to sporting events unless he was dragged along by Ben or Mads. He had a dinner planned with his mother tonight, however, so he couldn't be dragged into the hell hole even if he wanted to. They had a nice vegan meal made by his mom, unaccompanied by his father yet again, but everything seemed to be alright when he has his mom to talk to. When he checked his phone to see the time, he was surprised to get a text message from Ben a halftime earlier than he expected (considering Ben normally texts him to let him know how the game ended. He only saw 'Stella' and 'hospital' before he got up out of his seat quickly. "Sorry, mother." He said, getting his jacket from the closet nearby. "A friend of mine is hurt." He bent down to kiss her on the cheek before running outside to whichever car he could find first. When he got to the hospital, it took him awhile to find someone who could get him to Stella's room, but as soon as he got there, he felt a bit lighter on his feet. "Stel," He walked into the room, giving her a small smile before taking a seat in the chair next to her bed. "I should have bought you flowers, but I got here as soon as I could."

stella.

Seeing Jace walk into her room suddenly had the girl's cloudy eyes widening slightly, looking at him in surprise. He shouldn't see her like this; what if she had bruises on her or something? She had a cut on her eyebrow and her lip felt funny. "Jace... I didn't know you'd even be here..." she hushed out, her brows furrowing slightly. "I look like a mess..."

jace. 

Jace sighed. "No, babe, you look great." She looked hurt. That's literally the only thing he could think of when he saw her, was how much pain she might be in. "What happened?" He asked. He had never read the rest of Ben's text message, and he felt like he needed to know from her.

stella.

"You're such a liar..." She breathed out with a small laugh, though laughter just reminded her how her ribs were sore. "Um..." Her nose crinkled as she forced herself to relive it. "I don't know... I mean... I was in the middle of a full elevator, going to go into a scorpion and I just..." her head shook solemnly. "I fell, I guess. Next think I knew, I woke up on the floor and people were around me."

jace. 

"I'm anything but a liar, babe." He laughed, reaching over to take her hand. He tried to listen to her story, but she appeared to be very disheveled, slurring a bit and using a bizarre language that Jace didn't understand. "Damn, what kind of meds do they have you on?" He said, giving her a smile. "I want some. And, also, I have no idea what a scorpion or a full elevator is." Pause, "Are you talking about cheerleading?"

stella.

She looked down at their hands, smiling faintly at the sight of it. "Yeah..." She murmured, her eyes flicking up to his. "I was cheerleading." Her eyes flicked over to the bag on her nightstand where they'd put her cheerleading uniform when they had her change into a hospital gown.

jace.

Jace didn't know what to say. He had seen her cheerleading so many times, how did this happen? "Did your group not support you well enough?" He asked, caressing her thumb with his. "Does it hurt? I should go get you something to eat or something." He continued, "I feel like I need to do something, this is horrible."

stella.

The girl shook her head because she couldn't blame them; there was ah heavy guilt on her chest and the whole thing had her on the verge of tears. "No. I just... I messed up. I messed up, Jace..." She sniffled, sucking in some air and trying to blink away the tears. She shook her head pathetically, looking at him. "Yeah, it hurts. But I'm not hungry. It's just... you did something by coming here. I didn't expect to see you."

jace.

Jace felt a piece of himself weaken by the way Stella looked right now. She looked so defeated, so drained. She wasn't the happy girl that Jace knew. "You... You made a mistake, it happens. Cheerleading isn't the easiest sport in the book, you know? Things just... ​happen​ sometimes." He try to sooth her down, continuing to caress her skin. He took his other hand up and put her hair behind her ears, fidgeting with a strand or two between his fingers. "I had to see you. Ben texted me, and all I could think about was getting here to make sure you were okay."

stella.

With a pathetic sniffle and a little smile, she nodded. "You're so sweet..." She whispered softly. Being in the hospital had her feeling so lonely. Her dad was out of the country on business until next week and her mom was at home... probably passed out. It was hard being there alone. She was only seventeen, she didn't want to have to be so grown up yet. "Thank you..."

jace.

He smiled at her, feeling a comfortable silence go over them. "I'm going to go get us some coffee, okay?" He said, getting up from his seat but not yet letting go of Stella's hand. "Do you want the usual?" He bent down and kissed her gently on the forehead before making his way out, his not yet maxed out credit card in hand.

evan. 

Hands shoved in the pocket of his grey hoodie, Evan made his way through the local hospital in short strides. He had retrieved the room number from the secretary, and within seconds located the one he seeked. From the hallway, his blue eyes focused on the girl strewn across the hospital bed, from here he could tell that her face was battered and bruised. “Is this what you meant?” He started, taking a step through the door of the room and approaching the side of the bed. “About what you didn’t want to do or whatever?”

stella. 

Seeing him took her breath away. Stella looked up at Evan in confusion, her brain not working as fast at the moment; she knew what he was talking about, but just seeing him there had her take pause. "I---" inhaling a large gulp of air that made her ribs quiver. "Yeah...." The girl hushed out, biting down on her lip, forgetting it was cut and in the process making it bleed.

evan. 

He ran his hand across the end of the metallic bed frame, his eyes returning to the girl when she made a weak attempt at speaking. Drops of crimson oozed from the cut on her lip, and he shook his head, letting his body lean onto the frame as he removed his hand.“Why?” Evan was more curious than he was concerned. If that made him a shitty person, well, so be it. The pair had developed an odd friendship over the past few weeks, and though they weren’t extremely close, he knew her well enough to question these idiotic actions.

stella. 

Her tongue traced across her lip, licking away the blood sheepishly as her cheeks grew to a soft pink hue from slight embarrassment. Sucking in a quivered breath, her gaze met his, guilt in her eyes and self-deprecation on her lips. "I just... love the spotlight, I guess..." The girl mumbled, recalling the words written to her by the Simon Team themselves.

evan. 

He’d heard a lot of stupid shit, but that took the prize. “That’s fucking stupid.” Evan didn’t know if she was telling the truth at this point, but he recalled the text message she’d sent him only days before she wound up here. ​Have you ever had to do something you didn't want to?​ He wasn’t one to push, as he knew well enough that everyone had their own bullshit to deal with, and he wasn’t about to force it out of Stella. The girl being an attention whore was what he was going to accept. For now, anyways. “Did you break anything?”

stella.

There was a little flinch at his words, the girl avoiding his gaze and staring at the bed, full of shame. "Yeah..." She replied, her shoulder shrugging slightly to answer his question. "I broke my.. radius or something... some bone in my arm..." She frowned, her lips quirking to the side to try and hide it. "Why... are you here?" The words came out softly, her blue eyes flicking to him. "Were you... at the game?"

evan.

“Sucks. You’re gonna have a cast, then?” Evan asked, dropping his elbow onto the frame and focusing his eyes on the colorless sheets of the bed. He scoffed. He’d only been to four basketball games in his high school experience, and three of the four times he was forced to be in attendance by either Mila or Lauren and had somehow managed to drag Oliver along with him. The fourth time he was making an exchange in the parking lot during half time. The experiences weren’t too big in his memories, and there wasn’t a thing that had him coming back. He sighed at her words, his chin falling into his palm and his tired eyes moving back to the girl. He ignored the first question, an answer to her inquiry not apparent in his mind. “No. My sister told me about it.”

stella. 

"Yes." She nodded, looking down at her arm. "I already told them if I get a cast, it has to be pink." It was her little attempt at a joke, though it was also completely true. Evan probably wouldn't find it funny though. He wasn't even at the game but he had shown up? It was peculiar, she couldn't figure out ​why​ Evan was there, but for whatever reason she was really glad to see him. "And now you're here." She commented slowly, her blue eyes on his. "What were you doing before you were here, then?"

evan. 

Blue hues rolled, and Evan didn’t take the joke. “Are you gonna make me sign it?” He voiced his query, his words ending in a yawn that he failed to suppress. He was surprised that the girl was alone in the hospital room. He expected to be greeted by a swarm of basketball players and cheerleaders, which made him hesitant to make an appearance. The incident had been hours ago, so that may have added to the reason Stella was left by herself. “You know, just some risky shit.” He informed the female, his lips forming a thin, closed smile. He’d only be telling the truth if ‘risky shit’ included being passed out on his living room couch.

stella. 

She couldn't help but smile, and for the briefest moment, it was there, the enchanting and bright smile that she offered to most on a daily basis. "Mhm, you better. 'Evan 'Risky Shit' Andrews' better be on there." She couldn't help but giggle a little. "I only swore because I was quoting you." Stella Naughton never cursed, ever. Because she was a Good Girl. "Well at least your risky stuff didn't have you end up here like mine did. Do I get some kind of street cred now?"

evan.

 “That’s a lot to write, I think ‘Ev’ would be okay.” He teased, the light grin easing into his features as he spoke. When she concluded her next statement, though, traces of the gesture disappeared completely and he grew tense. “It has before, but I’m usually not aiming to get here.” In contrast to a moment ago, Evan’s words came out more harsh than he desired, and in his instance of agitation, he ran his fingers through his dark, unruly hair.

stella.

Seeing his smile had her own growing, the girl biting down on her lip and tucking some hair behind her ear. But then soon enough it was gone and he seemed mad again. "I didn't think you were.." She said softly, inhaling. "You may be more on the wild side, but you're not stupid, Ev..."

jace.

 Jace walked back to the room, two coffees in hand. He remembered Stella's usual and decided to pick up a random choice for himself. As he walked into the hospital room, however, everything was different than it was a moment prior. And by different, there was a whole other person in the room. /Who is that?/ He asked, not being able to see his face. "I got your coffee, Stels." He went and put the coffee on the table, along with his own. "I didn't realize we were expecting company," He said, finally seeing it was Evan Andrews.

evan.

 He didn’t agree with her. His eyes fell to his hands and he let out a heavy breath. Evan knew what Stella had done, and that she’d done it on purpose. That’s what pissed him off the most. His demeanor changed once he caught sight of Jace Listing. He stood rigid, his posture straightening and his fists clenching behind his back. Any encounter with this boy was a shitty one, and for a moment he had forgotten the reason they were in each other’s presence. He cast a glance at the injured female, and returned his gaze to the boy who had just entered the room. “I didn’t realize I wasn’t the only one here.”

jace.

Jace crossed his arms, trying to keep on the polite face his mom had always taught him. "I could say the same thing." He didn't even know Evan and Stella were friends, or that they spoke, or that they even knew who the other person was. He didn't really have a problem with Evan, but something unsettled him. It was almost as if he had interrupted a ​moment​, and he felt uncomfortable with that simple feeling in his veins. "I didn't interrupt something, did I?"

evan.

maybe , for once, stella should have considered it a gift that she was the child of a pill popper, because between the genetics and her frequent partying, she definitely could hang, and knew she’d be able to function enough that her coach couldn’t outright tell she was wasted... as long as she didn’t smell her. the real fear was if she’d be able to perform. 

full of pineapple vodka, the lights were bright and the crowd was loud in the gym. stella had been cheering on the sidelines with her squadmates, waving her pompoms and doing basic cheers. but when one of their main routines came up... 

the dancing was the easy part, because plenty girls did that drunk. but tiny stella naughton was a flyer, and this was about to upset her stomach. 

the first time she was lifted up, she surprisingly made it, only wobbling slightly as she readied for a basket toss. looking out at the crowd, they all blurred together as she was thrown up, her small group catching her in a cradle. she was alive! but as her feet touched the floor she felt how dizzy she was and wow. 

stella wavered slightly but she let the girls pick her up again, getting into her stunt formation as she gripped their shoulders. this time, being lifted up, the room was spinning. she went to extend her leg to pull a scorpion, and that’s when it all went wrong. it was one of the most difficult stunts to balance, and doing it drunk?