Page 54 of Ink & Ambition

“Do you have a first aid kit?”

Alex nods, his gaze not leaving mine. “Upstairs.”

I nod, too, before standing back up and looking over at the girl he’s been spending the entire evening with.

She holds her hands up. “I don’t do blood,” she says with a shrug before going inside the house. If she is his girlfriend, she’s an awful one.

I look back down at Alex, his eyes now glued to his bleeding hand, and I just hope he doesn’t need stitches. I go to help him up, but Ryan pulls me back a bit.

“Margot, let him fix his own messes. Look at him, he’s drunk.”

I narrow my eyes. “I’m not going to just leave him like this. Just let me get him cleaned up and then I’ll meet you back inside, okay?”

Ryan looks back and forth between my eyes a few times before sighing. “Fine, let me help you.”

He goes to grab Alex by the shoulders, but he jerks himself away. “Fuck you, I don’t need your help.” He says before storming into the house and I can’t tell if he meant it for Ryan or for me. Regardless, I’m not going to let him stammer around a packed house of drunken idiots. Without a thought, I follow after him, hurriedly.

I see him standing in the kitchen, looking in the fridge for another drink. Without a word, I grab him by the shirt and pull him away from the fridge, out of the kitchen and up the stairs to his room.

Before I close the door behind us, I search the bathroom across the hall for the first aid kit and a towel. Then I walk into Alex’s room to find him sitting on the bed, blood still dripping from his hand. Wrapping the towel around his hand, I try to soak up some of the carnage before I can get to work on cleaning him up.

Kneeling before him as he sits on the bed, I grip the towel wrapped around his hand and I look up at him.

“Well, this is a nice sight,” Alex smirks and I reach up and punch him in his good arm. Hard. “Ouch! What the fuck!” Alex yells.

“What is wrong with you? Why did you almost start something with Ryan out there and why are you so drunk?” There’s no point in beating around the bush. I want answers and I’m just hoping he’s not too drunk to give them to me.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He tries to pull his hand from my grasp, but I hold it tighter, causing him to wince in pain.

“Here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going take this towel off, clean up your hand and assess the damage. While I do that, you’re going to tell me what the hell is going on. Got it?” I keep holding the towel tightly.

Alex sighs. “Fine.”

Slowly, I unwrap the towel and put it underneath his arm just in case more blood starts to drip out. Taking an antibacterial wipe from the first aid kit, I clean up the excess blood on his hand, paying close attention to the cut itself and trying to go slowly.

“How’d you get so good at cleaning wounds?”

“My brother and dad both work in a factory. Came home with more than a few cuts that never really got tended too while they were on the clock.” Once it’s all clean and I can tell he doesn’t need stitches, I pull out the antibiotic ointment and apply a healthy portion to the cut before adding a clean, large bandage on top to seal it all in. “Good as new,” I say, moving to stand up from my kneeling position. I’m still waiting for Alex to speak on the events of tonight but he hasn’t. Instead, when I look down at him, I see his eyes are drooping, about to close.

“I’m tired, sunshine…” He falls backward onto the bed, letting his wounded hand dangle off the bed. I sigh, standing over him.What am I going to do with this boy?I move toward the end of the bed. “No, don’t leave,” he says in his sleepy state and I can’t tell if he’s said it on purpose or if he’s talking in his sleep. “Everything is better when you’re here.”

I don’t have the mental capacity to unpack that statement right now. Pulling off his shoes, I place them on the floor one at a time before grabbing a blanket from the closet. Looking down at this sleeping form, I can’t help but remember what it is about him that makes me care about him. As a friend.

“Sleep, you idiot,” I say with a smile, placing the blanket down on top of him.

Alex smiles too. “Sunshine…” he sighs before the snoring starts. I giggle quietly as I head for the door. I know he said he wanted me to stay, but he was probably confusing me with the girl from downstairs. Either way, I couldn’t stay up here with him even if I wanted to. I’ve got my friends waiting downstairs.And Ryan. I think of Ryan as I close Alex’s door gently behind me. Ryan is a nice guy who wants to be more than just my friend. Shouldn’t that mean I should give him a real chance?

Alex doesn’t come downstairs for the rest of the night. Not that I expected him to, he was out cold when I left him all tucked into bed. We stay for a couple more hours, watching Danika flirt with the poor defenseless freshmen. A few times Ryan wandered off to say hi to friends, but he mostly stuck by my side, whispering jokes and comments in my ear every now and then.

It’s different, having a boy show genuine interest in me. I’m not used to it, but I’m trying to adapt. It helps that every time Danika looks our way, the heart eyes emoji flashes across her face.

By the time we’re ready to leave, Sydney is linked with Danika who is singing her famous rendition ofDon’t Stop Believin’while Ryan and I trail a few steps behind them.

“You know you don’t have to walk us home, it’s the complete opposite direction of your house.”

“And miss the show?” Ryan gestures toward Danika who just completely butchered the high note at the end. She and Sydney collapse in a fit of giggles as we continue the walk.

“Fair enough,” I reply with a smile. As we walk, Ryan tentatively slips his hand in mine and when I open my palm to invite him in, he latches on, interlacing our fingers tightly. We walk like this for another block before my apartment comes into view.

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