WICKED { #Wattys2016 }

Chapter Four: Concussion

Cal had spoken to Cordelia several times over the week, and each time it got a little easier for her to reply to him. Everyday, she would see him in history, and biology, and now it looked like they had phys. ed. together.

Well. Any chance she had at making a good impression, or looking cool were lost. Lost with zero chance of ever being found.

She said so to Kendra while they got changed for class. They had finnished flag football, right before Cal had shown up, and they had no idea what was next. Hopefully something that didn't involve too much running. Or kicking. Or jumping. Or hitting.

When Cordelia walked into the gym, with Kendra in tow, her eyes immediately found Cal, like they always did. Only, he had company. And not just any company. Gorgeous, bitchy, arrogant, manipulative, spoiled company. Nina Pentergast.

Once again Nina was all over Cal, like she had been since Cal's first day. Whether it was in the hallway, in class, or at the lunch tables, Nina always managed to do it.

Right now, she was feeling up his bicep with her hands. Cliché right? Cordelia thought so.

It was obvious that Nina was very happy to be given the opportunity to wear skimpy clothing in front of Cal. The school issue red t-shirt and shorts clung to Nina's...well...everything. She left nothing to the imagination.

Cordelia wasn't the only one to notice Nina's attire, or lack thereof. Jaws dropped, eyes bulged, and Cordelia could've sworn she saw Tyler Morrison drool a little. Cal however seemed completely oblivious to Nina's charms. He looked at her so indifferently, you'd think she was dressed like a nun.

"Ugh I'm going to throw up in my mouth." Kendra muttered beside Cordelia, "Nevermind. I already did." She added, making a gag face.

Cordelia giggled and tapped her friend on the back, just as Coach Vaughn blew her obnoxious whistle loud enough to silence everyone.

"Alright everyone settle down!" A robust Coach Vaughn boomed. She waited for chatter to cease before continuing. "Today we'll be starting our unit on volleyball. I'll be making teams." A collective groan.

"I'll give you all a number, if I tell you one you're on that side of the net, if I tell you two you're on that side. Understood?" She asked rhetorically, "Fantastic!"

And so she made the teams, with Kendra receiving the number that put her on the same team as Nina. Cordelia bid her friend luck and she stood waiting for her number, watching amusedly as Kendra pouted and made her way over to her team.

She then felt someone come up behind her and her suspisions about who that someone was were confirmed when Cal spoke, "What was that about?" He asked, his voice warm and flowing like chocolate. Everyone seemed to relax when Cal had something to say.

Cordelia permitted herself a quick glance at him. She didn't always trust herself to do this. Not if she wanted her vocal cords to work. Her throat tightened right on schedule.

What was it about Cal that made her feel this way? He was gorgeous sure, but it was more than that. He was different from the guys she knew. When he looked at her, he really looked at her. He didn't glance around the room for his friends, or pretty girls, or even sneak looks at her breasts. He looked at her with a sort of frank intensity and interest.

"Let's just say Kendra would rather be on the same team as Kanye West. And that really says something." Cordelia was finally able to answer, after looking away.

He surprised her with a chuckle, "Misery loves company." He answered, nodding towards Kendra who was eagerly waiting to see if misery would have company.

"Bishop and Sterling, you'll both be on Team 2." Coach Vaughn said gruffly.

Cordelia's head snapped away from Kendra to look at Coach Vaughn then to look at Cal, who had a smirk of satisfaction plastered on his face. "But I guess misery sometimes has to suffer alone." He added, before jogging towards their team, with Cordelia following at a slower pace, heading for the back of the group, as opposed to Cal who found a spot near the net. Cordelia caught Nina glaring daggers at her. She'd been watching Cal talk to her she realised. And she was jealous. Nina Pentergast was jealous. Of her. Cordelia felt a smirk spread across her lips.

Cordelia was quite happy hiding in the back, and watching Cal play. He was unsurprisingly skilled, and made half of their points. Not to mention she had a great view. But she wasn't as invisible as she had thought, because Coach Vaughn noticed her hiding in the back and eventually told her to get closer to the net.

That's where it all went to hell. Because on top of Cordelia cringing away from the ball, Nina had found the perfect opportunity to remind Cordelia of who she was dealing with. Nina would agressively spike the ball in Cordelia's direction, and for awhile Cordelia was able to get out of the way, or hit the ball hard enough that it didn't hit her. This only doubled Nina's intensity, before the ball finally hit it's intended target.

Cordelia remembered feeling the ball hit her on the head. And then her vision went blurry, and she lost her footing. Next thing she knew, someone's arms were around her, catching her before she hit the floor at a painful angle. She heard muffled voices, and saw forms towering over her. Someone asked her if she was okay. She didn't think she was.

The arms that caught her, were wrapped around her waist, and Cordelia leaned against a body that belonged to the arms that held her upright. Cordelia heard arguing, then yelling, and finally, something that sounded like orders. Cordelia was efficiently scooped up, and her head lolled against something warm and solid.

A cotton shirt tickled Cordelia's nose with the smell of soap, rain, and clover. Cal.

"Where are we going?" Cordelia asked, though it probably sounded more like, "Whe we goin'."

He set her down on the floor gently, in an empty corridor, before putting a hand to her head. "Shit." He muttered, examining her head, like some sort of doctor.

"Kol doesn't have to know." She thought she heard him say before she passed out, with a prickling warmth spreading through her body.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Cordelia woke up a few hours later in the nurses office. They told her that they had been afraid she'd have a concussion, and that while Cal took her to the nurse's office, she had passed out. They checked her vision, hearing, ability to walk. Miraculously, it seemed she didn't have a concussion, though the nurse recommended she go see a doctor anyways. When she was let out of the nurse's office, Cordelia tried to find Cal and thank him, but he was nowhere to be found.

A/N: Yay! Chapter four is up! This was a fun chapter to write that definitely adds to Cal's mystery. What did you guys think? Next chapter has ALOT of action that sort of gets the ball rolling plot wise, so stay tuned for that! I MIGHT upload this weekend, depending on how much I get done, but the update will definitely be soon.

Thank-you so much to the few loyal readers Wicked has, your likes and comments and support are so encouraging to me as a writer.

Like, Comment, Follow, or share if you think I, this book, or this chapter deserve it.

Liz