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  “Probably,” he replies.

  The room grows quiet and even as I pretend to sleep, I can still feel the tension radiating from the two men in the room. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?” Rylan asks.

  Daniel lets out a shaky breath. “Have been for four years,” he confirms.

  What the hell?

  “Does she know?”

  “I don’t know,” he responds. “I tried to tell her a few months ago, but the moment you showed up here, It was like some kind of light lit up inside her and I knew it was all over for me.”

  Rylan doesn’t respond, but I know he is thinking hard.

  “We could have been great together,” Daniel says. “If she had never met you, we would be together and she would have had a normal boyfriend, where she wouldn’t have to hide, she could have gossiped about us to all her friends like normal girls do,” he says, regret strong in his voice. “But I know that will never happen now. She has been one of my best friends since we were five. I’ve seen her go through boyfriend after boyfriend, and not once has she looked at one of those losers the way she looks at you. So, if you break her heart, I will come after you,” he finishes with the utmost seriousness.

  Rylan, the man of very few words, is quiet once again and I can imagine him nodding at Daniel, taking Daniel’s threat just as serious.

  “So you want to explain the whole Nora thing?” Rylan asks.

  Daniel lets out a small chuckle. “As annoying as Nora can be, she’s actually alright, might even lead to something.”

  I take his comment for what it is. A distraction from me.

  The boys are quiet for so long, I fall back asleep.

  I’m woken again when I feel a hand squeeze my own. My eyes easily open this time and I glance around the small room to find Rylan sitting in the seat next to my bed. No sign of Daniel. “About time you woke up,” Rylan murmurs.

  I gaze at him and find all sorts of hurt behind his dark eyes. I lace my fingers through his. “Hi,” I whisper.

  “I’m so sorry, Bianca,” he says. “I would have never pushed you that hard had I known you weren’t well. Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “Well, you know me,” I joke, not wanting to admit I thought I had a headache because ‘that time of the month’ was due.

  “Do you have any idea how dangerous and stupid that was?” he scolds.

  “Yeah, I’m kind of seeing that now,” I admit. Pulling on his hand to bring him closer.

  He leans in and gives me the smallest kiss on my temple. “I was so worried about you,” he says, settling himself back into his chair.

  “I, um… I’m sorry I called you an asshole in front of everyone,” I say.

  “Don’t be, I deserved it. I was being an asshole,” he smiles and I know all is forgiven.

  The sound of the door opening prompts Rylan to let go of my hand just in time to see Dr. Mandoza, our resident Doctor, walking in holding a clipboard.

  Rylan’s eyes flash to mine conveying just how close we were to being caught.

  “Ah, Bianca,” Dr. Mandoza says as she closes the door behind her. “It’s nice to see you again, though, I wish it had been under better circumstances,” she adds, sitting on the end of the bed.

  “So, I’ll get straight to it so you can get out of here,” she says. “You’re extremely dehydrated and overworked. I’m assuming you were training day in and day out preparing for your examinations last week and after a few days off, the exhaustion has finally caught up to you, which explains the migraine and dizziness. When was the last time you ate?” she asks.

  I look down, unable to meet her eyes, knowing what’s coming. “Last night,” I confirm. I hear Rylan, cursing beside me and refuse to meet his eyes.

  “Well, that explains why on top of everything else, you collapsed,” Dr. Mandoza says. “Now, I know I don’t need to lecture you on looking after your body,” she says.

  “I know,” I defend. “You don’t need to worry about that, I’m usually quite a pig.”

  “Ok. I’m assuming you took this last weekend off,” she says, as my cheeks flame at the reminder of my weekend making me refuse to meet Rylan’s eyes for a whole new reason. “But apart from then, when was the last time you took a day off.”

  I glance down once again in guilt. “I honestly don’t know,” I say.

  “What do you mean?” Rylan cuts in. “You take the weekends off.”

  “Yeah… No, I don’t,” I cringe.

  Rylan’s eyes heat in anger. “Bianca,” he groans.

  “Ok, I’ll let you guys hash this out later,” Dr. Mandoza say, chiming in. “But for now, you’re going back to your dorm, having dinner in bed and relaxing. I want you off any intense workouts for the rest of the week, including the weekend,” she scolds. “You may participate in any basic skills and light work but I want you back here next week to get a clearance before you return to your usual training.”

  I groan knowing this is going to be the hardest week of my life. The doctor excuses herself and leaves me with a scowling Rylan. “Bianca?” he starts launching into his own lecture on my health as he helps me out of the bed. I nod along as he walks me back to my dorm, this time with a good excuse to take me through the door, rather than the window.

  Not long later, he sits me up in my bed with Jacinta watching our every move together and rummages through our little kitchen for something for me to eat.

  “So, I’ll see you in the morning?” I ask hesitantly.

  “No,” he scoffs. “You heard the Doctor. I’m cancelling all your morning sessions for the week.”

  “What?” I screech. “She said I could do basic skills.”

  “I don’t care,” he deadpans. “I’m not risking it.”

  I huff and puff, whining about how the world is not fair. He bends down and gently kisses me. “I’m so angry with you, but I’m glad you’re ok,” he says, then whispers, “I love you.”

  Heat fills me. “Love you, too,” I respond, kissing him once again.

  He gives me a small smile and makes his way to the door. “Wait,” I call, stopping him in his tracks.

  “Yes…?” he asks curiously.

  I reach over into my bedside table and pull out his iPod. He gives me a funny look. “I’m guessing that didn’t accidentally end up in your draw?”

  “Nope,” I smile. He steps forward and takes it out of my outstretched hands with yet another curious look. “I might have updated it a little bit,” I confess.

  “I don’t know whether to thank you or be scared you destroyed my iPod with crap,” he says.

  “Well, there’s only one way to find out,” I grin.

  He gives me a knowing look with a twinkle in his eye’s that melts my heart before he turns and exit’s the room. Leaving me to a gawking Jacinta. “What?” I ask her.

  She comes and sits down on my bed looking dumbfounded. “I knew you were together, but hearing and seeing it. WHOA, so not the same thing. He is like crazy in love with you,” she observes.

  “Yeah, he is.” I smile. Jacinta bends down and pulls my laptop out from under my bed and squishes in next to me before pressing play on a movie. “So… I was kind of pretending to be asleep and I heard Daniel tell Rylan that he has been in love with me for the last four years,” I tell her as the movie plays in the background.

  “WHAT?” she screeches, her mouth dropping open in surprise.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” I laugh.

  “You’ve certainly had a lot of excitement over the last few days,” she observes. “But, I guess that kind of explains why Daniel is so over protective of you sometimes,” she considers.

  “Yeah, maybe, but I just thought that was his personality, how he treats us girls, I mean he is protective of you, too.”

  “He is, but not in the same way he is with you,” she says. “But who knows, maybe when he adds his brotherly affection into it, I may get the same super-overprotective guy that you get,” she laughs.

  “You know
what, it’s not always a bad thing.”

  “No, not in the slightest.”

  Chapter 10

  The next few days drag by and as expected it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, being in the combat room, watching all the guys sparring and not being able to join in, is like killing me from the inside out. Though, I must admit, I have enjoyed my morning sleep ins, not to mention Trey and Daniel have practically been slaving over me, which Jacinta hates, but I mean, why waste a perfectly good opportunity.

  I walk into the Combat room on Thursday afternoon to a room full of students, but no instructors. Everybody lazes around while we wait and a scowl crosses my face when Luke and Alex come strutting over. “What’s going on, Bianca?” Luke asks, in a voice that is desperate for information. “You haven’t trained all week, you being punished for you little tantrum on Monday?”

  “What’s it any of your business?” I demand, shooting up to my feet.

  “Feisty today,” Alex says, his eyes widening in excitement. “Nah man, I think you’re wrong. Rylan lets her get away with everything. I think she is probably just on her rags or the whore got herself knocked up,” he smirks.

  With my patience at the end of the line, my arm instantly snakes out and I hear the satisfying crunch of Alex’s nose beneath my fist. “You bitch,” he snarls as blood begins to pour down his ugly face. He launches himself at me and I quickly jump into action and apparently after a few days off, my desperate need for action, soars way above my control.

  Luke jumps into the fight and Daniel instantly involves himself, because, come on, two against one, so not fair. We all scramble as our other teammates begin to pull us off each other.

  I suddenly find Rylan standing in the centre of our fight. “BACK THE FUCK UP,” he growls to the four of us. We all instantly retreat. “Someone better start explaining what’s going on here,” he demands.

  Alex immediately pipes up. “She broke my fucking nose,” he snarls.

  Rylan’s eyes zone in on me. “I was provoked,” I screech. “And he deserved it.”

  “I don’t give a shit, Bianca. That’s no excuse to break some dickheads nose,” he says in fury, not caring that he just called a student a dickhead for the class to hear. He lets out a frustrated groan. Yep. I totally deserved that.

  I stand quietly beside Daniel as I wait for whatever punishment is coming next. “Alex, get out of here,” he says. “The three of you will sit out today, then all of you will stay after class,” he orders, dismissing us. He walks away in anger to get the classes attention.

  “You ok?” Daniel asks.

  I give him a small nod as I make my way over to the small stage in the room, sit down and get comfortable.

  An hour later, Alex comes back in the room, his face bandaged and bruised. I smirk at the look of pain on his face as he sits beside Luke. “Wipe that look off your face,” Rylan murmurs as he passes me.

  I do just that and get back to studying the groups in front of me, learning my classmates strengths and weakness.

  Finally, another hour later, the bell chimes signalling the end of The Academy school hours and Rylan makes his way over to give us our punishments. Rylan orders us to clean all the equipment and pack away everything that was used in the day’s session. With the four of us, it really doesn’t take too long, well, I guess really three of us as Alex mopes around whining about his nose.

  Thirty minutes later, we finish our jobs and sit back on the stage as we wait for Rylan to dismiss us.

  He saunters over, not caring that it’s breaking into our afternoon, though, to me, it really doesn’t matter. “Someone better start talking,” he says.

  I immediately pipe up. “These idiots came over wanting to be assholes and I lost my shit and punched Alex, and of course he has absolutely no self-control and tried to hit me back, then Luke wanted a little action and insisted two on one was a fair fight, so Daniel jumped in. But, just saying, if they weren’t trying to get all in my business, then none of this would have happened.”

  Nobody tries to correct or deny my story. Rylan groans at the idiocy of all this. “Everybody agree with that?” he asks the boys. They all nod in agreement. “Right, Daniel, get out of here, you did nothing I wouldn’t have done,” he says and I catch the underlying meaning. Say, like not blaming Daniel for jumping into a fight to protect the person you love. He glances at Luke, “You’re an idiot. If I hear you’re jumping into somebody else fight and creating an unfair advantage. I’ll rip you a new one myself,” he says dismissing him. Then swivels his gaze to Alex, “Looks like you deserved a broken nose, hell, if I wasn’t your instructor and you were constantly in my face. I would have broken your nose as well. Learn to keep your comments to yourself,” Alex nods and quickly disappears out the door behind Luke. Leaving us alone in the big room.

  Great, why did he have to leave me till last? “You want to explain yourself?” he asks.

  “Not really,” I say. “It was honestly really stupid, the comments they made are things that usually wouldn’t even get my attention, but for some reason, it did and I lost my shit.”

  “That’s a poor excuse, Bianca.”

  “I’m not making excuses. I know I screwed up,” I say. “I’m just frustrated that I haven’t been able to fight all week and the last time I did, I got my ass kicked by you and then Daniel, none-the-less.”

  “I know. But you can’t just punch people because your bored and have too much energy,” he states.

  “I know. I’m sorry,” I say, a little whinier than I had hoped.

  His lips tighten. “Don’t do it again,” he says, then indicates to the door with a nod of his head.

  I walk towards the door passing right by him as I go. I stop when I stand beside him and give him a quick kiss on the cheek, before scurrying out of the room to find my friends.

  I find Jacinta and the boys at our usual spot in the cafeteria. I make it at least halfway to the table before Jacinta spots me, launches herself from her chair and sends me a scathing look. “I can’t believe you broke his nose?”

  I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face and break into a laugh.

  She groans in outrage at my casual attitude on the matter. “Do you have any idea how much trouble you could have gotten into, what if he had said something? You know, one day Rylan isn’t going to be able to dig you out of whatever ridiculous trouble you get yourself in,” she huffs as she falls back into her chair.

  “Geez, relax, Malibu Barbie,” I say as I take the seat beside her and pinch a chip from Trey. “I didn’t get in trouble and besides, even if Alex said something, it would be so easy it put it down to ‘A combat incident’,”

  “What?” Trey fumes. “Rylan let you off the hook?”

  “Well, kind of, he is pretty pissed at me,” I confirm.

  Daniel smirks, “Told you,” he says to Trey, holding an outstretched hand towards him. Trey groans as he digs in his pocket and places a twenty in Daniels' hand. “Pays to be screwing the instructor. Maybe I should give that a try,” Daniel comments.

  “Are you guys betting on what goes on between me and Rylan?” I screech as quietly as possible.

  “Yup,” Daniel says proudly. “You’d be surprised how much money you’ve won me off this guy here over the years,” he says, slapping Trey on the shoulder.

  “In that case, I deserve a cut,” I demand, reaching for the twenty that sits on the table.

  “No way,” he says, quickly grabbing the money and shoving it deep into his pockets. He finishes off his food and gets up from the table. “I’d hate to love you and leave you, but I’ve spent the last two hours sitting on my ass, not working off any energy. I’m hitting the gym,” he declares.

  “If you’re wanting to work off energy, wouldn’t it be best you go visit Nora instead?” Trey smirks.

  Daniel gives us a sleazy grin and raises his eyebrows at Trey's suggestion. “That’s not a bad idea,” he says.

  “Nah.” I laugh, “You’d probably onl
y last a few seconds, you’re best to hit the gym.”

  “Gross,” Jacinta says, scrunching her face up.

  Daniel winks. “I’m joking sis. I’m going to the gym,” he says. “Trey, man, you coming?”

  Trey gives a slight nod and gets up from the table. “See you later, babe,” he says, bending down and giving Jacinta the hottest kiss, which is definitely inappropriate for the crowded cafeteria, even I have to look away.

  They finally pull apart when a ‘get a room’ comment is hollered from the other side of the room, they smirk at each other and Daniel finally intervenes, grabbing Trey by the arm and dragging him out the door while Trey dramatically confesses his undying love for Jacinta, causing her cheeks to flame the brightest shade of red.

  Twenty minutes later we finish up in the cafeteria and head out the door as we figure out how to spend the rest of our afternoon. “How about we head down to the field and do a little sun baking? I could use a bit of a tan,” Jacinta suggests.

  “Uh… yes and no. I say we head down to the field where I can practice some of my sequences and new moves on you. It’s a win/win. You can work on your tan and I can use up some of my own energy,” I smile.

  “Ugh,” she groans. “The last time I helped you practice, I ended up covered in bruises and besides, aren’t you supposed to be taking the week off training?” she asks.

  “No,” I huff. “The doctor said I was fine for basic skills, just nothing intense. It’s Rylan who isn’t letting me train.” She scrunches her face at me in distaste. “Please. I promise no punching?”

  “Fine,” she groans. “But you have to help me with my FEDS flash cards.”

  I hold my hand out to her with a grin, “You’ve got yourself a deal, nerd.”

  An hour later, my impromptu practice session has turned into more of a ‘teach Jacinta a few cool things so she can impress her boyfriend’ session. My arm loosely circles her neck, mimicking a choke hold and I grab her arm and attempt to pin it against her back and just as I had explained, she brings her elbow down hard into my stomach, taking advantage of my movement and spinning out of my grasp, finishing me off with a ‘pretend’ kick to the groin.