DREXEL GENESIS

My body jolts as if struck by lightning so abruptly when I feel the coolness in my nape. I rub my neck, sensing the sudden dampness and gaze upwards, only to find myself met with curious honey-brown eyes. The idea that I had passed away and an angel was now gazing upon me hit me so unexpectedly that I leap up from my seat, causing the girl in front of me to startle.

"Hello, Drexel," she repeats, lightly chuckling in amusement.

"C-Crimson! You shouldn't scare people like that!" I stutter, failing to avoid my embarrassment. "Sorry, here..." she hands me a tissue and I take it and lightly dab my neck dry.

I force a smile for Crimson, my heavy heart easing a bit at the sight of her. "What brings you to the hospital?" I ask, scanning her for any signs of injury or illness. "Are you okay?"

Crimson shakes her head quickly, "My father hurt his leg. It's not serious, but he needs to take some tests. He's resting now, and I'm just killing time."

"I see, I hope he gets well soon," I reply, offering a sympathetic smile. She gives me an appreciative smile and turns the focus on me, "But... why are you here? Is everything okay?" she asks, and I slowly sink back into my seat, contemplating my response.

I take a moment to consider my words, but it seems like I've taken too long to answer, as Crimson sits down next to me, looking worried. She places a gentle hand on my shoulder and asks, "Drexel? What's wrong?"

The question seemed simple enough, but the answer was far from it. Everything felt wrong. Should I open up to her and reveal everything? We've only known each other for two months...but...

I stand up and extend my hand, hoping she'll take it so I can gather the strength I need to move forward. "Come with me," I say, and without question, she places her soft hand in mine. Goosebumps form on my skin from the warmth of her touch as I lead her towards the closed room in front of us. With a deep breath, I open the door.

The room was shrouded in darkness, so I open the balcony door and curtains to let in some fresh air. Crimson's curious gaze fixes on the unmoving figure lying on the hospital bed. I flash her a tight smile and made my way to the bed, with her following behind me. For a moment, the only sound that filled the room was the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor.

I reach out and take the hand of the motionless body on the bed, then turn to Crimson. "This is my Uncle, Emmett," I introduce him. I glance back at my uncle, and watch his brown hair combed back and closed eyes, "Uncle Emmy, meet Crimson," -the girl I like- but I refrain from adding that.

Crimson gulps nervously as she steps closer to me and stands by my side. She gives a small bow and greets my uncle, "Uhm, h-hello, Uncle Emmett." But of course, there was no response. As she notices my unwavering gaze, she places her other hand on my back and lightly circles her fingers on my clothed skin, making me tremble and then deflate into a calming sense.

I sense the distressed look Crimson directs at me, "Are you willing to talk about it?" 

I take a deep breath and look at my uncle's lifeless body. "He has been in a coma, for two years," I reply, my voice barely above a whisper. I hear her gasp and I stand up, offering her a seat in front of the balcony doors. A group of red Robins fly past the room and high into the sky, leaving a chirrupy chorus of birdsong in its trail.

 After taking a moment to compose myself, I begin to explain, "Two years ago, my mother and her brother - Uncle Emmett - experienced a car collision. Uncle Emmett's brain was severely damaged, and he has been in a coma ever since." 

The thought of not hearing his voice for two years has my heart constricting painfully inside. "My mother suffered from disc herniation and her legs were severely impacted by the collision. She has a caretaker at home, and her herniation is almost treated through physical therapy, but I don't know if she will have to remain in a wheelchair for the rest of her life..."

I don't turn to face Crimson, afraid that her sympathetic expression might break me, but she continues to rub my back soothingly. It takes all my effort to resist the urge to purr like a cat under her comforting touch.

"I'm sorry that happened, Drexel," she says softly. "What became of the other driver who crashed into their car?"

As soon as she asks the question, I feel a surge of anger burning up from my core. "The other driver just kept going and didn't even stop. He forced my uncle off the road, causing him to topple down the road. My mom said that the driver came out of nowhere and Uncle Emmy had no choice but to swerve off the road to avoid colliding with it and see where it got them. Mum's car was hardly recognizable, I'm surprised they're both alive. The police couldn't catch him, and I don't think they ever will."

"That's truly awful," Crimson says through gritted teeth, her hands balling into fists and her eye twitching. "So is that why you've street racing?" she inquires.

"Yeah," I reply, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders as I talk about it. "With my father gone," -jeez, as if my life cannot get any messier- "I'm the sole provider for my family. My uncle, who co-owned the garage where I work, is single and money was never a big problem for us. But with the medical expenses for both my mother and uncle, along with daily expenses and school, I had to work twice as hard to earn. We had money saved separately for Rowan's and my college expenses before, so I don't dare touch it." 

My hand involuntarily brushes my neck, anticipating the warmth of the necklace, but all I encounter is emptiness. 

"I started working at my uncle's garage first. Then, when we needed more money, I joined the street racing scene. It helped that I've loved racing ever since I was a kid. Uncle Emmy always supported my passion for cars and became more of a father to me than my real one. The car I have now is actually his," I explain, my eyes zoning in on the still frame of Uncle Emmett.

"I had no idea, Drexel. You always seemed so happy and cheerful around us," Crimson says, her voice filled with empathy.

"I had to stay strong for my sister, mother, and friends. I have no problems with money since Jed's and Zeke's parents offer to take care of us too. But I like being independent, you know without being indebted to anyone," I reply with a soft smile, finally looking at her.

Crimson's expression turns to one of awe as she whispers, "You're amazing, Drexel. You're a great brother and son."

Feeling embarrassed, I rub my neck and let out a broken laugh. "I-I guess so."

She stands up, gesturing wildly in the air, determined to make her point. "You don't understand!" she exclaims. "You're so strong, tough, and so...so amazing! Your determination to make everyone happy makes you seem so kind and cool. But what about yourself?"

I tilt my head in confusion. "What about me?" I ask.

"You're going to be seventeen this year, yet you work so hard and keep up with your studies. I just want you to take some time for yourself and think about what you want too! Oh, Lord! If only I could keep you in my pocket away from all the troubles in the world...!" It was clear by now that she was just enthusiastically ranting, perhaps unaware that I was even in the room.

Look at her, of course, I am crushing on this girl and I was even trying to deny it before.

"Come on now, Scarlet. Are you forgetting that I am here? Hello?"

Crimson stops her one-sided conversation and looks at me with angry eyes. "I was talking to you!"

I sit back on the sofa and shrug, appearing uninterested when I clearly was from the inside. "I don't know. You were flailing about wanting to keep me in your pocket like you have a crush on me," I laugh out loud but mentally think, 'Take the bait. Take the bait.'

Crimson stares at me as if she couldn't believe what I said, and grabs one of the cushions, smacking my chest. Oh well, maybe she doesn't like me that way then.

"Sh-shut up!" she says in an unusually high-pitched voice. Oh? Or maybe she does...?

"I DON'T have a crush on you!"

Was that the sound of my heart tearing a little?

"No need to be so defensive about that. Hmph, your loss anyway."

Wait, what? When did I become so bold? Screw you, Archer, for messing up with my mind. I can almost hear him saying, "The first step to court your girl is to be bold, no, keep your ugly hair, but be bold to express your liking to her. Girls these days man, they love a man who knows what they want. You like her? You tell her." -Easy for him to say.

Crimson stares at me with red cheeks and wild eyes with the cushion on the floor. She looks like a bull who would head-butt me any minute now.

Time to backpedal.

"I mean, there is a patient here. This is a hospital. It is inappropriate to talk of such things in front of an unconscious patient." She looks guilty for a second there, and I feel guilty for making her guilty(Because I was the one who started it regardless). But she stubbornly says, "It is your fault! You shouldn't say s-such ab-absurd things!" And with a huff, she plops down on the sofa. Then she shoots up with wide eyes and bows down at a 90-degree angle towards my uncle. "I apologize for my rude behaviour, Uncle Emmett!"

I snicker at her antics. Why does she have to act so adorably?

Crimson turns her head with a glare and pushes my head down making me cough. "Apologize." She whispers harshly. Not so adorable now.

"S-Sorry, Uncle Emmy," I mumble out and Crimson sits down again in satisfaction. She holds out her iced coffee to me. "Here, it is still cold. You can have it."

Please stop making my heart haywire. One moment you're glaring at me, the next we're fighting, and then you're smiling or offering me comfort. It's hard to keep up. Please, can you please decide, Crimson? These feelings are new to me and I don't want to risk a heart attack.

However, I take the drink and gulp it down, feeling a refreshing coolness wash over my body. "Thanks, I needed that," I tell her gratefully and take another sip.

"You're welcome. Did you come here straight from school?" Crimson inquires.

I nod my head, "Yes, I did. I have to head to work in an hour, so I thought I'd come here to pass the time."

Her next question catches me off guard. "Oh, then... can I keep you company until then?" she asks, and I feel a rush of excitement budding from inside me.

I try to maintain a composed exterior as I wring my fingers together and look away, trying not to break into a smile. "Okay," I reply, thrilled at the prospect of spending more time with her, even if it was in a hospital.

° ° °

As I rush towards Archer's house after a long day in the garage, I nearly stumble over a stone. Despite feeling a surge of giddy excitement, I bite my lip to suppress myself from laughing giddily like a madman. I needed to talk to my best friend and gain some clarity on my thoughts because I was feeling unsure about what to do.

When it was time for us to part ways, Crimson had tentatively offered me a hug without meeting my gaze. "Don't get the wrong idea, this is just a 'comfort' hug between friends!" she quipped when she caught my mischievous grin. Despite her protest, I eagerly hugged her back, relishing the rare moment of physical closeness with her. Even as I sensed her resistance, I refused to let go and held her tightly for a few minutes until she finally relented. But soon after, she was gone in a flash, bidding a hurried goodbye as she vanished into thin air like smoke.

Yep, her hugs were definitely my favourite.

The cause of my inner turmoil was rooted in Crimson's hug. I couldn't help but wonder if I was overthinking things. Did her embrace imply that she had feelings for me or was she just being sympathetic and friendly? Was I holding onto her for too long and making her uncomfortable? Or maybe she enjoyed the hug and was just shy, which could explain why she avoided eye contact afterwards. These questions run a never-ending marathon in my mind, and I couldn't help but wonder if her actions were a sign of her liking me.

This is why I needed Archer. He will surely tease me, but even then, I would go through all that if it meant that he would be able to help me organize my thoughts.

I barge in through the front door startling Mr. Miller, Archer's father, who was peacefully reading a newspaper. "Oh, uhm, sorry!" I say hurriedly and make my way up the stairs. I was taken aback to see him there, as I wasn't expecting him to be around. Maybe he did take Archer's words to heart? Good for them then.

I burst open Archer's door and without further ado, I face-plop onto his bed like a pancake on a pan.

"Drexel! What-"

"Archer!" I whine (which was unlike me, mind you), my voice muffled by the bed sheets. "I'm at my wit's end! Does she like me or not? Should I confess my feelings to her? Every time I try to do something about it, I chicken out or second-guess myself and end up backpedalling. I don't know what to do with these useless emotions! Maybe it's just a passing phase and I shouldn't confess after all." I turn over onto my back and stretch out my limbs like a starfish, letting out a deep groan as I stare blankly at the ceiling.

"Drex, you may want to-"

"I'm feeling so confused! Sometimes I feel like grabbing her by the shoulders and confessing my feelings to her. But I have no courage! But then there are other times when I think it's best to wait and see. What if she doesn't feel the same way? Ugh, I just want to shut my brain off and sleep!" I exclaim, sitting up abruptly, only to fall off the bed with a startled yelp when I see that we were not alone.

Three pairs of wide eyes stare back at me and Archer lightly slaps his hand over his forehead.

"SAY WHAT NOW?"

Our boy's busted lol.

What do you think about Drexel's list of conflicting emotions? Poor guy, can't catch a break!

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