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Toni sat there in the hospital bed with all these small electrodes stuck to her chest.
She was fine, this was totally over the top. She’d had some shortness of breath, and dizziness in a basketball game or two. She’d fainted the last game, but that had been dehydration probably. It had been a really hot day.
It wasn’t likely that she was arrhythmic. But her mom had insisted she check her into the hospital just to be sure. And here she was, attached to a heart monitor.
She looked at the monitor. Her heartbeat had gotten a little higher as she’d thought about all this. Truth be told, she was trying to calm herself down, make it nothing, hope it was nothing. Being arrhythmic and loving basketball didn’t seem to go together, and she loved nothing more than sports at this point in her life. And her best friend Martha of course. At least those were the things that loved her back.
She didn’t count having a crush on the most beautiful girl in school, whom she’d barely ever talked to as one of the things she loved in her life. Though she did like to look at this particular girl every day. It made her smile just to see her smile. Damn it. What a sap she was.
Anyway, she had to calm down because she hadn’t seen Martha since the game, and she was coming to visit her this afternoon and Toni didn’t want to worry her.
Toni took several deep breaths and watched some TV while she waited for Martha, and about 45 minutes later, a nurse came in and told her she had some visitors.
Toni sat up in bed, and Martha came in through the door and practically jumped on her bed.
Toni smiled and hugged her hard.
“Toni, I’m so glad you’re okay. I was so worried,” Martha told her as they hugged hard.
“Thanks, I’m fine. This is all just a complete exaggeration from my mom,” Toni shrugged off, but she was happy to get a visitor, especially Martha.
“The girls in the basketball team are coming by later okay,” said Martha as she got off Toni and gave her a handmade card that she had and which had gotten smushed between them during the hug.
Toni’s eye caught someone unexpected by the door now that Martha wasn't blocking it.
A familiar blonde, shying by the door of her room.
When the blonde noticed Toni looking at her, she finally walked into the room, a polite smile on her face.
“Hi, Toni,” Shelby said in that deliciously attractive southern accent.
Toni’s heartbeat spiked. What the hell was Shelby Goodkind, crush of her life, doing here?
Thankfully, the heart monitor sounding a couple times from the spike seemingly hadn’t caught anyone’s attention, and the monitor was quiet again though her heart rate was a little higher than it had been moments ago.
Shelby’s eyes were completely focused on Toni.
Martha quickly took note of Toni’s confusion. Martha was the only one that knew about Toni’s incurable crush on Shelby. Toni had denied it of course, but with all the hopeless looks and occasional sketches on her notebooks, Martha had figured it out incredibly quickly way back when.
“Shelby and I bumped into each other at the nurse’s office, and when I told her I was coming to see you she said she wanted to come with me,” Martha explained.
Toni looked between Shelby and Martha, not sure what to say or do. Why would Shelby want to visit her? And more importantly, she wondered whether she should murder Martha for bringing Shelby or thank her.
“I just wanted to wish you a speedy recovery,” said Shelby as she put a chocolate box nearby that Toni hadn’t even noticed she was carrying. It had a cute card that read, ‘Get Well Soon’ with a lot of sports balls on it. It had to be for kids, but Toni loved it just the same.
“Thanks. You didn’t have to get me anything,” Toni replied, blushing a little. Her heart was definitely beating faster, but she thanked every possible devine thing that it wasn’t high enough to set off an alarm in the monitor just yet.
“It’s common courtesy to bring someone in the hospital some’ing nice,” Shelby responded kindly, smiling wide.
“Thanks,” Toni said again. Jeez, she was being so sappy around Shelby. She never thanked anyone twice, unless it was sarcastically.
“I can’t stay long,” Shelby said before it got too awkward. “I gotta get back home and check in with my family,” she said shily, her thumb pointing to the door.
“Right,” Toni nodded, a little sad that this was the only interaction she’d have with her. She’d barely ever got to speak to her, and in her wildest fantasies, Toni actually had a decent conversation with Shelby, and maybe had even more with her. But anyway, Shelby was probably straight, and the furthest thing from interested in Toni.
“Wait,” Martha cut in, “I have to go to the bathroom, can’t you keep Toni company until I’m back?” she asked politely.
Okay, Toni was definitely going to have to kill her. She couldn’t even tell if Martha was trying to give them some alone time in a very pathetic attempt to light something between them or if she really had to go.
“Sure, I don’t have to go right away,” said Shelby, politely accepting the invite to watch over Toni.
Toni opened her mouth to protest, “I don’t need a babysit-” she barely had a chance to say before Martha was gone.
It got quiet very quickly and Shelby smiled politely as she always did, looking away a little.
“I don’t want to keep you if you have to go,” Toni said. Though she wasn’t sure why she was ushering her out when if it were any other day, she’d be dying to have Shelby around. How had she let herself have a crush this big on the popular girl?
“That’s all’right. You’re not keepin’ me, I’m happy to stay while Martha comes back,” Shelby said kindly.
Gosh, all that politeness killed Toni. In the most adorable way possible of course.
“Sorry ‘bout your game,” Shelby broke the silence.
“Thanks,” Toni replied. The last game she’d been in, the one that landed her here, had been cut short. At least her time in it had because she’d fainted. And Toni hated that she’d missed the rest of it and that she’d put her team on edge, and left them to fend for themselves on top of it.
“You were doin’ real good too,” Shelby commented.
She had been watching. But that was no big deal, Toni reasoned. Half the school had been there.
“Yeah, we had them by the balls,” Toni said with a chuckle.
Shelby chuckled back at the comment and Toni’s heart jumped for a moment, the monitor sounding in time with it. The fuck? she wanted to yell at her own heart for betraying her.
“Make sure you get better, all’right? You’re the school’s star player,” Shelby said as she moved a little closer.
“I’m fine, this is all just a prank to get coach to appreciate me more,” Toni joked.
Shelby smiled. “Well, it got all of us worried.”
Shelby was worried about her? Toni’s heart spiked again. Shit.
“Us?” Toni asked.
“Yeah, you know, the school and your fans,” Shelby said.
“I have fans?” said Toni, skeptical.
Shelby smiled wide. “Sure you do. I’m one of ‘em.”
Another spike. Several of them.
Shelby hadn’t noticed the monitor, Toni thought. And if she had, she was definitely pretending she hadn’t.
“You’re a fan?” Toni asked, incredulous. No way Shelby Goodkind was a fan of hers. This blonde with a perfect smile, a suburban charm, and unceasing kindness could not be a fan of Toni when Toni was the exact opposite of all that.
“‘course I am. You have a lot of fans you know,” Shelby teased.
“I don’t think I do,” Toni said in disbelief with a headshake. Well, surely she had the school’s support when she played well, but she didn’t have fans. More importantly, Shelby couldn’t possibly be her fan.
Shelby reached for her hand, “You have a lot of people who support you Toni. A lot of people that miss you in school and on the field.”
The monitor began to ring the moment Shelby’s hand touched Toni’s. This wasn’t even a spike, or several, this was just her heart beating out of her chest and there was no way Shelby hadn’t taken notice of that.
Toni looked at Shelby’s hand on hers and then Shelby’s eyes. She got red at the thoughts in her mind. If only the monitor would shut the fuck up before she died of embarassment. It was giving everything away.
Shelby looked at the monitor and pulled back her hand quickly. “I’m sorry.”
Busted, thought Toni. But why was Shelby apologizing?
“Why are you sorry?” Toni asked.
“Well, isn’t it obvious?” Shelby replied, eyes looking sad, “you don’t want me here.”
“What?” Toni asked, perplexed.
“You obviously can’t stand me Toni. The monitor rang the moment you saw me, it rings practically every time I speak, and now again when I touched you,” Shelby elaborated, though it didn’t really clear anything up for Toni. Those things were true, but how was Shelby interpreting them?
“I…, yeah but…”
“You hate me,” Shelby added, “and I aggravate you, which is why your heartbeat jumps every time I do anything,” she explained as she backed up and looked away.
Okay, Shelby had definitely got that wrong.
“That’s not why my heartbeat spikes,” Toni blurted out.
Shelby met her eyes. “It’s not?”
“No,” Toni replied. She wished her heart would cool the fuck down. The monitor was still going on and on so damn loudly. But she figured it wasn’t going to stop now if Shelby made her keep going.
“Then why does it spike?” Shelby asked.
Yep, definitely wasn’t going to slow down.
“It’s because I like you,” Toni let out slowly.
Shelby’s eyes widened at the realization. “ Oh .”
Toni swallowed. Okay, now you can shut up , she willed at the monitor, but it wouldn’t listen.
“I…never knew that,” Shelby said.
“Yeah, well, we’re not exactly close and we don’t have friends in common-”
“You never asked me out,” Shelby uttered loudly.
Toni was shocked. “What?”
“Why have you never asked me out if you like me?”
“Um, I thought you were straight,” Toni said in a partial truth. The other reason was that she felt completely out of Shelby’s league.
“Well, you’d have known better if you’d just asked.”
Oh. Not straight then. Knowing that was probably the best piece of news she’d ever gotten. And her heartbeat was really showing that unfortunately.
“I was just supposed to walk up to you and go, ‘hey Shelby, are you gay? And if so, would you like to go out with me?’” Toni joked sarcastically.
“Yes,” Shelby said clearly.
“Yeah, right,” Toni replied with a scoff.
“I meant, yes, I’ll go out with you. I’m answering your question Toni,” Shelby stated.
Toni’s mouth got dry. “What?”
“That is, if you’re really askin’”.
Please don’t go into cardiac arrest, Toni begged her heart.
“Yeah, yeah,” Toni nodded. “I’m asking,” she asserted.
“You sure?” Shelby teased. “You don’t seem too convinced.”
Holy crap, was Shelby flirting with her?
Toni chuckled and blushed, “Let me try again then. Would you like to go on a date with me?” she said, feigning confidence. Except her heart was betraying her, badly. The monitor hadn’t shut up throughout the entire interaction. And now Shelby knew what it meant. Her damn heart was on her sleeve here. She was in a particularly vulnerable position right now. This was fucking terrifying.
Shelby looked to an upper corner, brought a hand to her chin and put her index and thumb to pretend she was considering it.
“I don’t know, I gotta think about it,” Shelby tantalized.
“You might want to think fast, I don’t have a lot of time before I go into cardiac arrest. Give a young girl her dying wish, won't you,” Toni joked, hoping it was charming enough to get Shelby to put her out of her delicious misery.
Shelby smiled widely. “All’right. Yes Toni, I’ll go out with you.”
“Phew, nearly died there,” Toni let out, still joking while her heart continued beating too hard for her liking.
“Well, now that that’s settled, I should get goin’” said Shelby as she walked up to Toni’s bedside. “Got a phone?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Toni shuffled a little and handed her the phone that was right next to her after she’d unlocked it.
Shelby pressed on the screen a few times and then handed it back some seconds later. “That’s my number. The last one I just called. So you can save it.”
Toni nodded, like an idiot, already enamored.
“I’m free this Friday,” Shelby proposed. “If you’re outta here by then.”
“I’ll be out,” Toni said with conviction, though she didn’t know for sure. She’d escape the hospital if she had to so as not to miss her date with Shelby.
Her date with Shelby. She couldn’t freaking believe it.
Unexpectedly, Shelby leaned down to her and planted a soft kiss on her lips.
The blonde pulled back slowly.
The monitor was off the roof. Fuck’s sake! But Toni had to admit, the monitor was describing how she felt though. She couldn’t help it. And neither could the machine she kept trying to fight.
Shelby grinned. “In case you have a heart attack today,” as if to justify the kiss in a playful manner.
“You might just be the cause of it,” Toni divulged.
“I like the idea of having that hold on you. But just for me, don’t have a heart attack today. I got a date with you on Friday that I’m real excited ‘bout,” Shelby said with a wink as she lingered by the door.
Toni beamed. “I’ll be there.”
Shelby’s grin remained wide as she disappeared from view.
“Oh, sorry Martha, see you at school,” Toni heard Shelby say behind the wall.
“No worries, see you tomorrow,” Martha replied before she appeared in view before Toni.
“Were you there the whole time?” Toni asked as her heartbeat was beginning to return to normal, albeit slowly.
“Not the whole time, I actually went to the bathroom but that only took about 2 minutes. Then I came in to hear you guys flirting and I couldn’t bring myself to interrupt you,” Martha said, beaming in happiness for Toni.
Toni couldn’t help her smile either. “I asked her out.”
“Kind of sounds like she asked you first, sort of,” Martha teased.
“Shut up,” Toni said playfully.
“I’m really happy for you Toni,” Martha smiled and hugged her hard from the side.
“Thanks, Martha,” Toni said, hugging back.
“Now we have to focus on the important thing,” said Martha.
“Getting out of here?” Toni asked.
“No. What are you going to wear for your date!” Martha exclaimed as Toni’s heart jumped again.
Shit. What was she going to wear on her date with Shelby?