Between Love and Hate - Capitulo 6

Capitulo 6

"Hello," Maria said groggily. She just woke up.
"Hi, Maria." The voice on the other end of the line said.
"Who is this and why are you calling this early in the morning?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought that you would be on your way to school. It's Paul, by the way."
Maria immediately woke up.
"What time is it?"
"It's 8am. I'm sorry if I woke you, I just wanted to know about our lunch. Yesterday you said that you would think about it. So?"
"So what?"
"So have you thought about it? Are we going out to lunch today?"
"Umm...yeah. Why not. This week is a dream anyway."
"Ok, so I'll see you at Lunch. Where are you sitting?"
"The same place I always sit. In the back of the school, alone."
"Alone?, why alone? I thought that you and Miranda did everything together."
"Miranda has student council at lunch everyday, and I'm not exactly Miss. Popular. Plus, there is no one else behind the school and I like being alone."
"I'm sorry to cut you off Miranda, but I have to go. If I'm not in school in 10 minutes, Mr. Harrison will kill me. I've been late way too many times."
"Yeah, sure no problem. I have to get ready too."
"OK. See you at lunch. Don't bail on me."
"I won't. bye Chr... um bye Paul"
What the hell is wrong me with me, Maria thought, 2 days ago no one talked to me, now I have two cute guys paying attention to me. OMG, what time is it. I have to be in school 10 minutes ago.
Maria got ready in record time and was only 3 minutes late to class, since Mr. Harrison was also late. When she came in, Paul gave her a wave, which she returned. Every one in class turned when she sat down. Miranda just smiled and said "I told you he likes you".

Between Love and Hate - Capitulo 5

Capitulo 5

"Hey, Jerry. I'm really sorry. They didn't know what to do, I guess" Maria said as she slowly stood up. Chris wanted to stand there to give her support but Jerry was already by her side and checking her eyes and heart beat.
"You have to be careful, chica. You know that you're not allowed to get upset. "
Jerry's partner was back in the ambulance talking back to home base while .Harry and Esme were looking at each other awkwardly. Chris knew that Esme was embarrassed by the way she acted, and he also knew that Harry liked that Esme got so close to him. Jerry was scolding Maria
"Now you have to pay for us coming here for nothing. Your mom will be really angry, and then we'll have to come here again."
"Mama will understand. And I have a job now, I can pay for the ambulance with my first paycheck."
Chris decided that now was the time to speak up.
"Excuse me? Maria what's going on? Has this happened before?""
Maria's smile vanished as she looked at Chris.
"Umm... yeah. It happened once or twice. It's just that whenever I get really upset, I just black out. Usually all I need is mouth to mouth so that my lungs get get air, but you guys didn't know that." Maria did not want to tell the full story to everybody. Besides her mom, Miranda and Jerry, no one knows why this happens.
"I'm fine now. Good as normal." Maria added as she noticed that Esme, Harry and Chris had worried looks on their faces.
"OK. Maria. You're fine now. You're heart rate is back to normal and your blood pressure is regular. We're gonna go now. Unfortunately, you'll get a bill in the next 2 weeks." Jerry said as he started packing up.
" Thanks Jerry, hopefully I won't see you again." Maria said standing up. She walked Jerry back yo the ambulance.
"Hopefully, querida."
Chris was looking at Maria and he was extremely worried about her. This isn't normal. It should not happen.
"OK, you guys can get back shopping." Maria said when she came back, she had a beautiful smile on her face, but Chris saw that she was worried about something. He realized that she didn't say everything that there was to say about why get got blackouts.
"Maria, are you really OK?" The voice came behind Chris. It was Esme.
" Yeah, Esme. I'm fine. I'm used to this already. As long as you guys don't overly upset me, I'll be fine." She said the last part while looking only at Chris.
Esme left with Harry to look at some jeans. She kept her distance from him though.
Chris decided to get some courage and get closer to Maria. Her eyes widened.
" Maria, are you really OK? You got me really worried there for a moment."
" I'm really OK. How many times do I have to tell you not to worry. Wait, YOU were worried for ME."
Chris was losing the courage that he got.
" Yeah. You just dropped in front of me. I thought that I hit you or something."
Chris got closer to Maria, again.
"No, you didn't hit me."
"I got really worried."
They were speaking in hushed tones now. Chris's hand was on Maria's cheek.
"Well, don't fight with me and you wont have to worry anymore."
"I wont"
They leaned into each other. Their lips were so close to one another.
"Maria... Chris"
They heard Esme call out.
Maria and Chris quickly separated.
"Are you guys OK. I thought that maybe Maria had another blackout. Come back with me, Harry want your help Chris and I need your help Maria. If you're as fine as you say you are."
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Chris and Maria went on their way. Both feeling strangely dissapointed.

Between Love and Hate- Capitulo 4

Capitulo 4

Chris was shocked. What was happening to her. They were having a perfectly harmless fight that hurt no one. In fact, he was having a good time fighting with her. But then her eyes went inside the back of her head and she just dropped. Luckily he caught her in time so that she didn't drop to the ground. She was now in his arms like a little child, her gorgeous long red hair dropping down and brushing his arm. Chris didn't know what to do with her.
"Chris, what did you do?" Esme said as her eyes started to tear up.
"I didn't do anything. She just dropped. I'm as shocked as you are."
"Fine, fine. You didn't do anything. Go put her on the cash desk and I'll call 911." Now, Esme was full on crying.
"Oh my god, what happened, you guys," Harry said as he came back from the changing rooms.
"Is she OK?"
"Yeah, she's fine," Chris answered with a hint of sarcasm, " What do you think Harry? She's unconscious."
"Whoa, Chris, calm down. I didn't know. OK. I'm sorry, just calm down."
"I'm sorry too, I'm just nervous. I don't know what happened to her."
Chris set Maria down on the cash desk as Esme came back.
"OK, I called 911 and they'll be here in 3 minutes. Did she come to? Is she breathing?"
Esme calmed down just enough so that they were able to understand her. Chris just looked down at Maria who looked like she was asleep, Harry answered Esme's questions.
"She didn't come to yet and I don't know if she's breathing."
"You don't know. What do you mean you don't know?" Esme said as she started hitting Harry's chest with her fists. She was in such a shock.
"Chris, check to see if she's breathing." Harry said.
Chris leaned down to hear Maria breathing, but heard nothing. He put his finger underneath her nose but felt no air.
"She's not breathing you guys." Chris was now crying.
"Well do something. Do you know CPR?" Esme said between loud sobs. She was in curled in Harry's arms who was trying very hard not to cry.
"CPR? Yes I know CPR" Chris said, in shock he forgot the three hour class that he took only the year before.
He put his lips on hers. He only prayed that she would live. He breathed out once, and then a second time, and finally a third time before he felt Maria cough beneath his lips.
"Oh thank god." Chris heard Esme murmur behind him.
He looked at Maria and saw glazed eyes and realized that she was disoriented.
"Maria, are you OK?" he asked.
"Where am I? What happened?"
"You're at Trauma, you fainted. Are you OK"
That was when he heard the bell ring signaling that the ambulance had arrived. That was also when he realized that his hand was on Maria's cheek and that he was dangerously close to putting his lips to hers but for a completely different reason. She looked completely vulnerable and sexy. Her hair was sprawled out behind her and her lips were pink from the mouth to mouth.
He backed away when he heard the commotion behind him and realized that either Esme or Harry had opened the door and were now awkwardly looking at each other.
"Maria, again?", one of the paramedics asked, "what did I tell you about getting too upset. The doctor told you that too."
Maria was now sitting on the cash desk.
Again?, Chris thought. What was wrong with her so that the paramedics knew her by name?
And why was he finding her so damn attractive when he only knew her to be annoying, obnoxious, and half dead?

Between Love and Hate - Capitulo 3

Capitulo 3

Maria went straight to Trauma after school. She was excited about working there. All the popular girls in her school were dying for a job like the one she now has but they could never get it. Maria always wanted to be popular, with all the friends and the parties. But lately, she overhears every backstabbing and bitchy thing they say about each other and she now has second thought.

Vera greeted Maria with a warm hug. Vera was a fairly young woman who had a body to die for. She was leaving Maria by herself for an hour because she needed to go to Mexico and Esme couldn't start work until 5:00pm. Maria liked Esme, she graduated the year before and used her Trauma paycheck to pay her rent. She lived alone and went to college on scholarship. She was nice.

When Vera left, Maria went to the front of the store and folded shirts that didn't need folding. Trauma was a store that if you didn't know where it was, you couldn't find it. It used special entry through a microphone like in an apartment building. It had no windows since the building it was housed in was boarded up. Maria thankfully had an uncle who cleaned the floor above and told her about the job.
Trauma is a very high end and exclusive store. There was no way she could afford anything in there. Since Vera uses only the best materials even socks are amazingly expensive.

Maria was warned that it would be slow. After all, this was no Wal-Mart. In her week of training she realized that around 5:00 until 6:00 is when is got busiest and that meant having 5 customers in the store. Maria's job entailed that she be available whenever Vera calls on her. If in the middle of the night a celebrity desperately needs a pair of sock and Vera and Esme were unavailable, Maria had to come in and open the store. Thankfully she lived only 5 minutes away.

Once Maria was done tidying up the front, she went to the cash register and decided to read a magazine that Esme left behind.
She just turned the page when she heard the bell. She looked on the televison that they held which transmitted who was outside, she saw 2 guys. Since the camera was above their head, she didn't get a good look at who it was.

When she opened the door, she saw the most gorgeus curly haired guy ever.
"Esme, how slow are you? We've been standing here forever."
"Oh, I'm sorry, sir. It's my first day by myself and I'm still getting used to it."
"Don't worry about it. I forgive you", he said with a smile,"I'm Chris and this idiot behind me is Harry."
"Hello, I'm Maria. Welcome to Trauma, Mr. Chris."
"Drop the formalities please, I get enough of those at home. Chris is perfectly fine. Is Vera around? I told her that I would be stopping by."
"Oh, I'm sorry, she just went out."
"That's all right. I'm pretty sure you can help me out. " Chris went towards the back of the store where the men's section was located. He had a weird smile on his face.
"Hey, Maria. Let me properly introduce myself, I'm Harry." he said as he shook her hand.
"Hi Harry"
"What time does Esme start?"
Maria looked at her watch, "She should be here in about half an hour.
"Thanks." Harry said as he went toward Chris.

Maria walked over to Chris and Harry who were looked at dress pants.
"Do you need any help? I can start you a changing room."
Chris was the one who answered, "No, we don't need any help right now. You go sit your pretty butt down and we'll call you when we need you."
'WHAT DID HE SAY' Maria thought furiously. She imagined herself with steam coming out of her ears.
"Listen, MR.CHRIS, I'm sure you're used to girls swooning over you and that whatever you say goes, but not with me. I will sand here and let you make sexually indecent jokes to someone you have just met."
Maria was so furious that she was shaking.
"Maria, what happened?" The voice came behind her. It was Esme.
"Nothing happened." Chris said.
"Nothing happened? this jerk here just walked in as if he owned the place and sexually abused me."
"I did no such thing."
"YES YOU DID", Maria was just absolutely furious right now.
Then she could feel it. The calm that washed over her before it happened. She only said one word,"Sorry", before she blacked out and fell to the floor.