Hollywood Princess by Dana Aynn Levin Page B

Tears obscured my vision. I didn’t see the buckled pavement, uneven from the thick root of an ancient oak tree.
    An ear-splitting scream bellowed from deep inside of me. I hit the pavement with hard force. Crutches went flying. I couldn’t control the impact.
    “Eli!” Danny shouted. Right away he was on the cold ground beside me, supporting me in his strong arms.
    “You bastard!” I cried as I pounded my fists against his chest. The pain was unbearable. I feared losing consciousness. Danny cradled me protectively to stop the shaking that accompanied my sobs.
    “Eli,” he murmured. Danny’s voice trembled with fear. “Baby, I’m so sorry. It’s my fault.”
    “I hurt so much,” I cried.
    “I know, baby,” Danny replied while stroking my back for comfort.
    A small cluster of students formed around us.
    “I called EMS, Danny. They’re on the way,” a male student said. The intensity of the pain was so extreme I gripped Danny’s arms with all my might.
    “Is your girlfriend okay?” a girl asked.
    Girlfriend! There was that assumption again. Oh, hell! Except for the formalities like dating and sex, I supposed I was, for all intent and purposes, Danny’s girlfriend. So why wasn’t I happy about it?

CHAPTER 17 - DANIEL
    “Eli, we’re home.”  I nudged her when the taxi stopped in the Berkeley Hall parking lot.
    Elizabeth’s heavy eyelids struggled to open. The long afternoon of doctors, pain, and fitting her now fractured ankle with a boot cast had worn her out.
    “We’re home, hon.”
    Eli didn’t move. I didn’t comprehend what I had said.
    Deja-vu. It was yesterday all over again, with Elizabeth passed out in my bed and me stuck babysitting. Only today I was not happy with my part in the play.  It had turned into a nice afternoon and I’d missed rugby practice.
    The team would survive, but I had pent-up energy to release. I needed to be physical. Pacing my room did not help.
    I was so incredibly frustrated. Why did Elizabeth have to fracture her damned ankle?  And why did I feel responsible for her well-being? 
    I knew the answer all too well. Elizabeth. I cared for her more than anyone else and far more than I cared to admit. Guilt also played a part. It was my fault that it happened. I would never admit it to her though.
    The walls were closing in. I had to get out.
    Elizabeth stirred. I returned to the bed and sat down beside her. Sleepy eyes opened, and she smiled. The drugs were working. I took her hand and smiled back.
    “How are you doin g, baby?” I murmured. “Are you in pain?”
    “I don’t think so.”
    “That’s good,” I said, and I kissed Eli’s smooth cheek.
    My heart skipped a beat as she snuggled against me, laying he r dainty hand across my chest. There was something so comfortable with Eli’s perfectly shaped body cozy against mine.
    Eli jerked up to sitting, alert now, her demeanor radical, possessed. Lucid, Eli scrunched her face, trying to focus.
    “You broke my ankle!” she exclaimed.
    “I didn’t break your ankle,” I answered defensively. “You didn’t watch where you were going.”
    “I was so watching,” she persisted.
    “No, Elizabeth or you would have seen that tree root.”
    Elizabeth was getting me angry; mostly at myself because she was right.
    “I hate you, Danny!” she screamed. “Now I’ll never dance again.”
    “You don’t hate me. And yes you will dance again!” I shouted back.
    “No, I won’t!”
    “Yes, you will. You’ll dance,” I insisted.
    “I hate you!” Eli cried again. “I hate you more than anything!”
    “Shut up, Elizabeth!” I shot back.
    I grabbed her shoulders and crushed my lips against hers for a powerful kiss that shot bolts of electricity through both of us.
    Our eyes shot open, wide. Stunned! We were both utterly stunned. Elizabeth stared at me, no longer angry.
    “Can we do that again?” she asked shyly.
    I smiled at Eli’s innocent request. Then I eagerly complied.
    This time I kissed her,