Chapter 2 (Yvette)

Both women survive the accident and are discharged from the hospital, so Justine takes Yvette home to get settled in until her car is fixed.

I wasn't sure how much time had gone by since Justine and I passed out, but the next thing I knew, I was awake again. Still in the hospital room, and with a few cuts on my body, but in much less pain. I felt like I could actually move for once, so I did. I sat up and looked around, giving my neck a healthy stretch and cracking it slightly. My body still ached, but in more of an "I haven't moved in forever" type of way as opposed to an "I'm injured" type of way.

I'll be honest, I was not expecting to survive that sudden collision. Apparently, both of our cars had folded in on themselves when they crashed, protecting our bones and vitals from damage, but leaving us pained and trapped, poised to die from the suffocation and immobility alone. Seeing how I was just denied entry there, it honestly made me more curious as to what the afterlife was like. Would it be full of clouds, columns and angels like in those Biblical murals? Or would it be more like that one sitcom, where it's just a cartoony, low-stakes version of Earth? Whatever that show's name was...

It was then that a loud snore ripped me out of my subconscious. Looking to my right, I saw Justine still wasn't awake. Not because she was unconscious, but rather because she was sleeping. Perhaps she'd come to before I did, and chose to keep resting in order to refuel herself. I smiled a bit, noticing how cute she looked when she slept, like a composed slob if that makes any sense. Her long, chestnut hair totally unkempt, with strands of it hanging across her face or even sticking up into the air. Her head was drooped lazily to the side as drool puddled on the mattress, her upper body gently rising and deflating as she breathed steadily. Part of me wanted to stand up and kiss her awake, but I doubted the doctors would be too happy with me climbing out of bed without their consent.

Speaking of whom, a female doctor with a stack of folded clothes in her arms came into the room, the opening door enough to rouse Justine, who sat up with an extended yawn. A nurse came in after her with all three of my suitcases, before dropping them off and stepping back out. The former looked like she had transcended time, in that her age was virtually impossible to guess. Her appearance and movements were neither too youthful nor too elderly, and the same was true for her voice.

"Good morning, ladies. I trust you're both well rested?" she asked sweetly.

"You bet," Justine replied, while I just nodded assent.

"Good to hear. Now we believe that you two are in a stable enough condition to be released, so I've brought in both of your clothes. Fortunately, this hospital visit will not be paid for until tax day comes around. Have a nice day!"

"Thank you, ma'am," I said.

I watched as Justine gave one last healthy stretch, before climbing out of bed. She grabbed her clothes and stepped behind a nearby curtain to change, but not before I was able to catch a glimpse of her perky bum peeking out of that hospital robe. Something told me those robes were designed that way on purpose, but I had absolutely no problem with it. Soon enough, she stepped back out and I took my turn to change into my previous outfit, intentionally walking with more exaggerated hip movements. Probably the boldest thing I'd ever done my entire life. Just to see if I could instill the same feeling in Justine as she had in me.

---

Once we were both ready to leave, we headed outside together, with Justine helping me roll my luggage along. As she walked, she kept her eyes pasted to her phone, typing what I assumed to be a text to someone. I waited until she was done, before speaking up again.

"I do apologize if my luggage is a bit heavy. Let's just say my mom probably wouldn't want me to come back, so I had to take everything with me," I said.

"Eh, it's no problem. Besides, even if the pain does flare back up, we were both given some pills just in case," Justine reminded me. "So since your car is basically useless now, what say you crash at my place for the time being? Just until it's fixed?"

"Wait, you can fix it? But... it's totaled."

"Aw, please. 'Totaled' is just a term people use in instances where they don't have enough money to fix something," Justine explained. "But I do."

"Huh. Well thanks, Justine. It really means a lot." I smiled a bit, turned on by her generosity. We'd only just met, and she was already treating me like we were best friends.

"Don't mention it. Now, I just called Ruby and she should be here to pick us up soon. Feel free to make yourself at home once we get there."

Within the next five or six minutes, a white Mini Countryman with solar panels on the roof pulled up, with the word Simmons written along each side in black capitals. However, the S in the logo was bright red and encased in a greenish-gray star. That's when it dawned on me that Justine was a part of the Simmons clan, owners of the wealthiest business empire in all of America. She'd already told me her last name when we first interacted, but if not for that car, I never would've guessed this was where she came from. Simmons was a pretty common surname, after all, and it wasn't out of the question that there could be more than one rich family with that last name.

Ruby was a dignified woman no more than ten years older than Justine, her dark gray hair worn in a spiked bun, adorned with chopsticks and a fake tulip. She was dressed business casually, in her sleeveless turtleneck sweater and mid-rise slacks. From what I was told during the drive home, I learned that she was Justine's one and only servant, though she was quick to state that she only used that term lightly. She lived in-house and her only job was to help out with any chores that Justine couldn't do on her own or look after the manor whenever she was away. Aside from that, she was essentially a glorified roommate who got paid to help out. Soon as I learned she was rich, I was just about to write Justine off as some spoiled f**k who was probably being so nice to me over some ulterior motive, but that theory was quickly laid to rest. She was more than willing to get her hands dirty, but only hired a butler of sorts just for practical reasons and not out of laziness.

---

As we drove home and pulled into the driveway, I was surprised at how little attention we garnered. The funny thing about rich kids is that they're either overexposed or extremely sheltered, but Justine seemed to be at this interesting middle-ground. During the rare times I ever saw her father in the news, he wasn't shy about admitting to the public that he was a dad, but he was neither too secretive nor too open about his children. I guess because of this, they were able to live relatively normal lives, barring their excess money.

"Is there anything else you need my help for?" Ruby asked in a soothing Irish accent, as soon as the iron driveway gate shut behind us.

"Nah, we're good." Justine waved her hand dismissively, before the car came to a stop. "You can take it easy unless something comes up."

"Right then. I think I'll go check the status on your cars. I shudder to think how long they'll take to fix."

"You pay her?" I asked, quietly enough for Ruby not to hear.

"Far more than a living wage. What kind of heartless b*****d do you think I am?" Justine replied, unlocking the front door.

Soon as the door opened, we were greeted by the sound of some fast-paced, tiny scratching sounds on the waxed floors, growing progressively louder as they approached. Before I knew it, a hyperactive pomsky puppy scurried into the foyer, letting out a series of high-pitched yaps as it jumped onto both Justine and Ruby. He even jumped on me as well, not bothering to sniff my ankles first. For something so adorable, it still managed to scare me just a tad.

"Yvette, meet Carter," Justine said, picking up the dog, who hurriedly licked her face. She held him out to me so I could pet him too. He was close enough to lick my face too, smearing my glasses in the process, but I didn't reciprocate his affection. "What, you're scared of dogs?"

"No, but most of the dogs I grew up around were just a bit sturdier-looking. With all these muscles, I'm afraid I might crush that poor thing," I admitted with a chuckle, rubbing my arm in an awkward manner.

"Pah, nonsense. He'll be fine. Besides, with how fast he's growing, he'll be at his maximum size soon enough. I think it's around fifteen inches tall," Justine explained.

"Well, if you say so..."

I briefly reached over to gently pet him, though I wasn't able to actually touch much of his fur. Carter was one of those dogs who just loved to kiss people, so much so that whenever I tried to pet him on the head, he would turn up his nose and lick my hand instead. Same was true for whenever I tried to pet him anywhere else.

After that little greeting, Justine helped me carry my luggage to one of the spare bedrooms. Turns out there was one right by the master suite, which I picked in a heartbeat. I already knew from earlier that Justine was a snorer, so maybe I could fall asleep to the sound of it. It would mark the first step in this journey I was about to embark on: winning Justine's heart and also overcoming my compulsive shyness.