22 You're too kind

"Jade, I'm so sorry, I never meant to hurt you," Raven said, her eyes brimming with tears that threatened to spill over.

But at that moment, Albert appeared, striding towards us with a smug certainty. "See, I told you Raven is dangerous, hurting her friends like that," he declared as if it were an indisputable fact.

Raven lowered her head, unable to muster a response, and at the sight, a triumphant grin spread across Albert's face.

"I'll have you know this is partly your fault, Albert. You interrupted the conversation between Raven and me, and you were the one who grabbed my arm first," I said firmly, standing my ground.

The smile quickly vanished from Albert's face.

"So what? In the end, it was she who hurt you, not me," he retorted angrily.

"I'm well aware it was an accident, so leave us alone and get out of here. This is all because of you," I shouted at him, my voice echoing with a mix of anger and pain.

Hearing my words, Raven seemed to snap out of her daze. She stepped towards Albert, and with each step she took, he retreated further.

"One day you'll regret this, Jade. After all, Raven is not a good person," he spat out before fleeing.

Raven came to my side, helping me to my feet as I leaned on her for support, unable to walk. Just then, the bell rang through the halls.

"Hold on tight, Jade. I'm taking you to the infirmary," Raven said simply, her voice steady.

I nodded, and within five minutes, we arrived at the infirmary without much trouble as the other students had returned to their classes. The nurse rushed over to us and instructed Raven to place me on a free bed, which she did with care.

"So, what happened, young lady?" the nurse asked with a reassuring smile.

Raven opened her mouth to speak, but I cut her off.

"We were just playing, and I fell on my left leg," I lied to the nurse.

"Ah, I see. Let me take a look at your leg," she said, approaching me and examining my injured limb.

The nurse inspected me for a few minutes, while I felt Raven's piercing gaze on me, though she remained silent for the moment.

"Young lady, it seems your leg is broken, but we'll need more information from the hospital," she said seriously.

I wasn't really surprised, but I was shocked to realize how strong Raven was. As for Raven, her expression was gravely sad, and she surely felt guilty.

"Please wait here; I'll go call your parents to come and take you to the hospital," the nurse said, leaving me alone with Raven.

"Jade, why did you lie? You could have just told the truth; I would have faced the consequences," Raven said, her voice tinged with anger.

I reached out and gently stroked her hair, a gesture that immediately soothed her. "I lied because if I had told the truth, she would have thought poorly of you, like most people do. And it's not as serious as all that; my foot will heal, so don't worry," I said, offering her a reassuring smile.

[Favorability increased by 10 with Raven]

"Jade, you're too kind. I used to think you would take advantage of me, but now it seems I'm the one taking advantage of you," she said, tears welling up in her eyes before she pulled me into a hug.

Suddenly, two figures appeared in the room—my mothers, Lily and Irene. Lily's face broke into a wide smile upon seeing us, while Irene's expression remained stoic. At their arrival, Raven immediately stopped hugging me and stepped back, her cheeks flushed with color.

"Sorry if we're interrupting something," Lily said with a mischievous grin.

"No, ma'am, you're not interrupting anything," Raven replied, her blush deepening just as the nurse re-entered the room.

"Jade, your parents should—" The nurse stopped mid-sentence upon seeing that my mothers were already there.

"You arrived quickly," she remarked, surprised.

At that moment, my mothers approached to check on me.

"Your daughter has broken her leg, so I advise you to go to the hospital as soon as possible to confirm my suspicion. As for you, Raven, you may return to class now. Thank you for bringing Jade here," the nurse said seriously.

My mothers nodded in agreement, and Raven bid them farewell before heading back to class.

"Thank you for taking care of our daughter; we'll be going now," Irene said sincerely.

The nurse didn't even have time to respond before everything went black for a moment, and then normalcy returned. We were no longer in the infirmary but at the hospital.

I couldn't pinpoint the exact moment it happened, but suddenly, I found myself cradled in Irene's arms as we entered the hospital. The moment the doctors and nurses caught sight of us, they rushed over.

"Good afternoon, what can we do for you, Madames Smith?" a doctor asked, bowing respectfully, and the others followed suit.

"Oh, it's not for us; it's for our daughter," Lily said, pointing towards me.

"I see. Don't worry, we'll take care of her immediately. Take her to the hospital's best room," he instructed the others.

The staff moved swiftly, guiding us to the room the doctor had mentioned. In mere moments, I was settled into an opulent hospital room, surrounded by several doctors. I found the special treatment odd—weren't we just an ordinary family? My thoughts were interrupted by Lily's voice.

"Jade, don't worry, everything will be alright," she said, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Mom, don't worry, everything will be fine. It's just a broken leg," I reassured her with a smile, but it did little to comfort her.

"But what if it's more serious than we think? What if you have a concussion, or a severe illness?" she fretted, her own fears amplifying.

"You know what, Lily? Let's step outside for a moment to calm down while the doctors examine Jade, okay?" Irene suggested, taking Lily's hand.

As they stepped out, leaving me in the care of the medical team, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to our family's story than I knew. The doctors began their examination, their faces a mask of professionalism, but their eyes betrayed a hint of curiosity.

"Jade, we're going to run some tests to ensure there's no further injury," one of the doctors said, his voice calm and reassuring.

The tests lasted only a few minutes, concluding with an X-ray. In the meantime, my mothers had returned. I thought we would have to wait a while for the results, but they were delivered immediately after the tests.

"Your daughter has just a broken left leg, nothing more, so don't worry," the doctor said with a reassuring smile.

This immediately put Lily at ease, while Irene simply smiled.

"We'll just apply a cast to her foot; she should be healed within two weeks," the doctor informed us.

Thirty minutes later, we had left the hospital, greeted by the staff's salutes. Now, I was equipped with a cast on my foot and crutches. Just like before, I was teleported, and this time we were at home. We entered the living room and settled into the armchairs, and then Lily posed a question.

"Jade, how did you break your foot?"

I hesitated, the truth too complicated and bizarre to explain. "I... I had a bit of a fall," I said vaguely, hoping they wouldn't press further.

Lily looked at me, her eyes searching for something more. "A fall? That's quite unusual for you, Jade. You're always so careful," she prodded, her maternal instincts kicking in.

Irene's gaze was fixed on me as well, her silence a heavy presence in the room. I knew I couldn't keep the truth hidden for long.