The dorm room smelled faintly of antiseptic and blood.
Vivian knelt beside Jeremy on the floor, the first-aid kit spread open between them. Gauze, cotton wool, antiseptic wipes—everything she could grab from the small medical box the dorm kept in the hallway cabinet.
Jeremy leaned back against the side of the bed, his breathing uneven.
Every movement hurt.
“Hold still,” Vivian said quietly.
She dipped the cotton wool into the antiseptic and brought it toward the cut on his cheek.
The moment it touched his skin—
Jeremy hissed sharply.
“Damn it,” he muttered, turning his face away.
“Stop moving,” Vivian said. “Do you want it to get infected?”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine.”
She grabbed his chin firmly and forced him to look at her again.
His face was swollen. One eye already begi
