Life Changes » Marcus Armstrong

Twenty.

Jane's heart was pounding fast in her chest, and her breaths were short. This was wrong. And the fact Leonardo wouldn't even remember this when he wakes up tomorrow, made her feel nauseous. She looked around her; Marcus, Callum and Mick were running towards Leonardo. Luna was shouting Italian words to Leonardo, Cate panicked, and Justine wrapped her hand around Jane's wrist. Everything around her was still vague, she could hear people yell, but she couldn't make up words from it.

Everything was in slow-motion to Jane, it was like she ended up in a film. But she had to leave before it got worse. She stepped away from Leonardo, looking at Justine. Justine's eyes widened, and she dragged Jane with her.

A shock went through Jane's body when his fist hit her for the second time. This time he hit her cheekbone. Her head followed the movement, causing it to turn away. She blinked, but the glossy layer of tears wouldn't disappear.

Robert grabbed Jane's arm, and together with Justine, they dragged Jane away from Leonardo. "Move," he said and looked around the alley for a safe spot. "Fucking hell," he breathed. "You okay?"

Jane came back to reality and gasped for air. She looked behind her, seeing Leonardo making an attempt to follow her. Mick and Callum stopped him, but it still made Jane feel unsafe. Her eyes fell on Cate, who had a terrified look on her face while following Jane. Jane looked back in front of her and started to run, making Justine and Robert run as well.

They ran around the corner, facing the terrace of a restaurant. It was silent, the guests heard the shouts and were curious to know what happened. There were no empty tables, so Robert chose to walk over to a small wall across from the restaurant.

"Are you okay?" Robert asked one more time once Jane sat on the wall.

"I don't know," she whispered lost and fought against the tears. Her fingertips touched her face, it didn't hurt, but it felt sensitive. "It happened so quick..."

"You are safe now," he softly said and looked behind him. The alley was dark, but it was silent. A few seconds later, four people walked around the corner, they all looked worried, but Marcus looked furious as well. "He's gone."

"Let me check your face," Justine softly said, but warmly smiled. "I'm not a doctor, but I'm studying for it. Can someone put on a flashlight on her face?"

Jane didn't say anything, she stared at the ground. The happy Jane disappeared, she was gone. The scared Jane was present now.

"He is gone..." Mick mentioned to the group. "Hopefully," he softly added. He scanned Jane's face with round and worried eyes.

"Are you okay?" Callum asked.

Jane shrugged and let Justine examine her face; she flinched every now and then. Her eyes closed, the light of the flashlight was bright.

"You won't feel the pain now, your body is full of adrenaline, but it will come soon," Justine softly mentioned. "It doesn't look bad; there's nothing broken. But I advise you to visit the hospital for a real check."

Jane nodded and took a deep breath. How could this happen?

"Can I get something from the restaurant?" Luna swallowed hard, this escalated so badly.

"Water and ice," Justine answered. "And a towel."

Luna nodded and walked to the restaurant, asking for the three things. She looked at the group, everyone was upset. Cate was in a panic, Marcus zoned out to be calm again, Jane looked fragile, and everyone else looked worried. This needed to change. "Grazie," she said to the waiter and walked back to the group. She gave the things to Justine and heavily sighed while shaking her head. "This can't continue like this, Jane."