Bruised and Broken (Editing)

Chapter Three

Chapter Three: Alice's p.o.v.

I woke up, but not in Willow’s living room. I was in the kitchen, on the table.

“What in the fuck...” I looked around at my surrounding, confused as ever.

"Alice?” I heard Willow’s voice from the living room, “Alice Welsh, where did you go?”

"In here,” I giggled and slid off the wooden kitchen table. The white tile floors felt cold against my bare feet.

“Oh thank god, I thought you were abducted,” Willow came running in the kitchen, still in her pajamas, “How and when did you get in here?”

I raised my left eyebrow and laughed at her comment, “Abducted? Darling, no one would abduct me. One, not sure; two, again, not sure.”

“Did you sleep walk in here?” Willow shaded her eyes from the sun and looked at her phone, “It’s almost six,  we better get ready.”

"Apparently. I didn’t know I could,” I threw my arms up and stretched. My shirt rose up with my arms, revealing a series of black bruses on my rib cage and hips.

"Alice,” Willow said, gaoing, “what’s that?”

“Oh, that,” I pulled my shirt down quickly and clenched the bottom hem of it, “I fell in phys. ed and got kicked.”

Willow swallowed hard, “Whatever you say, klutz,” she smirked and started walking towards the kitchen door.

I let out of small sigh of relief and followed Willow to her room to get dressed. I threw on jeans, a tee, my Vans, and a sweater. I sat on the edge of Willow's bed, taking deep breathes to calm down. I was still freaking out a bit because Willow saw my bruises. 

Its okay, Alice, I said to myself trying to calm down, You can always cover it up with make-up.

Willow put on a short dress and sandals. No wonder everyone wanted her. She always looks amazing. I rummaged through my bad, grabbed my make-up bag, and walked down the hall to the bathroom. Desperatly, I tried to open the door, but it was locked. I went back to Willow’s room and waited.

“Alice! Come on," I heard the bathroom door fly open and Willow run down the stairs, “Logan’s here!”

Shit. I shoved my make-up bag in my school bag and slid down the stairs’ railing. Willow was already in the back seat of Logan’s BMW by the time I got there. I hopped in the passanger side and Lofan flew out of the driveway..

“Well,” Willow patted Logan's shoulder, “You look the same, so I guess they haven’t mauled you yet and made you ‘one of them’.  Same old Logan, but this time already for the pep rally.” she laughed, mocking the green and yellow Ren High shirt he wore.

 “Just getting the school spirit, unlike some people,” He smirked at Willow in the rearview mirror and chuckled.

Logan parked the car in our usual parking spot and we ran to the doors because the pep rally already started.

“What kind of a school has a pep rally in the morning?” I muttered as I lagged behind Logan.

“HEY,” Willow shouted from way behind me, “SLOW DOWN, DAMN! I CAN'T RUN IN THESE SHOES.”

I stopped walking and waited. Willow caught up to me and we walked towards the gym.  We heard the Ren staff yelling in the microphones and the students yelling back.

“I’ll be right in,” I started heading for the bathroom, “just go find Logan.”

I started walking down towards the bathroom. The hallway was dark and silent. Every footstep I made echoed throughout the hall. The bathroom was on the other end of the school, but I had time. The pep rallies were usually long. I pulled out my mp3 and put my head phones in my ears, making the hall a tad less terrifying.

The song cut off when my battery died. I shoved it in my back pocket and rummaged around in my bag.  My head shot up by the sound of echoed footsteps. A lot of footsteps. Too many for a hallway when there's a pep rally going on. Suddenly, the football players came whizzing by, shouting. I was knocked over by Noah, the captain, and hit the hall floor with a thud.

“Shit,” Noah rushed over to me and stuck his hand out, “I’m sorry, are you okay?”

I rubbed my arm and rejected his help, pushing away his hand. “I’m fine,”  I snapped, turning my face from him. I grabbed the locker behind me as support and pulled my self up. My sweater came up a tad when I slung my bag over my shoulder. the thud of the bag against my shoulder caused me to grimace.

“Are you sure?” He asked, as if I was an important someone, “Do you need h-“ He stopped and stared at my bruised hip.  “Did I do th-"

 “It wasn't you. I fell, got kicked. It's whatever.” I said, cutting him off. I don't want to handle this right now. I started walking hall and tripped over a paper, falling again. I sat for a bit, trying to regain my composure.

He rushed over. “No one gets a multiple bruises from being kicked one time. What really happened?”

"GUESS WHAT, I DO.” I snapped at him, frustrated. My eyes bulrred with tears. “Just don't worry about it, you don’t even know me. This is none of your buisness;not your problem,” I muttered, dropping my head.

“I still care,” sympathy filled his voice, “You’re Alice, Logan’s friend. Yes I do know you. And yes, I do care. I really do.” He sat down on the floor in front of me, his brown eyes stabbing me.

“Hightower,” a scruffy-haired ginger in a football jacket yelled down the hall, “Come on man. They need you.”

“Not now, Craig!” He whipped his head around and snapped at the other player., “I’m busy. Tell Coach K. I’ll be there later.” He stood up and grabbed me by my waist. He picked me up bridal style and started running down the hallway, in the opposite direction of the gym.

"Dude, what're you doing?!" Craig shouted from the opposite end of the hall.

“Hightower! Put me down!!” I tried to push him away, prying his arms off of me. He just kept running. My vision blurred from tears, every blow I gave him to the chest grew weaker. "What are you doing? Put me down..." The blows finally stopped and my eyelids grew heavy.

"No no no no no, stay with me,” he knelt down and set me on the floor. His hand brushed across my cheek, tucking a loose strand of blonde curl behind my ear. He cupped his hands around my face. His hands were warm and soft.. “Alice? Alice, are you with me?” I heard him say with a bit of fear in his voice. I gave him a slight nod, which I found to be assuring. Apparently, he disagreed. He picked me up again and laid me down in the back of his truck. 

Within minutes I was laying in, what seemed to be, a foreign bed in a foreign place. I looked around the room and saw Noah Hightower in the chair on the phone.

"Coach K. There was an emegrency and I had to go. I can’t make it. Have James fill in for me. Gotta go. Bye.” He shoved his iPhone in his jean pocket and walked over to my bed. I slowly shut my eyes, fast.

“Please be okay,” he whispered to me the sat on the edge of the bed. I slowly began to doze off. With Noah, I felt… safe, secure, protected. I felt him lay down beside me, wrapping his arm around my waist. A small smile spread across my face, and I fell asleep.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Weeee another one down, a bitch load more to go! 

Love you, babes. xoxo <3