Another Alternative

Mad World

Hannah's POV

"You should see the other guy." My vision didn't completely clear up right away when I woke. I tried to stand when I felt the stabbing pain in my head.

"God, damn it." I shifted my eyes around the room, but I couldn't seem to make anything out except for a blonde head of hair a few feet away from me. I tried to stand again and felt hands at my sides helping me up. I looked up in confusion and saw Mamrie smiling gently down at me.

"Where's Grace? Is she alright?" I grabbed desperately at Mamrie's shoulder.

"She's okay. She's right over there." Mamrie nodded towards where Grace lay unconscious leaning against the back of the bar.

"You may need to reevaluate your definition of okay." I pried myself out from under Mamrie's arm and all but fell next to Grace. "Hey, hey. Fuck, wake up. Come on, Grace, please." I shook her shoulder until her eyelids slowly separated.

"H-Hannah?" Grace's eyes fluttered open and panic set in as soon as she realized where she was and what had happened. "You're bleeding."

I brought my hand to where she was looking and winced at the pain. Pulling my hand back, I realized just how much I was bleeding. I let out a breathy laugh that hurt in my lower ribs.

"Hell of a day, eh?" I wiped the blood off my hands with the rag hanging off the counter. Grace laughed and sat up against the bar.

Grace patted the spot on the floor next to her and I sat down, resting my head on her shoulder. She pressed a long kiss to the top of my head and we stayed like that for a long moment.

"You guys are gross." Mamrie chimed in from across the room. Troye and someone else were sitting in the booth with Mamrie. I vaguely recognized the boy sitting next to Troye. I couldn't place how I knew him until he spoke.

"You okay, Hannah?" He took a break from staring sympathetically at Troye and looked over at Grace and I.

"Uh, yeah. I guess." I furrowed my brow at the realization of who he was. "Connor? What are you doing here?"

"Wait, do you guys know him?" Grace looked at Troye, who stared emptily at the table.

"Oh, yeah. Did I not mention?" Mamrie chimed in, wiping at the cut on Connor's brow. "Connor, Hannah, and I were kids together. So lucky I ran into him."

"Yeah. What beings you back here, Con?" I stood up, stumbling a bit and helping Grace to her feet. We walked over and sat down, bringing a chair from a neighboring table for myself.

"Um, I actually came here to, uh," Connor shifted nervously in his seat, looking at Grace with a look i can only describe as guilty. Like he'd done something he wasn't proud of, but didn't quite feel bad for. Taking in a deep breath, he continued. "I came here to deal with Chester."