A Little Too Much

Chapter 11

Alice's POV

       I woke up in an unfamiliar room. I didn't care though. Once the memories flooded back into my brain, I didn't care where I was. I just wanted to be gone.
       After my eyes focused more, I realized I was laying down in a hospital room. I winced when I felt raw stitches on my head.

Flashback..

       As she grabbed my arm, I turned around to defend myself. I went to slap her, but she dodged it. She pushed me, and I fell backwards. As I was falling, I felt a sharp object crash into the back of my skull, then everything went dark.

       I sighed as a nurse walked into the room, with my mother. Even though she was putting on a normal face for the nurse, I could feel her glare.
      It was as if she was telling me, if you say anything, you'll be dead next time.
      But, what she didn't know was that I honestly didn't care if I were dead. I prefer it actually, it'd be better than spending my time with her.
       "So, what happened again?" The nurse questioned, looking from me to my mother.
       "I was just preparing dinner, when I heard a thump. I turned around, and Alice, here, was lying on the floor, passed out. Once I saw the wound on her head, I realized she must've fallen and crashed her head onto the corner of the kitchen counter. There was a lot of blood, so that's when I called the ambulance." My mother answered.
       I fought the verge to roll my eyes, knowing it wouldn't help my situation. The nurse turned to me.
       "Okay, well, Alice, you can go home now. Be careful brushing your hair and the doctor prescribed you some pain medicine. Call if anything seems unusual." She said.
       I nodded, getting up and getting ready to put my clothes on. I didn't want to keep wearing this gown.    
       Once I got dressed, I walked past my mother with my head down. I didn't want to deal with her today. I didn't want to deal with anyone. I just wanted to be alone.
       Once we got home, I showered and got into some comfortable clothes. After eating some soup, I went to sleep for the rest of the day.

The Next Day

       "Hey! Alice!" Justin called as I walked into the courtyard.
       "Hello," I said, trying to put on a smile.
       "I heard what happened yesterday, are you okay?"
       "Yeah, I'm okay,"
       Justin pulled me into a big hug. He was so warm.
       "I'm so glad, I was really worried," He whispered.
       "Well, you don't have to worry anymore, I'm fine."

Justin's POV

       I stared at Alice for a minute. How come she gets hurt all the time?
       "So, how did it happen?" I asked.
       "Oh, um.. well I was walking into the kitchen when I slipped and fell and then my head hit the, um, the corner of the kitchen counter." She stuttered.
       I eyed her suspiciously.
       "Okay, uh, I need to talk to you about something after school. Why don't you come over?" I asked.
       "Sure." She answered.
       The bell rang.
       "See you then!" I said as I walked off to my first class.
       I had to talk to Alice about all these 'accidents' she gets herself into. They can't all be her fault, right? I meant she gets hurt like twice a month!
       It's her head, then her shoulder's bruised, then her face is scratched, then her arms are bruised, then her back, then she get's head stitches.
       Maybe I'm being weird, but I have to make sure she's okay. I should confront her.

Later That Day

Alice's POV

       Justin and I checked out of school early so we could go to his house. He said he wanted to talk to me about something, and he had a really serious look on his face. He seemed tense. I hope it isn't about me.
       I met Justin at his doorstep. He still seemed tense, but when he saw me he smiled wide. It comforted me.
       We walked in and we made some cocoa and sat down on his couch to watch some TV. He turned on Finding Nemo. I smiled and giggled in approval.
       "So, um, you wanted to talk to me?" I asked, biting my lip in anticipation.
       "Oh, uh, yeah." He answered running a hand through his hair.
       "Listen," He cleared his throat. "I'm not trying to be weird, but I'm worried about you, Alice. Every few weeks you have another thing wrong.... And, well, I don't think that they're all your fault." He said, staring deeply into my eyes with a worried expression.
       I looked at the ground.
       "Alice, if there's absolutely anything going on, you can tell me. I can help you. If something's going on in your house I want to know, you can tell me anything, Alice."
       I continued staring at the ground, tears threatening to fall down my cheeks. I couldn't speak. He pulled my face in his hands, lifting it up to face him. Tears began to fall.
       "Alice, I-is someone hurting you?" I nodded slowly, on the verge of sobbing.  His jaw tightened.
       "Who? Is it, um, is it your mom?" I nodded again, slowly. More tears fell.
       "Okay, um, okay. Well, you can live here. Yes, yes... you can live here and my parents can demand your custody, or, um, we could run away, yeah, uh, we could do that we could pack right now or, um, I could call the police, do you want me to call the police on her? Because-"
       "Stop, Justin!" I yelled, rubbing tears from my face. I knew this would happen. "I can't leave." He looked at me confused.
       "But-"
       "I have to go." I interrupted as I walked quickly past him and went through the door. I began to sob. I knew I shouldn't of told him. He'll never understand.