A Diamond in the Rough

Chapter 3 (Part 2)

 Zach

“So he wanted stone? That’s a weird request.” I dropped the paper towel on my leg.

I was about to let go of her hand when her body tensed up like she had just been shot. She took a sharp breath and her eyes slammed shut. She was gripping mine so tight it started to hurt. Then I realized what was happening, how was it though all I said was stone? Her eyes popped open and they were that glowing red-orange color and she started coughing, holding her stomach with her free hand.

“What-what’s going on? I can’t breathe.” She coughed out.

“Hey, it’s ok. Just hang on a minute ok? You’re gonna be fine.” I said as I hurried and got off the bed.

But she wasn’t letting go of my hand, in fact, her grip got tighter.

 “I can’t let go. It-it’s not working.” She said and her coughing got even worse.

“C’mon, just come with me then. We’re going to your door ok?” I said pulling her up off the bed.

Her reaction was a lot worse than mine, and she seemed weak. I had been weak, barely being able to walk but she seemed even worse. If she wasn’t trying to stutter out words, she was coughing and trying to take deep breaths. I started to walk over to the door and she was slowly following behind me, never letting go of my hand.

“Just a few more steps.” I said.

 She started shaking her head, “I can’t. I-I can’t go… any more…” she let out a groan in what sounded like pain and she suddenly dropped to the ground in a fit of violent coughs.

Her hand was still in mine and I fell to the ground with her, directing her head on to my lap. Her coughing had stopped and her breaths were coming out smaller than normal.

I leaned behind me and reached for my backpack with my free hand and struggled to unzip it. Once I finally did, I pulled the book over next to me and went to the corner of the cover.

 “Alesa Morenav.” I whispered.

 The chill went up my spine and my eyes slammed shut. My breathing was cut off and I gripped her hand just as tight as she gripped mine. I let out painful coughs and my eyes flew open. Everything was that red-orange color but I couldn’t stop coughing, I felt worse than I had the first time this happened and I looked down at Valerie. Her chest was falling up and down and she would let out a few coughs every few seconds. It looked like it was getting harder and harder for her to breathe and she could barely keep her eyes open.

 “Zach. Zach.” She choked.

“I’m here. It’s o-ok.” I could barely talk myself.

 “What’s going on… what’s happening? I can’t see. I can’t… I can’t breathe.”

“It’ll be ok, I just need you to read this. Valerie open your eyes, I need you to look at me.” I put my hand on her cheek and pulled it up towards mine.

Her eyes barely opened and they were the same color as mine.

“You’re eyes.” I could barely here her anymore.

“Yeah… they look like your eyes. Valerie I need you to do something for me.” My head was starting to pound and I was getting dizzy.

“Look at this book ok, and you see these words? I need you to say them just once then everything will go back to normal.” I pulled the book up on to her lap and her head fell to it.

“A-Alesa… uhhhhh.” She took a weak intake of breath and it sounded like her heart was going to fall out of her chest.

“Valerie, c’mon you can do this. Just hold on.” And suddenly I felt a jab in my chest, like a needle had pierced me right in the heart, my back arched and I let out a deep painful moan, then I fell back on to the ground, everything going black.

Alexis

I can’t breathe, everything I look at is a weird color, and Zach stopped talking to me. His hand stopped stroking my cheek and his stomach was no longer behind my head. I heard a thunk hit the ground and I fell back with him, my head landing on his stomach.

“Zach? Zach? Are you ok?” Talking was now the hardest thing to do. Every time I made a noise come out of my mouth it felt like scissors going inside of me and cutting a different vein on my heart.

He didn’t reply and I couldn’t hear his loud breathing anymore.

“No. No. This can’t-no.” My eyes finally flew all the way open when I realized what could’ve happened.

I didn’t have enough strength to stand so I rolled on my left side till my head hit the carpet and the book was a little in front of me. I lifted my head as high as I could without screaming and squinted down at the words.

“Alesa Morenav.” I whispered.

I felt a cold chill and my eyes slammed shut. My breathing was thrown off and I screamed. I didn’t scream because I was scared, I didn’t scream because I was sad, I screamed because my heart felt like someone I had taken it out of my chest, squeezed it as hard as they could, and placed in back in my chest.

I fell back to the ground and my hand slipped out of Zach’s cold one. I laid there for probably ten minutes, just trying to catch my breath and letting the pain soak in. I wanted to stand up but I hadn’t gained enough strength yet.

My head was pounding like a hammer was hitting the inside of my skull.  I slowly opened my eyes but everything was in a weird orangish red color. But that was the least of my concerns right now, my legs were still on top of Zach and he hadn’t moved yet, even after I screamed.

I slowly rolled over until I was on my back again and entirely off of him. I turned my head a little too quickly and pain shot through me again.

“Ugh.” I grunted putting a hand on my temples.

I looked back at Zach and scooted closer to him. His face was still the normal color and he hadn’t gotten any more pale. I took my right hand and placed it on his neck, there was a slow pulse. Oh thank god he wasn’t dead. I don’t know what I would’ve done with myself if that had happened, and I don’t even wanna think about what my dad would do to me.

I rolled onto my arm and slowly pushed myself up off the ground. I knew I couldn’t stand up but I could sit down. I fell back, my butt landing next to his shoulder and I stretched my legs out. I looked down at him and out of nowhere tears filled my eyes. He just saved me less than an hour ago, he was fixing my injury and whatever had just happened to the both of us was my fault. How was that possibly repaying him when I almost killed him?

I lifted his head slowly and put it in my lap and I stroked his cheek like he had done to mine.

“Zach? Zach please wake up. I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you. I don’t even know what happened. I need you to wake up, you have to.” The tears started rolling down my cheek and my voice came out in a shaky whisper.

“This is all my fault. You just saved me then I turn around and hurt you.” I mutter, leaning over and resting my forehead on his.

“I know we just met, and not on the best terms, and I know this probably isn’t smart but I trust you. I don’t know if I should but my heart is telling me to. I need you Zach. I don’t know how, I don’t know why but I can feel it. I need you, please wake up.” I kept rambling on and on, several of my tears probably falling on to his face.

A/N

I like this chapter(: