ALICE

Chapter Ten

A/N Song is Heart Attack by Demi Lovato. (Yes, this is the Heart Attack chapter that I promised.)

Artemis' POV

I stand still, my chest heaving. I've been beating the crap out of a punching bag pretty much nonstop for the past three hours. Still, I was used to the five I usually got from Dad's training.

The League had just informed me this morning that they'd let me work out for five hours instead of three, and my sister can have an hour, since she had only just started behaving. In other words, she'd finally given up on her breakout attempts. Even the for-her-entertainment ones. Scoff. It only took her two months.

I suspect that this has something to do with a certain Red Arrow. Her new goody two-shoes boyfriend seems to be having a effect on her. But she's also gotten ridiculous. She says that I am definitely crushing on Kid Flash. Which isn't true. We're just friends. And we're not even supposed to be that, let alone boyfriend and girlfriend. Jade was definitely wrong.

"Hey, Beautiful," I hear Kid Flash say, using his usual greeting. "What's up?"

I gesture towards the split open punching bag.

"Beating the heck out of an innocent punching bag," He says jokingly. "Shame on you."

I know that he's just joking around, but I get a sickening feeling in my gut, remembering all of the innocent lives that I've taken. Of course, I had to. I've lived my life in a kill-or-be-killed culture. I didn't have a choice. Dad would've beaten the living daylights out of me if I hadn't.

'Selfish girl,' a voice in my mind says. 'You'd rather take away an innocent person's life than take a beating yourself.' I wince.

"You ok?" KF asks me, sounding worried.

I sigh. "No, actually. I...." My voice trails off. I don't know him very well, I shouldn't trust him, especially not as much as I do. Plus if I tell him, I doubt that he'll like me anymore, that he'll still wanna be friends with me. For some reason I really, really want him to like me. I just wanna tell him what I think, what I feel. I've never felt this way about someone before. Dam, why do I get so flustered around him?

Which makes me sure that this isn't a crush. I've had those before. Heck, I've had a boyfriend. I didn't feel this way with him. I really have to put my guard back up. I can't let anyone in. Daddy dearest taught me that a long time ago. "If you let people in, they can hurt you," He had warned.
"'Love none and none can hurt you,'" He'd quoted. "'Don't depend too much on anyone in this world. Even your own shadow leaves you when you're in darkness.'"

I had taken those two quotes to heart. They were important life lessons. Don't trust people. They'll hurt you. I remember a quote that I adore from a book that I read called Disney in Shadow. "Trust is just rust with a t added to disguise it," My favorite character, Amanda, had said. She's totally right on that one. She was also right when she said that fair and hope were the worst four letter words. Also meaningless things to have in your life.

"Never mind," I say.

"What? Seriously I mean it. What?"

"Why do you care?" I snap.

"I-I," He stutters. He takes a deep breath. "Because I like you, Alice. As more than just a friend."

I'm stunned. Then I do one of the most impulsive things that I've ever done in my life. "Well that's perfect," I say. "Because I feel the same way about you."

I lean in and kiss him. We stay like that, my lips on his, for a couple minutes. Then I realized what I just did. I pulled back. "I'm so sorry," I say, then take of running.

'What were you thinking, you idiot?!' The voice in my head scolds me as I run into me and Jade's newly issued bedroom and slam the door behind me, ignoring Kid Flash's calls to me. What the heck did I just do?!

A/N Bye! God bless!

-Emma