The Kiss of the Blade

Chapter Three.

             Noah: 

Noah stared at the hoop and concentrated hard. He needed to stop thinking about Zee Ryder. Agh. There it was again. His thoughts just couldnt stray from her, and he hated it. What was it about her that made him feel so...so scared. His palms would get cold whenever she touched him, as though his body was sensing something wrong. But he also couldnt ignore the warm, fluttery feeling he got whenever Zee was with him, and the sharp stab of annoyance felt when she talked to others and touched them in a friendly way. 
          When she had first come to Oakley, started class late, and pointed out the prank at first glance, she had caught his attention. He noticed not only the beautiful sandy gold shade of auburn hair, and the slim waist and noticeable figure, the dark lashes that seemed to clash against the lighter tones of her skin and her long, sexy legs, but he also saw a beautiful person inside. 
   But It was like he was at war with himself. Fifty percent of him wanted her so bad, and the other fifty percent wanted to put as much distance between himself and her as possible. The latter seemed pretty extreme and reasonless, so Noah decided to act on the first. 
   The only problem was that Zee thought of Noah as a friend. That meant Noah would have to change that. And, irrational as it was, he had a feeling that the scared feeling Zee gave him wasn't just him being paranoid. Noah made up his mind. He was going to unravel Zee.
           Zee who had told everyone so little about herself. Zee who observed everyone so carefully before doing or saying anything. Zee who randomly slipped off into her own thoughts even if it was just for a second. Zee, whom he loved with every fibre of his body, yet it was the same Zee he wanted as far away from him as possible. he cried out in frustration and threw the ball at the basket with all the force he had. It went through, despite the fact that Noah was on the other side of the court. 
He let the ball bounce away, and, turning his back on the court, he walked back to the dorms where Zee was staying, his mind determined. 

     Zee was lying on the floor, not moving. Her breathing was regular but she didnt move evev when Noah opened the door. He ran to her side, in case something was wrong, and lightly touched her shoulder. She moved as fast as a viper, lashing out with her fist. It collided with his chest just as her leg wrapped itself around the back of his neck, bringing Noah to his knees, and also allowing Zee to rise easily. he looked at her, his face contorted in pain, and made silent pleas for her to stop. As soon as she saw him, all emotions on Zee's face melted away except for guilt and concern. But where had she learnt to fight like that? 
"Oh My God! Noah! I'm so sorry! I didnt realize it was you!" She said, bending down to help him up. Noah took her hand and stood up. A wave of nausea immediately hit him. He staggered and Zee pulled Noah towards her. He accepted the support gratefully. Noah felt like he had been impaled in the gut, and his neck felt broken. 
As if reading his thoughts, Zee reached her hand over and felt his neck. And once again came the cold feeling throughout his body, and the warm fuzzy feeling inside. As though all the blood and warmth from the rest of his body just decided to move to the center of his body and stay there. 
    "It's not broken!" Zee announced, "Just a little banged up".
Noah groaned. Whatever happened, it still hurt. "Infirmirary?" He managd to say. 
"I dont think you need -" Zee began nervously when suddenly the world tilted and went black. 

   Noah woke up in the infirmary. He was lying on the bed, he could tell that, but he couldnt open his eyes for more than a few seconds. He felt someone stroking his hair. And immediately he felt cold but warm inside, and Noah knew that Zee was at his side. He forced his eyes open, but his head swam and he saw double. "Noah?" He heard her say, but her voice was already slipping away. The darkness surrounded him, but it also brought a calm over him. He let the darkness take him and he fell into a dreamless, peaceful sleep. 

          Noah woke a couple times in between for a few seconds, then drifted off again. Once, he heard voices, but Zee's voice wasn't one of them. Another time, all he could see was a bright light, and in the edge of his vision, a white doctors coat, but he felt Zee's hand squeezing his throughout. 

    "Noah? Noah please! Wake up!"  Noah heard Zee saying. but there was something in her voice that made him oblige. He opened his eyes. The first thing Noah noticed was Zee's face, hovering about a foot from his face. Her eyes were wide with worry, and the second he opened his eyes, relief washed over her features. The he noticed the smell - the smell of blood sweat and rust. He tried to sit up, but his ribs screamed in agony and he fell back on to the pillow. 
"Noah! Oh, Noah! I'm so sorry! Noah, im sorry! I'll understand if you hate me!" Zee cried.
"I could never hate you," Noah whispered softly, but Zee didn't seem to hear him. 
Noah repeated what he said, louder this time. Zee sniffed, her beautiful eyes wide with doubt, and her forehead was creased with worry. 
"Well, im sorry anyways. I thought you were....someone else."
Noah thought there was somehting different about her voice when she said that, but he was too tired to care. "How long have i been out?" He asked, wincing with every word. 
Zee bit her lip. "Oh, um...not long."
"How long, Zee?"
She sighed, "Two days."
   "Two freaking days!!!?!? Why didn't you wake me up earlier?!" He half shouted, getting up quickly. He immediately regretted this, but he ignored the pain. Every breath he took now felt like a thousand knives stabbing him, but he didnt care. 
   "Noah, we tried...but..." She started, her voice annoyingly calm. 
"But what?!" He said, his voice unintentionally harsh. 
Her eyes flashed wiht hurt. 
   Noah tried to calm down. "Im- I'm sorry. That came out wrong." But the damage was done. Zee frowned and backed away slowly, the hurt evident on her face. "You do hate me." 
"No! I-" Noah began, but Zee cut him off. 
"No no. You're right. You should hate me. I very nearly killed you. I wont bother you again." And on that note, she turned and fled the room.

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Okay so this is from Noah's point of view. AS you've probably noticed, ive added the name of the person whos POV it is of each chapter. And as for htis chapter, i know it's shorter than the others but it's important. Dont worry though. The next chapter will be normal again. and thanks for voting and commenting.