You took my heart, could I please have it back?

[43] You took my heart, could I please have it back?

.:Recap:.

"Ouch!" she hissed as I bent her arm behind her back. I twisted her skin well and good, in a half Chinese-burn, then released her, pushing her forwards slightly. She collapsed onto her hands and knees and I glared at her coldly, even though she couldn't see me. She slowly stood back up again and turned to face me, her face livid. The bell rang, but no one in the group moved.

Then Nicola's fist met my face with a sickening crunch, and I fell back, my vision slowly turning black.

.:Story Start:.

I woke up in the medical ward at school, with a pair of familiar arms around my waist. I mumbled something incoherent as I tried to sit up and my head pounded.

"Liz," Alex breathed in my ear, trying not to trigger my headache. "Are you alright?"

"No," I mumbled, feeling sick and light headed. He pulled me a little but closer but I groaned, holding my head. "What the fuck did she do to me..." I asked rhetorically, closing my eyes, feeling awful.

I felt his warm, moist lips upon my neck as he kissed it gently, trying to make me feel better. It did actually help a bit, but not enough.

"Alex," I whimpered, squeezing his hand.

"It's alright," he murmured, stroking my hair with his other hand, pulling me close.

There was silence between us for a few minutes in which my head throbbed and my stomach churned, and he continued to stroke my hair. Then suddenly a thought occurred to me.

"Alex..." I mumbled.

"Mm?" he replied his lips finding my neck again.

"Why did no one try to stop her?"

"Lily stopped us from trying to help, because she wanted you to fight your own fight. She knew it was what you wanted. No one expected Nicola to knock you out. James, Kyle and I were ready to intervene if something went wrong,"

"James?"

"Yeah. I think your explanation the other day really had an effect on him. He's much different,"

"Different how?"

"The way he looks at you. I can tell he cares about you a hundred times more than he did before. Plus he just acts different...a little more quiet, reserved,"

I was silent. James cared about me a hundred times more than he did before? He was quiet and reserved? All this because he felt guilty that he hadn't been nice to me all the time? It wasn't entirely his fault. He was right, I should have told someone. Besides, he had a reason, and it probably wasn't pathetic...right?

My eyelids grew heavy as I tried to think with a pounding head.

"Liz, you're really pale," I suddenly heard Alex say worriedly. "Have some water,"

I felt him push a plastic cup into my hand and I brought it up to my lips, savouring the cool water that ran down my throat. I placed the cup back down beside me and went kind of floppy in Alex's arms. I didn't have the energy to move my muscles. I closed my eyes and willed sleep to come as my stomach continued to churn.

~*~*~

When I next woke up, I heard three familiar voices talking.

"I should have beat her up with that stick laying next to me. She's such a bitch," Lily hissed, and I could hear her pacing.

"That would just have got you into trouble. Don't worry, she'll be OK. She's survived worse." Alex, who was still sitting on the bed with me on top of him, reassured her.