A Change Of Heart

Chapter 21

I am sitting in a small room in a part of the hospital's emergency room. We've been here for about a while now and I've been filling out paperwork. Well, Raven wrote everything for me but I said it aloud for her. For a Monday afternoon, this place was actually pretty busy around here. And since I wasn't exactly in a serious emergency, I had to wait for the next available Doctor.

But in the meantime, a nurse came to take my vitals and made sure that my bleeding stopped. My arm hurt, but it didn't hurt as much as it did before. I had a feeling I was going to be a waiting a bit longer until a doctor comes and I contemplated on calling Ken.

I haven't heard anything from Austin yet so I don't know what is happening. I hope the principal didn't call my parents, they would be so upset. But then again there isn't much to be mad about because he was only protecting me. It's all Will's fault, anyways.

I was surprised that Zane was actually still here with me. I told him repeatedly that he could go back to school, but he objected. He's been really nice to me lately and I can't deny that I don't like it, because I do. It's nice to actually get along. He hasn't asked me what happened yet or why I kept wiping my tears away, and I appreciated that. He wasn't desperate for answers like most people were (cough, cough, myself).

"Okay, I need some caffeine," Raven breaks the silence. She stands up from the bed. "Will you be okay if I go downstairs to the cafeteria?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay." I nod my head.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. It's a hospital; I don't have anywhere to go."

"Okay. Zane, do you want anything?"

"No, thank you. I don't really like coffee." He shakes his head at her. He was sitting in a chair beside me and the bed I was sitting on. He has his head leaning against the wall and seemed to be pretty comfortable.

"Okay, I'll be right back." She says before rushing out of the room, leaving the two of us alone.

I look down at my arm that I was holding a cloth over for the blood. I hated the fact that two only days later I'm back here because of violence. The scene in the hallway replays my mind and a lump forms in my throat. I've never seen Will so...so angry with me. I've never seen him behave like that and I can't help but think that it's the new him. Maybe I never really even knew him. Maybe that's always been him and I have to accept that.

"Are you finally ready to tell me why I almost had to fight your ex-boyfriend?" Zane breaks the silence.

I look up at him. "I never asked you to defend me."

"Someone had to."

"And that someone had to be you?"

Zane inhales and exhales deeply and closes his eyes for a brief moment. "Abuse is something I do not like. I am highly against men putting their hands on females against a woman's own will. And when I saw how angry he looked and how afraid you looked and the way he was holding you, Zuri, it just made me so...angry. I didn't even know what I was doing until I had him against the lockers."

It is silent between us for a few seconds until I am able to speak. "Thank you...for intervening. I will admit he kind of scared me."

"Well now you know the kind of guy he is." Zane mutters.

"I do. And I hate that my brother is now in trouble because Will can't seem to keep his hands to himself."

"Was he always like this?"

"Who? Will?"

Zane nods.

"Was he always like what?"