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

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

I KNOW you want to know what's up with Neil, but I'm NOT telling you!! You have to wait another couple of chapters!

Oh and I'm adding another 3 weeks to the deadline (so 6 weeks) for Liz's performance, because I'm going to skip quite a lot of time in the story and I want as many people to vote on a song as possible. SO, please vote on a song soon!

RIGHT onwards!

.:Story Start:.

Two weeks. Two, whole, freaking weeks, and James had not once showed his nice, sensitive, caring side, other than the usual looks in form. It was seriously frustrating me. He was such an arse! He was ten times worse than his mates at the whole 'insulting me' thing, but not quite as bad as Nicola. Heck, he even laughed along with everyone else whenever I was humiliated!

But I hadn't forgotten. I hadn't forgotten those lyrics, the emotions behind his dark, mysterious eyes.

Added to that, Neil was getting steadily worse and worse. I barely spoke to him now - just a greeting, a few courtesies now and then, but otherwise a thick, heavy silence. His stares were bugging me almost as much as James's - accusing, angry. I was getting more and more like I had been before, silent, on the verge of depression.

And nothing was happening with my father. It seemed the rehab hated me and decided to put me through the same pain, night after night, an extra scar here, another bruise there, to add to the stares I was getting from people at school.

I was currently sitting in English, my eyes following but not reading the text in front of me, the teacher's voice a drone in my head. If I wasn't careful my grades were going to start dropping again. I had worked hard to get my GCSE's to get into this sixth form, to stay focused and on track, I wasn't going to fall behind now.

It was difficult. Difficult to concentrate on what went on in school when far more important things were happening back at home. The constant jeering, laughing, practical jokes didn't help either. Nor did the fact that I had recently started sleeping badly as well. A few hours a night was really taking its toll on me.

"Elizabeth, can you give us the answer?" I looked up, startled - I hadn't heard the question.

"I'm sorry, could you repeat that please?"

"Why do you think there was such a significant difference between this aspect of their scripts?" I stared blankly for a moment, then answered. Thankfully, I had answered correctly.

The bell rang, thank god, and it was lunchtime, and I was able to immerse myself in my thoughts without getting distracted. Not that that worked - I kept glancing at James in my thinking frenzy, once again trying to unravel his mysteriousness. I angrily picked up my apple, wondering why it happened to me. Why was I a loner, a freak, with an alcoholic father? No one deserved this kind of fate, not even Nicola. Which was saying something.

I took a bite of my apple.

I could see him quite clearly across the playground, talking to his friends. Laughing. Messing around. A normal person. With friends. He was obviously telling a funny tale to Kyle, because he couldn't stop laughing. Then again, he tended to have that effect on people.

I took a second bite out of my apple.

It was so tempting to go over there, to ask him what he really thought of me.

I took a third bite from my apple.

"Hey Elizabeth! Why don't you go talk to your friends? Oh, right, you don't have any!" I heard Nicola shout. I closed my eyes and leaned back against the tree. "Loser," I heard her mutter as she walked nearby. I was so tempted to throw my apple at her. Instead, I opened my bag and took out my notebook.