MAD LOVE

Chapter 23

"Get in, I'll take you home," the guy behind the wheel said. Alex, thank goodness! I breathed a sigh of relief.

After naming the new address, I visibly relaxed. The car was warm and cozy. The interior smelled of leather and gum, an awesome combination.

"Lana, what happened? You need to get to a hospital!"

"I don't need to go anywhere... I want to go home. I'm fine."

"Your whole leg is covered in blood! Do you call that fine?"

"Oh, come on... It's only a scratch and I can easily cope with it."

"Alana, what's going on between you?"

"Who are you talking about?" I wanted to clarify that it was not about Norton.

"Mark Wood. It's true? Are you former lovers?" Alex asked, not taking his eyes off the road.

"That's one way to say it. We only dated for three months, then broke up."

"And may I know why?"

"Not worth it. I don't want to talk about it..."

"What does he want?"

"He wants me back."

"What do you want?"

"To disappear," I whispered, but Alex heard anyway.

"How could you even go out with someone like him, Alana? This man's dangerous and looks at you like a hungry animal at a piece of meat."

"I just happened to be in the wrong place and fell in love with the wrong person," I whispered before fatigue enveloped me, and I fell asleep without a further thought.

An incoming message roused me from my memories. I'm at the entrance. Will you come out? I replied I was on my way and left the auditorium after asking permission. Mike clearly had been to his dorm room, as he had a change of clothes and looked refreshed. Just let him try to say I never saw him dented. For some reason, this thought brought a smile to my face.

"I'm glad you smile at the sight of me. Thank you for helping me out in the morning," Norton said, and handed me a bunch of keys.

"Good upbringing. Have you ever heard of this? Rather, tell me how you ended up at my door?" I stared at him intently, waiting for an answer, but he just shrugged.

"I don't remember. Apparently, I drank a lot."

"You'll be put in jail for drunk driving someday," I snorted, which Mike just responded to with a laugh.

"You're funny, Moore." My opponent smiled sweetly opposite me and gave me a somewhat condescending look. However, as if remembering something, his face took on a more serious look and, frowning, he asked, "Alana, what happened yesterday between you and Wood?"

"I don't understand what you mean..." I said, knowing there would be questions.

How did he know? I hope it wasn't Alex who blurted it out, though... Unlike this truant, Farrell is a very disciplined guy and is now most likely still paired, which means they haven't seen each other. How then?

"I saw blood and shards from a bottle, Moore. Please, don't make a fool out of me..."

I wonder how he got to the back room? Was he looking for me?

"Mike," I started carefully, "we just talked. How do I know what happened after us? Maybe someone got into a fight? I have no idea. I'm fine, really."

I have to ask Alex to keep quiet about this. I hope he'll understand...