Chapter Vier

Alex's heart sank when he asked about Angel but she stepped aside to let him in the room. He walked in and turned around to face Alex.

"What?" She asked slightly backing up; did he not like they way she looked? Was she too pale for him? She knew he would never fall in love with her because he was too perfect and she was too emo. She was a cutter, a broken soul; a failure; and had mental problems.

"Nothing, I like looking at your face." He said in English.

"Whozat?" Angel asked slurring her words as she tried to open her eyes. Alex went straight to the bed using it as an excuse to hide her face. She surprised herself most of her life was based on pretending to be what she wasn't; she was the best liar most people ever met, why couldn't she keep her face on an even plane. Angel's eyes opened and she saw her friends face, her face was perfectly smooth but her eyes were pools of turmoil. Something told Angel not to comment on it as she looked around. She saw Bill and was instantly confused. He must have called while Alex had my phone, she thought remembering all the times he called asking about her. She was happy for her friend. Alex was lonely always, a combination of several inherited mental diseases added to the daily torment she went through. Anyone who saw Alex's day would be in awe, the girl was amazing, a genius, an athletic goddess, a poet, a good friend, but in Alex's world no matter how hard she tried there was always something wrong with what she did. Angel really wanted to ask Alex what had happened the only time Alex wasn't flawlessly in control was after she got in trouble, one time Angel had been on the phone with Alex when she got in trouble and never wanted to hear that again.

Bill stood there watching the silent exchange between the two friends. He wasn't sure what to say. He was still confused by the defensive approach Alex had taken, why would someone like her need to be so defensive like she expected him to attack her?
"Excuse, me," Alex said stepping away. Her face was emotionless, shock probably, "I really need to use the bathroom."

"Alex, please don't leave," Angel's voice was soft.

"I'll be right back," said as she vanished out the door. Bill watched he felt like there was more to the exchange than a girl who had recently been traumatized not wanting to be left alone with a stranger.

"Why do you want her?" Angel said, her voice was clear for one who had been drunk an hour or two before, maybe the shock had cleared her system.

"Was," Bill said confused.

"Alex, you want her, I can see it clearly on your face, why?"

"I don't know?"

Angel looked at him, she knew if he so much as implied that he wanted Alex, Alex would be his. Alex spent so much of her life being hated that when someone offered her a chance to be accepted she took it without thinking, that same need to be accepted had nearly destroyed her more times than Angel could count. Each time Alex got up and kept going but long ago she stopped really getting up.

"You don't know?"

"No," Bill decided that he had to tell Alex's friend the truth or she might keep Alex away from him, "all I know is since the first day I talked to her I can't get her out of my head!" Angel looked at him.

"I don't know," Angel murmured to herself. Bill realized she wasn't talking to him and so stayed silent.

"No!" Alex's exclamation was soft as she hit the wall. Her head made a loud slamming sound but this was a one person bathroom, no one was around to hear, she was used to hiding what she really was. Alex curled into a tight ball on the floor letting her feelings flood her, if she didn't she wouldn't be able to control them later. Pain shot threw her, emotional pain so strong that it hurt her physically. "He wants her," she spoke to herself, "no surprise, she's pretty, tan," Alex listed all the reason Angel was better than she was. Telling herself that Bill would be happier if she didn't try to destroy what was going on. She squashed the part of herself that said that she deserved Bill and Angel didn't. That wasn't true she deserved nothing.

No tears escaped her eyes they never did. Alex slowly sat up still shaken with the extent of the pain that flooded through her. She pulled a paper clip that had been sharpened to a point sharper than most knives out of her pocket. (She kept all sorts of things in her pockets) She pulled the paperclip and lifted her shirt up. Carefully she pressed the edge against her skin it slid into her skin and she pushed it deeper until an inch of the blade rested in her skin. She took a deep breath and ripped it out slicing more skin in the process. She fixed her shirt put the paper clip away pulled her eyeliner out fixed that and walked out of the bathroom, composure returned.

Bill thought he had imagined the strangeness with how Alex had acted earlier because when she returned she looked fine. She looked tired but at the same time slightly happy, probably that she had gotten to her friend before whatever else had because it was obvious something maybe someone had attacked Angel. Bill attempted several times to start a conversation with Alex but each time she turned his attention away from her or at least tried to. Suddenly her phone went off and she looked at the number her skin loosing even more color if that was possible.

"Hello dad," she said her strong voice losing all its strength. Bill could hear a man's voice from where he was, he couldn't hear what was being said but he could hear the tone. "I know… Angel needed me… I'm sorry… I know daddy-" Bill's stomach lurched in anger as he watched the strong girl he had been watching turn into a girl with the will power of a three year old, the way she said 'daddy' the fear in her voice made him want to kill the man who would treat her this way.

"I'm sorry… She needed me… she isn't… I'm sorry, I'm sorry… okay I'll be there!" tears of fear shone in her eyes as she hung up the phone.

"Alex I'm sorry!" Angel said, tears collecting in her eyes as Alex headed for the door.

"I have to go," was all she said as she disappeared.

"What the hell!" Bill demanded.

"Her dad…" was all Angel could say, she hated seeing her friend like that especially since she knew how good at hiding her friend was, it spoke to the sheer terror Alex felt when she was screamed at that any of it showed on her face.

"I figured that out" Bill said angrily.

Angel began crying softly at first then powerful sobs shook her; Bill sat up on the bed and held her as she murmured a sturdy line of curse words. Soon her tears slowed and she sat back pulling away from his arms. She looked around for her phone and found it on the bed stand where Alex must have put it sometime before she left.

"I have to go," was her somewhat slurred response to whatever she saw on her phone. She jumped out of bed and grabbed her clothing Bill helped her collect her things, and soon she bounced out of the room with Bill following.

"Where?"

Angel spun around at his question as if she were shocked that he was still there.

"I have to do something that requires my not being in a hospital," she said before they both left the building.

"Do you need help getting home?" Bill asked as she began to walk to the street. "I'm sure my brother wouldn't mind driving you?"

Being still slightly intoxicated she accepted; had she been fully aware of her surroundings she'd have declined the offer. They both got in Tom's car.

He gave Bill a questioning look before Bill said, "She needs you to drive her home can you please?"

Tom caught on to the English and asked Angel. "Where to?"

Angel pointed forward. "Oh great," Tom whispered pulling out of the parking lot.

"So cutie what's your name?"

She looked at Tom before answering. "That's beautiful," he said after she told him. The car stopped at an intersection and Tom glanced at Angel; she pointed and the car once more pulled forward. He followed her finger till he pulled into a parking lot to an apartment complex.

"Thanks for driving me home," she said and hugged Tom. She waved to Bill and thanked him as well before leaving the car and walking to her studio apartment.

She opened the door to her still unfurnished home and sighed. The sigh was sad and detached almost.