A/n: Ok. New chapter - finally! I'm momentarily out of the homework swamp, so I've gotten to updating some fics. This chapter didn't go as well as I would've liked, but anways. Here it is, please review!
Knox Overstreet lay on his back on his bed, staring very blankly at the very white ceiling. He'd been in the same position for nearly two and a half hours since Todd had left him there. Periodically the others checked in on him to make sure he was alright.
There was a small knock on the wooden door and then it opened.
"You doin' alright, Knox?" Pitts asked as he peered in.
Knox didn't move. He swallowed. "Alive." he muttered. The same response he had given each time.
Pitts sighed and slowly shut the door.
Knox was fine physically, sure. But his mind..... no, emotionally he was anything but fine. The day kept replaying over and over in his head, and he couldn't make it stop. What it some sort of cruel punishment for being a coward? He didn't know, but as another tear absently slid down his cheek and into the pillow, the day rolled through his mind like a non-stop horror movie once again.
Knox had been riding his bike down the sidewalks, where the snow was mostly gone. He had been whistling some happy tune, and all he had been thinking about was seeing her again. The blonde, beautiful angel that he had loved from the moment he'd seen her. Chris.....
She was engaged to someone else, he knew. 'So what?' he thought. He knew he was the one for her, as she was the only one for him. Chad was some arrogant jock who picked the prettiest girl to woo and be his.
As Knox neared Chris' house he heard raised voices - unnaturally raised voices. He stopped abruptly behind the hedges when he heard Chris voice shrilly say, "Chad, you leave Knox alone!"
"I will not!" Chad sounded positively irate. "You're my girl, Chris! MINE! You - "
"I don't belong to anyone!" Chris yelled. "Least of all, you!"
Chad seemed to disregard the last part of her comment. "Yes you do belong to me! You're my fiancé! That ring on your friggin' finger says I own you!" Chad banged his fist loudly on something.
Knox slowly parted a piece of the hedge and he could see the open window, with Chris and Chad standing just inside. His heart was pounding, wondering what he should do. Interfere? Wait? Run? The last option seemed most appealing considering Chad's mood.
"It was just a play! I'm not marrying him! Its not like we did 'it' for goodness sake!" Chris tried to reason, her voice still raised.
"YOU WHAT!?" Chad took a very threatening step towards Chris and Knox shivered.
She didn't back down. "I said we DIDN'T! What is WRONG with you?! This is not the man I said yes to!"
"I swear, Chris, if I ever see that son of a - "
"CHAD!"
" - I'll kill him. I will. I'll kill him!"
"You leave him alone!" Chris yelled, but in a pleading way.
"Why do you keep DEFENDING him?!"
"Because I love him!" Chris said suddenly, tears on her face. The last word wasn't even out of her mouth and she clapped her hands over her mouth. Knox had never seen her so scared before.
At her words however, Knox' heart skyrocketed through the sky above, he felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him, his legs were suddenly Jell-o and he had to lean on his bike for support. He would've gasped for breath, had he had some to gasp.
"C-chad.... I.... d-didn't...." Chris started, visibly shaking.
Chad had disappeared from view, and now so had Chris. There was a sudden loud crash and Chris screamed.
"CHAD! WHAT - STOP! PUT IT DOWN! CHAD, PLEASE CALM DOWN!"
Chad came back into the view of the window, and Knox saw he had one Chris' mother's precious antique chairs high over his head. With a mighty throw, the chair came flying out through the window, smashing the glass of the part of the window not open. The chair landed with another crash on the lawn and splintered all over. Chris screamed when the chair had hit the window.
"That's it! That's the last straw!" Judging by her voice, Knox could imagine tears streaming down her face. It hurt to even think about it. "I hate YOU, Chad! And I LOVE, Knox! Here's your - filthy - cheap - ring to go with your stupid - jealous - CHEAP - self!" Chris managed to yank to tight-fitting engagement ring off her finger and then she threw it at Chad.
It hit him in the chest and he bent to pick it up. He looked stunned as he seemed to examine the ring. Then a n almost demonic look of pure anger swept over his face. His hand spasmed into a tight fist, which began to shake as his knuckles grew whiter.
"Now get out." she said steadily, and pointed to the door. "Before I call the police."
Chad did not get out. Instead, he shoved the ring forcefully in his pocket and advanced toward Chris. Through the window, Knox could only see Chad. Chad raised his hand and struck Chris. She gave a cry of pain, and Knox assumed she'd fallen to the floor.
Knox was cold all over. He didn't know what to do.... his feet were frozen to the sidewalk and his eyes were frozen to the scene inside the house.... he needed to do something... he knew that.... but he couldn't.... move.... or think...... he was just frozen.......
"YOU LOVE KNOX, HUH? DO YOU!? WELL WHERE IS YOUR BIG MAN NOW!?" Chad shouted.
Chris whimpered. Chad leaned forward, grabbed her wrists and yanked her up harshly. Knox could see blood on her face and he felt sick.
"DO YOU LOVE HIM!?"
He didn't wait for an answer. He picked her up off the ground by her arms and literally threw her across the room. She screamed. Knox couldn't see her now - just Chad panting - but he heard a huge crash followed by the crack of breaking wood and tinkle of smashed glass.
"How do like that!? Where's super Knox now!?" Chad swore loudly, spit, swore again and then made for the door. He threw it open with such force that it left a large hole in the side of the house, and it now hung on crooked hinges.
Knox' skin felt hot. He felt as angry as Chad looked. But he stayed where he was. He knew better than to get in a fight with a guy like Chad. Besides, he knew it would do Chris no good if he was laying dead on the lawn. He held his breath, fighting the urge to bolt past him, yell something, throw his bike at the back of Chad's head, or even move for that matter.
Chad marched furiously down the walk, swearing up a storm, and Knox noted - with even more anger - that Chad didn't even have the respect to look guilty. As Knox' fist balled even more tightly around the handlebars of his bike, he reminded himself sternly that if he wanted to get in there and help Chris, being murdered on the doorstep was not the way to do it.
Chad slammed the door on his car, denting it. He swore even louder, and fired up the engine. He peeled out loudly leaving smoke and black streak on the pavement where his car had been. Knox tensely waited until the car had squealed around the corner where he immediately dropped his bike and dashed to house.
"Chris?" he called, and leaned in.
When there was no answer, he wasted no time in running to the living room.
"Chris!?" he tried again, more worried and desperate than before. And then he saw her.
Chad had thrown her into the old wood and glass dining room table. The front two legs had apparently given out at impact, and there she was, laying half on the broken table and half on the carpet which was beginning to be blood-soaked. The glass tabletop was completing shattered, littering the carpet with sparkling bits of danger. She was bleeding heavily from her head and face, as well as parts of her arms and legs. Her eyes were closed and her skin was extremely pale. Her limbs were bent at unnatural angles, and her pretty blonde hair was a mess.
Knox choked. He'd never seen anything so horrible in life and he would give anything to never be able to see it again. He'd never felt colder in his life, even though there was a cool yet pleasant spring breeze blowing, and that was the time he'd gotten frostbite. He'd never seen or felt anything so close to death.
He numbly dialled 9-1-1 the second he could rip his eyes away from Chris' mangled body. His hands were shaking so uncontrollably he needed both hands to grip the slippery black phone. It briefly occurred to him that he might be blamed for this, but he could give no more thought to as a voice came on the other end of the line.
"Emergency Services, hello, how may I help you?"
Knox didn't waste any time on pleasantries.
"I need help. Now."
He had watched in a dazed, numb sort of way as the ambulance came and put the unconscious Chris on a stretcher. Her parents had been called from work and were now on the lawn, the father yelling about how could this happen to his baby, and the mother sobbing uncontrollably, begging the paramedics to save her daughter.
They had shooed him away, telling him he had done enough. The father had told him he could visit later, and not to bother the hysterical missus. The mother had cried that it wasn't Knox' fault and that he could come too, that she knew it was that dirty jock Chad, and how could the father ever allow such a man to become their daughter's fiancé, and just now look at her.
That's when the doors to the ambulance had shut, taking Knox' life away with it. He had stared at its white and red back as far as he could see it, speedily racing towards the hospital. After it was gone, and the drone of its siren had ceased, Knox still stood staring after it. The neighbours had given up watching the scene and him just standing there, and had returned to their lives, only with the thought of the neighbour's troubles in the back of their minds.
Slowly, ever so slowly, he'd picked up his bicycle and pedalled back towards Welton's. He had no intention of doing anything except laying in the snow until he felt better. He'd let out a strangled cry as the whole situation really hit him, and his legs gave out sending him down the hill in the snow. He hadn't cared. That's when Todd had found him and insisted he be put under supervision.
And now, here he lay, on his bed, in a nice warm comfortable academy of boys while the woman he desperately loved lay in a hospital bed - and who knew, maybe she was dying!
Another knock, and the door opened.
Neil. "You ok, Knox?"
No answer.
"You wanna talk about it?"
No answer.
Neil sighed. "Are you ok?" he repeated.
"Alive." Knox said and didn't blink.
Neil looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn't. He quietly shut the door.
As soon as the door was shut, Knox' throat constricted and a quiet sob squeezed out. He was alive. But he didn't know I Chris was, and if she died, he saw no reason to live.
A/n: Sorry, its a little overdramatic. But, let me know what you think anyways. Please review! (just no swearing, please) :D By the way, any Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings or Pirates of the Caribbean fans who are reading this: check out my bio, I have some other stories going and you just might be interested.... :D