"Krissy? Kriss! Please open your eyes!" The voice was frantic and high with worry, and vaguely familiar. I knew that voice for sure, but I had no idea where from. It sounded distant and fuzzy, as if the person yelling was far away from me. Some small part of my brain knew the words meant something important, but I couldn't get a grasp on what exactly that was. My mind was spinning and I couldn't quite tell where my body was, it felt numb and barely there. That is, until it began to shake. For a moment I panicked, why was I shaking? Then I registered a hand pressed against me, I think on my shoulder. Oh. I was being shaken by someone. That same voice was still crying out, growing clearer and clearer. I also became aware of throbbing, sharp pains in several parts of my body. I winced and slowly cracked my eyes open. Mikey's face was very close to mine, tear-stained and wild-eyed. It had been his voice talking to me, I realized, and his hand on my shoulder. "Kriss!" He yelled. "Wh-what happened?" He wiped tears from his face with the heel of his hand as he spoke. I frowned and made a huge effort to remember, and the whole events came flooding back to me with stunning clarity. "A-Austen," I whispered pitifully. "And his friends." It wasn't much of an explanation, but I could tell by his face it was enough. His expression hardened. He glanced over his shoulder and nodded, I looked to see that both Ray and Frank were stood behind Mikey, each wearing furious expressions similar to Mikey's. They steppes forward to me, kneeling beside Mikes, and between them they assessed my injuries. "I think you need to go to the hospital Kriss," Frank said, unusually quiet for him. I cringed in fear, having had far too many hospital experiences recently. Ray stroked my arm comfortingly. "It's okay, Kriss, we'll take you and we'll stay with you the whole time, no need to be scared." I sighed and nodded, knowing they were right. They glanced at each other. "We don't have any transport," Mikey pointed out. They frowned, and then Ray stood up and slipped his arms under me. Slowly, he lifted me. He was as gentle as possible, but I still cried out as pain hit several areas of my body. Ray murmured his apologies, and I nodded at him, letting him know that I knew there was nothing he could do. I heard Mikey calling Gerard on his phone behind us, and Frank walked ahead of us, holding doors and leading us out of the school. I watched silently as they took control. "Let's wait here," Mikey said. "Gerard's bringing Dad's car around." I was comforted by this, Gerard would be here soon. Then things would be better. We stood outside school anxiously, watching to make sure no-one approached us intending to do more harm. I spotted the Way family car a surprisingly short while later, ripping around a corner at a speed that was definitely over the limit. It squealed to a stop outside the school gates, and a black-haired figure darted from the front seat and raced towards us faster than I'd ever seen him move. He came over and tossed the car keys at Frank, who fumbled but caught them. Then he lifted me from Ray's arms and pulled me into his own, cradling me gently against his warm chest. I rested my head on it, feeling instantlu better although the pain was still there. He looked up. "Frank, you're driving. Hospital. Now." And he turned toward the car without another word. I frowned. "You're not driving?" I asked slowly. "He shook his head, and then slid me onto the back seat of the car. Then he surprised me by sliding in beside me. I looked at him in surprise, and he asked "What?" I just looked at him and he shrugged, then slipped an arm around me and held me closely. I snuggled close and let him hold me. Frank slipped into the driver's seat, Ray in the front and Mikey beside me in the back. The car was in motion almost as soon as the doors slammed. I felt Gerard's hand on my hair. "Kriss, what happened?" I shifted to look at him. "Austen, he pulled me into a dark corridor and got his friends to kick the crap out of me," I said forlornly. I felt his muscles tighten and saw the anger fill his face. I placed my hand in his and squeezed it tightly, and he met my eyes and smiled tiredly at me. We remained in a tense, charged silence for the remainder of the drive, until Frank pulled into the hospital car parj. Gerard lifted my from the seat again. "You don't have to carry me, I can walk," I said quietly. Gerard just gave me a look and climbed out of the car with my body in his arms. I sighed, resigned, and allowed myself to be carried into the hospital building by my boyfriend. The boys were already in, and I saw them stood by the receptionist's desk, talking to the woman sat there. She looked over to me and Gerard as he strode in, and nodded to my frantic friends and pointed to a seating area. Gee sat down and held me in his lap, pressing his face to my hair and staring impatiently at the front desk whilst we waited for an available doctor to come and see to me. I bit my nails and watched Gerard's face with concern the whole time. There was something not quite right in his expression, something that stirred in my stomach and made me think that more was yet to come.

Notes

Another long wait, but hopefully worth it. Enjoy! I had been planning on putting the plottwist into this chapter but I've split it into two instead.