If I Wake up Tomorrow, Will You Still Be Here?
Chapter Eight.
The cold bathroom tiles seemed to engulf Zoe into a pit of darkness as she struggled to stay afloat in the sea of consciousness. She felt a cold washcloth being dragged across her dampened, reddened face. She felt the moisture sting into the slight cut in her lips. Two faces flitted in and out of her vision, but they were hard to recognise.
"Zoe, can you hear me?" A soft voice asked, and the hair that was covering Zoe's blue eyes was pushed gently aside.
"Is she okay?" Another voice whispered from beside Zoe's head. She squinted, attempting to make out the two faces staring at her intently, worried.
"I don't know. She doesn't look badly hurt. Maybe just concussed." Zoe recognised the voice as Ashley's.
There were shouts and screams coming from behind the bathroom wall. Zoe recognised the gruff voice to be Kellan's. She opened her mouth and managed to speak, "What's going on?"
"Sweetie, there's a bit of a fight going on outside -"
"With who?" Zoe asked, her head attempting to straighten up.
"Kellan and Rob," Nikki gently informed Zoe, "It all happened so fast. It just blew up."
"No one really knows whats going on," Ashley agreed.
"One minute everything was okay and the next minute its a full on brawl in the parking lot," Nikki shrugged, "Those boys are always fighting over stupid things."
"We don't really know if they're fighting over stupid things," Ashley raised an eyebrow, patting Zoe's hair the way you attempt to comfort a dog.
"Zoe, no one's been able to calm Kellan down, maybe you could do it," Nikki gently prodded.
Zoe stood up, watching her feet awkwardly stumbling towards the exit. She heard murmured whispers from behind her, but maintained a focus on her carefully steadying her feet, one-by-one, on the black tiles. She reached the door, pushing it open and forwarding out into the dimly lit hall. The music continued to pump through the speakers, playing trance and house music. Zoe felt dizzy, light-headed but managed to push through the double exit doors and into the parking lot.
She looked across at the scene and felt the anger rising in herself. She watched Kellan throwing his force hurtling towards Rob's face, and watched as Rob slyly moved from side to side avoiding each unprepared punch.
"Stop it, Kellan!" Zoe shouted, hearing her angry quickly turn to despair as Kellan ignored her words, "Stop it right now!"
Kellan continued to fighting, his fists throwing vicious punches into the cool night air. Rob however stopped, moving toward Zoe, his eyes locked on hers, pain filtering through him. He mouthed an apology, that she knew was genuine, but was then knocked to the floor by a shockingly brutal blow by Kellan.
"Kellan!" Zoe yelled, pushing through her injuries and walking towards the two boys. Her eyes flickered around the small circle that were watching the two. Her gaze lingered on each person, but not as long as it had lingered on Kristen; the gorgeous brunette standing silently with tears in her eyes as she watched the battle of the men. She stared back at Zoe; her eyes questioning, begging Zoe to end it. She saw Rob walking aimlessly toward Zoe and it was plainly shown in her face that it was killing her. Zoe wondered how much of the conversation had been overheard, and by whom.
She assumed not Nikki or Ashley as they seemed just as clueless as she had upon awakening from unconsciousness. She sighed, stepping forward again and taking Kellan's arm in hers. He nudged her off again, almost with enough force to send her flying again.
"Kellan, look at me." Zoe clung tightly to Kellan's arm so as not to be thrown across the room again. Zoe knew it would hurt more across the gravel of the parking lot, then the cool smooth tiles of the bathroom floor.
Kellan turned to look at Zoe, shock etching itself in his sharp, chiseled features. His teeth clenched together as he managed to spit out his words, "What happened to your face?"
Zoe hadn't had a chance to check her reflection but she didn't think it'd be that bad. She licked her lips, "You pushed me."
"No I didn't," Kellan shook his head.
"Kellan honey, she tried to stop you and Rob fighting and you pushed her away. She skidded across the floor, and her head hit the vanity," Liz spoke quietly, in hopes of not angering Kellan any more than already was.
"I didn't do that." Kellan was adament.
"Yes you did," Zoe said quietly, "You're fighting over nothing, Kellan. Can we just go? I have work in the morning."
"I'm fighting for you," Kellan snapped quietly.
"Against Rob?" Zoe questioned, her eyebrows raised in speculation.
"He wants to take you away from me," Kellan spat, staring towards Rob. Rob raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to do, but kept his denial to himself.
"He has his own girlfriend, Kellan. I don't know what's going on with you at the moment," Zoe whispered, shaking her head angrily. She took a step away from Kellan, more sure of herself and not so light-headed, "I'm going home. It was lovely to meet you all."
With a quick step away from Kellan, Zoe walked past the onlooking group. She watched Ashley and Nikki exchange glances, before Ashley grabbed her arm to pull her in for a departing hug. Nikki looked at her sadly, unwilling to believe that this may be the last time she saw the girl she had clicked with so instantaneously.
Kellan watched as Zoe stepped back into the hall, unwilling to look back at the group who were watching her so intently. He turned back to Rob, his stare focusing hard into his bloodied face. He had gotten Rob a few good times in the face, leaving bloody cuts forming around his lips. The one good swing Kellan had managed to connect gave Rob a black eye.
"I just think that this was all a big misunderstanding," Rob stepped forward, outstretching his hand towards Kellan. Kellan smiled, looking around at the group and focusing on Kristen. He felt bad for her.
He took Rob's hand in his and pulled him closer, so far that Kellan's lips were close to Rob's ear, "Come anywhere near my girlfriend again, and Breaking Dawn won't be happening because the main character is in a coma. We clear?"
Rob laughed, placing his mouth close to Kellan's ear, "I can't help it if she comes near me, Kellan."
Kellan's hair stood up on the back of his neck and his muscles tightened underneath his black, pin-striped shirt. He grabbed Rob's arm tighter, rearranging his position closer to Rob, "She won't. That's a fucking promise."
"Zoe, can you hear me?" A soft voice asked, and the hair that was covering Zoe's blue eyes was pushed gently aside.
"Is she okay?" Another voice whispered from beside Zoe's head. She squinted, attempting to make out the two faces staring at her intently, worried.
"I don't know. She doesn't look badly hurt. Maybe just concussed." Zoe recognised the voice as Ashley's.
There were shouts and screams coming from behind the bathroom wall. Zoe recognised the gruff voice to be Kellan's. She opened her mouth and managed to speak, "What's going on?"
"Sweetie, there's a bit of a fight going on outside -"
"With who?" Zoe asked, her head attempting to straighten up.
"Kellan and Rob," Nikki gently informed Zoe, "It all happened so fast. It just blew up."
"No one really knows whats going on," Ashley agreed.
"One minute everything was okay and the next minute its a full on brawl in the parking lot," Nikki shrugged, "Those boys are always fighting over stupid things."
"We don't really know if they're fighting over stupid things," Ashley raised an eyebrow, patting Zoe's hair the way you attempt to comfort a dog.
"Zoe, no one's been able to calm Kellan down, maybe you could do it," Nikki gently prodded.
Zoe stood up, watching her feet awkwardly stumbling towards the exit. She heard murmured whispers from behind her, but maintained a focus on her carefully steadying her feet, one-by-one, on the black tiles. She reached the door, pushing it open and forwarding out into the dimly lit hall. The music continued to pump through the speakers, playing trance and house music. Zoe felt dizzy, light-headed but managed to push through the double exit doors and into the parking lot.
She looked across at the scene and felt the anger rising in herself. She watched Kellan throwing his force hurtling towards Rob's face, and watched as Rob slyly moved from side to side avoiding each unprepared punch.
"Stop it, Kellan!" Zoe shouted, hearing her angry quickly turn to despair as Kellan ignored her words, "Stop it right now!"
Kellan continued to fighting, his fists throwing vicious punches into the cool night air. Rob however stopped, moving toward Zoe, his eyes locked on hers, pain filtering through him. He mouthed an apology, that she knew was genuine, but was then knocked to the floor by a shockingly brutal blow by Kellan.
"Kellan!" Zoe yelled, pushing through her injuries and walking towards the two boys. Her eyes flickered around the small circle that were watching the two. Her gaze lingered on each person, but not as long as it had lingered on Kristen; the gorgeous brunette standing silently with tears in her eyes as she watched the battle of the men. She stared back at Zoe; her eyes questioning, begging Zoe to end it. She saw Rob walking aimlessly toward Zoe and it was plainly shown in her face that it was killing her. Zoe wondered how much of the conversation had been overheard, and by whom.
She assumed not Nikki or Ashley as they seemed just as clueless as she had upon awakening from unconsciousness. She sighed, stepping forward again and taking Kellan's arm in hers. He nudged her off again, almost with enough force to send her flying again.
"Kellan, look at me." Zoe clung tightly to Kellan's arm so as not to be thrown across the room again. Zoe knew it would hurt more across the gravel of the parking lot, then the cool smooth tiles of the bathroom floor.
Kellan turned to look at Zoe, shock etching itself in his sharp, chiseled features. His teeth clenched together as he managed to spit out his words, "What happened to your face?"
Zoe hadn't had a chance to check her reflection but she didn't think it'd be that bad. She licked her lips, "You pushed me."
"No I didn't," Kellan shook his head.
"Kellan honey, she tried to stop you and Rob fighting and you pushed her away. She skidded across the floor, and her head hit the vanity," Liz spoke quietly, in hopes of not angering Kellan any more than already was.
"I didn't do that." Kellan was adament.
"Yes you did," Zoe said quietly, "You're fighting over nothing, Kellan. Can we just go? I have work in the morning."
"I'm fighting for you," Kellan snapped quietly.
"Against Rob?" Zoe questioned, her eyebrows raised in speculation.
"He wants to take you away from me," Kellan spat, staring towards Rob. Rob raised an eyebrow, unsure of what to do, but kept his denial to himself.
"He has his own girlfriend, Kellan. I don't know what's going on with you at the moment," Zoe whispered, shaking her head angrily. She took a step away from Kellan, more sure of herself and not so light-headed, "I'm going home. It was lovely to meet you all."
With a quick step away from Kellan, Zoe walked past the onlooking group. She watched Ashley and Nikki exchange glances, before Ashley grabbed her arm to pull her in for a departing hug. Nikki looked at her sadly, unwilling to believe that this may be the last time she saw the girl she had clicked with so instantaneously.
Kellan watched as Zoe stepped back into the hall, unwilling to look back at the group who were watching her so intently. He turned back to Rob, his stare focusing hard into his bloodied face. He had gotten Rob a few good times in the face, leaving bloody cuts forming around his lips. The one good swing Kellan had managed to connect gave Rob a black eye.
"I just think that this was all a big misunderstanding," Rob stepped forward, outstretching his hand towards Kellan. Kellan smiled, looking around at the group and focusing on Kristen. He felt bad for her.
He took Rob's hand in his and pulled him closer, so far that Kellan's lips were close to Rob's ear, "Come anywhere near my girlfriend again, and Breaking Dawn won't be happening because the main character is in a coma. We clear?"
Rob laughed, placing his mouth close to Kellan's ear, "I can't help it if she comes near me, Kellan."
Kellan's hair stood up on the back of his neck and his muscles tightened underneath his black, pin-striped shirt. He grabbed Rob's arm tighter, rearranging his position closer to Rob, "She won't. That's a fucking promise."