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Dedication: LoveAltJ for the awesome cover on the side! Thank you so much!

Recap:

"Put down your drink," Colin said smoothly. His voice was so sharp it could cut through class. His back was tense and I could only imagine the fierce expression that was planted on his face. "And begin to pray, because you're going to be begging me to stop in a few seconds."

Anyone could see the boy was scared shitless. Not so tough now, was he? He put the drink down, knowing he couldn't back away when he was on enemy grounds.

"Let's go." the boy said, lacking the confidence Colin's did.

Well, you could say it escalated quickly after that.

Time went so quickly it was practically a blur.

Colin launched at him aggressively, somewhat reminding me of a lion, his fist breaking the nose of the boy who pinned me down in the bathroom yesterday.

My breath was caught in my throat as I struggled to exhale properly. I felt a mixture of fear and admiration. Everyone began shouting, excitement getting the better of them. I had to admit, I was pretty smug that everyone was cheering Colin on. Everybody knew that it was his battle and that he would destroy anyone who took that from him, so they all just watched and shouted encouragements.

From the one punch, A-hole number 1 (will be referred to as that from here onward) was knocked off his feet, which was pretty hilarious I must admit. The rush of panic I had immediately felt as soon as I saw him had been replaced with the appreciation that my hot boyfriend is a bad as*. I watched in fascination, (most normal girls probably in horror) as Colin, lifted him by the collar of his shirt and smashed his fist into his jaw.

There was a consecutive 'oooh' at the sound of it. Blood began trickling down A-hole number 1's chin from the impact. Colin looked up and I froze. His gaze was directed at me but I knew he couldn't see me. His eyes were completely glazed over and with red tinging the corners. His lips were slightly a part. My eyes dropped to his already bruises knuckles. He looked like the definition of crazy. I swallowed, knowing that I needed to stop him before this got out of hand.

Sure, a good punch to the jaw the set a moron straight is always fun, but when someone starts bashing another person to the point of endangering their life, it was not. I didn't want it to cross over to that.

Who would have thought Hayley Larson had a responsible side to her?

I took a step forward before a slight gasp escaped my mouth. I'm not sure how he managed it, but A-hole number 1 managed to get to his feet whilst Colin was momentarily distracted. He brought his knee up towards his chest before sending his foot towards Colin's thigh. His leg collapsed another him and Colin dropped to the floor faster than I could blink.

Without a second of hesitation, Colin was back fighting, but now he was the one on the ground. A-hole number 1 had the upper hand. He booted Colin in the ribcage hard and that's when I snapped.

Rage flooded through my veins as the images of him doing the same thing to me yesterday burned through my mind. My body reacted before my mind did, as usual. I ran at him and threw my whole body at his back, knowing that I needed all my weight behind me to take him down. He let out a strangled cry as we both tumbled uncomfortably to the floor.

I socked him hard in the jaw, the part I knew Colin had already hit. A string of curses left his mouth as he was hit, yet again. I clawed at his neck, my nails biting into his flesh maliciously. He managed to throw most of my body off of him and backhanded me across the face.

Literally, backhanded.

Black dots danced around my vision. I blinked rapidly, trying to maintain focus on what was going on. A growl tore from Colin's throat the moment A-hole number 1 skin touched mine. Colin's foot booted his back, precisely, the spine.

The guy crumbled to the floor in agony, his hands going to his back. Colin dropped to his knees at the same time he rolled him over.

"Okay, okay, stop," A-hole number 1 wheezed, his entire face crimson. "Please stop, I think you broke a bone!"

Colin was not here. Physically, yes, but emotionally he was far away. You could see it in his eyes. He had officially snapped. His fists began pummelling over the A-hole number 1's thick, solid body whilst angry grunts were tearing from his throat.

It was then I realised that I actually didn't know where the blood started and stopped.

There was just too much. My face ached but I hardly felt it due to the adrenaline coursing through my body. Everyone who was gathered around us melted away. All I could see was Colin. I wrapped my fingers around his bicep and tugged as fiercely as I could. He hardly budged. I suddenly didn't appreciate the strength he held.

"Colin," I whispered desperately, trying to pry his hands from the scumbag beneath me. "Colin, you need to stop."

My words were no use.

"Colin," I begged, feeling the panic rise in the pit of my stomach.

I jabbed him roughly in the ribs, where I knew he was ticklish. He jerked slightly at my touch. Finally, a reaction.

"Colin, you did it. You taught him a lesson. Now, stop."

"I need to finish him." his breath was ragged and his words hardly inaudible.

Well at least my words were actually entering his ears now. My fingers went back to his arm and I squeezed, trying to break down the walls that he had built around him.

"You have," I murmured. "Look at me."

His hands stopped beating him but they were still clenched and hovering over his body. Taking my chance, I enclosed my fingers around his, ignoring the blood that was smeared across them. I dragged his hands so that they were resting in my lap.

The fact that everybody was watching us, their mouths agape, didn't faze me. I was too caught up in Colin. Nothing else mattered at the moment.

"Look at me."

Reluctantly, he dragged his eyes from A-hole number 1 and finally met my eyes. I stared back boldly, not loosening the grip I had on his hand for a second. I needed him to know that I was not afraid of seeing this side of him, but I needed him to stop.

"I'm proud of you." I whispered, my eyes burning with unshed tears. "You defended me when I needed you to. I love you. But that's enough. No more."

His chest was still rising rapidly, but his eyes had changed. I knew he was coming back. Slowly, I scrambled to my feet, pulling Colin with me. His body was trembling. I looked back at the horrified people around us. Well, some were horrified. A lot of them showed disappointment that the fight was over. My eyes met with Jeremy and he knew that he needed to get A-hole number 1 to the medical wing straight away.

"Let's go get cleaned up." I suggested, pulling Colin after me, a little weary of making sudden movements.

He was in a trance-like state. He followed me wordlessly, his eyes unfocused. As soon as people took in the blood and the crazy eyes, they were backing away from us or turning the other direction. I ignored them as best as I could, focusing on finding a bathroom.

Eventually we found one and I led him towards the sink. A guy who I've seen around before came out the cubicle, looking at me strangely for being in the men's bathroom. I had a sudden urge to fly kick him. How random would that be for him, just come out of the bathroom and bam, down he goes. Would be pretty cool, you have to admit.

"Get out." I said bluntly, my eyes snapping to his. "Now."

He stared at the blood that was dripping from our hands and realised he should not argue. Without even washing his hands (probably wasn't going to anyway) he quickly left us alone. I began scrubbing at Colin's hands, the blood thick. He didn't even flinch as I placed the soap on his hands, I knew his cuts would be stinging but he showed no sign of pain. I remained quiet as I continued cleaning him, unsure of what to say to him.

"He hit you."

It was the first time he had spoken since we left. I pressed my lips together. I had to be careful with what I said, I didn't want to trigger him off again.

"I know," I replied softly.

"He shouldn't have done that."

"I know," I repeated, biting my lip. "He got what he deserved though and maybe more."

"Not enough."

"Hey." Ignoring the fact that my hands were wet, I pressed my palms against his cheeks, forcing him to stare at me. "It was enough. It's done, okay? Just forget about it."

"I can't forget about it." his voice was void of emotion, which was actually a little scary.

"You're going to have to. Don't go after him again."

He didn't reply, just exhaling long and loudly. He leaned back on the mirror. Pulling his hands from mine, he glanced down at them. Bruises sashed his knuckles and tiny little cuts were scattered across his skin.

We stood there in silence for a few moments. I wasn't sure what to say, so I didn't say anything. I sighed in relief when his voice had returned to normal.

"I think I like us as a duo," he smirked, flickering his eyes to me. A dimple appeared in his left cheek, making him look irresistibly adorable. It was moments like this that made me completely forget the violent history (and present) he has. The anger, the sadness. When he smiled at me, I forget about everything bad about him. It was like he put me into a trance with one stare, which was actually a bit scary.

"Oh?" I laughed, having him back here with me was like a weight lifting off my shoulders. "Should we go into a business then?"

"No one would hire us," he joked.

I rolled my eyes as I reached for his hand. I stood on my tip-toes and kissed him softly. My heart swelled slightly in my chest, as it always does when we kiss.

"I love you." I mumbled against his lips.

"I love you." he replied instantly.

Engulfing me in a giant, bear hug, I snuggled into his chest. We stayed like that for a few moments. He rested his chin on my head.

"Thank you for stopping me."

In reply, I hugged him tighter. Eventually we broke a part, our hands still entwined. He sighed, looking tired.

"Guess we better get back to the dorm... see what mess we left."

Those were the last words he said as we emerged out of the bathroom. About a dozen guards stood there, all beared with weapons. My eyebrows shot up in surprise. With all that had happened, I hadn't even considered the guards finding out about the commotion.

"Hands behind your back." one bellowed, causing me to jump in alarm.

At first I went to go do so, but realised their gazes weren't fixed on me. They intensely stared at Colin, until he eventually did so. They all charged forward, seizing him as though he has just shot up the school or something.

"Where are you taking him?" I cried out, a little pathetically, as they began to drag him away. "Colin!"

He stared back at me, his eyes wide. He was shoved forward and we lost eye contact. I began to run after him, but a guard who I had not realised was by my side, gripped my arm harshly. I yelped out in surprise.

"You," he grunted, glaring holes into my head. "You're coming with me."

Colin's P.O.V:

I have never glared at something as intensely as I was at the bare, white ceiling above me. It was as though if I stared hard enough, holes would appear and I could escape this hole of a school. I exhaled angrily, rolling to my side.

Someone goes crazy and bashes someone, sure, chuck them in a white room with no windows and just a bed. Let them break down even further. That sounds like a good idea. I growled, getting to my feet. I began pacing, needing to do something except stare at the walls. My fingers tugged through my hair and I focused on keeping my breathing even.

Isolation.

My least favourite place in the world. The only thing that could be worse than this, is being locked in a room with my step father. They're pretty equal really. I can't get the image of that low-life hitting Hayley out of my head. I should have skinned him alive, the moronic scumbag.

Losing it like that wasn't good. I don't know what I would have done if Hayley wasn't there. No other person in that room could have stopped me. I didn't want to be like this and feel this way. It was inhumane and wrong, but I couldn't help it. It was in my blood.

Running my fingertips across my rough knuckles, I swallowed. I hardly even remember the fight. I was so wired up, I don't remember beating him. All that comes back to me is staring into her eyes and feeling the ache in my hands. That was when I realised what had happened. I was so scared that I had frightened her. For a split second, I thought I might have hurt her. But the realisation that he did, dawned on me and I was ready for round two.

A scream of rage ripped from my throat as I punched my already swollen fist into the wall. The guard entered immediately, sighing.

"If you keep this up you're going to never get out of here. Don't put me through that." he pleaded, actually looking at me desperately.

I would have laughed if I wasn't so angry. I swivelled my eyes toward him, sending him a look of pure hatred.

"Get out or it will be your head through that wall." I hardly even recgonisd my own voice. It had taken on a whole new level of deepness that I hadn't thought was even possible.

Without another word, the guard slipped back through the door. I sunk to my knees, tugging a fist full of my hair.

I will go insane spending another few days in here.

Hayley's P.O.V:

After sitting in the principal's office for hours, gruelling me about everything that happened today, I was finally released without punishment. I was the 'helpless victim' in this 'vicious act of violence'. I bit down my sarcastic retorts and kept my mouth shut until I was out of there.

Colin was in isolation for goodness knows how long, which sucked. In the meantime, I shall be pouring my energy (that I often save for him) into exhausting myself at the gym. I haven't spent some quality time there for a while and I think I'm a little overdue. Dragging my feet, I finally made it back to my dorm room. Some of the crew were there still, waiting for our return. Imogen leapt to her feet at the sight of me and threw her arms around my neck. I staggered back at the force of her body hitting mine.

"Get off me loser," I laughed, pushing her back.

"That was messed up." she said, actually serious for once. "I thought Colin was going to put him in a wheelchair. Has he put him in a wheelchair?"

"Doubt it," I shrugged, not particularly caring what happened to A-hole number one. Okay, so I would care if he actually did turn out paraplegic, but I don't think the fight was that severe. It was full on, yeah, but not as hectic as everyone was making it out to be. "Fights happen here on a daily basis, I don't really understand what all the fuss is about."

"I thought he was going to kill him Hayley." she said, her voice lowered. "I've seen Colin snap before, but not like that."

"Colin wouldn't kill someone." I shot back, suddenly feeling defensive.

She opened her mouth to reply, but Jeremy got up. "I think the kid will be alright. He's pretty battered and bruised though. Was a nightmare to carry to the medical wing. Weighs a tonne and complained like a a pre-teen who just got her first period."

I snorted at his choice of words. "I hope he feels as bad as he looks."

"Yeah, that wasn't cool hitting a girl."

"Wasn't the first time," I muttered, rubbing my hands over my face, his words reminding me of what happened. I had been so distracted that the throbbing seemed like nothing. Now that I had stopped, the pain had doubled making me realise how much it really had hurt. It didn't seem as crazy at the time, when my adrenaline was pumping.

When I re-opened my eyes, they were staring at me expectantly, ready to fill them in about my 'wasn't the first time' comment. I waved my hands lethargically at them.

"Later."

"Where's Colin?" Alex asked, whom I hadn't actually paid any attention to.

"Isolation." I couldn't keep the bitterness out of my voice. "And before you ask, I don't know how long. Probably a while though, I'd imagine."

"Damn." Chase groaned, also joining the conversation. "That's just great!"

Tell me about it.

"Distract me." I practically begged. "Gym, anyone?"

Like the typical crew we are, we couldn't let one man solider on alone. (That being me and I kind of forced them to come because I was weak and didn't want to face going there alone). So, we all got dressed into our tights (for the boys those weird skin things they insist on wearing) and our sports labelled singlets.

We entered the gym, feeling pretty thug I must admit, and all went to our separate machines. The couple of people who had previously been in there dispersed pretty quickly. From then on, we turned the music ear-drum shattering loud and sweated out all our troubles.

I am really beginning to like these people.

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