Lost in the Middle

Running Water

TW/ Mentions of Self harm and suicide. You have been warned!  

Monday morning and Jack had made sure he was early at the school gates to catch Nikki on her way into school. She had gone home Sunday afternoon after Conor had dropped her off home. It was almost nine o'clock when Jack realizes Nikki wasn't coming in or she had come through the back entrance which is unlike her. 
Jack makes his way to form but makes his way past her form room to see if she is there, he sighs heavily noticing her seat next to Anita is empty. He hurries along to the science blocks to his form room before signing in and sorting out a few things which have been through up with his form tutor. The bell goes and he heads to the first period which is Mathematics, he enters the classroom and sits at the back where he and Nikki usually sit together, but soon the teacher comes and Nikki is marked absent which is so unlike her. 

Nikki would never miss a day of school not even when she felt so unwell, these past few months he had gotten to know the firecracker he had managed to calm her down and keep her on the somewhat straight and narrow. The teachers had praised Jack for him helping Nikki but truthfully Nikki was helping him cope with not having his mother in the country and helping him feel at home in the British school. 

Break time came around and he makes his way to the playground looking around for Nikki when he notices a familiar-looking man marching towards the offices, Jack being curious follows pretending he is looking for his Aunt Mrs. Fisher. 
Jack listens in to the conversation and then sees his Aunt and Miss Mason walking towards him heading towards the man walking to the receptionist. "Jack? what are you doing here? You should be on break..." Mrs. Fisher speaks stopping to talk to her nephew as the headteacher walks past them and heads straight to the man, "That's him, that's the little pervert!" the man shouts and that was when Jack realizes Nikki wasn't in school because Victor had found out Nikki had stopped at Jack's for the night. 

Victor barges past Miss Mason and heads straight for Jack, "You! keep away from my daughter! don't you ever comfort my little girl again! we all know boys your age want to get into any girl's knickers... well my Nicola is off bounds!" He shouts shoving Jack up the wall and frantically shaking him. 

The head and his Aunt manage to pull Victor off Jack, "Mr. Alexander, I must remind you that you can't treat a minor like that... why don't we go discuss this in my office," Miss Mason compromises stepping in between Jack and Victor. 
"Sure, I just wanted to tell you I will be pulling Nicola from the school as of today, Can't have little perverts touching my daughter... let this be a warning to you Jack, come near my daughter again and I will rip off your penis feed it to the dogs and the shove your ball so far into your body they will come out of your mouth!" He threatens. 
"Mr. Alexander! enough!" Miss Mason shouts. 

Karen, Jack's aunt places her hand on his arm and smiles, "Go wait in my office please Jack..." She says softly and he grabs his rucksack and heads off in the direction of his aunt's office but has a change of heart halfway there and heads out to the football pitch and jumps the fence to escape the school. 
Jack had to find out where Nikki had gone, he needed to see her for himself and make sure she is okay and Victor hasn't caused any harm to her. He manages to remember the route to her house and comes to the front door, Victor would still be in the meeting at the school giving Jack enough time to speak with Nikki. 

He arrives at her house and knocks on the door frantically and looks through the letterbox, "Nikki... Nikki, it's Jack... come on open up" Jack calls through the letterbox. 

Jack stands upright looking around and scratching his head he steps forwards and looks up at the house. Noticing the bathroom window open he calls up but then hears water running, not wanting to leave without seeing Nikki he looks around and finds a spare key hidden in a plant pot. 

Unlocking the front door he places the key back in the plant pot and heads inside shutting the front door. "Nikki? It's Jack... you better be decent, I'm coming upstairs," Jack calls heading up the stairs. 

He notices her bedroom door open and quickly checks in there but nothing, he then walks to the bathroom door where he can hear water running and knocks on the door. He felt slightly on edge wondering if Victor would come back and find Jack in his house and what he would do upon finding him with his daughter. "Nikki, come on talk to me, I know you are in there..." Jack responds. 

"Go away Jack, no one can help me anymore," She mumbles from behind the door. 
"Nikki, what do you mean?" He asks but with no response, he realizes something is seriously wrong, "Open the door, Nikki!" He yells knocking on the door frantically, Jack then looks down to see water coming from underneath the door, and panic sets in. "What are you doing?"

He hears something drop to the floor and she mumbles to him again, "It's fine... I'll be with her soon, I'll be with Mum."
Jack panics and begins to kick at the door to break the lock, after the first kick the door opens and he sees Nikki slumped against the bathtub, the water overflowing and blood on the floor and all over her hands. 

She looks at him weakly and smiles before looking down at the floor, "Leave me," She whispers. 
Jack jolts into action turning the bath taps off and grabbing the hand towel from the side, grabbing her hands he notices the cuts on her wrists, "Nikki, what the hell are you playing at! You silly girl!" He panics as he applies pressure to her wrists. 

"Mum..." Nikki murmurs seeming very distant all of a sudden.
"Come on Nikki stay with me, there are much easier options than to kill yourself, Nikki," Jack signs. He may only be young himself but he had an idea of how to stop the bleed so holds her arms above her head and watches her slump to one side. "Nikki what have you taken!" He quizzes. 

"Pain relief," She utters. 
Jack looks upon the bathroom countertop and spots two empty packets on pain relief, "No, No, No!" Jack panics. He makes Nikki keep her arms above her head and he rushes downstairs calling his Dad for help and giving him Nikki's address again before running into the kitchen, a science teacher had once told him about warm saltwater and how if consuming enough it would make an individual sick.

Grabbing a glass he adds water and plenty of salt before running upstairs to Nikki and making her consume the entire glass. Holding her tiny body up and holds her over to the toilet telling her to be sick, she then suddenly begins to throw up. 

Soon Conor arrives and Jack carries Nikki down to the car where Conor gives Jack an old yet clean tea towel to put on Nikki's wrists, without questioning he drives the pair to the nearest hospital and helps Jack take her into accident and emergency where she is seen to straight away.