Start from scratch

Chapter 23 - The Sword of Damocles

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Start from scratch

Chapter 23 – The Sword of Damocles.

Tori's POV.

My hopes of us coming together as friends and more, were quickly dashed when I made the mistake of touching Jade. The Goth promptly blew up, causing me to automatically retreat back into my icy persona. I just can't help it sometimes. Shortly afterward, in the privacy of my room, I began to have doubts about whether or not I was really equipped to help her.

The next day Jade acted as if it had never happened and I wisely didn't bring it up. I did find the Goth to be rather withdrawn and very moody. At that point I thought it best to leave Jade alone and let her find her own way.

That very same Day, Beck was officially charged with 20 counts of 1st degree sexual assault and 2 counts of 1st degree battery. He pleaded not guilty and the opening motions for trial were scheduled for September. I told Jade that and she seemed to hardly care. I for one dreaded the thought of a trial and its effect on Jade.

A few days later when she felt a bit better, she went to her old place and got some stuff that had been left behind. Now all her stuff is piled in a corner of my living room or in my storage room in the basement. She did so when I was at work and thus, I was not able to help her. I would have offered my help.

To give Jade the most time to rest and recover, I took up the tasks of cooking and cleaning. I hid my disappointment that Jade never once volunteered to help. It was an exercise in patience of course, but I was determined to do what was necessary.

Sadly, a rather distinct pattern began to emerge.

Due to her physical and mental trauma, Jade was on leave from the hospital. So not needing to work, each day Jade would sleep in each day to 10 or 11, get up, eat and watch horror films or read horror novels until midnight. There were variations, as on Tuesday's Jade would go to the hospital for a session with Dr. Cortez. Initially I tried to ask how the sessions went and each time the answer was always, "Fine"

Each day I would get up, go to work, come home and make dinner for us. After that, I'd sometimes sit at my keyboard and write music. I found writing music to be one of the few outlets for my stress. Sometimes I would simply read in my room.

In the first couple of weeks, I did make numerous attempts to reconnect with Jade. I'd sit and try to watch TV with her, start conversations or sometimes invite her out for something to eat. Each time, Jade seemed uninterested in conversation and attempts to speak with her always went nowhere.

Invitations to go out were always declined. In fact, Jade most of the time appeared either withdrawn or highly agitated. She simply didn't seem interested in speaking with me. Some days she seemed aggravated by attempts to do so. It's not that she didn't talk, but it was in 1-3 word sentences. The funny thing is that I don't think she's thanked me once for anything.

Soon, Jade seemed to become less and less of a friend and more like a morose and ill-tempered stranger, who lived on my couch. She has nightmares sometimes and wakes screaming. Each time I've come out when she's woken up from them, to see if she's ok, but she always just tells me to leave her alone. I thought back to what Barbie said about never seeing her friends smile again. I now sadly wonder if I'll ever really see Jade again.

I did have a bit of help from Jade's parents, who were very grateful for my efforts. Though they did not come out to visit, they paid for Jade's therapy and sent me money to cover Jade's expenses. I did hear Jade speak to her parents on her new phone, but like with me, the Goth seemed to be uninterested in talking with them. Actually, she seemed to like them less than me. The only thing Jade seemed to be interested nowadays, was lying on the couch and watching Horror movies.