I Found You, Something Told Me To Stay - (Jason/Zacky) Version Two.

Chapter Forty-Five.

Hey, guys! Sorry it's been over a week since I last updated. The next chapter after this one is probably one of the biggest in the whole story and I wanted to get it finished before I put this one out, considering I've been powering through writing chapters recently and I want to keep that up so my updates are frequent!

I hope you like this! :)

Please vote, comment and let me know what you think!

Enjoy!<3

**

Daylight was both a threatening and welcoming sight, and seemed as though it had arrived in the blink of an eye.

There was no telling, at this point, if Long Beach was being burdened with an uncharacteristically cold morning for a mid-August day, or if my body was finally reacting to it not having been clothed in hours. Exhaustion probably contributed to my shivering, and fear, and the realisation that I was stranded in an unfamiliar place; I’d lost track of time, and I only knew that it had still been dark when I’d clambered onto the window seat of the bedroom, sobbing and curling up as tightly as possible. My clothes continued to sit in their crumpled pile on the floor, but moving any further than I had felt as though it posed a threat to me – as if it would trigger another attack. Now, an almost-blinding light poured through the window.

Sleep hadn’t been an option, though my underwear-clad body had tossed and turned within every position it was curled up into and begged for it. Fear had kept my eyes peeled open, as had the constant flow of tears that hadn’t wanted to let up until daylight had shone down on the street outside. Seeing people leave their houses and clamber into their cars, ready for a normal day, had made me feel a little less like Ronnie and I were the only two people left in Long Beach – him enraged by every little thing that crossed his path, and me defenceless against his impulse. Only one person had looked up into the window – completely casually and accidentally – and immediately ripped their gaze away from the red-eyed girl sat in only her underwear, tear-stained cheeks, tangled hair and all.

I felt my shivering body move, and I was suddenly stood upright. The movement made me frown – had I told my body to do that? I wasn’t sure, but I went with it, and allowed my legs to heavily carry me over to the pile of clothes in the centre of the room. The floorboards creaked beneath my bare feet, a sound that made me jump backwards as if the floor was about to cave in from beneath me. I forced a false laugh at my edginess – as I would have done if people were watching me – and continued in my movements. My shirt was the first thing I reached for.

It was just as cold as I felt, so provided me with little warmth at first. I still hugged it tightly to my body, inhaling the scent that clung to it; its smell was a mix of my perfume and my house, and my eyes suddenly felt hot again. I just wanted to go home. Easing myself into my jeans was a harsh task that made me realise just how tender every inch of my body felt. Even the material brushing against my skin made me wince, and my legs became suddenly suffocated and stiff. I forced myself to ignore it, brushing my hand over the solid bulge in my pocket and suddenly remembering that I actually owned a phone. A surge of hope shot through me; perhaps somebody would be willing to pick me up.

Although I had a vague recollection of my phone dying at some point during my drunken stupor, I still proceeded to press down on the power button as though it would make a difference, do me a favour and work for the sake of my safety. I was met, unsurprisingly, by a completely dead screen, and with a groan of distress, the phone was shoved back into my pocket and paid no more attention. I whipped my head around in all directions in search of the last of my belongings that should have been lying around. My shoes were nowhere in sight.