𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚁𝙳𝚄𝚂𝚃 (𝙹𝚎𝚗𝚗𝚒𝚎𝚡𝙵𝚎𝚖!𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛)

8

Chapter 8:
24k+ Words

Enjoy the chapter :))

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There's no reason to fight a war that's not ours, we sit in the middle of a warzone in peace because we have each other and decide to not let in the fire that surrounds us

You knew that it wasn't good, but you also knew that everything could be worse right now. You could have been dead by now, but you weren't. As long as you were still breathing nothing could really be too bad. You tried to live with that in the back of your head as you watched Jennie who was putting pink band-aids on your thumbs that you had been biting on. You were just opening healing wounds at this point. You tried to control it, you were biting on them unconsciously after removing the band-aids. Jennie didn't seem to mind changing them although she wasn't a fan of your skin getting wounded, but she couldn't make you stop. It was a bad coping mechanism for the anxiety that you constantly felt now. Jennie had been spending days trying to find something else you could toy with instead of your fragile fingers. "All done," Jennie said with a small smile, cupping your hands in hers and brushing her thumbs over your fingers before she brought them to her lips and left a small and gentle kiss with her soft and warm lips. It was still on and off with you when it came to physical touch but you were fine with her showering your hands with love which she didn't mind either. Jennie just wanted to hold you and it didn't matter how, as long as she got to be there for you.

"Thank you." You thanked her, thankful every day for having her in your life, she hummed and let go of your hands. Her eyes wandered around as you two sat by the table. "Any time...So-" You cut Jennie off while gently running the tip of your thumb along one of the band-aids. You were dreading this, but you had to face life at some point. "They want me home." You had been somewhat replying to Soo-ah's texts this last week, but barely since you had spent your days mostly asleep and the only time you had done anything else was two days ago during Friday when you went out to watch the sunset with Jennie. You were dreading it, you were scared to go home, you were scared to be alone in your room and scared to be with your family. It felt like they would find out and the bruises on your wrists and neck were still a bit visible up close if anyone would look closer. "Oh." Jennie let out, needing to comprehend the fact that you still lived with your parents which wouldn't always be believable considering the fact that they had thrown you out for two weeks. That was a new long and you really must have pissed your mum off by calling her an alcoholic. You weren't sure how to face them or how to act once you would enter through that door. It was weird to have such feelings towards a place where your family was and where you lived, a place that was supposed to be your home.

Jennie glanced down to see you already fidgeting with your fingers that she had done her best to clean up from blood and tears. You found yourself playing with her fingers instead as she slid her hands over to yours, being careful around her right hand where her fingers were still taped together and healing. "It's been two weeks and Soo-ah has been texting me ever since last week about how I have to come home and yesterday she gave me one last warning to be home by Monday." You explained and on top of it all, summer break was ending in a week. It was a hard pill to swallow but you had to get back to your normal life somehow. You couldn't take your time to feel better, to heal and take it slowly. You had to jump right back into the sea filled with sharks, into the hectic world you were living in before summer break and before everything that happened. You really couldn't afford breakdowns or take any more time to rest. "I still have the competition on Wednesday." Jennie sighed, unsure what she was supposed to say. She had tried to talk you out of it. She knew that you shouldn't be pushing limits right now because you were in a fragile state, you were still shaken up and you were still in emotional distress.