Alchemy •Dan Smith•

forty one

Dan's POV

"M-mum I, um, I n-need to t-t-tell you something." Jade spoke into her phone, and it was probably one of the few words she had spoken since we came back from the hospital. Two days ago.

Two days of me practically living in her apartment, trying to console her in any way my awkward self could.

She sat across from me, eyebrows furrowed as she sat with phone in hand. She figured it would be best to tell her parents what happened, worried that if she did become pregnant they would judge her.

"N-no it's not a-about school.' She spoke, frowning slightly. "Mum, the oth-other day I went to a p-party-"

She sat, eyes meeting mine as she listened to her mother cut her off.

"M-mum, mum! Mother! I kn-know it's wr-wrong. Th-that's why I have t-to tell you so-something."

Her lip started to quiver, and tears welled her her eyes, and she gave me a look of fear.

"I w-was ra-rap-" she cut her self off with a sob, frightened by her own words. She dropped the phone in her lap and the sobs continued, leaving me to move over to her and wrap an arm securely around her waist.

With my free hand, I grabbed her phone and placed it to my ear.

"What Jade? What's going on?" Her mother's voice cooed.

"Hello? Hi, it's me, Dan? Yeah, Jade can't really talk right now, but if it's alright, I can fill you in on what's going on?" I spoke, trying to sound confident.

"Please Daniel, what's happening?"

"Jade, well, Jade was raped at the party, and um, we took her to the hospital. She has been rather sore, her hips might be permanently in pain. Th-there was a lot of blood she said, and she is rather bruised up. She is healing though. But, th-there is something else. She might fall pre-pregnant," my mouth stumbled on the word,"and she is scared and lost. I'm trying to help her the best I can, I assure you."

The line was silent, causing me to pull the phone away to see if she hung up. She hadn't.

I waited for some noise, pulling Jade closer to my chest. She wasn't sobbing anymore, but she kept sniffling.

When there was noise on the other end, it wasn't that of a soft spoken woman that I was expecting. She was angry, her tone hostile, "I don't know what you want me to say. I sort of want to say it's her own fucking fault. I've told her many times not to go to parties. Why didn't she get away? Maybe she wanted it Daniel, and this is just a way to cover up the fact she is pregnant. She is going to flush everything she has going for her down the drain, and end up like her fucking sister. Tell her I will be calling later, along with her father. Bye."

The line was dead, and I was in a state of shock. What kind of mother would say such a thing? Her daughter is broken, and she is blaming it on her? That's sick and twisted. No wonder Jade was afraid.

"W-what did she say?"

"Nothing important love, we can talk about it later."

"Was she mad? I knew she would be mad."

"She was mad, when she should be understanding. Don't worry about it right now." I whispered, adjusting her so we both ended up lying on the couch, her head resting on my chest.

"I d-don't want her t-to be mad." She muttered, "Are y-you mad?"

"Not at you, I'm mad at the asshole who did this to you." I replied.

"M-me too."

I placed my hand on her hip bone, trying to sooth her as I began to run at the exposed skin. I was stopped suddenly, when I felt the familiar lines, except they weren't smooth and healed anymore.

Her breathe hitched when my thumb rested above one of the cuts, and she nuzzled her head into my chest and shook it back and forth.

"Don't do that anymore, love, it's not going to make it better."

"I'm feel dirty. I deserve it." She mumbled against my shirt.

"You deserve to be happy."

She shook her head again, causing me to sigh.

We lay there for a while, nothing to fill the silence besides out shallow breaths.  I felt somewhat like I was being something, something more than the worthless kid I was used to being and it felt nice. It felt great to be doing something for someone I cared so deeply about.

"Sing to me," her voice broke the silence, little did I know that would be the last time in a while I would hear her voice.

"S-sure."

"Moving along at a pace unknown to man.."

It may have been my imagination, but she seemed to turn into putty in my arms after I began singing, and her lips seemed to rest a little on my chest before her forehead was the only thing resting on it.