RECAP: JASON RESCUED SCARLET FROM TOM WHO SEXUALLY ASSAULTED HER.
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"What are you doing here?" I asked sniffing repeatedly.
He put his hands on either side of my shoulders and looked at me so deeply with his exquisite green eyes. "All that matters is that you are safe and okay, at least physically" he replied. I wanted to hug him once more and inhale his sweet scent of what smelt like fresh strawberries.
"Thank you I guess" I said. He noticed my ripped sleeves and so gently removed his jacket from his body and put it on me. That was when I remembered the shirt I was wearing was torn apart like my soul. Ripped by its edges, and it saddened me that every time I were to look at that shirt I would remember that monster's hands all over me. It made me think about all the other victims who had been sexually harassed once, twice or on their daily basis. The thought sickened me to the pit of my stomach.
"Anyway what in the hell are you doing here Missy?" I believed he noticed the awkward silence.
"Just skipping school" I replied. He looked at me like I was some alien from outer space who didn't know how to use the bathroom.
"Well that is a tad overrated don't you think?" he said.
"Says the one who is creeping his way through a tunnel by himself", I answered. Jason bit his lip timidly and I noticed his jaw clench as if he were biting an overcooked piece of meat. Did I say something wrong? What did I do to offend him?
"Uh are you okay?" I asked and hesitantly placed my hand on his shoulder, unsure if he needed the comfort.
He sighed and said, "when I was 13 my parents passed away here, in this tunnel".
"I'm so sorry, what happened?" I asked placing my hands in my pockets.
"My parents and me were eating at a restaurant, when it reached around 9 or 10 pm we decided we needed to leave to go home. As my dad was driving us home, some idiotic drunk driver hit us and" he paused.
"And?" I asked confused.
"They were gone. And while I mourned my parents that bastard was somewhere drawing breath".
He didn't look sad but rather angry. I pictured that little boy being the only one alive wishing he was dead. Wishing he would've died with them. The look on his face when he heard there was no hope left for them. That like my dad, they were just gone and there wasn't any person who could bring them back. Feeling powerless.
Looking at him staring down at the floor in grief made me feel guilty. Guilty for feeling like I was the only one who had lost someone close to them.Feeling like I was the only one with a bad life. He made me feel thankful for once about having my mum beside me.
"It was nice talking to you Scarlet, thank you. I need to get to work" Jason said. Didn't he have school?
"You don't go to school?" I asked. He gave me a grin and even at his slightest smile my legs ached.
"Sorry to burst your bubble but I graduated last year". He answered. I gave him a small wave and he walked away leaving me with butterflies eating up my insides. He was so handsome it made my heart ache. But thinking about the way he tried to flirt with me when my dad died, he was still a douche. What am I thinking he saved my life? God dammit Scarlet why are you so denial of your true feelings?
My inner thoughts circulated around in my head and I felt like soon they were going to find their way out of my mouth.
Then more thoughts arouse me. Why did I have to be a bad person, just because my dad passed away? I mean, Jason was so sympathetic and generous and he lost both his parents. Why did I have to skip school, smoke weed and drink alcohol? Why did I have to be hungover almost every morning? It didn't make sense to me and for a moment I felt like I was forcing myself to be a bad person. Like I felt it was the right thing to do.It was quite ironic, be bad because it was the right thing to do. The worst part was that I thought I deserved to be a mess, and that scared me.
For the first time in a long time I felt guilty for skipping school. If Jason lost both his parents and he went to work I believed I needed to be strong enough to go to school.
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As I walked into my English classroom everybody including the teacher had their eyes glued on me. And then it hit me, I looked like a total mess. I took out my mini mirror from my bag and my face was filled with smudged mascara and eyeliner. My hair looked like it had just been thrown in a blender. I was still wearing Jason's black leather jacket and it felt so warm against my skin.
"Scarlet Gladstone?" Ms Linmag asked surprised. I was shocked I remembered her name to be completely honest. I looked at every face in the classroom each one more confused than the other. I felt like I was another species which was yet unknown. Their focus was so intense.
As I was looking I saw Logan, the only face that wasn't turned towards me. I knew it was him from the back of his head. His pitch black hair fell to his shoulders and I could see his black earphones that were meant to be hidden. I was one of the few people who knew his earphone trick. I imagined him listening to Fall Out Boy and I remembered our memories together, laying on the grass listening to crappy music and teasing the artists. Buying McDonalds at 12 am without my dad knowing.
It frightened me how just one moment can change everything.
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