Back To Black

Shades of Chivalry

Tears flodded my eyes, dripping down my face, covering my body. The pounding in my head felt like wild animals jumping, and shaking the cage that kept them prisioner. Their constant yelling, a ringing in my ears.

"Jess. Jessa, wake up." My eyes slowly, opened and the brightness of the lights made my headache worse. "Jess." When I opened my eyes, room seemed to spin and my thoughts were jumping off the wall.

"Jace?" When my vision cleared, I could see Jace hovering over me with a bucket and the running sound of water was calming, but also alarming. I shot up.

"Jess." He staggered back.

"Jace?! What are you doing?! Are you trying to drown me?! You're crazy!" I quickly, stood up and my headache worsened.

"Shh.....Jess, calm down. I'm not drowning you." He chuckled a bit, throwing up his hands in defense. "You got drunk at the club."

"Drunk at the..... Wait, did we....?"

"No! No, we didn't. You were drunk, I helped you out when you were throwing up and thought that you'd want to be cleaned up, that's all. That's why you're in a bathe tub with running water."

Stopping, I didn't move, but my eyes searched around the room. The walls were white and behind me was black tile. Looking down at my feet, my shoes were gone and I was standing in a black tub, the shower curtain was white with a black design and across from me was a black sink. Cautiously, I looked back at Jace, holding my breathe.

"Look, Jessa, I'll explain everything. Just not right now." I brought my hands to my face, brushing my soaking, wet hair back. I stood with one hand on my hip and the other holding my chin.

"I just have one question." He looked up at me, intensely. "Did you really have to get my clothes we too?" We both laughed. "Look at me?"

"You do look ridiculous."

"There was a shower head you could've used, you know." We stood there laughing for a moment and something came over me, because my laughs, slowly turned to tears.

"Jessa! What's wrong?" Pulling me into an embrace, Jace held me close, stroking my hair. Although, I couldn't bring myself to speak.

"Sorry. I'm sorry, it's just....what am I doing? Jace, I'm falling apart and so I just hide it. This is never going to work."

"What's not going to work?" I step out of the tub, and he rushes to grab a towel, wrapping me up in it. I shake from the cold.

"I mean, look at me. I'm a mess." I pull the too of the towel closer to my face, trying to replay good memories to calm myself down. Jace stared at me and I couldn't being myself to look, but all at once, my sobs ceased and my soaking feet, created a puddle on the white tile.

Danny and I later on the floor of the tree house, looking past the skylight and out at the stars. Just being next to him, close enough to hear him breathe... I felt at home, content with the way things were.

"Jessa, you okay?" I looked up at Have, he spoke in hushed tones and I realized just how quiet I was. There was a thick silence that he broke with his sweet voice. "Come on, let's get you into some new clothes, and how about we have a bite to eat, okay?"