Why...? ❦ ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕥𝕖 ❦

Chapter 3

Jess slowly opened her eyes, she was staring at a familiar face. Nicholas. Jess sat up but flinched, Nicholas had a feeling that she was struggling to sit up straight, and he was quick to help her to lay back down. Jess stared at his hazel brown-green eyes. He smiled but slowly it changed to a frown. "I don't think you're ready to get up just yet Jess, you don-" she cut him off, shaking her head slowly, "I'm still going." "but she-" she laid a finger to his lips, silencing him. 'I have to be strong, I'm tired of hiding, fearing, being weak. I have to face her. From good or worse.' "I'm going." That was all she said, he nodded, and Nick slolwy moved away from her, she watched him standing and walking around the bed to the other side from where she is, and he held out his hand. "You can stand, right? I'll help you up. Alright?" Jess smiled, taking his hand, he helped her out of bed as carefully as he could, "you can borrow my clothes for as long as you want. Mom is washing your clothes." She smiled at him, 'I guess I am lucky to have met him .' "I'll give you privacy, want some Nutella pancakes?" Jess didn't realize that she was smiling, she nodded, and he smiled back, nodding back, and closed the door behind him as he left his room. Jess let out a soft sigh, did she make the right decision? She slowly walked towards his closet and grabbed a black T-shirt, green with black checkered flannel and black skinny jeans and walked towards his bathroom, and spotted a folded towel on the towel rack, there was a sticky note, she took the note and it read: Feel free to take a shower Wolf, be careful. Jess folded the note and put it on the counter, carefully placing the folded clothes on top of the sticky note. She noticed that she was wearing a white short-sleeve T-shirt, which made her feel uncomfortable; did Nick? No. She shook her head violently and stripped, once done, she stared at her reflection with empty eyes, "Zoe is right, I am pathetic... Who would want a girl that is a bisexual and full of scars and bruises on their body?" Jess frowned at the many memories of each bruise she had, she shook her head and slowly faced her body to the shower and carefully reached the handle, turning the hot and cold handles, waiting for the right temperature, feeling satisfied, she stepped in, though she winced a few times from the warmth and the stinging from her recent bruises. 'Why am I so weak? Why am I still here?' Silent tears rolled down to her cheeks, mixing her salty tears and the shower water as she slides down, her back supporting her as she sat down, hugging her knees. 'Why does it bother me so much-' she cut her thoughts when she heard a soft knock, she slowly stood up, pushing back her emotions, she was good at holding back her feelings and hiding them with a smile; "Jess, just wanted to check on you and inform you we have two more hours left and the Nutella pancakes are ready too." "Alright, thanks."  She made sure that her voice wouldn't crack, Jess heard shuffling and the door from his room closing, sighing, she tried to finish as quickly as she could, but trying to be careful.

A few minutes had passed, and she was eating, sitting across from Nick, it was silent but not awkward, she enjoyed it and she knew that Nick did too. "Don't think I was the one who changed your clothes, it was mom." Jess stopped eating and looked up at him, "it's fine. Don't worry." He stood up and walked around to where Jess was sitting, "are you feeling okay? You don't seem like your usual self." "I'm fine. Really." She tried her best to smile, but he seemed to fall for it because he smiled back, but then warm arms were around her tired body. Jess felt her cheeks warm, what is this feeling? "Jess... Please tell me the truth... I'm your childhood friend, your cow, I want to help you, but I can't help you if you don't tell me what's really wrong, so please, let me help you." This time she couldn't hold it in, and clutched the back of his shirt, sobbing in his arms. 'I can't be strong, I am weak.' "Why... Why does she hate me... Why can't she just leave me alone... Why can't I be happy..." She whispered as he held her tightly, "shh... Don't say no more." they stayed like this for a few minutes, and when her phone began to ring, they separated to give each other some space so Jess could reach in her pocket to answer the call, she answered, feeling that she made a mistake. "Where the fuck are you?!" "At a friend's house to finish a project." She tried her best to not stutter nor shed a tear, "get your fucking ass at home, because you ain't going to no friend's house nor school today." Jess clutched her phone tightly, she was about to respond, but Nick took her phone from her hand, "Listen punk, leave and stay away from Jess, if I see you near her, I will call the cops, you got that." He ended the call and handed her the phone back, she just stared at him, Nick had the courage to help her from him, what happened to him over the years when they first met? "I don't think you should go to your place for a while, I don't want you to get hurt again, every single day, when everything has calmed down, we'll get your things, and you'll be living with us." her body stiffened, he knows. "Mom told me that you were covered in many bruises and scars, so she put some ointment for it to heal. What I would want to know is, is he the one who has been planting those bruises on you or Zoe?" Jess felt a tear slipping down her cheek. 'He is right. But I'm scared.' He carefully pulled her up from the chair and towards his chest, embracing her once more. "I don't think you should go to school today, tell you what, I'll take you a few amazing places to distract us both, what do you say?" She took a minute to think, 'maybe it won't be so bad, maybe he is right. Guess I could give it a try.' She gave him a small genuine smile, "alright."