Bite The Bullet. [a jessie j fanfiction]

CHAPTER 6: Worry.

I was starting to worry by this point, like really worry. It had been twenty-four hours since I'd seen Jessie, or Dylan for that matter. I tightened my ponytail, I had a habit of that, and leant against the bar. Since I'd left work early the previous day to see Jessie, I'd agreed with Harry that I'd work at the bar for a couple of nights. It was about 9:30pm, and the bar was basically packed. Drunken dancers everywhere, a karaoke machine and some glowing tables. Literally, they were neon. Anyway. Jessie. I bit my nail nervously and scanned around the cramped room, hoping for any sign of her. She wasn't there.

"Lady! I've been standing here for five minutes!" A rough voice said, making me flinch. "Sorry, sir. What can I get you?" I asked, having been completely oblivious of him before. "A tray of shots, over at table six. Bring them over." He demanded, slamming a £20 note down. I nodded and falsely smiled, trying to keep my cool. Why are people so rude? "Of course sir." I replied, walking over to the back of the bar. I made him his drinks and hurried back to the front of the bar, looking down for the money he'd left before. Why didn't I pick it up?! It wasn't there anymore, let's put it that way. I raised an eyebrow down at the empty bar, instantly assuming he'd realised I hadn't picked it up, and he'd decided to take it back. I looked back up and searched for table six somewhere in the crowds. I finally saw it and noticed there was a group of large, wide men sitting around it. I swallowed hard and forced some confidence into myself. Lets go get that money. I thought, scowling slightly. I walked over to the small table, and reached over a large buff man with jet black hair. I slid the tray on the table, and before I knew it, there were unfamiliar hands on my hips, pressing quite hard into them. He was pulling me down.

The next thing I knew, I was sitting uncomfortably on someone's lap, unable to move. I tried to squirm but he pressed down on my thighs, making them ache. "Get off me!" I shrieked, trying to kick my legs up. Damn, nobody heard me. He pushed his chin into my shoulder and breathed heavily on my neck. "Come on baby, take a drink." The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite put a face to it. "I don't drink!" I struggled again, making him retreat to a tight grip around my waist. "Stop wiggling baby, it'll only hurt more." He gritted his teeth and breathed in sharply, making a horrible noise. "You're having a drink." He whispered, planting a sour kiss on my neck, sending a sharp nip through my body. I flinched again, hoping to be released, but it only made his grip tighter. One of his mates picked up one of the small clear glasses, and pushed it into my lips, as the person holding me tilted my head back by my ponytail. I tried to hold my mouth shut, but I couldn't. The glass was forced between my lips and I could feel the strong liquid burning my mouth as I was determined not to swallow. "Come on baby, have fun. Swallow." It was almost like the guy behind me was trying to make me feel comfortable. Complete idiot. I opened my mouth and let the remaining drink fall in. As the tall wide man in front of me began to smirk, thinking I'd given in, I thought I'd try and be smart. Oh how stupid I was. I spat the drink out, directly in his eyes, resulting in him jumping back. The other large man stood up in front of me, towering above. I swallowed hard, only to be stopped by the guy I was being held by. He lifted his arm up, and tightened it around my neck. "Do it." He snapped, digging his chin deep into my neck. I closed my eyes, preparing for the worst... I must have blacked out for about two seconds...

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Robin shot towards us, his feet hitting the floor loudly with every step he took. I opened my eyes quickly to see a huge fist a few centimetres from my face. Robin grabbed one of the attackers' wrists and pulled him close, only to knee him fiercely in the stomach, making him drop to the floor in a daze. He towered over the guy who's fist was basically in my face, and simply kicked him hard in the shin, causing him to join his mate on the floor. He now stood in front of me, and the stranger who's lap I was still on. I didn't even know who he was. I couldn't even turn to see. "Help." I whispered, looking into his eyes. He winked at me and then resumed his attention to the guy behind me. He stood up, still holding me hostage. He tightened his grip around my neck, making me cough a few times. "Help." I whispered again, this time more desperate. I was still surprised that nobody around us noticed what was happening, but nobody ever took notice of me anyway, I was used to that.

"Let go of her now." Robin snapped, with a voice I'd never heard before. It was fierce, angry. "Dylan. Get... Off... Of... Her..." My stomach churned at what he'd just said. Dylan? Then it hit me. The voice I'd recognised: it was Dylan. But it wasn't. It was like he was almost possessed. "You're drunk. Don't do anything stupid." Robin's voice gentled a little. That was the voice I was used to. It was like Robin could read my mind, answering my questions for me. "You're drunk." I choked, followed by a cough. "I'm only going to say it once more, Dylan." Robin threatened. "Let go of Demi, now." Dylan did as he was told, and I dropped to my knees, holding my throat. I looked up at Dylan with worried eyes. He looked back down at me, his eyes full of fear and sadness. "I have to go." He said, sounding more sober than he did when I was being held by his huge arms. He ran away, not in a straight line obviously, but he just looked like he had to leave, now. Robin wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me up. He twisted me around in his grasp so he was facing me. He leant back and looked at me. My vision was slightly blurred, I didn't know why. I felt myself getting weaker and weaker, until I flopped in his arms. "What's wrong with me?" I asked, just gathering the strength to talk. "Your eye." He mumbled, gently pressing a thumb onto my cheek, just under my eye. I flinched yet again, gritting my teeth. "That's going to bruise up." -"Why?" I asked quickly. "Didn't you feel? He punched you! If I hadn't of walked in when I did, you'd probably be unconscious now. You need some ice." I nodded as he let go of my waist with his arm. "I'll go back to the dorm and get some, okay?" I smiled and poked gently at my cheekbone. "You sure you'll be okay?" -"I'll be fine, stop worrying about me." He smiled back and nodded at me. "Anyway, I'd better get to work. See you later." I hugged him quickly and pushed my way through the crowd.

I knocked on the dorm door, desperately hoping for Jessie to answer, but she didn't.

I opened the door slowly and stepped in. Where was Jessie? I walked over to the mini fridge in the corner of the room and looked inside. I had nothing cold to hold on my face but a hamburger in a box. Fab. I lifted it out and pressed it against my cheek. I kicked off my shoes and sat down in front of my mirror. I was just about to start taking my makeup off when I looked down and saw a scrunched up piece of paper sat there, on my desk. I put down the hamburger box and picked it up, un-crumpling it gently, trying not to tear it. I fully opened it to see that it was smudged with black. Pretty much the whole A5 sheet was a black smear. I looked down closely at what I thought was a note, and carefully picked out the words:

Sorry. I love you. Jessie x

My eyes began to burn furiously almost instantly. What did she mean by Sorry? Where was she? My chin dropped slightly and my eyes watered. I looked up in the mirror and my cheeks had flushed a deep scarlet. It all happened so quickly. I burst into tears. Why did she add I Love You at the end? She'd never said that to me before...

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and typed in Jessie's number so fast it actually made my thumbs ache. I pressed the phone to my ear and swallowed deeply, trying to cover the sound of me crying.

"Hello?" Jessie asked, her voice just as wobbly as mine.

"Jessie." I said simply.

"I can't talk to y-"

"I love you too." I replied, cutting her off. "Please don't say you're ending it."

"It's not that I don't want to talk to you, it's just I can't. I'm sorry." I could tell she was on the verge of bursting into tears, which is the line I had already crossed.

"Jessie, I'm coming down. Don't try and stop me, please." I sobbed and pleaded all at once.

"Demi, no!" Jessie sounded worried, almost scared of me.

"Bye." I snapped, wiping away a tear that had made its way down my cheek. I flinched as I remembered I practically had a black eye. I slammed the phone down and pulled my hairband out, letting my hair drop around my shoulders. I dabbed my eyes and swung around and off of my chair, so I was facing the beds. There it was. That's what hit me most. The red hoodie Jessie had borrowed off of me was thrown on my bed. I stumbled over to it and picked it up, studying the sleeves. They were covered in similar black smudges to what was on the paper. Jessie had been crying, a lot.

If she was so upset, why was she doing this?

I slammed the hoodie back down and ran over to the door. I had to see Jessie. I had to see her fast. I had to see her in that very minute.