You Make The Scars Pretty And The Freckles Beautiful [Editing]

Chapter 8

(Alex p.o.v.)

We couldn't find Jace anywhere.

It was lunch break, and he'd only left Sam and I to use the restroom. We told him where we'd be, and he promised to be back soon.

Sam was waiting with me, not really in the mood to deal with his former friends. It had been nearly fifteen minutes, and Jace was still absent, and my brother and I exchanged worried glances. It didn't seem like something he'd do, disappearing like that, so we immediately assumed that something was... off. So when our friend didn't show, and when Shane wasn't in his normal spot in the cafeteria, we decided that we needed to go look for Jace.

After a couple of minutes, we were down by the bathrooms, on the opposite side of the school from the cafeteria. It was quiet, and I was just about to tell Sam the we should search elsewhere when a familiar cry echoed through the hall. It was followed by a thud and then some whimpers.

"Fag!" It was Shane's voice. "You fucking contaminated my friend, you pathetic little whore!"

My brother would've probably ran out there and killed Shane had I not held him back.

"May I correct you on one thing, please? I'm a virgin, jackass. Just thought you should know that before calling me a whore or some other lovely version of the word." That came from Jace, ever the sassy little thing. He was rewarded for that comment with a foot in the stomach, and by that point, there was no stopping Sam.

My brother turned to me momentarily, whispered "Text Jessie... tell her that we need her help," and stepped out into the hallway.

"Shane, get your hands off him!" Sam roared. He stalked over to the black-haired boy and tore him away from Jace, shoving him away and urging our British friend to get out of there Quickly, I typed out the message explaining our predicament and hit SEND. All I could do now is hope she'd come and help us...

But Shane had better run if and when she got here.

By this point, my wonderful idiot of a brother and Shane were throwing punches at each other. He was strong, tall, and lanky which helped him, but Sam was a solid fighter with a lot of strength and training, giving him an edge.

Jace was able to get up and run to me, and I led him away from the fight. His lip was busted and bleeding, and his cheek was bruised, but aside from that he looked okay, his wrist included. We watched, silent, as Shane landed a hit right in Sam's gut, and I felt a rush of protectiveness crash over me as he doubled over a bit. Shane advanced for another punch, but my twin was able to catch him in the jaw with an uppercut and a jab to the stomach. The dark-haired boy reeled back, gagging, and was about to go in again when a furious voice screamed, "STOP!"

I smiled. Our savior had arrived.

My friend Jessie stood in the middle of the hallway, eyes blazing with anger. She was a small person, barely taller than Jace, but in this instance she was terrifying. Shane scrambled away from Sam, and my twin stood up and walked to Jace's side, pulling the freckled boy into a hug. "I'm so sorry we didn't get here sooner... it's my fault you got hurt," I heard him mutter to Jace. My friend smiled softly and hugged him back.

"Sam, it was in no way your fault. Things happen, and I'm not blaming anyone but Shane. You didn't know he was planning to jump me on my way back to the cafeteria, did you? No. It's not your fault, and I didn't even get hurt that bad. A split lip and a few bruises are nothing." Jace squeezed my brother's hand, and Sam nodded.

"I'm still sorry for not finding you sooner, but thank you. Also, don't watch if you don't want to witness a murder... Jessie is terrifying. Oh, and you have a bit of dirt on your sweater" Jace brushed off his clothes and looked back up with a small grin.