The Bond Between Us

Chapter Ten

Jayden was not okay. He had just barely avoided a beating when he got home and went straight to bed after showering and finishing his homework. His stomach grumbled faintly but he ignored it and pushed on. He didn't want to go back to school tomorrow. He didn't want to come home after school. He didn't want a beating. But at the end of the day, it didn't matter what Jayden wanted. If he skipped school, his parents would get a call letting them know he had unexcused absences and he would most definitely get a beating then. He didn't want to get hit. He didn't want a beating. It was such a simple thing. He was just so tired of all of this.

He made his way out of his bed the next morning and got dressed as fast as he could. Right before he was about to walk out the door of his room he decided that he really did not want a beating first thing in the morning and then a plan started forming in his head. He turned around and made his way to the window in his room. It was a two story house and he was on the second floor so when he jumped, the impact would hurt. Of course he endured plenty of pain on a daily basis so he figured he could withstand it.

Jayden noticed a ledge right beneath his window and figured that would lessen the impact so he managed to climb onto it. Surprisingly, it could withstand his weight and he began the careful process of getting down from there. Before long he was hanging onto the ledge by his fingertips and the ground wasn't too far down so he let go. The impact was jarring but something he could walk off. He began the walk to school when another thought popped into his head. He did not want a beating. So instead, he made his way to the park.

He found an empty bench and sat down. Pulling out his homework from his book bag, he figured he might as well get ahead. The project wasn't due for another month but he wanted it done as soon as possible so he could just relax. The hours passed by a lot faster than they felt and before long he was almost done with it. He checked his watch and realized, with a start, that it was 4pm. He packed his things back up and made his way out of the park. He knew that if he went home, not only would he get a beating, but he also wouldn't get fed so he went to the pharmacy and bought a bag of chips, a bottle of water and a sandwich then walked to the public library.

Jayden sat at the empty table next to a rowdy group of boys. From what he could overhear, two soulmates just met. For the first time that day he remembered the names on his wrist and for the first time in his life he pulled his sleeve down past his wrist and pretended there was nothing there.

He didn't want a beating.

A sudden surge of desperation hit him and he made his way to the table of boys. They turned to look at him and Jayden found himself at a loss for words. What was he just about to ask them? What would they even be able to do?

"Um, hi? Did you need something?" One of the boys questioned him but he kept his eyes locked on the ground. What if they could see his freakiness just by looking into his eyes? "My name is Aiden. Is something wrong?"

Jayden finally looked up to see them. Aiden had warm, golden skin. He looked bright and welcoming. Like the sun. The boy next to him had shaggy black hair and if the arm draped around Aiden's shoulder's was anything to go on, was probably his boyfriend and most likely his soulmate too. At that thought he burst into tears. He didn't think he was going to live to meet his soulmates and they probably wouldn't want him anyway. His parents didn't even want him, so why would they? He'd heard of people who were beaten by their soulmates and all Jayden could think about was how he didn't want a beating. Not today. Not tomorrow. Never again.

Aiden embraced him in a warm hug and rubbed his back in soothing circles but all Jayden could think about was the burning sensation on his wrist and how he did not want a beating. So he backed away and ran. He burst out of the doors only to find that it had begun to rain while he was in there but he shrugged it off and kept running. He had no idea where he was going but the rhythmic pounding of his feet on the pavement did nothing to calm his racing thoughts.