The Institute ~Completed~

Chapter 3: I'll save you

"What? Really?" Asks a stunned Pear. Cotton nods."Pear, Jada, if you'd like to change your ways and be like the girls I know you were once upon a time. We'll be happy to help you." Joshua thought he'd never hear those words come out of Cotton's mouth even if she didn't tolerate bullying. Jada and Pear looked at each other and smiled. "We'd like that." Jada responded. Jessica walks up to Pear and Jada with a warming smile. "Can we start over?" She asks hopeful. Jada smiles. "Yes."  Cotton walks up right next to Jessica. "I apologize for hitting you." Jada accepted the apology but Cotton wasn't finished. "And I think you should apologize to Jessica." Jessica looked at the smaller girl standing next to her. Jessica thought. Why are you helping me? Cotton could tell what was going through Jessica's thoughts. "Because I want to." Cotton replied. Which stunned Jessica big time. Cotton could tell and she stepped away shyly. Tears were brimming her eyes. No one really ever saw Cotton cry. "Cotton?" Joshua said grabbing her. Cotton wasn't about to let anyone see her cry, she pushed Joshua away and ran. "Cotton wait!" Joshua yells after her but she didn't stop. "Should we go after her?" Jessica asks Joshua. Joshua almost was shocked that Jessica was talking to him. "She wants to be alone." Joshua replies.

A realization hit Jessica, She's self harming. Jessica shot a sad look at Jake. "How well do you know her?" Jake asks Joshua. Joshua glares. "I've known her since she was a baby, she's my girlfriend!" He almost yells the last part. Jake and Jessica both could tell he was both frightened and jealous. "Wait what? You're with Cotton? But she's nine and you're fourteen." Pear says stepping in. "Yeah so? She's everything to me." Joshua snaps.  "If you so much as touch her inappropriately Joshua I will kill you!" Jacob comes into the view. He was Cotton's cousin. "I'm not planning to have sex with her Jacob if that's what you mean by touch her inappropriately. I'm not like that." Joshua snaps at Jacob. Jacob rolls his eyes. "You're a dead man if you do." Jacob mumbles. "Enough!" Yells Jessica. She was getting tired of the tension between Jacob and Joshua. Jake was to but he didn't speak around a crowd like this. "Joshua can you tell me where she might be?" Jessica asks him. Joshua nods. "In the forest." Jessica nods and grabs Jake's hand. "We'll find her." She announces and runs off with Jake.

Cotton ran into the forest til she found a clearing. She fell to her knees with tears in her eyes. Cotton was upset. She didn't know what to do. She took out a blade and starting slitting her wrists. With every slit, Cotton felt better. Her entire hand was covered in blood in no time. She was about to make a slit on top of her vein, when she hears a stick crackling.  She turns around to see Jake and Jessica, the people she did not want to see. "What are you doing here? How did you find me?" She says with a fearful and trembling voice. "Your boyfriend told us you were." Jake says. Jessica says nothing. She's only staring at the bloody wrist Cotton was trying to hide. "What are you doing out here?" Asks Jake. He tried to sound confident but it failed miserably. "I-I don't know.'' She stutters. Jessica stepped away from Jake and towards Cotton. "You do know." Jessica says. "I doubt you'd care." Cotton says looking down. "Cotton trust me we care." Jessica says with a pretty smile. Cotton smiles, thinking to herself. She's so beautiful when she smiles. Jake stayed where he was, mostly cause he was afraid of scaring Cotton. "No nobody cares about me!" Cotton says. "Baby we do. Just tell us, we can keep a secret.''  Jake says with a smile, Cotton found comforting. "I-I self harm." She shows them her bloody wrist. Jessica again shot a sad look at Jake and he shook his head sadly. "Cotton, come here." He commands in a kind tone. Since, Jake was twice her age, she had no choice but to obey him. She walks up to Jake, half trembling and half trying to be fearless. He knelt down to her size.

Jessica comes to them and sits in the grass. "Speak to us. We're not going to harm you. I promise you Cotton.'' Jake tells her. She hesitantly agrees. She sat next to Jessica and across from Jake. "Why do you cut?" Asks Jessica.  Cotton wiped the blood with a cloth away. She looks at Jessica. She couldn't help but hug Jessica. "I'm not happy, I'm ugly and depressed. I'm pretty sure everyone hates me and Joshua just wants me because he feels bad for me. I'm scared. I don't know what else to do." Cotton cries onto Jessica's shoulder. Jake began rubbing circles into Cotton's back. Jake honestly felt bad for the young girl. She's been through so much in just a little bit of time. Jessica pulls Cotton into her lap. Cotton adjusted herself to hold onto Jessica. Jake moves closer to them. "It's okay, Cotton, just let it out." Jessica whispers to her. Jake smiled at Jessica. She was so kind and loving, he always knew she'd be a great mother. Which evidently gave him an idea, considering Cotton was orphaned. "Cotton." Jake says. Cotton releases her grip on Jessica and looks at him. She looks so sad to him. Her eyes were red and puffy. Tears stained her cheeks. She almost was shaking like chihuahua. "Do you want to spend a couple of days with me Jes?" Jake asks, Jessica smiles knowing that they were going to be parents to her someday.