I'll Protect Her |H.S| *On Hold*

Chapter 31

Jessica's POV >>

"So the one behind my ear is a humming bird. I got that to symbolise all the sweet, motivating things Louis whispered and hummed into my ear, during my recovery. " Ashlyn continued. She decided it would be very beneficial to teach me about the meanings behind all of her tattoos. Not that I cared. Although I had noticed the tacky little markings a few days ago when she came to Harry's house for dinner.

"The cross right here on my collarbone represents all of the prayers Louis said for me, and it's also a little thank you token to God for helping me through the tough times and blessing me with the life I have now." She continued. Bullshit bullshit bullshit.

"And finally the love heart on my wrist signifies the moment Louis took my pulse. The first moment we touched. Little did we know we'd be assigned to each other and fall in love." She smiled like an idiot. Honestly, it was so painful to listen to her, I swear my ears could've started bleeding.

"Pretty amazing, don't you think?" Ashlyn boasted with a smug grin.

"Yeah, yeah. Your abusive, drug dealing boyfriend crashed the car. He died, you survived. And Louis was the paramedic that was on the scene." I said, repeating the story she told me in a monotone voice, turning my head so Ashlyn wouldn't see and rolling my eyes.

I heard a giggle to my right. I turned slightly more and Savannah was holding her nose in an effort to contain her laugh.
I smiled at her.
Yes, this is good. Ease your way in. Gain her respect. I thought.

"Okay, whatever." Ashlyn scoffed, rolling her eyes dramatically. Only she didn't have the decency to turn her head.

"Okay, whatever." I mimicked in a pitchy voice, copying her actions.
Savannah let go of her nose and let her laughter fill the room, with an exception of one or two snorts, which in turn made me giggle.

"I'm going to go get the Rule Book from my bag upstairs. You brats better shut up and listen to me when I come back down and start explaining the rules. Got it?" Ashlyn snapped, switching to 'full-bitch' mode.

"Whatever." Savannah said softly, sounding like Ashlyn, but not quite as bitchy. I giggled for support and gained a smile from Sav.
You're in. This is your chance. Use Ashlyn's absence to your advantage, quickly. My subconscious hissed.

Ashlyn left the room, I heard her tiny footsteps pat all the way up the stairs. When I was positive she was out of earshot, I made my move.

"So how long have you been with Liam?" I asked with a gentle smile.

"A year." Savannah whispered. She sat, hugging her knees to her chest, starring at the floor.

"Do you like it here?" I asked, turning my body so I could look at her properly.

"It's okay." She whispered back.

"You don't have to whisper, you know. She can't hear you." I said, trying to comfort her. Savannah looked me straight in the eye, her eyes were watery. I could tell she was about to cry at any moment. My heart ached, I looked at her sympathetically, she looked so.....broken.

"It's okay. Shhhh don't cry." I cooed, I crawled over beside her and hugged her reassuringly. She nestled her body into mine, she started to sob even harder and her body began to shake.

"I - I'm trying really hard. To- to follow the rules and fit in. But I'm so scared, I'm so so scared. They h-hate you if you're different to them, it makes them feel inferior. And, Brooke, she's the worst of all." Savannah sobbed, grabbing my dress tightly.

"I'm not going anywhere." I told her, stroking her hair. Her bright green watery eyes looked up into mine and she loosened her grip.

"I don't want to be like this. Like them." She whispered, picking up a strand of her blonde hair and looking at it with disgust.

"It's not permanent you know." She half smiled at me. A few tears ran down her soft cheeks, but she stopped sobbing for the most part.

"I'm glad to hear that. Your red hair is beautiful." I told her. She wiped her tears and sniffled. I plucked a tissue from the box beside the bed and handed it to her.

She whispered a small 'thank you' and blew her nose.

"How did you know my hair was red?" She asked, tilting her head to side.

"Liam showed me an old picture of you." I explained.

"Oh." She smiled, looking at the crumpled tissue in her hand. Her hair fell around her face as she looked down.

"Do you love him?" I asked, tucking a large piece of her hair behind her ear.

"Yes. Very much." She nodded, her smile growing. I recognised how happy she looked when I talked about Liam. I could tell they genuinely loved and cared for each other, it was heart warming to see.

"I say we rebel." I told her narrowing my eyes and changing the tone of my voice.

"Rebel?" She questioned.

"Yes, rebel. Against Brooke, Ashlyn and Tammy. Screw their rules. We'll make up our own rules." I told her, my smile growing wide and my voice getting louder.

Savannah covered my mouth with her hand to quiet me down. We both giggled and I continued to talk in a whisper.

"Our first step is for you to wash that blonde out of your hair tonight. Once they see that I'm staying brunette and you're red again, they'll get the message that we're not backing down."

"But Jessica, they're dangerous. They'll threaten you with your life. And they mean what they say." She whispered, looking concerned. The fear on her face growing.

"I don't care. That's what Liam and Harry is for isn't it?" I grinned at her.

"I'd never have the guts to do this if it wasn't for you." She smiled tenderly at me.

"As long as we stick together, we'll be fine." I assured her.

"Promise me you won't leave me to do this alone." She asked, taking hold of my dress again. She seemed desperate. I pitied her, but I thought, once Liam knows she's back to her old self, it'll all be up hill from there.

"I promise. I'm not going anywhere." I told her, taking hold of her hand.

Suddenly the door swung open. Harry stood there looking oddly worried and slightly out of breathe.

"Jessica we have to go. Now."