Sleeves and Masks (Pierce the Veil Fanfiction)

Chapter Six: I'm Low On Gas and You Need A Jacket

*Tony's P.O.V*

Val was beautiful. I knew it was a terrible time and place to think of that since we just hit her with our car...but I couldn't deny it. Her light blue hair was messy from where she fell, and purple bruises were starting to line her brow and trickle down to her jaw. Her hazel eyes seemed empty but stunning. Val didn't know how beautiful she was and that only made her more beautiful. I noticed she would fidget a lot, like she was nervous constantly. Whenever someone would touch her, she would flinch away. I made a mental note to ask her about that later in private. I didn't want the boys to make her more nervous. One already hit her with a car, for crying out loud.

When we sat her down at the table, we started fixing food instantly. Vic started cracking some eggs while Jaime was heating a pan up to fry some bacon. I took the liberty of cutting fresh fruit for her, since I knew she wouldn't eat everything we made her. Val looked like she barely ate anything at all. Her collarbones were jutting out from underneath her skin, her face seemed hollow, and her legs were like twigs. The only thing that looked healthy about her were her breasts, but they looked too big with her frail body. I couldn't help but frown as I saw Mike sitting down next to Val at the kitchen table talking to her. I couldn't hear the conversation that was taking place, but I saw Val smile weakly and nod as Mike rubbed his thumb against her knuckles.

I turned away, biting the inside of my lip and continued cutting strawberries in halves. I reached into the cabinet in front of me, grabbed a bowl, and dumped the strawberries from the cutting board into the bowl with one swipe. I searched the pantry for Splenda, and secretly thanked the heavens that Vic had some left. I then sprinkled some Splenda over top of the strawberries, finishing it off by placing a fork in the green bowl. By then Vic and Jaime were plating up there food as well, walking over to bring it to Val. Their plate looked delicious. Vic ended up making scrambled eggs topped with shredded cheeses and Jaime fried the bacon crispy. Even I would have had some, but I'm vegetarian. It looked that good.

"I don't really keep much food here since we tour most of the time..." Vic trailed off, rubbing his neck nervously. Val looked up with a tight smile.

"It's perfect. Thank you," she said with a nod. Vic smiled and we all sat down. I took a seat beside her and sat the bowl of sweet strawberries in front of her. Smiling, Val started eating the strawberries slowly, which made me mentally pat myself on the back. She wasn't even halfway done with the strawberries when I wanted to break the silence. The guys were just watching her eat, it made me uncomfortable.

"So what is your story? Tell us about yourself," I exhaled. She looked surprised, like nobody has ever been interested to know about her. She nodded, swallowing the strawberry she was chewing on. Val held up a finger signaling she was almost done as she wiped the corners of her mouth with a napkin.

"My name is Valerie Marie Miller. I was born here in San Diego on August 14th. I just recently turned eighteen and I'm currently a senior at the local public high school. I love to draw, listen to music, and write. My best friend is Danielle, and she is like a sister to me. My mom left when I was really young, so I live with my dad downtown. It's only us two since I don't have any siblings. He's on business trips for work a lot, so he's never really home. He's a great dad though. His name is Phil, and he loves me. He's on a business trip right now," she said, the last part a barely audible whisper. All eyes were on her, and I gestured for her to continue. She looked down at her hands which were nearly folded in her lap, taking in a deep breath.

"When I was twelve, I tried to kill myself by taking two bottles of painkillers. My father sent me to a mental institution up state for a couple of months to get better. I'm glad he cares about me, but I was miserable. It didn't work, and I started harming myself later on down the road. I felt like a disappointment. I kept trying to kill myself, but I was too much of a failure to just die already," she sobbed, her voice cracking. Tears were starting to form in her hazel eyes and it broke my heart a little. I rubbed her back gently to know it was okay to go on and cry in front of us.