And Then Came Her | 1

Eleven.

[11]

"Anyone here for Jade West?"

Cat gasped and hopped up, rushing over to the doctor along with Beck.

"Is she okay?" Cat asked, her eyes hopeful.

The doctor smiled. "She's stable. She should be able to leave by tonight."

Cat let out a sigh of relief. "Yay!"

"Thank you, doc," Beck said. "May we see her?"

The doctor nodded. "Third door on your right."

The two teens hurried to the room, seeing Jade laying in the hospital bed.

"Jadey!" Cat exclaimed, running to her best friend's side.

Jade smiled weakly at the red head. "Hey kitty."

"Look, Beck's here!"

The goth looked up, and saw the tanned-skin Canadian standing in the doorway, smiling softly at her.

She mouthed a thank you, and he nodded.

Maybe they were friends after all.

"Does it hurt?" Cat then asked, trying to catch a glimpse of Jade's neck.

She shrugged. "My neck's bruised, but other than that I'm fine. You know how I bruise easily."

The red head nodded. "The doctor said you can come home soon."

"Good. This bed is killing my back."

Cat giggled, and Beck chuckled from his place in the doorway.

"So...you gonna file a restraining order yet?"

Jade sighed. "It's not that easy, kitty."

"Yes it is," Cat replied.

"If it helps," Beck spoke, causing the two girls to look up at him. "Tori's dad is a cop. He could help you."

Cat squealed. "Yay! Brendan won't ever bother you again!"

Jade's brows then furrowed. "Wait, what happened to him anyway?"

Beck clicked his tongue. "Swift punch to the face."

Cat giggled, and Jade smirked.

She was starting to like this guy.

Because she definitely didn't like him before all this happened.

Totally.

"Thank you," she whispered. "Again."

He smiled. "Anytime."

-

"Ooh, pizza!" Cat exclaimed excitedly, running inside Tori's house and to the open box of pizza that Andre and Robbie were already digging into.

"Hey guys," Tori greeted Beck and Jade who entered the house. "I'm glad you could make it."

"We are too," Jade remarked, taking a seat on the couch. "The hospital sucked."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Tori told the goth, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "It must've been painful."

"What, when he choked me?" Jade chuckled. "Yeah. It was."

"Did that ever...happen before?" Robbie then asked after he swallowed his bite of pizza.

Jade became silent.

"Oh, look!" Beck exclaimed, pointing the the TV. "A new episode of Celebrities Under Water."

Cat gasped. "Ooh, yay!"

As the group began watching the TV, Beck took a seat next to the goth, who wanted to thank him again but felt like an idiot doing so.

"Can I see them?"

Jade looked at him. "See what?"

"The bruises. Can I see them?"

"Sure," she answered. "But not now."

Beck nodded, leaning back into the couch while his eyes became fixed on the TV.

But out of the corner of his eye, he watched her movements.

He watched as she played with her fingers in nervousness. Watched her teeth sink into her lower lip subconsciously. Watched her eyes dart all around the room. Watched the goosebumps that  began sprouting along her pale, porcelain skin, and he didn't think it was from the coolness of the house.

"Hey," he murmured softly, causing her eyes to dart to him. "It's alright. You're safe, okay?"

"I know I'm safe," she replied coldly, swallowing the bile riding in her throat.

"Good," he said, placing a hand on her leg in comfort.

The small gesture sent shivers down her spine.

She scooted her body closer to him, to where their legs were touching. She wanted his warmth, his comfort.

She wanted to feel safe.

And when she was next to him, or simply around him, she felt that.

She felt safe.

And as she became close to him, he felt his heart beat faster. And when her head fell on his shoulder, his breath caught in his throat.

He didn't have a clue what he was feeling.

Or rather, why he was feeling this way.

He had never felt it before.

It was all completely new to him.

But he kind of liked it.

His arm subconsciously wrapped around her waist securely, waiting for a yell or a slap aimed at him for touching her.

But it never came.

-------

This chapter sucks lmao.

And it's short. Ugh.

But it's 12:30 in the morning, so I figured why not work on another chapter?

But I hope it wasn't too bad lol.

Until next time!
~Izzy