++++++Warning for those who can't handle blood++++++
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Jade stood at her vanity desk, head down, blood dripping down from her wrists onto the black wood, her feet bleeding on the carpet. She shook from the sobs that wracked her body, her hands gripping the table hard. Her hair fell in wet wavy rivulets, cascading over her face. She was wearing a loose unbuttoned, white summer shirt that clung to her still wet body and nothing else. She gasped, trying to breathe, to calm herself. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to shut out the images of her and Reine tossing in the bed sheets. She collapsed to her knees, still holding the vanity table's edge. How could she do that to Cat? She had tried so hard to win Cat over and now that she did, they didn't even make it to their first date. Instead she had made it to Reine's bed.
Jade grabbed a pair of her sharpest scissors and hacked at her bed in violent hacks, crying out in sobs of anger as she hacked up the mattress, swearing at herself the entire time as fabric was ripped into the air. "No! No! No! No! No! No! No!"
Jade then lay curled up in a bloody, sobbing mess on the mattress that now looked like a hamster had chewed it up. She would have to see Cat eventually. She stared at her scissors… death looked favorable right now.
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Reine had little success contacting Jade. The power was back in the majority of the neighborhood but she still wouldn't answer her cell. Did she come home at all? The car may be in the garage. Having no choice she got back in her car and drove off slowly, contemplating what to do. With the way Jade had hastily left without a goodbye had left Reine worried. Did Jade despise her now? She had to explain what happened. Frustrated, she drove to a coffee shop to order a drink, mulling over a paper she forgot to write for class. Unsuccessful when all she could think of was of Jade turning her back on her. She covered her face and hung her head.
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Cat was going crazy with worry. She barely slept and she barely ate, clutching her cell tightly in her hand, not missing a beat if Jade called. Even with it re-charging, she lay in bed, holding it. She had spent the entire Sunday morning calling hospitals to see if a patient by the name Jadelyn West had been admitted. Nothing. Tom called her and informed her that from all the vehicles they found stranded none of them were Jade's. Cat nodded and softly thanked him, lowering her phone slowly.
She dialed Tori's number. Tori's cheerful greeting was quickly interrupted when Cat didn't respond as she usually did.
"Cat, what's wrong? … Is Jade with you?"
Cat sniffed and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "I haven't seen her since she dropped me off after school. She was supposed to pick me up Friday night… but she never showed up…" she tried to hold back a sob. "She's not answering my calls…I called the hospitals and car pounds and nothing… I don't know where she is!"
Tori's eyebrows knitted, chewing her bottom lip. Jade not keeping her word? She was so excited about the date as much as Cat was. Something must have happened.
"Jade is Iron woman… Cat, she'll turn up. Maybe got sidetracked. Maybe she had to fly down to see her parents in an emergency…" Tori stopped. She knew that wasn't helping. There was a great storm Friday night; there was no way any planes were flying. But not to hear from her for two days?
"Cat… do you want me to come by?" she asked, soothingly. She could hear Cat shake her head. Cat covered her mouth, holding back the urge to cry. Tori insisted however, she didn't want her to revert back to the pills. "Look, I'll come over and I'll take you over to Jade's place. Okay?" she waited patiently for a sniff in acknowledgement. "Okay, I'll be over in 10 minutes. Wait for me." She instantly regretted saying the last three words, imagining that Jade had said the same thing to Cat.
"Kay…" Cat said weakly. Nodding, Tori hung up, downed her tea, grabbed her car keys and ran out of the house.
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They got to Jade's house and sure enough it was quiet. The drapes were pulled in so they couldn't see inside. No car in sight either but it could also be in the garage but it had no windows. Tori didn't know what else to do. Seriously where the hell was Jade?
Cat got up to the door and rang the doorbell.
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Jade roused awake at the seventh ring of the doorbell. She groggily sat up, realizing she had slept an entire day away. She peeled herself away from the bed and the clammy shirt that stuck to her back. She hissed in pain at the sudden pull of the blood scabs on her feet and wrists. Again the doorbell rang with insistent knocking. She stood up slowly, getting her bearings, clutching the stairway rail as she descended. Wait, why was she answering the door? The floorboard creaked and she froze. They heard her; she heard them stop talking amongst themselves.
"Jadey?"
Jade's blood ran cold and her eyes widened, gripping her sides.
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Tori glanced at the door then at Cat. "Did you hear something?" Cat shook her head, eyebrows furrowing, fingers clenching the door handle.
"I thought I did…" Cat tried again. "Jade? Is that you? Hello?"
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Jade couldn't move a muscle, even if she tried. She heard Tori's muffled voice and then Cat's high insistent voice which meant she was arguing with her. After a grueling few minutes they decided to leave. Jade nearly collapsed if it weren't for the stair way rail. She gripped it so tight her knuckles where white. She heard the car slowly swing out of the driveway and Jade dashed forward, arms extended.
"No! Cat! Don't leave me!" she shouted but the door remained closed. She wiggled the door handle but it stayed locked. She crumbled against the door, "…I'm so sorry…Please. Don't leave me…"
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Cat was quiet in the passenger seat. She was flicking through her phone of pictures that she and Jade took when they were friends a year ago. They seemed so happy and full of innocence. That shouldn't have changed. She sighed heavily and spoke to the wind.
"Am I overreacting?"
Tori shook her head, earnestly. "Not at all! You're just a worried girlfriend. I'd react the same way if the person I loved went M.I.A. It's okay though, as much as I hate to admit it but she's damn resilient. She's been through a lot of crap and I'm sure it's made her stronger. Can't destroy Jade, she's like …" she winced at saying it. "… a cockroach."
Cat gasped and playfully slapped her arm. Tori laughed, "A very pretty cockroach!" she insisted. She then shook her head, laughing. "Are you hungry? Let's grab some stuff from Starlucks."
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They wheeled into the drive through just as Reine was leaving, coffee cup in hand. Cat was texting on the slap and Tori was ordering so none saw her. Reine turned around to see who had honked at her and saw Cat in the passenger seat at the drive through window. She instantly froze and her mouth went dry. She fiddled with the idea to talk with Cat and explain everything but she didn't know where to start. Heaving a big breath she started to walk on over. Even if it were to take a while she would say something either way. But just then Tori's car began to pull away and a loud screech of a tire halted Reine as another car had entered the corner sharply. Reine quickly side stepped and gave the driver the finger. She was wound tight like a guitar string ready to snap. She walked back to her car, looking over her shoulder at Tori's car receding bumper.
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Monday morning came and Cat was gloomy much to everyone's surprise. "Whoa Cat, did something happen?" Cat burst into tears and ran off. Tori sighed in worry and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
"You guys, you need to cool it with the nonchalant questions okay?"
Robbie looked surprised, "But we were! What happened? Her nona?"
Tori shook her head; she looked at each boy who were eagerly awaiting her answer. She made them huddle closer and whispered. "Jade's been missing since Friday night."
"I thought Jade and Cat had a play date?" Beck asked, confused. Tori shook her head again, "She never showed up."
"Maybe that storm … there were lots of accidents and people were buried under broken stuff everywhere. Andre pursed his lips. "You don't think…"
Tori sighed heavily. "We looked everywhere. She's not in the hospitals and according to Tom her car wasn't on the list of deserted vehicles. It's like she just vanished…"
"Have you asked Reine?" Everyone grew silent and Tori's eyes widened. "Oh my god! I never even thought of that! How stupid can I be?!" Quickly she rushed off pulling out her phone.
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Tori quickly made it to the courtyard, class was about to start and all she needed was a warm and fuzzy from Reine letting her know that Jade was with her. She quickly dialed the number and stepped to the side, getting out of peoples way. She gave a quick glance upward and saw a dark figure approach the school with their head down, arms wrapped around their waist as if in pain, shrouded in shadows by the tall hedges.
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Cat looked up suddenly with a start and a gasp. She quickly stood up and looked around her surroundings. Something wasn't right. She got up and left Tom who was trying to console her in her hurry but he remained sitting, watching her go with a grim expression.
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"Jade?" Tori asked, hanging up the phone that wasn't connecting the call. Jade looked up in shock, she hadn't wanted to see them so soon. But she couldn't avoid any more missed days. Her attendance record was getting pretty bad and if it went on then her parents would get involved and that was one thing she did not want. She swallowed hard. She was sure they were in riots about her, understandably.
Tori approached her carefully, not knowing whether to hug her or slap her. "Where have you been?" she asked quietly. Jade tried to look away. "What happened? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Jade muttered. She waved a bandaged hand in dismissal. "Just a few cuts and bruises."
Tori bit her lip, staring at her bundled up and bandaged hands. Should she ask straight out what happened or leave that all to Cat? "You… y-you…" Tori struggled with the question but just then the doors of the school swung open heavily with a loud clang of metal on cement. "JADE!?"
Jade now flinched and her eyes sunk back in heavy remorse once again. "…Cat…"
Cat immediately ran down the steps and flung herself into Jade's arms, squeezing her hard and pressing her lips tightly onto hers. Tori hung back but didn't leave. Cat pulled away when she tasted copper in her mouth. Hers eyes widened when she realized Jade had a cut lip and her rash kiss had reopened it again. Jade tried to grin but ran her tongue over her lip, the blood running down her chin. Cat covered her mouth in a loud gasp. "OH MY GOD JADE! I'M SO SORRY! W-w-w-what -! I-I-I mean… H-h-how-!"
Tori's eyes enlarged startled and in shock. "Whoa…"
Jade was feeling a lot better. Although her body wracked in pain, emotionally she was better. All the while she was feeling down and hating herself, when she had seen Cat ran at her with sheer joy and love on her face, it had blown away the gloomy cloud that had hung over Jade these last few days, blasted it away like the sun makes itself known after a frightful storm.
"I'm sorry…" Jade instantly cupped Cat's face with her bandaged palms, wiping away her own blood off the other girl's lips. Cat only stared wide eyed and soon they welled up in tears. "Jade… you're… you're alive… thank goodness…"
Jade's eyes welled up as well and she didn't stop the one tear to roll down her face. "Yea…I'm alive…"
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Jade refused to be admitted to the nurse's office. She knew Reine would be there. And she didn't want to see her with her friends and girlfriend hanging about. She wanted to talk to Reine alone. But when Jade's cell wasn't working she wasn't able to call and with her mind all frazzled she hadn't been able to recall any numbers.
She insisted that they attend her on the steps of the school or she'd go home. She cursed herself. She didn't want to cower away but she was too messed up to even say anything to her just yet. She watched Cat run eagerly to get fresh new bandages and let Tori unwrap her hands and wrists. Tori noticed her ankles were wrapped also hidden by her boots high collar. She swallowed hard.
"Just what exactly happened? Did you pull out a family from a broken car or something…?"
Jade just sat quiet, staring off into the sun. Tori gave another sigh and pursed her lips as she saw the clotted blood trying to scab as she revealed the cuts. She shook with misunderstanding and Jade looked over at her and removed her hands away from her, knowing she didn't do well with the sight of blood. Tori stayed staring at the ground where blood dots had appeared.
"You're …" she swallowed hard. "You're cutting again?" Tori glanced up at Jade as she began to stand. "Jade, we can help. Cat can help."
Jade seemed comatose just like she was that one night that will forever haunt her, just staring straight ahead, eyes glazed. Tori sat still and lowered her head. "Jade you can talk to us. We won't judge you. Please, just tell me what happened. I'll help you… but you need to let us-"
"I need to break up with Cat…"
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