Aiden's POV
Just before I lose consciousness, Jessica releases her tight grip on my neck. I hit the ground gasping for air.
"Aiden!" My mother gasps, reaching for me. Jessica stands in front of me, blocking my mother's path. I get up and barely evade her fists to get to the others. My mother hugs me tightly. "We're getting out of here, precious."
"Your reign of terror is over." Ace says. Rose and Jason come back. Jason doesn't look me in the eyes.
"The police are coming inside the building," Rose tells us. "We need to move, now."
She grabs my arm and we take off. I turn back and see Jessica glaring at us, namely me. I painful knot from in the pit of my stomach. She runs in the other direction. Unless there's some secret passage that we don't know about, I doubt she'll escape.
"Focus, Aiden," Rose orders. "We're almost there."
Thankfully, no guards are waiting for us at the entrance. The police are all over the place. Guests are running and screaming. One of the police officers approaches us. Rose turns and gasps.
"Daddy!" she yells, running straight to the chief of police. When he turns I see his badge Officer Brinkwater.
"Rosebud," he cries sweeping her up in his arms. Rose was pretty small compared to her father. "Are you hurt?"
"No, thank goodness Ace and Wes found us in time."
"I'll have my boys do a clean sweep of the place and meet you back home, ok?" He asks, ruffling her hair. She kisses his cheek.
"Ok, Dad," she smiles softly as we exit.
We pile into two cars, Rose, Wes, Ace, Ava, and Uma into Ace's car and me, my parents and Jason into ours. My mom tries to get me to lower my shirt collar so she can see my neck injuries. I shake my head and pull away.
"Aiden, just let me see if I need to take you to a hospital," she pleads. I just wasn't ready for anyone to see my bruises so soon. To tell the truth, this wasn't the first time I'd been attacked so brutally. I wouldn't even let Jay take me to the hospital the first time he saw my bruises.
"Mom, please. I can't right now. Just let us go home," I say, shrugging her off and pulling up my collar.
She shakes her head but we go home anyway. I rush straight to my room. Jay doesn't follow me, opting to sleep on the couch. That stings, but I deserve it. It feels good to be back in my own bed...even if Jason isn't here with me.
"Going to sleep already, precious?" My mom.asks, popping her head into my door. "It's barely three."
"I'm kinda tired, mom. I just want to curl up on my bed and forget this day ever happened."
"You feel a little warm, so I suggest you get some rest anyway," she says as she leaves. I try not to think of Jason too much as I fall asleep. At some points I remember waking up and staring into space for who knows how long before I drift of again.
I must have been out for hours because my mother's gently shaking me awake.
"Mmh?" I moan, trying to snatch a few more minutes of sleep.
"My God, Aiden, you've slept for 13 hours! I thought you were dead. Come on, they're resuming the trial today."
"But we just got back home," I complain.
"I know, but the sooner this trial ends the sooner we can go back to our normal lives. Now come on, the others will be coming in an hour." She leaves my suit on the bed in front of me.
I slip out of my clothes and freeze when I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I always rushed getting dressed so I'd never have to look at myself. My entire body is covered with scars and bruises. Some from hitting, others from cutting myself when Jessica pushed me. Purple decorates my wrists where she'd tightly squeeze if she felt I was being disrespectful or I talked about Rose. Of course, there's the ring around my neck when she tried to choke the life out of me. I shudder just thinking about it. I trace the mark around my neck.
"Hey...your mom told me to bring you brea-" I whirl around. Jason's standing in front if men with a tray in his hands. He trails off when he notices my body.
Face flushing, I throw a blanket over myself and push him out.
"Christ, Jason. Haven't you heard of knocking?" I yell at him, slamming the door.
"Aiden...what were those bruises all over your body?"
"N-nothing important," I say. "Just leave my breakfast at the door."
Jay sighs.
"We need to talk. About yesterday. Can I come in?"
I hastily put on an undershirt and shorts, then open the door. Jay's standing there awkwardly blushing. He's looking at everything BUT me.
"Well?"
"Well, what?" he says.
"Talk."
"You first."
"..." I say nothing, rubbing my arms self-consciously.
"It's even worse than you told me, isn't it?"
"Aiden?"
"I thought I could handle it...that somehow her use of violence was her way of showing love...but I couldn't...I don't know where I'd be right now if Rose hadn't intervened when she did."
"Do your parents know about this?" he asks.
"N-no…"
"Does anyone know?"
"She'd kill me if it got out. You saw how she reacted when someone called the police on her."
"Aiden, I'm probably the last person you can trust right now, but if we're going to put her away for a long time, the jury needs to see this."
"And what? They laugh at me for being too scared to fight back?"
"We'll make them believe you. I do."
"That's because you're my...oh," I say sadly.
"I know, I messed up badly. If it makes you feel better, I never actually broke it off. I was going to try and buy some time so we could get you out of there sooner. I didn't want to tell you, but I didn't want to lose whatever faith you had left in me."
"Jay, I was terrified," I say, my voice cracking as he takes me into his arms. "Terrified that after all we'd been through, we wouldn't get to be together. That I'd have to go back to her."
"Oh, Aiden…"
Then the floodgates open. I tell him everything. About when it started, how bad was it, the fact that I still have nightmares. At this point, I've completely broken down, sobbing into his chest and holding on to Jay as tightly as I can.
"Aiden, I...I'll do my best to make sure she'll never hurt you again."
"I want to believe you...but how can I?"
Jay squeezes my hands.
"Because I said I'd be ride or die with you, and I meant it. Whatever happens, I'm not gonna leave your side. Not until every bruise and cut is gone."
He kisses my neck, making sure to get every bruise. His hands find my waist as he hugs me from behind.
"You know those aren't the only places I'm hurt," I say shyly. Jay faintly smiles and pulls me into his lap.
"Ok, where?"
"Well...I think my lips might be a bit bruised…"
Jason smirks and presses his lips to mine eagerly.
"I love doing that," he whispers. Someone knocks on the door.
"That doesn't sound like getting ready to me," my mom says. "You two have 30 minutes left."
I bounce off of Jason's lap, grateful that she hadn't actually walked in on us. Jason lets me get changed so we can leave. He reaches out and hold my hand as we head outside.
"How are you feeling?" He asks me.
"Awful. Petrified. Nauseous. Take your pick."
"I'd say brave," he says soothingly, rubbing my back. The limo pulls up in front of my house. My mother pecks me on the cheek.
"We'll meet you there, ok, Precious?" She says. I nod, and she gives me a tight hug.
When we get inside, Rose and the others are clustered around their phones in tense silence.
"Guys?" Jay asks. "What's going on?"
Rose puts her phone in front of us, her shaking hand making it hard to see. Our eyes widen as we read the headline.
"Fuck no. No she did not," Jay curses.
"She can't be serious…" I mumble to myself, feeling my knees getting weak again.
There's several pictures on the screen. One of Ace's office being trashed, Wes's car vandalized, Rose's brother shot in a drive by, homophobic slurs painted on Uma's house, a leaked photo of Jay without his binder...and my uncle's music shop...on fire.