"I've got to get back to class." Jonathon murmured, then winced. I could understand his discomfort, especially after everything I had just said. I had forgotten we were standing in a classroom and I had even less of a clue of how I was going to sit through an evening of classes, "I'm sorry, I-"

"No, that's fine." I interrupted him, "I should probably go too. Hell knows I've missed enough of my education already." His smile fell short of amused.

Together, we made our way to the door where Jace stood, his eyes closed. The emotional drainage was visible in his tired eyes and messed hair. I felt the need to apologise to him, to the entire group, but had no idea where to start.

"I'll see you after practise?" Jonathon said in the corridor before we had to part ways, "I'll take you home." I smiled and nodded, trying my best to look and feel normal.

His gaze lingered on my fake facial expression for a moment before he sighed and turned away. I did the same and had made it half way to the next class before I felt a hand slip into mine and start to pull me to the school exit.

"There's no way that I'm letting you sit through this class." Sebastian said into my ear. I gave him a grin.

"Thank you." I said honestly, "I don't think I would have made it." He returned my smile as we left the premises.

We had barely walked a couple of steps down the road before he stopped me, his hand climbing up my arm and tangling itself into my hair.

"I'm sick of being angry with you." He whispered, "Is there any way you could find it in your heart to forgive me?" He exaggerated.

"I don't know." I teased, "Some say my heart is beyond repair."

"I'll find my way to fix it." He kissed the top of my head, his lips lingering there before pulling away, a slight smirk pulling its way up his lips, "Come on, let's go sit down somewhere."

He took me to a building, damaged and deserted, where we climbed through a broken window and up to the roof where a subtle breeze played with the tips of my hair and the sun cast a soft light of the area.

We sat down, my head on his shoulder as we took in the surrounding view.

"When did you get this one?" He suddenly asked, breaking the gentle silence. I looked down to see that he was pointing to a scar on my arm, "I've always wondered."

"That was about a year in, I think." I said as he traced it with his fingers, sending warm shivers down my spine. It was in the shape of an 'x', deepest at the centre, about halfway up my forearm, "He kept repeating the words 'X marks the spot' and creating these kinds of scars all over my body." I lifted my shirt a little and pointed out another 'x' on the right side of my stomach.

Slowly, as though not to startle me, he leaned in and pecked it.

"And these ones?" He asked again, indicating a set of small similar scars along the inner side of my arm. I continued to explain them and he slowly kissed almost every single scar on my body.

I smiled when he was finished, somehow it felt very different. I had just exposed something so private to me, but at the same time, I felt a part of the gaping hole in my chest begin to repair. He had accepted me, even with all these imperfections.

"Sebastian?" I asked finally, my head against his shoulder once again.

"Mmm?" He mumbled, turning his head so that his lips brushed my hair.

"Why do you always know exactly what to say to me?" I asked, turning my head so that I could meet his eye.

"I'd like to think it's because in some ways I can relate to you." He replied, oddly serious.

"What do you mean?" I sat up a little, turning to face him fully, his silver eyes reflecting the light.

"My upbringing- it wasn't the greatest." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. I stayed silent, waiting for him to elaborate, "My parents were never at home, or drunk, or just didn't care."

"Pretty shitty people, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah." He let out a humourless chuckle, "When I turned fourteen, I left and became part of a gang. My parents didn't care, or notice." His voice was detached, I could almost hear him wincing, "The gang…it got me in a lot of trouble. I got arrested several times, I believed that because the world had treated me like shit my entire childhood, it owed me something." I nodded, understanding that feeling.

"Eventually, I changed my mind on what was right or wrong. Now, I stay with a couple of friends who are old enough to have jobs and keep me fed. They were the ones who bailed me out of that police station when we got arrested. They keep me in school and on the right track. I don't think I could thank them more." He finished, staring at his hands, but I still had one more question.

"What changed your mind?" I asked, trying to look him in the eye.

"Huh?" He glanced up at me, his expression wary.

"About what was right or wrong?" I pressed.

"I was kinda hoping you wouldn't pick up on that." He chuckled and threw a hand through his hair. He took a breath and then answered, "You."

"What?" I stared at him, taken aback.

"Let me explain." He rushed to say, "I saw your story on the news, about how you had gone missing. It wasn't until I saw that you were the same age as me that it really hit me."

My expression was still one of shock, so he continued, "The fact that you, probably this nice girl had her life taken away from her without a reason seemed so sick. Whereas, me- I was throwing mine away. I was taking for granted what you, this girl my exact age, were deprived of."

He finished quietly, trying to gauge my reaction.

I wasn't certain what exactly happened, but within seconds my lips were pressed to his, raw emotion flowing through to him. All this time, I had been so thankful to him only now to find he had felt the same way.

It was strange, the way that we had both needed each other to know ourselves.

Ok, so this was a bit of a strange chapter. I was in a bit of a weird mind-set when I wrote this, and I haven't had the chance to go through it now. Please tell me what you think, my exams are finally over (!) so now I can focus more on uploading! X