A/N: Yay! 3 Reviews for the second chapter. Thanks heaps to Alex, Lizzie (love ya, lady) and bkerbunny (welcome back to the fanfic world, Stacy. So good to see you)! In this chapter, things get a little more complicated - friendships tested. Let me know what you think...
Wanting something to help her sleep, Jessie reached down for her bag. She pulled it up onto the couch in front of her and unzipped it, searching through the contents quickly. When she couldn't locate what she was looking for, she tipped the contents out onto the floor and searched through them, sending things flying in many different directions. Coming up empty once again, Jessie tore through her pile of clothes.
Not finding what she needed, Jessie climbed off the couch and began pacing, trying to remember what she'd done with the syringe. She was sure she'd put it in her bag. There was no way she'd put it in her suitcase. Reaching up a hand, Jessie tried to bite on a fingernail but it caused a shot of pain to ripple from her busted lip.
"Ow! Fuck!" Jessie blurted before biting on her lip to silence herself. This only succeeded in making more pain shoot through her body.
"Ah, fuck! God, you're such an idiot, Jess!" She reprimanded herself, just as Cassidy entered the room.
"Jessie? What the heck are you doing here? Did I get the wrong room or..." Cass wondered, looking down at the key-card in his hand. Jessie shook her head, returning to her silent state.
"So, I'm in the right room... is Austin here?" Cassidy asked, still confused as to why his friend's girlfriend was in his hotel room.
Again, Jessie shook her head. She was glad it was dark. It probably meant that Cassidy couldn't see the bruises or the damage to her lip. The familiar metallic taste was back... her lip had to be bleeding again. Keeping her head low, Jessie turned away from Cassidy. He reached out a hand and gently grabbed her arm, intending to turn her around again. Jessie winced and tensed up as his hand closed around a bruise.
"Jess? Are you okay?" Cassidy questioned, noticing her discomfort and letting her go.
Jessie pressed her lips together, again forgetting the damage to her lower lip. The pain reminded her and she gasped, just managing not to cuss out loud again. Cassidy moved so that he was in front of her and lifted her chin with one finger. It wasn't long before that finger encountered a warm substance trickling off Jessie's chin. He pressed his thumb and finger together before realizing what it was.
Turning away from Jessie, Cassidy switched on the nearest lamp to aid him in getting a better look. Confirming that it was, indeed, blood on his finger, he looked up at Jessie and gasped at the sight of blood pouring from her bottom lip. The lip itself was swollen and purple.
"Holy hell... what happened?" Cassidy queried, trying not to overreact.
To him, Jessie looked like she'd been in the ring against Raven in one of his hardcore matches. She had bruising on her face and neck as well as the split lip. No matter how concerned he appeared, Jessie didn't answer him. Cassidy once again caught her chin with his finger, this time using his other hand to try and assess the damage that had been done by wiping away some of the blood.
Jessie flinched as his fingers brushed over the ripped stitches and she shoved him away from her so hard that he fell and knocked over the coffee table. The noise was enough to wake Raven. He quickly pulled on his jeans again and left his room. The sight that greeted him in the living room shocked him – the blood pouring from Jessie's lip again, Cassidy on the floor with... blood on his hands?
"You stupid fuck! What have you done?" Raven yelled at Cassidy, stalking over and lifting the smaller man to his feet after grabbing fistfuls of his shirt.
Cassidy tried to protest, tried to free himself from Raven's grasp but to no avail. Raven shook Cassidy a few times before letting go of his shirt with one hand and using it to punch Cassidy in the face. Jessie stood, in shock, watching Raven dominate Cassidy. She knew Cass hadn't done anything wrong but wasn't sure she'd be able to stop Raven, even if she wanted to. It was only after a few more punches and Cassidy being thrown into a wall that Jessie found her voice.
"Stop. Stop it." She whispered at first. Raven either didn't hear her or took no notice as he lifted Cassidy to his feet and prepared to slam him into the wall again.
"No! Stop it! Raven... let him go!" She yelled, finally having had enough of the violence. Raven stopped, mid action, and stared at her.
"Let him go? Is this another one of your 'I know he loves me, even though he hurts me' things?" Raven questioned, seriously confused.
"No, it's a 'you've got the wrong idea' thing." Jessie shot back, sharing a quick glance with Cass to make sure he was still conscious - which he seemed to be... barely.
"I have the wrong idea? Clue me in then and I'll think about letting him go." Raven told her, shaking Cassidy a little as he once again held him up by his shirt.
"I accidentally made my lip bleed again before Cass even got here. He came in and asked questions that I didn't want to answer and then noticed the blood." Jessie informed him honestly.
"Then why is there blood on his hands?" Raven wondered.
"I was trying to work out what had happened to her lip. I guess I must have pressed too hard on it or something... that's why she shoved me." Cassidy jumped in, just as confused about everything as Raven but for different reasons. Raven looked between the two younger people and sighed as he let go of Cassidy's shirt.
"Sorry about that, then. It's just that your buddy Aries is the reason her lip got busted in the first place so I figured he may have asked you to rough her up for him." Raven explained. Cassidy looked at Jessie in disbelief.
"Austin hit you?" He asked incredulously. Jessie ducked her head, not wanting to answer.
"It's about time you faced up to it, kid. Aries is a bully, pure and simple. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can get on with your life and meet someone that will treat you better." Raven told Jessie. Cassidy still couldn't believe it.
"Wait... how often has this been happening?" He wondered. Again, Jessie didn't answer.
"Hey now, no going back to the silent thing or I'll put Cass through the wall for the fun of it." Raven warned. Jessie looked up and glared at him. He smirked and walked off to get another washcloth.
"Seriously, Jess... what's going on?" Cassidy asked, ignoring Raven's threat to put him through the wall.
"I... I don't know, Cass. Just forget it, okay? I'll be alright." Jessie tried to assure him as Raven came back with the washcloth. He handed it to her and she pressed it to her lip, cringing at the sudden stinging sensation.
"I won't just forget it, Jess. He has no right to hit you." Cass pointed out. Jessie scoffed.
"He has more right than anyone else. Just leave it alone, both of you." She told them, glaring between the pair to make sure they understood.
"Why? Why is it okay for him to hit you?" Raven asked, wondering if the reason would be valid.
"Because I deserve it. I deserve every ounce of pain, every bruise. Neither of you could possibly understand it." Jessie replied as she walked over and sat down on the couch.
Raven picked up the coffee table and put it back the right way up. He was contemplating all the reasons why a young woman would possibly deserve to be beaten as badly as Jessie had been. Problem was, there weren't any reasons he could think of. Cassidy was clearly struggling with the same thoughts, Raven could tell.
"Look, I'm tired. I can't imagine how tired you must be after having to fend off more than one attack by Austin tonight. And you, you little party animal... I say we all get some sleep and see how things look in the morning. Roderick will be happy to know you're talking, at least." Raven figured.
Cassidy agreed with a yawn, a nod and a wave as he disappeared into his room. Jessie went into the bathroom and cleaned up as much of the blood as she could, noting that her lip had clotted again now. She knew that Raven, Cassidy and Roderick would never understand her relationship with Austin. It was far too complicated for them to get their heads around. When she emerged from the bathroom, Raven bid her goodnight and went back into his room. Jessie lay on the couch and pulled the blanket over her, this time having little time to ponder the situation as sleep overtook her.
The next morning, Jessie was awakened by someone stroking her hair. Her heart leapt into her throat before she'd even opened her eyes, thinking it was Austin. She cracked one eyelid slightly and relaxed as Roderick came into focus. He smiled as he noticed the small sign of life.
"Morning. Raven called me and told me you were talking last night. How do you feel today?" Roderick asked her.
"Rods, you woke me up. How do you think I feel?" Jessie retorted as she shoved his hand away and then pulled the blanket over her head.
"Sorry about that but I figured you'd want to shower before breakfast and then we're off to Universal. We'll get your lip looked at and then maybe mess around for a while before the show." Roderick told her. Jessie lowered the blanket and rubbed at her eyes.
"Shower, breakfast, Universal. Got it." She yawned.
Roderick laughed and left her to her own devices, knowing how long it usually took her to wake up. Jessie sat up and looked around the room, wondering why it didn't seem as damaged as it should after her dispute with Cassidy the previous night.
"Uh... Rods? What am I supposed to wear? My suitcase is in Austin's room... at least, it was." Jessie groaned.
"Raven's gone to get it." Roderick told her as he handed her a glass of water.
"Thanks. Raven won't... hurt Austin, will he?" Jessie queried.
"Depends on Austin. If he keeps his mouth shut and hands over your suitcase, he'll be fine." Roderick muttered, hoping Austin put up a fight so that Raven could kick his ass again. Austin deserved major amounts of pain but Roderick knew Raven wouldn't start anything.
"Morning, Jess. Sleep okay?" Cassidy asked as he came into the room with a hairbrush in hand.
"Yeah, I guess. Sorry about last night." Jessie apologized.
"Don't worry about it. Raven and I worked it all out." Cassidy shrugged.
Jessie ducked her head and concentrated on drinking without the water stinging her lip. Realizing it was next to impossible, Jessie handed the glass back to Roderick and lay back, waiting for Raven to return with her suitcase. She didn't have to wait long as Raven pushed his way into the room, suitcase in hand.
"Ah, you're awake. I got you a little something." Raven smiled, showing her the suitcase.
"Thanks. Austin didn't cause any trouble, did he?" Jessie tried to sound casual about it but Raven could tell she was still in denial about Austin's actions towards her.
"Nothing I couldn't handle." Raven shrugged. Jessie left the couch and accepted her suitcase from Raven before disappearing into the bathroom quietly.
"So, what really happened?" Roderick wondered. Raven smirked.
"Let's just say Jessie won't be the only one getting her lip stitched today and leave it at that." He told the two others.
"Thanks, man. I swear to god I'll kill him if he lays his hands on her again." Roderick stated seriously.
"Jessie wouldn't tell me last night... how many times has Austin hit her?" Cassidy wondered. Roderick shrugged slightly.
"I honestly couldn't tell you. It's happened so often now." He replied, brushing a hand over his head.
"I never would have thought it. They always seemed so happy any time I saw them together." Cassidy mused.
"She still thinks he loves her. I may not know much but... it isn't love." Roderick told Cassidy seriously.
Cassidy shook his head in agreement and wandered into his room to finish getting ready for the day. Raven and Roderick traded small talk as they waited for Jessie. By the time she reappeared, they'd agreed not to leave her alone while she was at Universal. Austin probably wouldn't hesitate in hitting her again, no matter who might be watching.
Jessie came out of the bathroom wearing black pants with red stitching and a black hoody with the picture of a blood red rose on the back. She'd once again tried her best to use make up to hide her bruises. She offered Roderick a weak smile as he told her she looked great. She knew he was lying. She looked awful. The bruises were a lot darker today and it had taken her a while to cover them.
"Cass, we're ready to go. If you want a ride, get your butt out here now." Raven called to Cassidy, figuring he'd seemed alright around Jessie so far.
"I'm here, I'm here." Cassidy laughed as he slung his gym bag over his shoulder.
Raven and Roderick picked up their bags and the group made their way down to Raven's rental car. Raven drove the entire way to Universal Studios in an eerily quiet car. Looking in the rear view mirror, he could see Jessie struggling with whatever thoughts were on her mind. He was almost positive she was worrying about seeing Austin again.
Once they got to Universal, Raven made it clear to the two other men that Jessie was not to be left alone. He didn't want to run the risk of Austin attacking her and them not knowing about it until it was too late. Roderick and Cassidy agreed before Roderick and Jessie made their way down a maze of hallways to find the first aid office. Jessie was understandably subdued, probably highly aware of her surroundings. This was Austin's world. The world he never wanted her to be a part of.
"Once we've had your lip looked at, do you want to come to the gym with me?" Roderick asked, getting tired of the silence.
"Uh... not really. Can't I just hide out in someone's locker room?" Jessie queried.
"Jess, no. I promise you nothing is going to happen to you as long as your with me, Cass or Raven, okay?" Roderick tried to ease her mind.
"Whatever you say." Jessie mumbled as Roderick let her into the First Aid room.
Jessie stopped in her tracks just inside the door, meaning Roderick ran right into her when he came in. Roderick held onto Jessie to make sure she didn't fall and looked over her shoulder. There, sitting on one of the benches, having his lip and bruising around his eye looked at, was Austin. Roderick stepped in front of Jessie protectively as Austin caught sight of them.
"I'm out of here." Austin stated, pushing the medic aside and starting to head towards the door.
Jessie obviously had the same idea as she quickly left the room just before Austin got past Roderick. She was leaning back against a wall, her eyes closed and head hung, as Austin got into the hall. He stood just off to one side of her and smirked. This was going to be way too easy.
"Jessie." He whispered. Her head shot up, her eyes open wide in fright. She'd recognized the voice.
"Baby... I'm sorry. I guess I had a little too much to drink when I was out with Cass last night. You know I didn't mean to hurt you, don't you?" Austin spoke quietly, faking sincerity. He knew he didn't have much time. Roderick would surely come looking for her any second.
"Walk with me?" He asked, holding his hand out to her.
Jessie knew she shouldn't take it, knew it would only lead to more pain but... she loved him. She slipped one hand into his and let him lead her away from the First Aid room. Austin gently squeezed her hand and smiled down at her as he led her to a secluded part of the building. Jessie knew this wasn't good. If they went much further, no one would be able to hear her scream if things went bad.
"Austin... what happened to your lip?" Jessie wondered, pulling her hand free and stopping in the middle of a hallway. Austin turned to face her and raised two fingers to his tender lip. It almost matched the mess that was Jessie's lip, but not quite.
"Oh. I... um. I hit it on something." Austin lied – badly. Jessie smirked, silently thanking Raven.
"Oh? Something like Raven's fist, perhaps?" She questioned. The smile on her face angered Austin, like she'd known it had happened... or even asked Raven to do it.
"How did you know that?" He snapped, stepping closer to her. Jessie could see the anger flashing in his eyes.
"I know you. You wouldn't have handed over my stuff without making some sort of stupid comment and Raven wouldn't have let it slide." Jessie shrugged, taking a step backwards to put room between them.
"Yeah, well... whatever. Can we talk about us now? I mean, you know I never meant to hurt you, right?" Austin pushed on, hoping to get her back on his side.
"Sure, let's talk about us, Austin. Why don't we talk about how you never answered my question last night? What was up with the hickey on your neck and lipstick on your collar?" Jessie challenged.
"Not this again! I told you, it's a bruise and the lipstick must have been yours." Austin shot back quickly.
"Funny. I wear clear lip gloss, not shocking pink lipstick. And maybe you didn't mean to hurt me after you'd been drinking but you meant to hurt me before that, didn't you?" Jessie replied heatedly.
Austin again stepped forward and pushed Jessie up against a wall in a scene reminiscent of the night before. He looked down at her, a low growl emanating from the back of his throat. He leaned down slowly and kissed her forehead before resting his forehead against it.
"You make me crazy, you know that?" He whispered, admitting weakness to no one but her. Jessie looked into his eyes and saw the Austin she'd fallen in love with.
"Austin... I can't do this anymore. I honestly can't take the pain. I love you, I do but... it has to stop." Jessie pleaded.
"I know, baby. Will you give me another chance? Let me make it up to you?" Austin queried. Jessie studied his eyes for a long moment before sighing.
"Yeah. But the next time you raise your hand to me, it'll be the last." Jessie warned.
"There won't be a next time, baby." Austin vowed before bending over slightly and placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. Jessie melted into his arms and silently asked herself what she'd gotten into as Austin held her.
"You should go get your lip looked at. I can't wait to taste you again." Austin whispered in her ear.
Jessie shivered in anticipation before she let him lead her back towards the First Aid room. Part way there, Jessie stopped and pulled on Austin's hand to stop him too. He looked down at her, quizzically raising an eyebrow.
"I should go the rest of the way on my own. If Roderick sees you and I together, he'll probably get angry and neither of us needs to deal with that right now." Jessie explained her hesitance. Austin nodded and pulled her in for a hug before kissing her forehead once more and letting her go.
"I'll see you later then?" He asked hopefully.
Jessie nodded before turning and walking away. Had she looked back, she might have seen the smirk forming on Austin's lips. As it was, she had so much on her mind, she didn't notice Raven heading straight for her, an almost unreadable expression on his face.
"Where the hell have you been? We've had guys searching the place for you." Raven told her, slight concern showing in his voice.
"Oh, sorry. I just needed some space after seeing Austin in the First Aid room. I guess I kind of freaked." Jessie shrugged nonchalantly. Raven could tell she was lying to him but decided to leave it for the moment. Her lip really was in urgent need of attention.
"Let's get you sorted then. I'll call Cassidy and Roderick and let them know I found you and they can call off the others." Raven told her as he pulled his cellphone from his pocket. Jessie walked beside him quietly as he made the calls. Once he'd hung up from talking to Cassidy, he turned to Jessie.
"You didn't happen to run into Austin on your travels, did you?" He inquired.
"Uh... no. Why?" Jessie wondered. She was desperately hoping that Raven hadn't seen Austin hugging her moments before.
"Well, he seemed to disappear at the same time you did. Roderick sent Cass to look for him as soon as he realized you were gone." Raven explained. Jessie shrugged again.
"Didn't see him. After I left the room, I ran. Who knows what Austin did." Jessie reasoned. Raven nodded a little, knowing she was lying to him again.
"Jessie! Thank god you're okay!" Roderick called as soon as he saw the pair heading towards him. He had made his way back to the First Aid room after talking to Raven.
"I needed space, no big deal." Jessie cut him off before he could interrogate her too.
"No big deal? Austin's walking around here somewhere but it's no big deal?" Roderick fumed.
"I didn't see Austin. Can we get over it now?" Jessie asked sarcastically.
"Liar." Roderick stated flatly. A blush rose in Jessie's cheeks and she looked away.
"Not here, not now." Raven warned Roderick in a low voice. Roderick relented and opened the door to the First Aid room for Jessie. She walked in and waited for the two guys to join her.
"Can you deal with this, please? I seriously can't do it anymore." Roderick asked Raven quietly, just outside the door. Raven could see the restraint he was showing was beginning to wear thin. Nodding his head, he left the younger man in the hall and stepped into the First Aid room.
"Raven, what can I do for you?" The medic wondered, looking past Jessie.
"Jessie here needs her lip restitched." He told the other man. Jessie looked back towards the door. Noticing no one else was coming in, she turned to Raven.
"Where's Rods?" She whispered while the medic prepared the things he'd need.
"Seems he's had enough of watching you being used as a punching bag and pin cushion." Raven told her in way of explanation. The look of disbelief on her face made Raven feel like maybe now she was getting the idea of the severity of what was happening because of Austin. Maybe.
"He ditched me?" She again whispered, shaking her head as if she couldn't believe it.
"Only fools put up with liars. Does Roderick strike you as a fool?" Raven posed. Jessie shook her head.
"Let's get that lip sorted, shall we?" The medic interjected.
Jessie sat down on one of the beds and waited numbly as the medic assessed her lip. Once he had a good bearing on what he needed to do, he set about removing the old stitches from and then applying new stitches to the wound. He was somewhat surprised by the fact that she never flinched. Raven stood quietly, waiting for the medic to release Jessie. He was sure she probably wouldn't say anything for a while. The fact that Roderick seemed to be giving up on her would be weighing heavily on her mind.
"Well, I've done the best I can. I highly suggest not doing anything to cause damage of any kind to the lip for a while though. I don't think anyone will be able to fix it if those stitches pull." The medic told Jessie and Raven seriously.
"Thanks, man. I'll make sure nothing happens." Raven assured him before escorting Jessie out of the room. As he predicted, Jessie remained quiet.
"Let's head to my locker room. I'm sharing with Cassidy but it's better than leaving you to wander the halls." Raven suggested. Jessie nodded slightly and Raven left it at that.
Meanwhile, Austin had made his way to Cassidy's locker room in order to talk to his friend. Cassidy let him in hesitantly, figuring that it would be better to know where he was than have him walking around being a danger to Jessie.
"Cass, remember that chick at the club last night?" Austin asked Cassidy with a grin forming.
"The one that was wearing more makeup than clothes?" Cassidy figured.
"Yeah, her. I'm hooking up with her again tonight. Feel like coming out for another night of drinking?" Austin wondered. Cassidy was resisting the urge to beat the hell out of his former friend.
"No, thanks. What about Jessie, though? I mean, you two are still together, right?" Cassidy questioned, covering quickly when he remembered that he wasn't supposed to know about what Austin had done to her.
"Jessie? Man, she's too stupid to know anything about it. Hell, she still thinks I'm madly in love with her. As long as she keeps thinking that, I can keep screwing anyone I want. Genius, don't you think?" Austin laughed. He missed the dark look on Cassidy's face.
"You don't deserve her." Cassidy mumbled in anger as he realized, not for the first time, that Austin was a complete and utter asshole.
"What was that?" Austin asked, turning to look at his friend.
"Nothing, man." Cassidy lied, throwing his gym bag across the room instead of taking his anger out on Austin.
A/N2: Again, I just want to give a HUGE shout out to Lizzie for helping me so much with this story. You totally rock, Lady, and I couldn't have done this without you. Well, maybeI could but I wouldn't have had the guts to post it. Thanks for kicking my butt and telling me to post it. You're awesome! Don't let Uni get you down... or I'll have to throw myself off another roof... lol.
And, to anyone else reading this, please leave me a review and let me know if I've hit a chord with you. If there's anything you want to critique, go for it. I appreciate all constructive criticism as I believe it helps me grow as a writer. Thank you all for reading this chapter. The next one should be up in a few days. Luv you all.
Phoenix