Happy Moonday! This is a bit of a long one, but it's necessary. I really hope you like it!
With shaking hands, Isaac locked up his bike at the rack in front of the school. After what seemed like a very long weekend, he was now somewhat ready to face Delilah. But he wasn't sure if he should tell her about what he saw in her window the other night. It killed him to see sweet Delilah in pain, but he was afraid. More like terrified. If Isaac told Delilah that knows what is happening at her home, she had the power to push him away. She probably wouldn't want anything to do with anyone who knew she was hurting. Isaac understood that- he would most likely do the same thing if anyone found out that his dad was abusing him.
Still, he wished that he could do something for Delilah. Something to let her know that she wasn't alone. Isaac wanted to be there for her. Even though he couldn't really stop Lawrence from hitting her since he figured Delilah didn't want to get any authorities involved, Isaac could be the one for her to talk to. He could be the one for her to talk to. He could be the one to let her cry on his shoulder. He could be the one she could go to for help on anything.
When Isaac walked to his locker, Delilah wasn't there at hers. Mentally, he started to panic. But then he realized that he could be overreacting. Delilah could have already headed to her first class. Isaac was a bit later than usual anyway. He had woken up ten minutes after his alarm went off due to lack of sleep the night before. He was thankful that his dad had already left for work so Isaac wouldn't get in trouble.
"Natalie Angelina Henderson, get back here!"
"No, fuck you!"
The sudden outburst startled Isaac and he dropped his math book and notebook. He ignored the books for a moment as he turned around to see what the commotion was. Stiles Stilinski was chasing Natalie Henderson down the hallway. It drew everyone's attention very fast, especially when Stiles pounced on Natalie and sent them crashing onto the floor. Isaac cringed when he heard their bodies thud. He watched as they argued with each other a bit, even though he couldn't hear what the dispute was about.
He just shook his head and bent down to pick up his books. As soon as Isaac stood back up, someone rammed into his shoulder harshly, which made him drop his books again and hit his locker.
"Next time, get out of my way, Grave Digger."
Ugh. Isaac recognized that voice right away. And when he looked up, he frowned at the boy who had just bumped into him.
Trenton Walker. Otherwise known as the star basketball player at Beacon Hills High. And next to Jackson Whittemore- according to Isaac- the biggest asshole on the planet. Trailing behind Trenton were his buddies Cody, Justin, and Emmett. They were also on the basketball team and not so nice guys. When basketball was off-season, they played in the school's band, which was how they knew Delilah since she was in color guard and performed with them during marching band season. Isaac knew that Delilah was also in their clique, along with a few other girls in guard.
The jock glared at Isaac as he walked away. 'What a prick,' Isaac thought as he rolled his eyes and picked up his books again.
What Delilah was doing still hanging around them was beyond Isaac. She was way too good to be hanging out with douchebags like Trenton. He understood that they have been friends for years since they were all very smart and in the same AP classes. But over the years, Trenton became more of a jerk, as did everyone else in that group. Except for Delilah. She had always been a sweetheart. Good thing that never changed.
The shrill sound of the warning bell broke Isaac out of his thoughts. It startled him and he didn't even realize that he had been staring at the ground for a while. Not wanting to dwell on this any longer, Isaac shut his locker and headed to the first period with his head down.
The first few classes of the day were uneventful. Lectures dragged on and homework assignments piled up. It was a normal day. And Isaac had yet to see Delilah. When he walked into his chemistry class- the only class he did have with her- she wasn't in her seat. Isaac was doing his best not to freak out and not think too much of it, but after what he saw on Saturday night, every little thing was putting him on edge.
Anxiety crept through his body the more he thought about Delilah's abuse. He took deep breaths to calm himself, but it wasn't working. So in the middle of Mr. Harris's lecture, Isaac took out his sketchbook and began to draw. Art was probably the only thing he was really good at in his opinion. From nature to people and animals… he was pretty talented. He took an art class at school and his teacher always gushed how exquisite his attention to detail was. It felt amazing for something that Isaac was actually good at to be appreciated and recognized by someone else. Since he didn't get that from his father, he would accept it from anyone.
Class was disrupted when the door shut. Everyone turned their heads, including Isaac, who was in the middle of drawing an ocean life scene. All of the tension in Isaac's shoulders disappeared when Delilah walked in the room.
"Miss Lambert," Mr. Harris addressed.
Delilah smiled sheepishly as she walked down the aisle between the desks. "I'm so sorry I'm late, Mr. Harris. My car broke down and I had to call for a tow truck to come pick it up. It was just a huge mess."
Mr. Harris accepted the tardy slip Delilah gave him since she was one of the few students he actually tolerated. "It's alright. Just take your seat and copy down the notes on the board."
The brunette gave her teacher a dimpled smile and walked to her desk. As soon as she made eye contact with Isaac, she blushed, which made Isaac grin as well.
"Hey," he whispered as Delilah sat down.
"Hi," she said back.
"How are you?"
"I'm good," Delilah smiled, "And yourself?"
"Good," Isaac answered, "Actually, a lot better now that you're here." He grimaced when he thought about what he said. "That sounded weird, didn't it?"
Shaking her head, Delilah giggled. "No, not at all. Just knowing that I make someone happy makes me happy."
It took everything in Isaac to not lean in and kiss Delilah. But he had to keep in mind that they were in the middle of class. Also he still didn't know what their relationship status was. So he just smiled at her and went back to drawing in his sketchbook.
By the time Delilah finished copying the notes, Mr. Harris ended the lecture and began passing out a worksheet. She rolled up her sleeve and scratched an annoying itch on her arm. When Mr. Harris came by their desk with worksheets, he told Isaac to put his sketchbook away and walked off.
Isaac was about to put it back in his backpack when Delilah placed her hand on his arm to stop him. She gently pried the book out of his hands and gazed at his artwork.
"Wow, Isaac," she breathed out in awe, "These are… beautiful. I didn't know you could draw."
Now Isaac was the one blushing. "It's just a little hobby of mine. It's not really that special."
"Not that special?" Delilah said incredulously, "Are you kidding me? Isaac, these drawings are gorgeous! I wish I was as artistic as you."
"Oh… well, thank you," Isaac smiled softly.
"You should go to art school. I think you'd do really well."
"I don't know," the blond sighed, "I mean, I like to draw and everything, but I don't think my dad will be on board with that idea."
"And why's that?"
Isaac hesitated to answer but he tried to choose his words carefully. "Well, he's not really the most… understanding person. He's always been a sports man, which is mainly why I'm in lacrosse. I'm not saying I don't like lacrosse, I do. But it's not really… me. It doesn't really allow me to be creative like art does. My dad wouldn't get that."
Wow, it felt great to finally have someone to open up to. It was so refreshing.
Delilah set down her pencil and turned so her full attention was on Isaac. "Just because your dad wouldn't be supportive, that doesn't mean you shouldn't do whatever it is you want. If art makes you happy, you should make a living out of it. Your dad will come around eventually. Even if he doesn't, just know that I support you."
"To be honest," Isaac said shyly, "that's all that really matters to me."
The brunette's cheeks turned red and she smiled lightly. She looked down so Isaac wouldn't notice her blushing. "You're so sweet to me, Isaac."
He shrugged. "Well, you know what they say. Treat others how they want to be treated. Right?"
"Right," Delilah said, nodding her head. She noticed that she still had Isaac's notebook in her hands. As she slid it back over to his side of the desk, her green eyes widened in horror when she looked down.
The sleeve of her jacket was still rolled up from when she was scratching her arm. Because of this, her scars were on display for people to see. Some of the cuts on her arm were fresh from the night before. Delilah looked up at Isaac to see if he was paying attention to her. Instead he was putting his sketchbook back in backpack so Delilah took this opportunity to shove her sleeve down her arm.
She could hardly breathe. How stupid could she be to almost reveal her secret? If one person saw her cuts, Delilah would've been screwed. Even worse, if Isaac saw it, he would be freaked out and never want to talk to her again. She'd lose her chances with him. After all, who would want to be with someone who hurts themselves?
As Delilah mentally beat herself up, Isaac looked over at his crush. The look on her face was distraught and Isaac was concerned.
"Hey." Isaac's voice brought Delilah out of her panic. "Is everything alright?"
"Y-yeah," Delilah stuttered, clutching the ends of her sleeves, "I'm okay."
But, of course, Isaac didn't believe her. He slightly glanced down at her hands and he immediately remembered those hands holding that small razor the night he looked through her window. He looked back up at Delilah and saw that she was also looking down at her hands.
"Delilah," Isaac said softly, reaching over to take her hands in his larger ones. Said girl looked up at the contact. She gazed into his cerulean eyes. Wow, they were so gorgeous… "If something's bothering you, you can come to me and tell me what's wrong. You know that, right?"
Hesitantly, she nodded her head. "Yeah. I'm just stressed out about dance and guard. It's not a big deal, though. Nothing to worry about."
Isaac saw right through her lies. But he wasn't going to press on about it. Especially during class. So he did what he felt was the right thing to do at the moment- he intertwined his fingers with hers. He looked around the classroom to see if anyone was looking their way. When he saw that they were okay, Isaac brought their interlocked hands up to his lips and kissed her knuckles tenderly.
The whole time, Isaac was looking into Delilah's eyes to make sure that this was alright. She smiled at him and he let out a breathless chuckle when he realized that he had nothing to worry about. Even though neither of the two brought up whether they were a couple or not, Isaac and Delilah were perfectly happy with holding each other's hands throughout the rest of the period. Which was exactly what they did.
A look of disgust formed on Delilah's face when she peered over her options for lunch. Because she was rushing to get to school that morning, she had forgotten to make herself lunch to take with her. Although with just one look of the food laid out in front of her, Delilah's appetite had vanished. And she was having a hard time figuring out whether the brown mess was chili or lasagna. She finally just decided to go with something that looked somewhat edible so she grabbed an apple and made a mental note to herself to just buy something to eat after guard rehearsal.
"So," Annie suddenly appeared next to Delilah, making the brunette shriek, "did you talk to Trenton?"
"Holy crap, Annie!" Delilah breathed, "Why do you always do that? One of these days, you're going to give me a heart attack! Do you really want that on your conscious?"
Annie rolled her eyes. "God, you're such a drama queen." She paid for her lunch and then led Delilah through the cafeteria. "And you didn't answer my question. Did you tell Trenton about Isaac?"
"Uh, no…"
The blonde gasped as if Delilah had told her that she had just robbed a bank. "What?! You didn't tell him?!"
Almost everyone in the cafeteria snapped their heads at Annie's exclamation. Delilah's face heated up as she tried to keep her best friend quiet. And to call Delilah the drama queen…
"Could you be any louder?" Delilah hissed, "And why does it matter whether I told Trenton about Isaac or not? I don't think my private life is any of his business."
"Well unless you want him to keep hitting on you," Annie said, "I think he should know."
Delilah rolled her eyes and groaned. "I keep telling him that I just wanna be friends. Why can't he just accept that and let it go?"
"Because it's Trenton," Annie answered like it was obvious, "Nothing stops that boy from getting what he wants. You of all people should know that."
And it was true. Delilah and Trenton have been really good friends for a long time, but he never wanted to settle for just that. He was constantly asking Delilah on dates. But she just wasn't interested. Not only because she liked Isaac, but Trenton was kind of a jerk. Not to Delilah specifically, but to people like Isaac and Erica. You know, those who were more reserved and kept to themselves. Delilah didn't want to be with someone like that, but it was clear that Trenton had a hard time grasping that concept.
The best friends found their usual table where the other people in their group were sitting. Annie walked over to Emmett, who immediately pulled her to sit on his lap. She giggled and gave him a kiss. Delilah refrained herself from rolling her eyes. There were only two seats left- one in between Emmett and Trenton and one in between Cody and Jade. Delilah was about to sit in between them when Trenton cleared his throat. She looked at him and saw that he had the seat pulled out next to him for her. As much as she didn't want to sit next to him, she also didn't want to be rude. With a sigh, she walked over to Trenton's side of the table and sat in the empty chair. When Delilah leaned back, Trenton placed his arm on the back of her chair casually. Delilah felt it and scooted up to the edge of her seat.
"So what have you guys been talking about?" Annie asked when she was done making out with Emmett.
"I was telling them how that kid Scott McCall actually ditched the new girl at Lydia's party on Friday," Brianna said. Oh, Brianna… always the one to gossip. "And I saw her and Natalie Henderson leave with this extremely hot guy. If none of those girls jumped his bones by the end of the night, I will be severely disappointed. Because I sure as hell would have."
Justin rolled his eyes. "Oh, god! Has there ever been a time in your life when you're not thinking about guys?"
"Only when there aren't hot guys present," Brianna said, "So right now." Justin threw a carrot at her and she stuck her tongue out at him.
Jade laughed. "Let's be mature here, children."
"It was her fault…" Justin mumbled before taking a bite of another carrot.
"Isn't Natalie dating that one twitchy kid though?" Cody asked.
Emmett shook his head. "I don't think so. I'm pretty sure they like each other but they aren't a thing."
"Well I still think either her or the new girl should've hooked up with that guy," Brianna said, "Didn't any of you guys see him?"
"I did," Annie spoke up, "but I don't know who he was. He kinda looked familiar."
"But he was pretty hot," Jade swooned, "If I was Natalie, I would've picked him over Stilinski any day."
Since Delilah wasn't at Lydia's party, she had no idea who the man everyone was talking about was. So she was just silent as she ate her apple. Every once in a while, she would catch Trenton glancing at her. It just made Delilah want to go to Isaac even more. Her eyes searched around the cafeteria for the familiar mop of curly blond hair and blue eyes, but she didn't find him. She figured he sat outside during lunch so she kept that in mind for next time.
"So, D," Cody said, breaking the brunette out of her thoughts, "you missed one hell of a party on Friday."
"Yeah, it sounds like it," Delilah nodded. Even though she wasn't really interested in the subject.
"So what was it that you were doing that was better than the party?" Jade asked.
Crap. Delilah was really hoping to avoid this question. It's not like she was ashamed of Isaac. That wasn't the case at all. She just didn't want any of her friends, especially Trenton, to give Isaac any more shit than they already do.
She tried to come up with a believable lie. "I… had an emergency dance practice for my solo at the studio. I couldn't get out of it."
"Oh my god." Annie rolled her eyes. "She was out on a date with Lahey."
"WHAT?!"
The outburst was enough for everyone in the cafeteria to stop what they were doing and turn their heads. Delilah was beyond embarrassed. She groaned and buried her face in her hands.
"God damn it, Annie…"
"Well, I thought that they should know!"
Trenton spoke up for the first time since Delilah and Annie had sat down. "You were with that grave digger?" he asked in disgust.
Delilah frowned. "His name is Isaac and yes, I was with him."
"Why?" Brianna asked.
"Because he asked me out and I said 'yes'…" The disapproving looks on her friends' faces made her frown deepen. "I didn't realize that going out with someone was a bad thing."
"It is when it's Lahey," Cody spat, "I mean, come on, D. You're way too good for that."
"What exactly do you mean by that?"
Trenton leaned in towards Delilah, making her scoot away. "Do we really have to point it out? Delilah, he's weird. He has no friends and digs graves for dead people. That's fucking creepy. Why the hell would you want that when you could have someone so much better?"
It didn't take a rocket scientist to know that Trenton was referring to himself. If Delilah wasn't against physical violence, she would've slapped him silly. But she was so she just gripped onto her apple to keep her hands full.
"That's exactly what I told her," Annie said, and Delilah faced her with a hurt look in her eyes. She couldn't believe that her best friend was siding with them. Even when Annie was starting to come around the idea of Delilah and Isaac dating. Or so she claimed.
"Isaac has been nothing but sweet to me," Delilah defended, "There is not a bad bone in his body. Have any of you even tried to get to know him?"
"Don't need to," Justin said, "He was in my history class last year. All year long he sat all the way in the back of the classroom with his head down like a hermit and he never talked to anyone. He was always drawing in his notebook or whatever."
"So weird," Jade shuddered.
"Don't you guys think you're being unfair?" Delilah said, feeling more and more defeated as the conversation went on.
"Not if we're telling the truth," Trenton said, "Trust me when I say that Grave Digger is not worth your time."
Emmett sighed. "We just want what's best for you, D. Just… be careful, okay?"
At least one person was somewhat on Delilah's side, even if it wasn't the one that should be.
"I guess…" she trailed off as she slumped in her chair.
She tossed her apple in the trash. The constant bashing was making her nauseous and she couldn't eat anymore. For the rest of lunch, Delilah sat there in silence as the rest of the group carried on in conversation. She wasn't in the mood to talk anymore and she kicked herself for not being vocal when it came to defending Isaac. He didn't deserve this, even when he wasn't there to receive the insults.
At one point, Trenton rested his hand on her thigh. Delilah recoiled at the contact. All she wanted to do was run to Isaac and just stay with him.
"Five… six… five, six, seven, eight!"
On cue, the girls started reviewing what they had just learned for their routine. Flags were spinning and everyone was careful not to drop theirs. They had just learned this part so of course there were going to be mistakes. At the part where the girls had to do a complicated double toss, only a few of them caught their flags. Delilah was one of those few. Even the color guard captain didn't catch her flag, which made Delilah feel sort of good about her skills.
"Okay, I was expecting that," Jeanine chuckled, "I know that it may seem fast, but you can't forget the basics I taught you during camp. It's tough, and that's why you need to practice outside of rehearsals. Let's go over this a few more times then we'll start from the beginning."
Delilah took a deep breath and gripped onto her flagpole. As the other girls were feeling tired and ready to go home, the brunette was more pumped up. That's what dance did to her. Plus, with all of the emotion built up in her, she had to take it out on something.
Before she knew it, rehearsal was over. Everyone except for Delilah looked ready to pass out. She didn't blame them. Color guard was pretty intense. Jeanine dismissed everyone, but Delilah wasn't ready to leave. When everyone went to go grab their stuff, Delilah jogged up to Jeanine.
"What's up, D?" she said once she was done talking to another student.
"Hey, do you think I could stay in here for a bit longer?" Delilah asked, "I have a dance competition in a couple of weeks and I wanna practice it as much as I can. It won't take too long, I promise."
"Yeah, of course you can," the instructor said, "I'll leave the door open so people will know you're in here. When you're done, shut the door and it'll lock by itself."
"Okay. Thank you!"
Delilah jogged to her dance bag to grab her phone. She searched in her music library for her solo song while everyone left the dance room.
"Hey, D," Annie said. Delilah looked up and saw the blonde with Jade and Brianna. "We're gonna walk around the mall for a bit. Wanna come?"
The brunette shook her head, still upset with the three from lunch. "No, it's alright. I'm gonna stay and practice."
Annie just shrugged her shoulders. "Alright. Well, we'll see you tomorrow then." Then they walked out.
She waited until everyone including Jeanine was out of the studio. After setting her phone on top of the stereo, Delilah unzipped her jacket and shrugged it off of her, leaving her in her tank top and shorts. It was hot as hell in the dance room but because Delilah didn't want anyone seeing her scars, she couldn't take off her jacket. Now that she was alone, she didn't have to worry about anyone seeing them.
After Delilah stretched a little, she hooked up her phone to the stereo and played her song. She quickly ran to her starting position in the middle of the room and waited for her cue.
Meanwhile, Coach Finstock dismissed his team from practice early. Scott and Jackson rammed into each other and the captain ended up with a dislocated shoulder. As he was sent to the emergency room, the team was told that practice was over.
Isaac didn't mind. He didn't really feel like doing anything that day anyway.
The lacrosse team went to the locker room to shower, change, and grab their stuff. Scott McCall, Stiles Stilinski, and Natalie Henderson were already in there. As soon as Natalie noticed guys walking in, she ran out of the room. No one even bothered to question why she was in there in the first place- they just did their business. Wanting to leave already, Isaac took the fastest shower of his life and changed into his t-shirt, hoodie, jeans, and Vans. He then grabbed his lacrosse equipment and backpack before heading out of the locker room.
Around the corner of the boys' locker room was the dance room so when Isaac walked out, right away music traveled to his ears. It was a song that he had never heard before so of course he was curious. The closer he got to the door, the louder the music got. He poked his head in the door and was immediately hooked into what he saw, which was Delilah dancing.
This wasn't the first time he has seen Delilah dance, but it seemed that her technique got better and better each time. She was so gorgeous when she moved, like she didn't have a care in the world. Isaac set down his stuff and moved so he was leaning against the doorway with his hands in his pockets. He wanted to get a better view of Delilah, but he didn't want her to catch him and think that he was being creepy.
It took Isaac a while to notice that Delilah had taken off her jacket. The scars on her back and arms were now visible. Like earlier, flashes of Delilah on Saturday night popped into Isaac's mind. It was upsetting to even think about.
Delilah was in the middle of a turn when she finally spotted Isaac. A gasp escaped from her lips and she almost fell. Luckily she caught herself but her heart began to pound against her chest when she remembered that she didn't have her jacket on.
"Isaac!" she gasped, "Oh my gosh, you scared me!"
"I'm so sorry," Isaac apologized, "I just heard music so I was checking to see what it was. I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay," Delilah assured him, backing up to grab her jacket without exposing her back, "but next time, warn a girl." She smiled to let Isaac know that she wasn't really mad.
Isaac chuckled along with her. "I'll be sure to do that." He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "So, how come you're in here all by yourself?"
"Guard practice just ended," Delilah explained, "but I have a dance competition in a couple of weeks and I wanted to practice my solo. I just finished learning it last week and I wanna make sure everything's cleaned up before my next practice."
"Oh," Isaac nodded, "well, if it makes any difference, I thought your dance looked really good. Beautiful, actually. It's incredible how people can move their bodies as if they were born with no bones or anything like that and it…" His voice trailed off when he looked down at Delilah, whose eyebrow rose up and had a smirk on her face. "Damn it, I'm rambling."
But Delilah just started giggling. "It's okay. I actually think that's the most you've ever said in one sentence."
"Yeah, probably," the blond chuckled, "But seriously. You're a beautiful dancer. And your solo looks amazing."
Too flustered to thank him, Delilah just smiled with blushing cheeks. She reached down to take off her jazz shoes. "So what about you? Aren't you supposed to be at practice right now?"
"We got let out early," Isaac told her, moving his stuff so it was next to hers, "Jackson and Scott McCall got a little too rough with each other and Jackson's shoulder got dislocated. Coach decided to just call off practice for the rest of the day."
"Ouch," Delilah grimaced, "You guys can be so violent, it's crazy. It makes me glad that I'm not in lacrosse. At least with dance, I don't really have to worry about someone breaking any of my bones or something like that."
When Delilah turned around to grab her phone, Isaac's eyes grew wide. Blood stained her purple jacket on her upper back. One of her wounds must've opened up while she was dancing. There wasn't too much blood, just a couple of long lines across her back, but it was still noticeable.
"Uh, Delilah," Isaac said, stepping closer to her, "your back's bleeding."
The brunette immediately dropped what she was doing and looked up at Isaac. Her face was full of fear, which was completely foreign to the bright smile Isaac was so used to seeing every day.
"What?" she gasped.
She jogged over to the mirror on the wall to get a better look. She turned her hard to find the top half of her jacket covered in blood. Cursing to herself, Delilah unzipped her jacket and shrugged it off her shoulders but had it so the sleeves were still covering her arms. Like Isaac had predicted, a couple of the welts on Delilah's back had opened and was bleeding pretty badly. Isaac went over to his lacrosse bag and dug through the first aid kit Coach Finstock required the players to buy for themselves. He pulled out some ointment, baby wipes, and a couple of bandages.
"I have something that should help it feel better," Isaac said as he unscrewed the cap on the ointment, "Turn so your back is facing me."
He could tell that Delilah was hesitant, so he gave her a reassuring nod to let her know that she could trust him. With a sigh, Delilah turned around and lowered the straps of her tank top for easy access. He wiped off the blood off of her back. Isaac warned her that it was going to sting a little as he squeezed some of the ointment on his finger. As soon as he touched the wound, Delilah sucked in a breath and squeezed her eyes shut. Isaac hated to see her hurt so he stopped what he was doing to rub the brunette's arm soothingly. When she finally seemed relaxed, he continued to treat her wounds.
After Isaac finished applying the ointment on Delilah's back, he covered the gashes with the bandages. He put the medical supplies back in his first aid kit then peeled off his grey hoodie. Delilah shook her head when Isaac held it out to her.
"No," she said, "I'm not taking your jacket from you. It's cold outside. You'll freeze!"
"I'm not letting you go home wearing a bloody jacket," Isaac told her, "I'll be fine. You're my main concern right now."
Isaac knew the real reason why Delilah wouldn't accept his offer. If she did, she'd have to take off her jacket completely and she would have no choice but to reveal her scars. She was scared and insecure. But Isaac wouldn't judge her. She had to understand that.
He placed his finger under her chin and lifted her head so she would look into his eyes. "Don't be afraid of me. I'm here to help you, not judge you. Nothing I see is going to change what I think of you. Just trust me. Please."
Those blue eyes really did know how to make Delilah crack. Slowly, she peeled the rest of her jacket off of her and dropped it on the floor. She was still shaking at the thought of Isaac knowing her secret. But he just helped pull the hoodie over her head. Delilah slid her arms in the sleeves and wrapped them around herself. Due to their height difference, the hoodie was way too big on Delilah, but it was so warm and it smelled so damn good that she could care less.
When Delilah was settled in, Isaac reached out and took her hand. He then rolled up her sleeve to get a better look at her scars. The whole time Isaac traced her half fresh half old marks, Delilah was shaking like a leaf in shame. She couldn't read his facial expressions and it scared her even more.
"Delilah…" Isaac whispered, "why-"
She yanked her hand out of Isaac's grasp and started pacing with one hand on her hip and the other on her forehead. Her breathing pattern was uneven, like she was going to lose it at any second.
"You were the last person I wanted to find out…"
"What do you mean?"
Then Delilah stopped pacing, covered her face with her hands, and began sobbing. It reminded Isaac of Saturday night when she cried after throwing her blade. His heart clenched at the sight and he wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and hold her. But he felt that it was best to give her at least some sort of space.
"You… you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to," Isaac told her, "I'm not gonna make you."
Delilah looked up at Isaac with red puffy eyes. Tears stained her cheeks. She shook her head and said, "No. I need to be honest with you. I think you deserve that."
Isaac suggested they both sit down and Delilah agreed. He helped her sit on the floor before sitting across from her. Their knees were touching and Isaac placed his hands on her thighs to comfort her. Delilah still wasn't fully relaxed, but her crush's gesture helped a lot.
She was silent for a while. "I'm sorry, I just… I don't really know how to come out with this."
"There's no rush," Isaac assured her, "Take your time. I'm not going anywhere."
Delilah nodded her head and took a few deep breaths. She kept her head low- she wasn't ready to look Isaac in the eye just yet.
"Um…" she started, "I don't remember much about my dad. My real dad. I just know that he and my mom never married since they were both sixteen when they had me. He left when I was three years old and my mom pretty much burned everything that reminded her of him. It had been just me and her for a while. She wasn't exactly a bad parent. But… she always put her problems and feelings before anything else. It was like she had left me to take care of myself sometimes, which eventually became a daily routine. My mom wasn't happy because of my dad leaving so she drank and got into drugs.
"That's actually how she met Lawrence. He was her drug dealer. Whenever he'd come over to our house, my mom always had me go to my room so I wouldn't hear what was going on downstairs. Not like I would really know what was happening, anyway. But one day when Lawrence was over I went downstairs because I had a nightmare. They were jacked up on cocaine so they were already on edge. I tried to go to my mom but Lawrence wouldn't let me and he kept telling me to go to my room."
She started to choke up on her words. Isaac rubbed her thighs with his thumbs in circular motions and she immediately grabbed his hands and squeezed them. Her grip was a little hard but Isaac could take it. And she looked like she needed something to hold on to and keep her grounded. Like an anchor.
"He hit me for the first time that night," Delilah continued, "I knew then that I needed to stay in my room so he wouldn't do that again."
"And your mom didn't say anything?" Isaac asked in disbelief.
The brunette shook her head. "No. She just sat there and watched the whole thing happen. And she never apologized to me or anything! Little did I know that she would end up marrying Lawrence two months later. Then after he moved in, things just got worse." Tears started to fall again. "Whenever I would mess something up while doing chores or say the wrong thing, Lawrence would grab whatever is right there and start beating me with it. I couldn't fight back or try to escape or else he would hit me harder. It's been going on for about seven years now.
"As if physical violence wasn't enough for him… he used verbal abuse, which to me is more harmful. He would call me a slut because some of my friends are guys, even though I've only kissed one guy in my entire life. He always jabs at my weight and…" Delilah's grip on Isaac's hands tightened as she sobbed. "… He would tell me that I was worth nothing, that I would never amount to anything. That's what hurts the most- being told that I have no purpose in life and that I should just give up. Especially when I try so hard to make those around me happy, even if it makes me a pushover."
She looked down at her arms. "I started believing him and it caused me to cut. I didn't want to do it, but I couldn't go to anyone about this… I don't want to be taken away. I felt alone and that this was my only solution. It numbs me. All my problems seem to just fade for a least a few minutes."
"I understand why you do it," Isaac finally said softly, "but harming yourself should not feel like your only solace."
"Why not?!" Delilah cried, "If I'm as worthless as my family tells me, the only thing I could do is punish myself! I deserve it!"
"No you don't, Delilah," he told her sternly, "You're the last person who does. And you could always talk to someone."
Delilah chuckled humorously. "Like who? My friends would never understand. If anything, they would drop me off the face of the earth if they knew. No one wants to be around someone so fucked up. And if I talked to an adult, I could be put in therapy, rehab, or a foster home."
"Well, now you have me."
"And why would you want to help me? You should be disgusted with me. I don't even know why you're still here and not running away right now!"
"It's because I know what it feels like to have someone beat you and make you feel like shit!"
Delilah looked up at Isaac like she had seen a ghost. Green eyes grew wide and her lips were parted. She definitely wasn't expecting a reaction like that from Isaac. It was almost frightening.
"What are you talking about, Isaac?"
Since Delilah had been honest with him, it was time for Isaac to do the same. He turned his body so his back was facing Delilah.
"Lift up my shirt," he instructed.
One of her eyebrows rose as she looked at his back skeptically. "Uh, Isaac…"
"I know it's a weird request but just trust me."
And she did. Delilah grabbed the hem of his shirt and slowly lifted it up. A gasp was let out at the horrendous sight. Isaac's pale back was covered with bruises and scratches. The scars weren't as long as Delilah's, but they looked pretty deep. At this point it was like waterfalls were pouring out of the girl's eyes. She was absolutely shell-shocked.
"You too?" she said so softly to the point where Isaac had to strain his ears to hear her.
He nodded his head. "Yeah… yeah, me too."
Delilah gently brushed her trembling fingers against his back. The places that weren't littered with marks were so smooth and soft. She just couldn't stop touching him. But she had to when Isaac winced when she touched a particularly sore spot and Delilah immediately felt guilty.
"I've seen you with bruises before," Delilah admitted, "but I always thought that they were from lacrosse."
Isaac scoffed. "Please. I don't even play enough to get these." He adjusted his shirt before facing Delilah again.
"What happened?"
The blond sighed and ran a hand through his curls. "My mom died when I was really little. It destroyed my dad and like your mom, he turned to alcohol. The more he drank, the more violent he became. The only people who were around were me and my older brother Camden so he took it out on us. After Camden graduated, he joined the army. At first, I felt a little betrayed that he left me alone with my dad, but overall I was glad that Camden got away from him. However, he died during combat, which led my dad into drinking even more and using me as a punching bag."
He shook his head and chuckled darkly. "I know what people say about me. They think I'm odd… a creep. All because I'm quiet and I work at a graveyard. It bothers me a lot more than people think. They don't know the real me, but I can't prove them wrong."
"Why not?" Delilah asked.
He shrugged. "Same reason as you, I guess. I don't wanna be taken away. Even though I don't think anyone would really care if I left."
"I would," Delilah said, "I want you to get help, but if you left, I would be absolutely heartbroken."
Reaching over, Isaac took her hands in his. He rubbed circles on top of her hands with his thumbs. "You know, you're the reason I never said anything to anyone. Even though we didn't start talking until recently, you're the only reason why I still smile."
That made Delilah smile for a bit before she started to cry again. She sniffled as she wiped her eyes.
"Hey, hey," Isaac said softly as he cupped her cheek with his hand, "Why are you crying, beautiful?"
Delilah shook her head. "You're the sweetest, most selfless person I have ever met. And the fact that someone, let alone your father, has the audacity to lay a hand on you like that is so unfair. You don't deserve that, Isaac."
"And you don't deserve it either," Isaac told her, bringing his other hand to her face, "You are not worthless, okay? You're smart, talented, and incredibly beautiful, inside and out. Don't ever feel like you have to punish yourself because one person tries to tell you anything different." He wiped another tear that rolled down her cheek. "Just come to me. Let me be the one to catch you when you fall."
Isaac lowered his head and kissed Delilah on the lips. Her hands snaked into his sandy blond hair as she gratefully kissed him back. She situated herself so she was on her knees and Isaac followed suit without taking her lips off of hers. It was very sweet but passionate. The kiss wasn't filled with lust… more like comfort and understanding. As if they were lost without any sort of contact with each other.
When their lips separated, Isaac wrapped his arms around her body and brought her to an embrace. Delilah kept one hand in his hair and wrapped her other around his neck. Her tears soaked trough Isaac's shirt, but he didn't mind. He just kissed her cheek repeatedly and told her that everything was going to be okay. And he was telling the truth. Isaac would make sure that whenever Delilah was with him, she would have nothing to fear.
"I got you, Delilah. And I always will. I promise."
Chapter 3 Reviews:
mgaleaz8- I know, right? Poor thing! And I ship these two so hard, too!
Lucy Greenhill- Delilah does deserve so much better! And yes, after a traumatic event during the second season, Delilah will be offered the bite, even though Derek will be hesitant to ask for a couple of reasons. But whether she will accept is for me to know and for you to find out :P
Just Anonymous- I know, I know! Now that I think about it, I feel crazy to have even thought about deleting it. But my motivation is back so you have nothing to worry about!
Scars- Thank you so much! And this chapter is filled with Isaac/Delilah interaction and there will definitely be more in the next chapter!
CharmedGirl92- I'm so glad you love this! It means a lot to me! And by the way, I LOVE 'Heavy In Your Arms'! It's one of my favorites!
BellaDamonLover- That's exactly what I thought about while writing that chapter!
russiannestingdoll- Thank you very much!
ILovIceCream- Don't worry, I won't be stopping anytime soon!
This was a very emotional chapter but I thought it came out pretty well. PLEASE review and let me know what you think. Also, send in any questions you have about Awake and Alive, Scars, No One Else, and Nirvana. I hope to get at least ten or more reviews! I think that's doable, don't you?
Also, RIP to the amazing actor, Robin Williams. You were a huge part of my childhood and we will miss your incredible talent. Gone but never forgotten :(
I hope to update soon! xoxo, Maddie :)