Jenny couldn't get back to sleep no matter how hard she tried. At four AM she gave up and went downstairs. Everything was just as she remembered it, apart from the fact that there was a sleeping Zack on her couch. Why wasn't he staying in the guest room, she wondered.
She sat on the floor and lent her head against the couch. Her eyes examined the green bruises that covered his are. But the thing that caught her attention was the cut across the top of his chest, near the collar bone. It was heeling well but you could see it was going to scar. Tears started to build up in her eyes. She managed to keep them back; this wasn't the right time to cry.
"Jenny." Zack moaned. Her eyes shot straight to his but he was asleep. "Jen."
"Zack," Jenny lightly shook his shoulders. "I'm here darling. Wake up."
"Jennifer." His eyes shot up. "Jennifer."
"I'm here." Jenny wrapped her arms around him. His arms squeezed her tightly, causing her to cry out in pain. "Let go."
"I'm sorry." Zack sat up. "I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay." Her hands clutched her ribs.
"I forgot." His fingertips traced the top of her t-shirt, where her ribs are.
"Where's Phil?" Jenny asked.
"In the spare bedroom." Zack said. "Adam wouldn't let me and Phil go to mine until you woke up."
"How long have I been asleep? What happened to Matt, and AJ?"
"AJ?" Zack raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, she was there until Matt told her to go away. What happened after? I remember untying you and Phil then getting hit by a baseball bat."
"That's what broke your ribs."
"No wonder they hurt."
"Well when you fell down, Phil managed to get up and stop him from hitting you. He kicked Matt causing him to run. You woke up the next night in the hospital. We brought you home the same night too. That was two days ago."
"I've been asleep for nearly four days." Jenny was shocked.
"You haven't missed much." He shrugged.
"How are you feeling? How's Phil?"
"We both have similar bruising." Zack showed his arms. "Out of the ring for a week to know our muscles won't get too worked up and give out."
"How long am I out for?" She bit her lip; her dream was going to be shattered into pieces.
"Two months." He said lightly. "Vince and Paul want to make sure you are okay. They've got a restraining order on Matt too."
"Wow." Jenny pulled her legs up.
"Is this getting too much?" Zack got down to eye level.
Jenny didn't want to speak, all she did was nod.
"Want to talk?" Zack asked.
"No." Jenny shook her head. "I'm going for a walk."
"It's five in the morning." He pointed at the clock.
Jenny ignored him and rushed to her room. She put on a pair of black skinny jeans and a baggy crop top. Her chest felt so tight. Jenny went to grab hold of her necklace; it was her only hope of comfort. But it wasn't there. This only heightened her feelings. Her feet sped down the stairs.
"He's got my necklace." Jenny screamed at Zack, not bothering about keeping her voice quiet or the fact that Zack has nothing to do with it.
Jenny rushed out the house, running down the street to get far away from any human contact. This is the one time she was glad that Adam had moved to North Carolina. It was easy to find a place to stare out into the nature. But there was no point walking to a new place where Jenny's normal spot was there. Whenever she needed time to think or a quiet place to read she would hide out in the woods ten minutes away from her house. It took her half an hour to get to the spot.
Her legs gave out beneath her and she collapsed onto a rock. The tears started to flood down her face and this time she didn't try to hold them back. They flowed freely down her face like a river. All the memories of Matt from the past few years played in her mind. All the happy ones and all the sad ones. She played the first time they kissed and the first time hit her.
All Jenny wanted was to cut any form of communication out for the whole day, maybe more and that was exactly what she did. Hour by hour the time pasted, the darkness became light then dark again. Her phone had over one hundred missed calls from Adam, Zack and Phil. All the texts were telling her to answer her phone or to go back home. She didn't move though, not even an inch. After a few hours of crying her tears had started to burn, nonetheless nothing could stop them. She stayed there until nearly a full twenty-four hours had passed from arriving. Jenny's walk home was hard. She caught a glimpse of herself in a car window. Her face was pale, eyes bloodshot and hollow, lips cracked and dry.
The clock on one of the buildings read '3:25'. She was back at the house by half past. The door was unlocked so she snuck in as quiet as she could.
"Jennifer." Phil was sat on the couch alone. "Where have you been?"
Jenny completely ignored him. She rushed to her room and locked the door behind her. Her body nestled underneath the covers, but only for a few moments. Soon Zack and Adam were at her door. Phil must have woken them up. Jenny tried to ignore them, although it was no use. The noise they were making was unbearable. She got up and opened the door.
"Don't you ever scare me like that." Adam half shouted half chocked. His warm arms embraced her, then Zack and finally Phil.
"You look a mess." Phil brushed over her sleepless eyes. Jenny just shrugged. Even if she was back in human presence, she had nothing to day.
"You haven't slept at all have you?" Adam shook his head in disagreement. Her head shook.
"Let's get you warm." Phil said, feeling her arms. "Zack has to check the bruising on your ribs too."
"I'm going to sleep then." Adam said, hinting at Phil to leave them two alone.
Zack didn't say anything to her, just like she didn't say anything to him. He helped her get ready and bandaged up her ribs again. By the time they were done it was morning. Phil was leaving back to Chicago to see his family and Zack was going back to his apartment. After a silent goodbye to Phil, Jenny joined Zack. It was when they arrived back at his home that he said his first words to her.
"What were you thinking?" Zack asked as calmly as he could. "Do you know how worried we got? Phil even suggested ringing the police. You can't just cancel everybody out when you feel upset."
All Jenny could do was look down.
"What if something had happened to you? What if someone tried to do something? Where would that leave me?" His outburst went on for another ten minutes before they both went totally quiet. "Anything you have to say?"
"I want food." Jenny said quietly, her first words in over a day. Despite his anger, all Zack could do was laugh.
"I'm not surprised." He walked into the kitchen, followed by Jenny. "Here." He handed her a big glass of water.
"To answer your questions. I was thinking of everything that happened with me and Matt. I needed to be alone because it's my way of dealing with it. And if something did happen, I would rather it be me than any of you three, or Jay." Jenny answered.
"You poor soul." Was all that Zack said. They ate their food in silence.
"Have you slept?" Jenny asked.
"Not since you left, no."
"I'm sorry." Jenny forced out.
"It's okay sweetheart." Zack pulled her in for a hug. "I guess I understand."
"I'm going to speak to Adam." Jenny told Zack.
"Want me to drive you there?"
"It's okay, I'll get a cab."
Jenny knocked on Adam's door.
"Jennifer." He nodded. She could tell her had time to think over her actions and wasn't that happy. "Sit down."
"I'm sorry." Jenny sat on the sofa.
"For what exactly? Do you know how much I have worried about you? I haven't even told Jason everything because it pains me to speak about it. And an apology isn't going to make that go away."
"I know, but I'm here. Look. I'm never going to leave you permanently." Jenny went to give him a hug.
"No Jenny. You're not going to get away with it that easy. You can't do this."
"Do what Adam?" Jenny didn't want to carry on giving reasons for her actions.
"Running off. If you have problems then speak to me about them." Now he had a calmer voice.
"I don't know how to." Jenny raised her voice. "I'm not like that. I'm not what you want me to be."
"You're just fine the way you are." Adam tried to sooth her.
"They why won't anybody accept me?" Jenny fell into Adam's arms. The tears came again but they weren't like before. Her tears before were full of pain and the feeling of unwanted. This time it was because she was realising people may actually care. That they may be there for her if she let her guard down. It was refreshing.