Jade's POV
I stared as Beck registered that my blood was on his hands, and then he wiped it off on his jeans. I could see the hurt on his face. It seemed like every scar was his wound. As if he was the one experiencing the pain.
Then he stood up, and frantically searched the shelves, until he found a first aid kit. Neither of us said anything as he patched up my arm. He covered it in a band aid, and then stood back up, and put the kit back.
Then I think he broke down. He put his arm on the wall, and put his face against it. Then he used his other hand to punch the brick wall. You know that had to hurt. He stayed like that for a while. I didn't do anything. I didn't know what else to do. I just stared ahead, into the distance.
Beck's POV
I finally sunk back down next to Jade. "You did all of that to yourself?" I don't know why I asked it. I just needed her to say something. I needed to hear her voice. The silence was killing me.
After a minute it broke as she said, "Some of it," Her voice was gravelly, as if she hadn't talked in a while, but it was so good to hear her. Wait, what did she say?
"Some of it?" I asked, now turning to look at her. She stared straight ahead. The silence again. I turned toward her, and began to unbutton her plaid shirt. This would not be okay in any other situation, and she did not protest. I pulled it off of her, and all up and down both arms were bruises, and cuts.
"Jade," I whispered.
I know I hadn't known Jade long, and that high school relationships apparently never last, but this hurt me worse than any pain I have ever felt. I think I might…Love Jade.
Oh God. Is this for real? I am only sixteen. I've never felt like this before, but I could tell it was Love. I Loved her, and I felt like I needed to protect her, to help her.
"Jade, I don't care who else did this to you…,"I stopped, "Well, I do, but, you don't have to tell me, and if you do tell me, I won't do anything that you don't want me to do, but I'm going to be here, I am going to help you. Jade, I'm going to help you," I repeated the last sentence, mainly to myself.
Jade finally turned toward me, still no emotions on her face, "I don't need your help," She said harshly. Anybody else would have been offended. Anybody else would have walked away.
Not me, I saw right through Jade. She felt like she needed to push me away, she felt scared, and didn't want anyone to know. I saw right through it all.
Instead of walking away, I put my arm around her, and said, "I'm not leaving," while looking her right in the eyes.
She let her guard down then, and she just let everything be, and she let a tear fall.
A single tear.
Then she said, "It was my Father, but I can't leave, and you can't say a word about this, do you understand?"
"I understand," I said at once, then "Jade, you can leave, you can come stay with me."
"I won't."
Jade's POV
"You'd rather stay there, and get abused?"
Abused. I flinched at the word. Hearing it out loud, felt so real, so concrete. I don't believe my Father even knows that is a word.
"Beck, you just don't understand," I said, sighing.
"Because you're not telling me," He said, simply.
He was right, "If I leave, he will get angry at my brother, and hurt him. I am not going to let that happen. I am staying until it's safe for him."
"Okay, I get that, I am still going to be here for you, forever," he said. I resisted rolling my eyes.
"Beck, that's a big commitment, I hardly even know you," I said, but I knew that was a lie. I knew a lot. I knew he like Zombie movies, and I knew he liked to work on cars, and he takes his acting extremely seriously, and that his eyes were easy to lose yourself in, and that all the girls wanted to be with him, and that he wanted to be with me.
I knew he wanted to help me.
"Jade, how about we just take it slow, does that sound good?" He said, and I nodded.
"Beck, I like you a lot, but slow sounds good, for now," I said, and he reached over, and kissed my forehead, and I felt a spark that was noticeably there.