(Starring Role - Marina and the Diamonds) [TW abuse]
A/N: Geez I'm getting really deep on these lately.
"You're late!" Pinky's shrill voice suddenly echoed in Jimmy's ears.
He groaned and rolled over in his bed. She wasn't really there. He was in that state of in-between dreaming, and for some unknown reason, so was Pinky. His blurry eyes flicked to his alarm clock. The red letter three never looked so menacing before now. Jimmy sighed and let his heavy eyelids close, hoping to get back to sleep.
"I am a princess!"
And his eyes were open again. Was it going to happen every time? Every time he closed his eyes, she'd be there waiting? He didn't understand it. It could've just been tired 3 AM brain or maybe he was just a confused teenage boy, but he had mixed feelings about it. Sure, he thought Pinky was hot. Anyone with two eyes and a pulse could see that. You could probably even scratch the pulse part and it'd still be true. However, she was straight up obnoxious. She was a perfectionist. She felt superior to him, and that was something he always hated about anyone.
Yet here he was, thinking about her shrill voice whining in his dreams.
"Let it end," Jimmy muttered into his pillow. "Please let me sleep."
It almost felt like he was drifting off until a small sobbing sound caught his attention. "Algie, shut up!" someone shouted from down the hall. It didn't stop, and it wasn't Algie. Great, now he had to go check it out to save at least part of his sanity.
With slow, lazy movements, Jimmy sat himself up and got out of bed. He opened his dorm door and looked up and down the hallways. His attention finally fell on a shuddering form.
"What's your problem?" Jimmy demanded of the figure, his speech slightly slurred from his tiredness. The figure turned and revealed itself to be Gord. What a surprise.
"Pinky... Pinky is missing. Darby thinks it's my fault. Oh good lord he's going to skin me alive," Gord explained, his voice tiny and afraid.
"So you come to wake up the dorm? Get over yo- Pinky is missing?"
Gord gave a tiny, delicate nod.
"Why does Darby think it's your fault?"
"I was the last person to see her... He thinks I said something inappropriate."
"Well did you?"
"Heavens, no!"
Jimmy still wasn't awake as he turned his back and went back into his room, pulling on a pair of jeans, a jacket, and some ratty shoes lying around. Even thought Jimmy desperately needed sleep, he had to find her or Darby would have everyone's head. If Gord came first, Jimmy'd probably be second. He came back into the hallway. Gord was still there.
"Do you know where she could have gone?" Jimmy inquired. Gord shook his head. Jimmy cursed Gord under his breath and left the dorm. Even with his flagrantly flamboyant sleepy movements, Jimmy still managed to evade the campus prefects. Great investment.
If Jimmy knew Pinky... which he kind of did... where would he think she'd go? He turned toward the "grungier" side of town and started jogging. It didn't take long to find her. He hopped over a fence and almost fell, knocking over a trash can. She jumped and turned to face him. Her shoulders loosened as she held her jacket over herself a bit more. "Jimmy? What are you doing here?"
"I came to rescue you, princess," Jimmy snapped. Pinky rose an eyebrow.
"Why does everyone think I'm just a damsel in distress?! I can do so much more than that! I am so much more than that!" Before Pinky could continue her rant, Jimmy groaned and rubbed his head.
"Yeah, yeah, we all know. Can you do me a favor and just go back home so I can get some sleep?" He sighed heavily, her voice already starting to give him headache.
"Don't you dare dismiss me, Jimmy Hopkins! My daddy owns-"
"Look, I don't care what your daddy does or doesn't own. I don't care about your stupid hormonal problems. I don't care if some storeclerk forgot to kiss your ass or something. Your problems aren't everyone's top priority," Jimmy told her. He was still extremely tired. He was fighting to stay awake, but he was still Jimmy. Pinky shut her mouth and looked at him before a tear slipped down her cheek, and then some more. Great. He made her cry. "Ah, crap. Don't cry. I didn't mean to make you cry-"
"Shut up, Jimmy! You're so- you're just so mean!" Pinky shouted, flailing her arms. "I deserve the world, and all I'm getting is... well, nothing!"
"Aw, boohoo. Your trust fund interest rate slowed down a bit?" Jimmy raised his voice slightly. Pinky grit her teeth and unzipped her jacket, throwing it to the ground. Her arms were covered in... bruises? That woke him up. He stepped closer and she stepped away.
"What do you really know?" she asked, her lip trembling. "Nothing. You know nothing." Her voice was quiet. She sounded afraid.
"Who did that to you?" Jimmy asked, his voice soft. Pinky was trembling, not looking him in the eye. Her arms were crossed tightly around her. She let Jimmy get close and look at her arms. Bruises and scars blemished her skin. "Who?" he repeated, looking up at her. "Your dad?" She shook her head. "Your mom?" She shook her head and bit down on her lip. "...Darby?" She began shaking violently with her sobs, her legs failing to keep her up as she hit the ground. Jimmy crouched down beside her. "Darby did this... bastard."
"He... I'm- I'm his. He can do what he wants. I'm his," she said.
"How long has this been going on?" Jimmy asked, reaching up cautiously to push her hair out of her face. She flinched initially but let him move her hair.
"I'm irritating," Pinky went on, ignoring his question. "I'm too obnoxious. I do the wrong things and I get punished."
"No, no you don't. You get abused. Pinky, he's abusing you."
She shook her head and looked at him as if he were a feral animal. "It's not abuse. Abuse doesn't happen if he loves me, and he loves me!"
"You know that's not true," Jimmy said, and that was all it took. She nodded and fell into his arms. He held her close as she cried and whispered her darkest secrets into his shoulder. He just held her like she meant something. For once in her life, she meant something. She was fragile enough to be held and not broken into a million pieces. By the time she was ready to regain herself, the very beginnings of dawn rose in the horizon. "C'mon," Jimmy whispered, helping her to her feet. He picked up her jacket and helped her get it back on. He picked the lock on the gate and pushed it open for her.
"Where are we going?" Pinky asked, her voice quiet.
"I'm taking you to one of my safehouses. Johnny Vincent owes me big time. You'll be staying at my safehouse in Greaser territory and you'll have all of them keeping watch," Jimmy explained, gently taking her hand and leading her down the sidewalk.
"What about Darby?"
Jimmy's grip tightened and he cocked his neck to the side, a habit she knew that when displayed meant he was very angry. "I'll take care of that."
"Why are you doing this?" Pinky asked a minute or two later. Jimmy stopped and spun around, looking up at her.
"Nobody... absolutely nobody deserves to be treated like scum. And you..." He paused and gave her a little half-smile. "You're a princess."
Pinky laughed a bit, a real laugh with a real smile. Jimmy turned back around and continued to lead her to the safehouse, stopping outside to send one of the gross boys to find their leader. Pinky felt safe, and she trusted Jimmy. He came inside to make sure she was okay and she bent over and kissed his cheek, smiling. "Thank you," she whispered. Jimmy nodded and left again, smiling only when she couldn't see it.
