"This one?" Jesse pointed towards the small Ford Escort with his free hand and Jaiden nodded as she hurried to unlock one of the back doors.
"Can you sit back there with her in case she throws up?" Jaiden asked.
"Yeah, yeah, of course." The man nodded as he carefully sat Stacie inside the vehicle and then slid in next to her. Jesse sat her up against the window and then pulled her seatbelt across her chest. Jaiden hesitated, wanting to make sure they would be alright back there, and then finally got into the driver's seat. Her side was on fire at this point and she winced as she put the car into drive. Jaiden's mind raced as she went back and forth between worrying about Beca and the girl in the backseat. She wasn't even sure if Stacie would forgive her after everything and the thought of the conversation they would have to have in the morning made her almost nauseous with fear.
"So, how's stuff with Beca going?" Jesse piped up from the backseat. Jaiden glanced into the rearview mirror at him and then returned her attention to the road.
"Fine. Everything's fine. We've been doing really good."
"You know, you're an even worse liar than she is. But I know you Mitchell girls hate prying, so I'll shut up." Jesse pointed out with a chuckle. Jaiden blushed at his observation and decided to change the subject quickly.
"So, how did you and Beca end things? And why do you still seem to be on such good terms?"
"Well, I'll always love your sister. She's a cool chick. But Beca was still figuring herself out when we dated and neither one of us were at fault when she realized she loved Chloe. I understood and we obviously get along, so we're still friends." He explained.
"You are quite possibly the most understanding guy I've ever met. Good for you." Jaiden replied. She took a sharp right and floored it down the next two blocks to the apartment building, holding in a hiss of pain as her seatbelt dug into her side.
"Thank you, baby Mitchell." Jesse grinned. To his surprise, Stacie stirred a bit and mumbled something that sounded a bit like "baby Mitchell" and Jaiden turned around as she hit the brakes.
"Did you all come up with that collectively?" She mumbled, more to herself than him. Jesse laughed again, obviously an easily amused person, and then unbuckled Stacie as Jaiden put the car in park. The 18 year old got out of the car and struggled to catch her breath as another jolt of pain hit her. Jesse got Stacie to her feet and began pulling her towards the entrance. The tall brunette was still incredibly out of it and her head lolled to the side limply. Jaiden watched nervously as the two made their way into the apartment and followed closely behind.
The elevator ride seemed to take forever, and Jaiden eyed Stacie the entire time, watching to see if the older girl was about to be sick. Her eyes weren't even open anymore and it was a bit obvious that Jesse's arms were starting to get tired from holding her entire body weight up.
"Thanks again for helping." Jaiden said as the doors opened in front of them. "Do you want me to call you a cab back to campus or something?"
"No, no, don't worry about it. Old Jesse can handle a couple of blocks." He replied, grunting with a bit of effort as they started down the hallway.
"Are you sure?"
"Yep," Jesse's brow furrowed with effort as they stopped in front of the apartment door and Jaiden pulled her key out. "Just please open the door faster."
"Right, sorry." Jaiden fumbled to unlock the door and got it open eventually. They were met immediately with the sound of Chloe slamming on a door somewhere down the hallway and shouting Beca's name frantically. Jesse frowned in concerned confusion and turned to look at Jaiden, who's face had paled significantly.
"What's going on-"
"Nothing. I can take it from here, but thank you for your help." Jaiden cut the boy off quickly and wrapped an arm around Stacie's waist. She locked her jaw in order to hide the pain that the exertion of movement caused and pulled the tall girl inside. Jesse was met with a door in the face before he could ask any more questions and he had no other choice but to start making his way back to campus.
"Chloe?" Jaiden shouted desperately. She was losing her grip on Stacie and the girl muttered something incoherent as her ex swayed under her. "Okay, we're going down." Jaiden winced as she dropped to her knees from the ricocheting pain that stemmed from her lower ribcage. She laid Stacie back as gently as she could onto the floor and looked up just in time to see Chloe racing out of the hallway.
"She's locked herself in the bathroom and if you can't get her out in 10 minutes, I'm calling 911." Chloe threatened tearfully. The redhead looked stressed to say the least, and she gestured to her right, waiting for Jaiden to move. "I'll watch her, but you need to go. Every time I unlock it the door, she locks again before I can open it."
"Okay, okay," Jaiden got to her feet despite the growing agony on her left side and took the key from Chloe as she rushed down the hall. The 18 year old passed the bathroom and stopped in her bedroom briefly, grabbing a blanket, and then practically running back to the locked door.
"Beca? It's me. It's Jaiden," The freshman called. "I'm sorry I freaked you out when I left."
"Jaiden?" A small voice replied from behind the door.
"Yeah. Can you come out? Or let me in?" Jaiden asked hopefully.
"No."
"And why not?" The younger girl's voice was patient, though a bit more concerned, and she glanced down the hallway when a flicker of movement caught her eye. Chloe was dragging a very limp Stacie into her bedroom, and the redhead's face was scarlet from the effort.
"I just can't fucking deal with anyone right now. Go away." Beca's words trembled and Jaiden made a split second decision to jam the key into the lock and give it her best shot. The freshman held the key in the unlocked position as tightly as she could, and then forced the knob to the side quickly. Before Beca could stop her, Jaiden had forced her way into the pitch black bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her.
"Hey, look, come here." Jaiden sat down on the floor and felt out in front of her cautiously. Her fingers brushed against cold and slightly sweaty skin and she gripped what she guessed was Beca's arm tightly.
"No."
"Yes. See, this is what happens when you don't take your pills." Jaiden sighed. The wound in her side flared up again as she settled on the chilly tile floor and got a secure hold on her sister. She could hear Beca's breathing and its quick rate was concerning, so she felt blindly behind her with her free hand for the blanket she had grabbed.
"No; this is what happens when you skip out in the middle of the night, again." Beca shot back. Forcing back the guilt that the comment brought, Jaiden threw the blanket around her sister's shoulders and wrapped her up in it. Much to Jaiden's relief, she felt the small girl relax slightly.
"I'm sorry, Becs. I promise I'm not going to disappear on you anymore. I'll let you know what's going on. I just…I had to get to Stacie tonight. This bitch…she sent me a picture of her completely fucked up at a party and she was going to try to sleep with her. And then it turned out that she drugged her. I hope you understand why I had to go." Jaiden explained sincerely. She rubbed her hands up and down Beca's sides and squinted through the darkness at her.
"I just thought you were gone again." The older girl mumbled. She pulled the blanket tighter around herself and leaned back against the bathtub behind her.
"I'm not. I swear to you, Becs." Jaiden reiterated. "Can I hug you? Will that help?"
"You can." With permission, Jaiden leaned over and wrapped her arms around Beca firmly; ignoring the pain in her ribcage. She felt a pair of small arms cling onto her shirt and she winced slightly at the tiny pressure. The reaction didn't go unnoticed.
"Are you okay? What's going on? Did I hurt you?" Beca demanded frantically. Her voice rose in pitch and Jaiden leaned back and squeezed her shoulders reassuringly.
"No, Beca, relax. It wasn't you. I overdid it getting Stacie here." She told her.
"Oh. You should take something for the pain and lie down." Beca suggested.
"How about we both get up, take our respective pills, and go to bed?" Jaiden cocked her head to the side, waiting for an answer, and suppressed a sigh of relief when Beca shifted up onto her knees. The older Mitchell sibling got up and turned the lights on. Both of them took a second to let their eyes adjust, and then Beca carefully helped her sister onto her feet. They exchanged agreeing glances before opening the medicine cabinet and grabbing their own labeled orange pills.
"Bottoms up," Jaiden winked before popping two small blue tablets into her mouth. She swallowed them dry and then watched Beca until the brunette did the same thing. Satisfied that Beca would eventually be able to calm down enough to sleep, Jaiden wrapped her right arm around her waist and helped her to limp out of the bathroom. The sound of the door opening had apparently been enough to alert Chloe, and the redhead came barreling down the hall immediately.
"She just took her pills, so you should probably get her to bed." Jaiden advised. Chloe nodded in understanding and gazed at her gratefully before taking Beca from her. The two began slowly towards their bedroom and Jaiden watched them until the door shut behind them.
"Goodnight." The brunette mumbled before turning around. The painkillers were beginning to take their effect and though she was grateful for the relief, she was also getting incredibly tired. The 18 year old walked stiffly into her bedroom and froze when she saw Stacie's still form curled up in her bed. The situation with Beca had nearly made her forget that Stacie was in the apartment, but now there was no possible way Jaiden could move her by herself.
"Stacie? Are…are you still up?" She asked softly. Jaiden moved closer to the bed and leaned down; listening for any bit of a reply. All she picked up was the soft sound of Stacie's breathing, and Jaiden hesitated for a few seconds before lying down next to her. She kept her distance and faced away from Stacie sadly; struggling with the fact that they were in bed together and she felt like she couldn't even touch her. She wasn't even sure Stacie would speak to her in the morning. If it weren't for the drugs, she would be too anxious about it to even sleep. But, her nerves were no match for the tiny pills, and she soon drifted off on the side of the bed.
Sorry this was a little short guys. i've been running out of inspo a bit lately, so if you have any suggestions, let me know please. feedback is always welcome