Until You.

Chapter Eight.

*Clip*

“49 year old Samuel North is found in Southern California at a drug deal gone wrong. The authorities have confirmed that Mr.North was carrying a duffel bag of illegal substances, including Cocaine and heroin. Samuel claims to have been selling his dead wife’s drugs (who had shot herself in the head two years ago) to the benefit of his 16 year old son, Alex Ray North. Evidence proves that these claims are false, and Samuel North owned these substances, and had no intention to help his son. Samuel North is being accused of possecion of illegal substances, physical abuse, and sexual abuse towards his two children, Alex Ray North and Molly Winny North.”

*end of clip*

I was frozen. All of the secrets that I had tried so hard to hide for so many years were now being exposed in one singular news broadcast. 

Calla, Rova, and Jayden’s eyes were now all on me.

“So it’s true then?” Rova asked, earning a hit in the arm from Calla.

I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Your own dad fucking raped you?” Rova exclaimed, Calla slapped his hand over Rova’s mouth to stop him from saying anything else.

Jayden wrapped his arm around my shoulder, offering support. I leaned into him, welcoming the comfort. 

Suddenly, tears started to stream down my face. I couldn’t stop them. Before Rova or Calla noticed, Jayden wrapped his other arm around me to welcome me in a full hug.

He knew I would be embarrassed and ashamed if anyone noticed I was crying.

His hand found its way to my hair, combing it with his hands.

“Shhh..it’s okay, Lexie. Everything will be alright.” He whispered for only me to hear.

Calla and Rova had gone to get us all breakfast, figuring that I wouldn’t want to be seen right now. Everyone had the videos.

Someone sent them in a group chat with nearly the entire grade.

So now it was just me and Jayden.

“You said there were more videos?” I asked in a whisper.
Jayden nodded. “Yes but these are much more…graphic.”
“What do you mean, ‘graphic?’” I asked, concerned. 

“One of them is of you having a…conversation. And the other is another new broadcast but it’s an old one. It’s from a year ago.” Jayden explained.

“And you’ve seen all of these?” I asked.
Jayden nodded.

“Let me see them.” I demanded.

Jayden opened the second link.

It was a very blurry zoomed in video of me taken from the outside of some building, but was being recorded through a window from the outside. I was talking to some guy. I remember him. His name was Andy.

Andy’s left hand had a tight grip on my arm and his right hand held a hundred dollar bill.

He looked like he was begging for something, of course I already knew what he wanted.

Andy was trying to pay be for a ‘quick fuck’ as he called it.

At the end of the video, it showed me taking the money and slipping it into my pocket,  beginning to kiss him. It showed Andy’s hands travel down and into my pants, and then the camera turned off.

Jayden slowly looked over to me, looking sorry for me.

“Don’t look at me like that. I needed the money, I didn’t want to do it, I swear.” I said desperately. 

Jayden nodded his head, “I know, Lexie. I know.”

“Third video.” I demanded.

He sighed and pulled up the third one.

I immediately recognized it.

The footage of my suicide attempt.

It was taken on a bridge, it was dark and the rain was pouring hard.

*clip*

I slowly stood onto the railing, lifting my hands off of the bars. Now, all it took was a gust of wind and I was dead.

There was a man behind me that I didn’t know was there, a police officer.

His name was Ben I think.

“C'mon kid, get off of there.” You can hear the man say through the camera.

I shook my head. “Please, please let me go. Please. I have no one here for me.” I begged.

The man pulled me down as I kicked and fought against him.

“Let me go, please. I promise you will never even think of me again if I just jump. You can pretend this never happened.” I continued to plead.

He shook his head, I heard sirens in the distance.

I looked in the direction in fear.

“Please let me go, I want to go.”
Ben shook his head as the ambulance arrived. I was shoved down onto a stretcher and strapped down to make it so I can’t get out.

All you can hear from the video from there are my pleas and cries to let me die.

It was pathetic.

The video shut off and I looked at the ground.

“I can’t believe the news publishes videos like that.” Jayden mumbled.

I nodded “I know, who wants to see some suicidal psychotic kid trying to kill himself?” I mumbled, resting my head on my hands.

“You aren’t psychotic, Lexie.” Jayden said, moving my head away from my hands and onto his shoulder.

“You just felt hopeless, and that’s okay.”

I stayed silent.

I’m not crazy. I was just hopeless, and that’s okay.

“There is nothing wrong with you.” he continued.

There is nothing wrong with me.

“And I’m proud of you.”
He’s proud of me.

“Thank you, Jayden.” I whispered, lifting my head to look at him.

“Yeah, of course.” He responded at the same volume.

Our stare lingered for a moment, Jayden moved a little closer as did I. His hand was on my cheek, as his thumb slowly stroked my bottom lip.

Our lips were only an inch away when the front door opened loudly and I quickly moved back as did Jayden.

“We brought food! How are you, Lexie?” Rova asked with a smile.

“As good as I ever am.” I responded, both Rova and Calla not catching the second meaning.

But Jayden did.
He always noticed the things that no one else did.

All four of us gathered on the floor around the coffee table and ate breakfast as if nothing happened that morning.

They didn’t treat me differently, not as I suspected that they would.

Rova still laughed at my jokes.

Calla still tried to fish me into every conversation.
Jayden is the only one that changed. He no longer threw insults in order to talk to me, he now smiled at me. He agreed with me in debates over movies.

He sat closer to me than usual.

He constantly looked over to me to check and see if I was okay.

I don’t know what changed, maybe it is a pity.

But it didn’t feel like it.

It felt more warm than pity.

It felt like he cared. 

WORD COUNT: 1148

Thank you for reading!

News clips are wild.

Chapter nine is out now.