Saved By You

Chapter 25

Spinning around quickly and almost jumping out of Brett’s hold I soon find myself swaying and grabbing onto the steps rail so wouldn’t fall.

Wrong, it felt so wrong to be caught in someone else’s arms.

‘Why are you crying?’ Jace asks worriedly as I soon find him in front of me, his arms around me to steady me as if it was instinct. His eyes then narrow at the boy behind me who, by the smell of it, was smoking again. ‘And who are you?’

‘A friend,’ Brett says nonchalantly.

‘Jace,’ I say quietly putting my hands on his chest so he’d move back a little, indicating that I was fine. He frowns at me. ‘I’m fine.’

‘You aren’t,’ he says as if he knew exactly how I was feeling and of course, well; he was right. He wiped the tears I didn’t even know was there before frowning yet again, this time keeping it there.

I didn’t like that frown.

‘What happened?’ Jace demanded his eyes going over the top of my head to look at who I was guessing Brett who had yet to leave.

‘We talked,’ Brett replied.

Jace narrowed his eyes and I quickly stepped out of his hold before things could get ugly… not that Jace would let it if I was here. I hoped. 

‘Jace,’ I said again, stronger this time. ‘I’m fine. I… I just want to go home,’ I looked at Brett who stood, leaning against the steps rail, looking as calm and casual as ever smoking on his cigarette, before sighing. ‘I’ll explain in the car okay?’ I said quietly as I felt my tire get the better of me, my legs turning to jelly the longer I stood there.

Jace’s eyes softened as he met my gaze before finally nodding, sending Brett one last glare before putting a gentle hand on the small of my back and leading me around the school and toward the parking lot.

‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ Jace asks finally as he led me to his car.

‘No,’ I muttered, the truth finally wanting to come out after all the story telling with Brett.

‘What really happened?’ Jace asks gently as he opened the car door for me, causing me to blush before slipping in with slight hesitance.

When he got in and started up the car I told him what had happened from the second he left me with Mack to the second he found me with Brett.

‘That asshat,’ he growled at the end, and I knew he was talking about Mack. ‘I can’t believe he did that!’

I bite the inside of my cheek to stop from saying anything, I mean, Mack was right; he did keep a roof over my head and fed me, treated me more better than my father or mother ever had. The least I could’ve done for him was to tell him my fate.

I glanced at Jace, noting his clenched jaw and white knuckles on the steering wheel as he came to an abrupt stop at a familiar parking lot of the big local shopping centre. A place that I’ve avoided for almost all my life.

‘He’s right though,’ I said feebly trying to stick up for my best friend, ‘I should’ve just told him right away.’

‘You had your reasons Claire, and no matter what, whether you told him then or now he shouldn’t have acted the way he did. He hurt you.’

‘So did everyone else I’ve ever known,’ I said quietly, a small reassuring smile on my face.

Jace frowns and I couldn’t help but have the need to smooth away the lines that looked so wrong on such a beautiful face, and before I knew it I did exactly that: ran my fingers across his forehead before running it down the side of his face, soon tracing his jaw until eventually… his face was pulled close to mine, his face no longer a frown.