Skinny Love (NOT COMPLETED - ON HOLD)

42

"I can't believe he wanted to search you for fuckin' track marks."

I nodded, mindlessly scraping the toe of my converse across the dirt.

Jackson sighed behind me before pulling my swing back.

"You gotta tell him," he said as he let go, so I straightened my legs to keep my feet from dragging the ground.

I stayed silent, focusing on the slight vibration under my hands as the chains creaked.

Under normal circumstances, I'd probably be giggling like a little girl right now. Instead I felt like I was on autopilot.

It was starting to sink in that my brother actually believed I was doing drugs. But I wasn't angry anymore — I was hurt.

"Lee?" He spoke after a while, and I sighed when he stopped pushing me.

"I don't wanna talk about it," I said just loud enough to be heard.

Jackson's hands brushed my back again, and my eyes closed as I swung forward.

"You can't ignore this to make it go away."

I opened my eyes and frowned at the rusting bench on the other side of the playground. "I know that — I thought we left school to distract me."

Jackson abruptly grabbed the chains as I started going forward again, making me squeal and tighten my grip so I wouldn't eat dirt.

"You want me to distract you?" He asked lowly, then I felt him lean closer to my ear and I let out a shaky breath.

"As tempting as that is," he paused to press his lips just below my ear, making a smile stretch across my face. "That's not why we're here."

Then he let go, and I swung forward with probably the grumpiest face to ever be made by someone being pushed on a swing by their crush.

I dropped my feet as I started going back, dragging them in the dirt until I stopped.

Jackson wordlessly sat in the swing next to me a few seconds later.

As much as I loved that he actually wanted to talk, I didn't want — or know how — to talk about this.

We both swayed back and forth in silence for a while, until I finally decided to bite the bullet. "I thought he knew...um, what's going on."

"I assumed he did," Jackson shrugged. "This morning was the most he's talked to me since dinner."

"Oh," I looked down, kicking my foot in the dirt. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize for him," he said in the same monotone voice as me.

We fell into another drawn out silence, but it felt heavier this time.