Sittin' On Swings

Chapter Eight: Y/n

(There's some very brief mentions of blood, nothing gory, I promise, but I wanted to put a disclaimer. Also hi. Um it's been a second. I'm a college student now and the person I was really writing this for is going through a lot right now. It's hard to publish it knowing she likely won't read it or comment on it (her comments are what keep me going), but if she ever does think of it and comes back to it I want there to be new chapters for her to read. That being said, if you could comment I would really appreciate it. I need a lot of extra support right now, but also thank you for being here :) and bestie if you do ever see this, I love you❤️)

Y/n is exhausted when she walks in early the next morning. She'd tried to sleep last night, but she couldn't find a way to turn off her thoughts long enough to give her a chance to slip into a dreamless sleep. And, of course, Jace's hands were wandering. She didn't want to say no to him and start a fight she didn't have the brain power for, so she faked it. And somehow he bought it.

She drops her bag down, setting her water bottle on her desk. She shuffles the papers she'd left out the night before, filing them away. She sits down, rubbing her hands on the top of her thighs as she wonders what she should do next. She's about to go check on Ty at a leisurely pace when a soft whimper catches her attention.

She's up and out of her seat, rushing down the hallway towards his room. She glances at the clock, knowing his parents will be there soon and probably do not want to catch him in the midst of a nightmare.

She pushes the door open, watching him writhe in the bed. His face is scrunched in confusion and if he wasn't concerning her, she would take the time to admire how his hands flex as he balls and unballs his fist.

Instead she rushes over to his side, taking his hand in hers to keep him from closing his nails on his palm and drawing blood.

"Ty," she coos, rubbing the back of his hand gently. All she gets is a mumble in response. "Wake up,"

His head rolls towards the sound of her voice, but he doesn't do much more than that. His hand is balled so tight his knuckles are turning white. His chest just barely rises and falls, his breathing coming in short pants after long time increments, as if he's forgetting to breathe.

"Ty," she says again, brushing her hand across the back of his hoping he will loosen his grip enough she can pry his fingers away from the gouges his nails have made before he draws blood. "Wake up, Ty."

She places a hand on his shoulder, suddenly nervous when he doesn't seem to be reacting to her voice, save for the soft whines that leave his frowning lips. At the touch of her hand, his body jolts, his eyes fly open and he's gazing at her intently.

"You," he says, stopping to swallow. "He's not good for you,"

Taken aback, she drops her hand. "Who?"

"Him, the guy, your...boyfriend." His nose turns up as the last word rolls off his tongue, hatred, and a slight hint of jealousy, accompanying it.

"Jace?"

"Sure, whatever his name is." Ty looks down, grimacing as he uncurls his hand. The tips of his nails are stained a dark redish, signifying she was a tad too late.

He lifts his hand, showing it to her as if he's asking for her to help him. She opens her mouth to ignore his plea when she sees just how badly his hand is shaking. She takes one look in his soft blue eyes, begging her to wrap it for him so he doesn't have to see it, and she nods.

"Mkay, set it down," He does as he's told wordlessly. She can feel his eyes clocking her every move as she finds the items she will need to wrap his hand.