strings• Fack ☆

Nine

October 17th
Jack's pov
Trigger warning: mention of self harm and violence, homophobic slurs :(
Next chapters after this one are gonna be a lot happier, I promise.
——

After I finished up my breakfast, Wyatt and Jaeden pushed my reluctant self out the door to go to school. We walked in silence for a bit, but my curiosity and my big mouth quickly filled the quiet with a simple sentence. "Wyatt, Jaeden. Stop." They skid to a slow stop and looked at each other with worried glances before looking back at me. "I saw it Wyatt."

"What?" Wyatt replied, scrunching up his face. "I could see in his eyes that he wasn't all bad. I-I saw that there was more." "Jack. You don't know what you're talking about-" "Yes, I do." "No, no, you don't." Wyatt scoffed. "Then what do I not know? Is there something I'm missing?" "Yeah, there's a lot you're missing, but right now is not the time to discuss it."

I opened my mouth to speak, but Wyatt cut me off. "Now is not the time to discuss it." He said through gritted teeth, turning ahead to keep walking.

——

Finn wasn't at school that day. I knew immediately as I stepped into the doors. Whispers filled my ears. "You hear Wolfhards not here?"-"The last time he didn't show, I heard it's because he was breaking into that guitar place uptown- "At least Noah doesn't have to worry about crying every time he sees him- "one less day of seeing those gnarly cuts"- "I bet he's off somewhere getting high-"

This is the Finn I've been taught to know. But it never occurred to me that maybe the people who have taught me these things don't even really know Finn. I pondered this as I went to my locker, taking out my phone to check the time. I could hear and see Wyatt taking my phone away, "No." Why? I opened it and scrolled through everything before opening my texts and seeing a conversation with an unknown number.

As I read the conversation, my stomach dropped. Finn. I didn't need to go to first period, i needed to find Finn. Where would he go if he didn't come to school? I guess I'll have to ask around.

——
Finn's pov

I went to the park instead of school. Taking out a cigarette, I light it and inhale. Despite it being freezing outside, I wore a light shirt to avoid the rubbing against my horribly bandaged back wounds. I studied the bandage on my hand and the separate scar that lay below it on my wrist. It was a pale silver, but it wasn't given to me by my step father, it was given to me by me. It makes me feel weaker than the other scars. It reminds me of the smaller 15 year old boy who blamed himself for when his life went to shit. It made me think of the other 15 year old boy I loved, the one who's life also went to shit.

"Stop!" He giggled, struggling under my grasp. "why?" I leaned up, smirking and out of breath. "Does it tickle?" I smirked, leaning closer to him again. His laughs filled the air and he began to plead with me in between breaths. "Finnnnn" pant "please-" giggle "stoppp-" more giggles. I stopped, staring into his eyes with a smirk.

Our faces were close, close enough to kiss. I blushed at this thought and he smiled up at me as I lay on top of him, my legs straddled around his waist. I could feel the heat of our bodies pressed together, and as we leaned in, our warm lips met. The kiss was sweet, and our lips moved together as one, his hand wiggling out of my grasp to grip my curly hair in his hands. The kiss was interrupted though as strong arms ripped me off of him. I hit the hard ground and looked up to meet the eyes of his father. They were the angriest eyes I had ever seen. "Noah! I will not raise a fag!" His father roared, striking the boy with his right arm. I flinched in shock, and as Noah began to cry, my blood boiled in anger. I charged towards his father, but was shoved against the wall. I was not strong enough. As he came closer to my face, he was spitting and raging with anger. "Who the hell do you think you are!" He growled, turning back again to kick the hunched, crying Noah in the side. I slid down the wall, sobbing as Noah's cries filled the air as his father kept kicking, and kicking, and punching, and punching. "Please!" I shrieked. "Leave him alone!" I punched against his fathers back, but my punches left little to no affect and he turned to me, "Get out!" I stumbled backwards and looked into the eyes of the bloodied and crying Noah. "Go." He whispered, his voice cracking. I shook my head, wiping my tears away. "You heard him fag! Leave!" His father punched me, and I fell to the ground. "Get out of my house!" And I did. I ran. I ran faster than I'd ever run before. The farther I ran, the more I cried and the more my legs and lungs ached. I had run away from Noah, run away from him when he needed me most. I was blamed for the cuts and bruises Noah showed up to school with the next day. But I would never hurt him. Ever. I loved-

"F-Finn?" A small voice knocked me out of my thoughts and I looked up to see Jack, his eyes wide and his skin pale. "P-people said you'd be here." He added, walking towards me slowly. I nodded, wiping my watery eyes and motioning to the swing next to me. He hesitantly walked over and sat down. "Jack." I said, my voice now seemingly small as well. "Yes?" He looked over at me with his big, gorgeous brown eyes. "Do you like me?" I could see he was taken back by that question, but he blushed deeply and began to fidget. "I-I mean I barely know you." "Would you like to get to know me?" His eyes said yes, but his mouth stayed closed as if he were a little boy about to do something his momma told him he shouldn't. He nodded and I smiled slightly at him. He smiled back, and I could feel the burning in my heart replaced with a jittery, warm throbbing. "I know just where I should take you."

—-
Okay I know, I know I'm crying too. But next chapter is gonna be super fluffy and happy! There's gonna he high and lows in the next few chapters but I plan on putting a lot more Fack now so yay :)

- bailey