Nightingale~A Victorious Fanfic(ON HOLD)

A Sticky Situation/Too Close

Jade's P.O.V.

   I sighed, my arms aching from struggling to carry the unconscious girl upstairs to my room, and looked at her, my arms crossed, as she twitched, curled up on my bed, her clothes still soaked. On the one hand, I couldn't leave her like that and risk her getting really sick, especially since it was mostly my fault she'd ended up hiding in the rain, but on the other hand, I'd have to undress her in order to get her into something warm, and that idea made me a bit uncomfortable. I rolled my eyes at myself in annoyance, then turned, opened my closet door, and rummaged through my clothes, finding a long sleeved black shirt and jeans I thought might fit, then turned back around, and took a determined breath. I set the dry clothes on the end of my bed, then reached down, and hesitated, before awkwardly tugging off her socks, then her shoes. I'd just started unbuttoning her jeans, when the doorbell rang, literally saving me by the bell. I glanced at Erin, and muttered,"Stay. I mean it..", then raced downstairs, and yanked open my front door, only to be grabbed by the shirt by Tori, her foot kicking the door closed behind her, anger in her eyes.

    I held up my hands, confused, as she muttered,"I can handle you insulting me, playing mean jokes on our friends, and being a jerk, but not to Erin! She's not like other people, but no one notices!" It clicked in my head why she was so angry, and I glared back at her. "You think I brought her here as- As what? Some sick joke?? No! I fucking wanted to help her, Tori! She was half frozen and bleeding, and I couldn't just leave her there.." She slowly let go of my shirt, and I smoothed the wrinkles, giving her a dirty look. Tori quietly asked,"Where is she?" I muttered,"My room", and her eyes widened. "You didn't leave her alone, did you? That's a bad idea-" Right then, I heard the bathroom door slam shut upstairs, then the faint click of a lock being turned, and muttered a stream of profanities a mile long, as Tori and I raced upstairs. Tori pounded on the door, and pleaded,"Erin, open the door, okay? Please.."

     I didn't understand what the big deal was, and shrugged. "Maybe she's changing into the dry clothes I put out for her, or, the horror, actually using the toilet." Tori gave me a dirty look, and shook her head. "You don't get it, Jade!" The lock clicked open, and after we stared at each other, both of us slowly pushed the door open, revealing Erin curled up in my shower, dressed in the clothes I was lending her, but that wasn't what caught my attention. What grabbed my attention and sent cold chills down my spine was the terrified shriek Tori let out, and the steady stream of red dripping out from under Erin's long sleeves onto the shower floor, a pair of my scissors laying beside her feet, wet blood shining on the metal. "What the fuck?!" I couldn't quite comprehend what was going on, until Tori shouted,"Get me some towels or something! We have to stop the bleeding!" It felt like I was in a confused nightmare, as I snagged two towels off the towel rack, and walked over, handing them to Tori, and watched her yank up Erin's sleeves, revealing the deep red marks bleeding on her alabaster skin.

     Tori tied the towels tightly around the wounds, and sniffled softly, putting her cousin's head on her chest, stroking her hair. "Erin, not again.." I awkwardly asked,"Is she gonna be okay?", to which Tori shrugged, and whispered,"The bleeding stopped, so maybe.. I hate to ask, but can you please let her stay with you? Just for tonight, until I can work something out with my parents, because Trina-" She trailed off, but I got it. Erin's house was filled with monsters, and so was Tori's, so what could I do except nod, and numbly put Erin back into my bed, tucking the blankets in around her like my Mom used to do when I was sick? I asked Tori,"Why would she do that to herself?" A weak voice replied,"Because no one gives two fucks about if I live or die anyway, except Tori, but I'm tired of ruining her life.. I heard you, Jade. It's not like we're friends or anything, right? So why do you care?" Regret instantly shot through me, and I looked down, ashamed of myself, and realised the sticky situation I had gotten myself into. I was now stuck babysitting a sick, unstable, and injured stranger, Tori was pissed at me, Beck was probably wondering where I had run off to, and I'd hurt Erin, when she already had enough to deal with; I had hurt her enough to where she'd tried to end her life, and that was definitely not cool.

     I hadn't noticed Tori left, until I heard my front door slam, and knew she wouldn't help me this time. I had to fix my own mess, which was easier said than done. I sat down on the bed beside Erin, and watched her turn her head away, her jaw clenched with both pain and anger. I brushed my hair out of my face, and shifted uncomfortably. "Look.. I didn't mean to hurt you, or get you hurt by your parents, or cheat on that contest. I'm sorry.." I felt her tense up, and then, she slowly looked at me, her shoulders slumping weakly, as she sighed, and replied,"I'm used to it.. I shouldn't have been surprised. It's always been this way.. But thanks for saying sorry, anyway- It helps a little." She swallowed hard, and I caught her shivering, then frowned, as she closed her eyes. "Hey.. Do you need another blanket or something, or are you dying?" She laughed weakly at my sarcasm on that last part, and muttered,"I'm just freezing.. I don't think another blanket will help." I blinked, then shrugged, and slid under the covers beside her, not bothered as she shrieked in surprise. "I read somewhere that shared body heat works better than a blanket. You don't want anything important to fall off, do you?"

     She didn't say anything, but I felt goosebumps raise up on my flesh as she scooted closer to me, her skin ice cold, and I stayed still, until I heard her breaths even out, signaling she was asleep. I went to climb out from under the covers, when her arm wrapped around my waist, and she whispered,"Please stay", in her sleep. My brain screamed at me that it was ridiculous for me to care as much as I did, but I couldn't help it. She reminded me of myself, and was practically alone in the world, and for some reason, one I didn't understand then, I couldn't leave her on her own. So against all reason and thought, I scooted back over, then let out a sharp breath, as she turned over, pressing her back against my front, her damp hair brushing against my face, the smell of cologne rising from it, and with shaking arms, I wrapped my hands around her waist, and wondered what the hell I was doing, and why Erin North was intoxicating to me, from her singing, to her smell, to her pain and warmth. Just like a Nightingale, she was already haunting me with her siren song, but I didn't know yet how far that would draw me in, or what was going to happen because of it..

    All I knew was that by letting myself delve deep under her surface, I was getting too close to Erin, seeing sides of her in one day that no one had likely seen in awhile, and wanted to know more. By telling me her secret about Trina and her parents, she'd forged a bond, just like Tori and Andre and the others had, burying herself under my skin, and I couldn't claw her out, not now.. So I would have to accept that, and get to know her, just like I had them, because it was too late. Erin North was way too close, and I couldn't get away, but then again, I doubted she would be able to, either, but only time would tell whether or not I was right.