𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐎 ✓ 𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐒

𝐱𝐢𝐢𝐢. 𝐮𝐬

❝the first time I saw her,
everything in my head went quiet❞

. ⋅ ˚̣- : ✧ : – ⭒ ⊹ ⭒ – : ✧ : -˚̣⋅ .

The brunette slowly open her eyes, adjusting her eyes to the sun peeking into the window. The warm spot previously next to her sat cold.

No one had been next to her for a while.

She groaned and stretched out her limbs. Amelia swung her legs over the low-hanging bed, her bare soles touching the freezing wood. The blinds draped over the window, only providing a slither of sunlight. It was no wonder it was so cold in the room.

She slipped on a large sweatshirt nearby, tugging her hair into a messy up do. Strands flew from the hair-tie, framing her fragile face. The girl looked in the small mirror on the wall, easily noticing the dark-bags that hung under her eyes. Her skin paler and her skin stuck to her bones.

The brunette traveled to the kitchen, pulling a cold water from the fridge. She unscrewed the cap, droplets coating the corners of her mouth.

"Hungry?"

A dark skinned boy stood at the entrance of the doorway, leaning his body against the frame. He gave her a kind smile, noticing her dull appearance. The girl nodded gratefully, taking the small plastic bag from his hands.

"JJ told me what happened," He trailed off, meeting her eyes.

"Prick," She muttered, her sharp headache digging into her skull like sharp knives. Who was he to be sharing my business, she thought bitterly, and when the hell did she tell him about her mother?

"He's just looking out for you, Amelia." He spoke up, his soft smile never leaving his face, "We all are."

"Well," She spoke, putting the barely-eaten food back into the bag. "I damn well don't need anyone's help. Not yours, and especially not his." She harshly left the seat, walking back into the bedroom.

"Amelia, please."

The girl huffed, leaning her back against the now closed door. She slid down the wooden door, slamming her head against the door. She needed help, but didn't want to ask for it.

"Pope?"

"Yeah, Amelia?" His quiet voice spoke up, sounding from outside the door.

"I'm trying."

"I know."

———

The girl laid in the bed, still unaware of her surroundings. Her eyes traced the many cracks in the ceiling, her eyes dancing along the outline. Her body and mind were numb; paralyzed. She had no motivation to get off the bed and join John B in his quest. The guilt that laid on her shoulders felt immense and never-ending: John B, her mother, Pope, JJ...

She wasn't angry, or sad. She was numb.

And it felt a whole lot worse than being able to feel. 

She was trapped in her own silence. Her silence that coated her mind, and dripped from her mouth. The leak spread to others, their silence only filling her ears. She never felt so alone in a time she needed someone.

A knock sounded from the outside of the door.

"Mel?" A quiet voice rang, filling the empty house.

Her doe eyes glanced from the ceiling to the door. The thought of getting up, unlocking the door, and seeing his golden waves. Her eyes cast back to the ceiling, her thoughts washing away.

"Please," His voice cracked, "Please, just let me in."

His inquiry seemed like an easy task, but oh how hard it was. How easy it was to build a wall, rather than to take it down. How hard it was to start building bridges, rather than to take them down. Her heart was surrounded by a hundred story walls, and she didn't plan on taking them down any time soon.

Her feet padded against the cool floor as she turned the lock, opening the door. The brunettes face remained steel, her eyes empty and her face pale. The boy pleaded with his eyes, looking for any trace of emotion.

He stepped closer, reaching his hand out. The blonde noticed the shift in the girl's eyes, analyzing her closely under his gaze. He wrapped his arms around the girl's frail body.

"I almost killed him."

The whisper broke the never ending silence wrapped around her thin body. Her mind unraveled, and the silence broke.

"But I couldn't. I just couldn't," JJ shook his head, meeting the girl's eyes. "Because you told me I had something else to live for. That I could be someone like you. Someone strong."

Droplets cascaded down the brunettes face, dropping from her dark eyes. Her figure collapsed on the boy, his arms holding the girl up. Her tears stained his black shirt, soaking his shoulder.

"I'm sorry for not being there for you," He apologized, "I'm sorry for being a piece of shit. Because you, and everyone else, seems to believe I can do better. And if I can get better," He paused, his intense blue eyes colliding with her brown ones. "So can you," He said softly.

"I believe in you," She whispered, "Us."

———

i did cut out episode seven,
but i don't think that the hot
tub scene is need anymore
as this, and last chapter, were
intense enough.

—finnsgrazer