Fate Fell Short

Chapter Seventeen - Jayden

Chapter Seventeen -Jayden

"What's this?" I asked shaking the box that Emma had dropped into my hand.

"Open it, it's for Alex, we want you to give it to her, maybe it'll mean more." She said as she pulled herself up on the counter sitting beside me as I leaned against it.

"Me?" I questioned

"Yeah, since you're deeply in there" she poked my chest, just where my heart was, "You did make her yours didn't you? Oh my god that's adorable!" She gushed at the thought.

"Make her mine?" I asked, "What?"

Her mouth popped open in shock and she smacked me upside the head, "You mean you didn't? Are you playing with her mister?!"

I ducked away from her, "Of course not! Stop hitting me!"

"Then why didn't you?" She demanded

"Because, it isn't on the-" I stopped, my heart stuttering, "I mean, because she isn't like that, she doesn't need labels"

"It's still sweet, how could you not?" She persisted.

"Okay I will, now would you relax?" I admonished as I lifted the lid of the little box with shaky fingers, "why don't we all give it to her" I suggested trying to distract her from my shaking hands.

"Because, I told you, you're deeply in there"

I angled away from her before she could poke me again, "Yeah, because I'm in her heart but you are too so we should all give it to her."

I lifted a bracelet out of the box and Emma's eyes shined, "It's a nevertakeitoff bracelet."

Alex was sitting on the fence with Madeline at her side outside the barn, her dark hair swaying gently in the wind. The horses were out and I had the fleeting thought of riding one, horse riding has grown on me. I sloshed towards them, the grass was soiled with mud, and it had been raining all morning. The air was clean and crisp, just cold enough to raise goosebumps. I shoved my hands into my jacket pockets, feeling the box press against my cold knuckles. I knew I'd end up giving it to her alone, that's after Emma told me exactly what it was. I smiled to myself, whoever thought of this stuff was a genius regardless if it worked or not. Even if it didn't make any sense to me, I was going to help her get through it while I was here.

Madeline was leaning against the fence while chatting away with Alex who nodded and smiled in response. When they caught sight of me, they watched me approach.

"Hey" I said smiling lightly

She looked at the ground, "Hi"

"Okay, I'm gonna go finish up the ironing, see you two later." Madeline jumped over the fence and just as she was passing she winked at me.
So they planned this?

I glanced at her, giving her a lopsided grin, "You left me all alone, it was cold"

She smiled lazily, "You looked too peaceful, so I didn't want to wake you"

I leaned against the fence and enjoyed the view from up here, the horses and the outline of the trees in the distance, "so besides the roof, is this your sanctuary?"

She smiled, "You could say that."

I stared at the horizon unable to think of a way to approach the subject. Giving up I sighed and glanced at her again, "The old man at the hospital, he's my grandfather."

Alex turned abruptly as I felt my heart skip a beat at my declaration. I looked away and focused on the treeline again, instantly regretting that I'd told her, shit, she definitely wasn't supposed to know that.

She looked at me with troubled eyes and I sighed, "Cancer; what a fucked up disease."

She jumped off the fence and I felt her arms wrap around my middle, "I'm so sorry" she croaked and I realised with a jolt that she was crying. I circled my arms around her, a lump forming in my throat, "Life's like that."

"But hey" I said gently lifting her chin to look at her, "are you going to tell me why?"

She glanced away a flurry of emotion crossing her face and muttered with much difficulty, "I guess"

I felt something wet hit the side of my face and I looked up at the same time she did, it had began to rain again. She edged out of my arms, "The horses"

I nodded as I watched her dry her eyes with the back of her sleeve, my heart tightened and I pulled her into a hug again, "It's okay," I stopped, it really wasn't okay and for once I was at a loss for words. I had no idea of how to reassure her.

"Jayden, you're really strong and -gosh- I don't know what to say, I don't know how to respond to someone who'd just told me something as heavy as cancer. I don't know, what I did seems...I don't know"

I held her at arms length, "You can't compare peoples problems like that, we all come with demons and what you have is what you have, people can't tell you how you feel, so stop, leave it at that, you don't have to say anything."

Her grey eyes brimmed with tears but she held them back wiping at her eyes again. The wetness in her eyes made the grey shine silver and I found myself staring a little longer than necessary. She blushed when she noticed my staring and muttered an apology. I gave her a small smile and looked away.

The rain fell more now and if we didn't get the horses inside soon, we'd all be soaked. She seemed to realise this and rushed to the field with me trailing behind her.

I helped with the horses and when we put them in their stables it was pouring buckets outside.

"Up to getting soaked?" I asked looking out the window on top of the barn doors, teasingly.

"No" she answered grimacing.

"Then we're stuck here...what to do...?" I trailed off letting my eyes travel to her, I gave her a suggestive look and watched in amusement at how fast she coloured. She looked away and ran a hand through her damp hair.

"I um -" she dropped down on a haystack, "it was a long time ago and- well-" she paused and stared holes at the ground. I paused too and realized that she was about to tell me why she cut, I knew it had to do with Chase but I doubt she did it so bad because of being locked in a janitors closet, she was stronger than that, I knew it with certainty.

I wandered over and sat down in front of her, her expression was pained, it was definitely more than being locked up. I touched her hand and she looked up, "You don't have to." I murmured softly.

She shook her head, "No, you told me and now it's my turn."

• • •

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Hope you liked this chapter, it was short but I'm currently writing the next one so you don't have to wait long for the next update.
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