He did as she had said to and taken Amelia up to her room. He gently laid her on her bed, pulling the covers over top of her. "Night, Amelia." He planted a gentle kiss on her forehead before heading back to Ivy. His knees seemed to give out, and he collapsed on the cough next to her with a sigh.
One on One - Romance - So very cliche because I need it right now
She chewed on her thumbnail slowly. It wasn't often that boys made her nervous but being alone with one, especially one that was now her boyfriend, made her extremely nervous.
"I'm sorry to bring this onto you. I tried to call Zavian, but his house is under renovations. I don't really have anyone else besides him and you." He let silence fill the moment for a second. "Amelia called saying it was my mom and that I needed to rush home, and so I did. My mom was just kinda laying there. I called 911, but they didn't get there in time." A tear silently fell, but he quickly wiped it away. I didn't get there in time.
She wrapped her arms around him slowly. "It's okay, shhh. You don't have to explain to me. It's going to be painful to talk about, just let it be."
Jackson just sunk into her. She was right. He could feel his heart ache and head throne with pain. The ringing in his ears was still there. He squeezed his eyes shut and wished it would all just go away. That Amelia would have no reason to cry when she woke up.
She hummed softly, a small relaxing tune that her own sisters sang to her when she was upset when she was younger.
Jackson curled up a little. A familiar memory floated to the top of his head. It was of his mother singing a lullaby to Amelia when she was a baby. He squeezed his eyes shut as much as he could to shut it out, but it kept coming back.
"Please come back for me after you've gone. // I won't forget all you little smiles. // If only, if only, you'd remember, my son. // After I've gone and left you."
She laid her head on his shoulder, still humming lightly. She'd stay there as long as he wanted just to be with him. She wasn't good at comforting but she was trying.
Jackson sat there, glad to have someone there. He was glad it was hers. He could feel his eyes drooping, even though he could have sworn that he wasn't tired at all.
She didn't mind spending the night comforting him. It was unlikely she'd be able to sleep tonight for reasons she never understood but if it meant she got to watch over him, then she was more than happy to pay the price.
He didn't want to sleep. He wanted to refuse the blurriness of his vision because he knew he'd probably wake up later. Still, his eyes drooped further and further until they were closed and his breathing slowed.
She noticed he'd fallen asleep and smiled a little. She kissed his cheek and stood, padding upstairs quietly to the bathroom. She opened the window and shuddered slightly as the cool, late summer air filtered past her. She hopped up onto the ledge and hoisted herself onto the roof. She laid down and looked up at the sky, just watching the stars like she always did when she couldn't sleep.
Jackson hadn't felt her get up. In fact, his dream seemed too vivid for him to feel any part of reality.
It was a memory of years before, before his dad left. The day before. He could hear the yelling from upstairs in his room, but by now it was normal. They had been going for months now.
He turned a little in his sleep, already uncomfortable with the scene.
His small hand opened the door wider too see them raising their voices.
And then he hit her.
She stood there, unsure of what to do. As did Jackson. He wanted to race to her and hug her by the legs. But he didn't. Fear kept him there. He couldn't talk or move.
His father took a bag off the couch and walked out the door never to return again.
His memories continued to flash after that. How he began to ramble more after that to fill the silence his mom chose to keep. When his mom had come home after spending the night…somewhere. He didn't find out until it was obvious she was preganant.
He turned again, his body tensing up a little.
It came to the day Amelia was born. He couldn't take it after that, all the moments that it felt like his mother was neglecting him turned to moments he needed to take care of Amelia. He loved Amelia, but hated the feeling.
She laid there for a couple more minutes, just relaxing until… "Hey princess." An oh so familiar voice purred in her ear. She nearly screamed, he startled her so badly. "Goddamn it Zach you scared the hell out of me!" The familiar boy simply laughed. "I do that a lot." "Yeah, unfortunately. Why are you here?" "I can't come see my favorite girl?" "Considering you're not even real, yes." Zach wasn't fictional, he was dead. A boy who had lived in this house years ago but was killed and now haunted the place. Of course, she was the only one who could see him.
His mind chose all the work memories for the night. For some reason, he never truly dreamt. His mind just took memories and replayed them, occasionally tweaking them to make them so much worse.
He twisted and turned more in his sleep, trying to find someway to stop it. To stop dreaming.
"So, my girl got herself a boyfriend!" "That I did!" "Why?" "Hmm?" "Why him?" "Why not him?" "Answer the question Ives!"
His eyes snapped open and he sat up. He was breathing heavy, each breath feeling like little pin pricks down his throat. His heart beat nonstop. Crap. He looked around and didn't see Ivy.
But he did hear a voice.
"Ivy?"
"Well…I've been seeing him around for a while. He was always so cute and sweet and friendly but I never had the courage to talk to him. Then Zavian picked him up and he went from just a cute nerd to straight up every girl wants him hot." "Weird jump but okay." "Don't judge me Zach!" He laughed, gesturing for her to move on. "And I'd really gotten into art so I used to doodle him in my notebooks out of the corner of my eye. I don't know, he just captured my heart from the first day I saw him."
(Ohmygoshthatsadorable)
He stood, almost falling over from all the colors flashing across his vision. "Ivy?" He called her again. There still didn't seem to be an answer, just more voices…
He began to walk towards her voice.
"Looks like he's calling for you. Better head back in." "Yeah I heard. See ya Zach." "Bye princess." He faded out and she slipped back inside, heading downstairs slowly. "Hey, what are you doing awake?"
"I-" he stopped in his tracks "-I don't know. I'm just, what? Were you talking to someone?"
"More like talking to myself but sure!" She chuckled. "Sit down love, you look like you're about to pass out."
He nodded and sat back down as she said. Talking to herself? He didn't close his eyes though, he was done with those memories.
She sat next to him, smiling lightly. "Everything alright? You look flushed." She placed a hand to his cheek, feeling his temperature.
He nodded again. His voice was a little raspy. "Yeah. Just. Yeah."
"If you say so love." She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder lightly.
He glanced over at her. She's something special. Mom would have loved her.
Shut up!
Dad would've been all over him. Mom would've interrogated the hell out of him. She shook her head to clear the memories. Just thinking of her parents made her want to cry.
There was still a loud silence feeling in his ears and mind. It blocked it as much reality as it could. He took a breath in. There was a lot to consider.
She cleared her throat, trying to rid the silence. "Wanna see something that I find pretty relaxing? It might help you calm down.