Amelia

My body shuddered with an unhealthy mix of anxiety, sadness, and anticipation as I watched the television with squinted eyes. I felt so tired, yet sleep was not going to come and I knew that. There was too much on my mind, so I remained under a fuzzy blanket in front of the TV just watching as images of the words JP and I painted across the jail came into view.

"Just know that to whoever did this, we are going to find you and hold you accountable for what you've done. Acts of vandalism such as this will not be tolerated," An official warned, it being not the Head Official, but just some random who nobody knew.

"Yeah, sure," I whispered, leaning over and grabbing the remote before switching the television off. It was too painful to look at the messages sprawled across the wall due to the memories of last night that coincided with them.

My eyes were raw from crying and it even hurt to blink. They felt heavy and I could not stop myself from rubbing them every couple of seconds. I was upset at the way JP spoke to me, but was also heartbroken for him from what I overheard when he was asleep. He was a sleep talker, and I understood him clearly.

Part of me felt guilty for not waking him sooner, though I did stroke his cheek a few times while he was trapped in his nightmare to see if he would wake up. I called out to him, but he still remained asleep and I'd always been taught not to wake someone when they were having a nightmare and kicking around. JP kicked me off the bed from how hard he was battering against the covers and myself. In a state of panic, that's when I climbed back on the bed and gave in to shaking him awake as gently as possible.

Just then, I heard footsteps in the hallway and knew someone was coming. My Father entered the living room, and I did not have the energy to try and fix the absolute disaster that I looked like. He eyed me suspiciously, coming over and sitting beside me on the couch.

"Amelia? What's the matter?" he tried, placing a hand on my shoulder.

Blinking weakly, I turned to face him and just collapsed into his arms. My Father held me close, kissing my forehead with love and just gazing at my face and attire.

"When did you get that shirt?"

My blood ran cold when I looked down and noticed I was still wearing the army green shirt JP let me borrow. It smelt like him, a deep masculine scent that made me want to stay in the shirt forever. Thinking quickly, I replied before things got too skeptical.

Not that it mattered. Whatever happened between JP and I was over and done with. I could not risk anything further with my polygraph coming up in a few weeks. He clearly did not want me, and I accepted that through tears and agony. I was not the right girl for Jay-Parker, I would only hurt and destroy him.

"It's Blake's," I said quietly. "He left it here, and it's comfy so I wear it to bed sometimes."

My Father chuckled, but it soon faded. "Amelia, I want you to know that I thought over what Zoey said at your party...she's wrong."

This immediately caught my attention, my eyes widening at my Father. My Father always agreed with my Mother in the past, but it seemed he was starting to branch out and almost try to understand where I stood.

"Wow, um..." I began, looking him dead in the eyes to make sure he was being genuine. "Thanks, Dad."

"No problem, honey. Now, what are you doing out here alone this early in the morning?"

It was a Saturday, meaning my Father had work early but my Mother did not. She must have still been asleep like most weekend mornings, and I was grateful for that fact. She'd be playing twenty questions with me, and my body felt too lethargic to keep up with her.

"I just...couldn't sleep," I lied.

"Well, I could tell that much," My Father commented, studying my appearance.

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks a lot."

"Sorry sweetie, do you want me to make you some coffee or something?"

"I'm fine," I insisted. "Coffee is gross anyways." Making a face at the thought, I watched as my Father nodded and stood up, retrieving his wallet off the counter before disappearing out the door.

Leaning my head back against the couch, I reflected on all the mistakes I made over the past few years. Attempting suicide was one of them, and it took someone like JP to make me realize that. It was unfortunate that depression made you have such a bleak outlook on life, it was insanely hard to control but it could be done and I did not want to lose faith that I would win against it all. My family, though most of the time clueless and my Sister a witch, would miss me. They'd be haunted by the ghost of me for the rest of their lives if I was successful.

For the first time ever, I thanked the universe for keeping me alive and for the life I was blessed with. Moonstone needed to change so that history would not repeat itself, and me and everybody else could get the help they deserved.

Caught off guard by the sound of the front door swinging open, I spun around to see Blake standing there with his arms folded over his broad chest. I tugged the blanket upwards to cover the shirt I was wearing, but that just made Blake frown.

"What?" I said, pretending to be confused by his annoyance.

Instead of replying, Blake snatched the remote up and lowered himself down beside me. A lump formed in my throat when he turned on the news and I saw another official on screen, giving his thoughts.

"We will be conducting a thorough investigation. All prison guards and attendants will be questioned first, and then we will start pulling security camera footage from local stores where paint like the type used is sold," The official boomed into the mic, and I felt all the color drain from my face.

The television was switched off again, Blake turning to face me. "What the hell, Amel?"

"I'm sorry," I muttered, taking the remote from his gasp. Adrenaline was suddenly pulsating through my veins, and I knew I needed to get to the hardware store and talk to Layla about the cameras there.

"Why didn't you tell me you were planning on doing something like that? You tell me everything."

Not everything.

"I know, I know. It's just..." I could feel a panic attack stirring up as I threw the blankets back and stood to my feet.

Ignoring Blake's presence, I wandered off to my room and threw the door open. He soon followed after, looking confused as ever. While sifting through my closet to find clothes to wear, he just watched me intently. My chest became tight, and in that moment I fell to the ground and began to cry, harder than I cried just hours ago.

It was a helpless cry, and I tried to clasp a hand over my mouth to muffle the sounds in order to hide my sobs from my Mother, who slept just down the hallway. "Fuck," I cursed out, grabbing a shoe and throwing it at the wall in frustration.

Everything was in shambles, and now I was at risk of being caught for vandalism. I'd be thrown back behind bars for certain for an even longer sentence than before, and it was in that moment I could not hold off any longer.

It was time.

"I'm marked," I wept, struggling to catch the tears that were falling. "They marked me when I got out of jail. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Blake. I'm so sorry. Last night I should've invited you, but I wanted it to just be JP and I. It was so stupid...I kissed him. I fucking kissed him, and now I'm gonna fail my polygraph test because I'm not allowed to date..."

Blake froze up in disbelief, his mouth hanging open while his eyes began to swell up with tears. Without saying a word, he joined me on the floor and wrapped his strong arms around me. Pulling me into his lap, he held me there for several minutes and allowed me to cry myself out into his shirt, leaving two damp spots.

"A-Amelia..." he croaked, and I reached up to wipe his tears away. I'd only seen Blake cry twice in my life; once when his Grandfather passed away, and then another time when I kicked him square in the nuts for scaring me.

"I-I'm so sorry," I choked, leaning into his neck and inhaling a familiar scent, one that I knew would never leave me.

"Y-you have nothing to be sorry for," Blake promised me, taking my hands in his. "Amel, does JP know that you're-"

"No, and I'm never telling him. Whatever we had, it's gone now," I explained, sniffling softly and shaking my head in dismay.

"What happened?"

"He's got some...things. Things that I'll only make worse for him," I said vaguely, my voice low and shaky. "I-I have to get to the hardware store..." Starting to climb off Blake's lap, I was pulled back instantly.

"Hardware store?" he questioned.

"Yeah." I tried to stand up again, this time successful in my attempt. Grabbing some fresh clean clothes from my drawer, I looked over my shoulder at Blake. "I'm gonna take a shower, then we'll leave. Just wait in here."

With that said I shut my door gently and sauntered to the bathroom. As soon as my body stepped under the hot water, I felt a little bit better with the thought of washing Jay-Parker's touch off my skin. I stuck my face into the scolding hot water, hissing under my breath at how it burned my cheeks. Rubbing at my lips, I wanted to make sure there was nothing left behind of him.

Once I was wrapped up in a warm towel, I rubbed at the steam on the mirror and stared back at my own reflection. My face was beat red at the cheeks, while my eyes looked dull and almost pale. I quickly threw my hair up in a towel, deciding to apply some concealer and mascara to try and not look like a stiff. The makeup helped a great deal, and I felt somewhat satisfied with the way I appeared once I was dressed despite everything that happened within the last twenty four hours.

Opening the bathroom door, I was surprised to find Blake outside waiting. He joined me in walking back to my room, watching as I tossed my clothes in my laundry basket. He eyed the army green shirt.

"That's his?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at it.

"Yeah," I replied, being short with him because I did not want him to pester me about things I would not be sharing with him.

Despite what happened between JP and I, his secrets were safe with me. I just hoped to never see him again, the pain would be unruly and that was the absolute last thing I needed right then; More pain. I had enough of that to go around.

"Lawrence Hardware," Blake read aloud, pushing the door and holding it open for me so I could walk through.

Offering him a nod of gratitude, I entered the store and was pleasantly surprised that Layla stood at the counter. She looked at me, her lips curling upwards into a wild smile.

"Amelia!" she cheered excitedly. "Oh my gosh, I saw what you did. I'm so...you're amazing!" she boasted, scurrying out from behind the counter and throwing her thin arms around me. I returned her hug, my heart swelling at Layla's compliment.

"Yeah, I actually came here to talk about that-" I started to say, but Layla beat me to it.

"I got the security footage thing covered, babe. Don't worry," Layla assured me, taking my hand and squeezing it. "You just let me work my magic, and you'll be golden."

"Thank you so much, Layla, but how are you going to pull it off?"

"Well for starters, that surveillance camera doesn't work and it hasn't for months," Layla giggled. "Lawrence is in some deep trouble when the police come knocking, but that's his problem. Not yours."

Managing a teensy smile at Layla, I watched as her brown eyes fixed on Blake. Blake ran a hand through his hair, awkwardly introducing himself. "Hey, I'm Blake."

"Layla," she replied smoothly, tucking her short blonde hair behind her ears. "Nice to meet you."

"Hey, I also filled out that application you gave me," I said, the thought popping into my head. Reaching around in my purse, I pulled it out and handed it to her. My handwriting was less than stellar on it, considering I filled it out during the hazy hours of the morning to distract myself from the sadness I was experiencing.

Layla's face lit up when she saw it, snatching it from my hands and smiling as she read it to herself. "Good news...Lawrence trusts me enough to interview you, so...you're hired!"

I laughed, my eyebrows raising in shock. "Wait, really?"

"Yeah! You can start tomorrow, it's a Sunday which is the slowest day of the week. It'll be fun," Layla said, her spirits high.

Blake smiled at the two of us, clearly very happy for me that I made a girlfriend. I needed one of those, desperately. Retrieving my phone from my bag, I pulled it out and handed it to Layla.

Without me even having to explain myself to her, she typed her number in quickly and handed the phone back to me. Feeling joy for the fact that I was stepping out of my comfort zone, I noticed the proud grin plastered upon Blake's face. It felt good to have someone close who recognized your small victories.

"Well, we better get going. Thank you so much for everything Layla, I'll see you tomorrow at..."

"Noon!" Layla finished for me, nodding curtly. "See you then."

Blake and I exited the hardware shop, and I immediately sat myself down on a nearby bench to think for a moment. Of course sitting on a bench caused memories of last night to flood back, and I could almost feel his lips on mine all over again. Quickly standing up, I looked at my best friend with sorrowful eyes.

"Amel." Blake placed a hand on my shoulder, rubbing it softly. He could always pick up on my grief and it sometimes irritated me. Blake could read me like a book. "You need ice cream."

Perking up at the mention of the sweet and creamy desert, I got ready to walk and lugged my purse over my shoulder that now felt weighed down. My whole body did, and it was a dreadful feeling. I wanted nothing more than for the feeling to vanish, but everything took time.

"Mint chocolate chip?"

"Mint chocolate chip."

-

authors note: hey guys!! sooo, Blake now knows that Amelia is marked, and she's clearly going through some pretty tough heartbreak right now. </3

Me every time Amelia mentions how done she is with Jay-Parker:

What do you guys think? Do you think JP will return?

Blake is such a good friend to Amelia. Let's hope they stay that close......

anyways, thanks for reading!!