Jagged Edge

Jag's lips hardly left mine as we rushed through the neighborhoods to his house. When we got there, he shoved open the door and pulled me inside.

"Don't worry...Eva's at...Veronica's," Jag whispered between kisses. I grunted in response as we stumbled up the stairs to Jag's bedroom. As soon as his door closed, he was pulling his sweatshirt off of me. I started to unbutton his shirt as fast as my clumsy fingers would go. Jag gently slid my shirt over my head and I fumbled with his jeans. I was still wearing PJs, making it easier access for him.

We collapsed in a heap on the bed, never letting go of each other.

__________

"Jag," I mumbled into his neck. I felt him smile, he was kissing the top of my head.

"I know how to save you, Roxie," Jag said, "I've talked to Eva's parents, my aunt and uncle. They're willing to file for custody of you if we can convince the police that your mom is abusive. They've agreed to let you stay here, too, for most of the time. They have a feeling you'll be a positive influence on Eva. They've already unpacked the main rooms in their house for you."

My heart leaped. "Oh, Jag!" I exclaimed. I didn't even know how to react, I was so relieved.

"I love you, Roxie," Jag whispered.

"I love you, too. But please hurry. Please?"

"I promise you that I will. I've already got the police working on the case. They have your abuse journal," he reassured me. So it wasn't the abuse, it was the self-abuse notebook he'd given me. So he took it as evidence. I clutched him tighter to me.

"I hate to say it, love, but we've got to get you home before your mom gets there," Jag said. I took a deep breath and nodded. We got up and Jag helped me dress, being careful with the wounds that my mother inflicted. Jag dressed himself and we walked down the stairs. My vision started to blur and I felt lightheaded and unbalanced.

"I'm gonna pass out," I warned Jag. He bent down, meaning that I was to climb on his back. I used what little energy I had left to jump onto his back. The gentle bobbing motion we made as he walked was soothing and I relaxed. Soon the sickening feeling went away, but I still didn't have much energy. I nuzzled my face down in Jag's hair, trying to imprint it permanently into my memory.

The night air was cool and I was thankful to have a sweatshirt. I was also thankful beyond words that Jag loved me enough to make such a full-force attempt to save me.

"We're here. I'll be waiting for the right time. I love you," he murmured.

"I love you, too," I whispered meekly. Jag lowered me down from his back and turned me around to face him. I crashed my lips to his, but only momentarily. He held my hand until we were at arms-length apart. Our eyes said the silent goodbyes our hearts wouldn't let us speak. I stepped away and let go of his hand to open the front door. I turned back one last time to see Jag backing up, a tear sliding down his cheek. It took the last bits of mental strength that I had left to shut the door instead of running back into Jag's arms.

I slowly walked to my room, replaying the scenes in my head. It was our first time in his house, but not on his bed. Soon after we landed on it, we slipped to the floor. It was pretty amazing, anyway.

No sooner had my bedroom door closed than the front door opened. I head the sluggish, drunked footsteps of my mother.

"Get your ass in here," she slurred. She didn't have to say my name, I knew she was talking to me. I opened my door and walked into the dining room as quickly as I could manage, but that wasn't quick enough for her. She stumbled toward me and grabbed my shirt. She whipped me onto the floor of the dining room. I kept myself as composed as possible.

"Stand the fuck up!" she hissed. I got up to make things easier for her. She picked me back up and whipped me into the china cabinet. I knew the glass was shattering around me, but I didn't feel it. I was too busy praying to God and mentally commanding Jag to call the police.

I felt an enormous weight on my shoulders and torso and when I opened my eyes I saw my mom sitting on top of me. Her eyes were wild and she was clutching a piece of glass in her hand.

"You're going to pay for that!" she yelled. She tried to shove the glass into my neck but missed. She took another wild jab at me and I caught her arm.

"Pay for what?" I asked.

"For..." she trailed off, not knowing what the hell I did.

"All I ever did was love you!" I screamed. She paused for just a second, shaken by my outburst and that second was long enough. The door was kicked in and several police officers entered with their guns pointed.

"Stand up and step away from the girl with your hands in the air. You are under arrest," a police officer said. He came over and pulled my mom up and handcuffed her. Jag was there suddenly, crying slightly and helping me up.

"My aunt and uncle are waiting in the car. I'm gonna take your stuff home and meet you tomorrow," Jag murmured. I looked at him, then burst out in tears, thanking him repeatedly. He stroked my hair, crying along with me. Finally, when I'd stopped, Jag helped me stand and walked me outside to his aunt and uncle's car. They were parked on the opposite side of the road. Jag opened the back door for me. His aunt and uncle were sitting in the front seat and who I assumed to be Eva was in the backseat along with me.

"Hello Roxie, I'm Jag's aunt Maryanne and this is his uncle John. You feel free to call us what you want. In the back next to you is Eva," Aunt Maryanne said as I climbed into the backseat.

"Hi, thanks so much for having me!" I said.

"Oh, it's not problem at all. It's always nice to meet someone that your nephew has a fancy for. You know, you're his first girlfriend? Anyway, you're free to visit Jag as much as you like and stay as long as you like," Aunt Maryanne smiled.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow," Jag said. He kissed my forehead, then turned and walked back into my house, which was now starting to slowly clear out of all the people. Aunt Maryanne honked once and pulled away.

Suddenly, Eva turned to me and said, "You're gonna be staying in my room when you come over. I set up a mattress for you and everything!"

I had to admit, her voice sounded much different than I'd dreamed, and she was so nice. So I replied, "That sounds great!"

"Jag brought some of your stuff over earlier. I think it's just clothes, but I didn't wanna check without your permission and invade your privacy. If you need to borrow anything, just let me know," she said digging through a purse that was on her lap.

"Alright, cool!" I smiled. Eva held a headphone out to me and gave me a look that showed she wanted me to use it. I smiled at her and gladly took the earbud. I watched her struggle to turn it on.

"It's great to know that I'm not the only one with a super old iPod!" I exclaimed.

"I know! Mine is like four years old!" she laughed.

"So is mine!" I agreed. We smiled and enjoyed the music drifting out of the small speaker. I think I heard Uncle John murmur something about Eva having a friend, but it was drowned out by The Used.

The moment we pulled into the driveway, Eva was pulling me out of the car.

"I can't wait to show you my room!" Eva exclaimed happily. The house didn't look anything like my mind had pictured it and I was happy for that. It was a cute pale purple house in the middle of a small forest. Eva had a first story bedroom in the back of the house. It looked out on a swingset and a small pond. Eva's room was quite large. The walls were painted green and the carpeting was dark blue, but you could barely see the walls because of all the posters. The large window let in a lot of light. Eva jumped onto her bed, which was a mix of many colors.

"Do you wanna take a shower or just like...change?" Eva asked.

"I'll take a shower in the morning," I groaned. I looked at my pajamas and realized that they were quite nasty, so I went over to my bag and rifled through it. There was my iPod and a pair of clothes for the morning. No makeup, no hair stuff. I sighed.

"He didn't pack much, did he?" Eva asked, but it was more of a statement.

"No," I groaned. Eva jumped off her bed and skipped over to a dresser. She yanked a door open, pulled out a few things, then turned back to me. She tossed me the pajamas, and as I opened my mouth to thank her, she cut me off.

"No need to thank me. My bathroom's next door on the right," she said. I followed her direction out the door and turned right. Sure enough, there was a bathroom. I walked in, closed the door, and removed my clothes. I washed up as well as I could, then changed into the pajamas that Eva gave me. It was a large Taking Back Sunday t-shirt and a pair of shorts with lightning bolts on them.

I walked back to Eva's room. She was already there, adjusting the blankets on my mattress. She jumped as I walked in and sat back on her bed. I climbed under the blankets just as there was a light tap on the door. Aunt Maryanne walked in, carrying a tray.

"I thought you girls would like some hot cocoa and cupcakes," she said as she walked in and set the tray down on the table between Eva and I. She leaned down and gave me a hug. We bid each other goodnight. I felt a small pang of envy as Eva and her mother hugged, but I brushed it away.

As Aunt Maryanne left the room, Eva called back to her, "We can eat all these cupcakes?"

"Yes, you girls can have all of them," she replied, then shut the door.

"Hell yes!" Eva exclaimed. She grabbed a cupcake off of the tray and the remote controller for her TV. She channel surfed for a minute as I ate two of the cupcakes. They were deliciously chocolatey.

"Wait! Was that Viva La Bam?" I asked. Eva grunted in delight and went back to the show. We watched for a while, and eventually decided that we should go to bed.

I fell asleep, utterly exhausted from the day's events.