Thank You for Saving Me

[Jack’s P.O.V.]

I was hugging Stella and I don’t know why she was crying. About a half-second after hugging her, I remembered her telling me that she wasn’t a hugger. I
thought that was why she was crying, but she didn’t seem to be the type to cry.

I started to pull away from her, but her arms were around me, too.

I heard her hyperventilating.

*OHMYGOD! What’s wrong?*

“Stella…”

“Please…can you…just…hold me?”

From then on, I swore to God I would never let her go.

[Stella’s P.O.V.]

We sat outside the school for the longest time. We were leaning against my piece of shit car. Jack had both his arms around me and I was leaning on him.

I stopped crying so hard, but tears were still flowing from my eyes. I’m sure he
could hear me sniffling. Every once in a while, he would rub my back.

I finally sat up a bit, looking at him. I know I looked a wreck, but he didn’t shy away at all.

I looked at him and all these thoughts flooded into my head.

*I just cried on someone I’d barely known for 2 months. I feel ridiculous.*

I looked back at him and he was still looking at me.

“I’m so so sorry.” I pleaded. “I can’t believe you sat out here with a random crying girl. Augh. I’m so sorry. I’m so embarrassed.” I covered my face with my hands.

I looked though my fingers a second later. He was smiling at me. It wasn’t in a condescending way. He was just smiling.

I spoke through my hands. “What?”

“What are you hiding from?” he said through his smile.

I smirked in my hands. “…I dunno. I just feel so bad for crying on you. Your shirt’s all wet and snotty.”

“Nothing a good wash couldn’t fix. I don’t mind.”

I brought my hands down slowly.

“You wanna talk?” he asked quietly.

I bit my lip, nervously, but answered yes. “My car’s kinda dead though.”

“Let’s take mine.” He stood up, holding his hand out to me.

I looked up at him before taking his hand. He pulled me up slowly.

“You’re shaking. Are you cold?”

I decided to answer ‘yes,’ instead of telling him I was nervous as hell. It wasn’t him making me nervous. Well, not directly.

I hardly talked to my friends in the past two months, but I was about to tell Jack everything…but I really wanted to.

“Hold on.” He ran to the trunk of his car and grabbed out a hoodie. He closed the trunk and walked back to me. “It might smell a little shitty, but it’ll do, right?”

“Thank you, Jack.” I noticed my voice was a little raspy.

He walked over and opened the door for me. As I slid in the car, I pulled the hoodie over my head. It smelled like him and engine oil. He came to his door, slid in and started the car. The radio was on, playing Panic! At The Disco. He didn’t rush me and I didn’t feel rushed, but I know I’d have to talk sometime.

[Jack’s P.O.V.]

This girl was hurting and I don’t know how I knew, but I did.

“Jack?...” She spoke really softly.
I turned down the radio and looked at her before looking at the road again. She looked so small in my huge hoodie.

“Why did you come to hug me today?”

I thought about it.

“You want me to be honest?”

“Please don’t lie.”

I sucked in a breath and started. “Well…I saw that Ryan guy coming toward you and I wanted to get to you first.”

*Shit. That sounds so stupid.*

She looked at me, her eyes were wide. “Oh my gosh. Thank you so much for that. And thank you for hugging me.” She gave a small smile.

“Anytime, Stella.”

There was a long pause. I looked at her and she looked like she was trying to hold back tears.

“I hate him, Jack. I hate him so fucking much.”

I’d been driving around, but I was so tired of driving. I wanted to focus on her, not the road. I’d been driving around my neighborhood, so I drove around until I found my house and pulled into the driveway, parking the car.

“Ryan?”

She looked at me and the hurt in my eyes hurt my heart. I wanted to save her.