Let Me Be the One to Save You

My eyes snapped open to the rapid vibration that my sidekick was making against my nightstand.

I let out a soft groan and moved up in my warm bed that I had fallen asleep on while working on my art portfolio.

I had been working during every spare second I had so I could to finish my designs to send out to different places. Even though I didn't really care too much about getting myself sold out to books and possibly tv I still did it. It was what I was supposed to do I guess, the next step in the game that is life. Graduate high school,go to college, get a job. It all seemed to fall into place for some people but for me, I couldn't quite do it. I wasn't sure what my art was meant for yet and I wasn't prepared to sell it out to anyone.

I attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City. I focused on drawings but also delved in online graphics and designing. I was only my first year in and had no idea what I would be doing with this degree but it was either this or nothing at all.

I snapped my hand to the side and picked up the phone, answering it before it went to voicemail.

"What?" I grumbled, leaning against the wall and pushing my eyes closed again.

A laugh echoed against the phone and through my foggy ears that were sill adjusting to being awake.

"Hi to you too, is that anyway to talk to your brother?"

A smile fell upon my lips at Frank's voice.

"It is when said brother wakes you up from a Much needed nap" I snapped back down the line but got another high pitched laugh in return making the smile on my face grow. He was always in such a Good mood.

"Well sorry princess but I didn't expect you to be asleep at two in the afternoon" he teased making me freeze.

It was two? I fell asleep at eleven, and my next class was in 15 minutes across campus.

The thoughts suddenly slammed into my head and my once relaxed state turned into a complete state of panic. I was going to be late.

"Oh fuck, I overnapped" I cursed before jumping off my bed in a hurry to scramble all of my papers back into my art profolio

"See Jess, this is why you don't nap in the middle of the day. Also, instead of being cranky you should be thanking your generous older brother for waking you up before you missed your class" Frank said down the line making me roll my eyes at him.

I could almost picture the smug smirk that hung on his lips.

I pulled on my black converse sneakers and switched my phone to speaker phone so I could finish getting ready. I yanked my iron maiden sweatshirt that Frank had lent me on over my plain white shirt.

" maybe If you weren't such a sarcastic asshole I would" I teased

His laugh echoed across my room and I smiled, sligning my bag over my shoulders. I picked up my phone and after doing one more check of my single dorm room, I hurried out the door

"Now, would you care to go on with what you called me for?" I questioned while shuffling down the stairs of my dorm building

"Well cranky pants, I was just calling to make sure you were coming tomorrow"

Tomorrow was Friday and the day I usually left school for the weekend and took the Forty-Five minute drive to Newark New Jersey and to spend the weekend with Frank and our dad. Even though frank was Twenty, he still lived at home for the most part when he wasn't out doing god knows what. Since our parents had split we stayed with our dad as our mother left completely. Being only ten years at the time it hurt but as I grew older I learned to deal with it, that's just how life worked sometimes.

"Probably around noon? I don't have any classes on Fridays so whenever I wake up and actually motivate myself to leave I'll be there"

I dodged other students weaving their way through the main building obviously late like I was.

"Well if you don't have class why don't you just come by tonight?" He questioned Hopefully and I sighed knowing he wouldn't like my answer.

"I can't Frankie we've been over this before, Austin likes to see me before i go for the weekend."

Once I said my boyfriends name Frank made a noise of disgust.

Me and Austin had met in the summer at orientation and by the time I school started we had become official. It was mid April now and Frank still couldn't stand him no matter what. He disliked his attitude and pretty much everything about him but I could see why. Austin to put it simple, was an asshole. He was temperamental, mean, rude, but I loved him anyway. It was cliche of me to fall in love with someone who only hurt me more than anything but, I couldn't help who I loved.

I grew up with only my brother to talk to and a few friends in high school who I soon drifted apart from after graduating. When I met Austin I instantly grew attached to the idea of having someone other than Frank to talk and relate to.

Frank started not liking him when he came over for christmas break. Everything was fine until one night we were in my room and Austin was starting to raise his voice. We had been discussing, well more arguing over the fact that we spent the holidays at my house instead of his. He had raised his voice to an extreme volume and had his hands on my shoulders when Frank had finally burst in.

I had pushed him out and explained it was the first and only time he raised his voice or was harsh with me but it wasn't. Every time we were with each other it would start off good but towards the end, always ended sour. After only a month into the relationship his true colors started to show and I was introduced to his mood swings. Everything was always my fault, every fight always ended with me having to admit I was wrong, even when I was right. The relationship was emotionally draining, but I couldn't let it go.

"Don't start Frankie" I warned through the line as I slowly started to approach the hallway that contained my class.

"I'm just saying-"

"I don't care what you're saying because we've been through this conversation before. I'm at class so lets just stop this okay?" I asked down the line not in the mood to start anything.

It was silent for a few seconds before my brother let a sigh out over the phone in defeat.

"Okay fine have a good class I'll see you tomorrow. Call me when you're on your way alright?"

"Will do, see you later"

"Love you turd burger"

I laughed at this comment and said a quick 'love you too' before I hung up the phone and rushed into my class.

--

Once the professor said we were good to go I shoved my work into my black bag and shoved myself from the table.

I was so ready to get out of there. She had kept the class an extra ten minutes answering questions that half of the students couldn't have cared less about. I pushed past the other kids and immediately walked out the door.

My eyes scanned for Austin urgently knowing he would be waiting for me as always. I also knew he had been waiting for awhile and always got frustrated when he had to. The hallway flooded with too many faces making it nearly impossible to find him. I went to turn around but before I could my body collided with another. Me and the other person both let out a groan as we toppled to the ground,outwork scattering across the white floor.

"Shit I'm so sorry" I stammered, pushing myself on my knees to help collect the loose pages.

I was incredibly embarrassed, feeling the eyes of many passing by students on us.

"It's okay" the other person grumbled back as his hands now darted to the other fallen pieces of art.

I looked up fully at him to hand over the sketches I had collected.

His hair was black and fell down around his head to his shoulders messily. He looked up into my eyes and gave me a small, toothy grin. His golden hazel eyes connected with mine as he took the last of the papers from my hands with a small smile.

Instantly I recognized him as the kid who always sat in the back of my classes.

At this point in time I was aware that I had been starring at him awkwardly. I opened my mouth to say something but was cut off but anther voice.

"Jessica for Christ sakes I've been waiting nearly fifteen minutes!" Austins loud voice nearly shouted at me as he stalked towards me.

His brown hair was nearly shaven on top of his smoothly tanned face that he cocked to the side while looking at me.

To anybody else, we were an odd couple. He was always dressed in simple clothing. Loose jeans often occupied by either Nike or Hollister shirts while I on the other hand looked more like my tattooed, punk loving brother with my jet black hair and ripped jeans.

I looked back to the black haired boy who was already beginning to stand up and I did the same just as Austin came to my side.

"What are you doing with this freak?" He spat making me nudge his chest at his comment.

Any hint of a smile had now been whipped off the boys face and replaced with a thin line. His eyes dimmed dramatically as he narrowed them at my boyfriend.

"I just knocked into him coming out to look for you, that's all" I explained slowly. Austin looked between us for a second with narrow eyes and wrapped an arm around my waist forcefully.

"I'm sorry about that by the way " I said looking at the boy once more.

His gaze left my boyfriends but his eyes remained the same as he tucked the folder underneath his hands that were now folded across his chest.

"Just watch yourself next time" he snarled after a few seconds before pushing past me to slip into the classroom.

Austin watched him walk and let out a breath of disgust.

"What a loser, come on babe I want to go get some lunch I've been waiting too long" Austin commanded before grabbing my upper arm tightly.

I sighed slowly and followed beside him closely as we walked towards the cafeteria. The thoughts of the incident soon began to leave my mind as Austin began to plan out the night we would have.

All I could do was smile and keep my pace steady beside him as I drifted off once more into my thoughts. I just had to get through tonight and then I could see Frank.

Besides us being polar opposites in the way we looked we were also in the sense of having fun. My ideal night would be listening to music and eating take away while his consisted of dorm parties and lots of alcohol.

"Just grab me a water and I'll save us a seat. I'm not too hungry"

Austin nodded and without another word he walked off towards the cafeteria entrance while I claimed a small two seater table.

I ran a hand through my hair and with a long sigh I shut my eyes.

The portfolio I had to get done was eating away at my brain, the pressure of making a career out of what I did was suffocating and I couldn't breathe. I stayed up crazy hours stressing and worrying about this along with many other things and I was drained.

"Here you go babe, you're welcome to have some of my fries as well"

My eyes snapped open to a water being sat in front of me and Austin sitting across from me with a tray filled with pizza and fries.

I smiled at him and he let a soft smile rest upon his lips in return.

"Thank you but I'm all set" I said thankfully.

He nodded in return and then delved into silence as he began to eat his food.

-

I pushed my door closed softly with a loud sigh. It was nearing 1 am and after spending most of the night going from dorm to dorm and attending stupid parties hosted by kids I couldn't care less about, I was drained.

I kicked my black combat boots off and took the rest of my clothes off to replace with an over sized shirt and sweat pants.

I fell into my bed with a heavy force and let my eyes wander the dark ceiling.

Alcohol raised through my veins and into my brain creating more thoughts than normal to pump through the organ.

Thoughts of Frankie sweept through my mind along with thoughts of Austin. The first day we met, the pure coincidence of being in the same orientation group all seemed so fragile. If I had been in any other group or hadn't accidentally knock into him everything would be different and I couldn't decide if it would be good or bad.

My eyes snapped closed trying to welcome sleep into my confused and drunken brain. The last thing I saw before I fell into peaceful darkness was the hazel eyes I had been in front of earlier. The golden orbs danced across the tip of my brain until it all cut off into a deep darkness that I gladly welcomed.