Handle With Care

(Jade's POV)

"JADE! TURN OFF THAT MUSIC! Clay is trying to take a nap!!" I could hardly hear my mother's yelling over the sound of Chester's CD. To be quite honest, I was addicted. Once we had finished our shenanigans around town the other day, Melody and KayT insisted that we listen to the CD immediately on the drive back to my house. And I was damn glad that we did, because I practically fell in love with the music. The way they mixed rap with hard screams and Chester's voice was just phenomenal. My personal favorite had to be the song "Crawling". It was basically the soundtrack to my life, to sum it all up in a few words.

With no regard for my stepfather, I continued to blare the music, singing along at the top of my lungs. I was extremely happy that there was only four more days until group therapy, that way I could tell Chester all about my experience listening to Linkin Park's album. Just as I was about to play the entire CD one more time, my door suddenly flung ooen, revealing a very pissed off looking Clay. Normally I wasn't afraid of him, but this time he had a certain look in his eyes that seemed to terrify me tremendously. "Do you have any idea what the fuck time it is? It's 8 pm on a Sunday and I have to be at work in six hours. And I can't sleep with you playing that garbage!" I flinched slightly as he yelled directly in my ear.

I then backed myself into a corner against my dresser, but Clay continued to follow me. "Leave me alone, you fucking dick." I said as my hands began to tremble. As he now hovered over me, I could see an evil look in his face. "You want me to show you how much of a dick I can be? Huh? You ungrateful little piece of trash. You're nothing but a waste of life. I think you need to be locked away for good. But I guess this will do for now." I had covered my face with my hands to shield myself in case if he swung at me, but instead I heard him reach beside me and yank out my CD from the player. My eyes suddenly widened in horror as I watched him grip it tightly in his hands. "Don't-Don't you even fucking dare." I warned shakily, now trying to snatch it from his hands.

That's when he did the unthinkable. "What are you gonna do about it? Nothing. Because I'd hurt you so badly." My throat seemed to tighten shut as I couldn't manage words or even sounds to come out. He then really pushed me to the limit when he proceeded to snap my CD in half. I watched in horror as he threw the pieces at me, them falling like glass to the ground. I couldn't speak as he came at me once more, shoving me into the wall. "Now you see what I'll do if you push me again. So I suggest you don't test me." His breath was like a million needles on my skin as I slumped dowm to the floor. Once he finally left, I broke down into tears. He finally did the unthinkable to me. It was like my heart was just shattered, laying there on the floor. I rushed over to lock the door before grabbing my makeup box and taking out my razorblade.

One, two, three, four. I couldn't count exactly how many times I had slid the razor across my arms until I finally noticed a good sized pool of blood gathering down each of them. Feeling slightly woozy, I grabbed as many tissues as I could to try and stop it. But I kept bleeding through them all, which slightly caused me to panic. I reached for my phone, dialing Melody's number. "Jay? What's up?" She asked casually. I drew in a sharp breath before trying to answer her. "Can you come pick me up, please? I think I need to go to the hospital." Her tone quickly changed as she asked for my address and said she'd be there in no time. I held a pile of tissues to my right arm as I used the other to try and get a bag together.

I raced down the flight of stairs, not even stopping to see if my mom or anyone was even there and bolted out the front door. I hurriedly climbed into Melody's car as we pulled away fast. "Holy shit Jay, what happened?" She asked, a hint of worry in her voice as she glanced over at my arms. I felt the tears start to run down my face again as I thought of the scene that had only occured a few minutes ago. "My-My stepdad. He broke my fucking CD Chester gave me. He threatend to beat me, for once. I swear I would of-but fuck!" I groaned in frustration, checking to see if the blood had stopped. It didn't. "Shit." I cried, now feeling scared.

I knew there was no other way except if I went to the hospital, but then they would put me as suicidal and I'd never see my new friends or Chester ever again. "Mel, I can't go. Then they'd keep me from all of you and send me away somewhere for good. I can't go!" Melody sighed deeply as we continued to drive around. "Look, my mom is a nurse. I can get her to help us Jay. But she's gonna make you call and tell Erick about it." Our group counselor. Any time one of us had an episode, or a relapse, or something not good, we were supposed to report it to him so that way we could focus and discuss it next group session. But I really didn't think it was gonna happen so soon. "Fuck. I guess so." I reluctantly gave in, the tears never once stopping the entire drive to Melody's house.

Needless to say, I was actually grateful she had brought me here. Her mom didn't even ask any intruding questions or something on a personal level, she simply cleaned them up with alcohol and things before stitching up a couple of deep ones. She then asked me my name and if I had any problems at home. "That's the reason why she's here Ma, her stepdad threatened to hurt her and broke her stuff." I tried not to start crying again as I thought about the incident, my mother probably already calling the police and shit saying that I had 'ran away' and was acting out of control. "She's my new friend. KayT and I go to therapy with her, her names Jay." Her mom then handed me her cellphone, asking to put my number in. "In case if you ever need any help and don't want to go to the doctor, don't hesitate to call me. I like to have all of Mel's friends in case if anything were to happen to any of you." I just smiled weakly at her, eternally grateful that there were people like her out there in this fucked up world. "But what about your parents? I'm sure they're looking for you."

I shuddered, not wanting to even think about them. "Can't she stay here tonight, please Ma? I don't want her to hurt herself." I was admiring at how much Melody cared for me so far, it really warmed my heart. I finally decided to speak up, my voice cracked and raw from crying so much. "I'll get into trouble if I stay Mel. It's okay, I'll just go back." Her mother then shook her head vigorously. "No, she's right. I don't want you to do anything either. Give me your mother's number, I'll call her and tell her you're at a safe place. And I won't make you call your counselor either since it's your first time." I sighed, again happy that she was making things so much easier. I gave her my mom's cellphone number, leaving with Melody to her bedroom. "Hi, this is Ella from Urgent L.A, I'm calling about your daughter, Jade. Yes, she's here. She's being taken care of. She'll be released in the morning. Alright, thank you." I could overhear her talking to my mom in the other room, which made me breath a sigh of relief when she had obviously agreed to let me stay at where I was.

"Thank you so, so fucking much Mel. I honestly couldn't repay you or your mom for any of this. I know you hardly know me, but thank you." I hugged her tight, seeing her smile at me. "You're my new friend, Jay. I'll always be there to help a friend in need." She then brandished a joint from her bedside table, my eyes lighting up with joy. We passed it back and fourth, my body instantly relaxing with ease as I inhaled the smoke into my lungs deeply. "You're a great friend, Mel." I said as I handed it back over to her, seeing her shut her eyes softly. "You too, Jay. And don't even worry about Chester's CD, love. Just talk to him on Thursday, I'm sure he'll completely understand. You two are becoming little lovebirds anyway, you lucky bitch." I just laughed at her comment, shaking my head.

Now I definitely couldn't wait for Thursday to get here any fucking faster. I was semi worried about what Chester might say, but I figured that I'd cross over that bridge when I get to it.