I'll Be Fine (All Time Low Fanfic)

Chapter 19

May 2005

“Okay, I swear to fuck Isabel. I called here like ten times yesterday. Explain yourself.” Jenna burst into my bedroom. My eyes flickered over to her then back to my TV, I wasn’t in the mood for this. I hugged my knees tighter to my chest and rested my chin. Jenna stared at me weirdly. “Isabel, why the fuck are you ignoring me?” she raised her eyebrow. Still I stayed silent. She came over and sat next to me on the edge of my bed. Her eyes were on my neck. Of course, she’d seen the marks he left. “Isabel, you and Alex?” she gestured to the love bites on my neck which she hadn’t seen before. My eyes pricked with tears at the sound of his name. I blinked them back.
“No, no Alex.” I shook my head vigorously.
“I know for a fact that you had not had them marks on your neck the last time I saw you and don’t even think about telling me your curler did it.” I really didn’t want to reply to this.
“Well, um yes this is his work. Please can we not mention him?” I sighed pulling my knees even closer again.
“Aw, are you missing him already?” Jenna wrapped her arm around my shoulder and hugged me gently. There was a mocking undertone. I nodded, not lying but not telling her the full truth either.  “What’s up with you? You’re like a fucking lost puppy! Sweetie, you’ll see them in a few weeks again, don’t panic. Am I not good enough for you?” she teased. She got up and admired my new t-shirt Jack had bought me.
“Jenna, Alex and I broke up.” I sighed. The sound of it made me sick to the stomach. I looked over at her stunned face. Her jaw had dropped and her eyes were the size of the moon. Now she was speechless. She came back over to the bed and wrapped her arms around me and said nothing. I sobbed resting my head on her shoulder. Shit, it was bad enough I’d cried on front of him. That was my biggest regret. Now Jenna had to tolerate the tears. After I’d calmed down and she’d consoled me, I told her everything. As I told her the story it felt like knives digging deeper into my flesh the more I told.
“Honestly, I thought we’d already broken up. We rarely spoke, saw each other. I just presumed that we were done but that was never official.” I explained. “What made it worse was he made everything seem like it would be okay, that it was going to get better.” I muttered.
“So wait, let me get this straight. He’s been a dick for the past few months. He comes here, he says he’s been missing you so he’s been avoiding you? Then he cancels plans with you and you show up to his hotel room, with your mutual best friend and he’s not doing anything. He explains what’s “wrong” and takes advantage of you. Then the next day he breaks up with you. The whore fucked and dumped you.” She tried to get the story straight in her head. Hearing her say it made it even worse. I shrugged not knowing what to say.
“Fuck, I actually really liked Alex.” She sighed.
“Me too.” I rolled my eyes and lay back on the bed.

Next day:

I walked along my street alone. Monday mornings sucked. My iPod changed songs on shuffle. Shit. Alex’s voice filled my ears, making my eyes fill with tears. I quickly fumbled in my pocket to change the song before I cried. A force from behind me knocked me to the ground knocking my iPod out of my hand as I skid along the harsh pavement. Not this again. I winced; chin had been scuffed along the concrete as well as my wrists. I grimaced turning my wrists around to see the damage. They were badly scraped and gravel was bound to get into it. I didn’t even need a mirror to see my chin, blood oozed onto the floor. I tried to pull myself up but the pain in my wrists dropped me back to the floor in agony with tears stinging the gauze in my chin.
“So Homeless, heard your boyfriend got rid of you too.” She laughed harshly. “’Bout time. You’re a useless old thing, you know that?”
“Kayla. What I surprise.” I muttered. Somehow knowing it was her gave me strength to get to my feet.
“Oh, look! We haven’t defeated her yet!” the tall, thin girl laughed to her friend. She powerfully kicked me in the shin driving me backwards. Luckily there was a bush behind me to stop me from smacking my head on the pavement. Actually, I would have preferred that to having to deal with Kayla right now. I pulled my tights out of branch of the bush leaving a big hole in them.
“Seriously Kayla, fuck off.”
“Bakers haven’t gotten rid of you yet either? That’s a shocker! I’d have you whiny emo scum out of my house before you even entered.” She scoffed.
“You seriously need to fucking get a life Kayla. All you are is a fucking whore and that makes you feel special seeing other people in pain.” I gestured to my throbbing wrist.
“You would have done that yourself Homeless.” She sneered. She reached down to the ground and picked up a stick and imitated cutting across her wrist. She let out a wail and pretended to cry. “My parents couldn’t give a shit about me so they fucked me off into another family who didn’t want me either and my boyfriend was only with me because I was easy to get into bed.” She continued to mock me. The anger built up inside me. The pressure was bubbling, like a volcano I was about to erupt.
“What the fuck are you talking about you cunt?” a new voice came. Kayla turned her head in the direction of the voice. Jack was standing behind her with Heather at  his side.
“Jack, leave it. Kayla, for the very last time fuck off. You really should find something better to do with your life. And at least I had a boyfriend.” I shrugged purposely hitting her as I walked past.
“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” she laughed grabbing me from behind, she had my bra held by the clasp.
“She’s coming with me.” Jack said calmly. He walked closer to Kayla until he was towering over her. He must have looked intimidating to her because she let go of my bra letting it whip against my back in a fast painful motion. “Exactly, now go eat a cheeseburger or something. Someone may mistake you branch.” He walked away from her and draped his arm over my shoulder squeezing me tightly as we walked away.

I flinched as Heather finished disinfecting my chin.
“It’s okay sweetheart I’m done now.” She threw the wipe in the bin and went to get something to cover it. Jack looked up from the table. His eyes were a combination of anger and hurt.
“Why didn’t you tell me this bitch was bullying you?” he growled at the thought of her.
“Today was a bad day.” I shrugged. “Usually I don’t get it this bad but obviously the new of Alex and I is spreading fast.”
“Izzy, you don’t deserve to be treated like that! Hell, no one does! But she finds it funny that you’re fostered and that you. . . Isabel, I mean why didn’t you tell me baby? Do you realize how furious I am right now that someone would do that to my best friend? MY best friend who is possibly the sweetest, cutest thing ever?” he had my hands in his and was shaking them in frustration.
“Hey!” Heather protested making me laugh. Jack threw her a look that would kill a puppy. She gently smoothened the band aid over my chin.
“Why are you here anyway?” I asked changing the topic.
“Well, after yesterday’s incidents I decided my best friend needed a day of cheering up. So I dodged school and I needed a lift so Mr Barakat here assisted me with that.” Heather smiled gently.
“Hey, I wanted to cheer her up too!” Jack whined. Heather rolled her eyes and leaned into him. He wrapped his two arms around her waist and held her close. No matter how happy I was for them they were killing me inside. I was selfish. I hated how happy they were and how miserable I was.
“How’s Alex?” I whispered shifting my gaze to the floor.
“I haven’t properly talked to him. I yelled into his face when we got home but I didn’t let him speak. Saying that, he did look like he was going to puke the whole way home.” Jack shrugged. Heather nodded in agreement. I uncrossed my legs and swung them over the side of the counter top. I reached over to the bag Heather had brought. The Lion King, Peter Pan, Tarzan, Drake and Josh Season 1 and 2, a big bag of mini marshmallows, chocolate, popcorn and Diet Coke. They knew me all too well. I jumped off the counter landing on the balls of my feet and threw my arms around them.
“Well okay then, let’s start the cheering up!” I put on my best smile and led my two best friends into the sitting room