Blood Stained Sweaters

Dax

Molly. Is. Sleeping. Next. To. Me. Oh. My. God.
That's the only thought going through my head, mainly because I can barely function enough to breathe, much less think more than one thing at a time. I have to admit, I was surprised she even forgave me, but when she laid down next to me...wow. I trace small patterns on her hands with my fingers. Light, dancing steps with the tips that won't wake her. Her hair is splayed out beneath her and she's curled up close to me, her legs drawn in and her arms across her chest. She looks so peaceful, her body slightly moving with her deep, calm breaths. As I put my hand over hers, she stretches and her arms unclench from her chest, stretching out to reveal...no. Not her...please not her. A tear escapes from my eye and rolls down my cheek, landing with a faint plop on the blanket between us. I pull her close, wrapping both arms around her. I can't let her do this anymore...I won't. Her forearms are covered in deep cuts and dark scars, the same as mine. I fight the urge to sob as I bury my head in her neck. I will make this right. I will save her.
I fall asleep, Molly in my arms. Safe.
"Well, well, well. Good morning Molly. Dax." Molly's father wakes both Molly and I up. "So lovely to see you this morning. Together." He says the last word sternly.
"Sir, it was all my fault. Don't blame Molly for..."
"I smell a LIAR. I know you well enough. I don't mind either. I trust you, and it's better than her getting these nightmares all night." He shrugs and walks out of the room.
"Well, that went better than expected." I say and she lets out a small laugh. She's retracted her arms again. Should I tell her I know? This is what I was afraid of. Every time I look at her, my eyes are quickly flicking to her wrists.
"Yeah, it did." I smile. It's better to leave it alone for now. She scurries up the stairs to get ready and so I follow her dad into the kitchen.
"Well good morning." He chuckles and hands me bacon and eggs. How does he cook so damn fast? I smile.
"Thank you, sir." He looks at me strangely.
"Dax, how did you get those bruises?" He asks me with concern lacing his voice. I run my fingers along the edge of the countertop and let out a fake laugh.
"Just a skatebo-"
"The truth." He looks at me sternly.
"Tangled up with the wrong guy, I guess." I give him a fake smile, but the images replay in my mind. The wrong guy. He reaches out to me and I flinch, but I don't mean to.
"Seems like more than a tangle, Dax." He sighs and looks me in the eyes. "I know a lot more than you'll tell me." He smiles. "You know, I like not having to worry about Molly as much. Why don't you go home and pack some clothes  sometime today and you can stay here a while." My eyes linger on the small scar peeking out from beneath his shirt collar. I nod.
"Thank you, Sir." I smile.
"I'd rather not continue this 'sir' business. I don't like feeling higher than I am."
"Then what should I call you?"
"Greg, love-bug, sugar tits, anything but princess." He chuckles. "Eat." He says as he walks out of the kitchen and into the living room. I eat in the dining room and Molly comes downstairs wearing a maroon sweater jacket thing over a gray shirt. It looks nice. She has on a pair of jeggings and some tall boots that hug her calves. Like the day I saved her, her makeup is minimal, but there is more than usual. Eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, a little bit of blush, and I think some lip gloss. She stands behind me and leans on my chair.
"Hurry up, nerd. I'm ready to go."
"Well we can leave as soon as you eat." I grin and continue chewing on my bacon slowly. Wow her dad is good at makin' bacon. Okay, so Molly is right about that whole nerd thing.
"Not hungry." She says simply, poking my head.
"Not leaving." I reach up around and poke her side, earning a squeal.
"Fine, I didn't want to go to school anyway." She pouts and sits in the chair beside me.
"But Molly...his bacon is like heaven in a little slice of pig butt." I say as I chew the slice slowly.
"But Dax...I'm not hungry."
"But Molly...we don't have school. It's Saturday." She looks at me with this shocked look and when she realizes it's true she drops her head down onto the table.
"Okay nerd..." She grabs my hand. "Back to bed we go." I laugh and let her drag me back to the futon. She positions me directly in front of the mattress and proceeds to fall on top of me. "Good night." She says and I laugh, feeling it rumble in my chest, which is also a pillow for her head at the moment.
"Hey, your dad told me to stay here for a while, so later today I'm gonna have to go get clothes and stuff from my place." I tell her. She lifts her head up and stares into my eyes with her piercing blue ones.
"Okay. So when are we going?" She grins.
"Actually, you need to stay here." She throws out her bottom lip and gives me a confused look. "Go to sleep, Princess. We'll figure it out later."
"Okay nerd, but this isn't over." She pokes my nose before snuggling back into my chest. I pull the blankets over me, which is automatically over her because she's on top of me. I can't let her go with me. I won't put her in that kind of danger. Sooner or later I drift off to sleep with the smell of Molly's hair sending me to a tropical island.
"Daxy Waxy now is not the time to relaxy."
Wow. What a rhyme to wake up to, Molly.
"You. You should-" I cough to cover up 'not'. "Be a poet." I grin as she huffs, detecting my joke. As I fully awaken and open my eyes I see that Molly is straddling me and her hands are resting on my chest. Well, this has been played out in quite a few different ways.
"I am a poet and you don't even know it."
"Oh boy. I can't wait to find out." I chuckle. I sit up with her still straddling me, but now she's in my lap. Her legs instinctively wrap around me, and her eyes widen a bit. She bites her bottom lip, I'm guessing out of habit, which makes her that much more irresistible. Our faces are merely inches apart, lips so close to touching. Her lips are parted slightly, her two pearly white front teeth barely visible. Oh I wish I could. But what if she doesn't feel the same?
I'm biting my lip ring, a very common habit, and she starts to squirm slightly. Teen guy, teen girl straddling him, just woke up, girl wiggles, recipe for...well. I fight back a slight groan and instead use my go to method to remove her, although I don't want to. I stretch my arms out, confusing her for a moment, and as soon as my fingers curl, she realizes what's happening.
"Dax...don't you..."
"I dare." I laugh and attack her, my hands tickling her sides. She shrieks and crawls off of my lap and tries to get away, but I follow her, my hands relentless in their attacks.
"Please..." She says, laughing. "Stop." I slowly pull my hands away and put them on either side of her head. Somehow we ended up on the floor. She's laying on her back and I'm above her, looking down into her blue eyes. Her breathing is heavy and she still has the most beautiful smile on her face.
Okay, Molly. I know telepathy doesn't work and all, but I am falling madly in love with you, and it would be really good if you would kiss me right now.