Can you play on broken strings? - J.C.

It was hard. Breaking up her secret thing with Karmena had been hard on her, but she had also come to realize she loved how Karmena made her feel - and knew in her heart they wouldn't last forever. It wasn't the kind of love that was built for destiny, but it had been a good year - a year she would trait for anythinge else. Especially after what was forced upon her. Jeremy. He knew what he wanted, who he wanted. And for some reason he had chosen her as his. Mariella wasn't that easily tamed, and she knew he regretted his choice a little. Because she didn't make it easy, and he was a angry person. It wasn't their first fight, but it was the first really brutal one. Her lip was broken and her skin seemed to have traces of bruises around it. She could taste her own blood. Mariella didn't really know where to do, she couldn't really go home like this. Even if she lied and said she had been in a gang fight - Lion would most likely want to know their names, how they looked, where and when - just so he could make them regret it. She couldn't have him pick this fight for her. Jeremys ability made him superior in some way. He had the upper hand. One look and she was down on her knees screaming. He didn't need to punch her, but the punch was a sweet little burn compared to what his ability did.
As she was walking around she looked at her fist. She had punched back. Serveral of times, the only reason Jeremy felt the need to use his ability on her - was because she punched back. She stopped as she reached the sign to Midnight Street, knowing Jamie lived there. Lion was most likely was in the mansion with his girls. Her mothers would freak to see her like this. So she walked down to Jamies house and walked to the door. She was about to knock but didn't really know if it was the right thing to do. She had been crying and her heart seemed to beat way past its limits. It was a few days after the royal Mikaelson ball. Of course she hadn't invited Jeremy as her date. She had ended up dancing with Reggie, just that night had changed her view on a lot of things - a lot of thing she would never have. But it didn't matter now.

Outfit
Accent: Australian.

Jamie was hanging out in his room. His parents were out to dinner, so he had the house to himself. He was reading a book, but quickly changed his mind. He walked to his book case. He made sure to put the book into its rightful, alphabetized, place. He then pushed it in just enough for them all to stand in a straight line. These acts and thoughts were really starting to annoy him. He stopped in front a mirror and fixed his hair. He took in a deep breath and went to the kitchen to grab some blood. He started to cook it into a tomato sauce for his spaghetti. He didn’t use a lot of blood, just enough to keep him going until his next meal. He continued to season the sauce to make it taste amazing. He didn’t know where his cooking skill came from. It was like he just one day woke up and could do all these things, he didn’t remember ever learning.
He poured the sauce over the spaghetti. He was just about to eat, when he smelled someone else’s blood. Someone outside. He knew exactly who it was. He put down the fork and used his speed to quickly move to the door. He opened it and looked at her in pure horror. ”Oh Mariella,” he said and moved away so she could come in. ”Did he do this?” She had already told him about her boyfriend, although it seemed he used her more for target practice than as an actual girlfriend. He didn’t like she was in an abusive relationship, but he didn’t feel he could tell anyone without going behind her back either. ”Come in already,” he ordered her.

Oh Mariella just those two words made her tear up. Here she thought she could go in with her chin high. She walked in as he let her inside. Mariella took a deep breathed in right before he asked her. She looked down, pulling herself up before she answered. She had already blinken a few tears out.
"Yeah," she admitted as she breathed out. Knowing Jamie wanted her to do something to stop this madness. "I'm okay," she was quickly to add.
"He just got angry that I didn't invite him to the Mikaelson ball the other night," she rolled her eyes by the thought. Funny enough that night had been one of her favorites. Mariella had shared her annoying feeling towards Reggie with Jamie, but there wasn't really anything she could do. One thing was Jeremy most likely would kill her if he found out she had eyes for someone else. "I threw a few punches in myself, you should have seen my uppercut," she sighed at herself for trying to joke herself out of this.
"I have it under control Jem," she said turning her eyes to his. They both knew there wasn't anything easy in controlling someone like Jeremy. He was way to unpredictable. It wasn't the first time this had happened., but she didn't tell Jamie about all the times - perhaps it was to protect him, or just for her to pretend there wasn't a problem.

It pained him to see her like this. She looked like a wreck, not just because of her injuries. ”Don’t lie to me. I can make you tell me the truth,” he warned her. He was not a fan of this situation. He just didn’t know what to do about it either. ”Don’t you see? Open up your eyes. It’s not normal to beat someone up, just because you don’t get your way. We’re in a gang, and it’s still not a normal thing to do. Why are you trying to explain his psycho behavior?” He didn’t mean to get angry at her. It was just terrible to see her like that. ”Your jokes aren’t going to make it better,” he said more calmly and walked closer to her. ”I believe that you believe that. But you can’t control a situation like this.” He sighed and put a hand on her upper arm. ”You know what I think you should do. But I can’t make you get help if you don’t want it. So just consider this your safe place, okay? If anything ever happens and you need a place to run, you can come here.” He put his arms around her. He loved this girl so much, but right now he hated how stubborn and blind she was. But he didn’t understand. He had never been in abusive relationship. Hell, he had never been in a relationship of any type. But he didn’t want her to stay in a dangerous situation. ”I can heal you,” he whispered. He thought she might want to get rid of the injuries before anyone saw. Especially Lion would see red at her being hurt, and that wasn’t what she needed right now.

"But you wouldn't," she was quick to respons. She took a deep breath in. " I know I'm messed up Jem. I know I'm in a fucked up situation," she  ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "I don't know.. I guess If I don't nothing makes sense. And I need something to make sense," she sighed and took a deep breath in. Mariella couldn't tell if it was a good or bad thing she had told him at this moment. Or it hadn't really been much of a choice, the first time had been way worse - she was sure she had broken a rib or something. But it wasn't fair putting him in a situationen where he couldnt do anything. She turned to him as he walked closer to her, first then she let her eyes meet up with his. Of course she wanted to get out of this, but if it cost her the safety of the people she loved - then she didn't give a damn about herself. Mariella listened to him and gave him a nod.
"Well.. you are my safe place," she gave him a little soft smile. He put his arms around her and she gasped for a second, before wrapping her arms around him - tight. She closed her eyes to just let all the bad be replaced with something good. Mariella opened her eyes as he said he could heal her, she gave out a little sight.
"I would like that," she admitted. "I'm sorry Jem.. that I put all this on your shoulders.. you don't deserve that."

Jamie sighed to her words. She was right. He never would make her go through that. She didn’t need to relive it, but he didn’t want her to lie either. ”Life does that. It gives us challenges we don’t ask for. But you are not alone, okay. Don’t ever think you can’t come to me for help or support. I will drop everything to be there for you.” He listened to her explanation. It made sense, in some way. Again, he couldn’t possibly understand it. Not really. But he tried, and pain was something he knew a little about, so that was what he used to understand the situation. He smiled when she admitted he was her safe place. It was nice to know that you could be there for someone who was in a shitty situation. ”Always,” he said and held her close. He stood there with her for a moment, before he moved away from the embrace. He made a slight nod when she agreed to get his blood for healing. He shook his head when she said he didn’t deserve to be put in this situation. He let a hand run from the top of her head, over her hair and down to chin to make sure her eyes were connected with his. ”But I do deserve you. This is just a little bump on the road of our friendship. I’m not jumping out of the car. That’s just plain stupid,” he told her, before grabbing her hand and leading her to the kitchen. ”Milkshake or pasta?” He had always made some pasta for himself, but that was probably cold now. He moved away the plate and waited for her answer, before he fixed her up some comfort food.

Mariella took a deep breath in, and felt a small tear in the corner of her eye - but she wasn't really the on you saw expressing her emotions - but she did with Jamie, or at least she tried to. But I do deserve you his words made a little smile show on her bruised lips.
"Well I guess we are on this crazy ride together then," she then said as he lead her to the kitchen. Mariella jumped onto the kitchen counter, and took off her jacket. She looked a little at the big blue marks that covered her arm. The bruises and the punches didn't hurt as much as Jeremys ability. Jamies question made her look up.
"Well your milkshakes are the best," she breathed out with a soft smile on her face. Her hands were still lightly shaking from the fight, at least she wasn't scared of fighting back. But she really just wanted to run away from it all.
"How pissed to you think he would get if I just ran off?" She asked possible mostly to herself. Mariella knew just saying the words; he is bothering me. Lion wouldn't blink to tackle Jeremy. But she knew what Jeremy was capable off. Mariella allowed herself to zoneout from these thoughts by breathing out and changing the subject.
"So what have you been up to today?" She asked.

Jamie walked to the kitchen with her right behind him. ”I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he admitted and began to gather the ingredients for a strawberry milkshake. He took some fresh berries from the fridge and cut them before putting them in the blender. He then added milk, ice cubes, vanilla extract and a little bit of his blood. He blended it all together and served it in a tall glass with a straw. He jumped up on counter next to her. ”Pissed enough to not take the risk,” he said. He could only imagine Jeremy would search the earth for her, and he could. But he would always had to get through Jamie before getting to Marie. ”We never talk about stuff like that, but you know I would do anything for you, don’t you?” He looked into the air. ”Jeremy will never understand the kind of love I feel for you,” he said and looked at her. ”Whenever things get though with him, just remember that.” He put his arm around her shoulders. ”My inner cupid have others plan for you anyway, so when all this is over, I’m going to set you up,” he promised. He removed his arm again and shrugged at her question. ”Not much. I started by looking myself in the mirror to fix my hair, and suddenly two hours had passed,” he said, hopeful his vanity could get her to smile.

Mariella knew it would be stupid to even think the thought about outrunning Jeremy. He was way to possive to just let it go. He sat up next to her as she took the milkshake. Her heart skipped a beat when he said they didn't talk about stuff like that. "I know," she said a bit low, but she knew he could hear her. Mariella breathed out as Jamie looked at her, and she took a sip of the milkshake. His words; when this is over made her sigh a little - when would this be over. It would be over when she asked for help to handle Jeremy, but she wouldn't for anything in the world let Jeremy hurt her friends. Mariella however tried to boost herown mood a little, and his way with words helped with that.
"Is that so?" she chuckled a little, "tell me cupid, who am I meant to be together with?" She asked and rolled her eyes a little. His answer to her question made her laugh a little, and she shook her head at him.
"So what you are saying is.. that I basically saved you from yourself just now?" Mariella took another larger mouthful of the milkshake - feeling the blood working already.

Jamie had trouble knowing how to handle the situation. At first, he had wanted her to get out of the relationship so badly, but after he had read stories about other people in abusive relationships, he had realized, he couldn’t force her to do anything. She had to act when she was ready to. All he could do was be here for her, talk to her about it and most of all listen. ”When you are ready, and I’m certain you will be at some point, I will help you get away from him. I might care about my hair, but I’m not afraid to get dirty. Not if it means saving you,” he told her. ”No pressure,” he added, just so she knew he wasn’t trying to force her to anything.
He smiled by her chuckle. He enjoyed that sound, because he didn’t hear it enough. ”He has great hair, body like a Greek sculpture. His name starts with R and ends with eginald,” he said with a confident nod. He had no doubt the two would find each other at some point, he just hoped he was there to see it. She deserved someone like him. And he would be so lucky to be with her. ”Saving me from looking at myself? Is that something you need saving from?” He shrugged and gently puffed her shoulder with his.

Mariella gave him a small smile, as he said he would be there to help her when she was ready.
"I will remember that," she answered and took a deep breath in. She needed to find a way out, a way that didn't end up with anyone getting hurt. Mariella was thankful having Jamie by her side, even through
Mariella tried to hold back a smile, as Jamie begun to describe Reginald to her. She looked away, trying to get controle over her face - but she couldn't stop that annoying smile.
"So one first kiss, and two.. epic dances.. and you believe we are soulmates?" She turned her eyes back to Jamie. "What makes you think he would ever be interested in someone like me?" She asked and tilted her head a little to the side. "He deserves much better anyways," she sighed. But it was clear to see there was something to it. She liked Reginald, she did. It just seemed impossible. She didn't deserve to be with someone like him. Since that first kiss years back, she had been pushing the emotions down she had towards him - and blinded herself to them - till they danced not many days ago. Now he was under her skin again, and she couldn't seem to make it go away.
"Fair point," she shook her head a little and finished the milkshake.

Jamie saw how it affected her when he brought up Reggie. Even though she tried to hide it. He shook his head. ”No, I don’t. If you follow that logic, Lion would have three soulmates, or is it four? I lose count,” he said with a chuckle. It stopped the moment she questioned if Reg would ever like her. He pulled forward his phone and went into the camera app in selfie mode. ”Look,” he said. Since her injuries were mostly healed now, she was back to her beautiful self. ”Do you know what I see?” He asked and took the picture, and lowered his arm, still making sure she could see. ”I see someone you don’t need to use a filter on,” he stated. ”You’re fucking gorgeous Mariella. Inside and out.” Jamie was not the one in the group that swore the most, but he thought it appropriate in this situation.
”I doubt he will ever find anyone better than you. You are strong, passionate, beautiful and too stubborn for your own good, but you are my best friend, and if he doesn’t wake up and realize how lucky he will be to be yours, then I will personally kick his vampire ass.” He nodded confident, sure he could take Reginald in a fight. ”I am full of fair points today,” he jumped down from the counter top and placed his hands on her knees. ”Here’s another: The only reason I’m not dating you, is because I know how weird you are,” he smiled teasingly at her. ”And the fact that you don’t use enough time on your hair.” He took the glass from her hand and put it besides her, and took her hand instead. ”Movie time. Your choice because I’m the ultimately best friend in the whole entire univers,” he said.

She chuckled and rolled her eyes a little by the comment about Lion. It was true, but she didn't comment on it. Mariella moved her eyes to his phone as he opened the camera to selfie mode. She looked at herself when he said look. She was mostly healed up by now, and she breathed out.
"No.. what do you see?" She asked kept her eyes on the screen - just looking at herself.  The second he kept talking, she turned her eyes to him and her mind didn't know how to respond to his words. She just took them in. It was a long time ago since she had heard something like this. And she honestly didn't know she needed it till Jamie had spoken. It took her few minutes to actually take in everything he just had said, and she teared up a little - mostly just touched by his words.
"You are just jealous because my hair is naturally better than yours," she teased back with a little cute half smirk. Mariella rolled her eyes a little as he called himself the ultimately best friend. "I'm not even gonna pretend that isn't true. Because you are.. I love you," she said putting her head on his shoulders shortly.  
"I don't know what I would do without you." She exhaled honest and looked him in the eye.

"Can we watch fox and the hound?" She asked. Disney movies was always her fastest way to cheer up, even through she knew she would cry doing that movie - but maybe she just needed to cry a little and let things out. Besides everyone knew Mariellas mothers forced Lion and Mariella home every other Saturday for a disney movie night - and even better if they could make the Mikaelsons agree to it. Abigal and Jessalyn was good at that.

Jamie was surprised when Mariella stayed silent for so long. Was it that bad? Did she need confirmation so badly? He didn’t want this. He didn’t want her to feel like she wasn’t good enough, pretty enough. He snorted by her words. ”Wow. Take it down a nudge. If I had perfect hair, I needed to find an excuse to look myself in the mirror.” He smiled when she agreed that he was the best. He rested his head on hers for a while. ”Friendship rule #1: Always say it back. I love you too.” He moved his head and looked at her. ”Friendship is not about making each other stronger. You don’t need me to be strong. You need me so you don’t have to be.”
”Uh yeah!” He grabbed her hand and took her into his room. He made the movie ready. ”Friendship rule #8: Always recite Disney movies with your best friends.” As the movie started, Jamie delivered the lines belonging to Copper. His timing was perfectly in sync with the movie’s lines. He and Mariella had spent a lot of time with Disney movies. This one was a fan favorite, as the friendship reminded a little of theirs.

"Who was that genius again who wrote that rule?" She teased with a half smirk. Mariella followed him when he took her hand, she sat down on the sofa while he found the movie. Mariella slightly rolled her eyes, when he pointed out to her they needed to recite the movie - as if she didn't to that with Lion all the time. But it was something their parents had done, Roy and Veronica - taking it to the next generation only seemed fair. Mariella enjoyed taking her mind of things with a movie like this. In general just spending time with Jamie made it easy on her. Mariella smiled as the movie ended.
"Do you think I can stay with you the night? I don't really feel like going home," she asked and turned her head to him. Lion would have known something was off with her, but Mariella could easily blame it on some of the other gangs in town - it wasn't unlike her to put herself in a troubled situation. And in the end of the day, she repeated the lie so many times, that she was starting to believe them. "I might even let you cuddle up with me," she smiled. Jamie was one of the few people she would cuddle up with while sleeping. Just for the feeling of being safe and comfortable.

”I think it was two geniuses actually. One is a young man with great hair, a perfect cook, a Taurus and the best sense of style of all the time. The other is his trusted sidekick,” he said with a short laugh. He enjoyed Disney movies. Most of them were very upbeat and overly joyful, but once in a while there was a gem like fox and the hound. It was upbeat most of the time, but once in a while there was something darker. Life was like that, so he felt he could relate. This time, he didn’t watch much of the movie though. He was far more focused on Mariella, making sure she was okay. During the sad moments, he grabbed her hand to make her know she wasn’t alone. He turned to her when she asked to stay. ”Of course,” he said with no hesitation. It had not always been easy for Jamie to have people over. He had very clear images of how everything in the house was supposed to be, so he was afraid people would move things around. He had told Mariella about this, so she was one of the few people he was okay with having over. His jaw almost looked like it would fall apart when she agreed to cuddle with him. ”Change that ‘of course’ to a ‘hell yeah’.” He stood up from the sofa. ”Let me just get some blankets and pillows for you.” He left the room only to return a few moments later with so many pillows and blankets you could barely see him. He put it down on his bed.

She smiled a little as he stood up from the sofa and left the room. The smile faded shortly as she looked at her phone with hundreds of messages. Mariella texted Lion quickly to tell him she was with Jamie, after that she turned it off - she didn't have the mood to deal with Jeremy right now anyways. Her eyes moved to Jamie when he returned, a sweet laughter left her as he entered the room covered in blankets and pillows.
"You are aware this isn't the princess on the pea right?" She teased a little and got up. As he put the pillows and blankets down, she hugged him from behind. Mariella might be a little clingy right now, but all she really needed was just being that. She breathed out and let go of him.
"I texted Lion.. so he doesn't suddenly kick in your door," she chuckled by the vision of that - because it was pretty accurate.

Mariella felt relaxed for the first time in a while. She smiled at Jamie, or that was till the door was knocked on downstairs. The knocking was harsh and angry. Mariella froze up.
"I know you are in there.. just come home," Jeremy yelled from the front door. He could sound so nice, perhaps that was the only reason they really had playing this game for so long by now.

Jamie turned dramatically around. ”What!?” He continued overdramatically. ”How will I ever know who to love, if I can’t test how well you sleep on top of a pea?” He turned back around to make the bed. He put his hand on her arms when she hugged him from behind. He turned around again when she let go. ”Are you sure he got it in time?” He asked when he heard the hard knocking downstairs. When he heard the voice, his face changed from calm to straight up angry. ”Stay here,” he told her and walked down the stairs. He opened the door just enough for him to slip outside. ”You’re not welcome here,” he told the vampire. When he didn’t leave, Jamie saw red. He pushed him down the stairs leading up to the front door. ”Are you deaf? You are not allowed to be here. Leave.” He narrowed his eyes when the vampire didn’t seem to listen to him. He folded his hand into a fist and punched him right in the face, maybe breaking his nose while doing so. He didn’t even care.

Jeremys voice made Mariellas face go pale in matter of seconds. She barely even noticed that Jamie had left the room. She could hear the yelling from down stairs, and maybe that snapped her out of it. She walked to the window in the room and looked out.
Jeremy snorted by Jamies anger towards him. But he had no intentions of leaving, not without her.
"You have something that belongs to me," he answered shortly after the punch and it seemed like only lighting up the fire. "..And does she want to responsible for your injuries?" he looked up as he felt Mariella was looking out of the window. Jeremy broke his nose back into place.
"As least you throw a better punch," he mumbled and turned his eyes back at Jamie. By he would make Jamie feel a sweet burn of pain, starting in the chest and just spreading with more brutal pain by the second.
Mariella ran downstairs but stayed in the door. "Knock it off Jeremy," she yelled and took a deep breath in.
"Good girl," he let hold over Jamie go, as his eyes moved to Mariella. "Or..." he used his ability on her. Mariella didn't seem to move a muscle at first - like she was so used to this, that she waited for him to turn it up a bit. When he did she felt the burn like her insides were twisted around and every cell in her body was on fire. It was just for his amusement that was clear.

Jamie scoffed at his words. ”What year are you living in? You can’t own people. She is not yours. She is her own.” He shook his head at this demented vampire. What was his damage? Had he been dropped way too many times as a child? ”I do. Do you want another?” Jamie felt the burn, like his insides were lighting up in flames. It hurt, of course it did, but mostly it just made him angry. This arrogant idiot was trying to hurt him to get to Mariella. It worked, as she came out of the house. The pain disappeared and Jamie sighed In relief for a small moment, before he realized Mariella was in pain now. He walked to them and grabbed Jeremy’s jacket and threw him towards the stairs. He was quickly over him, punching him repeatedly. He had no shame about his violent nature at this moment. He just wanted to make sure he knew he should never come back here. He might not be able to get Mariella away from this situation, but he wanted to offer her a place where she didn’t have to be afraid. ”It’s easy fighting someone physically weaker than you, isn’t it? Come back here again, and you will have to deal with much worse than me. What, will be a surprise.” He picked him up by his collar and forced his head against the step. ”I should just kill you and rid this world of your pathetic existence,” he growled.

The pain stopped, when Mariella realized that Jamie had thrown Jeremy to the ground. She took a few seconds to catch her breath and get back on her feet - her body still feeling the sweet burn from the pain. Her heart skipped a few beats, seeing that Jamies anger had him have the upper hand in this fight. The violence wasn't new to her, however seeing Jamie beating Jeremy up for her wasn't right either - even through she wanted to give Jeremy what he deserved - killing for her wasn't what she wished for anyone.

Jeremy was clearly taken by surprise by the other vampires wish to protect Mariella against him. But even through this he just laughed through the pain, like it was nothing he hadn't been through before - like it was nothing. Jeremy pushed Jamie back by the end, and took a good step away from them.
"I guess, I'll have to look forward for the rematch then," he spit some blood out on the ground before running the back of his hand quick under his bloody nose. He looked at Mariella. "See ya later sweet cheeks." He chuckled with a weird wink before he ran off. Coward.

Mariella closed her eyes and breathed out as Jeremy gave up. He had seen Jamie was a threat, it most have been the only reason he had given up.
"Are you okay?" She had her arms wrapped around herself as she walked to Jamie. Looking a bit around making sure that Jeremy really was gone.

Jamie didn’t fight it much when Jeremy pushed him back. He just between Mariella and Jeremy, in case the vampire tried something. ”You need better things to look forward to, you psychopath,” he said and narrowed his eyes when he spoke directly to Mariella, before running away.
He turned to her and nodded to her question. He looked down at his still fisted hands. The knuckles were quite bloody. ”I’ll heal,” he said and walked closer to her. ”If he comes back here, he really is delusional. He won’t have to deal with just me if he does. My mum will deal with him. I promise I won’t tell her about his relation to you, I will just tell that he came here seeking chaos and I had to fight him up. But this is not okay Mariella,” he put his hand on lower arm. ”Nobody hurts my favorite person,” he said with a small smile. ”What if some day, it takes a turn for the worse. I think you need a way to get out this. It’s not safe. I should have thought harder to get you away from him,” he said and stroke his thumb along her arm. Jamie wanted to tell her something, before she left again. ”Come back inside, I want to tell you something,” he said and walked to the front door, holding it open for her.

Mariella took his hands, and looked at him as he explained what would happen if Jeremy came back. She looked up when he mentioned his mum. Mariella knew Jeremy only would come back here for two reasons, one would be if she was here- another would be to come more prepared for a second fight. It scared her out of her mind to think of if Jeremy would be back to hurt Jamie. Mariella got knocked out of her thoughts when he called her his favorite person and stroke his thumb along her arm.
"I'm working on it," she assured. It was a long process, but she needed to find a way that wouldn't risk anyone. Mariella knew if she told people they would stand up for her, especially the serpent - it was law, but it was also family. But putting their lives on the line like that. That was not her style. "You know I tried once.. one time I tried to run away.. but I need to figure out something else without bringing more people into it. I don't want anyone to risk their lives because of me.. im not worth that, I can handle it. Just let me handle it.. okay?" She added before he told her to come back inside because he had something to tell her. Mariella nodded and walked with him back inside.
"What?" She asked more curious and kept her eyes on Jamie.

Jamie didn’t expect it to change overnight. He knew that was an unlikely result of the situation. He just wanted to know that there was a plan. He nodded when she assured him there was. He listened to her tell about trying to run away. ”Okay. Stop saying you’re not worth it. You are. I will let you handle it, but just promise you try to be smart, okay? Don’t provoke him.” He put his hands together and put his mouth to his index fingers. ”I don’t talk about this much.” He said and let his hands move down his side. ”And this is not to make you feel bad or anything, I just want you to know.” He narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out how to start. ”My head is a tricky place,” he said and sighed. ”My thoughts sometimes take over my life. I feel that if I don’t do things a certain away, it might lead to something bad. It’s especially bad when I’m scared. Lately it has been bad. Because of you. I’m scared for you. If that doesn’t proof that you are worth it, at least to me, then I don’t know what will.” He took her hands, his own already being healed. ”I love you Mariella. And I want to keep loving you. I won’t give up on you. Not now, not ever.”

"I won't," she promised. She could promise not to do anything to provoke Jeremy, but it didn't mean he wouldn't freak out without reason at some point - but she didn't want to worry Jamie more than he already was. She just needed to find the right way. Jamie was the first one of her friends who had seen the true colors of Jeremy, and experienced just a little of what he was able to do. Mariella narrowed her eyes, when he first started with him not wanting her to feel bad about what he was going to say. Before he even took a breath she had already built up at least five things it could be, however it wasn't any of them. His words made her crack up in tears.
"You are making me cry you dork," she said with a smile on her face. "Come here.." she added and wrapped her arms tightly around him. She took a deep breath in before closing her eyes and just enjoy being close to her best friend. "I love you too.. you know. Always." Mariella squeezed him a bit tighter.