Freshmen Dorms

Ashton was watching mouth agape. Okay, this was not a regular drinking night at all.

"Dude - wh - what the fuck were you - how can you not remember anything? Did you hit your head?" he asked, trying to keep his voice calm. "Fuck - you need to get cleaned up, bro. Those look nasty."

"It does, doesn't it?" Jake said, picking at his wound. He just kept scratching at it and scratching. He continued to scratch at the scar until he drew blood. Jake examined his bloody fingers and just smiled he brought his hand back down to his arm and just began smearing the blood across his arm and sort of just chuckled.

The blood felt warm on his fingers, and he kind of wanted to dig deeper. Jake's arms were cold and the blood was warm, it made sense. Jacob started to claw at his own arm taking the blood and just continued to spread it across his left arm until it was covered, but his right arm was cold too so he just took the oozy blood and began to paint it onto his right arm.

But the scar wasn't that deep there wasn't that much blood he needed more, where could he get more though? Jacob reached down into his pocket maybe he had his keys, he did have his keys but he felt something else that was more helpful. He pulled out the knife from his pocket, the black handle cool in his hands he flicked open the sharp onyx blade, it gleamed in the light Jake's eyes darkened and a sinister smile twitched onto his lips, he brought the knife down to his skin dragging it slowly down his right arm.

Jake moaned, and winced, biting his lip. It hurt but felt so good at the same time. The blood oozing from the skin he pierced,he prolonged it digging a little deeper, and just dragging it slowly.

"JAKE YOU IDIOT!" Ashton yelped, and dove forwards, snatching the bloodied knife out of Jake's hand. Ashton tossed the knife at the table - it bounced and landed on the other end. He turned to Jake wiht horror in his eyes. "Wha - are you mental? What the fuck is wrong with you?!" he yelled, grabbing Jake's inunjured arm and dragging him forcefully to the kitchen sink. He turned on the cold water and thrust the bleeding arm under it to freeze the wound a bit. "Dumbass, what is going on with you?" he exclaimed, too perplexed and worried to be angry. "Keep your fucking arm here - I'll get bandages - do not move." He turned and tore to the bathroom, yanking out hte first aid kit. Was it designed for a suicidal cutter? If that's hwat Jake was!

Seth had told him that bipolar manic-depressives had suicidal tendencies, but it was a little repulsive - okay, a lot repulsive and scary - to see in action!

Ashton no longer wanted to go to damn class! What if Jake cut himself open?!

Ashton ran back toward the kitchen, first-aid kit in hand.

Jake shook his head falling to his knees, his arms draped into the sink, the white sink turning pink and staining red with the blood draining down it. Jacob was drawing quick breaths, breathing quickly his eyes widened in horror when he had seen the blood. What was he doing? Why was he bleeding? Why was he in the kitchen?

No pain, no gain.

The cold water stung his arms and he withdrew them. "Ow. ow. Fuck! Ash... what." Jacob moaned. His eyes fluttered again and Jake jerked his head painfully to the side, his neck snapping loudly, like it had been broken.

"Come on... it was just a little fun I don't see why you're freaking out." A low voice emitted from Jake's mouth. "You freak out too much. I'm just trying to let you have fun. Always overreacting."

Jacob gasped, pushing himself away from the sink and Ashton. He grabbed his head, almost tearing out his own hair. What the hell was going on? "No, no... I don't do this its not I'm not suicidal!" Jacob responded back to the voice. He looked up at Ashton fear in his eyes. "Ash, Ash help me..." He pleaded.

Ashton silently turned off the faucet, and grabbed Jake's arm carefully, pulling open the first-aid kit and finding cotton swabs. He let go of Jake's hand and dabbed rubbing alcohol onto the cotton swabs before pressing them to Jake's cut. Who knew where that damn knife had been?

Before Jake could flinch away, Ashton began wrapping a strip of gauze around his arm over the cut. He looked up and said flatly, "You're taking those fucking meds even if I have to forcefeed them to you while Seth and Tony hold you down, you understand?"

Jake shook his head. "No, no... no. Ash that's not it... something's wrong. Something's wrong." Jake's voice was shaky and he felt himself trembling. Why wasn't he listening?

"What do you mean, aside form you trying to kill yourself and losing yoru memory?" Aashton asked irritably, finishing wrapping up Jake's arm. He shoved a box of bandages at the Spaniard. "Look. I am going to get Seht and Antonio to watch you, all right? I have a test in class today, so I gotta go, but you should stay home," he added firmly. He turned and walked out; he knocked on his brother and Seth's doors.

"YO! GUYS! GET UP! WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY!"

After much cursing, Seth peered out. "I don't have class till ten, fucktard," he informed Ashton nicely, stifling a yawn. "This better be good."

Ashton frowned at him, somber. "Yeah, if you count Jake slitting his damn wrists for no suicidal reason good enough to wake your royal ass for."

Seth paled and drew back. "What... no! He doesn't do that anymore!" He tore down the hall in his pajama bottoms and found Jake in the kitchen. Seth's eyes widened as he took in the pink water in the sink and the box of bandages, unrolled gauze and alcohol near Jake, who had a patched up arm. "What the - Jake, what's going on?!"

Antonio had ambled out of his room after Seth, yawning. His eyes widened at the scene in the kitchen Jake standing with a bandaged arm, the sink was pink from the blood, and Jacob looked like he had just gotten into a fight. The kitchen looked like a crime scene.

"Dude... what's going on?" Antonio asked Jacob, worried that maybe he was having some sort of break.

Jacob shook his head. "N-n-n-no. Guys it isn't what you think trust me I--I." He froze and a blank look went over his face. His eye twitched, hands shaking down by his side. Then a sharp pain shot through his head, and he cringed for a second. Jacob calmed down flicking his eyes up at the guys and back down at his gauze wrapped arms.

Maybe he should stay home, take his medication. Something wasn't right, and he remembered his doctor saying to him that just because things weren't bad now, didn't mean they wouldn't become worse. Maybe this was some side effect he was experiencing. "I uh..." Jake drew blanks. Not sure what to say, everything was just a blank. He hadn't even remembered slitting his own arms!

Ah so here I thought I got a good one, you seemed strong but its clear you're fucked up. Typical humans.

Jake realized he needed to stop drawing so much attention to himself, he needed to be careful. Start taking his medication when he was supposed to and try and figure out why the hell he was blacking out so much? Maybe even see his therapist before he left for Ash Creek with Seth.

"I uh. I'm gonna lay down." Jake finally said walking past the guys and going to his room.

Antonio looked alarmed and looked to Seth. "Dude has he ever done anything like that before? Like suicide?"

Seth hesitated. "Well...not really suicide. But I mean, look at it this way. We both love pulling ccrazy stunts. Those stunts border on reckless but sometimes I feel like Jake pushes that boundary deliberately. Maybe I'm imagining things but there is something really wrong iwht him if he's slitting his wrists!"

Ashton explained to them about finding Jake on the floor. "Look - I'm officially late to class btu from what I can tell, this wasn't a suicide attempt - or maybe it was, who knows?" he said hurriedly. "I gotta run!"

Seht waved him off and Ashton disappeared, almost colliding with Evelyn and Nova on hsi way to the stairwell. He gave her a pained smile and then wondered what she'd think of Jake's new self-harm tendency and memory blank.

He almost stopped her from entering the elevator to tell her, but then figured Jake wouldn't want her to know. Even if she wanted to know. Which Ashton felt she probably would.

Ashton waved at her silently and continued down the stairs.

***

Seth was pacing frantically, debating texting Lola - but then she'd flip her shit. Ashton had said Jake wasn't suiciding. But self-harm was not funny. Seth ran a hand through his hair, uncertain. He hated being uncertain. He usually had plans for everything!

"Do we tell Lola? His parents? His mom would flip shit - no," he decided out loud, looking at Antonio. "We'll keep an eye on him, make sure he's taking his meds, once daily, ask him at night if he has or hasn't taken 'em, just keep a close watch on him, which I know won't be 24/7, we all have lives..." He swallowed.

"I don't know, I mean I know all of us can't watch him all the time and its like... what if he's at work and he does something stupid? Also maybe this is just it. Like hopefully he realizes he freaked us out real bad, cause if it gets worse we're gonna have to tell Lola and his family. They'd need to admit him or something." Antonio said lowly he figured Jacob was asleep since he looked so rough but still he didn't want to risk the chance of Jacob overhearing them and getting upset.

Seth groaned and turned, heading to the kitchen to grab breakfast and clean up the first-aid kit mess. "Let's hope he wakes up." He began fixing some eggs. "Check if he wants breakfast, would ya?"

Jacob had been sleeping soundly for a bit, before he felt himself tossing and turning again. He was so restless, but couldn't explain it. Like he felt exhausted his legs felt almost like jelly, like he had been running all night. He was bruised and cut up, wondering if he had fought anyone that would only explain all the cuts and the taste of dirt and blood in his mouth.

Even with the blood he lost he had felt woozy but, still electric. That he was being kept in his room. Trapped like a caged tiger.

Jake's eyes shot open and realized that the night shouldn't be the only time he rules the city. The city was his and he'd take over it by day too. He quickly got out of bed going to his closet. He needed better clothes since he had ruined the others last night. The red shirt stuck out at him calling him and he put that on and a black hoodie putting the hood up over his head, he had another pair of sneakers on and his pants.

He was gonna leave through his door and remembered Antonio and Seth were watching him, to make sure he wouldn't cut his wrists.

Again... who sneaks out the front door?

Jacob looked around wondering if he needed anything else, he left his phone still plugged in and only took his suite key with him. So he could get in through the door again. He opened his window climbing back out onto the ledge, and looked back into his room with a grin. They wouldn't even know.

With that Jacob took a step off the ledge flying down, the cold air whipping through him as he grabbed onto the ledge below stabling himself and began to climb down.

***

Antonio nodded and went walking to Jake's room they had left the door a crack open so they could check on him, make sure he was okay. "Hey Jake you hungry--" Antonio's eyes widened. Jacob wasn't in his room, the only thing that was there was the curtains blowing in the wind.

He had climbed out his window! "SETH!" Antonio ran back out to the kitchen. "Seth! Jake is gone!!"

"Wha -? Oh, fuck no!" Seth paled and left the eggs burning on hte stove to run to Jake's room. He rushed to the window and looked down. The window ledge was hiding everything below from view. Seth leaned out further, and then just climbed out onto the ledge, peering over its edge.

He could suddenly see Jake, floors below, climbing down like a Latin Spiderman.

"He's right there!" Seth called to Antonio, and carefully climbed back into Jake's window. He ran to the living room, grabbing his jacket, and then ducked into the kitchen to turn off the stove. "Fuck, there goes breakfast! Damn Jake! Let's go!"

Antonio grabbed his coat yanking it on and running out the door. "Yeah come on!" They both burst through the stairwell, thinking wherever he was going they needed to get him.

***

Jacob climbed down and finally when he was close enough to the ground he flipped off one of the ledges landing on his feet into the bushes. A few people stared at him and he just nodded at them. Some were whispering and looking up at the building and at Jake wondering if he had climbed down.

A few students moved out of his way since Jake hadn't really cleaned himself up too much from the previous nights adventure. Not that he really cared he figured he'd clean himself up later after his next one.

[[Seth, Antonio, Jake and Evelyn to [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]]]

[[Evelyn and Jake from [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]]]

Evelyn reached the lobby right behind Jake. To her extreme displeasure, he was entering the elevator with just one other person when she got there and she was too tired to trek up the stairs.

So she was stuck with him.

Nova in her bag began growling the instant she stepped inside the lift.

Evelyn hastily edged to the farthest corner from Jake and made shushing noises at the puppy. Who ignored them. The other girl in the lift shot her a funny look as the doors slid closed.

Nothin, been walkin around but haven't seen him. Maybe he went back? Antonio sent after he had spent a good portion of time scavenging the quad for Jake.

***

Jake leaned against the elevator wall flinching, trying to ignore Nova, and how he couldn't seem to breathe around Evelyn.

"Why do you have a dog?" the girl asked Evelyn somewhat snobbishly. Evelyn resisted an urge to roll her eyes.

"I'm watching him," she said, because she didn't want Nova reported. "For a friend."

Nova growled dangerously in the bag and Evelyn leaned down to shush him. "Relax, boy, it's just Jake."

The girl frowned and luckily got out at the first floor.

Evelyn cringed as the doors closed. She shot Jake a quick sideways glance and then returned her attention to her feet, shifting uncomfortably. As usual, whenever she was alone with him, it became stiflingly hard to breathe.

Jacob felt Evelyn's eyes on him and shifted his gaze over to Evelyn he saw her turned away to avoid eye contact, he just watched her for a moment. It sucked being anywhere with her knowing that there was only thing he wanted to do with her, to be with her. To kiss her, to just touch her.

Do it. Just stop the elevator and get it on, oh wait. That stupid mutt is in her bag, oh well we can settle that just snap his neck.

Jake shook that from his mind. Why was he having these kinds of thoughts? He would never hurt Nova, Nova was his dog too and he loved him, but it seemed like Nova didn't feel the same since he sounded like a running car engine the way he was growling. But same with Evelyn, sure he had thought of having sex with her or anything like that but never was it so crude in his mind.

He realized he was staring again, and turned away.

Evelyn cleared her throat, feeling her neck prickle under Jake's gaze. She looked up at him just as he looked away.

Okay, we have got to stop this stupid peek-a-boo game!

"Jake?" she said hesitantly, wanting to break the awful silence. "Do you remember, um, when you just grabbed Nova just earlier?" She wasn't sure how much Jake recalled. This whole weird amnesia was foreboding.

Jake looked to Evelyn, breaking from his thoughts and raised an eyebrow at her. "Um earlier when hit bit me? Yeah I remember that."

"Not when he bit your hand. Before that, you were, um, kind of....coming on too strong," she mumbled, looking away and ignoring Nova's growls. "He bit your leg, in case you can't feel that, and you grabbed him and held him by the neck...kind of hard."

She wasn't about to tell him he'd kind of been a creep to her, but she did want him to know how he'd treated Nova. The dog was a defenseless animal, unlike her.

Jake's eyes widened, "What... no. I don't remember doing that at all! Is that why he's mad at me? Oh my god, no I would never do that!" He looked down at his shin and saw the bite mark through his now ripped jeans. What? Why would he try to grab Nova like that! He would never hurt an animal, okay well maybe Luce... but still he usually just kicked Luce lightly since the cat was always tripping him.

Since when had Jacob become and animal abuser?

"You weren't being yourself," Evelyn mumbled, lookign down at her bag. "Like, I don't know how to explain it, you just....you didn't feel like yourself, if that makes any sense? That vibe I got from you was like, yeah, it looked and talked like you but it was like someone cut-off that nicer part of you and replaced it wiht a cold wall in a way? I mean, I've seen you in asshole-mode before. But never to such a degree."

Jacob pondered this thought, sure he knew he wasn't the nicest guy and sometimes he could be just downright mean when he wanted.

But the way Evelyn was describing it made it sound like he was some kind of monster.