A/N This is longggggg 3600 words or somethingg. Please remember to vote and comment! Comments make me so so happy.:))) 

It's been three hours. My parents still aren't up because it's the weekend and they rightfully so, give themselves a break on Saturdays. But my god, I am losing my mind.

I've not heard anything from either of them, I thought that maybe if Jackson did go to Jay's that Jay would message me or something but nope. Nothing.

I was honestly about to pull my hair out. I just needed to know what was going on. Whether he had actually gone and done what I think he was going to do. Leaving me after telling me he wouldn't was bad enough, but telling Jayden was something else.

And his anger, he promised me that he wouldn't fight anyone anymore.

'I don't fight my friends Ivy.' Was literally his response when I thought he might have gotten into a fight with Jayden before? He wouldn't surely. He promised.

But sadly, not even half an hour after my parents woke and decided to leave me alone and go get breakfast, did Jayden knock on my front door.

I had told them what was going on and they had invited me but I decided I needed to stay just in case.

Dread. Is the only emotion I can describe myself feeling when I saw Jayden's partially battered face waiting outside for me on my front lawn.

I guess I'm going to have to do this then.

Come on Ivy, you have this. You got this.

I really don't have this. God. Just open the door.

Taking the deepest, most calming, most effortful  breath I could muster. I try and prepare myself behind my front door. I have this don't I? Like I'm not a coward. I can face Jayden.

Swinging the door open, I plaster a friendly smile on my face, lets just see if he even knows first.

"Hey Jay? What are you doing here?"

He turns and I see the full extent of his injuries, his lip is slightly split but he's mainly sporting two pretty generous black eyes.

Jesus Christ Jackson, you promised me you wouldn't bruise another person again.

"Cut the bullshit Ivy." He frowns at me, he looks exhausted. Emotionally and physically drained.

Shit. So, I guess he knows something.

"Let's go for a walk?" I ask. Nodding towards the opening to little path that leads to the lake. The one with our little pier.

"Ok." He says, he looks awkward. He also looks in pain so as I head back inside quickly to grab my things I also grab him an ice pack to sit on his face as we walk. What? I can be kind. I quickly grab my keys and my phone and jog back towards Jay, I have no idea how this is going to go.

We walk in silence for a little bit, myself quite enjoying the peace and the sunlight. But I could tell Jayden was so deep in his thoughts he was going to need a massive hook to fish him out.

"Jay. Are you going to say anything?" I offer him the hook and he takes it.

"Jackson came to see me." He says and I snort. No shit. Look at his face.

"To see you?" I say, my tone laced with sarcasm.

"He wasnt happy with me. A tad angry." He matches my tone but continues to stare at the floor.

"I'm sorry. He shouldn't have-" I start, I shouldn't be the one apologising for this. But I do feel the guilt, whether or not it was my fault.

"He likes you." Jayden cuts me off.

I don't reply, not knowing how to respond to that. I dont want to talk about Jackson.

"Do you like him back?" Jayden adds to my silence, shocking me.

We have reached the little lake pier and I take my socks and shoes off instead of replying. Dipping my toes into the icy water. It was crazy cold, but it helped me to distract myself. How did I go from nobody knowing to three people in under 24 hours?

"Ivy?" He asks, prompting me for an answer.

"I can't." I whisper. That being the only appropriate response I could think off. It was all so complicated. Plus, I was angry at Jackson. How could he break so many promises to me in under 5 hours.

"Because of Layton?" Jay finally asks, sitting down next to me on the dock.

"He told you then." I say, shocked that Jackson had actually betrayed me like this. Because it was a betrayal. I wouldn't even think twice about keeping any of his secrets. But he told mine.

"Not really, I mean, he came to mine, ranting and raving about 'you should have protected her' and how 'he was our fucking friend' and like 'you should see her pain' and just lots of shit like that. I kinda figured." He says, his eyes peering into the side of my head.

 Maybe Jackson hadn't fully told his friend but what he did do was beat up my ex-boyfriend and send him on my way to explain to him why.

"I don't know what you want me to say." I express, my eyes still trained on the water beneath us.

"I knew something wasn't right a few times, you would look scared or you would look so upset with me but then you would just lie and cover up the truth. Ivy please tell me what actually happened."

I shake my head, it's funny how when you finally put the pieces together you wonder how ever couldn't see the way they all fit.

"You know what happened." I say, why does he want me to say it? Why does he actually need to hear the words?

"Ivy please tell me what happened that night. I thought you-"

"I know what you thought Jayden." I snap, interrupting him. if I hear another, Ivy James slept with Layton Wright accusation I was going to break.

"What happened?" His voice is soft again, something I haven't heard for weeks. And truthfully it was sort of comforting.

"He, God Jayden, he um locked the door and wouldn't let me out." I start, knowing there's so much more to this story that I cant physically say. "He kept telling me he loved me, like I think he had actually lost his mind, and when I said I didn't reciprocate, that I was loyal to you, he just snapped."

"What did he do to you?" He asks, his fists are clenched and I can tell he is already punishing himself.

"You know." I whisper. "Don't make me say it." I plead.

"Please say it once, just tell me once, and then you won't ever have to say it to me ever again. I just need to hear what I let my friend do to my girlfriend."

"Jay, don't do this to yourself."

"I was mad at Jackson, obviously, I opened my door and he started throwing punches, he was livid with me and I just couldn't figure it out. Why my friend would be so mad over something I had apparently done to you. But god Ivy, I get him. What did Layton do to you?" Jayden asks me again and I hate him for it. I hate that he's making me say it. That he wants to punish himself that much.

"He raped me." I say, the words physically painful to throw at him.

"Why didn't you tell me Ivy? I was your boyfriend, I could have helped you." He says and I can't help but become defensive. 

It wasn't his fault and I don't want him to live with this guilt, but at the time, of course it was hard to even think about telling him.

"I was in pain Jay, I wasn't sure how I was going to even carry on. And then can I remind you of your texts." I pull up my phone and read him the last message he sent me."I knew you were a cold-hearted bitch, but sleeping with my best mate is fucking brilliant. Fuck this Fuck You." I remind him.

"Jesus." He breathes

"Yeah and can I remind you the constant slut comments. I was already dealing with enough."

"Ivy I didn't know." He points out the obvious. " I don't want to make excuses for myself because god I am going to regret not trying to find you at the party for the rest of my life, but I thought you had just broken my heart. Like I was devastated." He tries to explain but I already knew all of this.

"Jay I know, that's why I haven't been rude to you. Why I put up with so much of your shit. Because I knew you were hurting as well."

"What I was going through is nothing compared to what you went through. My god, how even are you?" He asks, his hand going to reach for my arm but withdrawing as I flinch.

"I've been doing..." I start to say ok but there's no need to hide it. "pretty shit. I'm terrified that he's going to come back."

"Have you um, like who else knows?" I think he's asking whether I went to the police or not.

"Nora and Jackson know from school. I think the teachers know like they've been acting well strange. Layton's parents, my parents, the police all know."

"You went to the police then?" Jay asks.

"That night." I nod. "I didn't know what else to do. I knew I had the evidence all over me." we both visually cringe at my sentence but he doesn't say anything. "And I didn't want to show up home."

"Why didn't you call me then?" He quietly asks, a question I hadn't even thought about.

"I was in shock and in a lot of pain. I wasn't thinking clearly plus, I was just in such a state I didn't really know what was going on. Like I should have phoned the police then and there but instead I walked."

"You walked from mine to the station?"

"Yeah." I smile sadly at him, he looked almost as broken as I felt on that night and I wondered what it would be like to hear my story from the outside in. Not that I would ever get that opportunity as it was me, I was the victim, it is my story.

"I am so sorry though. Like you wouldn't believe."

"I appreciate it." I say honestly, hearing an apology from Jayden wasn't something I thought I needed but it felt like closure

"can I have a hug?" he asks standing up and I look up at him apologetically.

"No, I'm sorry, I um, you remind me of everything too much. I know I hug Jackson but- "

He laughs at me and offers me a hand up. Which I decide to take.

"You hug Jackson? Jackson hugs?" he raises an eyebrow at me and I can't help but laugh a little.

We begin on our way home and I reply "well not anymore."

Jayden laughs at my grumpy tone, something he's heard a million times from me before. "oh god what did the poor guy do?"

I look at him and raise an eyebrow, um what about the whole beating up my ex thing?

"I don't know if your concussed or something..." I say reminding him that he's literally injured because his best mate beat him up this morning. "But for one, he literally pummelled you and he told you about Layton."

"Not to be on his side, but I did deserve it." Jayden smiles at me and I realise how strange it is to talk about Jackson with Jayden.

"nobody deserves to be hurt Jayden" I cringe at the reminder of my own bruises and the way Layton pummelled me with his own fists.

"He wouldn't have meant to hurt you Ivy."

"But he did and I can't just ignore the fact that I am hurt. Even if his intentions weren't coming from a place to hurt me."

"You like him." Jayden says and stops walking, were almost at my house but I pause alongside  him.

"I- um. I don't know if I have the capability to like someone how you mean it. But I." I pause thinking, the only way I can describe it is "He's my favourite person." I say.

"You're favourite person?"

"I'm sorry I know it's weird for us to talk about this."

"Ivy, I think I lost the right to have a judgement on anything you do or even have an ounce of jealousy when I was the one that left you in danger. You deserve someone that can handle you-" he smiles at me and shakes his head "and can make you happy."

I can't get over the hurt I feel when I think of Jackson now though.

I am happy that Jayden is no longer going to be a problem for us, but a lot more problems have jumped in our way. I said I trusted Jackson this morning, but right now I don't. I don't even feel my normal pull to want to be with him. I need space. A lot of it.

"Thanks, Jay." I smile, trying to hide the inner conflict I am having with myself over Jackson right now.

"He's on your door step. That's why I stopped." Jayden nods towards Jackson. For the first time since the car ride at the very beginning, Seeing Jackson brings me anxiety. He's really fucked this up.

"I'm not ready to talk to him yet. But all his stuff is upstairs."

"He slept over." Jayden exclaims and I can't help but raise my eyebrow slightly. So much for the no jealousy and no judgment policy.

"Right, yeah ok. None of my business." He shakes his head, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.

"How bad would it look if I asked you to come in and get his bag with me. So like I'm not alone with him?" I ask.

Its not that I am scared to be alone with Jackson, not at all. But I know he will be apologetic and I know he will want to use our connection to make me forgive him. and I'm not ready to forgive him just yet.

"I mean I don't want to torture the poor guy but he also gave me two black eyes this morning."

"Come on then." I laugh and he follows me.

We walk side by side towards Jackson who is sat on my front door step, his head rested on his hands. He looks miserable and I can already feel my resolve weakening. I can't talk to him, not today.

"Jackson." I say carefully, trying to make my voice as nonchalant as possible. He may be the ice king, but believe me the queen does it so much better.

His head snaps up and I see surprise flash between his eyes as he looks between me and Jayden.

"Ivy, I've been calling you. Jay." He nods in a hello but I can tell he is feeling guilty over the way Jayden's face currently looks.

"I have been busy." I say coldly, walking towards him.

"I see you two made up." Jackson says, his voice struggling to stay warm.

"You didn't give me much of a choice." I state. I move so I'm stood directly in front of the boy. "Move." I direct.

Jackson steps aside and I unlock my door eager to get in my house.  Walking in, I wait for the boys to follow, knowing the both would.

"Ivy, we need to talk." Jackson says lowly, begging me with his eyes but I just skip over them and reach Jayden's amused ones. I know Jay's enjoying my coldness, it was always something that he found hilarious when I played this way towards people.

"Jay can you make some tea as I go get Jackson's stuff from my room."

"Yeah of course." Jayden goes and reaches for the places where we keep the mugs. The way he knows his way around my kitchen makes me smirk a little. He pulls out three and I shake my head at him. "Just two, Jackson's leaving shortly."

I hear Jayden chuckle slightly and I feel as Jacksons gaze burns into my back as I leave them two in the kitchen together, I swear if Jackson attacks him again than that's actually it.

Walking in my room I'm overcome by how much he had made himself at home here. His stuff is literally everywhere. I lift my fingers to my lips as I remember our kiss and I can't believe how different I feel this morning.

I can hear them talking in the kitchen and as I grab the last of Jackson's things I can't help but listen a little before I go back down stairs.

Jayden's voice is clear "Dude, you just gotta give her a minute. She's just hurt and doing her typical Ivy thing, just make it up to her."

"I'm not sure whether she wants me to do that Jay. I messed up. A lot."

"Yeah, I know, but trust me. She cares about you." Jayden says and I frown at him for outing me. He was supposed to be on my side. Remind me to scold him once Jackson leaves.

"I think I've fucked it." Jackson says and I can't hear Jayden's reply so I decide this is the perfect time to go down stairs.

"Jackson it's time to go." I say and place his bag in front of him. His eyes meet mine and I quickly look away. Not letting him have that hold over me. No getting lost in your eyes today mister.

I take a sip of my tea and smile at Jayden. The teas good and I'm just thinking about ways to break it to him that now he knows, the police might need him to give a statement or something. I'm not sure but once Jackson leaves I'll give Lotta a ring. She might even be free to meet with us.

"He's staying?" Jackson says stiffly. Heat burning into the side of my face but i am keeping strong. You hurt me. I am not going to pretend like you didn't.

"Yes. There's still stuff I need to talk to Jay about. I am done talking to you though so please get out of my house."

I can see Jayden shake his head out of amusement in the corner of my eye. I'm glad he's finding this funny, literally the one person in the room to do so.

"Walk me out so I can talk to you at least." He says but I shake my head.

"I asked you to stay with me Jackson and you left anyway. I am asking you to go now, so do what you did this morning and fucking walk out those doors." I lose my cool a little and turn away from him so he couldn't see my flushed cheeks.

Jayden is silent, watching what's about to happen but thankfully, Jackson gets up and leaves.

Breathing a huge sigh of relief, I look at Jayden and cringe a little.

"God Ivy, the poor guy was in bits." Jayden shakes his head at me disapprovingly but I can tell he's tickled by my attitude.

"Meh, he left me in bits this morning."

Jayden nods in understanding and leans across the breakfast bar. "So what is it that you needed to tell me?"

"How would you react if I told you the police wanted to talk to you?" I ask, smiling at him sheepishly.

"What would they want to know?" He asks, and I shrug. I think it's more about why he thought I slept with Layton compliantly so they can be prepared for if Layton returns and has the storyline that I gave consent.

"Just stuff about the case. I don't really know. I can phone Lotta and ask her?" I offer.

"Who's Lotta."

"My case worker."

"God Ivy, you've been through so much shit. I am sorry I haven't been there to help."

I shrug. He doesn't know about the four counselling sessions a week yet. Imagine. I begin to smile at the thought of explaining mental health stuff to Jayden. He never understood it before let alone now.

"So, I'll just phone Lotta."

I grab my phone and see the five missed calls from Jackson.

"Jayden, promise me you won't let Jackson do anything stupid."

"You mean drink?" He asks and I nod. That's exactly what I mean.

"I'll try. He doesn't like being around people though if he feels like he's craving it." Jayden explains and I smile sadly at how wrong he is. How they truly don't know Jackson the way I do.

The phone rings once and I hear Lotta's almost panicked voice come through the receiver. "Ivy? Ivy? Are you ok? Are you at home?"

"Yeah, I'm home. Is everything ok? I was just ringing to say that I told Jayden, well kinda, but Jayden knows now so if you needed him for questioning or anything-"

Lotta interrupts me and ignores everything I just said. "Ivy, Layton has been spotted in the area about five minutes ago. I have police out looking for him and heading to you for protection. Can you make sure you have all your entrances locked and are your parents' home?"

I immediately feel terrified.

"I, um. No. They are out. But my friend is here."

"Good stay in the house until my officers get there ok?"

"Lotta..."

"Ivy, it will be fine. You are safe."

Just as she says that there are three loud knocks on the front door.

I stare at it in horror. But Jayden, unknowing to the situation starts heading towards it. And before I can get my brain to work properly and stop him, he opens it wide.

Oh my