Stay

Chapter Nine.

"Come on, Lola. It's bed time." Jessie frees the little blonde girl from my waist and lifts her over his shoulder causing Lola to go into a giggle fit. "Shh, come on now." Jessie tries not to laugh as he attempts to put her back into her bed. I turn away, not trusting myself to laugh at his serious face. 

After about ten minutes, Jessie lies her down and tucks her in before grabbing my arm and dragging me out the room.

Without speaking he leads me to the room next door.

His room.

It's plain and boring.

A bed, a desk and a set of draws.

"I have something to show you." He says, pulling out a small ladder from underneath his desk. He places it against the back wall and extends it.

Only now do I notice the small attic door above.

He gestures for me to climb up first and what I see causes a gasp in awe.

The attic is filled with paintings and easels. Everything done so professionally and with so much meaning.

"You trust me enough to show me this?" I ask, still riddled with shock.

"My little sister likes you. I knew then that I could trust you." He walks in front of me and over to a finished painting. "These painting are based off emotions. I use red and orange to paint about anger or stress. Blue and purple is for sadness. Yellow and green is for happiness."

Still in awe, I walk around the bright and beautiful attic, looking at all the art work in detail.

I find one half finished with bits of blue and yellow. It seems he has painted a small room with only a few objects inside.

"That I started yesterday. It's the closet from school. The blue symbolises the upset I felt when I first entered. The Yellow is the happiness I felt after we sat in silence eating the cookies. It made me forget what I was even sad about to begin with which is why the blue fades into the yellow." He glances at the artwork. "I could do with painting you in it though. If you wouldn't mind?"

Trying to recreate my cookie eating position, I sit against the attic wall curled up as he paints. Occasionally he will peer around the easel to get a good look at my shape.

I don't mind being painted. In fact, I'm shocked that he would even want to paint me! But that doesn't stop the feeling of insecurity.

Some girls would say that an hourglass shape makes a girl look sexy. However, It makes me feel fat and anything but sexy.

"I've been invited to a party." Jessie flicks paint onto the easel. "I've been told I can take a plus one. So, I'm taking you."

Trying not to squirm at the idea, my voice becomes shaky. "I-I don't think that's a great idea."

"Why? Because Layla's hosting it?" My brain goes into panic mode at his words. Big red flashing lights and the words 'WARNING! DANGER!" is probably the best way to describe how I feel. "I know you're scared but you can't let her win." Jessie stops painting and places the brush in the window before perching next to me.

"I'm not scared!" I bark.

"You can't fool me Maddie. I know a fake person when I see one." I find this ironic considering he was so bad at being false earlier. However, his voice calms me slightly but nothing can help the dread filling up. "You can't back out now."

"Why not?!?"

"Because I said so." He smirks.

Confused I turn to face him.

"Because you said so? What are you, five?" Furrowing my eyebrows, I let out a huff.

"It works on a five year old. Thought I'd try it on you too." He winks, laughing. "It means that you can't escape. You have to go or I will force you to go."

Jessie holds out his hand, and I watch for a second in question. I take it with a sigh and we shake.

This could be the death of me.