Ace Of Spades (Complete Raw First Draft, Unedited)

Fifteen: Eyes

I hadn't been asleep all that long when I heard a click from the other side of the room.  The door squeaked as it was pushed open, and I opened my eyes, seeing a shadowy figure enter, shutting the door behind her.

"Jenna?"  I asked, my voice thick with sleep.  I flicked on the lamp on the bed side table and saw her standing at the end of the bed, staring at me, her eyes empty and blank.

"You alright?"  I wondered, rubbing my own eyes to get them to focus properly.

She climbed onto the bed and crawled across toward me, pulling the blankets off, then knelt over the top of me.

I stared up at her, in confusion, at the emptiness in her eyes as she stared down into mine.  She crossed her arms over her body, gripping the hem of her shirt, and pulled it off over her head, leaving herself completely naked.

"Okay," I said slowly, and she took both my hands, placing them against her waist, putting her own against my shoulders.  I snatched mine away, sitting up.  "What are you doing?"

"Don't speak," she told me, gently pushing against my chest.  "Tell me what you want me to do."

"I want you to..." I had to really force myself to hold her gaze, keep my eyes on hers rather than the curves and contours of her body. 

Was I dreaming this up?   She was so beautiful, it couldn't actually be happening, but it felt so real.  The warmth that radiated from her body was definitely real, her breath as it tickled my skin when she whispered in my ear definitely wasn't a dream, either.

"I want you to put your shirt back on," I told her.  "I told you already, I don't expect you to do that."

She just stared at me.

"This afternoon," I reminded her, "you told me that you weren't going to do this.  What happened to that?"

"I want to," she said, her voice devoid of any and all emotion, her eyes just as blank and expressionless.

"No, you dont," I argued.  "It's like this is the only way you know how to ask for help."

She blinked, but didn't try to tell me that I was wrong.

"If you want me to help you, just ask me," I continued, glancing down at her, at the bruises across her thighs, running my hands down her sides.  Fuck, she was thin.  "You don't have to do this."

She stared at me for a moment, studying me, trying to work out if I was telling her the truth, and I saw a flicker of emotion come back into her green eyes.

"Please help me?" she begged, and I smiled, running the back of my hand over her hollow cheek.

"Wasn't that easier?"  I asked.

Jenna nodded and quickly pulled the shirt back over her head, avoiding looking at me the whole time, but I noticed the look of relief that had taken over the blank, empty stare.

I expected her to leave, now she knew she was free, and go back to the spare room, but she laid down beside me, tracing her finger along the sheets, hesitating.

"What's the matter?"  I asked her, laying down beside her.

"Are you gay?"  She wondered.

"Gay?"  I repeated, raising an eyebrow.  "No, why?  Did I give off that impression?"

"I just thought," she hesitated again, then shrugged a shoulder.  "I thought that, maybe, you were in love with Clyde."

"Uh uh," I told her, and it was all I could do not to burst out laughing.  "Only Bonnie is that patient, or crazy."