HELP ME (TAG: JAYLA)

[zach]

Okay, Jace lighting his bed on fire was nothing compared to how Zach Cartel felt at this very moment. He was scared, confused, and completely alone in all of this madness. What was he going to do? Was Daryl pulling his leg? Just messing with him because he thought it was funny to make fun of the only normal person in this town apparently? No, he was telling the truth. Zach could feel it. The change he’d been feeling after that bite. The enhancement of aromas he’d been smelling lately. His constant racing heartbeat skipping a thud every once in a while. The continuous sweat that had been plaguing him almost like his body was trying to expel something. His body was transforming. Transforming in a way that could handle this new infection….this new disease that had washed over him. He wanted to cry. He wanted to ball his eyes out. What was happening to him was not normal. He wanted out. He wanted to get out of his own skin. Dig deep into the bite that Shannelle had cursed him with to try and extract the poison that she let flow through his veins. He felt disgusting and overwhelmed. What did all of this mean? What was going to happen to him? Would the change hurt? Would he hurt someone just like Shannelle hurt him? Daryl had told him that he would change on the full moon which was tomorrow night. That there was no doubt about it. Daryl could sense him already going through the transformation. Meaning there was nothing Zach could do now for himself. He was going to become a monster during the full moon, and he was very ill prepared.

All of these thoughts filled Zach’s head as he sprinted in the rain through the grass across campus towards the female dorms. He passed the central campus fountain that he and Lelia had done their first crazy stunt in. He would have gone to her. He had been becoming increasingly close to Lelia, but she wouldn’t understand. She was normal after all. And he didn’t want to lose her just because of a decision to tell her about his issues. The only person that would understand was the one person he wasn’t sure would even see him after the way he had treated her just days before….Jayla. Jayla had opened herself up to Zach just days before he had been bitten by Shannelle. She had revealed that she had known all along about Jace’s abilities as well as she actually had a few of her own. Jayla was a Banshee. Of course, Zach ran like he normally did when things got to out of hand which was something he was sure would never change about him. But now he needed her more than anything. He wasn’t going to go to Daryl. He seemed very helpful, but Zach ran off after speaking to him because he was confused and felt violated and angry. He couldn’t go to Shannelle. What would he say? He’d be as mad at her as he had first been with Jace. He wasn’t sure if he could even look at her the same anymore. And Marina? Well, Marina wasn’t even exactly a friend of his, and even if she was, she probably wouldn’t be any more after he had left her with that beast who he now knew was Shannelle. Jace? Jace was MIA. He had no idea where she was, and confronting her about it would probably start a fight instead of what he really needed right now.

Zach finally reached her dorms, his clothing drenched. He jumped up the stairs and pulled open the door to the girl’s dorms. He hadn’t even thought about the fact that Jace might be there. But according to Jayla a few days before, Jace had been going through some stuff of her own, so she wasn’t around much. When he reached her door, he hesitated for a second wondering if he really even had the right to ask her for help after the way he had treated her. But it seemed his body had already made that decision up for him because his fist was already connecting with the wooden dormitory door. As he waited, he could feel hot tears slip down his cheeks. Wow, he was actually crying. He’d never been like this before. Emotion and issues were never things that he shared with people no matter how close you were to him. He just couldn’t bring himself to do that….until now apparently.

[jayla]

Jayla had been going on about her day as usual, she had fallen asleep in class, got sent to the dorms to sleep it off and ended up getting her homework done, with a lot of side drawings of flowers and stuff that used to make her happy, but she wasn’t happy. Not while her thoughts were with Zach.. With the secret she had shared with him and the way he had reacted and stormed out on her. So, when she finally looked down at her drawings, she saw she had drawn a broken heart amongst other things that usually made someone feel just the opposite of happy. Great, she was making her paper feel depressed.. That was a whole new low to Jayla.

When someone knocked on the door, Jayla looked up from her thoughts and jumped up off the bed, while walking to the door, wondering who the hell it was. Then a thought occurred to her. It must be Jace, forgetting or losing her key. It honestly wouldn’t surprise her. ”Look, Jace, I get that you’re busy, but to lose your keys.. Oh.” She looked at Zach, surprised and when she saw him in tears, she just took a step forward and hugged him. It seemed to be the only sensible way to go around things right now, because whatever happened to him, he had to go to a ‘freak’ to get it. ”Come on, Zach, come in.. What’s wrong?” She asked him softly, as she rubbed his back and slowly pulled him inside of the room, not caring that his clothes were drenched or that she would get drenched too, if staying too close to him. She only cared about finding out what was wrong.

[zach]

When the doorknob turned and Jayla opened the door, it took her a matter of two seconds to realize something was obviously wrong with him. When she stepped forward, Zach was a bit hesitant because of how surprising it was for her to be hugging him after all of this. All of the shit he had said to her. He probably made her feel like the lowest of all lows the other day, yet he was here upset, and she was willing to comfort him no matter what. Jayla’s arms around him felt nice, and it made him want to cry even more, but he held it in. He didn’t want to be a complete baby. It was already bad enough he was going to be opening up to her let alone balling his eyes out in front of her. When she pulled away to lead him into the room, part of him wanted her to just lay down with him and keep that affection towards him. That was what Jace used to do. Cuddling always made him feel better no matter what the problem was. But honestly Zach never really had any problems. He was always a very positive person, but lately, things have been horrible. And now they were even worse because he was going to be a part of something he tried for so long to stay away from. And now instead of bottling things up like he so very often did because that is how he was brought up, he was letting them out and boy were they coming. It had to be some wolfmones or whatever because being this emotional just wasn’t Zach. Or maybe it was just time for him to break, and Jayla just happened to be that lucky lady that he trusted enough to share that side with. But he couldn’t just start talking about his problems even though Jayla seemed okay with him being there even after everything. He wanted to apologize for how he had reacted. And it wasn’t just because now he was turning into something just as morbid as she had been. It was because Zach had a bad habit of leaving when things got too rough. Instead of dealing with his problems, he left them to resolve themselves without him there. He didn’t want that to be with Jayla. When he first came up to her dorm, he wasn’t sure what to expect. She just proved to him that his friendship meant a lot more than a few ass hole comments meaning that he owed her a hell of an apology.

Zach shut the door and followed Jayla into the dorm. Zach was about to sit on her bed but refrained because he knew his basketball shorts were wet. Zach planted himself in front of the bed instead, his legs stretched out in front of him. He swallowed hard and glanced up at Jayla. ”First off, I’d like to say I’m sorry for everything I said to you,” he shook his head and moved his eyes down to his fidgeting fingers, ”it was uncalled for. I tend to run when things get too…..dicey I guess. Hence the Jace break up if you know what I mean. Second….um…..I went for a walk last night in the woods. Marina Sinclaire and I were attacked by a creature that um….” Zach’s voice began to quiver, and he was starting to have a difficult time speaking ”….bit me.” he chuckled more out of amazement than anything else. ”It was Shannelle. A pretty good friend of mine actually.” He nodded to push himself along. ”I was followed to class today, and Shannelle’s cop friend Daryl told me that Shannelle wasn’t a shifter, oh no because that would mean that there was no poison bite.” Zach was getting tense and starting to get upset again. ”But a werewolf bite is either lethal or has the ability to make you change.” Zach stared down at his basketball shorts for a few seconds before allowing himself to look at the one person he decided to share all of this with, and when he did, his eyes were beat red. ”I survived the bite, Jayla.”

[jayla]

Jayla wanted to hug him, because part of her had already forgiven him for what he said to her. He was freaked out, she got that. And maybe it just wasn’t good of her to have told him, but she wanted to. She had wanted him to know. So, when he was standing here, crying and in need of someone, anyone to just listen, she was there. She had to be there, because he had come to her, not to Jace, or anyone else. But her. That had to mean that they were still friends, even though their friendship hadn’t been the easiest.

When Zach closed the door and sat down in front of the bed, she sat down next to him and looked at him. ”You don’t have to apologize, Zach.” She sad, with a light smile on her face. When she heard what he started telling her, she bit her lip and when he was done, she sighed. ”You’re turning into a werewolf..” She said, not sure what to say to it. ”Come on, it’s okay to be upset about that.” She said, not sure if she should hug him again.

[zach]

He watched as Jayla went to sit down next to him. He didn’t want to look into her eyes though. He felt completely ashamed for feeling like he needed to come speak to her about it. Especially when she told him that he didn’t have to apologize. Now more than ever he really did. He was no longer the human looking out at the world of supernatural. No, he was a supernatural being having to deal with this world. That was a big change to overcome. ”No, I really do owe you an apology, and Jace, and everyone else out there who is like….like this.” He threw up his arms. This was harder for him than he first thought it’d be especially when Jayla confirmed that yes he was turing into a werewolf. ”So I’ve heard.”

Zach let his head fall back on her bed as he stared up at the ceiling. ”Is it? I mean is it really okay to be upset about it?” He shook his head. ”I mean this would happen to me right? The one person who was completely against all of this shit. The person who completely freaked and lost the love of his life because of it. And apparently that saying about Karma is actually pretty damn accurate. I was a complete ass hole. I feel so….so confused, hurt, betrayed, frustrated much like Jace must have felt, and even you, Jayla. And was I there? No, because I was so wrapped up in how I couldn’t accept any of this. Now….” He hesitated. “Now, I don’t even know if I can accept myself anymore. How can I be alright with this being who I am now? I mean what do I do? Am I allowed to still go to school? I mean how is this going to affect my life?” He glanced at Jayla waiting for answers but knew she was not the person to ask about any of it. She had no clue. She was a Banshee and probably had never met any of the people that this whole situation was associated with.

”Jayla, I don’t….I don’t expect any answers. I just….” Zach trailed off and tried very hard to keep it together long enough to finish his sentence. He sighed, ”…..I just want you to be here with me. I can’t do this on my own.” He chuckled and shook his head. ”You know I never used to have to beg for friends. I guess things change, huh?”

[jayla]

Jayla sighed when she noticed that Zach didn’t want to look her in the eye and when she heard what he said, she just shook her head. ”Zach, I understand why you freaked out, it’s the most logical way to react and coming from me.. talking about logic, that’s saying a lot.” She couldn’t help but add the slightly teasing comment at the end, because she just had to cheer him up, or at least try.

”Of course it is, Zach, I’d be looking more weirdly if you were perfectly fine with it.” Jayla said, as she looked at him and listened to what he said about what he was thinking, which she could actually understand pretty damn well. ”I’m sure you are allowed to stay in school, I mean, you’d honestly be surprised how many supernatural beings are walking around campus.” When he said that he didn’t expect her to give him any answers, she looked at him and placed a hand on his arm. ”I can always try. Look.. I’m not mad at you or anything, I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.” She said, giving his arm a little squeeze. ”I never stopped being your friend.”

[zach]

Zach smiled when she cracked a joke about her not being logical. He knew she was trying to cheer him up, and he appreciated it. It was nice to have someone to talk to even though talking to people about his personal issues was rather irritating. He was never one to do so, but at this point he was desperate. It was too much for him to keep bottled up inside. He had to let some of it out. And what better way to do so than with someone who would understand.
Zach listened as she told him he’d be surprised with how many supernaturals really were in this town. He probably would be surprised. The night he was bitten, he actually was thinking that he was probably the only human left in LA. ”Let me guess, Axel and his brothers are supernaturals too?” Zach rolled his eyes. ”Because I think that would seriously be like the icing on the cake.” It would only make sense to Zach. I mean Jace surrounding herself with people who were supernatural. Maybe Jace and him were never destined to be together anyways. Maybe she was clearly looking for someone out there. Well she would definitely have it now. He knew that Jace should know what was happening to him, but he wasn’t even sure how to tell her. For some reason, telling Jayla came so much easier.

But it was something that Jayla said that really brought him out of his thoughts of Jace. She told him that she wasn’t going anywhere, and she’d never stopped being his friend. And to be completely honest, that was something Zach really needed to hear. With everything that had been going on, it was nice to know that he hadn’t lost a friend because of his stupid ass comments. Zach gave Jayla a soft smile when she squeezed his arm. And of course, his touchy feely instincts came in, and he found himself resting his head on her shoulder. It was a bit uncomfortable at first because she was shorter than him, but he didn’t care. Was this okay? He wasn’t sure, but he needed this. Just for someone to be there. After all, it may be the last night he’d ever feel any type of emotions. Who knew? Zach reached out resting his hand on the one that she had squeezed his arm with. He brushed his fingertips across the top of her hand for a few seconds before finally speaking. ”Thank you. I really needed this. Just….just to know I’m not alone here.”

[jayla]

Jayla smiled when she saw the smile on his face, making her feel more comfortable, about what she said. When she heard what he asked about Axel and his brothers, she smiled. "I'm not even sure about that.. Really." She admitted, because she had no idea what was going on with them really. She had to admit it made sense if they were supernatural, but after her run-in with Everette.. Who seemed to be supernatural, but it was way too early to even be sure.

When Zach rested his head on her shoulder, she was surprised and even more surprised when she realized it felt kinda good. She eventually pulled an arm around him and leant slightly toward him. When she felt his hand on hers, she smiled, but didn't say anything. When she heard what he said, she tilted her head up slightly and looked at him. "You're welcome." She never forgave people easily, unless they meant something to her or could be called friends.

[zach]

When Jayla spoke and she tilted her head to look his way, Zach couldn’t help but look back. He hadn’t realized until now that her eyes were a pretty hazel. Most guys loved the baby blue color of a girl’s eyes, but Zach was a bit different in that respect. Yes blue eyes were nice, but hazel eyes? Hazel eyes were gorgeous. If you were lucky to be with a girl with hazel eyes outside on a full moon, her eyes would have an alluring golden haze to them that would glisten in the moonlight. Would he ever get to see that again? No. Now that he was a werewolf nothing would ever be the same anymore.

Zach tore his gaze from hers and stared out in front of him now. He pulled his legs up and lifted his hands to bury his head into his palms as he gripped his hair. His elbows rested on his knees. ”God, everything is so messed up right now. This isn’t even my life anymore.” Zach could feel his stomach lurching forward the nausea taking over yet again for the twentieth time in the past two days. His body must have been transforming inside of him. Daryl had told him about this. He also told him that the first night was the worst, and a lot of times the pain was unbearable. Zach liked to think that he was strong, but would he be able to handle it? He was doubting himself quite a lot now.

Zach lifted his pasty face from his palms to glance up at the clock on Jayla’s wall. 5:36 pm. He still had some time. But what for? Where would he even go to transform for the first time into a monster? Daryl had told him, but Zach was to overwhelmed with everything Daryl was saying that he had forgotten, and of course he stomped out of the hallway completely leaving Daryl behind. He didn’t want to deal with it, and it was all a bit too much for him at the moment. Even now, if he could, he’d just stay with Jayla the whole time, but Daryl said that being around people was dangerous. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt the one person who seemed to care about him here.