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Title: Second Star To The Right
Author: Katie Lynn
Feedback: spoiledbrat4life@crazysexycool.com
Rating: PG-13 to NC-17
Category: Long WIP
Type: Alternate Reality, Rape, Abuse, Heavy Angst
Summary: When Courtney Cassedine meets Jason Quartermaine meet, she is a senior in high school. She's been lied to and lies to others to keep herself and the people she loves safe. But when she meets Jason, she can't ignore the newfound feelings she has for him and neither can he. When her past starts to come up, nobody can ignore it and neither can she.
*~*
Second Star To The Right: Ch. 10
Courtney grimaced as she felt the eggs crack on top of her head. Egg yolk was sliding down her back and through her shirt. Her breathing was increasing rapidly.
‘DON’T MOVE!’ the voice in her head shouted. She obeyed. Suddenly, she heard Elizabeth and AJ laughing like a pack of wild hyenas. Her eyes still closed, she stepped back. Soon the laughing was getting louder. She finally opened her eyes when she heard a voice.
*~*
"Why is everyone laughing?" Carly wondered aloud as she, Sonny, and Jason made their way down the hall. Jason, who was the taller of the three, saw everyone forming a circle around one locker. Courtney’s locker.
He ran ahead and saw her, shocked and completely covered in eggs. Her eyes were jammed shut and her breathing wasn’t normal.
"Oh, so you think this is funny, Liz?!" Jason yelled at her. The laughing stopped. Courtney opened her eyes and saw Jason. He looked very angry.
"What? It wasn’t me," she lied.
"You’re a bad liar. Just because you and I are over doesn’t mean you go dropping eggs on someone that I danced with’s head! You are disgusting, Liz," Jason said. He turned to Courtney. She looked up at him, tears filling her eyes.
"Let’s go get you cleaned up, Courtney," Carly said, coming up behind them. Courtney nodded and Carly led her away to the bathroom. Once they were out of earshot, Jason let out his anger again on AJ.
"Who the hell do you think you are? God?!" Jason said to his older brother. He smirked.
"Yeah, you know, she’s really sexy when she’s upset," AJ sneered. Jason had enough. He being the stronger of the two, he pinned AJ up against the wall.
"You will never come near Courtney again or I will personally make sure you won’t live to regret it."
"Oooo...making death threats are we?"
Jason punched AJ in the jaw before letting him drop to the ground.
"If I didn’t know any better, I would say your falling for the Cassedine whore," he said, nursing his jaw as he got up and stumbled away. Liz ran after him.
*~*
Courtney bent over and let her blonde hair filled with drying egg yolk lie under the water faucet. Carly turned it on and the cold water ran through her hair. Once it was all out, the dark blonde grabbed a towel and handed it to her best friend.
"How-how could they do that to me?" Courtney stammered, wiping her face off. Carly shrugged.
"I don’t know. They’re sick."
"I......I need to get away from all of this."
"If you run away from them, they will think you are a coward, Court. You have to stay and fight them. They’re not very smart, trust me. I’ve grown up with them," Carly said. Courtney sighed and grabbed the gym clothes that Carly let her borrow. She quickly showered off the rest of the egg in the shower and changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that Carly let her borrow. Finally, she was ready to leave.
Both blondes entered the deserted hallway. Sonny and Jason were whispering across the hall by the water fountain. They both looked over at them when the bathroom door squeaked open.
"Hey, you okay?" Sonny asked Courtney. She nodded.
"Yeah, you all can go ahead, I’ve got a ride home."
"Actually, Carly and I do have to go," Sonny grinned, grabbing his girlfriend’s hand. She smiled and waved at them before running out of the school. Courtney sighed.
"Are you really okay, Courtney?" Jason asked, genuinely concerned. She rubbed her forehead.
"I just have to get away from this. Everything. Just for awhile."
"So I’m guessing you don’t want to go home."
"Hell no."
After a minute or so of thinking, Jason spoke up.
"Have you ever been on the lake before this time of day?"
She smiled.
*~*
"Oh my gosh, Jason this is beautiful," Courtney said, looking at the view from the boat. She was wearing a white bikini that was actually Emily’s. She had let her borrow it for the afternoon. Over her upper legs were a pair of jean shorts and she wore a pair of red flip-flops. Sitting on a chair, she kicked off the sandals and continued staring at the lake.
"I know. I always come here when I want to think or to get away from it all," Jason replied, sitting down beside her. "I love it here"
"I can see why," Courtney murmured. "You are lucky."
"Why’s that? You can’t say because my family’s rich; your’s is too," he joked.
"No...I know that. Your family......loves you."
"What do you mean."
"I’ve......never been loved. By anyone."
"Yeah right. Your parents love you."
Courtney shook her head.
"No. My mother loved me. But...." Courtney stared out into the water. "She’s....dead."
Jason blinked.
"I’m sorry Courtney," he managed to say.
"No, it’s okay."
After awhile, Courtney started to feel very relaxed, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She couldn’t ever remember being this calm in her life.
Suddenly, Courtney knew what she wanted.
Second Star To The Right: Ch. 11 (NC - 17)
"Hey Jason is their a bed under there?" asked Courtney turing around pointing at the small door.
"Yeah, why?" Asked Jason
"Does it have a lock?"
"Of course it does, but why are you asking me this; what’s wrong?"
"Nothings wrong Jase." said Courtney as she ran she fingers up Jason's chest, to his shoulder blades, down his arms to his hand where she laced his fingers with hers.
Courtney turned around heading for the door, bringing Jason with her. Once she reached the door Courtney turned around and faced Jason, their bodies touching each other, their faces only and inch apart. Courtney smiled as she reached behind her and turned the knob on the door. Kicking the door open with her foot, she led Jason in. Once they were in side Courtney turned them around again closing the door behind them and locking it.
Courtney gave Jason a little push and pushed him down on the bed, her still standing. Right in front of him, her breast just inches from his face. "Courtney what are you doing?" Asked Jason confused but mesmerized by her breast. Jason just wanted to reach out and touch her but he held him self back, by scooting back from Courtney.
"Jason I have never felt loved." said Courtney as she climbed on to the bed back to where Jason sat.
"What do you want to do about that Courtney?"
"I want you to make me feel loved." stated Courtney as she reached down to the hem of Jason's shirt and pulled it off. Courtney kissed Jason neck as she began to unbutton his button on his jeans but Jason stopped her.
"Courtney stop, I don't know how I'm suppose to make you feel loved? Hell I have never done this before." said Jason, taking Courtney’s face in his hands making her look him in the eyes.
"Jason, does what feels natural, and do what comes to you; unless I'm wrong and you don't like me and you don't want to make love to me." Courtney said starting to get off of bed; But Jason pulled her back down and flipped them over so he was on top of her.
"I want to make love to you...But....."
"No buts Jason just make love to me." said Courtney looking into Jason's deep blue eyes. Courtney lifted her hands up and grabbed Jason's face bringing him down to her for a sensual kiss. The kiss started out slow but turned into passion when Courtney took a hold of Jason's mouth with her hand opening it just enough for her to get in. Jason gratefully left her tongue explore his mouth as he untied the ties of her bikini and slide it off. Jason broke the kiss to look at her half naked.
"Are you sure you want to do this, you know we don't have to." said Jason caressing her cheek loving the way her silk-like skin felt under his finger tips.
"I want to Jason," said Courtney as she reached up and grabbed the back of his head and brought him down for a kiss. The kiss slowly turned into passion as they explored each others mouth and bodies, Courtney’s finger nails ranking over Jason bare back sent chills down his spine. As Jason sent sensations to Courtney’s most intimate regions just lightly touching her nipples and caressing her breast.
Jason finally realized how many bruises were under her swimsuit as he made a long and slow trail of kisses down her neck to her chest, around her breasts and down to her stomach. Courtney was slightly moaning as she felt his soft lips on her bare skin. He pulled her closer to him and she pulled his head up and forced her mouth against his in a deep and passion-filled kiss. His tongue yet again explored her mouth as his hands found their way to the button on her blue jean shorts. Jason slowly unbuttoned her shorts and pulled them down the her ankles, to reveal her white bikini bottoms. "God she is so sexy in white." He thought to him self as he went scooted him self back on top of her and began to kiss her again.
Jason hands moved to Courtney inner-thighs and traced his finger tips up to her bikini and started to rub Courtney’s clit. Courtney had never felt a feeling like this before, all she knew is that she felt like she was on a "high" and didn't want to come down. Jason slipped two fingers back into her and cautiously began moving them. Courtney gasped when he inserted his fingers and began to move them in and out the pain slowly leaving her body as his movements became faster. Courtney moaned from pleasure against Jason's lips as they still kissed. Jason broke the kiss from her lips. He trailed kisses down her jaw to her neck and collar bone and finally down to her breasts. His tongue danced in circles around her nipple, getting harder and harder. Jason left her right nipple and kissed his way to her left and started to suck on it as continued to finger her. Jason could fell Courtney tighten around him as he moved his finger in and out; in and out. Courtney started to move her hips up to meet his fingers.
Courtney's moans were driving Jason crazy as she was starting to give into the torture that he was giving to her. He could tell that she was reaching her climax. Her nails were digging into his back, but he couldn’t feel any pain as he swallowed her moans by locking his mouth with hers. Her head was moving back and forth in the rhymed that Jason's fingers were moving. Finally, she gave into the torture and exploded while his fingers were still in her, sending her juices covering his fingers. Jason removed his fingers and sucked Courtney's juice off of his fingers one finger at a time, when he was complete he moved back to Courtney’s mouth and kissed her hard. Courtney could taste her self on his tongue which turned her on. Courtney wrapped her legs around Jason waist and her arms around his shoulders and flipped them over so she was on top. Never breaking their kiss.
Courtney ran her hands up and down his hard abs and chest, making her nails graze them ever so slightly, making him moan. She started rubbing them then moved on to kissing them. After making a long and slow trail of kisses down his chest, she started sucking on his left nipple and at the same time began undoing the button on his pants. Moving to the next nipple, she undid the zipper and pushed his pants down and pulled them off. Courtney crawled her way back up to Jason and started to kiss him. Her tongue ranking over his while she started to stroke Jason's member. At first Courtney started out slow and barley touching him. Her movements then began to become faster and squeezing him harder, still kissing Jason. Courtney raised her hips off of Jason stomach and guided him to her hot center. At first Courtney teased Jason by hovering over his tip, then finally taking his tip in side her. Jason and Courtney never felt such pleasure as he entered her. Courtney rose up again and back down this time taking more of him until he was fully in her. Courtney and Jason stayed still for a few minutes just enjoying the new feeling they had discovered in each other. Courtney looked down and smiled at the sight of Jason in her, she looked back into Jason's eyes before kissing him hard. Courtney raised up again and this time Jason met her movements, and flipped them over so he was on top and pulled him self out of her.
"What's wrong?" she asked, confused.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jason asked, looking into her crystal blue eyes that were overflowing with desire.
"Yes. I want to make love to you more than anything in the world right now," Courtney said as she locked her lips with his. She pushed herself up towards him and he slid his hard member back into her hot cavern.
Jason slowly plunged deeper and deeper into her, trying not to hurt her. She was moaning loudly into his mouth while his tongue danced in the same rhythm that his member was moving. She felt like she was on the edge of ecstasy as she started climbing to another climax her heart racing faster and faster as Jason's movements became harder and faster. Courtney began squeezing him harder and harder, wanting him to cum with her this time. He broke away from the kiss and started sucking on her breasts again while she started chanting his name over and over. "Jason....Jason...Jason!" Finally, they both knew that they were close and he grabbed her hips hard, directing her to his slamming her body as hard as he could to his own. They both exploded at the same time. They had never felt this sort of pleasure before. Exhaustion from their lovemaking overtook them and Jason was now completely on top of her, his head lying between her breasts. She was breathing hard, her heart still racing, completely wiped out. He kissed both of her breasts and pulled himself out of her. "Wow, you were wonderful," he said into her ear, sucking on the lobe still caressing her breast.
Courtney's breathing slowly went back to normal and she bit her lip; realizing what she had just done.
Second Star To The Right: Ch. 12
Courtney's breathing slowly went back to normal and she bit her lip; realizing what she had just done.
‘Oh, god, what did I just do?’ she thought. ‘Oh my god.....oh my god....’
Jason noticed that she had gotten a little tense.
"Hey, are you okay? If I-"
"No- no, it wasn’t you....I.....we- we shouldn’t have done this. It’s my fault; I should have just stopped it," Courtney sputtered. Jason sat there, confused. She had told him that she wanted him to make love to her. Why was she backing out when it was too late?
"I don’t understand. You said that-"
"Whatever I said just forget it. And today. Forget today ever happened. Just forget it!" Courtney said, on the verge of tears. She got up off the bed and threw the bikini and shorts on. Jason rubbed his face and pulled on his clothes. They went back onto the deck and Courtney grabbed her flip-flops and slipped them on her feet. He followed her. Sighing, he told the captain to take them back to the mainland. Soon, the boat was moving and Courtney sat down on the chair, her arms wrapped around herself. Jason tried to reach out to her, but she just pulled away. So he left her alone.
Soon they reached land. Courtney walked towards her car, but Jason’s voice stopped her.
"I’m sorry Courtney. I’ll see you on Monday," he said, before reluctantly turning away. Tears flew to her eyes as she watched him walk away; knowing that he thought that her problem was his fault. Once she got into her car, she let the tears fall as she cried into her hands; wishing he was holding her again.
*~*
‘Monday," Courtney thought, getting up out of bed. She cried out in pain as she hit her upper arm on the nightstand while she crouched down to get her shoe. Nikolas had been extremely angry when she had gotten home late which resulted in a weekend of bruising, blood, and pain. Sighing as she saw the blood seeping through her pajama top, the blonde hobbled to the bathroom and washed the blood off.
Biting her lip in pain, she pulled on a tube top and put on a long sleeved jean jacket to cover up the bruises and cuts on her arms. They were worse on her arms, but more bruises on her legs. Throwing a pair of jeans, she grabbed some sneakers. Fully dressed and her hair and makeup perfect (also covering the bruising on her face), she grabbed her backpack and headed downstairs.
*~*
Jason sighed as he walked down the stairs to breakfast. All weekend he had thought about what happened. Yeah, it was great, but not if Courtney didn’t want it. And she obviously didn’t.
"Well, what’s my big brother so upset about?" Emily said as he sat down next to her at the table.
"Nothing Em," he responded.
"Yeah right. How was your afternoon with Courtney?" she asked. Jason was silent for a moment, so she knew she had hit a nerve.
"It was.....interesting. She was really upset and I think going on the boat was good for her," Jason said, thinking only about the trick Liz and AJ played on her.
"Sure Jase," Emily said, grinning. "Oh, and tell her she can keep my bikini."
*~*
Courtney took a deep breath as she entered the school. People noticed her and immediately started whispering to the closest person around them. She made it to her locker and grabbed her books; ignoring all of the whispering and comments as she walked towards her classroom.
Opening the door, everyone stopped talking, including Sonny, Carly, and Jason. Courtney locked her eyes with his and she felt like she had been punched in the stomach. His eyes reflected pity, compassion, regret, and love? She bit her lip before sitting down in her normal seat behind Jason. They didn’t look at each other, which bothered the heck out of Carly. She shot a glance at Sonny. He shrugged.
*~*
It was 6th period. Lunch. Courtney wasn’t very hungry, her stomach hurting from the weekend’s "events".
"Hey Court, why don’t you eat something?" Carly asked as she took a bite out of her sandwich.
"Oh, I’m not hungry."
"You sure? I can share?"
"Yeah. It’s been a long weekend...."
"Okay; if you’re sure," Carly said, concerned. She looked at Sonny.
"I think it has something to do with Jason," he whispered. Jason was talking to Emily a few yards away.
*~*
"Why won’t you talk to her?" she interrogated.
"Em, just drop it. Just because she isn’t talking, period, doesn’t mean I did anything," he said, walking away, feeling more guilty by the second.
"Sure, Jase. Sure."
Second Star To The Right: Ch. 13
Courtney sighed and sat down at her computer desk. Her arm still hurt. And, thank god, Nikolas was out of town for three days. But that usually meant he would make up for it later.
Getting on instant messenger, she noticed Carly was online.
sapphirebutterfly01: hey carly
nutsy409: hey! sorry but jase isnt on
sapphirebutterfly01: i know....i don’t want to talk 2 him
nutsy409: y not? whats up w/ u 2? a couple days ago u couldnt get enough of each other and now u hate him?
sapphirebutterfly01: i don’t hate him
nutsy409: i want 2 believe u court, but the way youre acting is saying differently....hey emily’s on....
emq2qt: hey guys!
sapphirebutterfly01: hi emily
nutsy409: hey em
emq2qt: hey court, my brother wants 2 talk 2 u....he’s getting on later
sapphirebutterfly01: i don’t want 2 talk 2 jason
emq2qt: courtney u have 2 talk 2 him! why wont u?
sapphirebutterfly01: y wont anyone drop it?! I don’t want to talk to jason!
nutsy409: what happened to make u all mad @ him?
emq2qt: really......code red carly
nutsy409: ok
sapphirebutterfly01: 1st of all, im not mad @ him. 2nd of all, even if i was, its my business
sapphirebutterfly01: crap....
JQ8899: hi guys
emq2qt: hey jase, btw mom wants u 2 set the table 2nite, the servants r still on strike
JQ8899: god...ok
nutsy409: hey jase....court r u gonna talk or what?
JQ8899: hey courtney
sapphirebutterfly01: hi....carly, i choose ‘or what’
Courtney sighed as tears fell from her eyes as she watched Jason, Emily, and Carly try to have a conversation. Jason wasn’t talking much. For once, she was glad that she couldn’t see him. It would just make things harder than they were.
*~*
For the next week, Courtney and Jason passed each other in the halls at school and caught each other’s gaze. They both hated acting like they didn’t mean anything to each other. Courtney would always sit in her normal spot in homeroom and so would Jason, but she just played with her pendant and stared at the floor. Every once in awhile she would look at him and catch Jason looking at her, btu they would both turn away quickly. This went around in a constant circle until he couldn’t stand the silence anymore.
He confronted her while she was getting her books out of her locker. After the egg incident, she was always careful about opening her locker, but didn’t show it.
"Courtney, please talk to me. I can’t stand this anymore," Jason pleaded, standing beside her. She looked at him.
"What? You can’t stand being so close to me but you can’t touch me?" she shot back, not wanting to sound defensive.
"No, I just....I don’t understand. You said you wanted it," he said, lowering his voice so no one heard him. "If it’s my fault just say it."
"No.....it’s....it’s not you. We-we can’t talk about this here. Meet me by the bleachers by the football field today at lunch," Courtney said, slamming her locker shut and hurrying away before he saw the tears fall onto her cheeks.
Second Star To The Right: Ch. 14
Courtney sat on the bleachers, holding a daisy in her hand. She slowly spun it around between her fingers; remembering when she was little and her mother would make a crown of these white flowers and place it on her blonde hair like she was a princess. A teardrop fell onto the petal as she thought about this.
The sapphire pendant that sat on her chest reminded her about her mother all the time. She had given it to her. It was actually the Cassedine’s, But Nikolas had given Summer the pendant when Courtney was born.
Flipping to over to the silver-plated backside, she traced her finger over the engraved words. Closing her eyes, she said the words over and over to herself; trying to make them come true. More tears fell from her face as she clutched it to her chest.
"Hey," Jason said, sitting down beside her. She looked at him and he saw the fresh tears on her face. He reached up and wiped them away with his thumb. Courtney didn’t pull away but held his hand to her face.
"I’m sorry."
"I don’t understand," he whispered. Rain was starting to fall in a light drizzle over the field. She stood up and started walking on one of the bleachers. Taking a deep breath, she started talking.
"Do....do you remember when I asked you to make me feel loved?" she asked, fear and pain etched into her face. Her arms were crossed across her chest almost as if she was trying to protect herself.
"Yes."
"And you....you said that you had never had sex with anyone before," she continued. Jason nodded, not really understanding what she was getting to. Courtney took another breath before speaking again. "Did you ever wonder....why I never said.....that I hadn’t either?" She was almost crying again. He stood there; still confused. She rubbed her forehead. Then it hit him. She wasn’t a virgin before she had sex with him.
"Courtney....did you really think I would care if you were a virgin or not?" he asked cautiously. She looked up at him and started crying.
"I don’t know! All I knew is that I thought you could make me feel like I was loved and like I mattered!" she said through her sobs.
"Did I?"
Courtney looked up at him like he had grown another head.
"Yes. You did. You made me feel like I was a person and someone who you loved. But....." she started, but she couldn’t finish the sentence. "But....you don’t love me."
"And who told you that?"
"I don’t know! I don’t even know why I even bothered in asking you if you would make love to me! If I had told you the truth....you would of...."
"I would of what?"
Courtney sat down on the bleacher seat and placed her head in her hands.
"You would of thought that I’m what I really am," she whispered. He sat down beside her. "A dirty, rotten, whore."
"Courtney, you are not any of those things! Why would you even think that you are?" Jason asked her. She looked up at him, her mascara now all over her cheeks.
"Because I lost my virginity when I was nine! That’s why!" she shot before bawling into her hands. He wasn’t really sure what to say, but he knew she wasn’t a whore.
"Courtney, you’re not a whore and no one thinks you are!" he said, trying to make her see differently about herself. She shook her head.
"I was raped," Courtney spat. Jason gasped and she looked at him. "And not once. Twice. Once when I was nine and another when I was fourteen," she said, burying her head in her hands yet again. This time, she couldn’t stop crying. Jason pulled her into his lap and kissed her forehead and just held her while she cried.
"It’s okay...it’s going to be okay...." he whispered over and over while she sobbed into his shirt.
"I’m sorry Mom....I’m sorry Michaela....I’m sorry Daddy....I’m sorry....I’m so sorry!" she cried. Jason didn’t really understand, but he didn’t say anything or stop holding her.
Second Star To The Right: Ch. 15
Courtney soon stopped crying and she realized that Jason was still holding her. She pulled away quickly.
"I....I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be dumping all my problems on you," she said, standing up. Jason grabbed her arm.
"You aren’t. And I’m glad you told me," he said, pushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Courtney gave him a small smile.
"Thanks for....for listening. I haven’t told anyone....up until now," she whispered, looking down at her feet. He stood up and planted a kiss on her forehead. The blonde looked up at him. "Why do you care about me so much?"
"Because you’re worth caring about," he said. She bit her lip and leaned over and kissed him. He kissed her back. They broke away from the kiss; their foreheads touching.
"I think we need to get back to class," she whispered. Jason reluctantly nodded. They stood up and made their way back to the school building in silence. When they were about to go to separate classes, Courtney grabbed his arm.
"Hey...umm....considering the situation, I never really got to thank you," she said.
"For what?"
"For making me feel loved," Courtney whispered. He smiled and kissed her again.
"Like I said, you’re more than worth it."
She smiled and walked away; feeling better then she had in a long time.
*~*
Liz’s blood boiled as she saw Jason kiss Courtney. So he broke them off because of her, huh?
"Well I’ll show them," she murmured, an evil smile gracing her face.
*~*
After school, Courtney noticed Jason waiting for her by her locker. She smiled and approached him. He smiled when he saw her and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he kissed her. Emily shrieked when she saw this and immediately grabbed Carly out of her make-out session with Sonny. Carly grinned from ear to ear when she saw her friends kissing.
"So, I guess this would be a good time for you two to say ‘You were right Carly’" she said to the couple. Jason scoffed.
"Sure Carly; like that’s ever going to happen," he said. Courtney laughed. Carly rolled her eyes and she and Sonny left. Jason looked at the blonde goddess in front of him. She looked happy.
"So.....considering how you are talking to me again, do you want to go out sometime?"
Courtney grinned.
"If you are asking me out, yes. I would love to be your girlfriend," she said wrapping her arms around his neck as he spun her around while kissing her.
Liz watched this from down the hall. She was getting angrier by the second.
"That slut stole my boyfriend and I am going to make her pay," the brunette thought. AJ walked past her and she grabbed him.
"We have something to discuss," she said.
Second Star To The Right: Ch. 15
Courtney walked into Wyndemere happier than she had been in a long time. Nikolas noticed this when she walked by the open door of his study.
"Courtney."
She stopped and reluctantly walked into his study. He stood up from his desk and approached her.
"Why are you so happy today?"
"I just had.....a good day, that’s all," Courtney murmured, looking at her feet. Nikolas scoffed.
"Since when do you have good days?" he asked her. This was one of his mind games. She knew this but didn’t really have a choice but to go along with it.
Courtney was silent.
"Right. So I’m guessing that you are the only one who is entitled to have a bad day, therefore when you have a good day, everyone is supposed to have a bad one?" he asked sarcastically. She looked up at him. Bad move. He slapped her across the face. Courtney could feel the red-hot pain slash across her cheek but she didn’t dare move. Past experience with her father when he was angry had taught her what to do and what not to do.
"Go upstairs, you whore," Nikolas ordered, going back to his desk. Pain still ringing throughout her face, she obeyed.
Once she got to her room, Courtney looked at her cheek in the bathroom mirror. It was red right now, but she knew it was going to form into a bruise by morning.
‘Perfect,’ she thought, wincing as she touched the sensitive skin. Her mother used to do that whenever she hurt herself. Summer would touch it and as if like magic, it would seem to feel better. ‘Now I have to go around with this all day. Thank God for the invention of makeup.’
Sitting on her computer chair, she logged into Instant Messenger. Emily was online.
emq2qt: hey court!
sapphirebutterfly01: hey em
emq2qt: jase wont b 4 awhile; he and aj got in a fight
sapphirebutterfly01: thats ok
emq2qt: actually, the fight was about you
Emily laughed to herself as she remembered the heated fight her brothers had gotten into just hours before.
*~*Flashback*~*
Jason walked into the mansion with a smile on his face. Emily grinned as she saw the evident happiness in his _expression. AJ noticed too.
"What’s Golden Boy all happy about? Oh yeah, he managed to get the second most hottest girl in school to be his girlfriend," he scoffed. Jason glared at him.
"And who, in your twisted mind, AJ, is the hottest girl in school?" Emily asked, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Elizabeth."
Jason rolled his eyes.
"Right, AJ. Like she’s hot," he said, about to go upstairs. His brother grabbed his arm and spun him around.
"Well you thought she was when you were going out with her!"
Jason stared at him with his cold glare that could make water freeze in 90 degree weather.
"Since when do you care who I go out with, AJ?" he asked, walking up the stairs.
"Since we I was going out with her too."
Emily gasped. Jason turned and looked at him.
"Elizabeth cheated on you?" she asked, dumbfounded. The brunette had been Liz’s best friend since elementary school. Emily never knew her to cheat on her boyfriend.
"You better believe it. But Jase wouldn’t care. He cares all about his Cassedine whore girlfriend," the older brother scoffed. Before he knew it, Jason’s fist had made contact with his jaw. AJ was on the floor and felt like he had just gotten a root canal.
"If I ever hear you call Courtney a whore I will make sure your jaw hurts a lot worse than it does now AJ. I don’t give a damn about Liz. She can go to hell for all I care," Jason said, meaning every single word. He wasn’t surprised Elizabeth had cheated on him.
Emily stood there and watched the entire thing. She thought AJ deserved that and more for calling Courtney something she certainly wasn’t. Also angry, the brunette followed her brother upstairs and up to her room.
‘Boy am I going to give Elizabeth and earful when I see her tomorrow,’ Emily thought.
*~*Flashback*~*
sapphirebutterfly01: em? u there?
emq2qt: o sorry court- spaced out 4 a sec
sapphirebutterfly01: so y wer aj and jason fighting about me?
emq2qt: aj was just callin u names and jase got mad and lets just say aj’s gonna have a bruise on his cheek 2moro
When Courtney read this, her hand went to her bruise that was forming on her face. She had become accustomed to bruises and blood, but now she had people who care if she had that. What if Sonny or Carly noticed? Or even worse, Jason?
Suddenly, her Buddy Icon blinked. Jason had just signed in.
sapphirebutterfly01: hey jase
JQ8899: hey beautiful
sapphirebutterfly01: o stop it
JQ8899: its true, u r beautiful :)
sapphirebutterfly01: sure jase
JQ8899: hey, i have a surprise 4 u
sapphirebutterfly01: omg jase we have been going out 4 less than 12 hours, what did u do?
JQ8899: if i told u, it wouldn’t b a surprise, now would it?
Courtney couldn’t help smiling.
sapphirebutterfly01: jason, seriously....
JQ8899: just meet me at kelly’s in ½ an hour, ok?
sapphirebutterfly01: ok, ok :P
sapphirebutterfly01: so.....em said u & aj got in a fight about me
JQ8899: ya.....
sapphirebutterfly01: what did he call me this time?
JQ8899: he called u something yur not so it doesn’t matter
sapphirebutterfly01: i think he gets a kick out of doing that....
JQ8899: did u know liz was cheating on me when we were going out w/ him?
sapphirebutterfly01: omg- yur serious?!
JQ8899: dead serious. he told me and em 2day when we got in that fight
sapphirebutterfly01: o im sorry jase :(
JQ8899: it doesn’t surprise me very much. its something they would have done
sapphirebutterfly01: still, that doesn’t make it right
They talked for another twenty minutes about AJ and Liz before Courtney noticed what time it was.
sapphirebutterfly01: hey, if i don’t get off now i wont make it 2 the mainland in time 4 yur surprise
JQ8899: o yeah, i forgot u live on spoon island
sapphirebutterfly01: ok, ill c u in 10 mins *blows a kiss* ;)
JQ8899: haha, right back at ya
Courtney looked down at her clothes one more time on the docks before going up the stairs to Kelly’s. She was wearing a red tank top that hugged her in all the right places with a pair of jean capris and a pair of red flip-flops. Her blonde hair was perfectly straight and hanging down. Her makeup was flawless, including the makeup that was covering the bruise on her cheek. And of course, her sapphire pendant sat on her chest.
Taking an excited, yet deep breath, she arrived at Kelly’s and saw Jason standing outside waiting for her. When he saw her, he looked up and grinned. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. They soon got lost in the kiss. A little too lost. Courtney reluctantly pulled away and looked at him.
"I have to be home by 11," she whispered. Jason looked at the clock in view inside the diner. It was 9 o’ clock.
"Perfect," he said softly, kissing her on the forehead. "Let’s go."
Jason interlaced their fingers together and started walking. They were talking about school, but Courtney wasn’t really paying much attention. Soon, they passed most of the busier parts of the city.
"Where are we going?"
"It’s a surprise."
Courtney pouted and he kissed her cheek.
"Just be patient."
"Oh fine," she laughed. He smiled. Jason loved seeing her so happy. After awhile, they came to a field of grass and flowers. He looked at her and kissed her forehead and pulled her over to a secluded section of the field. Courtney gasped. This section of the field was beautiful. There was a large apple tree surrounded by what seemed like yards and yards of violets.
"Oh my God, Jason," she whispered. "It’s amazing."
"I’m glad you like it," he said, kissing her on the lips.
Second Star To The Right: Ch. 16
Courtney wrapped her arms around Jason’s neck as his tongue broke the barrier that was her lips without any resistance from her. His hands rested on her hips and slowly moved up to her hair as the kiss deepened. Knowing that if he didn’t stop now he never would, Jason broke away; their foreheads still touching. She looked at him and grinned.
"I’ll race you up the tree!" she said before taking off as she ran towards the apple tree. He shook his head and ran after her.
She went as far as she could up the tree and a few seconds later, Jason appeared beside her. Courtney smiled and poked him in the chest.
"Beat ya."
"Well that’s probably the only thing you can beat me at, princess."
She laughed.
"Okay, just because I’m the heir to a huge fortune doesn’t mean I’m a princess!" she said. He just stroked the side of her beautiful face. Suddenly, his hand ran over a bump in her cheek. Jason sat up from the back of the tree bark he was resting on. She bit her lip.
"Courtney, what’s that bump?"
"It’s from when I fell and bruised my elbow. It’s nothing," she lied. He didn’t believe her but the tired look on her face told him not to fight her. Jason pulled her over to him so the back of her head was on his chest. They looked up at the moon together as they just enjoyed each other’s company and the silence. For once in their lives, they felt like they were truly at peace in each other’s arms.
*~*
Carly ran up to Courtney in school the next day; nearly knocking her over.
"Woah, Carly, what’s the rush?" she asked, straightening her skirt and tube top she was wearing. The dark blonde was grinning ear to ear.
"You will not believe what has happened!" she squealed.
"Uhhh....yeah I won’t until you tell me, Carly!" Courtney said, laughing at her best friend.
"You cannot believe what Sonny gave me last night!"
"What?!"
"A promise ring!" Carly squealed, showing her the diamond on her left hand. Courtney gasped.
"He gave you a promise ring? Oh my gosh, Carly!" she said, hugging her. Carly was still grinning from ear to ear and kept looking at the ring. "How much did that thing cost?"
"Probably not very much; his mom owns a jewelry store," she explained. Courtney laughed.
"Come on, we’re going to be late for homeroom," the blonde said, looking at the clock on the wall. Carly, still smiling, nodded and they made their way through the halls to Mrs. Quartermaine’s room.
*~*
"Lemme see that ring again!" Emily said, grabbing Carly’s hand again. They, including Jason, Sonny, Courtney, Carly, Emily, and Zander sitting outside. Courtney was sitting on Jason’s lap and Emily kept looking at the ring.
"Geez Em! It’s not like he proposed!" Zander said, laughing. Courtney smiled. Emily glared at him.
"Well it’s close!"
Everyone, including Emily, burst out laughing. Everyone was so happy. It was almost eerie. Courtney had learned from experience that happiness doesn’t last for very long. It was almost like she didn’t want to be happy because it just led to pain and suffering. Was this for once true happiness without pain later? She felt like something bad was going to happen. And soon.
Second Star To The Right: Ch. 17
Jason felt like he was walking on the clouds. A week had gone by since he and Courtney had gotten back together. Every night since he had shown her his secret place, they met there every night around seven. Sometimes Courtney would be a little late, but he didn’t mind. As long as he got to hold her in his arms up in their tree. She seemed to smile a lot more ever since he had met her and he liked that.
Now he was waiting for her again. Looking at his watch, he noticed she was almost half an hour late. He walked around the base of the tree for a couple more minutes before looking at his watch again. Where was she?
Suddenly a blonde figure ran up to the field. Once Courtney got closer, Jason noticed she had been crying.
"Hey, I’m sorry I’m late," she said once she was within hearing distance. Her beautiful hair was swept up in a ponytail and she was wearing a pair of jean capris with a spaghetti strap white shirt. Her pendant hung around her neck. He walked up to her and kissed her passionately. Courtney put her hands on either side of his face and Jason gently pulled her closer. They broke apart breathless; their foreheads touching. He put his index finger underneath her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. Her’s were bloodshot and tears were still fresh on her cheeks.
"You’ve been crying," he stated softly. Courtney looked at her feet. He rubbed her cheek with his thumb. She leaned into his touch; loving the feeling.
"What’s wrong?" Jason asked.
"Nothing," she lied. Nikolas hadn’t let her out of the house until she was at least half an hour late for seeing Jason. Courtney never let her father see her cry. So when she could leave, she cried then. Not for her pain, though. For her mother’s and Michaela’s pain. And also anyone who she was lying to about it.
Jason searched her eyes for any emotion that made the fact that she was lying evident. Nothing. Just pain....and love?
"Can we please just not talk about this?" she requested, her voice barely above a whisper. He sighed and took her hand. They had brought a few blankets to sit on when the night skies were filled with stars. This was one of those nights.
He laid out a blanket and Courtney lied down next to him on it; her head on his chest. They just looked up at the stars in silence; enjoying each other’s company.
What Courtney had been feeling in the past few weeks she had never felt before. Someone actually cared about her. Not like her mother had. Her mother loved her almost unconditionally. And she paid with her life for it. As did Michaela. But Jason seemed to genuinely care about her. He made her feel like she mattered. When they had made love she had felt that way too. It was like her first time in a way. She didn’t consider the two times she had been raped to be what she wanted. She had wanted it that time which was totally and utterly different.
Jason didn’t know what he was feeling. It was pure happiness, he knew that much. Courtney had pulled out feelings in him that he had no idea that he had. She just seemed to fill that hole in his heart that he didn’t even know he had. He cared about her so much. And he felt like he had fallen in love with an angel.
*~*
Jason woke up to the shrill ringing of the phone. He pulled the pillow over his head and groaned.
"Jason! It’s for you!"
A confused _expression appeared on his face as he heard his mother’s words. Who would call him this early in the morning.
"Hello?"
"Hey Jase. It’s Courtney. I’m really, really sorry to bug you this early in the morning but I need you to do me a favor."
"Hey. Okay, what is it?"
"I can’t stop throwing up. I think something I had yesterday for lunch really doesn’t agree with my stomach. Can you tell your mom I won’t be at school and get my homework?"
"Sure. Are you okay?"
"It started this morning. I got hit in the stomach so I think that’s what caused it."
"Okay. I hope you feel better."
"Yeah me too. So can you tell your mom?"
"Yeah I will. God, Emily’s bugging me to get off the phone, I got to go. I’ll see you this afternoon."
"Okay. Hey Jase?"
"What?"
"Thanks."
Jason smiled to himself and glared at Emily who was standing in his room, still in her pajamas with her hands on her hips.
"No problem. Anything for an angel."
Courtney thanked God that he couldn’t see her blush.
"Awww....you’re too sweet. I’ll see you this afternoon."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
Courtney hung up the phone and wrapped her arms around herself. Her father had managed to get a full-blown punch at her stomach and ever since then, she wouldn’t stop throwing up.
‘Why is this happening to me?’ she thought as she rushed into the bathroom; her hands covering her mouth.
Second Star To The Right: Ch. 18
Jason knocked on the door of Wyndemere. The maid opened the door.
"Can I help you?"
"I’m one of Courtney’s classmates. I have her homework for her," Jason explained.
"Oh, ok. Go ahead up to her room then. It’s the third door to the left," the maid said, backing up so he could come in. He did and started up the stairs.
Courtney looked at her pale face in the mirror. She had been throwing up all day and she felt like every move she made was like trying to move in quicksand. And even worse, she highly believed she was dehydrated from not drinking anything for fear she would throw it back up.
She heard a knock on the door and slowly made her way to the other side of the room and opened it. For once that day she truly smiled when she saw that the man of her dreams was on the other side.
"Hey," she said softly.
"Hey," he replied. Jason put his hand on her cheek, feeling the coldness of it. "You feeling any better?"
She looked away for a minute and shook her head. The blonde put her hand over Jason’s and looked into his eyes. Should she voice what she thought was happening to her?
‘No. This is your one chance to be happy and you aren’t going to throw that away!’ the Dictator screamed. She shut her eyes and sighed.
"Court, what’s wrong?" Jason asked, concerned. Courtney opened her eyes and shut her bedroom door. She ran her hand over her clammy face and sat down on the edge of her bed. She motioned for him to sit down beside her. He did and gently pushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
"I just.......I have so many feelings for you Jase. I mean......I have never felt this way before. I’m......I’m afraid that all these feelings are getting stronger and......I just.... I have never had my heart broken before and.....I’m what I’m afraid of. I mean..... after.....after what happened on the boat I got scared because I thought it would mess up anything I felt for you. Or.....or what you felt for me," Courtney said slowly, saying the last sentence very softly. Jason sighed and put his hands on either side of her face; forcing her to look into his eyes.
"I don’t want to hurt you, Courtney. You mean so much to me. And......about what happened on the boat, I’m sorry if I scared -"
"No, no, no. Jase, I wanted that. But it’s just that I wanted it so much that it scared me. I’ve never felt that way, about anybody, before. But.....making love to you was the most amazing feeling in the entire world. You made me feel like a person; someone who mattered. And especially what happened when.....when I was younger, I needed that. Don’t.....don’t ever think that I used you just to make myself feel better. Over the past weeks I have never felt more complete and whole then when I’m with you. I never want us to end," she said, the tears in her eyes threatening to spill over. Jason gently placed a kiss on her forehead and let his rest on hers; looking directly into her crystal blue eyes.
"I don’t want us to end either. I’m happy when I’m with you and I’m feeling something I have never felt before either. And I want to make sure you are happy too."
"Oh God, I am. I am so happy. Jason, I - " Courtney started, but abruptly stopped when she felt a strong wave of nausea starting to form. She quickly stood up and clamped her hand over her mouth; running into the bathroom with Jason behind her. As she threw up into the toilet, he pulled her hair out of her face and rubbed her back. Once she was done, tears finally spilled over as she leaned back into Jason’s arms.
"Shhh.....it’s going to be okay...." he soothed, rubbing her arms and back as she cried. This couldn’t be happening to her. It just couldn’t.
*~*
The next day Courtney felt well enough to go to school. She still had a headache; probably from lying awake that night wishing that she was in Jason’s arms as she debated her problem.
She approached her locker and felt a strong pair of arms gently wrap around her waist. She grinned.
"You had better be my boyfriend or else you will be in a hell of a lot of trouble," she said, still smiling.
"We wouldn’t want that now would we," Jason commented, placing a kiss on her temple. Courtney turned around and smiled at him. "I’m glad you’re feeling better."
"Yeah me too. I think I used a whole tube of toothpaste in less than 24 hours trying to get that taste out of my mouth. But don’t worry, I stopped getting sick last night and brushed my teeth this morning so it’s safe to kiss me," she said, not being able to stop smiling.
"Good. Because I plan to do a lot of it," Jason said, placing his hand on her cheek and lowering his lips onto hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and immediately deepened the kiss.
"Okay you lovebirds, cut it out," Emily said. Jason mock glared at her. Courtney laughed and gave Jason another quick kiss before grabbing her books.
"See you at lunch, Jase," she said, holding onto his hand until she couldn’t anymore. Jason sighed and smiled as Emily started snickering.
"What?"
"You have fallen head over heels madly in love with her!"
"So?"
"Well! Did you tell her!"
"No."
Emily gave an exasperated sigh.
"Jaaaaaase! You have to tell her!"
"I don’t want to push her into anything, Em," Jason said truthfully. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Courtney or push her away. The brunette sighed.
"Well don’t wait too long. That kind of like the kind I’ve found with Zander only comes once in a lifetime," she said before giving him a small smile and walking away. Jason knew she was right and rubbed his hands over his face.
"Hey man, what’s up?" Sonny asked, coming up to his best friend.
"When did you tell Carly you loved her?" he asked. Sonny was caught off guard, but assumed it had to do with Courtney.
"I’m guessing you are in love with Courtney and you are debating whether or not to tell her?"
Jason sighed and nodded.
"The last thing I want to do is make her feel uncomfortable or push her into something she doesn’t want to."
"Well.....I was in the same situation with Carly when I finally knew for a fact I had fallen in love with her. But as long as you make sure that she knows that she doesn’t have to say it back just because you said it," he explained. "That’s what I did with Carly."
Jason nodded. He wanted more than anything to tell her, but for some reason he felt that this wasn’t the right time. Not just yet.
*~*
"Hey Carly!"
Carly turned around to see Courtney quickly walking up to her. She stopped. The blonde sighed.
"I......I need your help with something. It’s really important
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