“Hey. Are you okay?” She heard Shawn ask and felt his hand on her shoulder.She rose to her feet, wiping her hands across her face. “Yeah, sure. I'm fine. I'm okay.” She replied with a faint smile.Shawn pressed his lips together, not wanting to inquire further. “Uh... Okay. So, what do we do about him?” He asked, tilting his head toward Sergio.“What do you suggest?”“Turn him in. Charged for assault against you.”“Okay.” “You should go.” Jade furrowed her brows. “Alone?” She asked, a lump rising up her throat. She was reluctant to let Shawn leave. Her life was much better whenever he was with her.“My dad's not a problem anymore.” He replied, smiling sadly at her.Jade shook her head, clutching the hem of his shirt. “You can't tell. And you haven't done your part yet. Take me home.”Shawn gave her a confused look. “Uh...” “Remember when we were ten and I sprained my ankle.”“Yeah, you insisted the floor was lava and climbed up the fridge. If I hadn't softened your fall, it would
Jade scratched her head as she walked down the stairs. She hadn't looked in a mirror since she woke up but she was sure she looked very untidy. She had overslept and had had a pleasant dream. Her mouth was plastered with dried drool and her hair was in a tangled mess. Her eyes were probably swollen from her very long and peaceful sleep. She knew she was supposed to wash up first but she woke up feeling very thirsty. If she didn't drink water, she reasoned she'd turn to stone. So it didn't matter how heavy her legs were and how messy she looked she trudged towards the kitchen to get a drink.She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and immediately gulped it down. Once she was done, she proceeded to wash her face in the sink."I'll take it that you had a great sleep last night." She heard Lewis's voice and she lifted her head turning it in his direction. He was leaning by the kitchen door eating a bowl of cereal."What time is it?" She asked making a futile
Jade tapped her feet impatiently on the floor as she scrolled through Netflix, searching for something to watch. None appealed to her as her mind was preoccupied with Shawn. It was almost 9 pm and he still hadn't returned. He hadn't even sent her a text to inform her of his job or that he wanted to move out.Now that Sergio was away, and only his mom was home, it made sense for him to accompany her. She was being selfish to hope he would still stay with her. To hope he would choose her over his mom. To think she meant anything to him.All his smooth talks about being best friends were to get something from her. He was just looking for a place to stay. Maybe, he had intentionally shared in her punishment to get her to trust him. He was a smart kid and always weighed his decisions carefully. He had a backup plan for his backup plan. Why would he intentionally jeopardize his future by ruining his perfect school record with a suspension if he had nothing to gain?
Shawn trudged slowly along the street, his phone in his hand, praying for a call from Jade. He hoped she'd stop being difficult and let him by her side. Even though he knew it would never happen, he still wished she could go back to being the carefree yet lovable girl he used to know. He wished he could reverse time. He would make sure she never got hurt.But these were all wishful thinking. Jade had changed and was never going to call him back and if he doesn't return to his home, he'd have to sleep on the streets. He hated the idea of returning to his home. Being in it made him feel caged up and now that he had tasted freedom, he was reluctant to go back to his cage.He groaned, coming to an abrupt stop. It was the middle of the night and he was stuck outside with no money on him and nowhere to go. Heck, he hadn't stayed up this late intentionally before. Thinking about it made him want to cry, but according to his father, real men don't cry - only sissies do.
Jade shut the door after Jacob left, biting her lip as she walked to the bathroom. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, tears falling from her eyes. She hated the person she was becoming - an irritable person with no interest in life who keeps pushing away everyone from her. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life alone but she knew she probably would. Everyone she knew hated her. Rachel, Sergio, Principal Dolan, her teachers, and her classmates all hated her. Sally only pretended to like her because she was her father's wife. Lewis only protected her because he was paid to. Jacob couldn't wait to be rid of her. And Shawn - she had no idea why he was even pretending to like her. She closed her eyes trying to imagine a life where nothing went wrong. A life where her father didn't cheat on her mother. Or one where her mother forgave him. She would probably still be alive and Jade would be a carefree youth with a perfect family. A straight-A student whose goal is
7:45 a.m. Shawn sighed with relief as he checked his phone. He was right on time. He knocked on the door of the principal's office feeling somewhat lucky. His father was currently behind bars so his mother was safe. He had found a job and could now support himself and his mother.His suspension had been rescinded and so he was back on track to emerging as the valedictorian. And best of all, his estranged best friend was again warming up to him. Also, even though he had only woken up about thirty minutes ago, he had somehow managed to be on time for his appointment with Principal Dolan. The universe seemed to be working in his favor.He was about to knock again when he heard footsteps and a chuckle from behind him. He turned around and saw Principal Dolan and Jacob Adler - Jade's father - walking toward the office. Immediately, he bowed his head a little, offering a word of appreciation to Jacob but all he did was smile at him.Principal Dolan cleared his throat, stretching out his han
It was 11: 47am, the lunch break period of Dexterford High School. More than half of the students, sat in the cafeteria eating their lunch, some minding their businesses while the others were bullying and seeking to bully others. The other half stood outside the cafeteria, gasping and murmuring as they watched a girl, dressed in black pants and hoodie, paint a giant skull on the outer wall of the cafeteria while hanging from a rope. She had long black hair that touched her waist and that was all most people had seen of her. But, some people had seen than that. They had seen her fingers and her nails which were always painted black and were always covered by gloves. Some had seen her eyes which were always surrounded by black shades of eye shadow and her lips that seemed blacker each time you looked at it. But, none had noticed those bright blue irises that sparkled whenever she smiled. Neither had anyone seen her smile. They all knew her name and all she did but most of them would n
"Principal Dolan?" Shawn called out as he arrived at the principal's office. The secretary, Mrs. Ahmed, was nowhere to be found so he walked in. The office smelt of mint, thanks to the peppermint plants grown in every corner of the room. Principal Dolan sat at the other end of the table, his back turned away from the door. Even though he had tried very hard to wash it out, Shawn could still see the traces of the paint on his head."Principal Dolan," Shawn called out again and Dolan turned on his chair to face him. Shawn noticed that his oval glasses which normally hung down his nose, making him look stricter, were now a little bit higher, covering his eyes. But, he could still see the redness in his eyes. His face softened as a thought came to his mind. Principal Dolan cried.The clearing of the throat from Dolan brought his senses back and he took a seat opposite him. "Sir, I'm here on behalf of Jade Adler. I would like to apologize about..."Dolan interr