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 He had found a job and could now support himself and his mother.His suspension had been rescinded and so he was back on track to emerging as the valedictorian.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
Jade curved her lips up into a wry smile as she stared into the mirror at her reflection. Her black hair which was dripping with water, stayed glued onto her smooth skin, making her look like a goddess - or so she felt. She had washed off her Gothic makeup all that was left was the angelic-looking beauty in the mirror. The innocent-looking face that had ruined her life. She smirked as she turned on her feet and walked out of the bathroom into her room, with only a towel tied around her chest. She got to her dressing table and was about to apply lotion when she heard a knock on the door. Frowning, she went to open the door, wondering who it was. It definitely wasn't her stepmother - as she had warned her to stay off - and it wasn't yet time for her dad to return home. Unless he had been informed of her current mischief. She looked through the peephole and on seeing Shawn, she shuddered. What was he doing here? She opened the door and he walked in. His eyes widened wit
★ One year ago ★The cold evening breeze made her hair flutter as Jade sat on the beach, watching the ocean with Shawn. She placed her head on his shoulders, allowing the peaceful roaring of the ocean and the beating of his heart to soothe her fears.Her parents had divorced when she was nine and her father had remarried immediately. Now, seven years later, her mom wanted to get remarried too. She knew how her father's remarriage had made her feel - like she didn't belong to the family. So, she always looked forward to her week with her mother because, at least, she didn't have to share her mother's love with anyone.But, now that her family had broken completely, she felt there was no place for her anymore. That was why she ran away from home. But, Shawn had come to her and he had convinced her to go back home, explaining to her how he would always be
Jade jerked out of her sleep as she felt the cold water hit her skin. She opened her eyes but all she saw was darkness. The air smelt of tobacco and the place was as silent as a graveyard. She tried to stand up but she couldn't move her body. She wriggled and she noticed that she was tied to something - a chair. Fear gripped her as she began to remember what had happened some minutes - or hours ago. She had been kidnapped.The first thing that came to her mind was to scream. She tried to scream but it was impossible. She had been gagged. Wiggling and shaking the chair violently, she tried to untie her hands and free herself.“Loosen her up.” She heard a cold voice from behind her and almost immediately, she felt someone untie her. The person removed her blindfold and the first thing she saw was her mother lying on the floor in her pool of blood. She sprang up from the seat but fel
★ Present-day ★Shawn sighed as he replied to a text from another of his classmate, asking why he had missed classes. He typed that he had something very urgent to do and once he was done, he would return to school. Then he tossed his phone on the bed and went out to answer his mother's calls.As he walked into the kitchen, he saw her by the sink doing some dishes. She looked so fragile. Her gold and gray hair was tied into a neat bun and she wore an apron around her waist. Her petite figure made her look younger and if not for the wrinkles on her face and the striking resemblance between them, no one would believe she birthed him.He walked toward her and wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace, cuddling his head toward her neck. She gave a light chuckle as she wiped her hands and caressed his hair with one hand.