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 with embarrassment as soon as he saw her and he tried to leave the room but Jade shut the door. She found it funny seeing his face turn red in embarrassment.
"Why are you here, Bucket?"
"I.. Uhm... I uh... I.. I.." Shawn stuttered, trying to get rid of the silly thoughts in his mind.
"You haven't gone home, have you?" She teased, noticing how he still wore the same clothes from school.
"No, I haven't," Shawn confirmed, turning his back toward her as seeing her in only a towel was making him uncomfortable. "I wanted to talk with you. You have to stop what you're doing. It may seem harmless, but you're hurting a lot of people."
"That's their cup of tea, not mine." Jade shrugged, slightly disappointed that her game wasn't working anymore.
"How can you say that? Knowing how many people you've hurt, even Principal Dolan." Shawn criticized, a little annoyed over her calmness.
Jade shrugged. "I just gave him a new makeover. Stop making it sound like I made him cry."
Shawn burst out. Jade was simply being outrageous. "Yes, you did. Principal Dolan fu... Principal Dolan cried."
Jade smirked. "Impressive."
Shawn turned to face her, visibly annoyed. He couldn't believe how much she had changed over the past year. "Impressive? That's all you have to say?"
Jade replied calmly. "Well yes. But, I doubt that's what you came here for." She curved her lips up in a naughty smile as she put her arms around Shawn's shoulders. "I feel you came here because you're attracted to me."
"No way. That's... That's impossible." Shawn stuttered, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment again. His heartbeat became uncontrollable as Jade leaned closer to him. She tilted his head down until his ear was just right beside her mouth, then she whispered:
"Well, let me tell you something, Bucket. You're not attracted to me because we're opposites. You're attracted to me because we're both broken." And, with that she let him go.
Seeing him rush of the room like a deer being chased by a tiger, Jade gave a light smile and went back to the dressing table. After applying cream to her body and wearing a pair of shorts with a tank top, she lay down on her bed watching the ceiling. Soon she drifted off into a deep sleep. And there, the memories came.
★ 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.
Jade glared at the door, her jaw and fists clenched and her muscles tense, wishing that the person on the other side of it would go away. She wanted to be alone. She needed to be alone. Especially after the memories that had flooded her brain, ruining her sleep.The knocks on the door continued in a rhythmic pattern and she stood up and walked angrily to the door. Muttering to herself that she would slap the maid if she were the one at the door, she reached to open it. Her father was away on a business trip and her 'very annoying stepmother' had gone to visit her mother so she and the maid were the only ones in the house.She pressed the handle and pulled the door open - trying to keep herself from slapping the person at the door - to see Shawn standing at her door. His gold hair was in a messy state and his green eyes looked troubled. Jade took a deep breath to calm herself before asking the 'handsome stranger' why he show
"Hey! Hey!! Bucket!!!" Jade whispered as she tapped a sleeping Shawn. He shrugged away her hand and changed his sleeping position. Giving an evil smirk, she stood up and walked into the restroom. She wet a face towel and took it into the room. She took one look at Shawn as he lay on the bed, clinging onto the pillow, before placing the wet towel over his face.Shawn jumped up from the bed immediately and she burst into laughter. He had a confused look on his face as he stared blankly at her. After a few seconds, he remembered where he was and began rubbing his eyes and face, trying to get rid of the traces of drool.Jade laughed a bit more before standing up and walking to the door. She opened the door then turned back to look at him, still amused at his naivety. "Wash up and come out for breakfast. I've decided on what I want you to do." She mused before walking away and closing the door.Shawn breathed a sigh of relief
Shawn could feel the cool humid air rolling down from under a forested hillside, making his hair flutter. He could smell the road dust, the oil, the exhaust, the herby scent of weeds and wildflowers on the roadside. He could hear the humming of songbirds and the whirring of the motorcycle beneath him.He could also feel the bike rumbling and vibrating underneath him and each time he leaned with Jade to tilt the bike, he felt like it was a part of him. Even though he had been scared at first, when he wrapped his arms around Jade's waist, he had felt safer. And for the first time in his life, he felt alive. He felt free.The bike came to a stop at a mall and he released Jade. A surge came running in his head and he felt nauseous. He practically jumped off the bike and ran into the restroom to spill out his guts. After he was done, he flushed the toilet and rinsed his face.He saw his reflection in the mirror and cringed at i
Shawn's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he stared at Jade. She was wearing the violet-colored gown he had picked out for her. He hadn't expected her to wear the dress but she did and she was looking stunning in it. The shade matched her skin color and together with her messy bun and bright eyes, Shawn felt she looked like a doll.His lips curled up into a smile as he noticed the contrast between the bitchy Goth at school and his adorable best friend. She looked a thousand times friendlier than she did wearing all that Gothic stuff.She walked toward him and he opened his mouth to say a compliment but he was cut short by a hit on his forehead. He grunted, placing his hand on his head as he watched the girl who had just jumped up to slap him, roll her eyes at him.“What? It's beautiful and it suits you.” He defended, glad that she had worn it.Jade scoffed, still
Soon, the taxi arrived at their destination - Dreamyland Amusement Park. They got of the taxi and walked into the park. Jade excused herself and went to pay for tickets, leaving Shawn to admire the place.Shawn felt emotional as he looked around. The park was just like he'd imagined it to be. From the smell of candy in the air and the colorful environment to the costumed characters walking around the park, it was almost how he'd imagined it to be. The only slight difference was that it was a Wednesday and there weren't many people at the park.He took a deep breath in as he thought of how he'd longed to visit here. How his parents had made empty promises to him whenever he'd asked them to take him. How he'd forced himself to believe he had no interest in these things anymore but deep down, he knew he still longed for it.But, as he stood there, knowing he could finally satisfy the longing, he couldn't h