Three is a crowd

Chapter 28

Currently Jade was lying on the couch occasionally sipping Celia's homemade lemonade after Celia had driven her to her apartment. It tasted bitter but Jade didn't want to seem rude so she tried not to gag every time she took a sip.

Celia and Jade were alone and Jade was grateful for the time alone as it meant she would get time to talk to Celia, something she hadn't done in a while.

"So, what happened back there?" Celia asked and Jade sat up sighing loudly.

She knew Celia would be direct and straightforward about the issue. She just didn't know what exactly she was going to say.

"I was a really mean bitch," Jade began.

"Aren't you always?" Celia joked and Jade cracked a small smile.

"Gosh I don't even know where to begin," Jade groaned burying her face into her hands.

"Just start wherever," Celia replied and Jade nodded.

She started from the very beginning telling Celia about how her 'friendship' with Damon had budded, how Nevaeh had called her a narcissist behind her back and how her almost relationship with Damon had ended. Jade did not leave out the part that she downplayed everything that had happened between her and Damon like it was all just a game to her which to some extent it was.

"That was really harsh," Celia said when Jade was done and Jade's heart sank which made her bury her head in her hands again.

"I know I know –"

"– but Damon had no right to call you out on your shit in front of Peter. It's clear he wanted to cause trouble and you put him in his place. In the grander scheme of things all you did was defend yourself from being attacked by that jerk. I don't blame you for reacting that way at all."

Jade cracked a smile unable to hide the amount of relief that she felt knowing that Celia didn't think she was some troll that was meant to be condemned somewhere away.

"Do you think I should confront Nevaeh?" Jade asked after a moment of silence had descended upon them.

"Yeah, you should talk to her and fix things between the two of you."

Jade nodded. Sooner or later she would need to talk to Nevaeh. It was impossible to continue avoiding her. Unconsciously Jade found her hands massaging her temples and she realized that her head was aching probably from thinking too much.

"You good?" Celia asked noticed the frown lines that had appeared on Jade's forehead.

Jade nodded but she felt terrible as she saw the concern etched on Celia's face. She hadn't bothered to check on Celia after the Her drama which probably made her a bad friend.

"Enough about me, what's going on with you and Her, are you two on good terms now?" Jade said with a smile throwing all thoughts about Damon, Peter and Nevaeh to the back of her mind.

"Well the car arrived yesterday –" Celia began but she was cut off by Jade's gushing.

"- Shut up, you mean it's in the garage?" Jade asked excitedly almost jumping out of her seat and Celia nodded. "You are so lucky -"

Jade stopped when she noticed that Celia didn't look as excited. Instead she looked really sad which sobered Jade's mood.

"The car arrived yesterday," Celia repeated her words and Jade felt bad for interjecting before Celia had finished her train of thought. "but my relationship with Her is on the rocks."

Jade wasn't expecting that so she froze and watched a lone tear escape Celia's eyes. When Jade finally attempted to move over Celia lifted her manicured hand with the intention of telling her to remain where she was sitted.

"I'm done Jade, I'm really done but I can't leave. I'm stuck, it's like the more I try to break free the more I entangled I get. I want to leave so bad Jade, I'm tired and I'm done being Her's little secret fantasy. I want something real. I want to love and be loved. I want someone to fight with me and disagree with me when we disagree not someone who throws a shit load of money in my face and tells me to be mature," Celia paused and hastily wiped the few tears that had escaped.

It broke Jade's heart seeing Celia like that but there was nothing she could really do to take her pain away. It was up to Celia to leave, move on and get better.

"Suddenly the money isn't worth it anymore," Celia said.

Jade remained silent. What could she say?