The Perfect Storm 3

Chapter 214

I slowly release my hold and so does Jace, making me realize that I was standing on my toes to reach his height, something I haven't done with him before.

I didn't realize that at our age, growth can still occur like that, he feels like a completely new Jace. Have I changed? Or have I just gotten worse?

"Oh, uh . . . your . . . girlfriend." I try not to stumble over my words too much but it ends up coming out like I'm being rude toward her.

"Hi, Rosie. I'm, um . . . I'm Madison." I try my best to smile and she returns it.

"Hello." She's so polite.

I didn't notice it before but her hair is dark and long like mine but her eyes are brown and her skin is much more fair.

"That's a very pretty necklace," Rosie says and I give her a warm smile.

"Thank you, Jace—" I stop myself.

"It's a friendship necklace." I correct myself and she smiles. I look at Jace who gives me a small knowing smile, thanking me for not bragging about our friendship.

"Oh, what a wonderful pie," Nancy exclaims as she looks both at me and the pie I unconsciously placed beside me when hugging Jace. I quickly grab the see-through large bowl with the aluminum on top and hand it to Nancy.

"Yeah, I thought I'd do something nice for today," I explain and she gives me a kind smile and a long hug that makes me realize that something terrible is really happening, and it's not just something that only I know, because that way I'd be able to ignore it; but I cant.

"Please, have a seat, I'll cut us some pie before we all leave, okay?" Nancy gives me a sympathetic smile and I can see she's trying to resist from giving me another tight hug. 

I've known Nancy my whole life, just like I've known Jace and I know that if it were up to her she'd be sitting with me in her lap, crying along with me about my mother's death. 

Not only did I loose my mother, but Nancy also lost her friend and I can only try my best to respect her sorrow and not let her cry and ruin her perfectly made face. 

She sniffles and I automatically assume that what she's cutting is making her do that but then I realize her nose is red and so are her eyes; she must have been sniffling all day; trying to hold it all back.

"Why don't you give Jace's grandparents a slice?" She wipes below her eye, not letting a drop of mascara smudge her cheek. I nod before grabbing two white plates and turning around and out of the kitchen.

"Mom, I can do that just fine—" Jace begins but I shake my head.

"I want to." I smile and so does he. I nod before passing Jace and Rosie who just looks at me with a small smile. I give her one back and then make my way down the small hall and open the bedroom at the very end. I open the door slowly, making sure they're not awake and see Jace's grandma's bright smile, her white fluffy hair stares back at me as she takes in the pie and my smile.

"Oh, Ron is asleep, you don't have to bother with him." She shakes her head while I place the pie next to Ron's small night stand. I nod and hand her her pie. I sit besides her and she smiles widely, trembling with her hands in order to get a small pice but she manages and her hands suddenly stop trembling.

"I'm very, very sorry for your loss." She leans her hair sideways and then stops everything she's doing with the pie and places it on her nightstand.

"I should have gone, instead of sweet Angela, it should have been me." She says, her eyes fragile; everything about her fragile.

"Oh, no, please don't say that, you mean just as much to me . . . I wouldn't have wanted you gone either, who would have comforted me?" As the words leave me both of us start shedding a few tears and then it seems out of control.