Wounded Not Defeated

14: Jade

"You have Iss for a week!? What the fuck did you do??"
"I told Mrs. Lindatary to basically fuck off..."
"JADE!"
"Okay not baseically.. I did."
"Jade Crystal Vega!"
"Yes.. Mommy?"
"You are grounded for a very long time, I will-"
"Take my phone and send me to my room. And if I don't straighten up you will kick me in my teeth, but only metaphorically because you don't beat your children. Anything that I missed?"
"Gr. I really need to come up with better threats. That you can't recite back to me."
"It's not my fault you are predictable.."
"Jade, shut up." She joked and smiled, "What the fuck would I do if I did have you?"
"You would still have some sanity left." I laughed,
"Yeah, really." She said seriously,
"Uh! Whatever!"
"I'm kidding, deary, I love you."
"Love you too, mommy"

'In the end as we fade into the night, ohh whoaa.'

"Hello?"
"Jade?"
"Who is this?"
"Arianna."
"Oh, hi! I haven't talked to you in forever."
"I know I was surprised your number was still the same."
"Yeah, I don't get it changed a lot or at all actually." I chuckle, "So what's up?"
"Well I was thinking that maybe we could hang out some time, or today, I don't know.."
"Today is good, what time?"
"I don't know, meet me at the park in 10 minutes."
"Okay." I say, picking up my straightener and changing out of my pj's.
"Alright, see you soon!"

Click!

I take my hair out of a messy bun and section it off. I straighten the first layer, then the second. After I finish I put my black beanie on and look in the mirror. Sleeping with Sirens band shirt, black ripped jeans, converse. I think I look okay. I check my phone, I have 8 minutes, I grab a sweatshirt and walked downstairs.
"Hey mom,"
"Hey, where are you going love?"
"Oh, I'm going to the park to meet an old friend." I said smiling,
"Oh, is it a boy?" She teased, smiling,
"Nope, Arianna."
"Really?" She says surprised, I nod, "Well tell her I said hi. Wow, I'm glad you guys are reconnecting."
"Same, bye mom."
"Bye, let me know when you're coming home!" She called,
"Okay bye!" I say closing the door and start walking to the park. It's all quiet until I hear sirens. I look around in every direction and an ambulance zooms by me from behind me. 'Huh? I wonder what happened' I walk to the park and Ariana is sitting on the bench swinging her feet.
"Arianna?"
"Hey." She says with a smile and a short wave. She looks so different.
"Hi. Is this seat taken?" I said with a smile,
"Nope, you can park." She said chuckling,
"I'm now parked," I laughed, "So what's up?"
"Nothing, I just felt that I never properly apologized, I mean we said a lot of stuff and it got out of hand and you apologized and I never really did. I just said sorry in a bitchy tone. And I don't mean to like bring all it back up again because its been a year, right? But anyways, it's way over due for me to give you a heart filled apology. And I just really miss being your partner in crime," She smiled,"And I-"
"I accept your apology. 100% and you can stop beating yourself up for being a bitch, because I was a really big bitch to you. Like me calling you out on being a liar, I'm sure your parents never beat you. I just thought you were just making excuses. And that's basically what the whole fight was about, right? I'm sorry for ever accusing you of being a liar."
"No! Stop! This is why I was debating on doing this because I want to tell you truth and I didn't want you to apologize for anything because I was in the wrong! This is all my fault, you shouldn't have to apologize for something you didn't even do wrong!"
What did she mean to tell me the truth? So I was right? She was just making excuses for them? She started crying,
"It's true. You were right. About my parents. It started when I was twelve."
I could believe it.
"No. No they didn't. You're lying. How could they? Their own daughter? How? Why? And you don't report them? You just took it all. And I wasn't there for you at all. I just walked by you while inside you were struggling. You just kept smiling, and covered your wounds. You're spending the night at my house."
"I can't, they won't let me. I snuck out to come here."
"You need to report them."
"No." She started crying again. She wiped her face and I saw the bruising on her jaw.
"Who did that? Mom or dad."
"Joe."
"I don't blame you."
"Don't blame me for what?"
"Not calling them mom and dad."
"Oh."
"They need to reported."
"No!"
"Why not?" I say starting to get mad,"They could possibly kill you!"
"I know." She said in a small voice, fighting more tears that were coming,
"Why won't you?"
"Because, I just can't okay!" She yelled, getting up and throwing a rock. "I just! Can't." She starts to cry and crumble, so I hug her and hold her up.
"I love them so much, I don't want to see them be hurt. They're my mommy and daddy. I can't report them. I can't. I can't." She kept repeating I can't.
"If you can't then I can." I say but quickly adding on,
"If you want to."
"I don't."
"That's alright, for now I guess. If anything gets too horrible, unbearable, whatever, just call me okay?" I say wiping her tears,
"Okay,"
After that we had a conversion about clothes and hairstyles, then to music, bands, and band merch. She loves the band Of Mice & Men and Falling in Reverse. She told me I have changed a lot from a year ago. I'm more quiet, she was surprised when I told her I read books, and she said I've matured a lot. Then we hugged and I started walking home by myself. I pull my jacket up on my face more and watch the road as I trip over my feet and land face first into the pavement.