Imagine [UNEDITED, ON HOLD]

Chapter 2: Jade

"I missed you, Pickle," my dad said as he hugged me tightly. "Happy seventh birthday!"
"You're late," my mum said.
"Just a few minutes, Norma, it's okay," he told her.
She sighed. "Just bring her back on time tomorrow, okay?"
He rolled his eyes but nodded. I hugged my mum goodbye. "Have a good night, Jadey."
"I love you."
"I love you more."
"I love you most."
I smiled as we recited our usual, one of my favourite scenes from the movie Tangled.
We walked to his truck like usual, and drove to his flat. On the ride over he quizzed me about my life. How's school? Fine. Is Niall still your friend? Of course. Karl's doing alright, yeah? Yep. He's busy away at his school, though. It's a boarding school.
Since he was a bit late, it was already dark by the time we got to my dad's flat. "Do you want to just eat now?"
"Yeah, that's fine," I told him.
"How's your mother doing?" he asked as he cut me a slice of lasagna.
"She's okay," I said. He placed a piece of garlic bread on my plate and cracked open a beer.
"Is it okay just the two of you?" he said anxiously.
"Yeah. I have Niall and she's home a lot because she works from home now," I explained.
"Well, good. That's good."
"Yeah."

"Sorry I was late, Jadey," he said. I smiled and told him it was fine. "But happy birthday! You're eight years old already!"
My mum appeared behind me and crossed her arms. "Be back promptly tomorrow, okay, James?" She turned to me. "You be good and remind him, Pickle. He seems to have a habit of being late nowadays, suppose."
"Forget it, Norma."
I laughed and kissed my mum's cheek goodbye. "I love you."
"I love you more," she replied.
"I love you most."
Once we got to my dad's flat, he pulled out his phone almost immediately. "Oh."
"What?"
"It's just, my mates want to see me. But it's okay. You're here. You're more important," he promised.
A few minutes later he said, "Jadey? I'm going to pop in for a minute, but I'll be back in half an hour, okay? I'll bring dinner as well."
"Okay. Can I watch tv?"
"Of course."
I put in Harry Potter, the first one and sat watching it. Then I put in the second one. It only occurred to me when I put in the fourth that the movies were two hours. I'd seen three of them, which meant my dad said he'd be back five and a half hours ago. I went into the kitchen. It was already midnight, a little past.
I just sat at the dinner table and waited for him to come home. I guess I fell asleep, because I woke up to cursing and the door being shoved open. I sat up.
My dad stumbled in.
"Dad?" I asked.
He rubbed his eyes, they were bloodshot, and the air reeked of alcohol and smoke. "Jadey? What're you doing here?"
"You said you'd be back," I reminded him.
"Oh, right. It's your birthday." His words were slurred. "Just go to bed or something. I need a drink."
He pushed his way into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of wine, draining it in five seconds and pouring another.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yes, Jade."
"Okay. I'm sort of hungry, though," I told him.
"You didn't eat?"
"You said you'd be back with dinner in half an hour," I said.
"You're eight years old, you can get your own damn dinner," he growled at me, taking another drink of wine. He topped off his cup. "Now get the hell into your room and put your ass in bed."
"Can I just have a sandwich or something? I can make it myself, I swear," I said quickly. "I'm just hungry, that's all. Then I'll go right to bed, I promise."
He stood up and walked towards me, his posture threatening. "Didn't I just say for you to go to bed?" He asked. Then he laughed. "Yeah, I did." His hand flashed out and slapped me across the face. "So do as I say, and get in bed."
"Okay," I whispered. I didn't move, too scared to, my cheek still stinging a lot. He put his hands on my shoulder and turned me around, shoving me roughly.
I felt my feet carry me into my room and I closed the door. I collapsed on my bed and started crying.
"Jade, it's okay," Niall said. I turned. He'd appeared there.
"He doesn't love me anymore," I whispered to him.
"Of course he does, he's just drunk right now. He's not himself," he told me.
"He promised he'd be back soon."
"It's okay," Niall said again, he hugged me and wiped my tears away as I fell asleep.

"He was supposed to be here three hours ago," Karl hissed. "Just face it, Jade, he's not coming."
"He'll come," I promised myself.
"Grow up!" he yelled at me. "It's your ninth birthday, you're old enough to realize that dad is just an alcoholic who's too drunk to get his ass over here to collect his daughter for her birthday! When's the last time he's called you? He doesn't love you and he doesn't care about you. Wake up already, okay?"
"Karl!" My mum said.
Karl snapped out of it. "I'm sorry. Jade. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. Of course he's going to come, okay? He will, don't worry."
I waited for him on the couch and talked with Niall until my mum came up to me. "Jade, it's time for bed. You've been waiting here for five hours. I think you should go to sleep. I'm so sorry."
I just nodded and went upstairs. For the second birthday, Niall wiped away my tears as I fell asleep.

"Maybe Karl's right. Maybe my dad doesn't love me."
"Don't say that," Niall said.
"But what if it's true! He didn't even call after my birthday to say anything. And my eighth birthday...well, you know what happened."
"You're actually worried about this?" Niall asked.
"Yes," I admitted. "Next week is my tenth birthday. What if he doesn't come at all like last year?"
"Jade, you need to know something important," Niall blurted out.
"What?"
"Onyourtenthbirthdayileaveyouandicantseeyouagain," he said really quickly.
"What?"
"When you turn ten, you're too old for an imaginary friend. For a guardian angel. You're old enough to be by yourself," he told me.
I blinked, tears starting to form in my eyes. "You mean...next week you'll be gone? Forever?"
"Maybe not forever. But for a good long while," he admitted.
"But...friends forever."
"Jade, your forever is different then mine," he whispered. "You'll die. I won't. Not again. You'll forever be my best friend, in my heart and in my head, but not in real life. Not anymore."

"Just relax. Go to sleep. I'll be here for tonight, our last night," Niall assured me. "Well, I guess just my last night."
So I did, convincing myself it was a dream and that Niall would be there the next day. But when I woke up, I was alone, and no matter how much I cried and begged him to come back, he didn't.
Only when I cried myself to sleep again because my dad didn't show up for me(for the second time), did I accept that Niall was gone.
Just like my dad was pulling himself out of my life.