JADE'S POV
I woke up lying on Vinnie's chest, he was still sleeping. I rolled over and grabbed my phone. It was 3:20 AM. I heard some voices coming from outside so I stepped out of the tent. The fire was still going, I could see four people sitting on the benches.
"Jade!" Avani gasped and everyone looked at me. Apart from her, there were Aaron, Kio, and Chloe.
"Hey babe, you okay?" Chloe asked and I sat on her lap.
"Yeah, I'm good," I smiled at her and looked around. "Where's everyone?"
Avani sighed. "Ant fell asleep like an hour ago. Jaden went to sleep right after you and Vinnie. We basically made him leave. He's a fucking asshole." I nodded.
"And where's Angie? And Troy?" I wondered. I immediately noticed their weird faces. Something was wrong.
"Well..." Avani started slowly. "They're in a tent together."
"What?" I yelped. "He can't be fucking serious!"
"I'm sorry. You know Angie. She was embarrassed after the Jaden situation. She felt really bad. So she was talking to Troy and then he went to sleep and she went after him," Chloe said and hugged me. I sighed.
"And you know Troy. He can't keep it in his pants," Avani remarked and gave me a sad smile.
"That's true," Kio agreed. I ruffled my hair. They're right.
And I was stupid for trusting him.
"Let's go for a walk, sugar," Aaron suggested and I frowned at him.
"It's dark as hell."
"And?" he chuckled and stood up. I rolled my eyes at him and followed him. When we were sure that no one will hear us, he lied down on the grass.
"What the fuck?" I laughed and lied next to him. "So how's Chloe?"
"We don't talk about this," he muttered and I laughed again. "But let's talk about Troy."
"We don't talk about this," I repeated his words.
"Umm... the fuck bitch, yes we do."
"Shut up," I groaned. "I'm obviously a dumbass. What was I thinking? That he really cares about me? Bullshit. I don't believe a word he says from now on."
He sighed. "Look... You can't take it personally-"
"He told me that I'm important to him, that he doesn't wanna disappoint me, Aaron. How can I not take it personally?"
"Wait... he said that?" Aaron frowned. "That's weird."
"I guess." I couldn't shake the thought of Troy and Angie together. "Ugh, not them actually fucking. That's disgusting," I griped.
He laughed and shook his head. I wasn't really sure what was going on in Aaron's mind right now.
Well, not that I was ever sure about that. He's too damn hard to read.
"I hate to say this but... he really cares about you. I've known him for some time and he would never say things like that and not mean it."
"Well, obviously-"
"No, not obviously. Troy's a dick. He's a hoe. He's a player. Whatever. But he's careful with words and he only says stuff he truly means. Think about it. He wants everyone to think that he's a cold-hearted bastard. That he doesn't really care about anything. So when he says you're important to him, you're actually important to him. End of story."
I stared at him for a while before saying anything. "I still don't believe it."
"Fuck you, Jade. You're my best friend. You both are. So shut the fuck up. I wouldn't lie to you about this."
I just shrugged my shoulders. Time to change the subject. "And did you talk to Chloe?"
"Only a few words. I think this ship has sunk," he admitted and I chuckled. "But she's still here for two more days, right?"
I rolled my eyes. "You're a jerk."
We were lying on the grass, laughing and talking shit. We were mocking Jaden and making fun of each other. It was great. He really made me feel better. He always does.
"Can I join you or are you two having a moment?" someone asked, catching our attention. A sweet voice that I could recognize everywhere. Chloe.
I didn't even have to look at Aaron, I just knew he was blushing.
"Sure," I giggled. She lied next to me and I noticed a bottle of wine in her hand.
"I'll leave you guys to it," muttered Aaron and basically ran away from us. I did my best to not laugh.
"Is he avoiding me or something?" Chloe asked confused and drank from the bottle.
"He's just... shy," I explained. I couldn't just say that he has a big crush on her. I would never do that to him.
"Oh. He's kinda sweet though," she said and handed me the wine bottle.
"Yeah, he's the best. Unlike Troy fucking Zarba."
Chloe giggled. "Babe, it's Angie. She's off the chain everytime she sees a white TikTok boy."
"I know. But Troy's an asshole when it comes to girls. So he promised me that he won't flirt with you or her."
"Well, basically he didn't. She flirted with him. She came to him," Chloe clarified. I sighed and she looked at me seriously. "Wait, you don't... you know."
I furrowed my eyebrows and drank the wine again. "What?"
"You don't like him, do you?" she asked carefully.
"No," I laughed. "No. It's just weird. You two are my girls. And I adore him, I really do but he's an ass. You're too good for this, for him."
"Aww, babe." She hugged me really tight. "I was just making sure because you look happy as hell with Vinnie. And I'm so happy for you! You deserve it."
"I guess I'm happy with him." I smiled. "Thanks. I love you, Chloe."
"Love you more."
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I felt someone blowing air on my face. I grunted and rolled over, my eyes still closed. I heard a muffled laugh. I knew what was going on. Vinnie was trying to wake me up.
"Fuck off," I whined. He laughed again, much louder this time.
"You're the worst at waking up, you know that?" he teased me. I just sighed and turned back to him. I opened my eyes. He was glaring down at me with a smirk on his face. His hair was messy but it looked really good. He looked hot.
"Hi," I muttered. Vinnie smiled at me and kissed me softly. I could feel his thumb gently rubbing my cheek.
"Hey," he said, his lips curling into a big smile. I scanned his face slowly, looking for any marks or bruises on his skin. His lip was a little swollen but he seemed fine. I would never guess that he got into a fight last night.
"You look happy this morning," I remarked. He chuckled at my words.
"I am, yeah," he grinned and gave me a quick peck on the lips. "But you know what would make me even happier?"
"What?"
"You giving me head," he smirked. I just rolled my eyes. Unbelievable.
"Sure, in your dreams," I scoffed.
"Relax, I'm just kidding. Or am I?"
I ignored him and looked at my phone. It was almost 9 AM. We were supposed to leave in an hour, or that was the original plan. But like the half of us went to sleep around 5, including me. So who knows...
I pulled my comfy pajama pants down and noticed Vinnie staring at me.
"Can you stop being horny for a sec?"
He frowned. "No."
I just shrugged my shoulders and started changing into a new outfit. He sighed and put his hand on my chin, lifting it up slightly. He looked deeply into my eyes. "I was just kidding, what's wrong?"
"I think Troy and Angie fucked," I whispered. I honestly wasn't sure why it was bothering me so much but it did. And if I even have the right to be mad.
He raised his eyebrows. "Woah... I mean, yeah that's weird. But kinda predictable, I think?"
"I'm probably just fucking gullible, I don't know." Everybody basically said the same thing. No one was even surprised. Only I was.
"No, you can't be mad at yourself for seeing the good in everyone, baby." He kissed my forehead.
"Thanks, Vin... but it's not like that," I replied
"Oh okay. So do you want me to kick his ass?"
I chuckled and took a deep breath. "Whatever, I'm over it."
"Wow, that was fast," he laughed. "Would you get over me that easy, too?"
"Yeah, probably," I joked. He shook his head, trying to hide his little smile.
"Ouch. Remind me not to ever fuck up."
I was avoiding Troy at all costs. Everything was already cleaned up, the tents were packed away and we were just waiting for Anthony who fell asleep at one of the benches.
"Jesus, is he dead?" Kio gasped and Avani just rolled her eyes at him. She was trying to wake him up for five minutes now. He was just rolling over and grunting.
"What the fuck, he's even worse than Jade," Vinnie remarked and winked at me.
"Shit," Avani huffed and sat next to me. "I give up."
"I'm assuming Avani was hella wild last night," Troy laughed. We both looked at him with a death stare.
"And so were you apparently," I hissed. He looked confused because I usually don't speak in that tone of voice with him. He would probably say something back but Aaron was faster.
"Stand back, I'm the CEO of waking people up. Just watch and learn," he told us as he was making his way to Anthony's sleeping spot. He made sure that everyone was watching him and then he pushed Anthony off the bench. We all burst out laughing. Even Jaden - who was grumpy the whole time.
"You fucking idiot!" Anthony screamed.
"You're welcome," Aaron said. "We can finally go home."
Vinnie waved at me and went to his car. The girls and I followed Anthony when someone grabbed my arm. Troy.
"Jade, nothing happened," he explained. I shook him off.
"Yeah, fuck off. I don't believe you," I grumbled and tried to catch up with the others.
I sat in the middle, next to Chloe and Angie. Angie looked lifeless, she told us she's hungover. The ride was weirdly quiet since everyone was too tired to talk. Chloe laid her head on my shoulder.
Avani, on the other hand, had too much energy. She tried to make the ride more entertaining.
"Hey, I made a reservation at Saddle Ranch. We can all go before the party, what do y'all think?"
"Whatever, babes," Anthony replied. She sighed and turned around to look at us.
"Yeah, that'll be fine," I muttered and Chloe nodded.
"Angie?"
"Yeah, fine," she yawned.
"Anyways, what happened between you and Troy?" Avani asked her. She glanced at me to let me know she's sorry for bringing that up. But I knew she was just as curious as the rest of us.
"I don't remember," she mumbled and closed her eyes. She was acting weird but it was probably because she was sick. Avani changed the subject and started making plans for tonight. I loved her enthusiasm even though I was too tired and annoyed. She did all the talking and everyone seemed okay with it.
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2:26 PM
avani🦋
saddle ranch today at 5
aaron💛
no
YES
aaron💛
ok then yes...
😚🥰
husband <3
vinnie
tf calm down
kio
lmao aaron hide so u don't end up like jaden
BTW YES SADDLE RANCH LETS GOOO
avani🦋
alright
what about troy?
aaron💛
idk he locked himself in his room
lol
aaron💛
anyways
aaron💛 named this conversation "troy hate group 💀❌"
aaron💛
we're back baby
vinnie
finally
boy toy named troy
yea im not going lol
aaron💛
??? wtf troy
ugh why not :/
angie's going...
boy toy named troy
knock it off jade
i told u nothing happened
kio
you don't have to lie to us
boy toy named troy
WHY WOULD I LIE
aaron💛
troy hate group rise
avani🦋
are u at least coming to the party?
boy toy named troy
idk
since when do u care abt me lol
avani🦋
im just asking?
boy toy named troy
right
ant
what's going on?
aaron💛
nothing anthony go back to sleep
ant
you bitch my arm still hurts bc of u
aaron💛
not my fault you get bruised easily
vinnie
saddle ranch at 5
thanks vinnie we know
vinnie
need a ride?
i have my own car
vinnie
u sure?
avani🦋
I WAS GONNA PICK U UP JADE
bae okay
vinnie
😐💔
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"Well, this is the famous Saddle Ranch, girls," Avani cheered when we got out of the car.
"That's cool!" Angie marveled. To me, it was more like an overrated place where you could run into every TikToker ever. But yeah, it was cool. Avani talked to some woman who showed us the table. Vinnie and the others were late, as usual.
"I kinda feel like I'm one of the girls now," Anthony joked. I had to laugh. He was always so unbothered.
"Jade?" Angie whispered and I looked at her. We were on good terms again. Well, not that I was mad at her. It was just weird between us. She fell asleep right when we got home from the trip so we didn't have the chance to talk about Troy or anything. She was also acting really distant but I decided to give her some space.
Then when I was getting ready, Angie offered to straighten my hair. "That color looks good on you," she said when I was putting on my favorite pink lipstick.
I smiled at her. "Thanks, Angie." She smiled back but then sighed.
"Listen, I'm sorry about the whole Jaden thing. I'm stupid. I didn't wanna cause you and Vinnie any trouble. And about Troy... I don't even know what happened. He was just being nice to me, that's all."
"I'm not mad at you, babe. It's fine," I replied. "But I'm glad you care."
She hugged me. "Of course I care."
So there was this heartfelt moment and now we're okay. "Yeah?" I whispered back to her. She was so pale, my first guess was that she saw Noah Beck or someone like that.
"PJ's here."
Well, my guess was terribly wrong.
I just stared at her with my eyes wide opened. Fuck, not today. "Where?" I asked and she subtly pointed with her chin at him. He was sitting few tables away from us with Darianka and other people - I only recognized Olivia.
I took a deep breath. They haven't noticed us yet, so I quietly told the others. Chloe put her hand over her mouth. "No fucking way!"
"Not the frog couple again," Anthony muttered and Avani gave him a death stare.
"Well, they really do look like frogs," Chloe confirmed.
I rolled my eyes. "Can we change the subject now please?" I begged. At this point, I was just praying that Vinnie gets here soon. I grabbed my phone and texted him.
5:12 PM
vin
yea baby?
when are you getting here?
be there in 10 or so idk
kio's driving
fuck
well pj's here
no way
this mf gonna get his ass kicked
.........
just hurry pls
im trying
aw ok bye <3
rude
I put my phone back on the table and concentrated on not looking nervous. I was sipping my pink lemonade and checking the time every ten seconds. Angie and Chloe were trying to have a neutral conversation and we were all ignoring Anthony who was making jokes about this whole situation.
"You okay?" Avani asked me and placed her hand on mine. Everyone at the table looked at me.
"Yeah, I just hope they won't come to us," I muttered.
"Well, I'm sure that Vinnie is ready to throw hands, so don't worry," Anthony spoke. "He's definitely ready to duel him. With swords, armor, and stuff, that would be fun. Like medieval times."
"Anthony, baby, not now," Avani whispered.
He just shrugged his shoulders. "By the way, I never apologized for leaving you there alone with him the other night. Sorry. My bladder is pea-sized."
"It's okay, really," I smiled. "I'm kinda glad you did." He smiled back and looked somewhere behind me.
"Look who's here!"
I turned around and saw Vinnie, Aaron, and Kio coming towards us. Troy wasn't kidding, he actually stayed home. Is he already ghosting Angie?
Vinnie leaned in to kiss my forehead but changed his mind at the last minute. "Sorry, we're in public," he whispered. I just nodded because this place was usually filled with hidden reporters and I didn't wanna end up on tiktokroom again.
"We're here to rescue you!" Aaron grinned at me. I mouthed "thank you" as he was sitting down. Well, I'm sure they noticed us now.
Kio looked annoyed and tense. I was pretty sure it was because of Olivia. "What is this? National ex day?" he spat out and I had to hide my smile. We all knew that Kio wasn't over Olivia. I don't blame him, we all have been there. (Except for Aaron, probably.)
The vibes were immaculate. We were discussing everything that happened last night. Aaron wasn't as shy as he was yesterday, he was cracking his usual stupid jokes and I was laughing almost the whole time.
Vinnie clenched his jaw when it came to the Jaden topic. I could tell it was bothering him. That Jaden was obviously getting on his nerves. I couldn't blame him, it was pretty fucked up of him to go and try to kiss me.
Obviously, we weren't together. But everyone around us knew about the "fuck buddies" situation going on between us. I told him I didn't want a relationship multiple times and he understands. In fact, he told me that he feels the same way.
I was just looking out for myself. It sounds stupid but LA changed me. I found new people, new opportunities and started over. I realized that PJ isn't the only boy in the whole world. Yeah, he did me dirty and it still hurts when I think about it but I know I deserve better. I deserve someone who treats me well. But it's hard to trust someone after everything that PJ has done to me.
I could feel Vinnie's hand gripping my thigh. He always did that when we were in public. Sneaky touches, little glances, trying to be unnoticed by the others. We were careful. Our supporters were of course suspecting something, we just never gave a clear answer. We were ignoring all the comments about us, we weren't interacting together on social media as much anymore. We never answered questions about our relationship.
We just wanted to keep things private. It's not like I could tweet "hey I'm fucking Vinnie btw" and expect to not be eaten alive by his fans.
Anyways... I was having a pretty good time, having my second pink lemonade, eating my veggie tacos, subtly flirting with Vinnie... Until Darianka decided to approach our table. I almost choked when I saw her, honestly.
"Hey guys, what a coincidence!" smiled Darianka as she came to our table. "We should definitely hang out soon. Last time was fun, right?"
Anthony was chewing his food, he probably didn't even notice them. I heard Aaron chuckle.
"Sure, yeah," Avani muttered and forced a smile.
Darianka looked at me and Vinnie. "You should come too." But her voice wasn't as sweet as it was when she was talking with Avani. I wanted to say something snarky but PJ was faster. He noticed that his girlfriend was talking to us and went to see what's going on.
"Oh, a high school reunion," he grinned at us. I could see that Vinnie was not okay with this at all. "How are y'all doing?"
"We're doing good," Chloe said. "What about you? How are you doing since you dumped the greatest person ever?"
I widened my eyes as so did everyone at the table. I saw Kio trying not to laugh. Vinnie was pissed that PJ was talking at us. Darianka frowned.
"I've been doing good," PJ bragged. He's been stealing glances at me the whole time. "What about you, Jade? You're still with Vinnie as I can see."
He finally looked directly at me. I felt my heart drop when I looked into his eyes. "Yeah. We're doing good, thanks for asking," I responded sharply.
PJ snickered. The tension in this room was so damn thick. "Yes, Jaden did say that."
"Maybe you should stay out of our business and worry about your own relationship for once," Vinnie snapped. I was surprised by this and judging by the expressions of everyone at this table, so were they.
"I'm perfectly happy in my relationship," PJ replied with a sassy smirk.
"Oh, that's why you were texting Jade, right?"
"Vinnie..." I hissed. He wasn't even paying attention to me, he was just giving PJ death stares.
"I was texting her to make sure she's okay. Because I hurt her and I feel bad about it," PJ explained.
"Wow, such a hero," Vinnie scoffed.
"Don't know what your problem is, Vinnie... but you should grow up."
Vinnie frowned. "I have no problem with you, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Can you two stop fucking arguing?" I stepped in. "Thanks for checking on us."
"I was just being nice," Darianka sobbed. She had tears in her eyes. But PJ didn't even give a fuck. He was still watching Vinnie. So she just turned around and left.
"Bye PJ!" Aaron growled.
"Bye," he just muttered and left. Everyone was so confused. Shit, I was confused as hell. What was that even about? Why would they come here? Why would PJ come here?
"Wow, that was embarrassing..." Avani said and I nodded.
"Fucking asshole," Aaron sputtered. "You okay, sugar?"
"Yeah, whatever." Vinnie squeezed my thigh even harder.
"I'm sorry," he said. I smiled at him. I couldn't be mad at him. He was protecting me. Besides, PJ deserved it.
"If we weren't in public I'd kiss you right now," I whispered.
"If we weren't in public, I'd fuck the shit out of you right now."
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hi baes!!!
i just wanna thank y'all for 130k reads <3
literally wtf you're the best ever!!!
and all those funny comments i love them sm
this chapter has 3706 words and nothing even happens 😭🤚 bye asf