I was attempting to gobble down a cherry flavored Pop-Tart when I heard the doorbell ring. "I'll get it." I said, with my mouth full. I have grown so accustomed to my mother and Frank not being home that I do everything myself now. I walked to the front door and opened it to see Jade standing there. She was dressed in a bodycon style dress that was a baby pink color. Her hair was done up in ponytails and she was wearing the same color matching platforms. "Can we talk?" She asked, not letting me get a word in first. "I actually have some plans this morning, can it wait until after school at least?" I questioned. I could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't going to settle for that suggestion. Her silence served as an answer. "Let me get my stuff and we can talk about it on the drive over." I said, walking away from the door. I grabbed my bag. "No backpack today?" Jade asked as I was stepping out of the house. "Coming from the girl who's using a heart shaped mini backpack." I said, smiling. She just rolled her eyes. "My plans don't really include attending school today." I said as we stepped away from the door. She wrinkled her brow, following me.
We took my car. Jade had confessed that she took an Uber to my house, not leaving me with much choice other than taking her. "Where is this place?" She asked as we were traveling along the highway. I sighed. "Okay." She said, not pushing the subject any further. I wasn't being difficult on purpose, but I couldn't figure out how to phrase the words correctly without her thinking I was a complete nutbag. "A medium." I finally said as we were exiting the highway. "Are you ordering food? I don't see a drive thru anywhere around." She said, looking at me. "No. A medium is a person—" "Who has contact with the other side, yeah. I know what they are. I was just fucking with you." She said. "What do you need to see a medium for?" She asked. "It was Tommy's suggestion. I want to see Shayne again." I said. She was silent for a minute. "It's okay if you think it's a stupid idea." I said. "I don't think it's stupid. I think it's perfectly logical." Jade said. "Logical?" I said as we pulled up to a stoplight. "Well, logical emotion, but it does make sense." She said.
We pulled onto a street marked LaChapelle. The Heights in LA is a shifty area. Definitely not a place where snowbunnies like us would be caught. Unfortunately, Madam LeVoue was the name on the card and the address listed was just west of The Heights. We pulled up to another stoplight. There were no cars coming. "Run it." Jade said. "The light's still red..." I commented. "Do you see those guys standing right there?" She asked, pointing to two men standing across the way. They looked rugged, skinny and nearly homeless. "What about them?" I asked. "The longer we sit here, waiting for this fucking light to turn green, the more we're at risk." "Risk for what?" I asked. "Run the fucking red light and you will never know." She said. I double checked both ways again before blowing through the intersection.
"My brother used to deal dope down here when he was younger. He talked about not wanting to come down here with women because it isn't safe." Jade said. "This is just going to be a quick visit." I said as we passed through another stoplight. We rolled into a neighborhood that was on the lower end, just on the other side of the overpass. I could feel myself getting nervous. We pulled up to a house that was painted a very faded purple color with green trim. Most of the paint was rotting off the boards from sun damage. The flower bed in the front beside the fence was a gorgeous green with pink petunies and oleanders growing inside. The grass around it was completely yellowed and had turned to dust. We pulled into the driveway and got out.
"What are ya doin' here?" a voice asked from beyond the darkened screened in porch. We paused at the junction where the sidewalk and the stairs met. "A friend of mine gave me your card. He said you could help me." I said, reaching into my purse and finding the card. I held it up. I heard the creaking of wood on wood followed by the lightness of heels against the grain. "You girls don't belong here." She said. "This neighborhood? Full o' men who'd love to get there hands on beauties like you." She said. "Please, you have to help me." I said. She sighed, pushing the wooden screen door open. "Both of you, inside." She said. We walked up the steps and onto the porch.
The inside of the house was dimly lit. Lamp shades were covered with veils to add some color to the atmosphere. Different effigies lined the walls. There was a certain buzzing hanging around the air that I couldn't put my finger on. Madam LeVoue herself was a gorgeous woman. She had dark black skin. Her hair was woven together tightly, but there was a veil tied around the crown of her head. It was clear that she was an older woman, but it was unclear how old. "Follow me." She said. We both started back when she stopped Jade. "Not you." She said. "Daemon!" She shouted. The hinges of a door creaked softly and footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway. A young man emerged from the hallway. He was about six feet tall with lighter looking skin. His eyes were a green color and his teeth were perfectly straight when he smiled. "You called?" He asked. His mother motioned for him to come to her. He walked over. She said something to him and he looked over at Jade. "Have a seat." He said, motioning to the chair.
"You, come with me." Madam LeVoue said. She passed through this curtain and I followed her. The scent of jasmine hung heavily in the air. There were various candles positioned all over the room. There was a large round table in the center with chairs all around. "Does it matter where I sit?" I asked. She ignored me at first, walking over to a corner of the room and digging through a drawer. It was not well enough illuminated for me to see what she was doing. She turned around and sat at the head of the table. "Sit here." She said, motioning to the chair at the right of her. I walked over and sat down. "Do you have something of the person's?" She asked. I reached into my purse and pulled out the slot machine. I placed it on the table. "You are a very pained person..." she said. She moved her hand over the slot machine. "There's so much pain all over this..." She said. I swallowed thickly. She picked it up, sighing. "What is his name?" She asked. "Shayne..." I said.
"Ever done one of these before?" Daemon asked. He was shuffling through the deck of cards. "Once or twice." Jade said. She was sitting on the edge of the chair, with her arms resting on the table, folded. "You don't seem like the type to be in a place like this." He said. "I'm not afraid of these things if that's what you're insinuating." She said. He handed her the cards. "Shuffle them three times." He said. Jade took the cards from him, beginning to shuffle them around.
"What is it you're looking for?" She asked me. "Closure...and maybe to say some things that I didn't." She pulled the lid off the box that was sitting before her. She took a pinch out of the box and sprinkled it into the teacup next to the box. "Drink this to thin the veil." She said. She pushed the teacup towards me. I was ambivalent at first, not knowing what could happen. I swallowed the fear away and took a drink of the tea. At first, I didn't feel the effects. Then Madam's voice started to fade in and out. "You only have a few minutes. It will seem like an eternity, but it is a very short time here in our world." She said. Her voice was wavering and becoming distorted. "What's happening to me?" I asked. I reached up, rubbing my eyes. "Remember his name. That's all that's important. I will pull you back when the time comes." She said.
Daemon took the cards back from Jade as she was done shuffling them. "Five cards." He said. Keeping them in his hand, he started to deal them out on the table in front of her. "There's a disagreement in your life. A personal one." He said. "My father doesn't agree with my choice of work." Jade said. He placed down another card. "Sexual tension. Maybe someone is angry you don't want to have sex with them." Jade scoffed. "If they are, they're being quiet about it." Another card. "Whoever this person is...you're in love with them." Daemon said. Another card. "The two of you have fallen away from each other." The final card. "Twin destructive paths could bring the two of you back together." He said. It became clear that he was talking about Donnie. "I'm going to question the accuracy of that reading." Jade said. He smiled. "The cards never lie." He said. She gathered up the cards, shuffling them together. "You pick a card then." She said. He raised a brow. She kept the cards in her hand as he reached forward and slid a card off the top. He turned it towards her. "Sexual tension again." He said.
I gasped softly as I felt the sun beaming down across my brow. It was bright, but there was no heat coming off the atmosphere. I sighed as my eyes fluttered open. I was sitting on a bench in the middle of a lovely looking green park. I looked across at the people who were walking on the sidewalk.
Everyday at 2:30, Shayne would walk past the park on the way coming home from being out an about. He'd be walking and almost every single time, his shoes would be untied. Every day, he'd stop at the same break in the hedge where the park was and bend over to tie the shoe. It never failed. As he was walking along, he looked down and realized his laces were untied. He sighed. "Again..." He grunted, pausing to bend over and tie his shoe. As he was standing up and beginning to step forward, another body smashed into his. "Oof! I'm so sorry!" He apologized. It was the most he'd spoken since arriving. He looked up to meet a beautiful pair of eyes.
The shock was almost too much, seeing him again. "Gill?" he said. His fucking voice still sounds so perfect when he says my lips. "Shayne..." I said, softly. "Oh no. No. No no no." He said, reaching out and grabbing my shoulders. "What the fuck happened? You can't be here!" He shouted. "Calm down. I'm not here like that." I said. "You shouldn't be here at all." He said. I reached up, placing my hands on his face. "Shut up." I said, pulling him forward and kissing him. His hands moved to my shoulders as the kissing started to get a little more passionate. He still tastes the same as I remember. He pulled back just for a second, heavy breaths tainting his lips. "Come home with me." He said. I nodded my head.
Before I knew it, Shayne and I were crashing through the front door of his simple home. We stumbled through the entryway with nothing to trip over except our own bodies and feet. It was so nice to see the fluster of Shayne's cheeks. We didn't even make it to the bedroom. We went straight for the couch, with Shayne falling back onto it and taking me with him. I pushed myself up, beginning to shed myself of my t-shirt. Shayne remained seat, just as eagerly stripping off his clothes. Seconds later, I was seated on his lap, hips rolling forward and backward. His hands flanked my shoulder blades, moving upward to secure a hand around the back of my neck. He pulled me down to meet his lips. Moments later, we were laying on the plush carpeting, cuddled up together.
The egg timer ticked softly. It had only been 2 minutes. "We shouldn't be doing this." Daemon said. "Just tell me to stop if you don't like it." Jade said. She was positioned on his lap. The light shade of skin on his hands was perfectly contrasted against the baby pink latex. He let out a grunt as her lips graced against his throat. He smelled of bergamot and pachouli. "I do like it, that's the problem." He muttered. "Then just enjoy it for a moment." Jade said.
"Why are you here?" Shayne asked me. We were standing in the kitchen, still completely naked. He was making us something to eat. "I wanted to see you. And I wanted to tell you how sorry I am..." I said. He wrinkled his brow. "Sorry for what?" He asked. I could feel a lump forming in my throat. "I'm sorry that I didn't come back..." I said. "...that night when you..." Shayne placed the knife down in the sink. He turned towards me. "Gill...I don't remember much from that night. And I don't think that you should worry about that." He said. I could feel the tears streaming across my cheeks. He stepped forward, placing his hands on my cheeks, thumbs swiping the tears away. "Don't cry." He said, softly. He wrapped his arms around me, tugging me close to him. "I wish I could stay..." I sobbed. He pulled up for me to look at him. "No, not here. There's gonna be a time when we're together, but it won't be here." He said. Tears continued to drip against my cheeks. "Right now, you have to live for yourself. But promise me one thing." He said. "Anything..." I said, softly. He smiled. "Don't come back here. Not until the time is right." Shayne said. He leaned down, kissing me. I could feel myself continuing to cry. "I love you." I choked out through the tears. "I love you the most." He said.
I figured my time was going to be up soon. I got dressed and Shayne and I walked back to the park where I had been. "I'm sorry we couldn't be together longer." I said. He sighed and smiled once more. We sat down on the bench together. "This felt like eternity to me and I couldn't be more grateful for it." He said. I kissed him one last time. "I love you so much." I said. I could feel my body becoming weightless just once more. Suddenly Shayne's hand slipped away from mine, leaving it empty. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to sitting at the table with Madam LeVoue. I gasped softly. "Did you find what you were looking for?" She asked. "Yes. Yes, I did." I said with tears in my eyes still. She reached over and held out her hand. I took it. She sighed softly. "Do not go back. When you leave here, you don't come back. You must find peace in yourself." She said. I nodded my head.
Madam and I walked out to see that Jade and Daemon were still sitting at the little round table. Cards were placed in the center. "Everything okay?" Jade asked me. I nodded my head. "Shall we go?" I asked, reaching into my purse to find the car keys. "Only if you're ready." Jade said, standing up. We walked out the front door together. "Did you see him?" Jade asked when we were finally in the car. "I did see him." I said. "And?" She was almost giddy with anticipation. "He was exactly like I remembered him. He even tasted the same." I said, rolling my lips together. "You kissed him?" She said. I chuckled. "We did more than just kissing." I said. "Even on another plane, you still know how to be slutty." She teased. "It was nice, to be back with him. To hear him say...he loved me." I said. "That's all that matters then." She said.
"By the way...you never told me what it was that you wanted to talk about." I said. "Oh, well...it just has something to do with work. Last night, Donnie came to the club and—" Her voice trailed off as she got that glassed over look in her eyes. "Well, he wasn't too thrilled about the stripping thing. He got a little belligerent and the bartender had to throw him about of the club." "Christ..." "I was so embarrassed, Gill." She said. "I'm sorry that happened." I said. "Its fine. I mean, I knew things were over between us, but I didn't expect a nasty public blowup." She said. "Boys are just stupid. I don't know why he'd be so upset. He was the one who went behind your back first with working for your father." Jade scoffed. "Yeah, same shit. Different dudes." She said.
We got off the highway. "I'm just gonna stay single until high school is over. It's not worth it." Jade said. "I guess that makes two of us." I said, reaching over to hold her hand. "Speaking of single...a nosy little bird told me a tale or two about you and Terror Billy?" "Damn that Tommy Brisco..." I muttered. "Don't blame him. I think he was a little in shock." "Or jealous..." I grumbled. "Yes, he was very jealous." Jade said laughing. "Well I can't help it if I'm trying to stay out of Tommy and Joe's way." I said. "I know. I think he was just a little shocked still." "Well, things with Billy didn't exactly turn out the way I wanted them to. He's great in bed, but that was all I wanted and I think he thought that we were going to be something more. I just don't have the heart to give to anyone right now." I said. "I know..." Jade said. The conversation paused there and didn't pick up again.
When we reached my house, I just wanted to be alone for a little while. However when we pulled up on the curb to my house, Billy's bronco truck was waiting in the driveway. "Who's that?" Jade asked. I let out an annoyed sigh. "Billy..." I said. "Maybe you should just tell him the truth. Tell him that you just can't do this right now." "That's the issue. There isn't a right now or even a later on. There's just nothing and I need for him to accept that." I said. "Then maybe that's something you need to say." Jade suggested. "I know, but...I just couldn't face hurting his feelings." I said. "Sometimes we just have to." She shrugged her shoulders. Thankfully, no one was home. So if there was a big shouting match that ensued, no one could witness the embarrassment. "Thank you for going with me." I said. "Of course." "And...try not to worry about Donnie. I'm sure things will come around." I said. She just gave a weak smile. "You know me...there will be another boy somewhere." She said. I stepped away from the car and watched as she drove away.
I then turned and started up for the front door. Billy knew where the spare key was and I guess he didn't think it would be a big deal if he let himself in. I walked up to the door and opened it. Billy was in the kitchen. "I was making you something to eat!" I heard him shout. "Billy, we need to talk." I said, leaving my purse by the front door. "Come in here." He said. I was already walking that direction. "I hope I'm not overstepping a boundary." He said. "Billy, just—just stop." I said. He paused what he was doing and turned the flame down on the stove. "What is it?" He asked. I could feel the lump in my throat forming. I wanted to burst into tears. "I'm so sorry. I-I just can't. I can't do this with you." He wrinkled his brow. "What do you mean?" He asked. "You're a wonderful person, Billy. I just can't do this. I can't be with you the way you want." He was silent for a second, as if he was trying to process what I had just said. What came next was a very silent "Oh." I have never felt so fucking bad in my entire life. "It just seemed like things were good for a second." He said. I stepped forward, placing my hand on his arm. "And they were. I just—I'm not ready to love someone so intimately yet."
He nodded his head. "Yeah...I understand." The hurt was evident, but I didn't know what else to say. How can you basically tell someone you can't love them and then try to offer comfort? The two just don't go together. "I'm so sorry, Billy. It's not intentional. I just—with everything that's happened with Shayne and with Tommy...I'm just so lost and confused..." "Then let me help with that." He interjected, placing his hands on my shoulders. "This is something I have to figure out on my own." I said. He nodded his head again. That pitiful understanding was breaking my heart so badly. "I really am sorry, Billy." I said. He leaned forward, pressing his lips against mine. I ran my fingers up through his hair, tugging softly. He pulled off for a moment, but we remained nose to nose. "Maybe just once more though?" He suggested. It was followed by soft laughter. "Just once more." I said.
"What are you doing here?" Jade asked, walking in the front door. Donnie was sitting on the couch. He was wearing blue jeans and a white button down shirt that had the first four buttons undone, all the way to the bottom of his pectoral muscles. The shirt was pulled open slightly, showing just enough skin. His legs were spread in a rather lewd looking manner. "Waiting for your father." He grumbled, not even looking at her. Jason was upstairs going through paperwork. "Well, I have to go get ready for work." Jade said, breaking through the uncomfortable silence. She turned to start up the stairs, waiting for Donnie to run after her. When he didn't, she stopped and let out an annoyed huff. "Aren't you even going to say anything?" "What could I possibly need to say to you?" He asked. "I dunno, how about I'm sorry I openly humiliated you at work or something to the equivalent." Jade snapped. "Why would I apologize for something I meant to do?" He asked. "You are such a selfish asshole." She said, coming back down the stairs. "Oh I'm the asshole? How can you go out there every night and do those things?" He asked. "Oh for fuck's sake, you act like I'm sleeping with these guys for money. At least someone think I'm worth it. And don't you sit there and act like you didn't like to me too." She said. He stood up. "What happened with your father was NONE of your business. But like a brat, you have to stick your nose where it shouldn't be."
"Well excuse me for not wanting a boyfriend who is exactly like my father." She said. "You can try to run away from it all you like, but you'll always come back to it." He threatened. By this time, they were a little closer to each other. "Don't threaten me." She warned. "Then don't lie to me, angel face." There was a twinge in her belly at the nickname. She just tried to ignore it. Without saying anything more, she turned around and headed for the stairs. She stopped again. "Will you be here when I get home?" She asked. "Not sure." He answered. Jade simply nodded her head and continued up the staircase. Donnie watched her until she disappeared from sight. Had he not been so angry, he might've regretted not letting her dance for him.
Jade walked into her room and shut the door. She leaned against it, sighing. This was going to be harder than she thought: moving on from Donnie. "Bottom line is he can't get his fucking shit together. Maybe if he could, I'd give him another chance, but I really don't want anything more to do with my father and his bullshit schemes." Jade said to herself. She angrily stuffed the clothing into the duffle bag. She slammed the bedroom door and walked out into the hallway, slamming into her father in the process. "Where are you going, pumpkin?" He asked. She scoffed. "We haven't spoken in weeks and now you ask me where I'm going?" She questioned. He didn't answer. It was true. They hadn't been speaking, especially not after that fight. "I'm going to work, thanks for noticing." She said, pushing past him. "I wanna talk to you later on." Lawrence said, calling after her. "Whatever." She muttered.