Word Count: 4566
Hey baes! I decided to update early. I wanted to thank all of you for 1.07k reads so THANK YOU!!!! I was just scrolling through Wattpad yesterday when 934 reads shot up to 1k and you have no idea how loud I screamed. My mum was like "Shut up, it's late"
Lol thanks mum, you're going to see this very soon.
Also, thank you AHA2017, The Glimmer Awards, The Giggle Awards, TWO and TLA!!! Thank you all so much for accepting me and thank you to Thatderpybryan and others who tagged me to join. ILYSM❤❤
And please go follow my other account NotKatJackson if you haven't. I have a Poem Shop, Book Review(for free) and I will be opening a cover tryouts shop soon so hurry there! R4Rs with this book will also be conducted with that account so this account won't have much problems. Thanks again baes!
Your next goal is 270 votes, no read goals. Think you can make it? Try hard and see you in the next chapter!
Love,
Jacee 😚😚
Chapter 10:
The Truth
I winced as the douchebag dropped the sharp tool which accidentally scratched my arm. He moved away from me and turned to face the owner of the voice.
Nathan chuckled nervously, ˝Chase! My man! We haven't seen you in forever—˝
˝Is that how you greet an old friend, Nate? Hurting his date? I must say, Nathan, you are very kind,˝ Chase sneered sarcastically.
I watched as Frank's eyes widened in shock as he took in the information and thanked Chase in my heart. If you never came, I would be crying so hard right now, I thought. I really did owe Chase a lot.
Nathan backed away to his friend, but the coward took off before Nathan could seek help from him. I felt something watery and warm running down my arm. Everything started to whizz around in turns and my vision blurred.
˝Chase... I...˝ I managed to get out before my eyelids closed.
˝I'm sorry sweetie, but you have to go out,˝ the lady in white said, giving me a sad smile.
I knew what it meant. But it couldn't be!
˝No! I need to see my Mummy and Daddy! I need to know they're okay!˝ I cried, begging the lady.
She held my little hands in hers and told me gently, ˝Honey, sometimes there are challenges in life —tests that we have to take. We have to pass them by ourselves, overcome the challenges with our own ways. And yours has come. I'm sorry.˝
The guilt in her eyes would have never been mistaken by a girl like me. My body lost all feelings and I slipped to the ground. Teardrops dripped down rhythmically, one by one, as if someone was releasing them to a beat.
˝No! I have to go see them! I have to see Jake! They are okay!˝ I insisted, running past her and into the room.
Mummy and Jake were on the bed and Daddy was lying on the floor. They didn't move. They're asleep, Tina, I told myself. But their chests weren't rising up and down and I couldn't hear them breathing. I gasped and covered my mouth with my hand; it was true. They were gone.
˝No, no, no! Do something, lady!˝ I screamed at her.
Someone picked me up from behind and I struggled to get out of their grasp, ˝Let me go! Let me go!˝
I glared hard at the person and realized it was Granny, ˝Shhh Tina, it's okay—˝
˝It's not okay! It's never going to be okay! I caused this... I caused them to die...˝ I wailed loudly, giving up on trying to escape.
I had lost all my energy to guilt. If only I had been faster... If only I had spent more time re-calling rather than whining that it didn't work. Then at least they would have lived, all of them... It was because of me... I caused this... It was all because of me...
My eyes snapped open and I stared at the white and grey ceiling above. The strong smell of bleach was unbearable and I turned to the side to puke. A hand passed a red bucket to me which I gratefully took to empty the remains of food from my organs. Well, stomach, but it's literally the same thing, I corrected myself.
No it isn't! 'Organs' is a general term for stomach, gullet, intestines and more! Stomach is the specific term of that one organ that digests chewed food with digestive juices! Kasey objected.
Shut up, Kase.
After I was done doing what I was doing, I flipped myself back onto the bed so I could lie down and rest. The bed was hard and extremely uncomfortable. I just hoped that I would be discharged real soon.
Just then, I remembered that hand which passed the bucket to me. I opened my eyes slowly by just a little and peeked at the homosapien sitting across from me. Yeah, I'm smart.
˝You know I know that you're awake, right Gem?˝ Chase chuckled as I shut my eyes as quickly as I could once again.
He laughed again and leaned forward, crawling onto the bed a little before gently stroking my cheek. He might have stroked just my cheek, but it caused my entire face to heat up like a hot pan. He let out bits of chuckles at me when he saw it. He can probably feel it, you're an open book. I don't know how more open you can get! *facepalm*
I said shut up, Kasey.
˝Stop that,˝ I whispered embarrassedly when he continued teasing me.
My eyes were still closed shut, but I could feel the side of the bed dip and his presence moving closer. So baby pull me closer in the backseat of your Rover that I know you can't afford—
SHUT UP, KASEY!
Suddenly, the stroking stopped, but his hand was still there. I could feel his breath on my lips and could even smell that weird but comforting orange scent of his. I let my eyes flutter open to see a beautiful smile on his face instead of his usual smirk he had on since he got into our school.
I tried to scoot closer to him as smoothly as I could, but because of the IV's I couldn't, so he put his legs on either sides of me and leaned in. I stared into his soft, chocolate brown eyes, mirroring his expression. His other hand came up to support my neck as I strained it a little so that our faces would meet without an obstacle.
He took his time, teasing me again and I just couldn't take any of that teasing anymore, so I tugged the neckline of his shirt down towards me, begging him to get on with it. It seemed like he knew I was getting impatient, so the smile was gone and the smirk was back.
˝Gem, we're in a hospital, don't you think this is a... Inappropriate place for kissing? Especially on this uncomfortable hospital bed—˝
I glared at him, ˝Just kiss me, you mean boy; you mean guy!˝
He chuckled, lowering his head more. I tugged at his shirt once more, pulling him till we were only about an inch apart.
˝You won't believe how long I've been waiting for this moment to happen,˝ he whispered huskily, eyes turning almost black as they flickered to my lips now and then.
˝So do it,˝ I replied, starting to sweat from the rising temperature in the room.
A knock came and Chase rolled off the bed, like literally.
The door opened and a pretty, young doctor waltzed in, ˝Ms Jackson, you should be fine, but your blood pressure is extremely low. You have two choices: to take medication, or change your lifestyle. Which do you prefer?˝
I sneaked a glance at Chase, thinking, I already have a quite healthy lifestyle, so this must be genetic...
˝Guess I'll take the meds,˝ I replied, flashing her a small grin.
She smiled back, sent a flirty wink in Chase's direction to which he returned, before sashaying back out. After 'assuring' that she would be back with a set of papers later, she closed the door.
˝Geez, Doc, you came here to treat me, not to flirt with my guy,˝ I muttered, starting to develop a strong hatred for the woman.
Chase started chortling again and I felt my cheeks heating up as quickly as beef patties on a grilling pan. Not that beef patties are nice, I added silently in my head.
˝Whaaat?˝ he dragged out, still letting out bits of laughter.
I blushed red again, covering my face with the hospital blanket.
I was not going to mention that visit to the hospital ever again, all because of that doctor. Creepy woman, she just makes me wanna puke! Anyway, I had about three of the different types of medications, two of which happened to in pill form. Just my luck, I was born with a smaller throat so it was harder to swallow pills and Jessie the doctor probably knew that.
Bitch you did it on purpose, didn't you? I thought sourly. We were currently on Chase's bike, driving back home after I took another couple of tests to make sure I was alright. And when I was finally done with the tests, I made Chase pay the bills quickly then dragged him out of the hospital. That lady is a creep... I shuddered at the memory of the Jessie's cosmetical face.
God, it probably wasn't even skin-healthy! Maybe she even had to do a couple plastic surgeries to keep her face from rotting... Oh and if you were wondering, of course I was out of my gown. The nurses changed me while I was still unconscious back at the hospital, which was why I was holding a paper bag in my hand while I was being fetched home. Well, not exactly. You see, the paper bag was in Chase's lap and my hands only held the handles of the paper bag, so conveniently my arms were automatically be wrapped around his waist for safety measures.
And now you would most likely be wondering what I was wearing if my gown was in a bag. I was naked, no clothes on. Not the slightest piece of cloth or paper was covering me. Hence, the breeze was freezing cold to me and I would probably be getting sick soon. Oops?
I sure caught you there, didn't I? Joking. I was in comfortable clothes that Chase had brought me. He went back to get them after I got admitted into the hospital. Okay, now enough about that horrid place. PS I have bandages wrapped around my right arm.
We arrived at home sooner than we thought we would and Chase walked me up to my front door. He pulled me into a hug and told me to get well soon before retreating to his bike. He didn't drive off, though. He just sat there until he heard the front door lock. I smiled and waved through the window at him. He then smiled and revved up the engine, the bike traveling further and further away into the night.
I crept up the stairs to my room and shut the door quietly, hoping to make as minimal noise as possible because I didn't want Aunt Mellisa to find out and worry. It was already the second time in two months that I had been to the hospital and she would definitely freak out. Besides, she didn't need to know anything. It was a small cut, no biggie.
You always say that, Kasey said monotonously. I could even imagine her eyes rolling if she was real. You bet I would be.
Shut up.
I took my gown out of the bag and threw it into the laundry basket from across the room. It went in and I cheered quietly.
˝Three points for Kat! And the crowd goes wild, ahhhhhhh!˝
I laughed at myself, walking to the basket to throw it away. In the process of crumpling the paper material, I felt a hard block of something that refused to be squashed or bent. I stopped in my tracks in surprise, unfolded the bag and reached in.
When I drew my hand back out, a bar of bright red and silver packaging came with. It was a bar of dark, hard chocolate. KitKat, to be exact. A piece of note was stuck to it, begging me to read what was written on it, so I did.
Hey Gem, chocolate for you. I spent about 3 dollars on this big bar, so you can't just waste my money. It's precious! Get well soon babe♡
~Your hottest friend Chase ;)
Just reading that, I smiled giddily like a love struck teenager. Oh wait, I almost forgot, I am a teenager. Lol what is wrong with me? That's right, everything. I really need stop talking to myself all the time...
And with that last thought, I fell right into a deep slumber, my fingers curled loosely around the KitKat bar.
˝Honey, get up, it's 7.00am,˝ Aunt Mellisa said, banging on my door.
I groaned loudly, raising the sheets to cover my head, ˝Just a couple more minutes! I'll run to school!˝
Then, I dosed off again. It felt like seconds later when she started blasting some extremely horrible songs that even I, a music addict, didn't care enough to remember their titles. I let out an even louder groan, dragging myself out of the bed unwillingly before stumbling down the stairs to turn the horrible music off. It was really bad and the songs were just not very nice to hear.
˝Finally, you're up,˝ a sigh of relief left Aunt Mellisa's lips when she heard the music stop, ˝It's already 7.20am.˝
My eyes widened as the news hit me. WHAT?! SCHOOL'S STARTING IN TEN?! I cussed the time as I sprinted back up the stairs, randomly throwing on the first clothes I came in contact with, raking my brush through my bed hair at Superman speed roughly.
It usually took me ten minutes to get ready for school and another fifteen for me to get there, so of course I was freaking out. I probably pulled out a few strands of my hair in the process by accident but who cares about that when you could be getting a red strike across your clean offence record?
Hurling the brush onto the sheets, I sped into the bathroom and got out my concealer, dabbing some on to cover up my chocolates. Shit! Chocolate! I quickly finished up in that department and raced back out again, furiously searching for my KitKat bar on my bed. When I found it, it had already melted some, but I still felt relieved. I grabbed a hoversack and tossed my phone in, running down the stairs while strapping on my watch.
7.25am, it read. I cussed again. Running a hand through my hair frustratedly with a groan, I skipped the last step and srambled to the shoe rack. After stuffing my feet into a random pair of converse, I yelled a farewell to my Aunt and dashed out the door.
˝God, I know I never pray to you and I'm sorry. I also know that I've been bad but pleeeeeeeaaaaaase help me slow down time for just a while, okay?˝ I prayed out loud, placing the chocolate bar into my pocket before I tore off towards school.
Swerving between cars at crossings, my father's words echoed in my mind, pushing me to run faster. My converse slammed against the pavement, causing pitter-patter sounds to be heard. Strong gales blew past me and my untied hair flew in the wind behind me as if I was in some kind of photo shoot.
After turning three corners and speeding across five roads, I finally reached my destination. Relief washed over me in a large wave and a huge grin took over my face. I jogged weakly to my locker to get my stuff before dragging myself into first period: Geography. Plopping down on my seat, I set my pencil case on the table at the left corner just the way I liked it and sagged back into my chair just as the teacher walked in.
The bell finally rang and I heaved a sigh of relief. Lunch was finally here. I might have eaten the chocolate during class, but that wasn't enough for my breakfast. I clutched my right arm gently with my left as I squeezed through the crowd, my brown waves covering my face. When I finally made it to the cafeteria, I went to my group's table and left my bag with Melanie who was already sitting there before going to buy my lunch.
But before I could even step away from the table, I saw Chase walking towards me with three trays, one in each hand and another balanced on his right arm.
˝Don't worry, Gem, I got all us covered,˝ he winked.
I smacked his arm with my left hand after he set the trays down, ˝Can you not make every thing you say an innuendo? We're just about to eat!˝
He chuckled, sliding into the seat beside mine without another word. I sat down and muttered a thanks before digging into my food.
˝So, I see you got my present,˝ Chase smirked, ˝Tsk tsk tsk, eating in class. What a bad student!˝
I rolled my eyes at his statement, ˝You were the one who gave it to me in the first place! Anywayyyyy thanks.˝
I quickly stuffed my mouth with food at the last word which made Melanie and Chase laugh. I was embarrassed, but I didn't even know what for. I'm so weird.
I was halfway through my chicken broth when the sound of trays set down jolted me. I looked up to see Violet and Allen. I glared at the former, shooting daggers at her.
˝Listen to what she has to say,˝ Allen said, looking at me.
It's not what you think it is, he telepathed.
I huffed, ˝Fine. But if I don't find it reasonable, you have to go find another table.˝
Allen wrapped an arm around Violet's waist and whispered something in her ear to which she nodded and started to speak.
˝I know it's my fault that I told the girl to go for it and I'm sorry. But I didn't know she meant him. I thought she referred to Elliot or some Jock in school. Still, I should have made things clear before encouraging her, I know,˝ she sighed.
I opened my mouth to talk but was cut off by her, ˝I don't expect you to forgive me, but you have to know that.˝
Then, she started to eat her greens silently. I could see Allen was rubbing her back, nodding at me to say what I wanted to say. He sure knew it, because if he didn't, he wouldn't have asked me to go ahead.
˝Vi,˝ hearing me call her by her nickname, she sat up straighter, clearly surprised, ˝If you... Say you didn't know, I believe you. But I need you to know that forgiving you doesn't mean I'm going to do the same to her. She betrayed my trust, went behind my back and got with my boyfriend, who's now my ex because of that.˝
She nodded and mumbled a 'I know'. Melanie hated the saddened atmosphere and shuddered. I could tell she was thinking of a subject changer and boy, did she think fast.
˝Jeez, Al, PDA not appreciated here. Don't want you and Vi to be getting it on on the table the next second, do we?˝ Melanie shuddered again.
Both Allen and Violet turned pink, ˝Lanie! What the heck?˝
Pointing at his face and swallowing my bread, I teased, ˝What did I tell you, Weirdo? Your favourite colour is pink! You just turned yourself pink!˝
He groaned, ˝My favourite colour is blue!˝
Chase chuckled and bit into his apple, having the time of his life watching us joke around. That was, until everyone in the cafeteria started throwing food around. Chase's eyes visibly darkened like to a jet black, as if he turned into a storm.
˝Cheater!˝
˝Slut!˝
˝Asshole!˝
˝Whore!˝
˝Jerk!˝
˝Bitch!˝
The insults went on as the food packages were being thrown around. Juice boxes spewed out their contents on their victims, drenching them in colourful liquid. It didn't take a genius to realise who just made their grand entrance.
Suddenly, the commotion ended as sharp as the hilt of a polished knife. I cussed in my head, knowing they'd reached our table.
˝I'm s—˝
˝He lay there with ya, he's shuttin' down
You smell her on him, you're
focused now
You know what's goin' on in his head, yeah
You know what's happened there in your bed, yeah
His phone is buzzin', so pick it up
You know she callin', so what the f*ck?
You should've known a cheat stays a cheater
So there you are
And there goes the alarm ringin' in your head
Like somebody said, 'Don't you trust him, no'
Text in from his slut, what did you expect?
Now you're lyin' there knowin' where he goes
Now he gotta getcha, karma is a bitch, yeah
Same way that they come that's the way they go
Now he gotta getcha, rewindin' the picture
There goes the alarm and the sirens go
There goes the alarm.˝
She stared at me in shock. Huh, probably didn't think I'd do that, did ya? See you again, bitch.
˝You saw it comin', you let it go
Your girls will tell ya, 'I told you so'
But you were so intrigued by his style, yeah
Always been a sucker for a wild boy
You were better than this, you knew your worth
Yet you'll be gettin' what you deserve,˝ I ended, because I knew the next lyric and it wouldn't make sense.
The whole cafeteria went pin-drop-silent, as if waiting for our next words, so I put mine to use.
˝What did I ever do to you? Am I really that horrible a friend?˝
I waited, but there was no response. She just stood there, muted, as Eddie's arm unwrapped itself from her waist. My heart ached but I didn't show.
˝Answer me.˝
˝The truth? You always got the guys. The ones that we both like.˝
I started to laugh, ˝So this whole shit was about guys?˝
She frowned, ˝How is this a laughing matter?˝
I shook my head, ˝You know what, I give up on you. You can have them all, all the past crushes, ex's. I'll call them out for you.˝
Pointing at the Jocks' table, ˝E Smith.˝
Then at the Bad Boys, ˝Ash Fernández.˝
One by one, I called them out, pointing at where they could be found.
˝Will Jones. Jovan Walker. Noah Hill. Theo Torres. Sam Bennett. Jay Beckett.˝
Evan was just surprised while Ashton rolled his eyes. William of the players smirked when his name was called and earned hoots from his mates. Jovan from the geek group blushed. Noah, one of the nerds, looked at me weirdly as Theodore who was one of the pranksters shrugged. Samuel, the male version of a sweetheart, dropped his juice with his mouth hung open. Javier, my ex-fling, known better as one of my ex's, winked at me.
Lastly, I pushed the boy behind me towards Sherella, ˝And Chase Jennings.˝
The crowd gaped in shock at my boldness as I continued, ˝Have them all if you please, do whatever you want. I don't mind. Just be sure to check with them if they do, before doing whatever you want.˝
Chase frowned at me, ˝I don't want her!˝
I shrugged, ˝Tell her, not me.˝
Then, I grabbed my backpack and walked out of the cafeteria just as the bell went. Slay, bae! Kasey applauded.
I closed the door behind me, finally shutting out all the drama from today. I climbed up the stairs to my room and dropped my bag onto my bed. Suddenly, there was a click. I spun around on my heels and ran to the door, trying to turn the knob.
But it wouldn't budge. I banged on the door, calling out to whoever was out there to unlock it. Nobody replied, yet a hand laid itself gently on my shoulder.
˝We need to talk, Katrina,˝ Aunt Mellisa said in a solemn tone.
˝Do you have to lock the door?˝ I asked, thinking about how stupid it was.
Not a word from her was heard. She just handed me a piece of laminated paper. Or should I say, document.
˝Why did you take it out?˝ my voice turned hoarse as the tears rolled down my cheeks.
˝Just read it.˝
˝I know what's in it! Why—˝
˝Do you really?˝ she questioned, turning around.
There were tears of her own glistening in her eyes as she prompted me, ˝Who is your mother?˝
˝Jocelyn Jackson—˝
˝Wrong, try again.˝
I stared at her, speechless. How can my mother not be my mother? There can't be any mistake— I know I grew up with her for the first six years of my life, so what does Aunt Mellisa mean by I'm wrong?
Wiping her tears away and taking a deep breath, she requested once again, ˝Please, just read it.˝
I nodded mutely, taking the paper from her grasp.
Certificate of Birth
England, Derbyshire
Record of Newholme Hospital
Name: Katrina Tylar Marie Jackson
Father: Kenneth Tyson Dillon Jackson
Mother: Mellisa Abigail O'Brien
˝What?˝ I whispered, frowning, ˝This can't be... This isn't true...˝
So I read it over again, but there wasn't a single mistake.
Mother: Mellisa Abigail O'Brien
My hand covered my mouth on instinct and every memory of my parents replayed over and over again in my mind. Like the time where I first learnt to ride a bike. Or when I first went back to America with my mum, or Jocelyn Jackson.
˝This can't be...˝ I whispered again, a teardrop falling down, ˝If you're my real mother, then who is she?˝
˝She's my sister. Your stepmother. Your aunt.˝
I couldn't hold it in anymore; I let all the emotions rush out. All the tears, the agony, the anger, the guilt, even the memories.
˝Why?! Why did you let me think that I lost my mother?!˝ I screamed at her, my eyes stinging thanks to the tears.
˝You wouldn't have believed me,˝ she cried.
˝You could have showed me this!˝ I yelled, ˝Do you know how much guilt ate me up these past years?! Do you know how much I've been wanting a parent?!˝
I can't believe I killed my Aunt... And my mum never died...
˝You don't know half of the story,˝ she chuckled bitterly.
˝When I was pregnant with you, your father broke up with me to chase after Jocelyn. I knew that if people found out that my sister stole my boyfriend from me, they would talk bad about her and Ken, so I sacrificed you. We were still in College then, the both of us home schooled and the story that got out was she got pregnant and I stayed home to take care of her.˝
It was then that I realised where I got my care for others from. It was from her, my mother. My biological mother.
˝When you were born, Ken and Lyn held you first. I was the last to. And that was the first and last time I held you in my arms, Katrina. The way you got breast fed was through bottles; I pumped out the milk. When you turned one, I was out of England and back here. Then I'd never saw you till you were six.˝
She was still crying and so was I, but this time, I moved to hug her. That explained everything; why she would worry so badly for me whenever she got called by the hospital, how I never saw her until the incident and why I had low blood pressure. She had, too.
That night, I crept into her bed like a little kid and slept there. For the past eleven years, I thought I was an orphan, but my mother has never been taken away from me. She was always here...