I hoisted myself on the kitchen counter, knowing I'd get a scolding from my brothers if they caught me. Opening the cupboards, I grabbed a bowl and the box of Frosted Flakes. Jumping off the counter, I proceeded to grab the carton of milk before sitting down at the kitchen table. I was about to put a spoonful of the cereal in my mouth when the phone suddenly rang.
I frowned. Who in the world calls at five thirty in the morning?
I picked up. "Hello?"
"Is this the Moore's residence?"
"Yes it is. Who is this?" I didn't recognize the woman's voice.
"Oh, this is the St. Elisabeth hospital calling. Is Mr. Moore present?"
I brushed the hair out of my face and adjusted the phone against my ear. "He's still asleep. Is it urgent?"
"It is, yes. Who am I speaking to?"
"I'm Jade, Jordan's-I mean Mr. Moore's younger sister."
"Oh, well in that case," the woman cleared her throat. "Do you happen to know anyone by the name of Carla, Carla Bennett?"
My heart suddenly stopped. "Yes," my voice broke, "Yes, she's our mother. Is she alright?"
There suddenly was a silence, it was deafening.
"Ma'am?"
"Yes, I'm here. Uh, someone brought your mother in an hour ago. She was in bad shape and needed medical care but ..."
"Jade."
I gulped, my lips trembling. "But what?"
"There was a disturbing amount of alcohol and drugs in her system. We did everything we could to help her - I'm sorry."
"Jade!"
"Sorry for what?" my voice was shaking, too scared to ask.
"She didn't make it."
"JADE!"
I woke up with a start, panting and feeling my heart beating against my chest.
"Jade?" Tristan brushed the hair out of my face, his hand lingering on my cheek. "You alright, baby girl?"
I nodded, catching my breath as I rubbed my eyes.
"Why are you crying?" he asked, concerned.
I lifted my hand up to feel the wetness on my cheek. I quickly wiped it away. "It's nothing, just a bad dream."
He continued stroking my hair as he looked down at me with soft eyes. "Do you wanna talk about it? What was it about?"
"I don't remember," I lied. I rubbed at my eyes once more and that's when confusion settled. "Wait - Tristan? What are you doing here?"
A chuckle escaped his lips. "I came to pick up Ash for work like every Wednesday morning, you sleepyhead."
I used my elbows to sit up. "What time is it?"
He casted a quick look at his watch on his wrist. "It's nearly seven o'clock. Jordan told me about what happened last night. We figured we'd let you sleep in for a bit."
"You should've woken me up." I wasn't used getting up so late - well, late for my standards. "Now I'm gonna feel grumpy all day."
"Relax, you still got more than enough time to get ready."
I groaned as I pushed the covers to the end of my bed before getting out.
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
I turned around to face my brother. "What?"
He tilted his head to the side and spread his arms.
"Oh," I smiled a little before jumping into his embrace. He squeezed me tight, rocking me from side to side.
"I missed you," he muttered into my hair.
I rolled my eyes. "You saw me Sunday."
"That's two whole days without seeing this pretty face," he grinned before pressing several kisses on my cheeks.
"Okay, that's enough," I giggled, pushing his face away.
"Go use the bathroom before the boys get up." He patted my butt, ushering me out of my room.
FADED
When I walked out of the bathroom, fresh and dressed, I walked into Ashton.
"You look like death warmed over," I pointed out.
"Feel like it," he moaned as he ran a tired hand down his face.
I think someone has a hangover.
"You shouldn't be staying out late like that."
"You shouldn't be staying out late like that," he mocked, tweaking my nose.
"Ow!"
He just hooked his arm around my neck and pulled me along down the stairs.
"Good morning," Penelope smiled.
I could feel Ashton's arm tense around me before he opened his mouth. "The fuck you doing here?"
"Hey," Tristan shot him a pointed look. "I'm dropping her off at the kids' school."
Penelope gave me a playful nudge. "Thanks to you I got an interview."
Ashton pushed me down on one of the kitchen chairs before slumping down on the one next to mine. "What's wrong with your job at the fitness center?"
Penelope's smile didn't falter but there was something cold in her eyes as she looked at him. "I quit."
Ashton grabbed a mug of coffee and lifted it to his lips. "And why did you quit?"
"You already know why," she smiled sweetly.
"No, I don't think I do. Enlighten me please." Smugness was dripping of his tone. "'Cause rumor has it, you got fired."
Penelope snorted. "What does it matter, I hated it there anyway. Besides Tristan didn't like me working there either, right babe?"
Tristan, who was too engrossed with something on his phone looked up. "Hmm?"
"Nothing." She pecked his lips but I didn't miss the look she shot Ashton.
I felt someone kiss the top of my head and didn't have to look up to see it was Jordan.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked, running his fingers through my hair.
"Mhmm," I hummed.
He sighed. "I gotta go, I'm already late as it is. Tristan don't forget their lunches and make sure she eats something before you go." He quickly put his jacket on and put some hot coffee in a thermos bottle before he yelled up the stairs, "Noah, get your ass outta bed right now!"
"I'm up, I'm up," he groaned as he finally graced us with his presence. "Don't need to yell jeez."
Jordan kissed his hair before roughly messing it up.
"Stop it," Noah moaned, scratching at his bare chest.
Jordan walked back over to me and squatted next to my chair. "I know we haven't been able to talk about what happened last night but - "
"Do you feel sorry about what you did?" I questioned.
"No - "
"Then there's nothing to talk about."
I caught Tristan looking at Jordan, doing that thing where they talked to each other without using any words. Twelve years and I still haven't been able to decipher their secret wordless language.
"Alright then," Jordan said. "I'll see you guys after school. C'mere," he grunted as he cupped the side of my face, kissing me hard on the temple before walking off. "Bye!"
"Hey can I borrow your keys, I lost mine again!" Ashton shouted after him.
"No!" was Jordan's reply before he closed the front door behind him.
"Well, fuck you very much," Ashton mumbled into his mug.
A plate with scrambled eggs and bacon was set in front of me. "Eat up," Tristan said.
"It's too much," I whined.
"Here, I'll help," Ashton offered as he grabbed my fork, shoving at least a quarter of the food in his mouth, inhaling it like it was merely air.
"Dude!" Tristan shot our brother a clearly unamused look. "At least try to eat half of it, sweetie."
I propped up my arm on the table and rested my head on my fist, moving around the food with my free hand. "I'll try."
"Good girl," Tristan praised, shooting me one if his trademark winks.
Penelope turned to put some dishes in the sink but I still caught the tiny eye roll. Something about it was unsettling and I didn't know why. I felt like she had changed somewhat but then there was the little things that made me doubt if she had changed at all. The eye roll, the way her smile always looked forced whenever Tristan gave me any attention at all, the stuff she said to Ashton the other day, the looks going on between the two. Something didn't add up but I couldn't put my finger on it.
Or it could just be my imagination.
I had just taken another bite when the phone suddenly rang. It startled me and I almost choked on a piece of bacon.
"Whoa, easy," Ashton started patting and stroking my back as I coughed.
Noah passed me his glass of juice. "You know you got teeth for something, it's called chewing."
I gulped down the sweet orange juice as I listened to Tristan talk on the phone. I kept my eyes fixed on his face, trying to read his emotions. What if this was like my dream? What if something bad happened to my mom?
"Noah, Jade, Ash," Tristan started and I found myself holding my breath, "Marion asks if one of you could walk her dog after school. She had a hip surgery again."
Oh my god.
I forced myself to calm down. Marion was our neighbor, she was a sweet old lady who always gave us candy - but right now I could strangle her for giving me a scare like that.
"Yeah, no problem," Noah commented.
I noticed Ashton giving me a weird look. "You alright, JJ?"
"Yeah," I barely whispered before forcing another forkful of eggs down my throat.
He just chuckled fondly, shaking his head at me. "Weirdo."
FADED
I winced when the coach blew his whistle loudly.
"I'm cold," Lauren said standing next to me.
"Me too," I shivered, rubbing my hands over my bare arms.
We were currently outside about to play field hockey. We only had shorts and t-shirts on - coach Thomas said we'd warm up as soon as we started to play.
I looked around and rolled my eyes when I saw Angela tying a knot in her t-shirt, exposing her stomach. Since coach Sullivan was retired and the girls still didn't have a new coach, we now had PE with the boys. Hence why Angela was doing everything to catch their attention, with their I really mean Preston's.
"Do you think Penelope's gonna get the job?" Lauren asked me.
"I don't know. She had an interview this morning. Hey, do you have an extra hair tie?"
"Do you want her to be our new coach?" Lauren questioned as she passed me a rubber band around her wrist.
"I don't know." I put my hair up in a bun. "She did a whole one eighty but then again I could be wrong."
"You still hate her?"
"I don't hate her, I just never liked her that much. But who knows, maybe it'll turn out better than I thought."
"My mom says that people don't change unless it makes a difference to them."
I frowned. "What do you mean?"
She shrugged. "You said Tristan and her fought a lot lately. Do they still fight?"
I thought about it. "Not really."
"So maybe that's why she changed, to keep him."
"To please him," I mumbled. She wasn't nice to me for me but for him. I honestly didn't know how to feel about that.
The coach blew his whistle again and I cringed. "Good god we're right here, no need to whistle so loud," I muttered under my breath.
"Alright, gather around girls!" he clapped his hands together to hurry us up.
"Coach Thomas?" Anna put her hand up. "Can we go inside, it's freezing in here."
"It's not that cold, besides there's nothing more healthier than exercise in fresh, cold air," he flashed a smile, one of those smiles that made some girls swoon I bet.
"He's so cute," Sophie whispered behind my back, causing some girls to giggle.
"I need two teams, I assume you're mature enough to handle that by yourselves. C'mon, we ain't got all day!"
I didn't move since I was already standing with a group of girls and I knew they weren't moving either. I was glad Angela decided to join the other team, she always played the leader and blamed us every time we lost.
"Angela, put your shirt down. This is a field not a beach," Coach commented sternly.
Some girls and I laughed but I quickly bit my tongue when she glared at me.
"Kylie, Olivia! Why aren't you two dressed yet?"
I turned around and noticed them sitting on the bench, giggling and talking about something. Kylie pushed her hair behind her ears and wrung her hands together.
"Oh, coach we uh, we can't."
Coach Thomas put his hands on his hips, looking down at them with a cocked eyebrow. "And why's that?"
Kylie looked at Olivia, as if telling her it was her turn to speak.
Olivia cleared her throat. "We, we um, we're sick."
Coach didn't look like he believed a word they said. "You don't look sick to me."
"That's because you can't see it," Kylie said. "It's a, it's an invisible ilness."
Coach rolled his eyes. "I got some spare gym clothes inside, I want you girls dressed and ready in five minutes."
"Wait!" Olivia bit her lip, looking down at the grass beneath her feet. "It's an ilness only girls get."
"What?"
"You know what we mean." Unlike Olivia, Kylie wasn't afraid or embarrassed to look the coach in the eye. In fact, she kept his gaze until it dawned on him and I swear I saw a blush creep up his cheeks.
"What does coach Sullivan usually say about-about this?" He looked so uncomfortable, I couldn't help but cover my mouth to hold in my laughter.
"She says we can choose. Sometimes it's really hard and then we have cramps and all, and you can imagine how uncomfortable it can be - in fact that's how Olivia and I feel right now. You don't wanna know how much blood - "
"Alright, alright," he cut her off, doing everything to avoid looking at them. "Just, just sit here and - and just be quiet alright?"
He turned back towards us and I chuckled a little when Olivia and Kylie gave us a thumbs up. The little, sneaky liars. Coach Sullivan never allowed us to sit on the bench when the girls were on their period, she used to say that she once won the gold medal being six months pregnant so we had no excuse.
"Everyone, grab your sticks and gear, and get in position!" He whistled once again and it took everything in me not to grab that whistle and throw it against his head to see how much he liked that.
FADED
"Pass to me, pass it to me!" Anna screamed.
I kicked the ball to her and watched as she pushed some girls away before passing it to Lauren. She always was the best in this game and I knew she wouldn't disappoint us. Like a pro, she dodged the other team players and scored.
"YES!"
I high-fived the girls of my team. We were so gonna win this thing!
When Lauren was close enough, I grabbed her in a suffocating hug. "You're the best!"
Some boys playing on the other side of the field cheered us on.
"Not bad," Preston smirked at me. His eyes lowered to my legs and I subconsciously pulled my shorts down a bit.
Lauren and I almost fell to the ground when someone shoved into us.
"The game's not over yet," Angela hissed.
We continued playing and I could already feel sweat trickling down my back. Sophie had the ball but I saw two girls from the other team closing in on her, cornering her so I decided to help. I wormed my way between the girls and took over the ball, sliding it over to one of my teammates. She kicked it around as we neared the goal, she then passed it back at me.
I was about to kick it to Lauren when Angela suddenly pushed me hard, tripping me over with her own foot.
Coach Thomas whistled but I just waved my hand, indicating him I was okay. Anna helped me up.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," I winced as I dusted off the dirt from my clothes. "Oh, crap," I said when I saw the other team had scored.
"That's alright, we're still winning," she said.
I picked up my stick and got back to the game. Angela shot me a snide smile but that smile quickly turned into a sneer when she realized the boys weren't cheering this time. I followed her eyes to Preston's and felt a tinge of victory when he hadn't even watched her score.
She huffed and shoved past me.
I was running across the field and groaned when Angela pushed into me again, trying to get the upper hand. Two could play at that game. I pushed her back and managed to get the ball out of her grip, I slid it to my team and watched as Lauren worked her magic, scoring once again.
"What's wrong Angela, you're not a sore loser are you?"
"Watch it, Jakobs," she spat.
We got back to the game once again and I tried to get the ball out of the other team's hold when I heard Preston's cheer.
"Go get 'em, Jade."
Oh shut the hell up, Preston.
I was close to the goal when I suddenly felt a searing pain on my leg. I dropped to the ground just as the coach whistled.
"Angela! One more offense and you're out!" he warned her as he ran towards me. "Let me see." He lifted up my leg and examined the blood on my shin. "It's just a scratch but it will bruise. Wanna go to the nurse and get some ice?"
"It's not as bad as it looks," I said. I let the girls help me stand up and I found that it didn't hurt as much. "I think I'll just play."
"You sure?"
I nodded.
"When the game's over I want you to go to the nurse and let her take a look at it, alright? In the meantime, take it easy, yeah?"
I nodded. "Got it."
He patted my back, offering me a little smile before grabbing his whistle again. I closed my eyes, already bracing myself for the deafening sound.
I got back in my usual position and waited for the right opportunity to take the ball.
"Want me to kiss it better?"
I exhaled through my nose, not bothering to even look at him. "Get lost, Preston."
"That was brutal," he chuckled.
"I can handle it."
"I like my girls tough," he smirks.
This time I did turn to him so maybe I could stab him with the daggers shooting from my eyes. "I am not your girl."
"You could be," he offered.
"But I don't want to," I retaliated.
"Playing hard to get."
"Playing not to get."
He just smirked, apparently thinking this was funny. He opened his mouth to say something when his eyes suddenly widened in alarm. "Jade, look out!"
"Wh - " before I could ask what was wrong, I get the ball right in my face.
Motherfu- that hurt like a bitch!
"Oh shit! Coach!" Preston yelled.
I lowered my hand form my face and paled when I saw the amount of blood - a lot of blood. The ground beneath me felt like it was moving, everything was spinning. A sudden dizziness washed over me and I felt my knees buckle when a strong arm hooked around my waist, catching me.
"Easy," coach Thomas said. "Don't look down, look up." He tilted my chin up and made sure I was steady before he released me for two whole seconds as he took off his t-shirt. He bundled the cloth and pressed it against my nose.
I heard someone gasp. "Is it broken?" I recognized the voice, Lauren.
"I don't think so," he muttered as he tried to clean up as much blood.
"I can take her to the nurse," Preston offered.
"You, get back to your group. If you hadn't been distracting her, she might've seen the ball coming."
"We were just talking."
"Preston," coach warned.
Preston murmured something that sounded like just trynna help before walking off.
"We can take her," Lauren said.
"Alright Jade, hold this against your nose," he told me.
"Okay," I mumbled. My hand shook as I grabbed his t-shirt. Oh man it was so red, red with my blood. I'm gonna be sick.
"Sophie and Lauren, you two take her to the nurse. I'll come check up on you girls in a bit," he said. "Everyone, we're gonna wrap this up. Make sure all the gear is back where it's supposed to be and then get to your next class. Angela, you're coming with me. You're in big trouble young lady."
Angela threw her stick on the floor. "I didn't do it on purpose!"
Coach Thomas pointed a warning finger at her. "You can aim better than that and I don't wanna hear another word out of you. You wanna explain what happened, explain it to principal Frederik. Now move it!"
"Come on, let's go," Lauren said as she and Sophie both supported me by my arms, leading me inside.
FADED
"There you go, sweetie," the nurse smiled as she finished bandaging my nose. "You're lucky it's not broken. Just make sure you change the gauze twice a day."
"I feel like my nose has inflated like a balloon," I moaned, sounding like I got a cold and stuffed nose.
She chuckled. "You'll be fine. That's just the blood in your nose - I'll give you a bottle of saline water, it should help with the cleaning process."
"Okay." I gently touched the bandages around my nose and could only imagine how ridiculous I must look.
"It's not as bad as you think," the nurse said, as if reading my thoughts. "How about you lie down for a bit, I'll get you some ice for that leg of yours."
"And something for the headache please?"
She smiled, patting my hair. "I'll be right back."
I closed my eyes and threw an arm over them. I could about sleep right now. The silence was soon interrupted though by my loud, rowdy brother.
The door slammed open, knocking against the wall - that was going to leave a dent.
"Oh my god," Noah materialized on my side, his hands prodding and pushing my arms away so he could inspect my face. "Is it broken?"
"No," I said, trying to push his probing hands away but he wouldn't let me.
"What is wrong with that bitch?"
"I don't know," I replied tiredly, I just wanted to go home and crawl up in my bed. Forever.
"Why would she do that? I mean I know she's psycho and all but there must've been a reason."
I tried to sit up but he just pushed me down again. "I think it's because Preston was talking to me."
"So it's his fault. Want me to beat him up? My friends can gang up on him after school and -"
"No you idiot." I punched his arm. "I mean it's not his fault, I think. I'm sure he loves annoying her and making her jealous but I don't think he actually meant to get me hurt."
"Well, if you want me to knock some sense into him, you know where to find me," he grinned cheekily.
"Yeah," I chuckled lightly, laughing kinda hurt my nose. "Where's Angela?"
"I head she was still at the principal's office. I hope she'll get kicked out of school."
"That's a bit extreme don't you think?"
He scoffed. "Who cares about her anyway? She's a bitch to everyone, she says she's your friend but what kinda friend physically hurts her own friend? Trust me, you're better off without her."
I found his hand near mine and started playing with his fingers. "Maybe."
He snorted.
"What?"
He shook his head. "You care too much about people, Jade."
I frowned. "And that's a bad thing?"
"Not necessarily, it just means you care about assholes too."
I bit the inside of my cheek. "I can't help it."
"Young man, shouldn't you be in class?" the nurse reprimanded.
"Just checking up on my sister," he flashed her that dazzling smile that could always get him out of any trouble. We kinda grew immune to it but it still worked with pretty much everyone else, especially women. He squeezed my hand and flicked a curl from my eyes. "Is anyone coming to pick you up?"
I nodded. "Yeah they called already, Tristan will be here in a minute."
"Alright, guess I'll see you at home." He leaned over and pressed a quick kiss on my forehead. "Take care, bye."
"Bye."
The nurse walked over to me and handed me a pill with a cup of water. "This'll make you feel better."
"Thanks." I swallowed it down in one go. Her smile was still plastered on her face and I couldn't help but ask, "What is it?"
"Nothing, it just warms my heart to see you two so close."
"He's my brother," I said as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Weren't we supposed to be close?
"Oh, that doesn't mean anything. You're a lucky girl, having all these big brothers looking out for you, taking care of you."
I laid back down and thought about it. Should I tell her about the fact that Angela who called herself a friend was out to get me, and that the only boy I hated with every fiber of my body couldn't understand the word no. What about my own mother who was like a stranger to me, a mother who never took care of us, let alone of herself. And my brothers who pretty much shut her out, not wanting to give her a chance. How about my dad who I haven't seen in years, should I tell her about him?
"Yeah, very lucky."
FADED
If looks could kill, I would've long been buried six feet under. And it wasn't only Angela glaring at me - I could handle her, I was used to her murderous looks. But her mother, a carbon copy of her daughter scared me to death. When she wasn't giving me the evil eye, she was mentally undressing my brother.
Tristan didn't look like he noticed or maybe he just pretended. I bet he was used to these kind of looks all the time. Something about him made girls and women turn their heads to catch a second glimpse or even more.
I fidgeted in my seat and waited for the principal to talk so the attention would be no longer on me.
He cleared his throat and eyed Angela first. "I believe you have something to say to Jade?"
Angela glowered. "Not really."
"Angela," the principal who usually was kind and nice, now looked scary but apparently it didn't affect my so called 'friend'.
Angela's mother crossed her bare legs and I looked away before seeing something I didn't want to.
"With all due respect, Mr. Frederik but I don't think Angela has to apologize for something she didn't do on purpose."
Next to me, Tristan just snorted, his lips curled in a smile of disbelief.
The principal crossed his hands on the desk and leaned forward. "I spoke to Coach Thomas and some of the girls and they could all confirm to me that there was no question of an accident in any form."
"I was passing the ball to my teammate but Jade was in the way!" Angela protested.
"Lower you voice," Frederik warned her. "And who was that teammate you're referring to?"
For a moment she opened her mouth but then clamped it shut again before she said, "Leila."
"Leila was on my team," I said.
Angela sat rigid in her seat, her shoulder stiffened and knuckles white as she gripped the armrest of her chair.
Gotcha, I internally smiled.
The principal sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Angela just apologize, please."
I could hear her grit her teeth. She glanced up at her mother who shot her a tiny nod.
"Fine," she spat. "I'm sorry."
I didn't say anything. She didn't really expect me to just accept it right?
"Well?" she cocked an eyebrow. "Are we good, can we go back to being friends now?"
"No, we're not good." I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry as the desert. "I don't think I wanna be your friend anymore, Angela."
There I said it.
Wow, that felt liberating.
Angela shot up from her chair, ready to lunge at me and I froze. Luckily Tristan was fast enough and jumped right in front of me.
"Whoa, hey! Calm down!"
"Get off of me!" she shouted.
"I will, if you calm down first. What is wrong with you?" he shot Angela's mother a questioning glare. "Do you mind telling your daughter to sit down please?"
"Angela sit down," she said with a boring tone - not even surprised her daughter was about to attack me, as if she was used to it.
Tristan didn't sit back down until he was sure Angela wasn't about to lunge at me again. When he was back in his seat, he slung a protective arm around the back of my chair.
"That's it Angela, you're suspended for two weeks," Mr. Frederik concluded.
Angela's mother gasped. "Oh for Christ sake, it's not like my daughter killed the girl, it's just a tiny scratch. If she can't handle that, then maybe she needs to grow some balls."
Uhm, I'm right here.
"Excuse me?" Tristan turned to her in his chair. "Your daughter could've broken my little sister's nose. And it wasn't even by accident. How can you even justify that?"
"She can take it. I raised my child to toughen up and take it in stride."
Tristan looked at her like she grew another head. "We're talking about kids here."
She pursed her lips, refusing to see reason. "Where I'm from we believe that what doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger."
"Where I'm from we believe that what doesn't kill you had better start running."
She shot him an intense glare that displayed anger and interest at the same time, I was confused. As if she couldn't make up her mind whether she wanted to kill him or kiss him.
"Mrs. Montez, Mr. Moore," Principal Frederik shot them both a look that reminded me of a look a parent would use when the child has misbehaved. "My decision isn't only based on today's incident. I've had some teachers and students complaining about your daughter's violent behavior. I'm aware she's getting therapy right now to manage her anger issues, but maybe a break from the school environment will do her some good."
"Whatever, have it your way." Angela's mother stood up, dragging her daughter up with her. "Let's go baby, there's no point in arguing with people like them," she said before leaving the office.
I let out a long breath after holding it in for so long.
"Jade, you can take a few days off if you'd like."
I just nodded at the principal.
Tristan grabbed my hand, gently pulling me up. "C'mon, we're leaving too." He turned to Mr. Frederik and nodded a goodbye before opening the door for me.
The pain on my shin was pulsing and throbbed.
Tristan stroked the back of my hand. "How you feeling?"
"Just peachy," I chuckled dryly.
"She sure is something else, huh?"
"Yeah, you can say that. Lauren and I have our own conspiracy theory, we think Angela's possessed by some demon or something."
He laughed softly. "That would explain a lot."
As we passed a car, I briefly caught my reflection on the mirror. "I look ridiculous," I grumbled as I touched the gauze around my nose. People will think I got a nose job or something.
"No you don't, you're still as cute as a button," he grinned, hugging me to his side and rubbing my arm.
"Hey Jade!"
I looked across the parking lot to see Angela and her mom standing by their car.
Angela smirked. "This isn't over."
I gulped, aware of Tristan's hand finding mine again, giving it a light squeeze.
"C'mon let's get outta here." He unlocked his car and opened the door for me to the passenger's side.
"If you think a nosebleed is bad then you've got another thing coming," she taunted.
Tristan clenched his jaw and I know he was itching to shout something back but he knew he had to make a mature choice. "Don't listen to her," he said to me as he helped me in the car, buckling me up.
"Should've have aimed for the rest of your face too, and see if Preston would still wanna kiss you then." She shot me a knowing look, "You thought you could hide things from me?"
"Alright, now she's asking for it," Tristan growled.
I put a hand on his arm, feeling him going rigid under my touch. "Tristan - "
"You let your daughter talk to my sister like that?"
Angela's mother crossed her arms under her chest, either to hold a defiant position or to push her boobs up, I couldn't tell.
"I taught my child to speak her mind, although actions do speak louder than words."
"Some upbringing she must have had."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Oh shut up, what do you even know about raising a kid?"
He scoffed. "A lot more than you, at least I never taught my younger siblings to hurt someone for the hell of it."
"Don't talk to me about how to raise my child. At least I'm there for my daughter, where's your mother, huh? Oh no wait, don't answer that, I already know - she's probably somewhere on her knees, sucking off dicks of random men for a penny."
My mouth dropped. That was a low blow.
Tristan's muscles bulged as he gripped the car door but he didn't let his anger show and merely chuckled.
"Well for someone who likes to lower herself to my mother's level, you sure do like being on your knees a lot too, huh?"
"Fuck you," she spat.
He smiled. "No thanks, I have standards."
She seethed and practically pushed Angela into the car before she got in. She started up the car and zoomed out of the parking lot, it was a surprise she didn't hit anything on her way out.
Tristan closed his own door and let out a heavy breath. "Like mother, like daughter, huh?" he turned to me with a questioning look. "So, care to tell me about this Preston guy you kissed?"
"Um..."
Oops.
A/N: thoughts? feedback? vote? comment? Please? THANK YOU!!!
Also, tell me where you're from, I'd love to know in which part of the world my lovely readers live. I need inspiration for my next vacation lol ;)