CADEN'S POV
I know she's not going to do it, I'm just pulling her legs, but it's a shame though.
And she's totally lying.
She's scared of me, I'm just not sure if it's because of how I've treated her since being back or because she feels something for me.
I pray it's the latter, even though I don't know what I'll do with that if it's true.
I'm too broken to deserve her and that's been the main reason I've been staying away from her.
Knowing Jade, she'll spend the rest of our lives trying to fix me, if I give in and act on my feelings for her, because that's how she is, nurturing.
But I'm past the point of being fixed, I took a hit too hard and it damaged me too bad, and she dosen't know that and it'll make me worse watching her try.
I can't do that to her.
I chuckle, trying to ease the tension my request had caused in the room.
Shit is so palpable I can cut through it with a butter knife if I try.
Does it r
JADE'S POV.The feel of Caden's lips against mine again, the taste of him and the slow and purposeful caress of his hand on my skin has me floating up to cloud nine.In this moment, nothing in the whole wide world matters, not my parents, not Amber and not even the notes or any of my problems.They'll still be here when I crash back to earth and warm, sweet taste of his lips is gone from mine.But then it stopped, too suddenly.If known it'd end, but not as abruptly as it did and that's probably why it got me.He broke away from me like I'm a plague he didn't want to catch, the look on his face far from excited.It hurt to see it, and it's worse that I enjoyed being his for even the minute that it lasted.And then, it dawned on me that I've fallen for it again, stupidly shown him how weak I am to his charms and allure.Anger, raw and undiluted starts a course through my system, seeping in and replacing all the euphoria t
JADE'S POVIt's been days now since I last spoke to Caden and I'm not sure how I feel about it.I mean I'm pissed about what happened, but I've had more time to actually think about it.And the more I think about what happened between us, the more I realise I could have handled it different and saved us both the headache.He'd not been wrong, I'd let him kiss me the second time, went into that water with my eyes wide open and my head sane.I could have done better than blaming him but in the heat of my anger and the swamping feeling of betrayal that had been trying to consume me, I'd laid it all on him until he'd exploded .Well, I'm past the point of reminiscing and dwelling on that.I'll apologise though, if he isn't doing a good job of avoiding me and staying hidden from my sight all the damn, fucking time.It isn't even helping that for some reason, Matt is staying away from me too.I don't know where I went wr
CADEN'S POV I was at my locker swapping my books when I heard the words flying, something about some junior being rushed to the school's infirmary. I'd have ignored the news as is my usual, except the description of the victim oddly fit someone I know, too much. And then I heard her name being mentioned and that confirmed my fears. I didn't stand long enough to catch the full gist as I dashed off in the direction of the nurse's office. Different scenarios rushed through my head as I did and none of them was good, whatever it was, it had sounded serious when I heard it. I push the door to the room open, barging in like I own the damn place. I might as well, my father pays for more than half the things around here and that girl in the next room means too much to me to wait around for formalities. "Caden Jones!" I ig
JADE'S POV I can hear voices in my head, masculine voices that are awfully familiar, but I'm too tired to try placing them with owners. They are in my head and kinda making it difficult to remain asleep. The haze of unconsciousness lifted of but I keep my eyes close, not ready to entertain any questions or conversations. I ignore the pounding in my head as I listen to the conversation happening around me. "Because I know how she feels about you. It bothered me so much knowing that and I wondered if you feel the same." Wait, that's unmistakably Matt's voice, I'll know it anywhere. By "she" does he mean me? And why will he be discussing my feeli
JADE'S POVI remain in the infirmary, drifting in and out of sleep for the rest of the school hours.When I finally wake, there's just the nurse, Linda, in the room with me and honestly I was glad about that.I don't think I want to be looking at either of the boys now after listening to them pawn me around like an inanimate object to be bargained for and not a human being with feelings and a mind of her own."Finally managed to get your beaus out the door, load of work that was."She teases, smiling at me.I didn't need to be told she was talking about Caden and Matt, those two can be hard headed and difficult to deal with when they want.I can only imagine petite Linda, ordering two raging testosterone bursts to leave the room, that would have been quite the sight to see."And since you are still weak and a bit dizz
JADE'S POVI watch her climb out of the car, dressed in a really short skirt I've never seen before and a crop top that did well to display her washboard flat abdomen.And she's fully made up!That infuriates me so much I'm out of words to explain how it makes me feel.I have no issues with my sister trying to look, well like she is now, but leaving me out here in the school, sick and for hours on end just so she can put on make up?That's just cruelty and inhumane in my book.I wait to hear her excuse on why she's so late to pick me up after being called by the school's nurse and asked to because I'm not doing too well on my own, instead, all I get is her walking right past me like I don't exist and going over to Caden's side.Really, Amber?Well, why the fuck did I expect any different though, that's just like my sister.It'll be totally out of character for her if she offered any explanation or apology."
JADE'S POVSomehow I managed to make it to my bed and without second thoughts, I stumble face flat onto it.I can barely see out of my eyes, my eyelids too heavy to keep open, no thanks to the continuous pounding in my head.If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn Justin Bieber is having a live concert with his million of female fans stomping around and yelling inside my head.It hurts that much.I can still hear my mom's voice downstairs yelling at me with her little minion Amber fanning the flame by telling her I intentionally got in the water.And even though it's becoming harder to make out their actual words, I know which direction her insinuations are flying and how nasty they can get.I'd just had our mom yell at me for getting in a chlorinated pool, while she watched and when I tried explaining that the school keeps the pool chlorine free and there had been no way I could have known there was something in t
JADE'S POVI feel the covers gets taken away from my body but I'm too weak to even crack an eyelid open to see why.Instead, I curl further into myself, fighting the chill with what body heat I could get.But there's something else.It's probably the fever really getting the best of me or something, but I can swear I'm perceiving Caden's heady masculine scent in my room.I should have taken some meds before crashing, maybe that would have saved me from absurd, delusional thoughts like this one, but I really can and it's intoxicating.There's no way he's here though, Caden I know will rather have all his teeth pulled out with rusted pliers and give up his nails too for bonus points.I curl up a little more, craving some heat to make the cold stop and savoring my favorite scent teasing my nose.It's a piece of heaven you know, imagining him being here and being able to inhale his sweet scent, but that is snatched from me in a sec
CADEN'S POVI know what she's asking but the answer to her question is lodged in my throat, not coming up and not going down, only suffocating me like those nightmares I beg to wake from and hear nothing in response except my own thudding heart and my laboured breath.Time pass, the question condensing in the air, getting thicker and heavier in its entirety and I just feel so small, s feeling I've avoided like the plague in these recent and brighter times.She sits up on the bed, dropping my hand eventually like I'd wanted at some point, but the waft of cold breeze that cools it off of the tiny balls of perspiration that had built in them from contact, reminded me why this is the last thing I want.She says nothing, doesn't ask me again or try to push me fo tell her about the hellish years that had followed leaving here and the nightmares that had built after it.Just nothing.She just hugs her knees to herself and watches me and I see it in her quiet gaze, the resignation and resolve
CADEN'S POVI know what she's asking but the answer to her question is lodged in my throat, not coming up and not going down, only suffocating me like those nightmares I beg to wake from and hear nothing in response except my own thudding heart and my laboured breath.Time pass, the question condensing in the air, getting thicker and heavier in its entirety and I just feel so small, s feeling I've avoided like the plague in these recent and brighter times.She sits up on the bed, dropping my hand eventually like I'd wanted at some point, but the waft of cold breeze that cools it off of the tiny balls of perspiration that had built in them from contact, reminded me why this is the last thing I want.She says nothing, doesn't ask me again or try to push me fo tell her about the hellish years that had followed leaving here and the nightmares that had built after it.Just nothing.She just hugs her knees to herself and watches me and I see it in her quiet gaze, the resignation and resolve
CADEN'S POVI know what she's asking but the answer to her question is lodged in my throat, not coming up and not going down, only suffocating me like those nightmares I beg to wake from and hear nothing in response except my own thudding heart and my laboured breath.Time pass, the question condensing in the air, getting thicker and heavier in its entirety and I just feel so small, s feeling I've avoided like the plague in these recent and brighter times.She sits up on the bed, dropping my hand eventually like I'd wanted at some point, but the waft of cold breeze that cools it off of the tiny balls of perspiration that had built in them from contact, reminded me why this is the last thing I want.She says nothing, doesn't ask me again or try to push me fo tell her about the hellish years that had followed leaving here and the nightmares that had built after it.Just nothing.She just hugs her knees to herself and watches me and I see it in her quiet gaze, the resignation and resolve
CADEN'S POVI know what she's asking but the answer to her question is lodged in my throat, not coming up and not going down, only suffocating me like those nightmares I beg to wake from and hear nothing in response except my own thudding heart and my laboured breath.Time pass, the question condensing in the air, getting thicker and heavier in its entirety and I just feel so small, s feeling I've avoided like the plague in these recent and brighter times.She sits up on the bed, dropping my hand eventually like I'd wanted at some point, but the waft of cold breeze that cools it off of the tiny balls of perspiration that had built in them from contact, reminded me why this is the last thing I want.She says nothing, doesn't ask me again or try to push me fo tell her about the hellish years that had followed leaving here and the nightmares that had built after it.Just nothing.She just hugs her knees to herself and watches me and I see it in her quiet gaze, the resignation and resolve
CADEN'S POVI know what she's asking but the answer to her question is lodged in my throat, not coming up and not going down, only suffocating me like those nightmares I beg to wake from and hear nothing in response except my own thudding heart and my laboured breath.Time pass, the question condensing in the air, getting thicker and heavier in its entirety and I just feel so small, s feeling I've avoided like the plague in these recent and brighter times.She sits up on the bed, dropping my hand eventually like I'd wanted at some point, but the waft of cold breeze that cools it off of the tiny balls of perspiration that had built in them from contact, reminded me why this is the last thing I want.She says nothing, doesn't ask me again or try to push me fo tell her about the hellish years that had followed leaving here and the nightmares that had built after it.Just nothing.She just hugs her knees to herself and watches me and I see it in her quiet gaze, the resignation and resolve
JADE'S POV I try hard not to look at him differently, not to feel so much hurt on his behalf and not blame myself so much for not being there when he needed someone the most, but it's sooo fucking difficult not to, not after listening to everything he just said.I had no idea all he'd gone through, alone and now all the times I spent hating his guts and resenting him seems a waste and stupid.Every day, I imagined he was enjoying his super perfect life, looking down his nose at the rest of us measely teens but his life had been anything but perfect.It'd been all bright on the outside and yet very dark, lonely and hollow on the inside that it must have been so fucking difficult.Somehow, I'm glad I skipped school today and is spending the day with him, a weak attempt at making up for lost times and a silent apology for....everything.Silently, I'm grateful that his book went missing because he would never have told me any of this if it hadn't, though I hope to hell and back that it do
CADEN'S POV Richard was a portly man, a little too young to be imagined a close friend of my dad's and always overly excited with his beady eyes and warm hugs.......but I don't tell her this.I don't say a word about how I hate the smell of musk and spice to this day because of him and I don't mention how terrifying I find anything served unsealed or in a glass.I dont say shit to her anymore than I already did because even that is too fucked and too much to dump on someone.There's no point burdening her with the whole story now of how he'll come home from work early every other day, always glad when he finds me home alone.He'll always smile like he's the good guy and ask how school was, even though I never bother to answer any of his questions. All I wanted at that point in my life was for my mom to not be.....gone and for my dad not to always be gone, not some man always prying into my business every now and again.Her sobbing, faint now but still there, racking through her petit
CADEN'S POVI know what she's asking but the answer to her question is lodged in my throat, not coming up and not going down, only suffocating me like those nightmares I beg to wake from and hear nothing in response except my own thudding heart and my laboured breath.Time pass, the question condensing in the air, getting thicker and heavier in its entirety and I just feel so small, s feeling I've avoided like the plague in these recent and brighter times.She sits up on the bed, dropping my hand eventually like I'd wanted at some point, but the waft of cold breeze that cools it off of the tiny balls of perspiration that had built in them from contact, reminded me why this is the last thing I want.She says nothing, doesn't ask me again or try to push me fo tell her about the hellish years that had followed leaving here and the nightmares that had built after it.Just nothing.She just hugs her knees to herself and watches me and I see it in her quiet gaze, the resignation and resolve
JADE'S POV I can't believe he liked me back then, almost as much as I like him and said nothing.All those years ago and he'd let some stupid thing he heard me tell Ches out of resignation ruin all of it for both of us.I mean, she and I had been what we thought of as pretty obvious in our crush on him, she, the more obsessed one and me, more the best friend that knows for sure that she'll never have the guy but he'd not once seen through any of it?Wow, I can see now why most people would easily agree that most guys can be so fucking clueless, annoyingly so, when they want to be."So when you returned, started a new school and found out I was there, why didn't you try to talk to me about it, or say something at least? Why did you just continue ignoring me, barely answering my greetings and rolling only with your new circle of popular friends?"He has the decency to look sorry about that, like he just realised now too how much of a bitch hindsight can be."I'd just gotten out of very