"Forgive?" he scoffed. It was practically impossible. He'd have to be in the most miserable state to commit such stupidity.
He walked quickly, wanting to reach his room as soon as possible, to let himself go for a while. And what better way to drown sorrows than in alcohol? At the moment, it seemed like the most reasonable idea.
He stepped into the elevator, where an elderly woman was already inside. Dominick was still half out of it, and the memories came crashing back with even more intensity.
The woman looked at him and frowned.
"What?" he growled, startling her. He clenched his fists. "Never seen a man cry before? Well, now you have! Now get lost!"
The elevator doors opened, and the woman practically ran out, but not before yelling:
"You're rude!" the scandalized woman cried, running off for safety.
Jade
"I told you I was fine. Going to the hospital wasn't necessary," she complained, rolling her eyes.
They entered the room they shared.
"Don't start, Jade. It was necessary." Nerea sat her down in a chair. "Good thing the injury wasn't serious, though nothing's confirmed until we get the X-rays."
"Nerea, don't turn this into a movie. I'm fine," Jade raised her arms. She was tired.
"Are you a doctor?" Nerea asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No…" Jade huffed.
"Exactly. You're not, so you're going to shut up and follow all the instructions the doctor"—she emphasized the last word—"gives. And it's not up for debate."
"Let's drop the subject," Jade said, getting up. "Why don't you come with me to my place? I want to see how my dad and my sister are doing."
"Yes!" the brunette squealed excitedly. "Your mom may be a piece of work, but she's a very hospitable piece of work who cooks like a goddess, she'll feed us something, for sure." Nerea slapped her forehead with an open palm. "Sorry, Jade. I shouldn't talk about your mom like that."
"Janeth stopped being my mother the day she let that man into our house," Jade said, bitterness lacing every word. She gave her friend a faint smile and added, "If she never knew how to love me, why should I even bother showing her respect?" She shook her head. "I just can't."
"Jade…" Nerea approached her, took her hands, and looked into her eyes. "I know you've been through a lot, but she's still your mom."
"And that won't change. Just like I can't erase the humiliation, the times she chose that idiot Allison over me." She wiped away a tear. "Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go change."
Nerea understood. It wasn't the right time.
"Alright."
Nerea stood and went to the bathroom.
Jade walked over to the small closet. For a few minutes, she just stared at the clothes, unsure what to wear. After some indecision, she settled on a sky-blue dress that hit two fingers above the knee. She grabbed a black sweater and her worn-out black Converse, laid everything on the bed, and headed straight to the bathroom.
~•~
They had finished getting ready and were now on the bus. After a while, their stop was approaching.
"Better get ready," Nerea murmured just loud enough for Jade to hear.
"What? Ready for what?" Jade frowned.
"You know, we've got a battle with Allison the little witch." Nerea put on a serious face. "If she's home, we'll have to defend ourselves."
"Are you for real?" Jade shook her head, and both burst into laughter, drawing curious glances from some passengers.
"Our stop's next," Jade announced.
The bus came to a halt, and the two girls got off. They had just two blocks to go.
They launched into a random conversation as they walked, talking about everything and nothing. Their laughter echoed through the nearly empty streets.
When they reached the front of the house, they stopped. Nerea smiled at Jade and asked:
"Ready for the mission?" Nerea raised her right hand to her forehead in a mock military salute.
"Yes, ma'am!" Jade exclaimed, laughing, returning the salute.
Jade smiled as she pulled the keys from her pocket. She unlocked the door, and they went inside. They hung their coats in the closet, but before they could take another step, they were intercepted by Lucas and Alicia.
"Jade!" Lucas exclaimed with a big smile. "It's so good to see you, sweetheart. I missed you so much," he said, pulling her into a hug.
"I missed you too, Dad," she murmured, hugging him back.
"Nerea, I'm glad you're here," Lucas said, letting go of Jade. He kissed the brunette's cheek. "As beautiful as always, more than last time."
"You're as flattering as ever, Mr. Henderson," she replied with a smile.
"What happened to your forehead, Jade?" Lucas asked, noticing the bandage she had tried to hide with her hair.
"It's nothing, just a small bump from a fall. Nothing to worry about," she said quickly when she saw his worried expression.
"Not a chance. I'm your father, and I'll worry about whatever I want," he insisted, crossing his arms. "Did you see a doctor?"
"I took her. She didn't want to go… you know how she is," Nerea rolled her eyes.
"Good job. You have to take care of her, even from herself."
"Sis! I'm so glad you're here!" Alicia came up and grabbed Jade's arm. "I want to show you the dress Allison bought me, it's divine!" she said with obvious excitement.
"Alicia, give your sister a break. Come on, let's go to the living room," Lucas said, gently guiding Jade by the shoulder.
They all sat down. Nerea sat next to Jade on the couch, while Alicia sat across from them. Lucas remained standing.
"Are you two hungry?" he asked.
"Starving. We've barely eaten," the brunette complained.
"Are you going to cook?" Jade asked, her eyes lighting up.
"Yes. I'll see what I can whip up in the kitchen."
"Excellent idea!" Nerea clapped happily.
Everyone laughed.
"Oh, Jade, I found your bedroom door open and closed it," Lucas mentioned. "I figured you just forgot."
"Thanks, Dad," she replied with a tense smile and clenched fists.
"No problem." Oblivious to Jade's growing irritation, Lucas smiled, turned around, and headed to the kitchen.
"Something wrong?" Nerea frowned at her friend's annoyed expression.
"That witch Allison was snooping in my room again," she muttered through gritted teeth.
"She's such a..."
"Nerea," Alicia cut in, giving her a look that caught both girls off guard. "I'm going to ask you nicely not to insult my sister in front of me."
"I'm sorry, I..." Nerea looked uncomfortable, something that didn't happen often.
"No," Jade cut in, placing a hand on her leg. "You don't have to apologize for telling the truth. Allison is a shameless tramp who doesn't understand boundaries." She crossed her arms. "Little..."
"Don't call me that!" Alicia suddenly stood up, yelling. Jade's eyes widened, shocked.
"So now I get it. You're the one always looking for trouble with Allison," she continued, making Jade's blood boil. "She was right about you."
"You'd better shut your mouth, little girl," Jade warned, clearly annoyed.
"I won't! You're always against poor Allison..."
"Poor?" Jade cut her off with a laugh so cold that Alicia looked scared. "That damn slut is far from poor, and for her own good, she better stop turning you against me or I'll mop the floor with her and make a wig out of the three hairs she has left on her head," she threatened.
"You can't..."
"Alicia, go to your room," Jade ordered, fists clenched.
Alicia stayed frozen, processing the command.
"Get to your damn room! Now!" she shouted, eyes blazing with fury and chest rising and falling with rage.
"You never…" Alicia whimpered, her voice cracking. "You never talked to me like that before."
Her eyes filled with tears, and Jade's anger turned into guilt.
"Alicia…" the blonde whispered, already regretting her words, but her sister had already run upstairs.
"Jade, it wasn't your fault," Nerea stood and held her by the shoulders.
"Did you see… did you see how she looked at me?" Jade kept her eyes fixed on the stairs.
"She's just upset, like you said," Nerea caressed her cheek. "She's just a girl being manipulated by that bitch of a sister."
"I swear I'm going to kill her," Jade said angrily. "That witch Allison will not get what she wants."
~•~
About forty minutes later, Lucas, Nerea, and Jade were enjoying a delicious dinner of oven-baked salmon with mashed potatoes and asparagus.
"This tastes like heaven," Nerea said after her fourth bite.
"I hadn't cooked in a long time," Lucas said with nostalgia, he truly enjoyed it.
"You should do it more often. If you want, I can come over regularly and give you my opinion," the brunette smiled.
"All you care about is food," Jade murmured, sipping her lemon juice.
Nerea stuck her tongue out at her.
"Childish," Jade accused.
She watched as her father and Nerea got caught up in an entertaining conversation about food, sharing recipes and saying they should cook together sometime…
She smiled. She liked seeing him like that, happy. Making silly gestures, carefree… and healthy. Above all, healthy.
Her father was too good of a person, and that was his flaw.
She always asked herself the same question: How could he let the lover of the woman he loved live under the same roof as him? In a house he built for his family.
A family that had lost that name years ago…
[...]
"You girls should stay the night," Lucas suggested.
"Dad, don't start," Jade smiled. "We have to go, but we promise we'll be back soon."
"Alright, but please be very careful. It's late, and I worry. Please call me when you get there," he asked, clearly uneasy.
"Don't worry, Mr. Henderson," Nerea and Jade grabbed their coats. "We'll call as soon as we get to the hotel. Thanks again for the meal, it was delicious."
Lucas nodded and didn't close the door until they were completely out of sight.
"Good thing Dad didn't find out about the argument between Alicia and me," Jade rubbed her face with her hands. "I need to talk to her soon. I hate fighting with my sister."
"Everything will work out, you'll see," the brunette comforted her, bumping her shoulder gently.
"It's cold," Jade said, rubbing her hands together.
"Tell me about it. And when February hits, it'll get even worse," Nerea yawned.
They reached the bus stop, where only one girl was waiting.
Nerea looked her over slim, short, her hair tucked under a brown hat. She wore a dress the same color as the hat and a thick black coat. Her shoes were very worn, and a small suitcase rested by her side.
"Hi," Jade greeted, startling the girl.
"Hi," she replied timidly.
"My name's Jade, and this is my friend Nerea. How are you?" Jade walked over and sat on the bench.
"Nice to meet you. I'm okay," she murmured.
"What are you doing here all alone?" Nerea also sat down. "It's really dangerous."
"I can confirm that," Jade added, thinking of the two shady-looking men.
"My name is Lennon, and I come from a town called Salem in Massachusetts. My godmother sent me here to look for work," she said, staring at the ground.
"And what happened? Why are you here like this?" Nerea asked curiously.
"Nerea…" Jade nudged her. "Don't be rude, maybe she doesn't want to talk about it. Or do you?" she asked, looking at the girl.
"It's alright," she replied softly. "My godmother sent me to stay with a friend of hers. She said the lady would give me a place to stay and a job, but a woman told me that she passed away."
"Poor thing… I guess you don't have anywhere to go," Jade said. The girl kept her eyes on the ground.
"Come with us," Nerea suddenly offered.
The young girl looked up, doubtful.
"We're not going to kill you," Nerea laughed.
"Yeah. You can stay with us tonight, and tomorrow we'll figure out how to help you get a job and a more stable place to stay," Jade added.
"I don't know… I wouldn't want to be a bother," the girl looked incredibly shy, and Jade smiled to reassure her.
"It's no bother at all," Jade said as she stood and picked up the girl's small suitcase.
Just then, the last bus pulled up and stopped.
"Alright… I'll go with you," Lennon smiled, without showing her teeth.
The three of them got on the bus, and Jade and Nerea thought that maybe… this was the beginning of a new friendship.