escape | jade west

comfort [10]

Y/N's pov:

Jade has been acting really weird at school lately. Most days, she wasn't even there. The days she did come, she wouldn't speak to anyone. I mean it. She wouldn't even put in any effort to be mean to others. Her mouth was shut. It made me worried. I wasn't sure if I should check up on her.

I decided to skip the last class with Tori and Cat. They didn't have to actually skip a lesson, since their teacher let them go early. Mine didn't, so I simply snuck out of school before anyone noticed.

"What should we all do?" Tori asked.

"I'm craving ice cream. How does that sound?" I suggested.

"Yay, ice cream!" Cat yelled.

We all laughed and entered my car. I looked up directions to Cat's favorite ice cream shop and started driving. Tori and Cat were both sitting in the back. I glanced at the rear view mirror and noticed Tori's concerned face.

"What's on your mind, Tori?" I wondered.

"I'm just... worried about Jade. I know she doesn't like me, that's why I haven't done anything. But I'm really scared. I hope she's ok."

I felt the same way she did. I felt guilty for not doing anything. Not even texting Jade. The mood in the car got gloomy. The whole ride, my mind was stuck on Jade. I tried to focus on driving. Luckily, we got to the ice cream shop fast. Cat instantly became happy. She rushed into the shop and started exploring all the different flavors of the delicious dessert.

"Let's just enjoy the moment. We can worry about Jade later." I mumbled to Tori.

She nodded. We walked up to Cat and bought some ice cream. We spent the time talking about our personal lives and other things we found interest in. Some time later, I drove them both home and came home as well. A wave of sadness hit me.

It was 8 pm. I was sitting on my bed, thinking about these past few weeks. I told myself that if Jade wasn't gonna come to school the next day, I'd drive to her house. I didn't care that we weren't close. These thoughts were bothering me too much.

I wanted to clear my mind, so I turned on some music and started dancing. I'd always dance when I needed to put my focus on something other than my mind. Besides, it would always serve as a workout. I was having fun. I stood in front of my mirror, singing and dancing to myself. Suddenly, I heard a laugh. I turned to my bedroom door and saw.. Jade.

"Oh my god, Jade!" I rushed over to her. "Where have you been?"

Her face quickly went blank. She walked over to my bed without an answer. I was confused, but I didn't pressure her.

"Ok, uh, why are you here?"

"No particular reason." she muttered.

"Ok, I guess. Make yourself at home. I'll be right back." I said as I made my way out of my room to find my mom. I figured that maybe she'd know something since she had to let Jade in when she came.

"Is Jade ok?" my mom asked before I could say anything.

"I have no idea. Why?"

"She looked quite upset when she came. Did anything happen between you two?"

"No, nothing happened, but Jade has been skipping out on school for a while."

I quickly ran back to my room.

"Sorry for leaving you here. I just needed to talk to my mom about something." I mumbled.

"It's fine."

Jade's voice sounded shaky. She sniffled, as if she has been crying. It made me even more concerned than I was before. I took a seat next to her.

"Please tell me what's going on." I stated.

Jade started speaking about her struggles at home. It was heartbreaking. I have never seen Jade like this. She was sobbing, words were struggling to come out of her mouth.

"Instead of going to school, I just go to the woods, or somewhere with no one around." she mentioned. "I couldn't keep all of this inside anymore. That's why I came to you. I trust you."

She trusts me?

"Can I please stay with you?" she questioned. "Just for one night."

"Of course you can. Stay as long as you want."

The room went silent. Jade was fidgeting with her fingers. She gazed straight into my eyes. Her cheeks were red, her eyes were glossy from the tears. It looked like she wanted something more. Reassuring words weren't enough. What did she want?.. A hug.

Without hesitation, I pulled her into a long hug. Jade buried her face into my neck. I could feel her warm breath. Her arms were wrapped all the way around my body. I put my hand on the back of her head, intertwining my fingers with her hair. I didn't even realize how much I missed this feeling.

We stayed in the hug for a while, just taking in the comfort. Eventually, Jade let go.

"I'm kind of tired." she said.

"Alright. You can go to the guest bedroom." I told her.

Jade just stared at me.

"Or you can stay with me if you'd like.."

"No, no, it's fine." she sounded slightly disappointed.

She stood up and slowly wandered to the door. I grabbed her hand.

"Stay."

She turned around and glanced at me. I think she was surprised to hear those words. A small grin appeared on her face. I gave Jade some pajamas. I left the room to change into my own pajamas and let Jade do the same. When I came back, Jade was already lying on my bed. I lied down next to her and dragged the bed covers over our bodies. It felt a lot like the night we slept together in that hotel room.

"Goodnight, Y/N."

"Goodnight."

I soon fell asleep. I wasn't feeling any sort of discomfort. Having Jade next to me was nice.

I woke up earlier than Jade. I headed to the kitchen and made coffee for both of us. I brought the drinks back to my room. Jade was tossing and turning.

"Good morning, Jade." I smiled at her.

"No, not good morning. I don't wanna get up." she groaned.

I took her hand and dragged her out of bed.

"Hey!" she shouted.

I just laughed. She slightly giggled. Hearing her laugh was special. She barely ever shows this side of her at school, considering the fact that there's always tons of people around.

We both got ready for school and arrived there. We walked to our lockers together. All of our friends were extremely happy to see her. They bombarded her with hugs.

"Get off of me!" she yelled.

Everyone quickly let go. Tori suddenly pulled me aside.

"I noticed you guys walked in together. Did you see her yesterday?" Tori asked.

"No.. well, yeah. I won't tell you why though. Jade put her trust in me and I don't want to betray her."

"Oh, I understand." Tori said. She was a little upset, but she didn't ask anymore questions.

*after school*

I was gathering a few of my belongings from my locker when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey, Y/N" Jade mumbled. "I just wanted to let you know that I don't wanna bother you, so I won't spend any more nights with you. And I don't want to make my family mad."

"You got this." I smiled. "And.. you don't bother me. You can come stay with me whenever you like."

I closed my locker and headed home.