essence

1| daisies

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the house is filled with the intoxicating smell of booze and sweat. the load vibrations of bass spreads through jades body like a sickness, making her heart thud rapidly and her fingers shake. the red solo cup that rests in her hand does her no favors. the alcohol that splashes around the edges, runs down her wrists and when she takes an occasional sip, it burns her throat.

caleb had come home to find his sister curled up beneath her sheets, her skin pale and dark circles under her eyes. he had a feeling she had been in her room awhile, so he insisted she get out of the house. so here jade stands, in the corner, surrounded by dancing bodies, and the excited talk of high school students.

jade was trying to have a good time, but she was struggling. her brother had left her among these random people and the only thing she could think of doing was making a drink. she knew not to trust the pre-made beverages, so she resulted in mixing cheap rum with cola. she stays by the stairs, waiting for her brother to come back down.

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the lonely girl in the corner, her blue dress riding up her slender legs, makes it hard for xavier to focus on what his friend is saying. her body is delicately curved, her golden hair flowing around her shoulders. xaviers throat dries up as he watches her, his heart pumping fast beneath his ribs.

roman stops mid sentence to see what has caught his friends attention. when he turns around to look, a young girl is standing by the stairs, a crushed red plastic cup in hand. her gaze falls on them, her green eyes vibrant in the neon lights. when she begins to walk towards them, it isn't until she smiles, they realize they need to meet her half way.

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as jade runs down the street, her arms out, she enjoys the warm night air that rushes through her fingers. the two boys walk slowly behind her, shocked at her spontaneous behavior. beneath the shy girl jade portrays, there is a recklessness that has her clumsily stumbling and spinning occasionally.

jade knows her brother is going to be pissed but she just couldn't seem to help her self. the two handsome boys were alluring and she just had to approach them. they made her laugh and had her feeling wanted in so many ways. she was so tired of laying at home, letting sadness become her. she just needed to escape, and these boys were helping her in ways they didn't even know.

xavier and roman catch up to her eventually, finding her picking flowers in someone's yard. she's walking around slowly, tearing each daisy from its stem, crushing them in her fists. jades eyes are shining with mischief as they approach her.

"we should pick every last one, so when whoever owns these silly yards wakes up, all there flowers are gone." she whispers, throwing the flowers she has into the street.

xavier and roman don't argue and follow her around, picking roses, daisies and the occasional hydrangea. they throw them into the street as they go house to house, staying silent the whole time. it isn't until they reach the next block that one of them speaks.

"what the fuck did we just do?" roman asks, running his hands through his hair as he stares down at the beautiful girl.

"we landscaped" xavier answers, a sly smile spreading across his face.

they stay silent for a moment, each listening to the faint sound of cars from the main street. when jade begins to laugh, her body folding over,  the two boys start laughing as well. they all laugh together, running along streets and trampling lawns, forgetting about there problems just for the night.

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they agree going back to the party is a horrible idea. the idea of sitting in smoke and spilt drinks had them scrunching their noses in disgust. as long as roman and xavier were with the girl whose laugh echoed across the streets, they really didn't mind where they went. they follow her through the neighborhood, occasionally having to run to catch up with her.

jade doesn't want to go home. she doesn't want to deal with the consequences of leaving when her brother specifically told her to stay. her phone was already buzzing with new notifications and she resisted the urge to smash it against the pavement. she couldn't quite understand the meaning of her actions, but she decided she didn't care. she had been feeling so alone lately and these boys were giving her great company. they agreed to anything she said and she occasionally caught them staring at her with amazement.

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some might say they all fell in love with each other that night, but it was hard to know who began to love who first. jades spontaneous personality had xavier and roman chasing after her like lost dogs. what the two boys didn't know was, jade was chasing after them as well. she was doing anything she could to get their attention. if she wasn't picking flowers in strangers yards, she was twirling in the street, screaming her lungs out.

when caleb finally found his sister, she was wrapped around two guys, her hair tangled and eyes tired. he had freaked out for a moment, chastising jade for her immature behavior. he then had proceeded to yell at the two guys, threatening to report them for kidnap. jade had slapped her brother then, her hand leaving a large red mark against his cheek.

after the exchange of phone numbers and promises to call one another, jade leaves the two handsome boys. caleb doesn't speak on the drive back home and jade doesn't  try to initiate anything. she was pumped with adrenaline and it made her stomach twist with nervousness. she stays in her room for the rest of the day, avoiding caleb and his anger, waiting for xavier or roman to call.

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it wasn't until the next day at exactly midnight, did jades phone light up with a notification.

x| hey pretty girl

jade| my handsome boy!

r| i'm handsome too..

jade| i never said you weren't

x| do you guys wanna go pick flowers?

jade| yes!

x| roman come pick us up

r| in the car now

                     ______

through out the summer, the temperature rises greatly. the student body becomes excited over their freedom and teenagers struggle at their first jobs. the pavements become hot, and the air conditioning in every store becomes refreshing. the ice cream trucks drive by slowly, their music echoing along the streets with children's laughter following slowly behind.

xavier and roman not only become close with jade, but they come close with each other. before they had met the girl, they were just friends. it was hard to say wether the attraction between xavier and roman was due to them both loving the same girl or if it was because of something completely different.

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