Found her

Chapter 38 | Dirty

S A D I E

The feeling never leaves. You feel as if there is something dirty under you skin, clawing to get out.

You feel dirty.

'Hey.'

I flinch, surprised. I look up fearfully, only to be met with Aleena's chocolate brown eyes. I sigh with relief.

'Hey.' I parrot back, scooting a bit on the bench to make place for her.

Aleena hadn't changed since I first met her. Her vibrant red hair still in messy locks that reach her back, her brown eyes are still bright and welcoming, as if swimming in a warm cup of hot chocolate. She's grown a few inches, still taller than me. But other than that, she's still the same sixteen year old girl who can't have cow milk because it upsets her stomach, the same girl who flirted back at Jaxon when she first met him, the same girl who got along with her boyfriend's sister amazingly. The same girl who moved to a whole different state, just so she can be with her sick aunt, who she healed and helped, and cured.

'I love you, y'know?'

Aleena's pauses, turning to me slowly. 'Are you dying?' She says jokingly.

I glare. 'No.' I say pointedly. 'Come on, ready?'

'Ready.'

We step out of the school building.

'Miss. Parker! Miss. Parker!'

I put on a smile and walk forward, ignoring every call, every hand, every camera.

'How is Lucas?'

'Why hasn't he been in public?'

'Why did Lucas sack his agent?'

I ignore and ignore and ignore.

Once in the safety of my mom's car, I breathe.

Aleena chuckles nervously. 'You deal with this alot?'

'Every time I go out.' I say, putting my hand around the wheel.

I got my drivers license last week, finally putting my fear of driving to the side and plucking up the courage to ask Lucas for lessons. I promised myself I wouldn't drive when it's raining, thanks to past trauma.

I turn on the car and drive away, once again ignoring the hands patting my car and the people shoving their faces into my windows.

The paparazzi lessened, but didn't go away completely. Sometimes, Lucas and I would go out and no one would pay us a glance. But I think that has got to do with Emma.

She got caught again, high and making out with a boy behind a bar in Los Angeles. Two days later, she was seen passed out at another bar, a different boy with her.

So, they stopped fretting over us, and started fretting over Emma.

I pull into my driveway, and open the door, but before I can put the key in, the door opens from the other side.

'Mom!' I say surprised. 'Don't you have work?'

She sighs, smiling. 'I took the day off.' She says, bitterly.

I frown, leading Aleena and Mom to the couch. Aleena looks pitifully at my mom.

She's starting to age, fifty finally showing on her body. Her skin had paled, bags under her eyes, her body frail and thin. She looks tired.

'Mom?'

'Your dad is leaving.'

I freeze.

Aleena jumps up, and walks towards the door. 'I'll leave you two alone.' She turns to me. 'Call me?'

I nod, still dazed, looking at Mom, waiting for an explanation.

'He asked to leave for a bit, take a break. I agreed.'

'You agreed?'

'He's never been here, Sadie.'

I know. I want to tell her.

But I don't.

'Not a divorce?'

'Maybe.'

'Maybe?'

'I don't know.'

'You don't know?' At this point I'm just parroting everything Mom says.

'He left the business to me, the house too. He's moving to the city. To cool off.' She sighs. 'I think he's coming back.'

'And you?'

She understands my question.

How are you, my question is.

'Maybe he'll come back a better man.'

***

I call Aleena after that, and ask her to come over. She does, and we just lay on my bed together.

'Are you okay with... him leaving?'

I shrug. 'He wasn't a good father.'

That doesn't answer the question, Aleena knows that, but she doesn't press it.

The sound of both our phones going off snaps us out of our daze.

'Jax.' Aleena says.

'Lucas.' I say.

I answer the call, so does Aleena, and she steps out of the room, talking quickly at the phone.

'Lucas.'

'Hey, princess. You okay?'

'Why wouldn't I be?'

'Sadie.'

'I'll tell you in person. Where are you now?'

'Um. Out with Jaxon.'

I chuckle. 'Say that again. I heard 'out with Jaxon'. I think I'm hallucinating.'

'I am out with Jaxon.'

Aleena barges into the room, eyes wide. 'They are out. Together.' We say at the same time.

'Willingly.' Aleena adds.

'The world is definitely coming to an end.' I say.

'You are so dramatic, we are...' Lucas trails off.

'Bonding?' I help him, cringing slightly at the thought of Lucas and Jaxon in the same room together.

'Um, yeah?' He says, as if confused himself.

'Look, whatever. Just don't kill each other.' I tell him seriously.

'Don't kill my boyfriend Lucas!' Aleena calls out, hanging up on Jax.

'No promises.' Lucas chuckles. 'Princess.'

'Lucas.'

'You okay?'

'Never better.'

'I'll see you tonight?'

'It's a date.' I say, grinning.

I hang up, and turn to Aleena.

'Jaxon is a dead man.'

'I know.' I say solemnly.

Aleena lays on my bed. 'Boys... Sometimes I think they are just here to be stupid.'

'What has that got to do with anything?'

She shrugs. 'It's the truth.'