Being on the Edge

Maybe my life is not that bad

A/N: (swearing)
Hi,
Sorry it took me so long I was kinda busy with Christmas and school. But finally after about a month I finished the third chapter. Hooray! In case you see any grammar mistakes, tell me. If you have ideas for the plot, message me.
OK, bye!

Jade's AU

I woke up in my room. I had a weird dream last night- I let a stranger I just met live in my house.
Hah, funny.
Suddenly all the memories of yesterday came to me.

It wasn't a dream. What are mom and dad gonna say when they find out? They will kill me. Why didn't I think of that yesterday? I have to make up a story.

For a moment I sat on my bed, setting possible things I can tell them.

Maybe I can say he's an exchange student or something. That he needs a place to stay just for some time. It's not like they have a reason to say no, they basically don't even live here.

That was true. My parents worked in a big company. They never left work. Even weekends were often busy for them. Last night I got a message from my mom saying there was an emergency, that's why they won't be at home for some time. Carol wasn't really disturbed. Him and our parents don't exactly get along well. Since he came out as trans, they were forcing him to use she/her pronouns, wear feminine clothing and makeup, etc. They almost made him quit basketball.

Still we had a caring granda, who was everything we could ask for. She was surprisingly more accepting than they were, supporting us all our lives, no matter what.

Granny's apartment was down the street in the same building her cafe was in. We came there at weekends or after school to help her out. Despite her age she was in a really good shape, so she run it alone.

My thoughts got interrupted by quiet sniffing from Edge's room. I came closer to it, curious. I slightly opened the door to see Edge sleeping in his bed. His face was covered in tears and sweat. He was shifting nervously. His breathing was unnaturally quick.

"Stop... don't, please-" he mumbled under his breath. Suddenly his eyes shut open. He looked around the room in panic until he saw me. He quickly wiped away the tears.

"Wh-what are you-u doing here?" his voice was shaky.
"I was just checking on you. You were having a bad dream." I sat next to him on the bed. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm f-fine." he put on a forced smile.

I didn't believe him. He might've been thinking he's a good liar, but I could see right through him. I got good at detecting lies through the years. Still, I didn't want to force him to tell me. I decided to wait until he's comfortable enough to do that.

"Come downstairs, we need to eat breakfast." I stood up, grabbing his hand. He followed me to the kitchen, where I searched the cabinets for food. On one of them I found a sticky note:

Hey,
I know I was supposed to make breakfast, but I have my basketball training earlier today. Of course, coach messaged me just before it started, like always. Pls eat something, don't starve while I'm gone.
Love U <3
Carol

"What would you like?" I shoved the note into my pocket.
Edge thought for a moment.
"Erm, what are the options?"
"Sandwiches or cereal?" I held a jar of strawberry jam as well as a box of plain cornflakes. He pointed at the jar.
"Great." I pulled out a piece of bread. I spread it with peanut butter and jam. I made two, placing one in front of Edge.
Thanks" he took a bite of the PB&J.

We sat in comfortable silence, eating our food. After we finished, I put the plates in the dishwasher.
"Ready for work?" I questioned Edge.
"Huh?" he looked at me confused.
"You promised to help at my grandmas cafe, remember?" he nodded, realising what I was talking about, "Great, now let's go. We don't want to be late. We should be there in 15 minutes."
We quickly got ready and left the house.

*time skip cause I'm having a writer's block *

Edge's POV
"Oh, Jade, good to see you honey." an old lady walked up to the girl. Small wrinkles and freckles covered her face. She had short wavy gray hair. Her eyes were almost identical to Jade's . The heat of the oven made her cheeks slightly rosy, "Is that a friend of yours?"

"Yes, he's here to help. He says he's good at maths," Jade already put on a brown apron. Her hair was in a bun. "Come with me, I'll show you around."

The cafe was small. It had round, black tables with matching chairs. There was a lot of windows letting sunlight inside, which made the place feel cosy.

"Your job is simple," Jade dragged me behind the counter, "You need to take orders and give changes.  Also you will have to help me or grandma with proportions from time to time. We aren't good at maths. That's why you're here."
I showed her a thumbs up. She handed me a notebook along with a pencil, then disappeared behind the kitchen door.

*another time skip brought by this turtle 🐢 (you can name him if you want)*

I must admit the job was better than I thought. I didn't have to talk with people too much, so that's a plus. Our shift was almost over. I was enjoying the moment of peace, as there weren't any people in the cafe at this hour when the bell rang, signalising someone coming inside.

"Hello, can I get a usual?" someone asked from the other side of the counter. I couldn't see them properly, cause their face was covered with a hood.
"What's a 'usual'?" I squinted my eyes, trying to remember someone ordering a drink called 'usual'.

The person raised his head. It was a boy with honey skin tone. He was about Jade's age. His brown eyes with dark circles turned to me.

"You're not Jade are you?" he took the hood of exposing his white dyed hair.
"Do I look like her?" I questioned sarcastically.
"No, sorry," something in me made him smirk mischievously, "I'll have a black coffee..."

"No you won't Blake!" I heard from behind. I saw Jade glancing at the boy with fury. "I told you, you can't drink coffee this late, it's bad for you! You won't get rid of those eye bags by staying up all night!"
"Okay, okay," the boy, whose name apparently was 'Blake', sighed.
"But you can still give me a coffee right?" he whispered to me.

It took Jade only a second to jump from behind the counter. She started chasing him around the cafe with a baguette, while the guy screamed, until she finally caught him. He unsuccessfully tried to run away again, but she grabbed him by the collar.
"No more coffee," she growled. Blake just nodded, not wanting to get hurt, "Good."

"Edge, this is my best friend, Blake. Blake this is Edge, he temporarily stays with me." the girl introduced us properly after she fully cooled down.
"Gosh, you live with this cutie? I'm kinda jealous," Blake's comment made me flush red.
"Stop flirting with him, you're making him uncomfortable" Jade facepalmed.

The boy rolled his eyes playfully.
"You two want to go buy some clothes?" he stood up from the chair he was sitting in.
"Sure, I'll just text Carol," Jade turned to me, "You're coming too. You have practically no clothes."

I tried to protest, but they didn't listen and dragged me to some gear shop. We ended up buying a whole bag of stuff. Most of them they insisted I get, only few were picked by me. I didn't mind though, I don't care what I ware.

"I'll pay," Blake took out a wallet.
"No-" I tried to object, however he cut me off.
"'No' is not an option,"  the boy handed the cashier some money, "Think about it as a gift." he gave me the bag.

When we got home I checked what we bought:
- 10 pairs of baggy pants
- 10 T-shirts, mostly with band names I don't know (Blake begged me to get them) or writing
- a lot of oversized hoodies (picked by me)
- some underwear
- a pair of boots (don't ask, I don't know why they sell them in clothing stores)

I put the things on my shelves. I sat on my bed wondering about today being a good day. I made a new friend. It feels so nice to call people that.
Who knows, maybe my life is not that bad after all.

Just here to say that the 1st chapter, "A way out" had 22 readers! I never thought this book can get more than 10! It means a lot to me. Thank you all so much! ❤️❤️❤️