-Better

11- h i t m e

A/N: idk what it is, but my chapters have not been very good lately and I will try to fix that, but it is not happening today. In other words, this chapter is probably just as sucky, if not more, than the last.

Barcelona, Spain- 25 and 26 years old

"Come on!" Kila said as she dragged Jade through the crowded mall. Again, Kila was always one for shopping, Jade was not.

"Why did you bring me here?" Jade groaned, throwing her head back. Her shoes scuffed the polished floor with every step she took in protest to Kila's persistence. Kila didn't acknowledge it, though, and kept on tugging Jade through each shop by her arm.

"Because we need to get you a new wardrobe. They won't hire you unless you're fashionable!" Another groan sounded from Jade's throat.

"It's not like everyone is going to see my choice of clothing, so what's the point?" Jade fired, but in her mind, she knew arguing was pointless. Not only was Kila stubborn, but she was also right, they wouldn't hire her if she couldn't dress herself.

Kila ignored her and pulled Jade into the nearest shop to their left, which happened to be a girly shop she didn't know the name of. All Jade knew was that it was very bright in there and it smelled overly of perfume of every kind.

Jade forced down another groan she felt arising in her throat at the sight of the clothes on the walls and racks. Everything in here was slutty, if not, abnormally close to it. There were dresses that barely covered anything and others that covered everything but were completely see through in some parts.

As they got further in, Jade noticed a lot more crop tops and mini-skirts, along with plenty of high heels and platform boots. She also noticed that the further they got, the more people that were in one space at a time. Every single girl here seemed to be wearing a crop top, the miniest skirts in the world, a choker, and heels.

Their fake Prada bags also must've been contagious, because everyone in here had one. Kila didn't seem phased by anything that she had encountered on her journey through here, meanwhile, Jade was disgusted with the entirety of this place, and she hadn't even been there for 5 minutes.

Once the two girls were all the way on the other side of the store, Kila had picked up quite a few things for Jade to try on, and— reluctantly— she did.

The first item her best friend had picked for her was a white mid-thigh length, skin-tight dress with long sleeves. At least it wasn't overly unusual. The design reminded her a bit of a top she had at home. The one she wore to go meet with Leo a few years ago.

She still remembered Leo. How could she not? He was her best friend for a large era in her life and also, perhaps, one of the biggest disappointments. After their breakfast "date" that day, they had grown apart fairly quickly.

"If you can't tell me the truth about this, how can I expect you to tell the truth about other things?," Jade took a shaky breath as Leo prepared himself for what she was about to say next, "I'm sorry, but I can't be friends with someone who lies to me. Or someone who doesn't trust me." Leo's heart shattered. Nothing could have prepared him for that sentence, even if he knew 15 years ahead of time. She was gone. He lost her, and there was no guarantee he could get her back.

Jade regretted ever saying that, even now after so many years without him, she still couldn't help feeling sorry. Truth be told, she had blown it a bit out of proportion, but she was hurt and jealous and made a bad decision. One that she would have to live with for the rest of her life.

The amount of times they had fought before then put together couldn't compare to the last fight they had ever had, not even by a little bit. She had met Marianella a few days before then, but Mari was stubborn, and she was a bitch.

"Stay away from my man, puta. He's not yours anymore, nor will he ever be." Mari threatened once Leo had left to go use the bathroom and let the two catch up. Jade wasn't stupid, though. She could see clear as day that Mari was using him for his status and his money.

Her wrists were entangled with expensive bracelets and charms of all kinds. The dress she was currently wearing looked like it came straight out of a designer's closet, and her hair and nails were done to perfection. She was a gold-digger, and a nasty one at that.

"Even I know he won't stay with a thing like you." Jade had shot back in defense, before she felt a sting in her cheek and her eyes changed. Rage engulfed her as she stood up and punched Mari in the jaw as hard as she possibly could, eliciting stares and gasps from everyone in the shop— including Leo.

Jade immediately backed down as she saw his face and when she turned to look at Mari, she was crying in a ball, clutching a hand to her bruised cheek.

Even though the punch probably hurt a lot, even Jade could tell that her crying was fake, but everyone else in el restaurante didn't seem to see it.

Jade tried to explain herself, sputtering out a few broken sentences before Leo had stopped her by holding a hand up to her. She finally snapped when Lionel went to go help Mari instead of listening to her, and she stormed out.

Jade, however, did not regret punching Mari, since it was the only time she had a chance to put her in her place, but she did regret doing it at such a bad time. Maybe if Leo hadn't taken as long, he still would've been there with Jade, but he didn't.

He chose Mari over her, and to her knowledge, they were still together. Jade saw him on the news every so often with his growing popularity for his skills in football, and she had seen Mari in there a few times recently as well. Jade tried her best to ignore the news about him, because she didn't want to be reminded of him.

She didn't want to be reminded of the fact that she was wrong. That Lionel had stuck with a girl like Mari and that he was hers now. But Mari hadn't changed. She was still the stuck up bitch Jade had met, and Jade did stop to think about how stupid he was at times.

As Jade tried on the next few things to show Kila, shivers ran up her spine at the thought of him being lost forever. She lost him. To a gold-digger with a fake personality.