In the attic of Jade's childhood was an old trunk, locked. And even though she couldn't pry it open, nor did she have the key, the muffled sobs coming from inside told her more than she wanted to remember.
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Wasn't supposed to update until tomorow, so SURPRISE!
"She's gonna kill me."
"She's not gonna kill you, Jade."
"Yes, she will! You didn't hear the stuff I said to her, she's gonna roast my ass."
"C'mon Jade, I'm sure she doesn't hate you that much."
"Lauren, if I ever got hit by a bus, she'd be the one driving that bus."
"Well, you hate her too."
"I don't hate her, I'm just not necessarily excited about her existence."
"Jade." Lauren grabbed my shoulders, turning me around to face her. "You'll be just fine."
I had a death grip on the straps of my backpack as I stared at the door to the girls' locker room. Trepidation washed over me at the thought of Penny waiting for us. Bless Lauren's little heart but she was wrong, I won't come out through those doors alive.
I locked my eyes with my best friend and took a deep breath. "When I die, I want my tombstone to offer free WiFi so people will visit me more often."
Lauren rolled her eyes. "If you die, we'll bury you face down so the whole world can kick your ass."
I put my hand on my heart, pulling a hurt face. "Ouch. Why you being so mean?"
"Why you being a drama queen," she shot back. She grabbed my hand and pulled me along. "If you don't want Penny to skin you alive, I'd advise you to get a move on because we're already late as it is."
I wrinkled my nose as we pushed the doors open to the girls' locker room. The smell of deodorant mixed with sweat and gym shoes was enough to make me gag. I'll never get used to it. I forced myself to breathe through my mouth and prayed to God or whoever was listening to get me through this unscathed.
"So did you find your dad yet?" Lauren suddenly asked as she perched herself on the bench to get dressed.
"It's like looking for a needle in a haystack." I sat down next to her, putting my gym bag next to me. "Turns out there's a lot of guys named Adrien Jacobs."
"Don't you have a picture or something? Maybe your mom knows where he lives or when he was born."
I gnawed on my bottom lip in thought. "Yeah, maybe she knows more."
"How about your brothers?"
I scoffed, getting dressed. "I'm not asking them anything, if they knew I was looking for my dad, they'll kill me."
"Why? I mean it's just your dad," Lauren pointed out as she put her gym shorts on.
I shrugged, getting dressed. "Beats me. Our mom kinda sucks when it comes to picking out suitable men, they all have one thing in common - none of them knows how to be a dad. So yeah, I guess my brothers just wanna protect me. They figured that if our dads didn't stay to raise us and take care of us, then they have no right to be in our lives."
