with a smile like that

Chapter 16- Alex and Jade's POV

Wesley and Keaton had left about an hour ago, so Jade and I had been sitting on the couch watching food network. It was getting dark outside, and the moon starting to shine a bit through the windows. Jade was watching the tv as I looked around my new home. I turned back to the tv as Chopped came back on and watched until I dozed off.

I woke up because someone was shaking me. "You might want to sleep in your room instead of down here," Jade said. I got up and walked to the stairs. Jade followed me as I made it upstairs. I climbed into my new bed and closed my eyes.

Jade's POV

I walked to my room and got in my bed. I was sitting up a little because I was on my phone, swiping through my apps. I found the one I was looking for; FaceTime. I clicked it and went through my contacts until I found Keaton's name. I clicked it and waited for him to pick up. A few seconds later, he picked up and smiled when he saw me. "Hey, how's the new condo?" He asked. "It's great actually," I said. "That's good," he said and yawned, making me yawn as well. "I was just calling to say goodnight," I said. He smiled again, "okay. Goodnight, sleep tight," he said. "You too," I said before hanging up. I set my phone down on the bedside table and fell asleep.

•

I got a cup out and poured some juice into it. I took a sip and turned to one of the cabinets. I grabbed the box of Lucky Charms and set it on the counter with a bowl. I got the milk and a spoon before pouring some cereal into the bowl. I poured the milk in, and put the jug back into the fridge. I grabbed the spoon and bowl and walked to the dining table. As I sat down, Alex walked down the steps in a blue shirt and grey soffees. "Hey," I said. She rubbed her eyes, "hey. How long have you been up?" She asked. I wasn't keeping track but I figured it wasn't too long. "Probably like 15 minutes," I said, guessing. She nodded and grabbed a banana and a water bottle, then walked to sit at the table. "I have to work today, so you'll have to find something to do today," I said taking a bite of my cereal. "Oh yeah, I forgot about work. I might need to find a job soon too," Alex said, taking a bite of her banana. "There might be a position at the music store where I work. I can check if you want," I offered.

She finished chewing before speaking, "I'll look around and see first. But that sounds like a good idea too," she said. I took another bite of my cereal and nodded. "Wes gives surfing lessons on the beach and Keaton works at Yums near the boardwalk," I told her. She nodded and ate the rest of her banana, standing up and carrying the peel to the trash can. I took a few last bites of my cereal and brought my bowl to the sink. Alex went to sit on the couch and I did the same. I turned the tv on and Alex started watching some show. I pulled my phone out to text my boss about any job openings. *Hey Chuck, I'll be back at work today. Sorry about the time I've taken off recently. My best friend moved here a few weeks ago and a lot's been happening. So I was going to ask if you have a job opening for her? It's cool if not, just wondering because she's looking around.* I texted him. I put my phone down and a few minutes later he texted back, *Jade! Yeah, I've been meaning to speak with you about the time off. It's not biggy, but you can't take any more time off for a while because we're packed. And for your friend, I'll have to see. I'll let you know by the end of the week.* I texted back, *Sounds great! Thank you!* and then I put my phone down.

Alex's POV

"I have to go to work now, I can drop you off somewhere in town if you want to since you don't have a car," Jade said. "I think I'll stay here for now. What time do you get off?" I asked. "Around 5 but I'll be back around 6 because of the drive," she said. I nodded as she left.

After I spent a few hours of watching TV, I began to get bored. I went upstairs and put on a pair of dark shorts and kept the same blue shirt on. I grabbed my grey vans and slipped them on. I walked down the stairs with my phone and walked out the door, taking the extra key with me. I began walking out of our 'neighborhood' and crossed the street where there was a sidewalk. I walked for a bit until I noticed I was at the Strombergs'. I walked up to their front door and knocked. The door opened to Laraine's face. "Hey sweetie, are you here for Wes?" She asked smiling and letting me inside. "uhm yeah I came to see if he wanted to hang out of anything," I told her. "He's upstairs in his room, but he's awake," she said before walking into the kitchen. I walked up the stairs and knocked on Wesley's door. "Come in," he lazily said. I walked in and saw him sitting in his desk chair on his phone. He looked up and smiled.

"Why are you here?" He asked. "I got bored and Jade's at work so I wanted to see if you were doing anything," I answered. He put his phone down and stood up, "No I'm not doing anything. What did you want to do?" He asked. "Can we board?" I asked. "Yeah of course," he said going to grab his board from the corner of his room. "Keats is at work so I'll grab his and you can use it," he started, "unless you want to share again." I shook my head, "no I'll use his," I laughed a little. He shrugged and went to go get the board as I was standing in his room. His phone lit up so I went to look at it. *Yeah, I won't tell her,* it said, and it was from Jade. I set the phone down and I was very confused. What would Jade not tell me? As soon as I thought deeper about it, Wesley walked in with both boards. "What's wrong?" He looked at me questioningly. "Nothing," I said grabbing Keaton's board. "I know you're lying but I'll let it slide this time. You know you can tell me if something's bothering you," he said as we walked out the door and down the stairs. "Yeah I know," I said, opening the front door. We walked out the door and to the road. Wesley placed his board down, "watch me, it's not too hard," he said while stepping on the board. He put his right foot on the ground and starting kicking, moving the board. "You try," he said a little loudly. I stepped on the board without hesitating and copied his actions. It was fine until I picked up speed and eventually ran into a mailbox. I got up, wiping the dirt off my arm and knees only to find cuts on them. I heard Wesley laughing behind me, so I turned around. "Maybe not the best idea," I said looking at my cuts. He stopped laughing, "sorry I didn't know you got hurt. We can go inside and clean it off," he said grabbing my hand. "It doesn't hurt. And don't feel bad about laughing, it was hilarious," I said. He laughed a tiny bit as we walked back, both of us holding boards in our free hands.

We walked inside the house and set the boards down before heading to the bathroom. "Sit down," Wesley said grabbing a cloth. I sat on the seat cover of the toilet, while Wesley wet the cloth. He grabbed my arm and wiped the blood off of it. "I can clean off myself, it's not big deal. The cuts aren't that bad," I said paying attention to how he was cleaning my arm. "I feel bad for it, because I should've warned you about going too fast. It's fine," he said leaning down. He rubbed the cloth on my knees and stood back up. He washed off the cloth and set it on the edge of the sink. He reached into the cabinet and pulled out a bandaid. "The one on your arm and your left knee are fine but the one on your right knee is a little deep so put this on," he said handing the bandaid to me. I opened it and put it on my knee, and threw the wrapper in the trash can. I stood up and followed Wesley out the door.

"You can stay here longer or go back. Obviously it's your choice," he said, sitting on the couch. "I'll stay here for a little longer. Jade's still at work," I told him, taking a seat next to him. We sat and watched tv for a a few minutes until the front door opened. Keaton walked in, looking at us. "Hey Alex. How are you?" He asked sitting on the other couch. "I'm pretty good. I ran into a mailbox though," I said laughing. Wesley smiled at me and Keaton looked confused. "In a car?" He asked, a little worried. I shook my head, "no the boards," I said pointing to them. He looked over and back at me. "oh okay. Just wondering," he said before turning to look at the tv. Wesley put his arm around my shoulder and pulled out his phone with his other hand. I turned back to the tv and watched for a little while longer before deciding to head back. I stood up, "whatcha doing?" Wesley asked still looking at his phone. "Heading back to my place. Jade will be back soon so I'll see if she wants to do anything," I said walking towards the door.