Alison Jade Jorgensen had it all - wealth, beauty, and the adoration of those around her. At eighteen, she was the epitome of privilege, shielded from the harsh realities of life by her affluent family.
But when her beloved grandfather passes away j...
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Maika Monroe as Kiera
JADE
"Your friends seem... nice," I started tentatively, breaking the deafening silence that had enveloped us since we left that building.
We were walking side by side along the sidewalk, a few blocks away from my Gramps' house. The weight of the recent encounter with Jared's friends still lingered in the air.
My statement earned a sneer from Jared, as if he strongly disagreed. "I don't think 'nice' is the right word to describe them assholes."
His choice of words surprised me, and I felt compelled to defend his crew, especially Kiera, who had been kind to me. "No, they're not! At least not Kiera... she seems so nice. I just don't know what to think of the rest of them, but you shouldn't say that," I insisted, feeling a sense of loyalty to the one person who had shown me some warmth amidst the tension.
"...Natalie, to be specific," I couldn't help but add. If I was going to share my thoughts, I wanted to express them honestly.
Jared came to a sudden halt, and I stopped in my tracks as well, turning my head to look at him. He had a questioning look on his face, clearly wanting to know what was bothering me.
"Why, what's up with Natalie?" he asked, as if it wasn't obvious.
I motioned for us to continue walking, eager to get to Gramps' house and find some solace for the rest of the day. Dad would understand my need for space, and I knew he wouldn't barge into Gramps' house to drag me back home. I just needed some time before stepping into our house again.
As we walked, Jared patiently waited for my answer.
"I don't know. She just... she seems to be getting under my skin, I don't know. If that makes any sense," I admitted, unable to meet Jared's eyes. I feared he might figure out my real feelings, and I didn't want him to tease me or worse, assume something that wasn't true.
But Jared's expression told me he was thinking differently, and what he said next almost made me gag.
"Dude, you have a thing for Natalie?"
"What?! No! Of course not. Why in the world would you think that?" I quickly defended myself, feeling a bit flustered. Jared's suggestion was far from the truth. I tried to avoid his eyes, not wanting him to see through my thoughts or jump to any conclusions about my preferences.
"I did not mean to make it sound like that. I mean... she doesn't really seem to like me... unlike the rest of the group, especially Kiera... she is so nice," I added, trying to steer the conversation away from any assumptions. Kiera's kindness had left an impression on me, despite my initial judgments based on appearance.
"How is that? Natalie seems... fine," Jared replied, taking a few seconds to think about how to describe Natalie.
"I don't know... She just makes me feel like it," I confessed, my voice barely above a whisper.
