Aunt Joy was no less than very cross when Jade had come home that evening. It were somewhere about six thirty when she finally had, and to her discovery, the family had just finished eating their supper. They all stopped dead when they saw Jade emerge from the doorway, glaring at her as though she had let a curse word slip during dinner.
"So, how was afternoon discipline?" Flora suddenly asked, keeping her nose in the air and a straight scowl on her thin lips.
Jade didn't answer, instead she set her bag down in the corner and went to take a seat at the table between Alfie and Oliver. There wasn't much left for her, only a thin slice of meatloaf and a few spoonfuls of creamed spinach.
Uncle Cosmo had already left the table and was in his study with the door closed while Aunt Joy sent Jade sideways glances from her peripheral view. Alfie kept asking why Jade had been so late while Noah and Charlie continued to bicker over their gameboy. Oliver picked fruitfully at his spinach while Flora was texting on her cellphone, glancing up at Jade every now and again. Aunt Joy snapped at her to put her phone away and help her clear the table. Jade sat awkwardly amongst the family as she took little bites of her food which by now was brittle, curdled, and dry.
"Your mother called today, Jade," Aunt Joy said. Jade looked up tentatively at her words, "She asked about you and I told her they were keeping you after school. She was none too pleased to hear you had to be disciplined," she spoke so casually as she washed the dishes, as though she were conversing with a friend over tea.
Jade let a quiet, tired sigh flow past her lips as she nibbled at her meatloaf. The venom in Aunt Joy's voice, plus the dirty looks Flora kept throwing at her gave her chills.
To her surprise, Oliver suddenly came up behind her and placed his hand on her shoulder. Jade jumped at first, taken aback by the sudden contact. But he gave her a gentle, reassuring smile as he leaned forward to whisper in her ear.
"I heard what yeh did, I thought it was badass," he told her.
His words brought a faint ghost of a smile to her lips, just the small boost that made her stomach flutter in excitement. She was in a new town, here to meet new people and have new experiences. She was excited now, and she couldn't wait for the weekend to come.
➿➿➿
Rose nearly dropped the phone at Jade's words, "Whatcha' mean you got in a fight?" she exclaimed with fright.
Jade rolled her eyes, "Rose, I didn't get into a fight. I ended a fight," she explained. She was sitting at the grimy, dust-ridden desk in the attic, trying to motivate herself to start the readings she had already received from her English class.
"Same thing, babe. You got discipline," Rose replied, "Do your folks know?"
"Well, my auntie made it her business to inform my mum when she called," Jade gasped, "What's wrong with my niece? She's a loose cannon and bullshit,"
"Nice lady," Rose said monotonously, "Anyway, how's the rest of the town?"
"Dull," Jade mused, "Dull like watching paint dry. The people aren't any better,"
"Oh, come on," Rose replied, "Surely, you had to make a friend today,"
Jade leaned back in her chair and huffed, the exhaustive yet exciting school day replaying in her head on auto. All she could register were shifting faces and echoing sounds, like a film in fast forward.
YOU ARE READING
Suck It And See | A. Turner
Fanfiction(Arctic Monkeys AU) Her parents were separated, her mum was sick, her brother was in juvie, and her dad had just shacked up with his new girlfriend. Jade had to get away from it all before she found herself circling the drain. So, when she was give...
