Crossed Worlds

Chapter 8: Streamside

"Just my luck! J, do you have any paper in yours?" Anna called out from her cubicle.

Jade pulled some off and handed in to her best friend in the gap between the stalls. It was Friday lunch time. That evening, Jade was going to meet James – meet him properly – and she could not contain her excitement.

"So, it's been a week since you had your little outburst defending Wild Ones, and in those seven days I now too feel pretty much the same way you do. And I don't like it very much," Anna sighed, washing her hands next to Jade at the sinks. "We must be the only two crazies in the Being sector who think this."

Jade wanted to tell her about Luke, about how Jack and Hunter were unsure too. She just didn't feel it was her place to.

"I don't think we are, somehow."

The two girls made their way back to the traditional picnic bench, where the whole gang were sat enjoying one another's company. Jade felt especially happy that day, a week after being so angry and upset in just the same place. It was a lovely thought, that nothing stayed tense and bad and awkward forever.

"That sounds awesome!" Hunter was essentially yelling as they sat down.

"Lower your voice, weirdo. What does?" Anna nudged her twin brother.

"Lily's parents are away on a business trip this weekend, so she's asked us all round for a huge sleepover tomorrow night!" Jack was just as excited as Hunter.

Lily sat smiling proudly and turned to Anna and Jade.

"You two in?"

They both nodded eagerly. Hunter was right to be so overly enthused; it did sound awesome.

"Great! Now, I do have some ground rules," Lily leaned her weight onto her elbows and looked suddenly serious, like the strict teacher threatening detention. "No trashing the place, glasses always on coasters, quiet from ten onwards and up early to clean up the mess I know someone will make. Oh, and no Wild One talk."

Anna looked worried at that last rule. Jade squeezed her hand under the table. It was surely just Lily being Lily, and she only knew Jade was thinking against the norm, so Anna was safe.

"Why would I want to spend a Saturday night talking about them anyway?" Hunter laughed. "That would be a boring sleepover."

"Well, I know there are some controversial thinkers amongst us, and they should do their best to keep that to themselves," Lily looked from Luke to Jade and raised her eyebrows.

Luke shared a look with Jade, but it was thankfully not one of worry. He just rolled his eyes and smiled. Lily had figured him out, but he wasn't scared.

"So, um, Zoe, how's fashion week going?" Anna did not care for fashion, but as timely as ever, she moved the conversation on to avoid anything happening like what did last week.

It worked well, and everything was normal between the friends again. Jade did feel a sense of anger growing at Lily. It wasn't right for her to dictate what could be said and what couldn't, or to call out Luke with that look. She took a deep breath in and released. It didn't matter, because Luke was staying with his controversy and even looked proud of it after facing the glare, so that was positive. Anna had admitted she felt the way Jade did officially at the sinks, and Jack and Hunter seemed to be on the path to change too. James was meeting her tonight face to face, actually face to face, and so everything, really, was going well.

She sat next to Zoe in their last lesson of the day quietly taking notes on Aristotle. The clock seemed to be ticking in slow motion. Jade highlighted her page and sighed.