AN: Sequel to Infamous. Don't read if you haven't read the first book. Enjoy.
War of the Worlds
The house was a warzone. It had already been two whole weeks, and it still felt like everywhere she tread, she was stepping on broken glass. It was so loud nowadays, and yet still so silent.
Maybe today would finally change that, and all of them could resume their daily lives again without all that moping around.
Jade Lewallen stood in front of her oval-shaped mirror and wrapped strands of her silky, dark brown hair around her fingers. She had finally managed to get it into an impeccable French twist style. Promptly applying her favorite Fekkai hair spray so that there were no loose strands hanging around her face, Jade did a tiny, three sixty turn, so that she could admire herself at all angles.
She looked perfect and ready to go. Dressed in a professional, navy Valentino suit with the matching skirt, Jade carefully selected Tiffany tear-drop earrings and a Karen Movado watch from her special collection. Closed toed ballet flats gave the look a more casual feel, so that Jade didn't come off as austere, or worse—Jade sneered at the thought of this—as a librarian.
Sounds like someone's still holding a grudge.
Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, Jade grabbed her monogrammed Louis Vuitton purse off her dressing table seat, and swept out of her room, leaving her customary Dior scent behind in the enclosed space.
Feeling extremely satisfied that she looked the very picture of poise and calm, Jade let her heels make a loud clicking sound as she descended the stairs. She had never felt more ready.
In a few minutes, some of the most important newspapers in the entire Los Angeles area would be standing in their family room, asking them all types of questions. It didn't matter that they were only interested in how the soon-to-be family was coping with the accident of Chase van Buren. As far as Jade was concerned, she was going to make the front page of L.A. Times, and that was the most important part.
Walking into the family room, Jade noted that she was fashionably late, as usual. She was the last one there, three minutes ahead of the press, and five minutes behind everybody. Perfect timing on her part.
Sitting down in the center chair, Jade ignored the palpable tension in the room. Some people were glaring at her, and almost everybody sat as far apart as possible. If they were supposed to be portraying the image of a close-knit family full of love and caring, they were all failing miserably. Nobody was going to believe that this was the picture of a family brought together through devastation . It looked more like they were all awkwardly trying not to touch and interact with each other, which wasn't too far off from the truth.
Preparing herself for the press, Jade reached into her bag and whipped out a tiny, pale pink handkerchief, and practiced dabbing the corner of her eyes with it. She was careful not to mess up her eye-shadow and mascara. She didn't need raccoon eyes when they took her picture.
A simple dab and a sniffle would do just fine. That way, when Jade wrote her college admissions essay, she could talk about how painful it was to almost lose her dearest friend and step-sister, and how the experience had taught her to appreciate life and never take anything for granted. Then, as a deal-sealer, she would include a picture of herself on the front of a major newspaper, sobbing her eyes out heartbrokenly while the headline screamed "Jade Lewallen Grieves Over Step-sister's Near Death Experience!" above as a caption.
Harvard, Stanford, and Yale would just eat their hearts out and immediately accept her, while offering her their condolences. She would take it in quietly and nod like the perfect, little girl she was, and no one would be the wiser about how she really felt.
It was surprising how good of an actress Jade could be when she actually put her mind to it.
She practiced the tiny dab again, just to make sure she had it down perfectly. To her right, Blake van Buren snorted with disbelief. "Cut the act, Lewallen. It's completely see-through." Ever since that night two weeks ago when she'd found him making out with Trisha Fields after she'd purposely left him with a huge erection, things had been back to the normal bickering for them.
She glared at him, even though she was supposed to be practicing her wide, doe-eyed look. "I assure you I am very emotionally upset by this," she hissed back at him, unable to say something unladylike in the presence of her father and Hannah, who both believed that she was genuinely upset.
Idiots.
As if Jade hadn't been waiting for the day that something would happen to send the van Burens back to that dump they came from.
True, Jade hadn't exactly anticipated Chase getting herself into a car accident, but it served the same purpose, nonetheless.
She might have felt a little sort, but she certainly wasn't going to deny it was what she'd been after this whole entire time. Now all that remained was for Hannah to pack her belongings and get her over-sized ass out of Jade's home.
Jade straightened her skirt neatly, and smoothed it over her legs. She vowed to give Blake his proper due of insults later, when she could be as verbally abusive as she wanted. He would get so moody and quiet sometimes lately, that she actually missed sparring with him back and forth, if only to establish some semblance of normality again.
Well, she would just have to see what she could do.
"Mr. Lewallen, your guests are here," Carlotta stuck her head into the room, announcing the awaited arrivals.
Arielle watched as Jade shook out her hankie, and scoffed quietly to herself. Jade absolutely loved it when all the attention was directed and focused on her. No doubt her sister had been envisioning some kind of scene where all the news reporters begged for her attention, never mind that this was supposed to be about the entire family.
"Mr. Lewallen," a brave female reporter started by stepping forward, once all the photographers and new reporters had filed into the room, and were either now lounging off to the side or sitting in front of the six of them. "How do you feel about this accident and what it says about your family?"
Mark cleared his throat, looking entirely at ease. Years of law practice had ensured that he would have no fears of public speaking whatsoever, something Jade had certainly inherited from him.
"Well, this very unfortunate incident has only shown me how precious my family is to me. In these few days, I've come to think of Chase as my own daughter. We are all in a state of extreme shock right now, which is why we put off this news conference for two weeks. And to me, all that says about my family, is that we've become closer than ever, and that we've all learned that we need to stick together as a whole." Mark Lewallen said this all in a self-assured voice, and Arielle wondered if he actually believed in what he said.
Probably not. Mark Lewallen has certainly learned how to bullshit his way through life on more than one occasion.
Another reporter from the Beverly Hills Herald stepped forward, his name badge glinting on his chest. "Mr. Lewallen, is it true that the day of your daughter's accident, you and Mrs. van Buren were at the Beverly Hills Hotel, getting high?"
Jade saw a key opportune moment to step in. "Father, I'll take this one." She told Mark, who now had a slightly red tinge in his cheeks, which either meant that he was very embarrassed or very angry.
Turning to the reporter, she answered, "It is true that my father was stoned that night." She paused dramatically for this to sink in, looking Peter the reporter straight in the eyes, "However, it was not his fault. An unruly teenager decided it would be funny to try to add pot into the brownies, which is why all the adults at the engagement party were stoned. And as for who it is, I really can not say." She sighed regretfully like she really was upset about it.
And just like that, all the attention turned to Jade.
"Ms. Lewallen, was it one of your friends? Tell us something, please!" A mousy girl squeaked up front. She used one hand to push her horn-rimmed glasses up onto the curve of her rounded nose. Behind her, all the reporters were scribbling furiously on their yellow pads.
"Oh yes, Jade. Tell them something, please," Blake mocked cruelly from beside her, and Jade wisely ignored him. This was her time in the spotlight, and she wasn't going to let him ruin it for her. Besides, he couldn't complain. She could've chosen to rat him out, after all, and let Mark Lewallen deal with him, but she didn't.
"I really can not say," Jade ducked her head like she was abashed. "And as for if we're friends, let's just say that we're more of acquaintances with certain benefits."
Yeah. Temporary one-night sexual benefits.
"So, Ms. Lewallen, it sounds like you already knew about this person's plan to put pot inside the brownies. Is this true, and if so, why didn't you do anything about it?" The mousy woman pressed again, and Jade wondered vaguely why nobody stepped forward to shut her up. When she realized that this was because everybody else wanted to know the answer to the question too, her irritation only grew.
However, when she answered, her tone gave away none of her annoyance. "It is true that I knew about it, but only until the guests were all eating the brownies. I had absolutely no prior knowledge about this incident, and it pained me to know that one of my fellow peers would be so immature. I will certainly make sure it never happens again."
Arielle and Blake both exchanged a look at Jade's words. She seemed to have bypassed the fact that she'd been privy to the information for almost an hour and a half before the brownies were served.
More like conveniently forgot about it.
"Anyways," Jade continued on, not noticing the silent look that Arielle and Blake had both given each other. "I feel like in the light of my dear sister's accident, such pranks seem almost trivial. So, I am more than willing to let this go and put it behind me."
Jade could see a fuming Mark glaring at her from the left, but she chose to ignore it. It certainly wasn't her fault that everybody found her more interesting than her father. There was a time when Jade would've seen such a look and immediately backed off, but she had decided long ago that she was tired of wanting for her father's approval, which she was never going to get anyway.
She turned to her side to meet her father's glare and flashed him sweetly sickening smile that was meant to directly ridicule his futile efforts.
"Ms. Lewallen, were you close to your step-sister?" A different, male reporter stepped forward, and Jade turned her gaze back forward again, feeling relief that the topic had changed to one she could answer easily.
"Of course!" Jade exclaimed, and put a hand to her heart, as if she were mortally offended that he would even have to ask the question. "I loved Chase as if she were my own sister. And, I was so happy when she came. She basically became the sister I'd always wanted."
Arielle noted that this last sentence was directed nastily at her, and her face grew red with anger at Jade's words.
After all, Arielle had played the role of Jade's faithful sidekick for years, and to hear herself so blatantly dismissed and replaced stung more than she thought it would. It was as if years of cultivating friendships and inside jokes was gone, and Arielle no longer existed in Jade's mind anymore.
Seeing Arielle's upset face, Blake spoke up spitefully, unable to restrain himself any longer in the face of Jade's manipulative lies. "Stop the bullshit, Jade. You hated my sister with a burning passion. In fact, you hate my entire family because you want all of us to just go back to where we came from. Don't stop now, just because you have an actual audience."
Jade bit the inside of her cheek until it nearly drew blood, and reminded herself to stay calm while in the presence of other civilized beings. It was just like Blake to ruin the nice, little story she was spinning. "I have no idea where he got this idea," she assured the press, while giving Blake the evil-eye, "Granted, the two of us have never been more than acquaintances"—she let that word suspend in the air, hoping someone would pick up on the clue she was giving them—", but I assure you, I adore Chase with all my heart."
Blake and Arielle simultaneously rolled their eyes. "You're pathetic when you pretend to be nice, Jade. Why don't you show them what a bitch you can be? If it helps, try to remember what almost happened that night two weeks ago," Blake sneered derisively. He certainly remembered what'd happened and the memory of it still made him angry.
"Oh, you mean that night when you were stuck in that inconvenient state?" Jade asked sweetly in a low voice, so that the press wouldn't hear. The triumph of her victory would forever be imprinted in her mind forever. The one time the mighty Blake van Buren had lusted and begged for her was too great to forget.
Clearly, he hadn't forgotten either, except for his reasons were completely different from hers.
"I actually meant that night you were willing to whore yourself out just for a petty revenge scheme," Blake said in her ear, "Beverly Hills Prophet would certainly get a kick out of that, don't you think?"
"Oh, please," Jade scoffed, as she tried to cover her apprehension. She really didn't want everybody to know about the more personal aspects of her life, and there was a part of her that didn't know just how far Blake would go. Not that she would ever tell him that, though. "Don't be sore, just because you weren't man enough for me to want to finish what I started." She told him with much more confidence than she actually had.
Blake hissed dangerously when he heard that. "You don't want to insult me any more than you have to. From what I've heard from Arielle, your resources are growing thin. Besides, I'm sure you don't want to wake up tomorrow morning to find Beverly Hills Herald reporting details of Jade Lewallen's most intimate lingerie. In fact, I think I'll tell them right now, in front of your dear, old father and Arielle." He opened his mouth, making it look like he was about to divulge important information.
Jade shot up from her seat when she saw that, and quickly worked to turn the situation around. She stood up regally and told everyone in her calmest voice."I regret to inform everyone that this little session must come to an end. Unfortunately, we have a pressing matter to attend to right now, and will be unavailable for questioning. If you wish, you may call to schedule a private interview. Until then, Carlotta will show you the way out."
And to everybody's dismay, Jade hurriedly swept out of the room, and before they knew it, Carlotta was pushing everybody towards the front door. A few of them grumbled at not being able to get to some of the core questions they'd pre-planned, and some people glared at the mousy reporter for taking up two questions, even though they would've eventually asked the same question anyway.
Upstairs, Jade was furious. Not only had she missed out on her front page picture opportunity, but today was also supposed to be her chance to show Beverly Hills what she had. Instead, all she'd done was let herself get riled up by Blake. And now, there'd probably never be the same opportunity again, unless Blake went and got himself wrapped around a tree, too.
"You're a despicable excuse for a human," Jade spat at Blake as soon as he approached the landing on the second floor.
"I beg your pardon," Blake's infuriatingly cold eyes glinted maniacally. "I may be an "immature and unruly teenager", but at least I'm not some kind of a slutty whore."
Jade took it in with a stunned expression on her face. She knew she'd acted a little promiscuous that night two weeks ago, but there was a fine line between knowing and hearing it directly from your worst enemy.
Then, she raised her hand once the shock had passed, and for a moment, she looked like she about to slap him across the face.
She didn't.
Instead, she curled her fingers together and drove her tiny fist hard into his stomach, and felt a great wave of satisfaction and power when he doubled over, out of breath.
"Bitch," he gasped in between hitched gulp of airs. He looked like he was about to say more, but Arielle quickly grabbed his wrist and rubbed tiny circles around it soothingly like she was trying to calm him down.
"Don't bother, Blake. You're better than this," Arielle told him straight into his green eyes, not looking at her sister once. She didn't want for the two of them to be fighting and caught in a head-lock when her father and Hannah made their way up the stairs. Based on the angry tirade her father had worked himself into after the reporters left, she thought it would be best to let him cool down with his requisite brandy.
Blake looked at her with a look in his eyes like he was going to argue the point, but then closed his mouth with great effort. "You're right. She's not worth my time." Then, having said so, Jade watched as the two of them left the hallway for Arielle's room without so much a backward glance at her.
Anger mounting at the sight of the two of them walking together, she stalked towards her own room, and slammed the door with unnecessary force.
It had already been two whole weeks, and Jade had yet to see Arielle groveling at her feet. In fact, if anything else, Arielle seemed to have replaced Jade with Blake. Now, it was Blake she hung out with at Queens after school. Blake that she ate lunch with. Stupid, dipshit Blake that she did homework with, even though Blake had been so lazy and stupid he'd needed to be held back a year at his old school.
Seeing the fast blooming friendship truly annoyed Jade to no end, even though it shouldn't have. After all, Jade had always considered herself an independent woman, who needed nor depended on anyone.
But now, all she could think about was how much home life sucked. She used to love spending time in her bedroom at home but now, she was always finding excuses so that she could stay out a little longer.
Everybody seemed to be mad at her these days. Arielle was under some deluded notion that Jade didn't treat her with enough respect and trust. Blake was still sore about how she'd ditched him unceremoniously that one night, after leading him on. Mark wasn't talking to her because of the embarrassment he'd suffered from both her bringing Sienna to dinner and coming home to find the remnants of the ill-fated after-party. In fact, the only ones that weren't angry with her were Hannah and Connor, who seemed to have some kind of puppy-fascination with Jade that sickened her to no end.
And then there was school social time. Duke and her were being awkward because she'd broken up with him. West was so entirely supportive of Duke that it was bordering hero worship. Ryder wasn't talking to her just because of that little blackmail she'd used a while ago.
And Winter—Jade groaned when she thought of her friend. This was by far the lowest blow—faithful Winter, had decided to join the cheerleaders. And they had apparently accepted her as their own because of Jade's influence, forgetting entirely that Winter had been the school's biggest loner before Jade came along and turned her from a nobody into a somebody.
Jade had never felt so betrayed in her whole entire life.
Fortunately for her, she'd been busy the past few weeks meeting with Principal Cracow, arranging things for the graduation ceremony, prom, and the upcoming student body elections that she hadn't needed to worry about the lunch crisis. But now that those were over, she was going to have to figure out what to do. Lunch was social hour. It wasn't just to be seen, it was to be seen with the right people. And now that the right people had decided to divide themselves, Jade was just going to have to create more suitable people that she could get to do her work.
While it wasn't hard to do that, Jade wanted the old "right" people. Not only that, she also wanted for her life to get out of the slow crawl it was in so that the earth could go back spinning the proper way again. Unfortunately, that didn't seem very likely at the moment, either.
Life was so terribly fucking annoying sometimes. And it had chose to hit Jade at one of the worst possible moments.
In just less than twenty-four hours, Principal Cracow was going to start the commencement of the student body class elections for the new school year. In order for Jade to claim the title of Associated Student Council President for four years straight, she had to win this one last election.
Except that this time, she was going to have to do it without the help of Arielle. There would be no one to intimidate the competition with. No one to help mail order and design bags with JL monogrammed across it to hand to the female population. No one to sneak out of class with so that they could get congratulatory Jamba Juices and shopping sprees when Jade won by yet another landslide.
Because that someone who was normally supposed to do all those things was currently holed up with Blake van Buren in her room, doing homework while songs form Death Cab for Cutie floated through the doors. If Jade had to listen to "I Will Possess Your Heart" for one more time, she was honestly going to lose it and go on a murderous rampage.
She could only hope that Arielle would come to her senses soon and stop all this nonsense. Then, the two of them could go back to plotting the demise of uppity classmates and listening to actual music from Kanye West. It wouldn't even take much. Jade missed Arielle enough so that with a little ass-kissing, Jade was sure she would be willing to let the past go so that the two of them could be the twin sisters they were supposed to be.
Then, as if to mock her optimistic thinking, another blast of "I Will Possess Your Heart" wafted under her door for what had to be the hundredth time in two weeks.
Jade gave a small scream of frustration and threw her pearl hand-comb set at the unfortunate wall, hearing it make a gratifyingly loud sound.
Walking over to her iPod stand and giving the two of them her own blast of music, Jade changed out of her navy blue suit and into her Victoria Secret sweatpants. This was it. She was really left with no choice then.
It was time for some change.
AN: Please Read and Review! Thanks!
