Shattered
Friday finally arrived, and Leah's party was the talk f the entire grade. Constant gossip rippled through the air like a wave on a smooth waterfront. Who's invited? Who wasn't? When were people planning on showing and of course the timeless question: what on earth should you wear to a party as huge and as important as this? It wasn't as if Stiles Ville High was lacking any shin dings in the party department, it just has been quite a while since anyone has thrown a notable bash. Moreover, parties thrown in lavish mansions weren't all too common. Leah took advantage of that fact. Her party was going to be the best, the most famous, the most remembered ever to be thrown in Stiles Ville High.
The Bratz girls, unlike the rest of the population, were still debating whether or not they should attend. For the past two days, it has been their favorite subject during lunch.
"Screw this" Roxxi said irritiabley, while stabbing the mystery meat on her lunch plate. "I think we'll be better off skipping this thing altogether. We'll have much more fun on our own. It's not we're obligated to go just because she personally came up to us and handed us those stupid invitations."
"As if she's getting married…" Phoebe added mid bite. The girls laughed and phrases along the lines of "Who'd want to marry that bitch?" were heard from all directions. "I think we should go." Cloe said."I mean she did go out of her way and come over to us, hand us the invites and act half decent all at once."
"Yay for her" Sasha added sarcastically." She even brought her stupid robots along with her. How thoughtful and nice of her. Let's all show our thanks by showing up at her crappy party."
"I actually want to go." Jade said. Roxxi and Sasha looked at her, puzzled expressions hanging on their faces. "Why?" Jade knew they'd react like this but she didn't care. She had many reasons for wanting to go, so she shared one of them with her friends. "I think it'll give us all a chance to do something different once in a while. Think about it. We haven't gone out any place special for ages; all we've been doing basically revolves around the smoothie bar and occasionally sleeping over at Yasmin's house." The girls grumbled and nodded in agreement. Jade had a point.
"Think of it as an experience" Cloe added, giggling. "Breaking a leg is an experience too." Sasha replied icily. She wasn't convinced. She knew this sudden willingness to attend that party had everything to do with a certain someone. A certain someone she couldn't stand.
The truth was that Jade had plans for this party. Huge plans. She decided that tonight, Friday night, was going to be when Koby will confess that he loves her. She had it all planned in her head. She would be wearing a beautiful, form fitting dress; he will be his usual handsome self, only this time it will be directed only to her. Then he's take her hand and they would go somewhere private, like the front garden, while everyone else was inside. Then he'd tell her that she is the only one for him. It was going to be the most romantic night in her life. All she had to do was ensure that things went according to plan. That was why she wanted her friend sot go the party with her, she needed their support. She was nervous. Besides, Jade wouldn't dream of attending some snotty girl's party alone. It would only make her feel completely pathetic.
"Jade!" Sasha said loudly. All the girls looked at Jade, causing her to wonder how long has she drifted off into her thoughts. "Oh good, Jade woke up from la la land. Jade, do really want to go? We'll go if you will…we won't leave you stranded in the monsters cave you know." Jade smiled. She was glad Sasha was a great friend despite her sharp attitude. "I most likely won't be there." Yasmin said quietly, turning bright red and looking down at her plate.
"Uh, why?" Phoebe asked her friend. "Because Eitan told Leah we're going to celebrate our one year, five months and three weeks anniversary today. So we can't come." Yasmin said, trying not to crack a smile. "You're kidding right?" Yasmin just laughed.
*****
By the end of the day, Jade was almost bouncing with excitement. She couldn't wait for the party; she couldn't wait for her romantic moment. She needed them right now. As soon as the bell rang Jade rushed out the door and waited outside Koby's classroom. They were going to walk home today and Jade was going to pretend that everything was normal, as if she hasn't figured out Koby's elaborate plan.
She waited outside, trying extremely hard not to look anxious. Finally people started walking out of the classroom, some in groups and some alone. Jade looked for Koby. He wasn't one of those people. She walked towards the door, peering in, in order to see if he was still sitting inside. He wasn't there. The classroom was completely empty. Even the teacher has left. Where was he? Jade started to get upset. Its okay, everything's okay, everything's fine. Jade ran that mantra in her head several times. She knew this shouldn't get to her; she has to be a little less clingy. That way he'll yearn for her, that way he'll want her more. Right?
Jade felt arms wrap around her. She turned her head. It was Koby. She managed not to breathe a sigh of relief. "Gotcha!' he said, smiling. "Bet you thought I ditched class again." Jade laughed. That wasn't what she thought. She thought he ditched her. "No, I knew you'd pop up. You said you'd walk home with me so we can spend some time before the party, remember?" she said. For a fracture of a second she thought he forgot. "Of course I do. Come lets go now, we have a couple of hours before we can start getting hammered."
They exited the building together, holding hands. Like a perfect couple, Jade thought, smiling to herself. She really should stop worrying. Koby was actually decent for the past couple of days. Paying more attention to Jade, almost as if he couldn't get enough of her. Almost like he was when they started dating. He even called twice. When Jade told all of this to Sasha, all Sasha did was roll her eyes. "And that's it? You now forgive him for being a longtime jerk?" Jade did not answer that. She decided to just keep quiet about Koby around Sasha. Sasha made it too obvious that she wasn't impressed with Koby. Koby looked at her, gave her a quick kiss and said "What are you thinking about?" Jade smiled a small smile and replied simply. "About us." Koby frowned slightly; Jade chose to ignore that expression. "Oh." He said quietly. "Not in a bad way Koby." She added nervously, he didn't appear more relaxed. "I was just thinking how happy I am right now. Here with you." Koby smiled slightly. He didn't like the direction this conversation was heading.
Koby liked Jade a lot. But he was starting to feel that she took their relationship a bit more seriously than he did. He couldn't allow that to happen. She was in no doubt in love with him. He just wanted to have fun. Lots of fun. He did his best not to hurt his girlfriend. She was eyeing him nervously, for he hasn't spoken for about two minutes. He kissed her, she calmed down and they slowly approached her house.
"I think I'm going to go home now" He said when they reached her doorstep. "I think this will give you enough time to get ready and hang out with your friends. We can see each other at the party. If you want, I'll pick you up at around 8 or 9 pm." Jade was disappointed. She thought she was going to be with Koby before the party, at the party and after the party. But she nodded; this was not what he promised. She was used to this type of behavior. "Do you have to do something important?" she asked, looking let down. "I'm kind of tired and I want you to surprise me. It'll make going this party a bit more exciting, and it'll be about you more than the drinks, okay?" he said, sounding completely sincere. Jade was convinced but she wasn't happy. Just when she thought they were turning a new leaf! But of course he had to return to his old self.
He kissed
her passionately before he left. His lips lightly skimmed her,
nipping on the delicate folds of her mouth. They both opened their
mouths, tongues entwining. Then the kiss grew more urgent, he bit her
bottom lip and his hands which were wrapped around her waist until
now, have now reached a slightly lower destination. It was moments
like these that left
Jade breathless and Koby pleased with
himself. With a little luck, today will be the day Jade will become
entirely his. "Please stay." She said when they broke apart. Koby
nodded, feeling excited. This was it. He didn't even need to wait
for the party. This perfect, she was even ready and willing.
Koby took Jade's hand and led her into to her own house. They walked quietly inside, her parents who were watching some documentary on the nature channel didn't even notice when they came in. They tiptoed upstairs quietly and opened the door to her room. It looked pleasant and inviting, the pale yellow walls created a calming atmosphere. The room wasn't too neat but not too messy either. Koby sat on the bed and pulled Jade towards him. He undressed her slowly, examining every bit of skin he has never seen bare before. His hands automatically reached for her breasts, skimming that milky white skin. He pulled her closer and sucked on her collarbone.
Jade hands skimmed his chest slowly, her nails leaving small red marks against his skin. Koby's mouth opened slightly. He was having more fun than he expected. He scanned the room, wondering if there was any form of protection lying around. There wasn't. He was too excited to give up now. He asked Jade quietly, while caressing her thighs, if she was on the pill. She nodded. He figured that it was sufficient. Soon they were nothing but two bodies entwined within each other. For Jade, this proved that he loved her. For Koby, this was another milestone in his high school career.
When they finished, Koby got dressed and left Jade to collect herself and get ready for the party. He felt three inches taller when he walked home. Jade couldn't have been happier. She had a huge smile on her face, while in her mind she was replaying the scenes of their love making session. At that moment, Jade realized that maybe today didn't suck as much as it did earlier. She never pictured it this way; she always thought that it would be a bit less spontaneous. But right now, she didn't care. She was happy and that's all that mattered.
She thought about telling her friends. It was tempting to share such information with them. She reached for her cell phone and then put it down. No. She won't tell them yet. They might be a bit too critical. Sasha would be disappointed. Jade knew it. She would try to hide in order to seem happy for Jade. But deep down, she would be knotted up in anger and worry. Sasha was a good friend, but there are some things she just can't know about. Jade smiled to herself. She'll tell them after Koby will finally admit he's in love with her. That way Sasha can't say anything.
*****
8 O'clock came and left, leaving Jade anxious. She drummed her fingers on the chair's armrest. Where was he? He said that he would show up at around this time, why was he taking so long? Jade bit her bottom lip until she drew blood. The metallic taste in her mouth made her get up and apply some lip gloss. She frowned at her reflection. She was supposed to be beautiful tonight, but she felt everything else but that. Were she beautiful, Koby would actually show up when he promised. There was a knock at the door. She did not feel like answering, because she knew from the start that it wasn't Koby. The knocking continued, growing louder and more insistent as the seconds passed by. "Can someone else open the damn door?!" she yelled, not even knowing if there was anyone else in the house besides her. The constant knocking was drilling a hole inside her brain. Jade was fed up, so walked over towards the door. She opened it, looking completely angry and anxious, and she saw it was none other but her very best friends. They all looked fantastic. "What are you doing here?" she blurted out. She thought they would show up much later, in order to make a grand entrance, and so they'll only attend the good half of the party. "We figured the asshole would stand you up and we thought you might need some mood boosters so we thought we could help you get ready. But I see you're already ready, so let's go. Meygan brought her car and Dana is already waiting for us outside her house. Come on, forget that asshole! Let's go have fun!" Sasha said, sounding way too cheerful to Jade's liking.
The girls piled into Meygan's small, semi broken down car. It was a miracle that it could even drive. But a car was a car and they couldn't complain. As long as it took them from point A to B, they were fine. Jade remained silent the entire ride to Leah's house but the rest of them were talking loudly, laughing and cracking jokes. They all decided they were going to make the most of this situation, even if the party is thrown by some girl they practically hate. Jade thought over her conversation with Koby, the one they had before they went inside her house. 'He didn't exactly say he was going to pick me up' she thought. 'He said only if I wanted to. I didn't tell him yes or no, so maybe he figured that I didn't. Yeah, that's it. That's why I'm in Meygan's crap car at the moment and not with Koby.'
As though she read her thought, Sasha turned to Jade and said. "Still thinking about that asshole?" Jade nodded and said "I wish you wouldn't call him that. He's not an asshole." Sasha rolled her eyes "Don't even get me started with that argument. Any guy that hurts my friend is an asshole. End of story." Sasha wanted to shake Jade awake into the reality of the situation. Koby was a jerk and he wasn't worth her time. Why did Jade insist on seeing him? All he ever did was cause her grief. "It was just a misunderstanding." Jade mumbled, trying to convince Sasha and herself. "I bet." Sasha said through gritted teeth. "Why do have to be so negative?" Jade said angrily. "It's not even your problem! Why do you care so much? You don't even need to pretend that you support me, I know you don't!"
Sasha opened her mouth and then closed it. The next thing she said came out calm and cold. "Fine, I'll stop caring. See how you like it. Don't come to me to bitch about your problems the next time they pop up. Count me out of your dramas , Jade." The car became suddenly silent. The rest of the girls did not expect this. They did not want two friends to fight. And over something so trivial and stupid. They all knew that both Jade and Sasha cared. "Hey" Cloe said, trying to cool the fire. "Let's not fight , okay? Look , we'll go to the party, have fun, it'll be great. You'll see. Now you just relax. Jade, I'm sure everything will turn out just fine. Koby is probably there already waiting for you, wondering why you haven't showed up yet." Sasha contained herself at that line. She knew that was definitely not going to happen.
They pulled up in front of Leah's house, and were surprised to find a close parking space. Meygan parked her car and all the girls stepped out and stretched their legs, all glad to be out of that cramped vehicle. The walked over to the front door of a huge mansion. They've never seen so many people in their entire life. Even with all the guest lists and the invitations and what not, Leah's party turned out to be pretty crowded. Music was blasting through the walls and there were too many people trying to dance at once. Jade's eyes searched for Koby. She couldn't see him anywhere. "You okay?" Phoebe asked, worried that any minute now Jade will snap. "I'll go some drinks ok?" Jade merely nodded, not really paying attention to what Phoebe just said. She was not going to calm down until she saw Koby. Someone grabbed her from behind. She spun around, it was Koby. "Where were you?" she said, trying not to sound so worried and relieved at the same time. " I thought you were going to pick me up at around 8 or 9. You said you would…" Koby smiled apologetically. "Oh my god Jade, I'm so sorry!"he exclaimed. "I thought you wanted to hang with your friends before we would meet up here". 'See?' Jade said to herself. 'It's nothing serious, just a misunderstanding.'
Koby took Jade's hand and started to dance with her. He looked her directly in the eye and wrapped his arms around her waist, moving in sync with the music. Jade smiled, that was more like it. She soon forgot about the trouble she had before the party and focused on the fun she was having now.
The loud, blaring music was switched to something mellower. Jade and Koby broke apart. Everyone on the supposed dance floor held each other tighter; rocking slowly to the beat. Jade expected Koby to do the same. However he withdrew. "I hate this song" he said to the disappointed Jade. "Look, I'll go get us some drinks or something, you can wait here. Or, why don't you look for your friends or something?" Jade nodded, disappointed. A small voice in her head said, that maybe, just maybe, it had nothing to do with the song.
Koby walked over towards the keg, grabbing two cups from the dispenser. "Don't bother drinking the beer from this keg." A voice from behind him said. Confused, Koby spun around. In front of his eyes stood the most beautiful, sexy, attractive girl he has ever seen in his life. She had long, glorious golden brown hair with eyes to match. Her body was out of this world: long legs, a medium size chest and lovely sun kissed and smooth skin. She was wearing black stilettos and the shortest dress he has ever seen in his entire life. Did she even go to his school? How could he have missed such a beautiful creature? "Why not?" he asked, remembering that she said something about the beer keg. "I saw some guy from the football team piss in the keg a minute ago. If I were you, I'd try the beer upstairs. No one touched that yet." She threw her head back and laughed. The music changed again, this time to something more bouncy. The girl grabbed his hand and said "Let's dance" she pulled him towards the dance floor and soon Jade was nothing but a faint picture in his memory.
Jade waited for Koby and his drinks, when he didn't show up she started looking for him. She ran into Sasha on the way, but didn't say anything. They both ignored each other. She then finally found Phoebe, with the drinks she too was supposed to get her hours ago."What happened?" Phoebe yelled through all the noise. "I don't know! I can't find Koby anywhere, he showed up and then he disappeared again!" Jade said, frustrated. The place was loud, too crowded and she couldn't find Koby anywhere.
Koby, on the other hand, was having more fun than he ever imagined. The dance progressed to a kiss, and the kiss led to the couch which automatically meant that they would end up upstairs. Which did in fact happen. During that sequence of events, Koby learned that her name was Tess and that she had no classes with him. Then they stopped talking and continued making out. Koby tasted the impatience in her kiss, it turned him on. Soon he completely forgot about Jade. He took Tess' hand and they both searched for a room.
They found a room in the far corner of the second floor, semi isolated from the rest of the mayhem. They did not bother to lock the door. No one would find them anyway. Or so they thought. Sasha saw them going upstairs, hand in hand. Everyone else was busy with their own problems and adventures. She followed. They closed the door; and she heard Koby kicking off his boots. Sasha rushed downstairs and found Cloe, chatting with some random guy. "Cloe! You have to find Jade! NOW!" she said urgently. She was shaking with anger. That asshole! How could he do something like that, especially when Jade was still around? "What happened? I thought you two still weren't speaking to each other!"Cloe exclaimed, raising her voice above the racket. "It doesn't matter now! Come on, she has to see this! This is the only way she'll understand." "She's with Phoebe! Let's call her cell..."Cloe said. They dialed Phoebe's cell and within moments they found Jade. Without speaking, Sasha grabbed Jade's hand and dragged her upstairs, running to some unknown destination. "What the hell?!" Jade exclaimed "where are we going and aren't you supposed to be mad at me?" This definitely wasn't good, Sasha wasn't speaking.
She then led Jade to a door and motioned her to open it. Jade did and the picture that played in front of her eyes was her worst nightmare. There was Koby, with his messy hair, lying on top of some brown haired beauty, stroking her body as he entered her. Sasha cleared her throat. They stopped moving, Koby looked up and saw Jade standing there. Jade burst into tears and ran out of the room.
Tonight was, hands down, the worst night in her entire life.
