Things Jade Hates
Summary: Things Jade Hates: Happiness. The color pink. Giggling. Bras that hook in the front. When people talk in your ear and you can feel their warm breath.
When Jade and Tori are paired up for a project in their songwriting class, Tori ends up finding out the real reason Jade is heavily into Goth and dark entertainment, when Jade's mother returns from being "away". While originally promised to have until her 18th birthday for her comfort and safety, Jade now must come to the realization that her time has run out, which is something she deeply hates.
IX
It had been past the three days that Jade was promised and she was on edge. Lily had been home for about two weeks now, and every time she was around Jade felt her entire world would implode at any given moment. And yet, all has been quiet. Lily had left her alone, and when Jade asked for space, her request was granted. Soon her churning stomach was a mere memory. Of course, that didn't stop Jade from waking up every morning with a feeling of dread.
"I still don't like your hair," Lily commented at the breakfast table. She was seated to Jade's right, looking at her daughter's dark hair with great disdain. Jade fought back a smile at the memory of introducing her new hairstyle to her family.
She had dyed her brown hair a rich black and cut it into a medium length bob. She also got her nose and eyebrow pierced. Upon entering her house, she heard her father call out for her, no doubt wanting to talk to her about skipping school. The idea made her scoff, knowing that her father never cared about what she did until Lily came back.
Lily was so upset it was like her pet got run over by a vehicle, David scolded her for deciding on the change without consulting the them. Ash, on the other hand, loved the look and tried to copy his older sister by attempting to pierce his eyebrow with a thumbtack. He was now sporting a large bandage over his eyebrow.
"Good," Jade snickered. She cut into her eggs with her knife, splitting the yolk. The runny yellow liquid spilled down her plate, rushing towards her pancakes. She slowly put her fork and knife down, her hunger disappearing. The food reminded her of the conversation she had with David Vega. Jade shifted a bit to her left, trying to escape the smell of Lily's perfume.
"You had such pretty brown hair," Lily commented. She reached out to touch a lock of Jade's hair. Jade quickly slapped her hand away. Lily recoiled, wincing while grabbing her hand. A few red lines appeared on the back of her hand, from where Jade's nails had scratched her. Jade rolled her eyes at the overly exaggerated pained look on Lily's face.
Lily looked over at David, raising an eyebrow. His face was hidden behind a large newspaper. She loudly cleared her throat, raising an eyebrow. David looked around the paper at his wife, taking note of the annoyed look on her face. He folded up the newspaper before getting up and grabbing a medicine basket out of a nearby cabinet.
"I felt I was too pale," Jade answered. Ash dropped his fork and looked down at his skin. Jade half-smiled. "You're fine just the way you are, Ash. I just needed a change."
"Why did you cut it?" Ash questioned. He picked up a pancake with his hands, ignoring the stickiness of the syrup piled on top and took a huge bite.
"I don't like feeling it on my neck."
"And your eyebrow?" Lily pressed. She held her hand out as her husbanded tended to the cut. David sprayed some disinfectant onto them. Lily let out a loud squeal as the medicine began to sting. Jade rolled her eyes. Ash laughed and tried to roll his eyes as well, but he only moved them up and down. Jade let out a loud laugh. "It makes you look like a loose girl."
"I just wanted a new look," Jade snapped. "Get over it, Lily."
"Don't talk to your mother like that," David warned her, placing small Band-Aids on the cuts. Lily frowned and waved him away. She crossed her arms over her chest, huffing in annoyance.
"I can handle my own, David, thank you," she snapped. David uttered an apology while beginning to clean up the left-over trash from the Band-Aids, and placed the disinfectant spray and Band-Aid box back into the medicine basket.
"I was just-"
"Trying to help, like you always do." Lily spoke slowly. "You're not helping, you're making things worse. I'm trying to work things out with my children, but you step in and take over. How am I supposed to be taken seriously?"
"I'm sorry." David placed the medicine basket back into the nearby cabinet before retaking his seat at the kitchen table. He quickly picked up his newspaper and began reading it again.
Jade was surprised to see the newspaper moving and crinkling. She then noticed her father's hands slightly shaking. She bit her bottom lip, stopping herself from say something. She knew it'd be a moot point; trying to talk to her father about feelings or emotions would be like talking to a brick wall. However, she's starting to understand why.
"You should be," Lily continued. Jade pushed her plate away. She slowly curled her hands into fists, placing them into her lap. "It is no wonder Jayden doesn't have any respect for anyone."
"Respect is only saved for people who give it," Jade said. She quickly clenched her jaw, tensing up. Ash stopped chewing and placed his pancake back onto his plate. He lowered his head, a pout beginning to form.
"Are you saying I don't respect you?" Lily asked, her eyes widening. Jade refused to look in her direction. "Have I not given you the space that you've asked for? Though I'm surprised you even bothered to ask. You just stomp around and demand things, hoping to get your way." She clicked her tongue before shaking her head. "You're such a bully."
"…No, I'm not," Jade whispered.
"Didn't you hurt your little brother a few days ago?" she pressed.
"That was an acci-" Ash muttered.
"It's rude to speak with your mouthful, Asher." Lily turned her attention toward her son, raising an eyebrow. "You know that." Ash swallowed loudly. Tears began to fill his eyes. A look of discomfort started to form on his face. Lily turned her attention back to Jade, who at that point jumped up and grabbed her plate, heading for the sink. "Your father has also told me that you like to scare him on purpose, because you think it's funny."
"That's not-" Jade yelled.
"It's rude to shout," Lily said firmly.
"It's also rude to be a bitch." Jade threw her plate into the sink. A few small pieces broke off and ricocheted up into the air. Jade quickly closed her eyes and moved her head out of the way.
"Not in front of Asher!"
"Whatever." Jade turned on the faucet and rinsed off her plate, watching as the eggs slid off and moved towards the drain. The pancakes quickly turned soggy before breaking apart. She turned off the faucet and wiped her hands on a nearby towel. "I'm going to hang with Beck."
"Fine, do what you always do." Lily waved her hand in the air before picking up her glass of orange juice and taking a sip. Run off when things don't go your way."
Ash turned around his seat, facing his sister, peeking over the backrest. "J, I want to come," he quietly called out.
Jade walked over to him and placed a kiss on his forehead. She ran her hand through his hair before cupping his cheek. "…Maybe you can have a playdate with the boys from next door. We need some alone time."
"You better not come back pregnant," Lily said into her glass.
David folded up the newspaper before tossing it onto the table. "Lily, that was out of line." Jade raised her eyebrows in shock. For as long as she can remember, it was probably the first time she had ever heard her father stand up for her. He usually was one of the first people to have something negative to say. Granted, her normally had something negative to say about anything.
"I'm sorry, but you've been letting her run wild for far too long." Lily raised a shoulder. "First her hair, her new piercings, what if she has more than one boyfriend?" She snickered. "Or maybe they're not even boyfriends."
"Shut up!" Jade shouted.
"You're making J sad," Ash cried. Lily moved to place her near empty glass back onto the table. At the same time, David went to pick up his newspaper. Lily had placed her glass on the very edge of the newspaper, which tipped to its side, sending a little bit of orange juice over the side of the table and splashing onto the floor. Jade frowned at the loud noise the small volume of liquid made.
"Look what you did, you just made me spill my drink," Lily groaned.
"There wasn't much left in the glass," David answered with an impatient sigh. Lily looked at him in disbelief. Jade instantly felt the air in the room shift. The entire time, Lily was able to keep a calm demeanor about her, even while cutting down Jade and David, but her frown sent a sudden chill up Jade's spine, and she was much more antsy to leave the house.
"Ash, let's go." Jade grabbed him by the hand and pulled, but he remained seated in his chair.
"I can't," he whispered.
"I thought you wanted to hang with me."
"No," Ash all but wined. Jaded looked at him in confusion before the floor caught her eye. She spotted a large puddle underneath his chair. She glanced over at Lily's glass, eyeing the little dribble of juice dripping to the floor.
Lily followed where Jade was looking before leaning to the side to look underneath the table. She let out a loud gasp before jumping to her feet. "Asher…did you have an accident?"
"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Jade said, reaching out and brushing a tear off Asher's cheek.
"That's disgusting." Lily sighed before making her way around the table. We need to clean you up. Soon, you'll be good as new." She pushed Jade to the side. "Weren't you leaving?" she asked.
"I want Jade."
"If you want to go, go," Lily insisted. Jade glanced at her little brother and then out towards the front door, and back. She didn't want to leave her brother alone with Lily, but this was now her chance to leave the house for a little bit. Jade then instantly hated herself for allowing Lily to start to take control of her. Since when did she ever need permission to do anything before? "Asher, how about we clean you up, and then we can go out." Lily's voice was pleasant once more. "I have a surprise for you."
"What kind of surprise?" Ash sniffed.
"Something that is very fun to play with, and has a lot of fur, and will be your best friend."
Jade felt her chest tighten, and a wave of heat rush over her. Her entire body tensed up at one time. She placed a shaking hand onto the back of Ash's chair, trying to steady herself as she fought to catch her breath.
"A doggie?!" Ash's eyes widened in hope.
"Only after we clean you up." Lily placed her hands underneath Ash's armpits and lifted him out of the seat. He moved to wrap his arms around her neck and his legs around her waist, but she held him at an arm's length away, his legs dangling in the air, a little bit of urine dripping off his legs. "Text me when you arrive and when you are on your way back," Lily ordered. Jade slowly turned in her direction. "I just want to be sure that my only daughter is safe."
With that, Jade ran back into the kitchen, emptying the contents of her stomach into the sink.
