"I have news" Mr. West said as Ana and the gang stood in his living room after he'd called them.
"What is it?" Ana asked anxiously.
"My people found her in some security footage of the road the night she left, they just sent it to me, and they are following her trace" He informed as he turned on the TV.
The footage was in black and white, but they could Jade signaling at the road for a ride as she looked around nervously and occasionally talked to her side, then they saw a truck stopping and a man getting out to approach her more closely. They couldn't hear their conversation, but they could see Jade rolling her eyes at the man.
"What's he saying?" Cat asked because they couldn't read his lips
"I don't know" Beck said and they saw Jade speaking to the air as the man stared at her confused, he clearly had not expected that, so he just watched her and his confusion slowly turned into curiosity.
The guy simply smiled and started talking, he kept motioning at her and then at his truck, but she clearly did not like what he was saying so she shook her head and tried to step away. However, the man grabbed her arm and kept talking.
"I think he is offering her a ride…" Tori said "But I don't think she wants to pay the price"
They saw her trying to pull her arm back, but he kept holding it and trying to drag her to his truck, so she kicked him between his legs and he let go of her as he leaned down in pain.
"Yes!" Cat exclaimed and Jade simply turned to the side to talk to her mother, she seemed to be having an argument, so they just looked at each other sadly. It was hard to see her talking to the air as if it were an actual person.
Jade was distracted so the man stood up and held her arm again, so she grabbed the gun and when he turned her around, she was aiming it at him, so their eyes wide opened "Oh god" Mr. West said and the man let go of her nervously.
"Just go, go…" Ana whispered.
Jade was aiming the gun at the man but then they saw her talking to her mother again and he took that moment of distraction to take the pistol from her hand, so she stared at him terrified "Oh god, no, no…" Tori said scared.
The man simply took out all the bullets and shook his head upset as he walked towards her, so Jade walked back but then he hit her face with the pistol and she dropped on the grass "Bastard" Beck said angrily and they watched the man grabbing her neck and making her stand up, he said some things to her and threw the gun away.
"Just leave her alone" Ana said to the screen in impotence, but the man was dragging Jade towards his vehicle while she unsuccessfully tried to resist it. He simply smashed her against the side of the truck and kept talking to her, he spoke for a couple of minutes while she just listened and tried to get his hand off her neck.
The man stepped back and Jade stood there staring at him nervously, then she looked at her mother and shook her head scared, but he simply smiled and gently removed her jacket. Jade wasn't really doing anything at that point, she was just staring at him terrified, so everyone's hearts broke, she looked so helpless and it seemed she'd finally given in.
"Please don't tell me he…" Ana said to Mr. West but he shrugged.
"I don't know" He said and they saw the man holding Jade's hand again, he pulled it to make her walk to the back of the truck but she resisted it and shook her head, so he rolled his eyes and grabbed her neck again. They watched Jade trying to fight him but it was useless, he dragged her to the back until they lost sight of them and everyone knew what would happen there.
"No, no, no…" Beck said in anger and frustration "This can't be happening" He added.
The footage remained the same with a few cars passing by the truck and a few minutes later the man got in the front seat again, he opened the passenger's door from inside and they saw Jade walking towards her things, holding her shirt to close it, stroking her hurt neck and looking down, she simply leaned down to grab her backpack and jacket from the grass and they saw her wiping her tears away.
Jade stared into space, which they imagined was where Lorraine was supposed to be, and she nodded as she put her jacket back on, then she slowly walked towards the truck and got in the front seat with him before he drove away.
"Oh my god" Ana said with tears in her eyes.
"Well, now we know why she disappeared so quickly" Andre said sadly, and Beck looked down trying to control his own emotions.
"That bastard raped her, he realized she was ill and he just…" Tori said upset.
"We need to find her and we need to do it now" Beck said anxiously "She is all alone and she is in danger"
"Do you know anything else?" Ana asked Mr. West.
"They just texted me that they believe she is in New York" He informed.
"That's like across the country, how did she get there?" Tori commented.
"Yeah, well…she took some rides" Mr. West said and Beck looked down mortified.
"I don't mean to sound insensitive, but Jade has nothing except her body to survive, I think you should tell your people to look for her in night clubs" Andre commented and they all looked at him.
"What are you saying? That Jade is a stripper again?" Beck asked.
"She's been there before and she has nothing, I'm just trying to step into her shoes" Andre responded. "We know she hates it but if it's her only way to survive, then chances are she is doing it"
"She wouldn't go back to that, right?" Tori asked.
"We know how she paid for her trip, she wasn't happy to do it but she did it anyway and in comparison, I think stripping might come a little easier" Andre said and Beck shook his head upset.
"That was different, it was rape" Tori insisted.
"I know, I'm not saying she'd be doing it for fun, but she needs to eat" Andre commented.
"He is right" Ana said and took a breath in resignation as Mr. West looked down "Jade has only ever worked as a stripper and she wouldn't have many options to get money, chances are she went back to that"
"That's so…sad" Cat admitted.
"It is but it's also the biggest possibility" Andre added and Beck sighed as he looked down because he knew they were right, which just made him feel worse.
"I'll let my people know" Mr. West simply said.
Jade finished her shift of the night at 4am and Dexter saw her walking home, so he decided to give her a ride, he wanted to help but he also wanted to know more about her and that was a perfect opportunity.
"So, this is where you live?" He asked as they walked upstairs past a few junkies.
"It's what I can afford" Jade said and he nodded, she opened the door of her room and let him walk in first so he did and then she closed the door.
"Mom, we have a visitor" Jade said and Dexter looked around because he expected her to come out of the bathroom but Jade walked straight to the bed and sat down on it, she smiled to her side and then at Dexter. "Mom, this is my boss Dexter, he wanted to meet you" She said and he stared at her confused.
"Are you joking?" He asked and laughed, but she looked at him disconcertedly.
"Joking about what? This is my mom" Jade said coldly, and his smile dropped, he didn't know how to respond.
"He seems nice" Lorraine said and Jade nodded as she smiled at her, Dexter simply looked to the side confused and then smiled awkwardly.
"I think I should get going, see you tomorrow" He said and she nodded.
"Bye" Jade said and he left the room "Did he seem weird to you?" She asked.
"I think he was tired, hon, it's late" Lorraine said.
"Yeah, probably" She simply responded and took a pill "I'm gonna sleep now" she informed and laid down next to her mother.
"Sweet dreams, my love"
Next day Jade showed up at work as she did every day and Dexter approached her, he was still confused by what had happened in her room, but he needed to know more to decide what he would do with her. He knew that having a mentally ill girl working as a stripper would not make him look good if, for any reason, the police got involved.
"Allie, did you sleep well?" He asked.
"Yeah, you left quickly" She commented.
"I was tired" Dexter responded "So, how is your mom?"
"She is fine…?" Jade said slightly confused
"You said it's just the two of you, right?" He questioned.
"Yes, I told you before" She responded annoyed
"And where did you live before?" Dexter asked "I mean, it's kind of obvious you are new to the city, you live in a hotel"
"California" Jade simply said
"And why did you leave?" He asked.
"I needed a fresh start" She responded emotionlessly and he nodded "Why are you asking all these questions now?"
"I'm just curious" Dexter said "Anyway, it's almost time for your show and I have to take care of some things, I'll be in my office" He informed but she ignored him, she only drank a glass of whisky and walked backstage to get ready.
Dexter went to his computer and the first thing he did was google her name, but he didn't get any results, so he searched for missing people in California in the last few weeks. He didn't really know if he expected to get any results, but he needed to be sure. It was clear that she wasn't okay and he had a hunch that she was hiding from something.
"There you are" Dexter said when he found her photo on a missing people website and took a breath "Jade West, eighteen, Los Angeles" He read and stared at the screen debating what to do, he wanted her to stay at the club but he knew it wasn't okay and once he googled he name, he realized there were a lot of people looking for her and he didn't want them to trace her back to him. He had to let her go.
Mr. West arrived in Lorraine's house and found Jade's friends there as well, they'd been trying to find her with no results as usual "I found her" He informed.
"What?" Ana immediately asked and they all stood up.
"Well, I didn't find her, someone told me where she is" Mr. West clarified.
"And? Where is she?" Beck questioned.
"New York City" He informed "She is working at a nightclub, as you suspected, and her employer contacted me, apparently he realized she has a…condition" He explained and they sighed.
"Thank god" Ana commented.
"Yeah, thank god he is decent" Andre added "Someone else might've taken advantage of that"
"So, now what?" Robbie asked.
"We go get her, of course" Ana said.
"Yes, I've made the arrangements and we'll be all flying in a couple of hours, this is a one-day trip so need to do anything else" Mr. West explained.
"You mean you paid for our flights?" Ana asked.
"I figured Jade would be more comfortable coming with you all" He explained emotionlessly and looked down, the truth was he felt ashamed of his behavior towards her and it was too late to fix it.
"Thanks…" Tori said awkwardly and he nodded.
They all went to New York a few hours later and arrived early in the morning, they'd arranged a meeting with Dexter at the club and he was waiting for them right outside.
"Hello, I'm Dexter" He said politely as he shook Mr. West's hand and smiled at Ana and the gang.
"Jade works here?" Cat asked as he looked at the place.
"Yes, but she told me her name was Allie and that she was 22 years old" Dexter explained.
"And you just believed her?" Beck asked coldly.
"Beck…" Andre whispered as he elbowed him.
"Listen kid, she looks the part and she told me she had experience as a stripper, which she proved on her first night and I'm a businessman, I saw talent and I hired her" Dexter explained "Now I know I shouldn't have taken her word for it but I didn't have reasons to think she was lying"
"You don't have to apologize, thank you for calling" Ana said.
"How did you realize she is sick?" Tori asked curiously.
"I gave her a ride home two days ago and I…well, I met her mother" Dexter said still confused by the incident, so they looked at each other.
"It's a lot to take in, we know" Robbie said.
"Yeah, well…she looked normal, so I was not expecting her to start talking to the wall" He responded.
"And what did you do? Did you tell her?" Ana asked.
"I thought she was joking at first, but she seemed pretty serious, so I just said I was tired and left, what else could I do?" He commented "And then last night I talked to her and she told me she came from California, so I googled missing people and voila!" He explained.
"So, you know where she lives" Andre said.
"Yeah, it's a hotel nearby, she must be there right now" Dexter said.
"Let's go then"
They all walked to Jade's hotel, which was nearby, and Dexter led them to her floor; the place was horrible, there were alcohol bottles in the hall and some drugs on the floor, they also found some hungover people and some hookers on their way out as they made their way upstairs, so they looked at each other concernedly. That wasn't the best environment for Jade given her condition and her addiction precedents.
"This is it" Dexter said when they were outside her door and they took a breath, they were nervous and anxious to see her.
"Whom do you think she should see first?" Dexter asked.
"Ana?" Tori asked.
"I don't know, she was pretty mad at me" Ana said and looked at Beck "I think you should be the one she sees, you're her boyfriend" She commented and he nodded.
"Okay" Beck simply said and stood in front of the door, he took a breath and knocked. A few seconds later the door opened and they expected to see Jade, but it wasn't her, it was a tall shirtless man.
"May I help you?" He asked and they looked at him confused but then they saw Jade inside the room, she was on her knees next to the nightstand and they saw her snorting something off of it so their eyes wide opened. There was no question about it, she had fallen into her addiction again.
"Who is it?" Jade asked as she wiped her nose and stood up, she hadn't turned around but they saw she was wearing short shorts and no shirt, she only had her bra and a very loose open sweater that was falling off her shoulders. The bed was messed up and the guy in front of them was barely dressed as well, so they knew what had happened, but they didn't understand why.
"I don't know, babe, come see yourself" The man said and stepped aside so she saw them and her calm face immediately changed. Beck hadn't even said a word, he was just staring at her shocked.
"What are you doing here?" Jade asked confused.
"You know these people?" The guy asked as he walked towards her and she looked at him and then back at them nervously.
"What's happening here?" Beck asked coldly and the gang looked at each other.
"I think it's pretty obvious" Jade simply said and chuckled.
"Who are they?" The guy asked as he put his arm around her hips and she got closer to him.
"Just people I used to know" Jade said.
"Step away from her" Mr. West ordered the man but Jade only laughed.
"It's been a long time, Mr. West" She said "What makes you think you can talk to my friend like that?" She asked.
"What are you doing?" Ana questioned disconcertedly and Jade rolled her eyes.
"Don't even talk to me, you traitor" She responded coldly.
"What are they doing here?" The man asked as he grabbed a beer for himself and one for Jade.
"They're not here for me, they're here for Jade" Jade commented and drank from the bottle.
"Very funny" Her father said annoyed "Get dressed now, we are leaving" He informed and she laughed.
"You can't make me do anything" Jade affirmed.
"What is she doing?" Tori whispered.
"I don't know" Ana said sincerely, they hadn't expected that reaction from her.
"What are you doing?" Beck asked coldly and upset.
"What's the matter, handsome? You need a hug?" Jade asked cynically as she walked towards him and he looked at her confused "That comes at a price too, darling" she added.
"But it's worth it" The man commented and kissed her neck from behind as he put his hand on her waist, so she smiled "Anyway, I'll leave you with your friends, see you soon" He said to her and left.
"I'm leaving too, I'm sorry about this" Dexter said to Ana and she nodded.
"Well, now that your friend is gone, care to explain what the hell just happened?" Beck asked clearly angry and she laughed.
"I think you all need to go" Jade responded as she sat down on a chair and started smoking a cigarette calmly. She looked like a completely different person and it'd only been a few weeks, so they were disconcerted.
"We are not leaving without you" Ana informed.
"Stop the act, you're here for Jade but she isn't leaving with you either" Jade responded.
"Wait…what?" Tori asked confused.
"What you heard, sweetie, Jade and I are doing just fine and we don't need you to come disturb our life" She commented and they looked at each other.
"Jade…?" Andre said confused.
"Yeah, I know you're here for her, but she is my daughter and I don't want you to come near her again" Jade commented and they looked at her even more disconcertedly, they didn't understand what she was saying but everything was starting to click, her behavior wasn't her own, it was a copy of Lorraine's.
"Where is Jade right now?" Beck asked to confirm what they already suspected.
"She went out to get some food, but she'll be back soon and I don't you to disturb her" Jade said coldly "She is doing just fine without you, so leave us alone"
I know...
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