a/n: Told you it'd start next Saturday. It's just not from Alex or Bakura's point of view...
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*Ring*
Jade sighed and tried to get off the couch. She was weary from having stayed up all night. She and Alex had argued yet again the day before and no matter what Jade did, she couldn't stop thinking about it. Why did Alex hate her so much? What did she ever do?
*Ring*
She fell back onto the couch from having her knees buckle. It had been a long while since she had gotten a decent night's sleep and it was starting to show.
*Ring*
She managed to drag herself to the phone and she picked it up halfway through it's next ring. "Hello?" she asked.
"Jade? You sound awful!"
Jade laughed. "Gee, thanks," she said. Her best friend, Carly, was on the other end.
"What happened?" Carly asked.
"Nothing," she replied, rubbing her eyes and trying to wake up fully.
Carly sighed. "You and Alex have another fight?"
"Yeah."
"Why don't you come grab some coffee with me? It's Saturday, we can chat, okay?"
"Okay. I'll see you in a few minutes," Jade said, yawning.
"Are you going to be all right on the road, Jade?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll see you, okay?"
"Right. Bye."
The best friends hung up and Jade pulled herself off the couch. She went up the stairs, looking at her watch as she went. 11:46 a.m. Alex's door was open and she wasn't inside. Jade remembered her leaving earlier. The slam of the door had woken her up slightly. It was a usual occurrence for Alex to leave without saying anything. She'd come back when she felt like it. She always did. Jade had learned the hard way that Alexandra could take care of herself.
Then a sinking feeling came into her stomach. She quickly washed up and changed, then ran outside to find the driveway empty.
"Alex!" she screamed. That was so like her. To take the car without worrying whether or not Jade would need it. Jade stormed back inside and grabbed the phone.
"Carly, can you pick me up? Alex has the car," she grumbled when her best friend picked up.
Carly laughed halfheartedly. "Sure. I'll be right there, okay?"
"Yeah, bye."
Jade dropped the phone back down and went outside to wait. She sat on the stoop and shivered as a cool breeze blew against her face. A few minutes later, Carly pulled up in her pickup.
"Hop in stranger!" she called and Jade grinned despite herself. She got into the passenger side and Carly backed out of the driveway.
A few minutes later, she looked at Jade quickly. "God, you look as bad as you sound. You really have to get some sleep."
"Carly, I am. I'm fine," Jade replied, rubbing her eyes.
Her best friend pulled up in front of the coffee shop and turned off the engine. "Come on, we'll talk more inside."
Jade nodded and got out of the car along with Carly. They entered the shop and got a table. They ordered cappuccinos and sat in silence for a second.
"Jade, Alex is just going through a lot. She's a teenager who's rebelling. You went through it once too, remember?" Carly said.
"No. I never went through what Alex has," Jade replied, staring at her cappuccino.
Carly sighed. "Maybe not, but she'll warm up eventually."
"She hasn't in three years. What makes you think she'll warm up now?" Jade asked.
"Jade, listen to me. Alex..." she started, but Jade interrupted.
"Carly. I wanted to tell you something. Something about Alex."
"What?"
"You remember me telling you about that guy she came home complaining about?"
"Yeah. Let's see, it was something like: 'There was this freak that was stalking me at school today!' right?" Carly laughed.
Jade chuckled. "Something like that. Yesterday, they were studying together."
Carly's eyes widened. "Well, that was... unlike Alex."
"Yeah. But... she was... laughing, Carly. She seemed happy. Like she had before anything happened."
At this Carly choked on her cappuccino. "She was? With that guy?" She started to grin.
"Well, yeah. I... what are you grinning about? You should have seen the way her expression changed when I walked into the room," Jade said gloomily.
Carly wiped the grin off her face quickly. "Right. Well, that's expected. You're her family. Of course she'd go to a friend first."
"I know that. But, still," Jade said.
"Look. You should just be happy that she found someone /she/ can be happy with."
"I guess so. I am happy for her I guess. It was the first time in three years I heard her laugh. It was nice," Jade said with a smile.
Carly's grin came back. "So, tell me about this Bakura."
Jade stared at her. "Uh... what do you want to know?"
"Is he cute?" she asked, grinning.
"Carly!" Jade cried, horrified. "He's seventeen!"
Her best friend laughed. "Not me! I mean from Alex's point of view! Does /she/ think he's cute?"
"How would I know? She doesn't tell me that stuff," Jade said with a shrug.
"Hon, she doesn't have to. He got her to laugh, right? There's got to be /something/ about him she likes."
"Okay. From the two seconds I spent with him, I know this much. He's sweet, polite, kind, knows how to get dressed and he combs his hair in the morning. These are not the qualities of a guy Alex would go for. I mean, the last guy she crushed on had a bright orange mohawk!" Jade cried. Both of them shuddered.
"Well, I don't know what to tell you," Carly said, taking a sip of her cappuccino.
"I wasn't asking you to tell me anything. I was the one telling you!"
"Jade, everyone knows that when you tell someone something you want advice," Carly said.
Jade rolled her eyes and muttered, "Not /every/ time."
"By the way, you said Alex had the car this morning. Do you know where she went?"
"Of course not. She never tells me where she goes," Jade grumbled.
"Do you think she's with Bakura?" Carly asked, grinning.
Jade raised an eyebrow. "It's possible I suppose. Why?"
"You obviously trust this guy," Carly said.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"What does it usually mean, Jade?"
"No way. Alex would never do that. And... I don't think Bakura would either," Jade said flatly.
"You know her better than I do. That's really weird though for her to be friends with someone so different from her."
"Yeah. If you looked in the dictionary under 'opposite,' you'd see pictures of Bakura and Alex," Jade said with a laugh. They giggled, then finished their coffee.
"I'd better get home. I really shouldn't leave David alone at the house for too long," Jade said, standing.
"Yeah, you might come home to find the house in ruins, right?" Carly replied as they headed towards the car.
"Now you're getting him confused with Alex," Jade joked. They laughed as Carly started the engine.
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a/n: A little more info on Jade. As you've probably figured out by now, she and Carly tell each other everything. Jade's really upset about the fact that Alex doesn't like her and Carly's the only one she'll tell. But why does everything start three years ago? Read to find out... of course, it won't be for many more chapters yet. So, review and I'll post...
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*Ring*
Jade sighed and tried to get off the couch. She was weary from having stayed up all night. She and Alex had argued yet again the day before and no matter what Jade did, she couldn't stop thinking about it. Why did Alex hate her so much? What did she ever do?
*Ring*
She fell back onto the couch from having her knees buckle. It had been a long while since she had gotten a decent night's sleep and it was starting to show.
*Ring*
She managed to drag herself to the phone and she picked it up halfway through it's next ring. "Hello?" she asked.
"Jade? You sound awful!"
Jade laughed. "Gee, thanks," she said. Her best friend, Carly, was on the other end.
"What happened?" Carly asked.
"Nothing," she replied, rubbing her eyes and trying to wake up fully.
Carly sighed. "You and Alex have another fight?"
"Yeah."
"Why don't you come grab some coffee with me? It's Saturday, we can chat, okay?"
"Okay. I'll see you in a few minutes," Jade said, yawning.
"Are you going to be all right on the road, Jade?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine. I'll see you, okay?"
"Right. Bye."
The best friends hung up and Jade pulled herself off the couch. She went up the stairs, looking at her watch as she went. 11:46 a.m. Alex's door was open and she wasn't inside. Jade remembered her leaving earlier. The slam of the door had woken her up slightly. It was a usual occurrence for Alex to leave without saying anything. She'd come back when she felt like it. She always did. Jade had learned the hard way that Alexandra could take care of herself.
Then a sinking feeling came into her stomach. She quickly washed up and changed, then ran outside to find the driveway empty.
"Alex!" she screamed. That was so like her. To take the car without worrying whether or not Jade would need it. Jade stormed back inside and grabbed the phone.
"Carly, can you pick me up? Alex has the car," she grumbled when her best friend picked up.
Carly laughed halfheartedly. "Sure. I'll be right there, okay?"
"Yeah, bye."
Jade dropped the phone back down and went outside to wait. She sat on the stoop and shivered as a cool breeze blew against her face. A few minutes later, Carly pulled up in her pickup.
"Hop in stranger!" she called and Jade grinned despite herself. She got into the passenger side and Carly backed out of the driveway.
A few minutes later, she looked at Jade quickly. "God, you look as bad as you sound. You really have to get some sleep."
"Carly, I am. I'm fine," Jade replied, rubbing her eyes.
Her best friend pulled up in front of the coffee shop and turned off the engine. "Come on, we'll talk more inside."
Jade nodded and got out of the car along with Carly. They entered the shop and got a table. They ordered cappuccinos and sat in silence for a second.
"Jade, Alex is just going through a lot. She's a teenager who's rebelling. You went through it once too, remember?" Carly said.
"No. I never went through what Alex has," Jade replied, staring at her cappuccino.
Carly sighed. "Maybe not, but she'll warm up eventually."
"She hasn't in three years. What makes you think she'll warm up now?" Jade asked.
"Jade, listen to me. Alex..." she started, but Jade interrupted.
"Carly. I wanted to tell you something. Something about Alex."
"What?"
"You remember me telling you about that guy she came home complaining about?"
"Yeah. Let's see, it was something like: 'There was this freak that was stalking me at school today!' right?" Carly laughed.
Jade chuckled. "Something like that. Yesterday, they were studying together."
Carly's eyes widened. "Well, that was... unlike Alex."
"Yeah. But... she was... laughing, Carly. She seemed happy. Like she had before anything happened."
At this Carly choked on her cappuccino. "She was? With that guy?" She started to grin.
"Well, yeah. I... what are you grinning about? You should have seen the way her expression changed when I walked into the room," Jade said gloomily.
Carly wiped the grin off her face quickly. "Right. Well, that's expected. You're her family. Of course she'd go to a friend first."
"I know that. But, still," Jade said.
"Look. You should just be happy that she found someone /she/ can be happy with."
"I guess so. I am happy for her I guess. It was the first time in three years I heard her laugh. It was nice," Jade said with a smile.
Carly's grin came back. "So, tell me about this Bakura."
Jade stared at her. "Uh... what do you want to know?"
"Is he cute?" she asked, grinning.
"Carly!" Jade cried, horrified. "He's seventeen!"
Her best friend laughed. "Not me! I mean from Alex's point of view! Does /she/ think he's cute?"
"How would I know? She doesn't tell me that stuff," Jade said with a shrug.
"Hon, she doesn't have to. He got her to laugh, right? There's got to be /something/ about him she likes."
"Okay. From the two seconds I spent with him, I know this much. He's sweet, polite, kind, knows how to get dressed and he combs his hair in the morning. These are not the qualities of a guy Alex would go for. I mean, the last guy she crushed on had a bright orange mohawk!" Jade cried. Both of them shuddered.
"Well, I don't know what to tell you," Carly said, taking a sip of her cappuccino.
"I wasn't asking you to tell me anything. I was the one telling you!"
"Jade, everyone knows that when you tell someone something you want advice," Carly said.
Jade rolled her eyes and muttered, "Not /every/ time."
"By the way, you said Alex had the car this morning. Do you know where she went?"
"Of course not. She never tells me where she goes," Jade grumbled.
"Do you think she's with Bakura?" Carly asked, grinning.
Jade raised an eyebrow. "It's possible I suppose. Why?"
"You obviously trust this guy," Carly said.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"What does it usually mean, Jade?"
"No way. Alex would never do that. And... I don't think Bakura would either," Jade said flatly.
"You know her better than I do. That's really weird though for her to be friends with someone so different from her."
"Yeah. If you looked in the dictionary under 'opposite,' you'd see pictures of Bakura and Alex," Jade said with a laugh. They giggled, then finished their coffee.
"I'd better get home. I really shouldn't leave David alone at the house for too long," Jade said, standing.
"Yeah, you might come home to find the house in ruins, right?" Carly replied as they headed towards the car.
"Now you're getting him confused with Alex," Jade joked. They laughed as Carly started the engine.
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a/n: A little more info on Jade. As you've probably figured out by now, she and Carly tell each other everything. Jade's really upset about the fact that Alex doesn't like her and Carly's the only one she'll tell. But why does everything start three years ago? Read to find out... of course, it won't be for many more chapters yet. So, review and I'll post...