CSIFan4Life: Thanks!
Rox88: I will, and thanks for reviewing
FaithHopeLove: Thanks, I haven't seen 'Don't Say A Word' yet, but it just came to me. I'm a fan of your writing; you have an amazing talent! I wish I were half as talented as you are.
A/N: I apologize for not updating sooner, but I've been swamped with papers for both law and soc, I'm also having a few personal problems going on right now, but accept this chapter as an apology. :)
After the girls had finished their assignment and supper was over, the two girls returned to Kathleen's room for some much needed girl talk.
"So you think that he likes me?" Jaden asked, giddy with excitement.
"Yes!" Kathleen replied, exasperated. "Why don't you believe me?"
"I didn't think that a boy would ever liked me." Inside, Jaden was feeling immense happiness- something that she hadn't felt in a long time.
"I'll set something up between the two of you. Hey, maybe you could come with us to the movies on Thursday." Kathleen suggested.
"I'd love to, but my dad is working late and someone has to be home to watch Jamie." Jaden replied, her smile faltering.
"Oh. Okay. Let me take care of it!" Kathleen said, ecstatic. "By tomorrow afternoon, you two will officially be a couple."
"A couple?" the words felt so foreign to Jaden.
Outside the sky had finally opened up like it had threatened to do all day. Off in the distance, thunder rang out; the rain was coming down even harder and it wasn't going to let up anytime soon.
"Such perfect weather for a skate ride home." Jaden said sarcastically as she glanced out the window.
"I can drive you home." Elliot's voice startled both his daughter and her friend, more so Jaden. Jaden turned towards Kathleen.
"Are you coming with?" Jaden's eyes were practically pleading for Kathleen to say yes.
The drive took them to a poorer part of the town. They came to a stop outside of a small two-story house that needed quite a lot of fixing up. Getting out of the car, Jaden said her goodbyes, but Elliot waited until she actually walked into the house and closed the door behind her before driving off. Inside the house, the floor was littered with beer bottles and cans, some empty, some half full, and some were even untouched. Her father was stretched out on the couch; he appeared to be passed out with a bottle still clutched in his hand. She made the horrible mistake of trying to remove it from his grasp. She ended up on the receiving end of a backhand that sent her to the floor.
"Get… up stairs…. you ungrateful brat…. 'fore I make you wish you were never born." his voice was gruff and harsh; his eyes were so full of hatred.
Jaden almost broke her neck running up the stairs. Ever since her mother had divorced her father three years ago, things had horribly gone down hill. Practically every night he was drinking or he would have his friends over. Jaden preferred her father to be in his drunken state. Jaden walked down a long dark hallway to her room. Before she could even open the door, her younger sister attached herself to her leg.
"Yay, you're home!" she sounded so cheerful.
"Did you have fun at school?" Jaden walked into her room one slow step at a time, with Jamie still holding on for dear life.
Eventually, the chipper young girl let go of her sister's leg. Jaden stretched out on her bed; Jamie emulated her actions by lying beside her.
"Tell me, my little rag muffin, did you have fun today?" Jaden asked tiredly.
"Mmhmm, but I wished you were there." her voice was filled with sadness from the fact that her and her big sis weren't spending much time with each other anymore.
"I'll tell you what, when I get home tomorrow, we'll both go to the mall."
Jamie's expression quickly turned from one of sadness to happiness. It had been a long time since they had done anything together. Jaime started jumping up and down on Jaden's bed. Jaden lay still on her bed, watching her sister being a child, something she wished she could go back and experience. Laying there, she thought, why not indulge myself in a bit of childish behavior? Pulling herself into a sitting position, Jaden rose to her feet and joined her sister in jumping around. By the time that they were both finished, they were trying to catch their breath.
"Jamie, I've gotta ask you something." she spoke in between the gasps for air as she set her sister on her lap.
"What?"
"When you came home, how many bottles did Daddy have?" there was a serious tone in her voice.
"Dis menny." Jaime held up four fingers. The amount worried Jaden a bit. Deciding to change the topic, Jaden asked,
"You know what would be fun?"
"Disney world?"
"That's a bit far." Jaden chuckled "I was thinking about a sleep over, but who could I invite?"
"Ooooh! I know! I know!" Jaime squealed, stretching her arm into the air.
"And who might that be?" Jaden asked, feigning ignorance.
"Me silly!" Jamie squiggled her way off Jaden's lap and started dancing around the room saying 'Me! Pick me!' Jaden couldn't help but laugh at her sister's antics, for she had been forced to grow up at such a young age.
"Alright, bring a blanket and a pillow from your room, but be real quiet about it, dad's sleeping.
Jamie quickly, but silently, ran from one room to the other, returning with a blanket and her pillow along with a ratty old stuffed bunny. Her mother had given it to her as a birthday present.
"Jaden are you sad?" her sister's question caught her off guard.
"What make you think I'm sad?"
"You use to be happy." she clutched the bunny to her chest tightly as she sat down next to her idol.
"I am happy. I'll make you a deal" Jamie's eyes lit up with intrigue and curiosity "You keep up those good grades and every Wednesday we'll go to the mall, but it has to be our little secret." Jaden held out her pinky finger.
The two sisters locked pinky fingers, signifying that it was their secret. Putting Jamie to bed, Jaden quickly fell asleep. The day's events also had tired Jaden out. Shortly after her sister fell asleep, Jaden slipped into a dreamless slumber.
The next morning, after Jaden had dropped her sister off at school, she decided that she would take her time getting to her own school. As she passed by a small puddle, she noticed a bruise beginning to form under her eye from where her father had hit her. Jaden knew that she couldn't go to school like that; nothing a little cover up couldn't fix. Making a pit stop at a small drug store, she made a b-line for the cosmetics. One of the clerks who were working the floor walked over to her as she read the back of the package.
"Can I assist you in anything?" the woman asked.
"Uh, I'm just looking for some cover up." Jaden replied.
"What you want is something along the lines of this." the middle-aged woman handed Jaden another one that would suit her complexion better she noticed the mark but decided not to press.
"Is there a washroom?"
"Go down this aisle and take a left."
Before she would attempt to hide her bruise, Jaden headed to the front check out. Quickly working her magic, she thanked the clerk on the way out. Taking a peak at her watch she realized that she had to pick up the pace a bit. Her constant lateness had a tendency to send her to the office, something that every teenager hated. Jaden arrived at school just as the second bell rang, she didn't even bother to visit her locker, instead she went straight to math class.
"Better late then never, Miss Scott, take your set."
"All right class, I hope you're all wide awake this morning- we're moving onto something new, algebra." the teacher actually seemed thrilled about it. The class, on the other hand was anything but.
Jaden dropped her head on her binder. God, could this day get any worse? her morning was turning out to be hell.
In Cragen's office Elliot sat in one of the chairs in front of the desk. On the outside, Fin and Munch were trying to guess what was going on.
"I bet he's being grilled." Fin spoke, trying to contain a laugh.
"No, you've got it all wrong. Cragen's giving him hell for making horrible coffee," corrected Munch, moving to get a better glace at the drama unfolding.
"I thought that was you who made the bad coffee." Olivia looked up from her file long enough to see the smirk on John's face. "Don't you two have some work you should be doing?" she asked, looking back down at her file.
In the captain's office, Elliot had a look of sheer terror plastered on his face.
"Elliot you knew it would come to this..." his captain's voice was commanding.
"Fine. But let me talk to her." Elliot said.
"I've already spoke to Munch, he's going to be speaking with her."
"I'm her father! I should be the one to talk to her!" Elliot said, raising his voice ever so slightly.
"That's exactly why I asked John. Elliot, your daughter needs you to be there as her father, not a cop." Elliot calmed down enough to realize he did have a valid point. He sighed.
"I'll bring her down after school." he hung his head in defeat as he left the office.
Grabbing his coat off the back of his chair, Elliot motioned for Olivia to follow him.
"What's up?" Olivia asked, getting up quickly.
"Cragen wants us to interview the friend."
The lunch hour seemed like it would never arrive. Jaden was sitting in the very back of the large cafeteria alone, looking rather spaced out until three familiar faces sat down- Kathleen, Bryan and, Jaden's crush, Andy Parsens.
"Hey, Jaden." Andy's voice was a bit on the shaky side.
"Hey." her cheeks were turning a bright red as she looked down at her feet.
"Dude, ask her already." Bryan elbowed his friend lightly in the side.
"I was uh- wondering if you wanted to maybe do something tonight or after school." it was obvious that he was nervous as hell.
"I'd love to, but I promised my baby sister I'd take her out for a few hours." Jaden replied apologetically.
"Oh." was his only response. Determined to make him feel better, Jaden added,
"But after Friday, I guess we could do something." Andy's face brightened.
"Yeah! That'd be great! I mean, that'd be cool," he hadn't meant to sound that excited.
All of them sat at the table being normal teens, and Jaden felt that she was truly wanted. Whenever she was around her father, she felt like she was unloved, that she was nothing more then a burden. After lunch, they all walked to their English class. Andy was walking rather close to Jaden
"Look at those two, they were meant to be," giggled Kathleen as she and Bryan slowed their pace.
"He's been talking about her all morning." Bryan agreed.
As Andy and Jaden walked closer together, Andy linked his hand with hers.