Jade
Chapter fourteen
"Babe." Addie sections off my hair and clips the rest up again. "You're going to look so hot. I can't believe you've never done this before."
"Because my head smells like a fucking janitor's closet?"
She laughs and continues to add a mix of bleach and something else, I can't remember what she said, to the ends of my hair.
I still can't believe she got me to agree to this, but if worse comes to worst, I can chop four inches off, and it will be like none of this ever happened.
Maybe a little spice in my life will be good though, and this is the kind of spice I can handle right now. It's safe.
"What color are we doing?" I ask.
"Um, it's a surprise."
"I don't like the sound of that."
"Yeah well, too bad," she says and sticks her tongue out at me in the mirror.
Addie is the best friend I always wanted and never had growing up.
I was never the girl who was friends with girls.
I was the girl who was never anyone's favorite.
Including my dad's, apparently. I looked him up last night.
That was a mistake. His new family is perfect.
Perfect hair, perfect teeth, not a wrinkle in their clothes.
I don't want to be that. I don't want to be plain or boring.
So why does it still hurt? It shouldn't.
I love my life. Could it be easier? Yes, obviously.
But I wouldn't trade it for anything. Coop and me, we're okay, and with this new job, it's only going to get better.
"Earth to Jade," Addie says, waving a hand in front of my face.
"Huh?"
"I said, I never thought my brother was badass enough for a hand tattoo," she says, then removes her gloves and sits down on her bed. I spin around in her vanity chair. "Maybe I'll get a tattoo." She sighs. "A rotten egg."
"What's up with you?" I ask her. "You've been off since Mateo got home."
"I'm the rotten egg," she says, flopping back on her bed like a fainting princess.
"Addie."
"No, listen. Mom's this TV super chef, Dad is a former heartthrob, all-star baseball pitcher turned small town coach, and my brother is the prodigal son. The entire house changed when he got home. But mostly, mostly it just highlighted that I'm the screw-up."
"You're not a screw-up," I tell her, honestly. "So you don't know what you want to do with your life, you're allowed that."
"You know."
"No babe, I don't have a choice, there's a difference. And besides, I get the impression Mateo doesn't really know what he's doing right now either. Imagine being his age and moving back into your parents' house because you don't have anyone else to take care of you."
"Harsh."
"You're not the rotten egg, Addie. You're the one carving her own path. You'll figure it out. It just takes longer for some people."
"Mateo being home has been…well, an adjustment. He's been gone most of my life."
"I thought you guys were close?"
"As close as you can be from five thousand miles away, I guess. I'm hungry. Are you hungry?" she asks, sitting up again.
I'm not hungry, but I get the sense Addie is done with this conversation and this is her way out, so I stand and hold my hand out to help her up.
Coop is counting colorful paper money at the island when we walk into the kitchen, and Mateo is grumbling to himself. I would've thought he'd know better than to play Monopoly with my kid.
Addie grabs a bottle of Diet Coke out of the fridge and holds out a Red Bull.
"Mom must have picked these up for you," she says with a shrug.
I take it with a nod and sit at the island across from Mateo.
His shy smile says it all. It wasn't Charlie, it was him.
Why? Why is he so nice? So handsome? So off limits?
He's so not my fucking type, but I'm drawn to him in ways I shouldn't be.
My fingers itch for my pencil, to draw him and his stupid, asymmetrical face.
"What um, are you guys doing?" he asks, gesturing to the towel wrapped around my shoulders and clipped in the front with a claw clip.
"Replacing a carburetor," I say at the same time Addie says, "Dying Jade's hair pink."
"Pink?" Coop and I say in unison, sticking our tongues out at each other.
Mateo chuckles.
"Oops," Addie says. "I promise it's a sexy pink and not like indigestion med pink."
She's lucky I love her, because pink?
"Friday night fire?" Coop asks.
"Sure thing, dude," Addie says, tossing the cap to her Diet Coke at him.
"Actually…" Mateo pauses. "I was going to go check out this old school arcade that opened in Granger. I was hoping I could take the punk with me?"
He winces. "Sorry, the kid."
"No," I say without hesitation. Fucking no. No way is he taking my kid two towns over. Absolutely not.
"Please, Mom?" Coop asks, jumping off the stool. "Please?"
"I promise to have him home before he turns into a pumpkin," Mateo says, sticking his lower lip out.
Addie is quiet next to me. I hate seeing her like this. Maybe getting the boys out of the house and having some real girl time would be good for her.
"Fine, you can go," I say. "But you better kick Mateo's ass in every game." The boys high-five, and I turn to Addie. "Girl dinner and a shit talking fire?"
She smiles, and I know I've made the right choice.
I'll get her back, a little at a time.
Back upstairs, Addie finishes my mini-makeover. She's right, it's a badass pink—a deep magenta. I'm surprised how much I like it.
"This is what you should do," I say as she curls my hair.
"You think?" Her face brightens.
I nod. She's got the right personality for it when she's not in her own head.
"You should look into cosmetology school," I tell her.
"Will you look into apprenticing with Em?"
"I told you, I can't afford to not work that long," is what I say, but it's not the only reason.
The other is that I prefer to sketch life.
People. Imperfectly perfect life. I'm not sure why I hide that part of myself from her; it's not like she would care.
But it's private, even my InASnap account is a faceless account with no ties to me.
The sky is past dark by the time Addie is done with my makeover.
I gather wood from the rack and start the fire while she makes drinks in the kitchen.
Sunday night dinners are great, and I'm honored Coop and I have a standing invitation, but I might prefer our fire nights.
I think Coop does too. Even as the cold seeps in, the warmth never leaves.
With the closest house across the street, the nights are quiet, empty of car horns and sirens.
Coop and I live in a decent area, but it's still in town, and even a town as small as Wilmont never really sleeps.
I blow on the fire, and the kindling catches.
Then I sit in one of the chairs facing the yard and cover my lap with a blanket.
The string lights are off, and the sky is alight with stars.
The Big Dipper is easy to find, but it takes me a minute to see the little one.
I find Orion's belt too, but that's the extent of my astronomy knowledge.
Addie once told me that shooting stars were chunks of flying rock, which kind of kills the whole wish upon a star thing for me.
The slider opens and closes behind me, and Addie appears, placing a serving tray on the table.
A fucking serving tray.
Sometimes I feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone when I'm here.
"So we didn't have vodka, but we have tequila," Addie says, handing me a glass from the tray. "I present to you, The Addie."
I sniff the drink and can't help it when my eyes go wide.
She takes the seat on the other side of the table, covering herself with a blanket. Then she picks up her glass and takes a sip.
"Not bad," she says.
"Yeah, it's pretty good," I say.
"You didn't even try it."
"I did, I swear."
"You lie, but that's okay, I brought you a Coke too."
"And snacks," I say, then hold my breath and try The Addie.
She shrugs. "You get grouchier than usual when you're hungry. It's best to keep you fed."
I swallow my drink on a laugh, covering my mouth to avoid spitting it out.
She grins.
"This is good," I tell her, taking another sip.
"I don't know why you still doubt me. I have excellent taste in drinks, food, and fashion."
We cheers across the table as the fire dances.
"Not men though," she adds. "I have terrible taste in men."
"You and me both," I say.