Jade's POV

I went over to my nightstand and unplugged my phone charger out of the wall. Hearing my mom clear her throat behind me, I turned around, my stare never leaving my hands as I took my time to wind up the cable in the form of a spiral. I drifted my gaze up to meet hers but kept my head down, waiting for her to say something.

"Did you pack everything?" She asked, resting both her hands on the side of the doorframe.

I rolled my eyes at her attempt to act all motherly  for once, then silently nodded.

"Are you sure?" She insisted. "It can get chilly in Providence, especially this time of the year."

Mom paused expectantly. "I'm sure you'll be okay. It's a good thing you're close to the beach, though. Right?"

I ignored her and went to put the charger down on my bed when I spotted my glasses case on the table by the window and made my way over to grab it, still not making a sound.

"Are you not going to speak to me at all?" She questioned. "Is that it?"

Bitterness practically oozed its way out of my words as I finally spoke up. "What do you want me to say?" I gasped melodramatically, placing a hand over my chest. "Oh dear... just, whatever will I do without you, Mother?"

Before I even gave her the time to react to my snarky comment, my face was already back to its usual emotionless state.

I raised an eyebrow in defiance. "You raised me better than to be a liar."

She was clearly taken aback by my response, she gulped slightly and furrowed her brow.

If I didn't know better I'd think she was genuinely hurt by it.

But it was too late for her to try and slither her way back into my life, as if all of those years had never happened.

Ignoring her act, I walked back to my suitcase, shoved the charger and the case inside and gave it all a quick scan as I tried to recall if I had gotten everything I needed. After I was satisfied with it, I closed it and glanced up at the door to fake-reassure my mother that I had, indeed, packed everything, only to find out she was no longer standing there.

Persistent, I thought to myself.

At least she was able to maintain the act for five whole minutes, props to her for that.

Sighing slightly, I grabbed my suitcase and headed out of my room and down the stairs. The front door was open and Mom was already standing outside in her robe and slippers, looking down at her phone as if she were in pain.

Before calling myself a taxi, I stopped by her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. She lifted her head up with hope, but her expression fell to the ground the minute she saw my glazed eyes.

"Don't miss me too much." I lifted my suitcase up and jogged down the steps and onto the street.

Raising my hand at a cab that was coming my way, I fought the urge to sneak a peek back at her, then hopped in and ordered the driver to take me to the airport.

***

The mechanical doors at the arrivals terminal swung open to reveal a very enthusiastic Liz.

"Jade!" she shrieked.

I sped up my pace to get to her fast and dropped my luggage, embracing her into a big hug. We kept at it for a few more seconds, swaying to the sides a couple times.

Liz radiated high energy, as per usual. "I can't believe you're actually here!" she said pulling back from the hug.

She gripped her hands tight around my shoulders and gave them an endearing squeeze. "We have spent the whole week prepping the house for when you got here."

Now, let me give it to you straight.

Liz's parents are disgustingly rich. They bought a place in Rhode Island before they were even certain about her being accepted into Brown, which apparently they'd been accommodating for my stay that following year. They practically owned a house in every place they felt was worthy enough of their presence.

Liz and I met back in NYC when we were in middle school. She was the beautiful, blond-haired, rich, new girl. Everyone was instantly captivated by her deep blue eyes and charming smile. And of course her fashionable new clothes.

At first I hated her, I was jealous of her perfect looks, her perfect home and her perfect family, although I couldn't be more wrong about that last one. I was angry at my dad for leaving me, at my mom for basically ignoring me and at myself because I thought I was to blame for both of those things.

Funny, I know.

Moving on...

I gave Liz a - seriously? - look but didn't bother hiding the smile begging to materialize on my face. "You really didn't have to."

"When has that ever stopped me?" Liz flashed a mischievous grin.

"Good point."

I'm going to skip the details of how we met but, long story short, she came in for a high five and I punched her in the stomach.

That was the beginning of a long-lasting friendship. Turns out she was sick and tired of people sucking up to her for being rich and I was a refreshing change of scenery.

Last year we both applied for Brown University. I thought they had an amazing Business Programme and Liz applied because it was an Ivy League school which her parents were highly supportive of. The fact that they  also had a kickass Art and Design Programme didn't hurt either.

But most of all, we wanted to stay together. So with my perfect grades and her parent's influence, we both got accepted. And now, there we stood, our long awaited future right in front of us.

***

Liz stopped by the last one of the wooden doors in that long corridor. "Okay, so this is you." She opened the door and practically flew in before I could even take a peek inside.

I chuckled and rolled my eyes at her excitement. "Please, go ahead," I said sarcastically. "It's not like it's my room or anything."

I rambled around before placing my suitcase on a bench by the feet of the bed. All I could do was stare at the room in awe, trying to take in every single detail.

This is three times the size of my room back home.

My sight was instantly drawn to the enormous sliding door at the back of the room. It was made of glass and led to a small balcony with breathtaking views.

The bed covers on which Liz was dramatically spread upon were an elegant dark brown that matched the colour of the furniture, as well as the details on the frame that surrounded the glass door and the wooden floor. It was a nice contrast to the light beige on the walls.

Everything was perfectly colour coordinated.

Holy shit, I thought.

I heard some shuffling beside me. "I don't think I've ever seen you speechless before."

I looked over to Liz, who was now sitting up on the bed with her legs crossed and had already taken off her shoes. She had a big smile on her face.

"I could get used to this."

"So you like it, then?" Liz's smile grew even more. I glanced around again, making sure I hadn't missed anything.

"It's perfect," I finally replied.

"Unlike its owner."

My head snapped in Liz's direction, which caused her grin to dissipate playfully.

She braced herself for impact the second she witnessed me moving towards her, then took the smack to the back of her head like a champ.

I laughed a little at the way I had ruffled her hair up and perched on the edge of the bed, getting a feel for the mattress.

"So..." Liz said. "Tell me everything. What have you been up to?"

That question made me want to project a sneer, but I preferred to keep a couple of things on the low, especially about what happened with the so called "Legendary Player", even though he didn't deserve that nickname.

"Not much," I said casually. "You know, same old same old."

Liz raised her eyebrows suggestively. "Really?" She then projected a knowing sneer. "Because that's not what I've heard."

***

A/N

Sorry if the first chapter seems a little slow, but like, it's the first chapter. Jade is not always this boring.

*Jade shoots the author a death glare*

O- Or ever. I meant that, given the situation, -

"Yeah, yeah, get on with it."

*The author clears her throat*

So, I also wanted to point out the fact that I'm a very artistic person.
Sometimes. 😂
...meaning I love all types of art: written, audible, visual art, etc.

Having said this, while I was writing this book songs popped up in my mind, as well as visual images. Hence the GIFs and the music links. Those are there because they helped me visualize the scenes better. You can choose to read the book offline, which won't show any of them. It's up to you, really.

However, if you are one of those people who like to listen to music while you read, I highly recommend for you to listen to the music I left on the links. The reason being that there are some scenes that will hit differently with a specific song playing in the background.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this book. :)

*Jade scoffs* "Of course they'll enjoy it. I'm in it."

***