Page 37 of Jake's Angel

Maybe next time.

I turn the water on to let it get warm. I am thankful once again for Sadie’s ability to plan ahead. She has all my favorite toiletries already stocked in the bathroom. Stripping myself down, I get into the stream of hot water, letting the smell of strawberry shampoo and green apple body wash take over my senses as I wash away the events of the last two days. The heat from the water relaxes my body as I let my mind wander, thinking about the last couple of days.

My grandmother’s elaborate party. Leaving Baron’s Edge. The diner. Jake. That kiss. My belly piercing.

I wash around the shiny piece of jewelry, remembering how it felt to make such a simple decision and not having anyone forbidme from doing anything to defileor devalue myself.

“Respectable people do not debase their character by marking themselves with tattoos or by piercing holes in their body.”

My grandmother’s voice is still fresh in my mind. She said those words the first time she met Sadie and saw she had her nose pierced.

Old Bitch.

Stepping out of the shower, I wrap myself in one of Sadie’s comfy towels and head back to my room to get my clothes. Grabbing a pair of denim shorts and a green T-shirt from a bag, I get myself dressed. My hair is up in a ponytail, the new haircut makes the bottom barely touch the nape of my neck. It feels lighter.

Ifeel lighter.

I grab my green converse high tops, put them on, and I’m ready to tackle this day. I don’t bother with putting on any make-up. I’m not looking to impress anyone.

Except maybe a sexually attractive, grumpy ass biker you wish would kiss.

Nope!

Looking around the living room, this place screams ‘Sadie lives here.’

How are we going to afford all of this?

My mind is reeling with questions and uncertainties.

Walking into the living area, there’s a room most people would probably use as a dining room. Sadie has turned it into a makeshift office space with four twenty-four inch flat screen televisions mounted on the wall, all connected to a couple of tabletop PCs on a long wooden dining table. There are three laptops stacked on the table as well.

How many computers does one person need?

Of course, this is Sadie.

I decidedly don’t want to know why she has so many or what exactly it is she does with them.

“Plausibly deniability.” I say to the empty room.

There’s a picture frame next to one of the computers. I pick it up to get a closer look, but quickly put it back when I realize who it’s a picture of.

My heart sinks.

I don’t know all the specifics, but Sadie’s mother was put in a mental institution when Sadie was barely two years old. Her dad left about the same time her mom lost her mind. She lost her mom around the same time I lost mine. It’s one of the things that drew us to each other as friends. We didn’t choose the lives we were handed,or the families we were handed to. We bonded over other people’s poor choices and how they made our lives what they are.

I glance around the space and smile to myself at all the Star Wars figures and Harry Potter memorabilia filling the floor-to-ceiling shelves on either side of the fireplace. There’s a beautiful gray slate stone hearth encasing the fireplace and mounted above it is a massive flat screen TV. Again, I wonder how we’re going to afford all of this. I don’t even know if this home came furnished or if she’s rented this stuff.

Where did she find a long U-shaped plum colored sectional couch with the chase lounge? Her flat screen tv must be at least seventy-five inches.

I jump at the sound of someone knocking on the front door. Jayde’s on the front porch, bouncing on her heels.

“Hi,” she excitedly squeals.

“Um, hi.” I don’t feel half the enthusiasm in my greeting.

“I need to run some errands, and Sadie thought you might want to go with me. What do you say?” She must have had at least three cups of coffee for the amount of energy that is buzzing through her.

“Sure. Where do you need to go?”

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