Lie to me

By, Shawn Hammond

DISCLAIMER: THE CHARACTERS AND STORYLINE BELONG TO ME. PLEASE DO NOT STEAL THEM. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST PLEASE ENJOY THE STORY!

The music vibrated so loudly the walls seemed to want to explode. The bodies inside twisted and turned to the music shouting from the speakers. The band onstage screamed something about the pains of love. Just some useless nonsense. A woman stood in the corner, drenched in black, trying to fade or fit in. She couldn’t yet decide which.

“Jade! Hey Jade!” The girl turned her head to see a clumsy guy stumbling towards her. “Hey Jude.” He stood in front of her, in whatever God awful outfit of the week, grinning from ear to ear. “What now Jude?” she asked. “Look I’m gonna bail but don’t freak. I met this really cool chick.” Jade rolled her eyes. She hated it when he said ‘chick’.

She looked back at him stone faced and wiped the dyed black hair from her eyes. “I’m not mad. Just run along now Jude boy. I’ll see you at home.” He smirked back at her and ran off. So typical. She thought to herself. Her eyes scanned over the pathetic scene in front of her and headed for the door. Her feet carried her past the endless rows of cars until she came to the spot that used to hold her car. “Dammit! Jude!” she screamed.

The night took at turn for the cold and Jade wrapped her arms around herself as she walked through the dark, filthy alleyway. She heard the distant sound of gunshots and then heavy running footsteps. “Get down! Get down!” a voice screamed at her. She tripped over her own two feet and fell to the pavement. The crack of her wrist as it hit the pavement, trying to break her fall, filled her ears. The mud on the ground caked her clothes and she closed her eyes.

Lying on the ground she heard several more heavy footsteps run past her. An intense argument seemed to follow them. The sound of bullets buzzing over her head pounded in her ears. This is what I get for walking home through the alleyway. She thought to herself. Her body lie there a few more moments trying not to pass out from the pain. “Dammit!” she mumbled. She slid up the wall trying not to use her arm to get up. Her other hand cradled to her wrist and she continued to walk out of the alleyway.

~*~

Jade stumbled into her house near morning. She had spent the entire night in the hospital getting her wrist fixed. She stumbled up the stairs and flicked the light on in her room. Jude stumbled out of her bed naked, shouting at her. “Oh Jude! Why the hell always my room? You have your own!” she shouted. “Get out Jade!” Her lips curled in a half annoyed smile. “No! You get out! This is my room!” Jude sighed heavily and left the room with the girl following behind.

Jade closed and locked her door and proceeded to pull off her mud stained clothes. She gingerly touched her broken wrist and grimaced. She pulled on a pair of black leggings and an oversized grey t-shirt. Her hair she pulled up on the top of her head and went to change her bed sheets and blankets. This was always so like Jude. He just couldn’t wait and had to jump into her bed with whatever random girl he met that night. Well she guessed it was her fault for having her best friend live with her.

A few moments later she heard a soft knock at her door. “Jade? Jade? It’s Jude. Let me in please?” She reached for the door and unlocked it. “What do you want Jude?” He pushed past her and walked to her window. “I’m sorr---” he stopped mid sentence when he saw her wrist.

“Jesus Jade! What happened?”

“I took the alleyway home. Probably some gang looking to cap somebody. I hit the pavement. My wrist broke my fall.”

“Jesus Jade! I told you not to take the alley home.”

“Yeah well you took my car. You were so anxious to get home and jump in my bed.”

Jude was never really much for words. So he really didn’t respond much. He had left the room before Jade could really rip on him. She shoved the blankets and sheets into the washer and trudged back down the stairs to flop down on the couch. Jude had locked himself in the den to avoid her. They hadn’t really been talking lately. Jude boy was thirty years old and hadn’t really grown up.

She reached for the remote an flicked on the TV. Her fingers flipped to the news station as a big NEWS BREAK screen blared at her. The headline read, “25 YEAR OLD MED STUDENT MURDERED.” They had no leads and no suspects. He had been shot. She sat silent for a moment and then the events of last night shouted in her head. “Oh my God.” she whispered. She had been right in the middle of it last night.

~*~

“Here we are again. Night 453 at the morons club.” Jude looked over at her and rolled his eyes.

“Shut up Jade. You didn’t have to come you know.”

“Yeah ok. I plead the fifth. Now go bugger off.”

“Ok, I won’t bail tonight. I promise.”

“Yeah sure and I’m the pope.” Jude laughed and sauntered off into the crowd.

The scene was the same as the nights before. Except tonight the band was screaming about the heartaches of being a vampire. She swore the club changed it’s M.O. every night. “Hey Johnny. What’s up?” She shouted as she slid into the stool at the bar.

“Nothing just making money. You?”

“Just getting dissed by Jude.”

“Oh who’s he going around with now?”

“Well last night it was little miss princess Barbie in my bed.”

“Whatever happened to what’s-her-face? The lawyer.”

“Who knows?” she laughed.

Jade grabbed her drink and said her good byes to Johnny. “Oh shit.” Someone ran into her spilling her drink all over herself. “Jesus Christ!” she shouted. “God I’m sorry.” She heard a voice mumble in front of her. Her eyes scanned the man standing in front of her. Splotches of her drink dripped off his black shirt that clung tightly to him. Her eyes slowly passed over his dark blue jeans and short brown hair.

“Jesus. I’m such a clumsy fuck.” he said to her. “No, no it’s alright. I’m used to it. Just as long as you don’t break my wrist.” She felt is dark eyes slowly undressing her. “I wish you wouldn’t do that.” she said.

“Do what?”

“Undress me with your eyes.”

“Oh, well if you think I’m that sleazy. Then I’m sorry.” He turned to leave from her. “No, stop, look I’m sorry. I’ve just had a bad last few days.” He turned back to her slowly and smiled.

His eyes she found quickly were hypnotizing to look at. A dark ocean of rippling waves they seemed to be. She realized she’d been staring. “Jade.” She held out her hand to meet his. “David.” he replied. His hand felt rough yet smooth and it sent a shiver through her. “Well, David, it’s been charming but I’d better head to the bathroom before this soaks in. He let go of her hand abruptly and she felt cold under his eyes.

~*~

“Jude! Jude! Where the hell are you?” The parking lots were half empty and the remaining cars were pulling away. “I’m going to kill you Jude!” she shouted. “Why are you going to kill him?” She turned startled and came face to face with David. “Oh hi. My jerk off friend bailed on me again. He did this to me last night and I ended up in some freaking shoot out that made the news and broke my wrist. He’s probably with some random girl in my room! That’s why I’m going to kill him.” She finished breathlessly.

David looked at her strangely and started to laugh. “Well maybe I should come jump into your life. It seems interesting enough.” Jade laughed slightly and then got quiet. “Well I have jerk off friends too if it makes you feel any better. Come I’ll walk you home. Keep you company.” Jade hesitated for a moment but she couldn’t say no. He reached his hand out for hers and clasped his fingers around it.