"Principal Dolan?" Shawn called out as he arrived at the principal's office. The secretary, Mrs. Ahmed, was nowhere to be found so he walked in. The office smelt of mint, thanks to the peppermint plants grown in every corner of the room. Principal Dolan sat at the other end of the table, his back turned away from the door. Even though he had tried very hard to wash it out, Shawn could still see the traces of the paint on his head."Principal Dolan," Shawn called out again and Dolan turned on his chair to face him. Shawn noticed that his oval glasses which normally hung down his nose, making him look stricter, were now a little bit higher, covering his eyes. But, he could still see the redness in his eyes. His face softened as a thought came to his mind. Principal Dolan cried.The clearing of the throat from Dolan brought his senses back and he took a seat opposite him. "Sir, I'm here on behalf of Jade Adler. I would like to apologize about..."Dolan interr
Jade curved her lips up into a wry smile as she stared into the mirror at her reflection. Her black hair which was dripping with water, stayed glued onto her smooth skin, making her look like a goddess - or so she felt. She had washed off her Gothic makeup all that was left was the angelic-looking beauty in the mirror. The innocent-looking face that had ruined her life. She smirked as she turned on her feet and walked out of the bathroom into her room, with only a towel tied around her chest. She got to her dressing table and was about to apply lotion when she heard a knock on the door. Frowning, she went to open the door, wondering who it was. It definitely wasn't her stepmother - as she had warned her to stay off - and it wasn't yet time for her dad to return home. Unless he had been informed of her current mischief. She looked through the peephole and on seeing Shawn, she shuddered. What was he doing here? She opened the door and he walked in. His eyes widened wit
★ One year ago ★The cold evening breeze made her hair flutter as Jade sat on the beach, watching the ocean with Shawn. She placed her head on his shoulders, allowing the peaceful roaring of the ocean and the beating of his heart to soothe her fears.Her parents had divorced when she was nine and her father had remarried immediately. Now, seven years later, her mom wanted to get remarried too. She knew how her father's remarriage had made her feel - like she didn't belong to the family. So, she always looked forward to her week with her mother because, at least, she didn't have to share her mother's love with anyone.But, now that her family had broken completely, she felt there was no place for her anymore. That was why she ran away from home. But, Shawn had come to her and he had convinced her to go back home, explaining to her how he would always be
Jade jerked out of her sleep as she felt the cold water hit her skin. She opened her eyes but all she saw was darkness. The air smelt of tobacco and the place was as silent as a graveyard. She tried to stand up but she couldn't move her body. She wriggled and she noticed that she was tied to something - a chair. Fear gripped her as she began to remember what had happened some minutes - or hours ago. She had been kidnapped.The first thing that came to her mind was to scream. She tried to scream but it was impossible. She had been gagged. Wiggling and shaking the chair violently, she tried to untie her hands and free herself.“Loosen her up.” She heard a cold voice from behind her and almost immediately, she felt someone untie her. The person removed her blindfold and the first thing she saw was her mother lying on the floor in her pool of blood. She sprang up from the seat but fel
★ Present-day ★Shawn sighed as he replied to a text from another of his classmate, asking why he had missed classes. He typed that he had something very urgent to do and once he was done, he would return to school. Then he tossed his phone on the bed and went out to answer his mother's calls.As he walked into the kitchen, he saw her by the sink doing some dishes. She looked so fragile. Her gold and gray hair was tied into a neat bun and she wore an apron around her waist. Her petite figure made her look younger and if not for the wrinkles on her face and the striking resemblance between them, no one would believe she birthed him.He walked toward her and wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace, cuddling his head toward her neck. She gave a light chuckle as she wiped her hands and caressed his hair with one hand.
Jade glared at the door, her jaw and fists clenched and her muscles tense, wishing that the person on the other side of it would go away. She wanted to be alone. She needed to be alone. Especially after the memories that had flooded her brain, ruining her sleep.The knocks on the door continued in a rhythmic pattern and she stood up and walked angrily to the door. Muttering to herself that she would slap the maid if she were the one at the door, she reached to open it. Her father was away on a business trip and her 'very annoying stepmother' had gone to visit her mother so she and the maid were the only ones in the house.She pressed the handle and pulled the door open - trying to keep herself from slapping the person at the door - to see Shawn standing at her door. His gold hair was in a messy state and his green eyes looked troubled. Jade took a deep breath to calm herself before asking the 'handsome stranger' why he show
"Hey! Hey!! Bucket!!!" Jade whispered as she tapped a sleeping Shawn. He shrugged away her hand and changed his sleeping position. Giving an evil smirk, she stood up and walked into the restroom. She wet a face towel and took it into the room. She took one look at Shawn as he lay on the bed, clinging onto the pillow, before placing the wet towel over his face.Shawn jumped up from the bed immediately and she burst into laughter. He had a confused look on his face as he stared blankly at her. After a few seconds, he remembered where he was and began rubbing his eyes and face, trying to get rid of the traces of drool.Jade laughed a bit more before standing up and walking to the door. She opened the door then turned back to look at him, still amused at his naivety. "Wash up and come out for breakfast. I've decided on what I want you to do." She mused before walking away and closing the door.Shawn breathed a sigh of relief
Shawn could feel the cool humid air rolling down from under a forested hillside, making his hair flutter. He could smell the road dust, the oil, the exhaust, the herby scent of weeds and wildflowers on the roadside. He could hear the humming of songbirds and the whirring of the motorcycle beneath him.He could also feel the bike rumbling and vibrating underneath him and each time he leaned with Jade to tilt the bike, he felt like it was a part of him. Even though he had been scared at first, when he wrapped his arms around Jade's waist, he had felt safer. And for the first time in his life, he felt alive. He felt free.The bike came to a stop at a mall and he released Jade. A surge came running in his head and he felt nauseous. He practically jumped off the bike and ran into the restroom to spill out his guts. After he was done, he flushed the toilet and rinsed his face.He saw his reflection in the mirror and cringed at i