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Chapter Ten
"Another crappy day," Jade thought to herself as she stared from the living room window out onto the front lawn. Through the dawn, she witnessed brown puddles from the downpour quickly expanding, running over and down the edges of the sidewalk and spilling onto the pavement of the quiet street. The crackling thunder had startled her awake. Last night she had fallen asleep thinking of all the plans she wanted to fulfill today. She thought she might do a bit of shopping to personalize her new room, maybe even take a jog around the neighborhood and explore. She could feel herself getting antsy, the weather keeping her stuck indoors for far longer than she liked. She took a sip of warm coffee from her mug and let out a long sigh. She needed to keep herself distracted, and this weather wasn't helping.
"What're you doin' up this early?" Marissa yawned from the opening of the hallway. Jade turned in surprise towards the figure standing on the other side of the darkling
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She could feel the anxiety swelling up inside of her. Her palms turned cold and sweaty as she held the phone and scrolled through her list of contacts. She quickly called the number listed for Grovington, the nursing facility her mother stayed in.Why hadn't she thought about that? She could never ignore her phone because of that very reason. How could she be so stupid?She was on the brink of crying as the number went straight to a voicemail, the recording stating that it was after hours. She tried again, hoping it was just a fluke. Again, there was no answer. Jade took a few deep breaths in, trying to control her breathing, trying to rationalize the situation. She listened to her voicemails, quickly skipping through them until she found one from the receptionist. Only it was too vague; it just asked her to call them back. If it were an emergency, they would have said something about it, right? She knew she was overreacting, but still— her mother.
Rendezvous Chapter Twelve
She leaned against the reception window, causing the worker to look up at her. "Hi, I'm Jade Meadows. I'm here to sign the medication authorization form for my mother, Margaret Meadows." Her lungs burned as she was forced to take in a breath, overpowered by the stench of peach cobbler, urine, and old people. She looked back and forth between the two nurses, wondering how either one of them could stand it. They seemed unbothered, acclimated to the foul odor. The woman typed something into her computer and then searched through a tower of brown clipboards, handing her one. Jade scanned over the form to sign, noting that it looked identical to each previous one she'd agreed to."And are you going to visit your mother today?" The receptionist politely asked as Jade handed the clipboard back to her. She'd seen her dozens of times before but still couldn't remember the woman's name. She glanced down at her nametag,Rita.She hated Rita at that moment.
Rendezvous Chapter Thirteen
Much to Jade's surprise, when she pulled up to the house that evening, she was able to park right next to the little VW bug. She smiled at the considerate gesture; it had made her feel more at home. She turned off the engine and checked her eyes in the rearview mirror once more, convinced her friend wouldn't be able to tell she'd been crying. She would deny it anyway, give tiredness as an excuse. Her hand hesitated on the door lever before she finally sighed and opened it."Hey! How was work?" Marissa had been on the couch watching television when Jade walked through the front door. She was still wearing her scrubs, so Jade assumed she must've just gotten home as well. Jade slid her heels from her sore feet and wiggled her toes in relief. "Same old, same old," she mumbled without looking up at her. She could hear the desolation in own her voice and knew there was no way to hide her mood. "I stopped by and visited with my mom today."Marissa didn't give it a second
Rendezvous Chapter Fourteen
Marissa sat behind her on the sofa and followed along as she attempted to log into every site she could think of. Jade explained the entirety of the situation to her friend. There was no indication of an ongoing affair within his personal email, not that he ever used it. She typed in several keywords, and still, nothing came up.'Love' 'Dinner' 'Miss you'It all seemed to lead nowhere, especially since Jade didn't even have a name to go off of. She explained that his work email was off-limits. He'd be instantly notified if a different IP address accessed it, so she couldn't even attempt to login without alerting him. Their cellphone records only listed an abundance of numbers, nothing detailed that she could use to satisfy her curiosity. He had already changed the passwords on his social media account, or maybe it was the email address? She didn't know, but either way, that wasn't working for her either. She couldn't imagine he deleted it altogether. Something abo
Rendezvous Chapter Fifteen
Jade veered the car towards the keypad, coming to an abrupt stop in front of the iron gate. She punched in the four-digit code and waited to hear the familiar beep. The black steel rattled in front of her, the gate slowly opening, as she rolled her window back up. It was chilly out today; her pink hands trembled as she held them closer to the air vents and waited, wishing the heater in Marissa's car had worked better. She had cranked it at the highest volume, and still, it could barely keep up. There wasn't much choice in the matter if she wanted to be inconspicuous. If Jonathon were here, he wouldn't recognize this vehicle. Maybe it had been a good thing that she'd always tried to keep Jonathon and Marissa separated. Jade's eyes glanced up to the rearview mirror, discerning the b
Rendezvous Chapter Sixteen
Jade greeted her, held the door open as she strolled inside, her mouth already parted open in awe. "This is... Wow! When you said apartment, I wasn't expecting this."Jade gave a bleak smile. She remembered being in awe the first time she'd seen it as well. It was beautiful, not like anything she'd ever lived in before— it had vaulted ceilings, hardwood flooring, chandeliers, chrome appliances, granite countertops with the complementary backsplash. The best part was the view from their bedroom. It overlooked the vibrant grassy knolls of the golf course behind them."Would you like a tour?" Jade asked, only realizing afterward that she'd used an insincere, almost artificial voice. The same one she used when she was speaking to Jonathon's colleagues or clients. It c
Rendezvous Chapter Seventeen
When she was younger, nobody had ever suspected a thing when it came to her home life. Jade was naturally a pleasant child. Each day she greeted her teachers with a plastered-on grin, and as long as she had brushed her hair and she made good grades, nobody ever questioned it. Her parents started as both loving and attentive; they were always doting over her. She was their miracle baby, as they both called her. They would hang every piece of artwork she created up onto the fridge, up until it became so thick with scraps of paper that the magnets couldn't hold. They were at every ballet recital, attended every school play, and you could hear them in the stands at every soccer game, cheering her on. She couldn't have asked for a better childhood.That lasted up until she was nearly eleven years old.In the early hours of February 21st, Jade's mother had been lectu
Rendezvous Chapter Eighteen
Jade squatted down on the front porch's wooden steps, laced up her sneakers, and then started up her playlist. "Happiness, hit her, like a train on a track. Coming towards her, stuck still no turning back."... She stretched her arms above her head, basking in the gorgeous day outside. It was somewhat chilly out, she could see the little puffs of her breath in the air, but it was also the perfect temperature for a good run.An older woman across the street was pouring mulch around her newest saplings. It was unusual that Jade saw any of the neighbors outside; it seemed they didn't enjoy the cold either. She gave the woman a quick wave as she walked up the driveway and headed east, soaking in the warm rays from the clear skies overhead.Her long ponytail swayed with every stride she took. Through her earbuds, she could hear the thudding as the rubber soles of her shoes bounced off the pavement. Her heart held a steady beat as she jogged, barely putting
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