Chapter 1 - Welcome Home

"Hey bitch!"

Jada had just stepped out of the airport and was welcomed by an ear-piercing shriek. As usual, her friends were late again.

She had just returned from a modeling gig in Paris, and an additional wait following a 13-hour flight is not exactly pleasant. It got to her nerves.

“Shut up!” she snapped. “I’ve been waiting inside for thirty minutes already. Why are you guys late again? Did you just spit or swallow?” she asked, pretending to be irritated at the familiar faces that came to pick her up.

The first one to come out of the van was Bambi–Jada’s manager, confidante, gay best friend, mother, father, older sister, and older brother all rolled into one.

"Shut it! As if you didn’t know, I haven’t been dating for weeks!” Bambi rolled her eyes as if reminded of his sad love life. “Actually, no one wanted to date me because I’m broke!” He continued, pouting his hot-pink lips.

Next to Bambi is Jada’s real best friend, Honora Jones, but she preferred to be called Honey. And, driving the van, is Honey’s older brother, Edward–Jada’s number one. He was a dedicated follower of Honey in all her local events, hoping to get a glimpse of Jada.

"Hi, sis!" Honey greeted Jada as she approached. Although annoyed, Jada returned her hug and kiss, still frowning when she let go.

“Where have you guys been? I almost hailed a cab and went home by myself!” Jada scolded. “I’m so tired from my flight, and you guys even made me wait,” she continued while helping Edward load her luggage into the van.

“Don’t ask, I’m pissed too,” Honey rolled her eyes. “Bambi went out on a date with one of his boys, that’s why we’re late!”

“Date? Where?” she asked, creasing her forehead before turning to their pink friend, “Don’t tell me you did it in my condo?”

Before Bambi could respond, Jada had already entered the van. The scorching heat adds to her discomfort. She was already sticky from all the sweat.

“Byotch! Stop pretending to be holy unless you want me to punch you!” Bambi ranted as he entered the vehicle. But, as soon as he noticed Jada’s reaction, he quickly retracted his statement and flashed her a peace sign.

“You’re disgusting! Now I know why you smell like Clorox!” Jada laughed. She pinched her nose, disgusted. “Shoo! You’re nasty, stay away from me!”

To those who were listening, they may seem lacking in breeding or etiquette. But that was just how they are. They do not care about other people’s reactions or judgment.

Truth is, Jada was not as crazy as she was now. Even Honey maintained her prim and proper image. Only Jada and the pinks can go crazy and wild when they are together.

Out of all of them, Jada was the only one who really changed so much. And the reason for that was something she had already put in the past.

Now, she believed in the saying that it was better to be hated for who you are than to be liked for who you are not. She chose to live by that.

Despite that. Jada loved her friends. They were all their lifelines whenever she went astray. They were the lights in her tunnel when it turned dark.

For a bit of a backstory…

Jada and Honey actually started hitting the runway after college. It was all Honey’s idea—she was the one who pushed Jada to try it out. They both ended up loving the hustle and the constant travels that came with the job, so they decided to make a career out of it.

When they first started, Bambi and Ada volunteered to be their makeup artists. And they did this for free. But when Jada and Honey began earning, they officially hired the pinks.

Now, they are their managers, and they would usually front for them. Bambi and Ada are now in charge of client meetings, as Jada and Honey hated them. They found it tedious. It bored them.

Honey was gorgeous, a total real-life Barbie doll. Standing 5’8” with proportions that were honestly out of this world, she had that milky-white skin that always made people mistake her for a foreigner. Everyone said she had the kind of body other models would kill for, which was exactly why she was always the top pick for apparel brands.

Jada was 5’8” too, but she had a thicker build compared to Honey. She was super proud of her legs—so much so that people were always telling her she should get them insured.

She didn't have Honey's fair complexion, either; she had olive skin instead. Even so, she was proud of it and never messed with whitening products. She was flawless just the way she was.

When it comes to their love lives, Honey got a fair share of it back in college. She got into relationships with a school varsity, a student council president, a law student, a restaurant manager, a co-model, and even a politician’s son.

Unfortunately, all these relationships lasted for only six months. None of them goes beyond that, even for just a minute. Not even a second.

But it was a different story with Kobe, Honey’s current boyfriend. They have been together for years; they just need to get married to finish the tale.

And it was an entirely different story for Jada. She only had one boyfriend. The very person she never dreamt of seeing again.

He was her first boyfriend. She had really hoped he would be her last, too, but that just was not how things panned out. Unlike the typical breakup stories, theirs was just heartbreaking. Jada did not even think it was worth sharing with anyone.

Hence, to this day, no one knows why they split. None of their friends had any idea why Jada chose to leave. Not her best friend, and definitely not the pinks.

Ah, yeah. Even he doesn’t have an idea why, and Jada chose to leave it as it is.