Jade

At the end of school, because I wasn’t ready to go home yet, I made a call to Dad to let him know I would be with my friends again. If it got too late, I would just sleep over. Everything I needed, I could just ask Veronica to give me, so there would be no problem with school, even if I didn’t carry any change of clothes with me.

For the whole day, I’d managed to avoid Zach. Even if I could avoid it at home, it would feel too damn awkward to know we were in the same house, with only two doors and a short walk separating us. After that kiss this morning, I needed way more distance than that.

I walked into my friend Veronica’s room, with her and Serena following me inside. I kicked off my shoes, sat cross-legged on her bed, and grabbed onto one of her large pillows and hugged it to my chest. Serena chose to sit on the chair at the desk, while Veronica joined me on the bed. Both of them were facing me, their expressions arranged into expectant looks.

“What?” I grumbled, hiding the lower