Page 34 of Levee

And I did something very unusual for me. I got an early night of sleep.

So that when Teddy got up for his obnoxiously early meeting, I was already up with coffee ready.

By the time he headed out, I decided to as well, wanting to make sure I could get Jade’s bagels.

I did drop into my uncle’s place first, but he was still out cold on his recliner, so I just left a few bagels on the counter, then made my way across the hall.

There was a second of hesitation, worrying it was too early, but I decided that Jade struck me as a morning person, so I knocked.

I immediately second-guessed my decision a moment later when the door opened to reveal a very exhausted-looking Jade.

No. Not just exhausted. Sure, there were purple smudges under her bloodshot eyes. But it was more than that. Her eyelids looked swollen. She was still wearing the same outfit from the night before, but now the skirt was ripped and the whole front of her was dirty.

“Are you okay?” I asked, my smile falling as my mind raced with all of the possible things that could have happened to her after she drove herself home.

If there wasn’t a spot in the lot and she had to park on the street, making her walk past the local drug dealing crew amongst various other people who were likely up to no good.

Or, you know, even some of her neighbors.

“What? Sorry,” she said, shaking her head.

“Are you alright?” I asked again.

“Oh, uhm,” she started, looking down at herself, realizing what she looked like for the first time. “Sorry. I’m… behind today. Can you give me twenty minutes to throw myself together?” she asked.

“Yeah, sure,” I agreed.

“Ah, make yourself at home,” she said before rushing off, whacking her hip off of her kitchen counter she was walking so closely to it.

I heard the door close a moment before the water in the shower turned on.

“Huh,” I said, setting my bag down on the old formica counter, checking out the fresh sage-colored cabinets that made the space feel less dated than my uncle’s apartment or the one I’d grown up in.

Her apartment as a whole didn’t even seem like it was in the same building as anyone else’s.

Unsurprisingly, Jade was a fan of color. From the yellow and orange drapes on the windows to the green couch covered in a bright, multicolored crocheted throw and multiple mismatched pillows.

There were a ton of live plants scattered around, including around her little space in the apartment that acted as her studio. It faced the front windows to allow for good light, and the walls were lined in shelves full of brushes, paints, and sketchpads.

There was also an abundance of art on the walls. All different styles in lots of different types of frames.

The only other wall left in the apartment was dominated by a massive fish tank. Inside, there were a shitton of live plants. And four fancy goldfish moving around.

I recognized Swim Shady immediately as I moved over to look at them. But the other three were equally as striking. One, black, white, and orange. Another, pure orange. The final, black and white.

“I feel like it’s wrong I only have a print of one of you,” I told them before moving across the room to pull open the curtains to let the sun in for the plants.

Moving back to the kitchen, I rummaged around in the cabinets to find the coffee, then started brewing a fresh pot.

In another cabinet, I found her plates and cups. As I expected, not a single one of them matched. And they were all colorful or fun. One mug featured hand-drawn flowers. The other was covered in various bird eggs.

The bathroom door opened, bringing a burst of hot air and the scent of lavender from, I assumed, her body wash or shampoo.

I exhaled hard, trying not to imagine her naked as I heard her move across the hall and close the door to her bedroom.

She emerged just a few moments later as the coffee machine beeped, looking refreshed.

Sure, her eyelids were still puffy and she still had the sleepless smudges underneath her eyes. But she looked less haunted.

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