Page 70 of Fraternizing with the Enemy
“Mom,” I hissed. I whirled to look over my shoulder, but thankfully Jade had already disappeared. “She won’t be here all day. I just—I need to see what’s going on.”
Mom pursed her lips before ultimately turning back to the TV. “If the pizza comes, I won’t leave you a slice.”
The last part was muttered in spite. No way would she finish the whole large pizzaherself. Probably.
I hurried to my bedroom, my socks slipping on the floor. I found Jade sitting on my bed, her comfort spot in my room, hugging the Barbie goose to her chest. Her eyes were watery, and her nose was running. She truly was a rough sight—one I hadn’t seen inforever.
She looked up at me when I shut the door. “I’m sorry for barging in,” she murmured, genuinely sounding embarrassed. And clogged.
“Don’t be sorry at all.” I sat down beside her and smoothed a hand down her hair. It was knotted and tangled from the wind. “Tell me what’s going on. Is it something with Connor?”
Jade huffed out a little laugh, but there was no humor in it. “No. I haven’t talked to him since Friday.” She sniffed hard, lifting her tissue to swipe underneath her nose. “It’s… my parents.”
“Did they have a fight?” Jade’s home life was relatively okay. Her parents were both busy with work, like a lot of parents were, but they weren’t neglectful. Any time I went over to Jade’s house, her mom would always make a charcuterie board for us, or her dad would grill steaks. I didn’t remember Jade ever talking about them arguing before, either, but I had no idea what else it could be.
“My dad… He got a job offer in New York.”
New York. For a moment, I only blinked, because I couldn’t even understand it.
“New York, Madison,” she repeated, seeming to sense my confusion. “And they want to move there. Hours away. I’d—I’d have to start at a new school, already into the school year. Mysenior year. Madison, I’ve fought so hard for everything. And—and—they’re just asking me to kiss it all goodbye?” Panic began filling her voice, her chest rising and falling at a rapid pace. “I’m finally captain of the cheer squad. I’m finally at the top, Madison, and I’m supposed to just give it up? I can’t!”
Jade cried the last two words before crumpling into me. She slumped into my shoulder and just let it out, and this time, I could feel the wetness of her tears seep into my shirt. I patted my hand down her back, staring at the window in my bedroom.
From here, I could see where Maisie’s car was parked in her driveway.
I’m finally captain of the cheer squad, Jade said, but she wasn’t. She was co-captain.
Guilt stabbed into me. Here Jade was, sobbing in my arms, and I was worried about a stupid title? How horrible was I? What waswrongwith me?
“I can have my mom talk to your parents,” I told her, continuing to smooth my hand down her back. “Have her tell them how bad of an idea it’d be to switch you your senior year. Aside from it being so horrible socially, your grades will also suffer. That’s, like, statistics.” Probably.
“How could they do this to me?” Jade cried, shaking as she gasped in breath after breath. “Why is everyone turning on me? Why is everyone making me the bad guy?”
Who is making you the bad guy?“I’m here for you, Jade. We’ll figure this out?—”
“Why can’t everything be just how it’s supposed to be?” Jade pulled back enough to press both of her palms to her eyes, digging in. This time, though, I could still see her shining cheeks, the tear tracks almost slicing her skin. “Why can’t Connor just like me again, and Reed just be on the football team, and Landon just dateyou, and I get captain of the squad, and you just?—”
“You are captain.” I couldn’t keep it to myself this time.
“Co,” Jade spat out, the singular syllable scathing. “I’mco-captain, and I should’ve been captain. That’s exactly how it should’ve been. My parents wouldn’t dream of pulling me out of school if I was the captain. As itshould’ve been.”
My skin prickled uncomfortably, an unnamable emotion wriggling its way down my spine. “You’re co-captain withme,” I said, blinking at her. “Your best friend.”
Jade lowered her hands and looked at me. The red splotches on her face had worsened from the crying stint, but the way she looked at me was foreign—as ifIwere foreign to her. I sat still under her stare, feeling like I should’ve said something more—should’ve taken back whatever unknown insinuation my words implied—but I didn’t. I just knotted my fingers together in my lap.
Jade seized them suddenly. “You could give it up for me,” she said, squeezing my hands tightly. Too tightly. “You could tell Coach Chelsea you don’t want to be co-captain.”
“Jade—”
“You’d do anything for me,” she insisted. “You dumped Logan for me.”
I hadn’t dumped him forher. I had dumped himbecauseof her. And even then… “This is important to me, too.”
“It’s only important to you because it’s important to me.”
I actually recoiled from her tone, which had been flat, absent of the emotion that’d clogged her throat moments ago.She’s right, a part of me insisted.She needsit more than you. Back down, give it up. Don’t give her a reason to be upset with you.
“You only wanted to be in cheer becauseIwanted to be,” Jade went on, and as she spoke, the sadness began to evaporate, replaced by something urgent. “You only tried out because I brought it up first. You’re only on the squad because I wanted to do it first.”
