Page 12 of A Love So Wrong
Chapter 5
"Oh wow," she exclaimed hesitantly as she held up the briefcase shaped box.
Sitting on the back balcony by the pool at her best friend's house, Jade gave a tremulous smile to Taylor in response to his gift. The black case was covered in a cardboard wrapping that advertised all one hundred and fifty items for surviving a zombie apocalypse. Leaning over Jade's shoulder, Ebony read the contents with a bemused expression. Everything from a tactical hatchet, fire starter, waterless toothpaste tablets, paracord, fishing line, a few knives, and even something calledshower-in-a-bottle.
"And just why exactly would Jade want this?" Ebony asked as she leaned back on the pool lounger, causing her shirt to rise and expose the defined muscles of her abs.
A five-time national Taekwondo champion, Ebony Rosebank was the strongest, most beautiful girl at Stardust Cove high school. Practically friends since she and Gideon moved in with the Lattimores, Jade had liked the other girl at first sight.
"Because she doesn't want to be caught unprepared," Taylor explained as if the very question was preposterous.
"Unprepared for what exactly?" Ebony asked, purposely provoking Taylor.
"For the ice caps to melt and the world to flood, or for some secret radical Chinese bio-terrorist group to accidentally release a pandemic that spreads worldwide turning us all into zombies, or the solar flares to—"
Ebony held up a hand. "Ok, I get it," she rolled her eyes as she stood up. "The world is going to end, and this is her chance for survival."
"Exactly," Taylor nodded, satisfied she saw the light.
Holding back a laugh, Jade smiled sweetly to Taylor. "Thank you so much, I am sure Gideon will be more than thrilled with helping me use all of this stuff."
Taylor was opening his mouth to reply when Ebony stood up and walked over to the outdoor kitchen area and pulled something from behind the counter. "Now, my turn," she announced.
Setting the purple and black gift bag down in front of Jade, Ebony dragged an extra pool lounger closer and sat down, crossing her legs. Dressed in shorts, a bikini top, and a loose crop top shirt over it, Ebony reminded Jade of a model.
"It's clothes again, isn't it?" Taylor groaned, already bored.
"Hey," Ebony glared at him. "I didn't ruin your whack gift, did I?"
"Yeah but, you get her clothes every year for every holiday," Taylor whined as he got up from the concrete he was sitting on to go sit on the other end of Jade's lounger.
"Well, that's what happens when your best friends are girls," Ebony retorted.
Taylor shrugged with a grin as if to say fair point. Having been friends with them since Junior High, Taylor should have been well accustomed to their routines by now. Growing up with four sisters, Jade and Ebony always assumed Taylor was simply more accustomed to being around girls than he was guys. Naturally kind and gentle, they had easily accepted him that day years ago when he boldly walked right up to the both of them in the lunchroom and simply sat down next to them.
Jade laughed as she began digging out the new clothes from the bag. If it wasn't for Ebony, Jade would never have anything stylish to wear. Every time Jade even considered shopping for herself, she became overwhelmed. There were just too many factors to consider: trends, styles, what went with what, cost, and more importantly, what would look good on her? But Ebony seemed to know just what suited her friend's baby face and figure. With Ebony's help through video-call, she had guided Jade on just what to wear and how to do her makeup on the night of her date, leaving Jade feeling confident about her looks for the first time in a while. Every time Jade thought of that night, she couldn’t help but think of Gideon's widening eyes taking in her form. Any doubts she may have had vanished under his stare.
Pulling out a pair of skinny black jeans, Jade let her fingers glide over the stylish frayed edges of the intended rips down the front. Ebony had worn a pair of pants like this a while back, she must have seen Jade staring at them longingly.
Putting the clothes carefully back into the back, she opened her arms and leaned forward, hugging Ebony close. "Thank you, they're amazing."
"Hey!" Taylor cried while giving her a forlorn look.
Both girls laughed and separated before enveloping Taylor into their hug. His lanky, muscular arms surrounded both of them, easily crushing them against his narrow frame.
After talking and hanging out by the pool for a few more hours, Jade finally got up to head home after checking her watch. Saying bye to Taylor, who left in a hurry to start his shift at his dad's hardware store, Jade and Ebony stood on the grand steps of the large mansion. Rich as Croesus, Ebony's stepfather was one of the wealthiest men in Texas and practically owned Stardust Cove. Even though she had been over the large house more than a couple dozen times over the years, Jade could never stop being impressed with the beauty of the gigantic house.
"So, is your mom going to teach you how to make your own cake again this year?"
Jade didn’t miss the snide tone in Ebony's voice as she asked the loaded question and sighed. "You're just as bad as Gideon. You know that, right?"
"Well, someone has to remind you," Ebony mumbled as she balanced on her toes on the edge of the marble steps, pushing her body up and down. "That woman is infuriatingly lazy and manipulative."
Jade pressed her lips together, not saying anything as she turned to look down the private drive. Last night Sandra announced she was going to teach Jade how to make a double layer orange cream cake. Instructing her in making a cake was something she did every year for Jade's birthday, and while others found it odd, especially Gideon, Jade didn't mind it as much as she probably should.
"Well, have fun," Ebony said gentler now, reading Jade's closed expression perfectly. "And happy birthday."
Saying goodbye, Jade started on the long walk back to her house, something that was secretly one of Jade's favorite routines. The long stretch of empty road was peaceful, almost meditative. Her house and Ebony's house were located on the eastern edge of town, along with a handful of others who chose the deep rural surroundings versus the tight cluster Stardust Cove offered. Walking along the edge of the road along the grass border, she looked out at the swath of green fields to her right and the thickets of mesquite trees. All of the land belonged to the Rosebanks’ until it hit the narrow river, then it turned into the Lattimores’ conservative bit of acreage. Taking a deep breath, Jade pulled in the warm Texas air and enjoyed the earthy, green scent of the trees.
