Jaded Eyes (Jori)

22: A Knock

"I can't believe I just spent $250 on a dress I'll most likely only wear once," Jade said, in the passenger seat of Cat's car.

"Then make sure you wear it more than once. Get it's moneys worth." Cat returned, eyes focused on the road.

"Where else would I wear it?"

"Next years homecoming? Prom? You and Tori's wedding?" Cat glanced over at Jade with a smirk.

"Shut up. Besides, I don't even know if she likes me." Jade said, looking blankly out the window.

"Oh come on. Haven't you guys already kissed? And gone on a date? And have you seen the way she looks at you? If she doesn't like you, she's got a flirty way of showing it." Cat said reassuringly.

"I guess I'm just scared of assuming things. After I broke up with Beck, she was the only person I wanted to see. Only person I wanted go to for comfort. Which is insane, given we only met not even 72 hours ago, but she just feels..."

"Right?"

"Yeah. Right."

—

Jade waved bye to Cat before she drove off down the street. Jade found herself outside her front door hugging the purple dress. She looked over to her left to see her mom's car parked in the driveway. She figured that her mom was still mad about the notebook, so she'd probably be just inside the door, in her green felt chair, with a beer bottle in hand and another at her feet. Jade was so confident in this conclusion of hers, you'd think she'd have X-ray vision.

Instead of entering the easy way, Jade ducked under the window which lead to the living room, and stood back up after the window was behind her. She heard a car passed and she look over.

Nissan Altima. The car. Same model of Tori's.

Jade tried to get a look at the driver, but the car was too fast. Jade cursed herself for not memorizing Tori's license plate number.

Putting the car in the back of her mind, she quietly pulled the garbage bin over near the shed that was attached to her house. She climbed up, and threw the dress covered in plastic wrap onto the roof and she followed suit. Jade picked the dress back up once on the roof. She walked a few feet before she reached her bedroom window. She always left it unlocked in case such a situation like this one arose.

Slowly, she lifted the window and stepped inside her room. Behind her, she closed the window shut again.

With dress in hand, she walked over to her closet and opened the sliding door. She hung the dress up behind a few shirts and sweatshirts. It was practically invisible.

Jade unpacked her backpack and pulled out her computer. She plugged it in, and got started on her homework. She had algebra and a few chapters to read in English. Reading was easy enough, but algebra is gonna kick her ass.

She pulled out her school notebook and a pencil. 30 problems. This would be a long night.

—

Around 19:15, Jade was slowly nodding off, her head lowering to her notebook.

A knock suddenly woke her up.

She walked over to her door and opened it.

No one.

What the fuck?

She closed her door, and went back to her notebook. But before she could pick up her pencil, she heard it again.

A knock.

Jade quickly ran to her door and opened once more but still, no one stood there. She looked around the corner outside of her door, and she just saw her mom, asleep on the couch with a broken beer bottle on the ground. It must've slipped out of her hand.

There was another knock.

Jade was standing in the open doorway of her bedroom which meant the knocks weren't on this door. They were back in her room. She entered her room, and closed the door behind her. She looked to her window.

It was too dark to see their face, but there was certainly a human figure outside her window waving.

Jade went to the window and opened it.

"Hi, Cutie."