Only Time Will Tell

Life Without Jade

It's Jake again. I haven't seen Jade in a very long time. I really have no idea what's going on with her lately. Before Emily came Jade was my go-to person for homework help, parties, and having a great time wherever we go. Now she sits with other people during lunch time and ignores my phone calls. Emily is great and everything, but we don't have any inside jokes, great places to hang out, or really topics we find common interest in.

I think Emily is trying to keep me away from Jade. It was really obvious last lunchtime with her, Tyler, Kendra, and I. I was planning on going to Jade's table to try to talk to her, but once my idea sprang Emily argued against it.

"I think you should stay here Jakey," She said as she gripped my arm tightly.

"I just want to see if she's okay," I said defensively.

"I know that you really care about her Jake," Emily argued, "But you can't just blow off our quality time,"
"All we have is quality time!" I was beginning to get frantic. I guess Jasper had noticed.

"Hey what do you guys think about the new History teacher?" He asked trying to divert us from our troubles.

"Oh, he's so rude. He acts like an ex-military sergeant." Kendra concluded.

"He gave us an essay on pages we didn't even read!" Tyler added.

"Good thing I have Miss. Proper," Emily said graciously.

"Oh, I have Mr. Wong. He's going to retire soon, so he wants to have a good reputation for upcoming Seniors who never got a chance to have him," Jasper said.

"Guys, I'm going to go to the bathroom," I said as I stood up from my seat at the lunch table.

"Okay," Emily said as she turned her head away from me and began talking to Kendra.

Just in case Emily was watching, I walked by the bathrooms so I wouldn't look suspicious. I ran down a dim hallway past a few Junior classes and turned the corner. I entered the other lunch hall and scanned the room for Jade. I found her and Mia sitting together in the back of the room. I pushed past some students who were exiting the establishment and took the empty seat next to her.
"Why are you avoiding me?" I questioned her.

"I'm not avoiding you, Jake," Jade replied calmly.

She was about to start up another conversation with Mia when I talked again.

"What do you call this then?" I asked as I took out my phone from my back pocket. I showed Jade all of my missed calls to her.

"Oh sorry, I'm terrible at using a phone," Jade argued.

"Same!" Mia said trying to break the tension.

"Hmm, that's not true because I remember you texting and calling me daily before Emily and me dated,"

"Oh, I must have put my phone on silent, sorry," Jade said trying to deflect my argument.

"You've been very distant lately Jade, I just want my best friend back,"
"Well I'm sorry but she's not available for the time being," Jade took her school supplies and walked away from the table with Mia, leaving me and this Freshman to sit the empty seats.

"Had a bad day dude?" He asked.

"Yeah, sorry but I have to go," I said awkwardly as I sat up and headed for the front door.

I think the Freshman said something like, "How rude!" but the place was so crowded I could barely hear him after a few steps.

No matter how loud, I managed to drown out all of the students as Jade's voice ringing in my head from way back when.

"We'll never be separated, Jake!" She told me in her tiny voice from third grade.

With the current situation, I guess the third grade Jade was not very good at telling the future.