Jaded Eyes (Jori)

9: Subconsious and Nonconsious

"So Jade, how would you like to come back to my place after school?" Jade couldn't resist this offer. Her soothing voice felt like a warm spoon sliding into an ice cream tub. Jade followed this girl to her car and hopped in. They drove for a while and Jade couldn't keep her eyes away from her. They pulled up to the house and Jade got excited. The huge garage doors opened up and Jade saw the McLaren. They stepped out of the car and they locked hands. Jade ran her left hand along the side of the sports car while being dragged by the girls fingertips. They walked through the massive kitchen and up the stairs. Jade followed this girl through her bedroom door and that's when the cupcake hit her.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Jade jolts up away from her pillow nearly panting from confusion. Inhaling through her nose and releasing the big breaths from her mouth, Jade couldn't make sense of the dream. What the fuck was that? Jade was startled once again from her phone vibrating. When she turns off her alarm, she sees all the notifications she missed in the night. A few snaps from Cat and a text from the devil himself. Why hasn't he asked me yet?

Jade opens Snapchat to find three messages from Cat. She opens the first. It's a picture of her purple stuffed giraffe. In the second, she kissing that same giraffe on the cheek. And the third, was a video. Jade tried to hear what Cat is saying but it's hard because she sees Cat's roommate, Sam, blending a slice of pizza and a chicken wing. Sam adds some root beer to the mix and it seems to become easier to blend. Cat looks distressed but the video ends and Jade still has no idea what Cat said.

Jade closes Snapchat and opens the text from Beck. It reads:

Hey, sorry about yesterday morning. I'm not sure what I did but Andre thought I should apologize. Anyway, I hope you're ready for the dance on Friday :)

Jade was so confused. Why hadn't he asked her to go yet? Was this his homecoming ask? It sucks if it is. Jade decides not to reply and rather shower quickly.

After her shower, Jade comes out of the bathroom in a towel wrapped around her and walks back to her room for the dresser. Jade picks out a black skirt, dark gray the 1975 t-shirt and a black cardigan. Once she's changed, she heads out to the kitchen. Jade grabs the bread bag and opens it, grabbing two slices before closing the bag again. She pops the slices into the toaster and goes to grab a paper plate. There are many rules in this house but the most important one is to always wash dishes immediately after using them. This house doesn't have a dishwasher and Jade would rather not wash dishes this morning, so a disposable plate is most efficient and more quiet. That's another rule. No loud noises in the morning. The toaster pops the bread up and Jade takes the peanut butter down from the cupboard. She reaches for a knife in the drawer and make herself peanut butter toast.

Jade takes a few bites before her phone buzzes again. Cat again. It's a photo of the pink wall in her room over her bed. The text on the screen says:

Isn't that so strange?

"What's strange?" Jade asks her phone. But Jade knows Cat probably ran out of bibble again so Jade reply's with a photo of her breakfast titled:

Very strange

And nothing more. Jade throws her half eaten peanut butter sandwich and plate away and goes back to her bedroom. Jade reaches under her pillow and pulls out her notebook. She stuffs the notebook, her laptop, and a few books in her bag before leaving for school.

Jade checks the clock next to the front door. 6:30. Right in time for the bus. Jade walks out the door and closes it softly. She heads down the porch steps. Each step tends to produce a loud creak and Jade has figured out where and where not to step on the stairs so they wouldn't collapse from under her. She gets to the end of the street and waits at the corner for the bus.

She reaches in her pocket for her phone and sees Beck had texted again.

Waiiiiitttt a second. Were you mad yesterday because I hadn't asked you to homecoming yet? Babe, I figured I didn't have to ask. I thought it was a given that we were going together.

Jade nearly laughs. This was obviously Cat's doing. Beck would never come to a conclusion like this on his own. Jade texts back.

Oh really, where'd you get that idea?

Jade couldn't forgive him just yet. But now she knows that they are for sure going together. The bus pulls up and Jade hops on. She walks all the way to the back and tells a freshman to move. But this freshman gets brave.

"Why should I?" The ten year old looking boy says. Jade looks at him and then to a few seats in front of him where she heard some seniors trying to tell the kid that talking back wasn't the best idea.

"Because if you don't, I will literally throw you out that window you mop headed freak" Jade yells in the kids face. The freshman's face got so red and he stood up and walked to the very front of the bus.

Jade sits down and pulls out her headphones and turns on heather again. Jade lays her head against the damp window and begins to think of her strange dream.

Why would her subconscious turn the events of the previous day into... that? It's not like it was horrible, it was just different. Jade still couldn't figure out if it was a friend dream or a... romantic kind of dream. I'm sure Cat has had plenty of similar dreams about her Sam. Jade convinced herself it didn't mean anything. Before she knew it, Jade's bus was outside the school building.

Please let this be a normal Tuesday.

Jade folds her wired headphones four times and puts them in the small pocket of her skirt. She grabbed her backpack and walked off the bus heading straight for the outside cafeteria. She finds Cat quickly and her red hair helps.

She sat down at the circular bench and allowing her bag to slip off her shoulder and onto the ground. Cat screams.

"OH MY GOODNESS I DIDNT HEAR YOU COME UP!! Geez... don't do that I could've gone nonconscious." Cat looks up at Jade with big puppy dog eyes. Jade reply's, "I'm sorry Cat, but that's not a real word." Cat looks almost offended. "Yes it is, that's when I fall on the ground from someone scaring me."

Jades eyebrows lowered, then raised. "You mean you almost fainted?" "No no, this is different. I think... Oh my goodness, wasn't that dream so weird?"

Dream? How could she possibly know about my dream? I didn't tell anyone. Least of all, this dork.

"Hellllloooooo." Cats hand was way too close the Jades face and it was waving at her. Jade smacks the hand away. "What'd you say?"

Cat scoffs like answering this question was the hardest thing she'd ever have to do. "I said, 'hellllllooooo', listen more."
Jade wanted to smack her. "Does the red hair dye seep into your brain? Before you said hello, what did you say?"

"Oh I said, wasn't that dream so strange?" Cat finally answered. Jade was so confused. "What dream?" Jade knew that she wasn't talking about her dream but maybe she was...

"Didn't you open my snap? The video one? Tori told me at like 4am that she had this dream about you. She was holding you hand and stuff. Wait, you replied to my snap. Did you not watch it at all?"

"Wait she was holding my hand?"

"Was that all you caught?" Cat asked knowing the answer because Jades face made it so obvious. Jades eyes were, well, Cat would never say the word 'sparkly' in referring to Jade, but that word seemed to fit in this situation.

"What? No? I did open your snap but Sam was too loud making breakfast" Jade responded while shaking her head, trying to get rid of the stupid face she was making. Before Cat could continue, Jade butted in.

"Wait, you have Vega's number? How?"

"I asked her for it. She seems cool so why not?" Cat said giggling. Jade didn't know how to reply to that, so she sat quietly until Cat looked up at her again.

Well, not at Jade, but over her shoulder. Jade looked behind herself, and saw Tori walking straight towards us with her head down at the ground. Jade wasn't prepared for this at all so all she did was watch.

Tori finally looked up and when she saw Jade, she veered more right and walked into the school.

What the hell was that?

"Cat, tell me more about Tori's dream."