Jaided

by Rose, Ashley

  Blaize didn't respond, just looked down, shuffling his feet.

  "That's why I'm assigning you a tutor - your roommate." He gestured to Jaide. "Conveniently for you, she is already ahead of the class. I am assigning you more work to catch up but I think with her help, you can handle it. That is, if you would like to tutor him?"

  Mr. West looked at her. "Yeah, of course. It’s no problem."

  "Good. Blaize, you don't have a choice. Be tutored or join Algebra 2 again with a bunch of snotty sophomores."

  Blaize frowned. "Whatever, can I go now?"

  Mr. West gave him another hard look and handed him a stack of papers. "You have ‘til the end of the week to finish these. It is the first of your review. Now you can go."

  Blaize walked out without further comment, dejectedly holding the stack of makeup work.

  Jaide nodded at Mr. West before leaving. Blaize sat away from the rest of the class in last period, obviously in a sour mood. After classes, everyone headed to their rooms to take a little break before practice.

  Blaize was still in a bad mood and obviously didn't want to talk to her. But Jaide persevered when they were alone in their room. "Hey Blaize, do you wanna get a head start on that review?"

  "I can handle it," he mumbled.

  "But I want to help."

  "I said, I can handle it."

  "But Mr. West ..."

  "I don't need your help." He grabbed his soccer gear and slammed out of the room.

  After practice, Blaize didn’t join the rest of Jaide’s new friends lolling on the grass, exhausted and chatting. He emerged from the locker room fully dressed and headed for the parking lot.

  Leith sat up. "Is he going to visit Maddy?" Jaide saw the boys all tense up and give Leith the ’you idiot’ look. Matt whispered harshly to him and knocked him on the shoulder.

  Jaide asked, "Who's Maddy?"

  The boys all glared at Leith. "Sorry! I wasn't paying attention, jeez."

  Jaide asked, "Well, what gives?"

  No one answered her. They just looked back and forth to each other.

  Chance stood and held a hand down for her. "Come on, let's go for a stroll so we can talk."

  She stood and they walked away from the group, but then saw Blaize coming toward them. Jaide saw that he looked really annoyed. "Where are you guys going?"

  Chance shrugged. "Just for a walk."

  He gave them a quizzically weird look, half embarrassed. "Can I borrow your truck?"

  "Yeah sure, but what's wrong with yours?"

  "It's blocked in and I don't have time to find the idiot that parked there."

  Chance nodded. He tossed him his keys and Blaize mumbled his thanks as he turned away.

  Jaide waited patiently for Chance to start telling her what was up, but curiosity prompted her to ask, "What kind of errands does Blaize have that he can't do after six?"

  Chance started walking toward some deserted open lawns. "Well, he's going to the hospital. Visiting hours end soon."

  “Is someone in his family ill?"

  "Not exactly.”

  “Huh?”

  “Jaide, we've always kept this on the down-low but really, everyone knows about it. It’s just not something that we talk about around him, ok?"

  "Yeah, of course."

  Chance hesitated, cleared his throat, and said, "Last year, Blaize had a girlfriend. They were super close, and she was awesome. They had been going steady for about a year. They were a great couple. Then she got in a car accident. They were rear ended by a semi and she died. Except she didn't die. She’s a vegetable. The machines are living for her. She has no brain activity at all. She would die immediately if they unhooked her. He took it really hard. They can't let her go, like pull the plug on her, because her idiot parents said no. It was a big thing last year and they just kept her alive for the media. It broke Blaize's heart and now he visits her about once a week. He still feels like he should be attached to her. He has always been a sad kid, but that just killed him and he hasn't gotten past it."

  Jaide felt like an intruder into someone’s private world. She stood still, head down, pondering the situation. "That's sad, and awful, but it has been a year?"

  "Yeah, he really fell hard. He started doing some self-destructive stuff, and his parents aren't really family-oriented. They didn't give him any emotional support. He moved in with me, and I kept an eye on him. He’s gotten a little bit better. I hoped to get a room with him but ... no deal."

  "Well, as you might guess, we aren't real close but I will keep an eye on him, even though I sense that he really doesn’t want to open up."

  "Well yeah, he's probably attracted to you and it’s making him feel guilty. Because you're a girl, and he doesn't want to feel like he is betraying Maddy. You know, he was never a social butterfly to begin with."

  "Well, that helps explain why he's so closed off."

  "Yeah, just give him some time. He’ll come around. I think you will be good for him."

  She nodded and they joined the other boys as they headed inside.

  Matthew looked at her. "Hey, after dinner do you wanna come to my room to do some Trig homework?"

  "Yeah sure, if that's ok with Chance."

  Chance nodded. "No problem. I have some homework, too."

  It turned out that all the boys crowded into Chance's room. Some studied while the rest played video games on the PlayStation that they had set up.

  Jaide worked on her homework diligently but just couldn't keep her mind off of the knowledge of Blaize's past. It was late by the time the boys had departed to their own rooms. Only she remained with Matt and Chance. She had just finished her homework and flopped backwards to give her brain a rest before walking across the hall to her own room.

  "Tired?" Chance asked her.

  "Yeah, but curious how Blaize is doing. He should be back by now, right?"

  "Yeah, visiting hours ended a while ago."

  "I guess I better get back to my own room and give you your bed back." But she made no move to get up.

  "Nah, you can stay here. I don't mind." Chance wrapped his arms around her and snuggled.

  She laughed and then squirmed when he started tickling her. She gasped for breath. "Chance! Don't! Stop!" she panted between fits of laughter.

  "Don't stop? Ok."

  He tickled her some more.

  "Matt! Help me!"

  Matt looked over, amused. "Nah, I don't think so, but could you keep it quiet? I'm going to sleep."

  Chance tickled for a little bit longer, until he decided she'd had enough and released her. She lay on her back, quietly giggling and catching her breath. "Gee Chance, you're so kind."

  "No problem. Now go to sleep or get out. I'm tired."

  "Yeah, yeah," she said, rolling out of the bed. "Goodnight."

  Matt popped up. "Goodnight kiss?"

  "Yeah! Me too!" Chance said eagerly, like a little boy receiving candy.

  "Yeah, right! After tickling me to death? Fat chance."

  "Aww, come on ..."

  "Goodnight, boys." She winked at them as she left the room, crossing the hall to her own room. It was unlocked, and she poked her head in. Blaize was sitting at the desk, staring blankly at what looked like his Trig homework.

  "Hey, how did the errands go?" she asked as she stepped in and closed the door behind her.

  He shrugged.

  "Oh, ok. You are working on the Trig? Need some help?"

  He shook his head.

  "Are you sure? Because I had to really work Matt through some of that stuff. It’s tricky."

  He didn't answer.

  "Blaize ..."

  "I've got it covered."

  She stepped toward him. "Why don't you just let me help you get ..."

  He slammed his book shut and pushed the papers away. "I'm done."

  "Oh ... ok. Well, I'm gonna hit the sack. I'll see you in the morning." She had seen his paper and knew he wasn't done. He hadn't even started, but she didn't want to press h
im right now. He obviously was even more closed off than usual.

  She changed into her sleeping shorts and tank top in the bathroom. When she emerged, Blaize was still sitting at the desk, spacing out.

  "Blaize? Are you going to bed or what?"

  He didn't answer but stood slowly and got into bed, still dressed in his blue practice clothes. Jaide wondered, two nights in a row?

  Chapter 3

  Jaide woke at 6:30 with a leg cramp. "Shit," she muttered sharply and threw the covers back. She limped to the other side of the room and then back again, trying to walk it off.

  "Cramp?" she heard Blaize's hoarse morning voice ask.

  She turned to see his tousled head peeking out of the blankets. She nodded.

  "Shower helps," he said before pulling the covers back over his head.

  The cramp had mostly subsided. She was left with a stiff, achy leg. She grabbed a towel and entered the bathroom. She dug through her bathroom bag, not finding what she was looking for. Already in a foul mood, she just emptied it into an empty bathroom drawer.

  She spotted a little pink box and grabbed it. She popped one of the pills out and downed it with a little water from the faucet. After a quick shower, she wrapped herself in the towel and started to blow dry her hair straight. Exiting the bathroom to grab some clothes to change into, she found Blaize slapping at his alarm clock. She changed into a favorite pair of Lucky jeans and a yellow T-shirt that had a cute little fat, white moose on the front of it.

  Blaize was ready for his shower now. He entered the bathroom after her with a small nod. Looking over some notes from yesterday, Jaide packed her bag for her first classes.

  Blaize emerged from the bathroom fully dressed, with damp hair. They headed downstairs together.

  "How's the leg?" he asked quietly.

  "Oh, it's a lot better, thanks. Are you sore at all?"

  He shrugged. "Just a little. My quads are sore from that uphill run."

  She nodded. "Me, too. We need to get some potassium into our diets. It’s good to keep the muscles from getting too sore."

  "Yeah ... say, where'd you learn that flip throw thing you did yesterday?"

  "Actually, my brother taught me. He plays in college. My dad almost had a heart attack when he saw me do it once."

  "Daddy's little girl, huh?" he asked. Jaide thought he sounded almost bitter.

  She shrugged. "Sort of, I guess. He didn't know me as a little girl, so I guess he's just making up for lost years."

  Blaize looked puzzled. "Divorced parents or something?"

  "Nah, he's not my biological dad. He adopted me a few years ago, after the state took me away from my real dad."

  "Why'd they take you away?"

  "Let’s just say my real dad wasn't the nicest guy in the world."

  He was silent for a moment. "I'm sorry."

  She smiled and gave him a playful shove. "Don't worry about it. Now I’ve got a disgustingly rich dad with an unbelievably huge mansion."

  Blaize smiled. "So your brother was cool then?"

  "Yeah, he went here."

  "Cool, recently?"

  "Class valedictorian last year."

  "No way!" Blaize stopped abruptly, halfway down the staircase. "Are you talking about Tremaine? Tremaine Williams?"

  "Yes.She laughed a little at the face he was making. "Come on Blaize, we're holding up traffic." She tugged on his arm and they continued down the stairs.

  "You honestly know Tremaine Williams?"

  "I just told you, he’s my brother. Adopted brother. Whatever." She grabbed a bagel with cream cheese, a banana and some orange juice.

  "That is so cool!"

  "Get a banana, Blaize. It’s got lots of big K in it."

  "Big K?"

  "Potassium ... honestly, have you ever taken a science class?"

  They headed toward the table. The rest of the boys were already there. Before they had even sat down all the way, Blaize exploded. "Guys, guess what!" He took a gulp of orange juice and proceeded to choke.

  "What's he all excited about?" Matt asked, pounding on his back.

  "He's excited because I know Tremaine."

  "Who doesn't know Tremaine Willaims?" Bhrade asked.

  Chance rolled his eyes. "Guys, he's not super human or anything."

  "Oh, you're his friend so be quiet. Not all of us have been blessed with his presence."

  Jaide sensed that Blaize had recovered. "Guys, she doesn't just know him. She’s his sister."

  Jaide saw a half dozen mouths drop open simultaneously.

  "What!"

  "No way!"

  Chance scowled. "He doesn't have a sister. He’s an only child."

  "I was adopted."

  Chance looked skeptical. "Really? How come he never told me about you?"

  She shrugged and swallowed a bite of her bagel. "I don't know, ask him. Dad kept me in the house a lot. He treats me like I'm five. Did you ever come over?"

  "No, we always hung out at the fields or at my house. I can't believe he never told me he had a sister."

  Baize spoke up. "He's the one that taught her to do that flip thing - that long toss. Remember? Tremaine could really do that."

  "Yeah well, he could also do a bicycle kick."

  "So can I," Jaide said.

  "No way."

  ”Yes, way,” she mimicked Grr. "I'll show you guys at practice." She thought, the bicycle kick was so difficult that even the great Pelé rarely performed it. Thanks, Tremaine.

  "You're really his sister?" Chance asked.

  "I really am."

  Chance thought for a moment, then rapidly fired questions at her. "What's his eye color?"

  "Gray."

  "Car?"

  "Beamer."

  "Dream car?"

  "Bentley."

  "Favorite color?"

  "Green."

  "Food?"

  "Steak."

  "Shoes?"

  "Anything Puma."

  "Tattoos?"

  "One, about to get his second."

  Chance sat back. "Dang."

  She smiled. "Did I pass?"

  He smiled. "Yep. You're either his sister or a really, really obsessed fan."

  "He also uses girl shampoo. Says it's better for his hair."

  "His hair is like, half an inch long."

  "I know."

  They both laughed.

  "Actually, it doesn't surprise me he didn't tell me about you. I can totally see him as an overprotective older brother."

  "That's an understatement. He’s a pain in the ass."

  The warning bell rang, telling them that they had five minutes to get to class. The first three periods went smoothly. She had fourth period with both Blaize and Bhrade. The teacher was a woman, Mrs. Alrich, and her only female teacher. The assignment was to write a metaphorical sentence about the person two seats down from them, based solely on a visible feature.

  Blaize was two seats down from her, on the other side of Bhrade. She gazed around the obstruction and thought. His black hair was nice. His bright blue eyes that he always kept hooded were amazing.

  By the end of the period, she had still come up with nothing. Luckily for her, no one else had either, so instead of it being due then, they would work on it tomorrow. She walked between Bhrade and Blaize to lunch. She felt Blaize had retreated back into his emotional shell.

  For lunch, Chance insisted she and Blaize come with him to a sub and salad bar across the street. Blaize and Chance got sandwiches, but the salad bar looked too good to resist for Jaide. She had the salad shoveled down before the boys had finished their meals.

  "Good salad?" Chance asked.

  She nodded with a smile and leaned back contently.

  They got back to school a little late. Blaize and Jaide had to rush to their room to switch books before hurrying to Trig. They slid into their seats just as the bell rang. Mr. West just shook his head with a small smile.

  "I do hope you all enjoyed your only day of this class tha
t you will not have homework!" He grinned up at them, obviously loving his job. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get out your journals and get to work!" He threw back one of the sliding chalk boards to reveal a daunting advanced algebra problem.

  While Jaide was consulting with Matt, Mr. West came up the stairs and leaned down on the table. "I appreciate your helping Blaize, and I thought it might help if I move him up here to help out during class."

  She smiled and nodded. "I don't mind."

  "Great, and I don't mind if you speak to him during class. Just make sure you keep it low, alright?"

  She nodded again. Mr. West immediately switched the boy on the right with Blaize, who didn't look too thrilled with the idea.

  Jaide smiled at him. "Got it figured out yet?"

  He gave her a somber ‘are you kidding?’ look, which she interpreted as a no.

  "Ok, well your first step is to find anything that’s factorable. You'll be able to see what to do from there."

  He stared at the problem blankly.

  "Come on, Blaize. A fourth grader can factor. First of all," she tapped a trinomial, "What two numbers multiplied together make twelve and added make seven?"

  "Three and four," he muttered.

  "Yep, so the quantity x plus three and the quantity x plus four. Now, can you figure out the other one on your own?"

  And like just that, they worked through the problem and a few more like it for the rest of period. Mr. West assigned a fairly large amount of homework.

  On the way to the last class of the day, Jaide asked Blaize, "So, are you starting to remember stuff now?"

  He nodded. "Yeah, thanks for helping me out."

  "No problem. What are roomies for?" She smiled at him and he looked away.

  In Advanced Biology, Mr. Andrews lectured about dissection. Jade and Chance were the only ones awake to take notes and hear that there was going to be a quiz the next day.

  Practice was hell to say the least, and Jaide thought that they had forgotten about the bicycle kick until the end of practice, when they were all sprawled in the cool grass.

  "Jaaaaaiiide?" Bhrade said.

  "Whhhhhat?"

  "We wanna see a bicycle kick."

  "Now?"

  "Now."

  "You assholes." She struggled to her feet. "Is one of you jerks gonna toss the ball to me or am I gonna have to do it myself?"