Jaided

by Rose, Ashley

  "I ... I dunno, I like her as a friend, maybe more but I kind of have a girlfriend."

  This stopped Tremaine in his tracks. "Hey man, if you are even thinking about playing her, just tell me right now so I can beat the shit out of you."

  "No, it's not like that. I ..." He sighed. "Last year toward the end of school, I had a girlfriend. She got in a car accident and she's now brain dead in the hospital. She's ... a vegetable."

  Tremaine continued walking but stayed silent for a while. "I'm sorry, man."

  Blaize shrugged. "I need to move on. But anyways, like I said, me and Jaide are friends. I'm just not sure if I like her as more than that yet. We didn't know that you meant for Chance to sleep with her and not me."

  "Nah, I guess I just panicked, you see ..." He hesitated. "Has she gotten nightmares before this time?"

  "Just once that I know of."

  "Well she gets them fairly often. They are about her past and ... they re-live things that someone shouldn't be made to re-live; and of course the mind embellishes them, too.”

  "She hinted to me that her real father abused her."

  "Yeah, well ... 'abused' is just about the nicest way you could say it. That man was so ... messed up. When I first met Jaide in middle school, she was really messed up. I took her to meet my dad who pulled a few strings, and we adopted her. It took her a year to get back to functioning like a normal teenager. She wouldn't eat for days on end, wouldn't sleep because she was afraid her father would find her. We couldn't put her back in school. She couldn't handle it. It took time but she got over it, except for the nightmares. Have you ever noticed how her eyes are a little red all the time?"

  "Yeah, I have noticed that."

  "It's from burst blood vessels. When she was just a kid, her dad would cause her so much pain by beating her, among other things, that it would cause her eyes to hemorrhage. They have gotten a little better over the years, but they are still a little noticeable. We are told it won't ever go away completely."

  "That's ... sad."

  "Yeah, no kidding."

  "What about her real father? Has he ever tried to find her?"

  "He's dead. He was convicted of murdering Jaide’s mom right after Jaide turned three. They gave him a lethal injection."

  Blaize nodded. "That stuff is all really messed up but ... why are you telling me? It seems personal."

  "Because she is going to have those nightmares often, and I want to make sure that you won't hesitate to help her. I don't want her staying in those nightmares any longer than she absolutely has to."

  "How will I know? I'll be sleeping, too."

  "She'll wake you up, trust me. She gets loud."

  "Ok ..."

  "And I know you're not twisted enough to try to get something from her when she's in a situation like that."

  "Hell, no ... I do care about her."

  "Good. I don't care if you make moves on her while she's awake. Just ok it with me first."

  Blaize couldn't help but smile a little. "Sure thing," he said, all the while thinking, ask permission from her brother?

  When they returned, Jaide looked suspicious and glared at Tremaine.

  "Whhhat? We just had a little chat. Look, he's not even bleeding."

  She looked questioningly at Blaize, who nodded. "Yep, just a talk. No biggie."

  "Well, you guys leave me alone then. I need to sleep the rest of this off."

  "You should eat first,” insisted Tremaine. She just waved off his comment and squiggled beneath the covers in search of sleep.

  "So how long are you staying?" Chance asked quietly.

  "Hmm, I'll probably leave tomorrow night. I gotta get back. I'm gonna go to your practice though."

  "Sweet. Well, I'm gonna split. Where are you gonna crash?"

  Tremaine grinned. "I have a lady friend in town that I need to pay a visit."

  They said goodnight to Blaize and left the room together. He crawled into his own bed but he was pretty sure he wouldn't be staying there all night.

  Chapter 8

  The next morning when Jaide awoke, she realized that she wasn't alone in her bed. An arm clung around her waist and a large body cuddled against her back. She twisted her head around to see the peaceful, sleeping face of Blaize. His black hair had fallen into his face a little and he looked quaintly adorable, like a child. Groggily she asked, "Uh, Blaize?"

  "Mmmm, five more minutes." He tightened his grip on her and buried his face.

  "Blaize, I hope this doesn't seem irrelevant or anything, but what the heck are you doing in my bed?"

  His eyes blinked open slowly and his foggy sight suddenly registered. "Jaide? What-ahh!" He jumped off the bed. "Sorry!"

  "Well, are you going to answer my question?"

  "Uhh, I ... you were having a nightmare and your brother said to cuddle you ... and ... I did."

  "Oh ... well thanks, I guess."

  "Sorry. I wasn't sure if you minded and I didn't want to wake you up, but it seemed like the nightmare was pretty bad."

  "No, it's alright, thank you." She sat up and smiled at him.

  "Are you feeling better?"

  "Yep, for the most part, but do I still have to go to class today?"

  "Um, no, today is Saturday."

  "Oh, right. Well I'm gonna take a shower then." She gathered clothes and a towel.

  "You're not going to like ... pass out in there, are you?" Blaize asked.

  "Hope not." She smiled as she shut the bathroom door.

  After 15 minutes, Blaize started to worry. He hadn't heard her move. “Well, duh,” he told himself aloud, “I wouldn't be able to hear over the shower.” He paced for a moment and then rapped on the door.

  "Jaide?"

  No answer.

  "Jaide!?"

  "What?"

  "Oh, sorry. I ... you've been in there for a while."

  "Just shaving, Blaize. I've got a lot of skin to cover here. You can feel my legs when I get out if you want."

  "Oh ... umm, nah,” he said, embarrassed. Then he added jokingly, “But gee, thanks anyway.” He sat back down and waited for his turn in the shower.

  Jaide quickly dressed in her soccer gear. When she opened the bathroom door, there stood Tremaine. He had a bag in his hand.

  "Hey, there." She hugged him and he hugged her back as Blaize slipped into the bathroom.

  "Hey sis, how are you feeling?"

  "Fine. I was a little fuzzy when I woke up, but I'm good now."

  "Nice, sleep good?"

  "Nightmares."

  "And?"

  "And what?"

  He jerked his head at the bathroom. "Did your boy do like I told him?"

  She scowled, grabbed the bag from him and pulled out a doughnut. "Maybe. What'd you tell him to do?"

  "You know the drill. I told him to give you a little platonic company in your bed."

  "Then yes, he did. But he doesn't need to. I can handle it myself these days. It’s not like before."

  "I know you can, but that means no sleep and you need sleep for soccer.” He reached for her doughnut. “And no doughnuts before practice."

  He tried to grab it from her but she took a big bite and evaded him. "Here, have an orange too, at least. I got some more stuff for you out in the hallway."

  "Well, what are ya waitin’ for? Get it in here." She laughed and he pushed her onto the bed before throwing an orange at her.

  "Yeah yeah, be quiet." He disappeared into the hallway and came back with a micro-fridge, which he promptly set down and plugged in. "Compliments of Dad. And ...“ He went back out in the hallway and reappeared with a stereo and a huge brown suitcase.

  She stood to take the stereo from him before setting it on the desk. They both turned to look when the bathroom door creaked open and Blaize's head peeked out.

  "Yes?"

  "Uh ... I forgot clothes."

  "So?"

  "Uhhh."

  "Come on, Blaize,” Jaide teased. “It’s nothing I haven't seen before. I
t’s not like you’re naked. Besides, you saw me in a towel. It’s only fair."

  He blushed, but the rest of his body appeared with a towel around his hips as he hurried to his dresser and then back to the bathroom in record time, lugging his soccer gear.

  Jaide just shook her head when the door was shut again. "That kid ... I swear ... Ooooo, goodies!" She had unzipped the suitcase on her bed. She pulled out a box of her favorite truffles but Tremaine whipped them away from her. "Not before practice. It’s your first scrimmage."

  "Meh, meh, meh," She mimicked him with a sour expression.

  Blaize emerged from the bathroom fully clothed, as Jaide pulled out a pair of jeans from the suitcase. "More clothes?"

  "You know Dad. He packed some other stuff, too. Your camera, bathing suit, books, some music and a refill prescription of your little pink boxes."

  "Oh, good. I was running low."

  Blaize was confused. "Little pink boxes?"

  "Yeah, you know,” she said, “little pink pills in a little pink box."

  He gave her a dubious look. "Right ... little pink pills."

  "Never mind Blaize, don't worry about it." She smiled and he just shrugged.

  An hour later, all three of them were garbed in practice gear and headed outside. They met up with the rest of the team and the coaches and a momentous Saturday scrimmage ensued. Players switched sides and Tremaine roamed free among the younger boys, blocking shots indiscriminately for whichever side the coach assigned. Jaide highlighted the action when she flattened Matt with a slide tackle.

  Tremaine had managed to score two balls past Bhrade, but made a point of complimenting Bhrade for his goalie skills in front of the coaches. Jaide thought it was all great fun until Tremaine took her out to dinner that night. She assured him she would be fine at Exeter but then, after Tremaine dropped her off, the Blaize problem became real.

  Chapter 9

  Jaide found Blaize squatting on his bed, earphones snapped around his head, his body rocking gently to whatever piped through his electronic gadgetry.

  "Ok, Blaize baby, we need to talk ... now!”

  She crawled onto his bed and sat cross-legged in front of him. "How come you got so mad at Leith? And don’t ask who told me. You threatened to beat him to a pulp, I heard.”

  "I dunno. He’s a player, Jaide."

  "I know he's a ladies' man, Blaize, but he's still a good guy."

  "I’ve seen him giving you the once-over. He shouldn't have been staring at you like that. It’s disrespectful."

  "It's no big deal though, Blaize. Really, I'm used to it. Guys are just that way."

  "I'm not. Or at least I try not to be."

  "I know and that's why you're cool and so comfortable to be around. You make a great roomie for me. I appreciate it. I know you're a gentleman."

  "You're comfortable around me?"

  "Well, yeah. You’re easy to talk to, at least once I get you going. But sometimes I don't get you. I mean, Chance has looked at me like that before but I bet you didn’t threaten him."

  "He's different though. It's just different. It’s different with Grr, too. He’s gay."

  "Chance isn't gay."

  "I know, but it's just different ok? I know Chance is a good guy."

  "Well, thanks for watching out for me either way. But don’t beat guys up, please."

  "Would you believe Leith called me possessive?"

  "Nah, it was more like protective," she said with a wink before prancing over to her own bed.

  "What? But I don't ... we aren't ... I don't get it."

  "It's ok, Blaize. And thanks again for last night but you really don't need to do that."

  He frowned. "Jaide, yes I do. I don't want to invade your space but ... I don't want you to have those kinds of nightmares."

  "What kind of nightmares?"

  "The ... kind of nightmares that you have."

  She frowned. "And how would you know what my nightmares are about?"

  "Oh ... uh ... well, you know ... just bad stuff."

  "Tremaine told you, didn't he?"

  "Well ... yeah. I'm sorry."

  She frowned even more.

  "I'm really sorry, but Tremaine said he thought it would be best if I knew."

  She was biting on her bottom lip now. "Who else did he tell?"

  "No one, I don't think so anyways. And I won't tell anyone either. I promise. I would never tell your secrets."

  She took a deep breath. "Thanks, it's just that ..."

  "I know, don't worry about it. No one will find out unless you're ready to tell them yourself."

  She smiled weakly. "Thanks. That means a lot. But despite what Tremaine said, I guess there's no stopping you from getting into bed with me?"

  Blaize hesitated and looked torn. "If you really, really don't want me to, or if it makes you uncomfortable, then ... I dunno, Jaide. I hate to think that ..."

  "Ok, ok." She smiled. "I guess I should be thanking you."

  He shook his head, but too late. She had already gotten off her bed and was hugging him.

  He jerked away from the contact.

  She looked confused. "Ok, so you can cuddle with me but I can't hug you?"

  "No, it's not like that ... I ..."

  "I know.” She smiled. “I'm just giving you a hard time." She crawled into her bed. "Can you turn the lights off when you go to bed?"

  "Yeah, I'm gonna hit the sack right now."

  In the dark, Jaide sensed for the first time in years that perhaps she wasn’t afraid to dream, that the awful past would not come to haunt her. Still, it took a long time for sleep to come.

  Chapter 10

  The next morning, Jaide awoke alone in her bed without a cuddling stranger. Blaize's bed was empty but she could hear a soft hum coming from the bathroom.

  She quickly got out of bed and changed into some workout clothes. The bathroom door opened and Blaize emerged, clean-shaven.

  "Good morning." She smiled.

  He glanced at her. "Morning."

  "Do you shave every day?"

  He rubbed his freshly shaven jaw. "Yeah, I have to. It grows super-fast."

  "Is it black too, like your hair?"

  "Yeah, it sucks. It’s so noticeable. I hate having black hair."

  She reached out a hand to touch his hair. "I like it a lot, and it’s amazing with your blue eyes. And I bet you have a sexy 5 o’clock shadow. You should skip a shave one day so I can see a little scruff."

  He blushed. "I'll think about it. You’ll have to remind me, though."

  "You're so cute, Blaize. You blush all the time."

  "I can't help it. You give me compliments all the time."

  They headed downstairs together. Chance, Matt, Leith and Bhrade were already sitting at the table.

  "Morning, guys!"

  "Hey, what's up?"

  "Morning to you too, sexy."

  "Sleep well?" Chance asked.

  "Sure did." She sat beside him and Blaize sat on her other side. It wasn't until then that she noticed the tension. Blaize was glaring up a storm at Leith, who met his eyes levelly but with an unreadable expression.

  She touched Blaize's arm to get his attention but Leith beat her to it. "Hey Blaize, can we talk for a minute?" He stood as he spoke and nodded to the hallway.

  Blaize looked ready to say something belligerent but Jaide nudged him and nodded toward the hallway, too.

  "Yeah, sure." They left the cafeteria to speak out in the hallway but they could still be seen near the doorway.

  "You gonna eat, Jaide?"

  She shook her head and drank from her water bottle. "Not yet. I'm about to go out and run. Anyone care to join?"

  Bhrade looked at her like she was crazy. "Run this early in the morning? Yeah, right."

  "It's nine."

  "Yeah, but it’s Sunday. No running on God's day," he said, dramatically glancing upward toward the heavens.

  Matt rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up. You’re atheist, you idiot."


  Bhrade mumbled, "Doesn't mean I can't have respect for other people's religion."

  "I'll go with you," Chance said.

  Jaide smiled up at him. "You're awesome."

  "No problem. I don't really want you running by yourself anyways."

  "Right. Cause I'd get lonely, huh?"

  He smiled. "Yeah, that's it."

  "What does Leith want to talk to Blaize about exactly?"

  "He's gonna apologize, in a manly way of course."

  "Oh? And how do you apologize in a manly way?"

  Bhrade adopted a guttural caveman voice. "Me sorry look at your woman, you forgive?"

  Then Matt added with the same voice, "No, no forgive, must fight for woman!"

  The table laughed at the scene. Jaide glanced out to the hallway. She saw they had just done the handshake and pound the chest thing, so it seemed that everything was cool. The two came back to the table. Blaize sat back down with a nod to Jaide, but Leith remained standing.

  "Jaide, can we talk for a second?"

  Someone at the end of the table grumbled in a high-pitched voice. “This is your Sunday Talk-a-Thon, sponsored by Kellogg’s Corn Flakes.”

  Jaide stood. "Of course." She followed Leith to where he and Blaize had just been talking. "What's up?"

  "I just wanted to apologize for looking at you the wrong way.”

  "It's alright, no big deal,” she said with a wink. “You can't help it, I'm sure."

  He smiled back. "Well yeah, that's true but not just for that. I'm sorry for what I may have said and stuff, too. I was just trying to get under Blaize's skin. I'm not sure why."

  "It's alright. No harm done, right? You guys are cool now?"

  "Yeah, he said as long as you accept my apology."

  "Well, I accept. No more talk of fighting, ok?"

  "Yes, ma'am," he said.

  She smiled and hugged him before they returned to the table. Blaize looked at her expectantly. She smiled and nodded, confirming that everything was ok.

  "You ready, Chance?"

  "Yep."

  "You wanna run with us, Blaize?"

  "Nah, I got some errands to run. I'm gonna stop by the store, too. I'd like to stock up the fridge that your brother brought if that's alright. Do you want anything specific?"