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‘That probably depends on whose ass you feel like,’ she laughs.
‘The one sitting next to me looks pretty good. Can I feel that one?’ I ask playfully, entirely joking, before swallowing down the pills and leaning my head against the back of my couch.
Jade laughs to herself. ‘River Muriel Matthews. You dirty bird. No, you can’t feel my ass because I am engaged. Remember?’
‘What if you weren’t engaged?’ he asks.
‘Um… I suppose it would then be an option.’
‘You’re unmarried and don’t even have a date set, so technically, you’re still available. And Muriel? Really?’ I ask, my laugh echoing against the inside of my skull painfully.
‘When I don’t know someone’s middle name, I use Muriel. I’m a Friends fan, and it’s funny.’ She lifts a shoulder, inspecting the pill bottle in her hand. ‘These don’t specify ass, but I think they’ll still help.’
She’s got her long hair pulled into a ponytail, but strands have escaped after she walked to the pharmacy, now framing her face. Jade is gorgeous. This Conner fella is a fucking moron. How can he not want to save this with her? I would do absolutely anything.
‘You don’t have to stay here and take care of me. Really. I can handle it.’
‘No more saying that. I’m here, and it’s where I want to be. Plus, Laney is headed back over with everything we need to burn some boys’ souls, apparently. She’s really good at making things weird as they can be.’
‘I noticed that pretty quickly.’ Once again, I laugh, forgetting it hurts my head. ‘So, Conner apologized. Does that mean everything is alright between you two now? Update me, what’s going on in that pretty head.’
‘Well, you caught me ogling your mostly naked self with heart eyes earlier, a moment I had no control over. And yes, Conner apologized and even says he loves me at the end of our calls again. But when I say it back…’ She frowns, fidgeting with one of the rings on her fingers as if she’s nervous about finishing her sentence. ‘I don’t know. I’m not sure my heart is on board anymore. Love is complicated, and after losing so many people in my life so close together, maybe I don’t even know what it is. Usually, I’d talk to my mom about this, but I can’t.’
I know my mom is a massive pain in my ass nine times out of ten, but I don’t know what I’d do if she died. I can’t imagine what it might be like to miss her the way Jade is currently missing hers.
‘You know, I’ve got time. And the only working sense I’ve got left this evening is my hearing. Tell me about her.’
‘About who?’
‘Your mom.’
‘You want to hear about my mother?’
‘Why not? She’s important to you, and I can tell you miss her. Let’s pretend I’m meeting her. Who am I meeting?’
She changes position, sitting with her legs crossed beneath her, facing me, a few feet away.
‘I’ll make you a deal,’ she says. ‘I’ll introduce you to my mom if you introduce me to yours.’
Great. She knows. ‘Figured me out, did ya?’
‘Somehow, I had no clue. Dylan told me.’
‘It’s true,’ I say. ‘I’m never escaping the Penny Candy fandom. She is indeed my mother.’
‘Want to hear something weird?’ Jade asks.
‘Always.’
‘My mom was your mom’s biggest fan.’
‘Shut up,’ I say, squinting open one eye. The room is mostly dark, with just a couple of lamps glowing on either side of the couch. ‘Are you serious?’
‘Completely,’ she says with a grin. ‘If she were still here, I’d be setting up a playdate between the two of them right now. She’d fangirl so freaking hard.’
Another thing oddly in common. How come I didn’t know any of this before? ‘Tell me more. What was she like?’ I ask, feeling she needs to talk. Besides that one night she cried to me about her mom’s illness, I don’t know much, and she vaguely talks about her all the time, so I want to learn more.
‘She was amazing. Sweet as sugar but took no one’s shit. I don’t remember a single time she wasn’t happy to see Laney or me – even if we were in trouble, she’d start her lecture with a hug. Rarely was she in a bad mood; she was more super-chill and light-hearted. She saw life as an adventure and wasn’t afraid to hop on the back of Archibald with my dad and go for a ride through the city.’
