CHAPTER 4 A FRESH START

JADE’S POV "This too," I tell Peter as I grudgingly hand him my Chanel bag. Since I've yet to find a job, I've decided to sell a whole bunch of my stuff to earn money. Putting my most prized collections of shoes, bags, and jewelry has taken such a massive toll on me both mentally, emotionally, and probably even psychologically. These things have so many memories I would like to protect forever, and giving them away feels like I'm disappointing myself, and I'd hate to do that. Yes, you might think they're just shoes or bags, but they are the only things that remind me of who I once was—a confident, beautiful, and deserving woman. Now, everything seems like a joke or a bad dream, which I can't seem to wake up from. The money I'd like to sell these would probably be enough to pay my mom-mom's overdue bills and a little bit of mine. "Yo" don't do this, you know," P" ter says quietly before slowly putting all the bags I decided to sell in nylon bags. "Ye," I do," I" retort, going to my wardrobe to see if there are any clothes I can sell. "Wh" don't you come to stay with me? At least you won't have to worry about paying rent," h" suggests. "What?" I "asked, carrying a few clothes and walking back to him to ensure I heard him correctly. "Yo" heard me," he" replies, stopping what he's going to stare at me intently. "Yo" You're serious," I," say, realizing the highest joking. "Wh" not?" H" responds, and I watch him in deep thought for a few seconds. "Yo" You'll be slightly inconvenienced with me there," I" explain, admitting how I feel, "no" I wouldn't," she tells me, standing before coming towards me. "I "know how you are, and because of that, I know that you don't want to make me uncomfortable, but you should also know that that's how I feel; I would love to have you stay with me." "e" lly?" I "whisper, still unsure of how I feel about this, "Re" lly," h" replies almost immediately with a wide smile. "No," latest you pack," he" tells me as he walks into my bedroom. You might think it's a bad idea for me to move in with any male after my recent ordeal. I agree because of the person I'd be staying with. Peter Choi, who is Korean-American, has been friends with me for as long as I can remember and is the one who actually made Hannah and me become as close as we are now. His family is not as wealthy as the Millers, but they're doing pretty well for themselves, considering that their business initially had a relatively rocky start. They were lucky enough that their biggest competitors got run out of business, making them one of the few legitimate networking companies around. His parents are always lovely, so I enjoy seeing them at events. He is the only child, automatically making him the heir and a child his parents should pamper. He grew up well despite everything, unlike most people in the elite circle. He's well-behaved; unlike you might think, he's straight as a ruler. Have I ever found him attractive? No. That's a simple question to answer and why. You might ask, saying that he is a brother to me would seem so cliche, so I'll agree with the fact that I've seen all the sides of him that he could offer. And by all, I mean ALL. Watching him grow up has been quite an exciting experience. He always filled in when Scott couldn't and was always there when I needed him, which isn't something I would say about my actual brother. And so we stuck together for a long time, but I've had to admit that getting a friend like Hannah was good for me in a way since I couldn't say some "st" ff" t" to him because I knew he wouldn't understand even if he tried so hard to. The only problem with Hannah is that since she's, she.. is a bit… flirtatious at times. I wouldn't say I like it, and I find it funny to see how she switches up at any moment, but she. She's the type to judge no matter what nonsense comes out of your mouth, and she's super friendly to women. I like to keep my friend group small for reasons best known to me, so having them and a few others as friends is probably the only good thing I have going on now. Back to Peter for now since I have something else to say. Puberty hit him hard, and I mean HARD! Where the hell is that skinny little kid who I dominated in every game we played? I think he's about 6'16'1, and although he's a bit slim, his muscles are very defined. I like his hair, too, not just because it's a nice blonde but also because he's growing it out now, too. His sparkling dark brown eyes give the impression that he's naughty as they come, but he's sweet sometimes. "Yo," didn't you hear me the first time? Move it," h" shouts, shoving me hard enough that I lose my balance and fall on the bed with a thud. Like I said, he's sometimes. "We "We'reaving so soon?" I "ask in complete disbelief. "Wh" t, you want to host a fucking party first?" H" replies, hauling my stuff down the stairs. "I "ean, if it's sudden, so I might forget a few things," I" clarify, which makes him stop and watch me quietly before blowing out a breath, "we" can always come back if that happens," h" replies as reassuringly as he can. "Ok" y," I" mumble before taking stuff downstairs and outside. I want to leave this house, but doing this finalizes everything. Doing this means I finally have to accept that I have nothing left and that almost everything I've owned is gone. Then again, doing this wouldn't be so hard if I had my family with me, but I don't. That makes it a million times worse. Moments like this make you appreciate all you've got, and right now, all I have are my friends. I'm incredibly grateful for my friends, who, although they are not so much, are always there for me when I need them. "Yo" ready?" H" asks me after I finish going through the house again for the fourth time to ensure I'm not leaving anything behind. "Mm" mm," I" respond with a tiny smile before entering the passenger seat as he opens the door. "Go" d, then let's," h," he says, settling comfortably into the driver's before he turns the ignition on after staring at me for a second. The next second, he starts driving off, and I keep looking at the house that once meant everything to me until I can't even see its shadow any longer.