Jaded by Bright Colors and Faded Walls

Laughing she pushed her dark brown, stringy hair up as she stood outside of a store with televisions in the windows playing music videos. Giggling she watched as the people in the screen moved around and played music, music she liked but hardly got to hear.

“Jade.” Her large round, doll like emerald orbs shifted to the side. “We’re not here to watch t.v.” The rounded woman muttered softly as she adjusted her coat. Jade giggled again pushing her hair up more as she smiled at the woman.

“How come I’m not aloud to listen to music like this?” She asked softly as people passed at a distance. The woman standing next to Jade made a clear point to what and who Jade was.

The white, starched jacket with her name stitched into the front left side of the lapel reading Abby. The large, round buttons blending into the fabric; her pastel green scrub pants and her white Velcro shoes that clad her lower half. She was nurse from the asylum on top of the hill and by the cream colored dress Jade simply wore pointed out she was a patient on a field trip.

It wasn’t hard to figure out Jade was mental, she was only wearing a thin dress in the middle of winter as it snowed.

“Because It may make you happy but others in the house,” That’s what they called the asylum, a house. It made Jade upset. It wasn’t a house; it wasn’t even homey with its large white walls inclosing her in constantly. The cold white linoleum floors that constantly went under her bare feet, the cold white, over starched sheets she had to sleep between. It wasn’t a house and no one there was her family. A family wouldn’t force someone to take pills that made her feel dead inside, or force her to stay behind windows with thick bars on them. She was prisoner and everyone in the asylum with her was either a prison or a warden. “Freak-out when they here it, or it makes them mad. Not everyone likes that music. So it’s not fair to play it for others.” Jade frowned, dropping her arms to her side as she stood there on the side-walk. She looked like a life sized doll with her small, thin frame, her large green eyes, full pink lips set into her lily white skin, and her long brown hair framing her face and hanging around her shoulder blades.

“I don’t like the music they play now. How’s that fair to me?” She challenged lightly as she leaned forward on the front of her bare feet.

“Because it sooths everyone but you in the house.” Abby stated as she waved Jade to follow. “Come on.” She laughed as the small girl looked back at the televisions as another band came up.

“Whoa-oh!” Jade sang loudly after the female singer did.

“Come on.” Abby laughed pulling Jade along as she sang lightly. “Do you even know what the song means?” Abby asked as she glanced back at the singing girl. People stared a bit startled by the tiny singing girl moving down the street.

“No, because I don’t know the whole song.” Jade giggled as Abby pulled her into clothing store. “Why are we here?” Jade whined seeing the cloths hanging around on the walls and racks, almost taunting her. She already knew the cloths she wanted she wouldn’t get. She always had to get the same drab clothing. Pale or pastel, no designs, and loose fitting to her frame, when she wanted bright colors, vivid designs, and almost form fitting but not so tight she wouldn’t be able to move.

“Because you need a jacket you’ll wear.” Abby stated softly as she fingered though some cream colored jackets. Jade frowned at all the white, cream and pastel colors. She hated pastels with passion. At first she loved them, they were better than white, but now, now they were just beginning to blend in with the white.

“You can buy it, but I won’t wear it like the other four I have.” Jade whispered as she looked at all the brightly colored cloths on the opposite side of the store.

“You can’t have those. You know they upset Angela and Missy.” Jade huffed.

“I don’t see why, they both like the color pink.” Jade huffed, a frown set onto her large full lips. “The scarf shouldn’t have upset them. It wasn’t that bright either. Just of soft pink only a little darker than the pastels you make me to wear.” She huffed childishly recalling the event when her two inmates had freaked out at the sight of the scarf, it wasn’t even because they thought it was unfair like the other girls, it was because the color was ‘too bright’; according to all the wardens.

“I know but they can’t handle intense things.” Abby muttered softly.

“Can we go to ice cream with the others? I won’t wear it anyway. It’s just a waist of money.” Abby nodded slowly taking Jade’s hand and leading her out of the store as she went back to singing the song the woman on the television had been singing.

“Whoa-oh, that’s what you get when you let your heart win…” It was the only bit she knew of the song, but she repeated it endlessly.

“Why is she singing?” Missy growled at Jade and Abby as both entered at the ice cream shop.

“Why are we getting ice cream in the middle of winter? Why not in the summer?” Jade counter lightly, pointing at the blonde woman glaring at her from her spot with in the group of other asylum patients. “It’s because we can.” Abby slapped Jade’s shoulder lightly giving her a stern look. “I’m still going to sing.” She huffed moving away from the group to look at all the ice creams under the glass.

Despite the fact that she didn’t want anything cold while it snowed out, she knew it was the only time she’d get ice cream. As she stared at all the different flavors and colors of them she hummed the one line of the song she knew to her self.

“Hey.” Jade lifted her eyes to a group of boys sitting at a table with steaming drinks. She’d never seen any of the boys before but she’d always wondered what the drinks were or what they tasted like. She was only allowed ice cream when they came to the ice cream shop, nothing else off the menu.

“Hiya.” Jade giggled at them with a wide wave as she pushed her hair up with the other hand; it was a habit she had.

“You have a good singing voice.” He stated as she smiled at her, a white smiled gleaming back at her as she giggled. “Paramore, good band.” He added with a snap of his fingers at her. His long black hair sliding into his bright blue, shinning, eyes as he smiled at her; his skin almost as pale as hers.

“I don’t know who Paramore is. I just heard that part of the song on my way here.” She giggled childishly. He bobbed his head with his four friends. They all look somewhat similar but completely different. They all had long shaggy hair that hung in their faces and eyes a bit; the only difference was the color of their hair. Two had black hair; one had black, blue and green, while the last one had blonde, almost white hair. Three of them had brown eye, two with blue and they were all smiling at her.

“Oh, well they’re a good band. You obviously like them.” He stated. She nodded as both her hands feed under hair brown locks and pushed them up in a messy manor as she smiled at them.

“Yeah, I’m not allowed to listen to good music like that though. It makes people upset.” She muttered nodding at them lightly, a frown forming its way childishly onto her lips.

“Ah, that sucks.” He stated softly bobbing his head. “It’s really good music.”

“I know, I like it. I like good and cool things. But I’m not allowed to have them.” She stated. The guys all nodded.

“Jade!” She spun on her heels a bit startled. Victoria, the worst warden in Jade’s opinion, was glaring at her as she stood by the other girls who watched a bit amazed that Jade was talking to boys. They didn’t have boys at the asylum, it was all girls. “Get over here.”

Jade glanced back at the boys as she dropped her arms.

“See?” She stated before doing as told and following orders.

“You were talking to boys.” The girls hushed at her as Jade shrugged lightly. “They’re cute.” One of the other girls stated.

“Jade.” Jade looked at Abby. She loved Abby; she was always nice to her and she always tried to make Jade actually feel at home in the cold hearted asylum. “What kind of ice cream do you want?” She asked softly.

“I don’t want any.” Jade sighed. “It’s too cold for it. Why don’t we come in the summer?” She asked lightly looking up at Abby as Abby stood directly next to her. “Or why can’t we get anything warm? It makes sense!” She gasped throwing her arms up drastically.

“Because you can burn yourself with it!” Victoria snapped with a gasp as if the whole idea was completely and utterly appalling to her.

“I said warm, not super duper hot you could melt your skin. It’s snowing out and you want to get us something frozen! It’s stupid.” Victoria gasped again, a hand over her chest as she glared down at Jade.

“Now listen hear young lady!” Victoria snapped pointing a finger at me.

“I’m almost eighteen. Just because your ancient doesn’t mean I’m that young. You act like I’m seven!” She pouted.

“Because you act seven!” Victoria growled at her. People stared at the fighting two, it didn’t help that all of them were wearing jackets that clearly stating they spent most, if not all, their time in the asylum.

“It’s not my fault.” Jade huffed. She couldn’t completely control the way she acted. She had what doctors considered brain damage from one night when she was eight and had been smashed in the head. “I didn’t mean to get my head smashed in.” She huffed as tears welled in her eyes.

“She didn’t mean it.” Abby whispered to her as her arms locked around her shoulders.

If it wasn’t for the fact that as a child Jade had been diagnosed with a large case of A.D.H.D and later hit in the head altering the way she ‘grew mentally’, according to doctors, she wouldn’t even be in the asylum. But the city and state saw her unfit to live her life outside the care she was given in the asylum.

“You didn’t actually swallow your medication did you?” Victoria questioned with a harsh stare and voice. Everyday Victoria gave Jade the medication that made her feel like a zombie. But she’d gotten good at holding the pills in the back of her throat where Victoria couldn’t ever see them and later she’d spit them out and flush them.

“Do I ever?” Jade snorted lightly as Victoria’s face faded into a blank stare. “And I’m not telling how.” Jade sang lightly as she danced a bit, not caring one bit that other people were watching her.

“I will figure it out.” Victoria snapped turning around as Jade snorted.

“No you won’t.” She giggled, slapping her hands over her mouth as she hunched forward with laughter. She burst out laughing as the other girls stared at her. “You haven’t yet and you never will!” Jade giggled jumping lightly and clapping.

“This is why you need to take your medication.” Victoria whispered.

“Because she’s being her self?” Jade turned looking at the blonde boy at the table. “I mean seriously, I’ve met weirder people that her. I meet people weirder and crazier people everyday.” He stated. “For instance.” He muttered pointing at the boy with black, blue and green hair balancing a mint on his nose.

“What?” The boy with multi-colored laughed letting the mint fall into his hand. “I’m weird?” He questioned. The other three stared at him. “You got me I’m strange as fuck.” He muttered putting the mint back on his nose and balancing it.

“Yes well those people need to go see the city and state. They’ll end up in asylum.” Victoria stated.

“Been there.” The multi-colored hair boy stated. “I grew up in a orphanage, so you think they would have put me in an asylum if I was mental and trust me.” He tipped his head forward. “Aw my mint.” He whined as it tumbled to the floor. “Any who, I’m not much different than I was then.” He laughed as he picked up a different mint from the table.

“Knock it off Jake.” Jake put the mint on the table and knocked on it before pushing it off the table.

“I knocked and pushed it off. Are you happy Dan?” Jake laughed as the blonde, Dan, glared at him. Jade giggled at the boys. They seemed like fun.

“Well obviously they didn’t really look.” Victoria snapped. “Have you girls ordered?” She asked ignoring the boys talking behind her. Jade frowned and looked back at the boys with a smile as Abby tried to get one of the girls to stop pulling at her hair as she started to have a break down.

“Victoria I need to take Lilly back.” Abby sighed pulling the girl who was starting to freak-out in the shop. “They’ll bring you back your ice cream I promise.” Abby muttered softly to her as they pulled her out of the store. The girl whining as she went.

Jade frowned as Victoria scoffed.

“Can I get a vanilla?” Jade asked turning to Victoria. The woman frowned as Jade. “Please?”

“I thought you didn’t want any?” Victoria challenged.

“I changed my mind.” Jade shot quickly.

“Fine.” Victoria stated relaying it to the man behind the counter. Jade was handed the ice cream moments later as the other girls were leaving.

“You don’t want that ice cream do you?” The boy, who had first talked to her, muttered softly as he watched Jade closely. She shook her head lightly. “Why got it for the other girl didn’t you?” Jade nodded as she moved to the door. “I’m Aaron, this is Doug, Jake and Dan.” Aaron muttered softly pointing at each one. They waved.

“Jade.” She giggled leaving the store following the group like a good little girl.

“Lilly!” She called as they got back to the asylum. “Oh Lilly?” She called loudly.

“Jade be quite!” Victoria snapped with several other mean wardens. Jade rolled her eyes and kept calling for Lilly.

“She’s in her room.” Abby stated walking around a corner with laundry. “Victoria actually got her ice cream?” She whispered seeing the cone in Jade’s hand.

“No she got me ice cream, so in a sense she did.” Jade giggled skipping off to Lilly’s room. Knocking momentarily before walking in, she smiled at the girl laying on her bed. “I come baring a single scoped vanilla ice cream cone.” She giggled holding it out.

“I get ice cream?” Lilly whispered softly. Jade could see the effect of medication working behind Lilly’s vivid caramel eyes. Jade nodded holding it out to her as she walked up to the side of her bed. “I… I hardly ever get ice cream.” Lily whispered sitting up slowly taking it. “Victoria never brings me back ice cream.” She whispered looking up at Jade. “You gave up your own didn’t you?”

“I didn’t want any any way. You love ice cream and I think it’s gross in the cold so it was only fair you got it.” Jade giggled sitting on the ground by her bed as she smiled at her.

“Thank you.” She whispered eating her ice cream as Jade rambled on about the boys at the shop. Lilly giggled every once in a while as Jade talked, waved her arms round, giggled, and gave her the full story of what had happened after she left. It wasn’t anything important that Lilly needed to know about, but stories about cute boys where always good to hear about when all the girls in the asylum would never get out to find love.