Jaded by Bright Colors and Faded Walls

“Wow…” Jade whispered as she stared at the massive amount of food on the table. She wasn’t sure how it’d all gotten there but the boys didn’t seem to mind eating it. “That’s a lot.” She finished, nodding at the boys laughed and called loud thank-you’s to the ceiling. “The ceiling made it?” She asked looking up at the white ceiling.

“No, Jake’s foster mom did.” Doug stated as he shoved what looked like a piece of toast into his mouth. The others nodded in response.

“She’s really nice. You’ll have to meet her some time.” Aaron smiled at her. She smiled back and nodded.

“Dig in!” Jake laughed noticing she hadn’t moved from the door frame of the kitchen. To them it was a little weird she seemed so hesitant when half the things she said were rather bold and out there and she’d only giggle and smile at them. “Do you not eat or something?” He asked a bit unsure as the others looked at her a bit concerned.

“No. I do. But I already ate. I’m not hungry.” She stated smiling.

“I bet this is better than what they feed you.” Doug muttered lightly. Jake nodded quickly at the thought. As the days went on, the boys began to detest the asylum from keeping Jade locked up so much during the day. The hour and a half they got with her at night just didn’t seem like enough to really get to know her or to enjoy her company. There were so many sides to her that they just seemed to enjoy that it didn’t seem fair. That and they didn’t see why she had to be in the asylum, she wasn’t that much different from them or anyone else outside the asylum.

Jade became use to Jake’s house. The smells, the different colors. She loved being in his house, she loved being around the boys; she felt at home around them. They were the brothers she’d never had the way they took care of her when she was around.

“Let’s go practice before Jadey has to go back.” Dan muttered walking to Jade and scooping her up in one arm. With a giggled she clung to him and let herself be carried. She wasn’t too sure how much taller the boys’ were than her but she knew half the time she had to tip her head all the way back to see their faces when she stood right next to them.

“What song first?” Jade asked looking back at the three wandering behind them. They all glanced at each other and shrugged. “Can we do Paramore?” she gasped at the idea. Paramore was her favorite to do, they were just so energetic and the notes were beautiful. She knew she didn’t hit the notes right but she liked trying her hardest.

“Why not.” They all shrugged. Dan set Jade down in front of her microphone and patted her on the head. She smiled up at him before all the equipment. She’d learned the basics of setting it all up and a little bit on how to play it. Aaron was even teaching her to play the piano, he said she was a natural but when she played it didn’t sound anything like it did when he did.

“Yay!” Jade giggled throwing her arms up in the air as everyone took their spots.

Dan clicked his drum-sticks before they began playing That’s What You Get. A large smile spread over Jade’s lips at the drums. She couldn’t help but lifted her arms and sway to the beat as she waited for her cue to sing.

Opening her mouth the words began flowing out of her as he large full lips formed them. The boys all smiled at each other. They had their own little Hayley Williams it seemed like. The way she moved to the beat, the way she sang. The only difference was, she wasn’t Hayley and her voice was only similar to Hayley’s; in reality they didn’t sound that much alike, nor did they look alike. But It made them feel good to compare Jade to Hayley because Hayley had one hell of a voice and so did Jade. If Jade could ever sit still long enough for a photo with them she would make the perfect from mad.

Jade kept her eyes closed most the time as she sang. She bounced in place, her toes and the balls of her feet digging into the plush carpet as she did so. Her arms moved over her head, out in front of her, or to hold the skirt on her dress as she put as much power behind some notes.

The song ended and Jade giggled stepping back from the mic as her hands covered her mouth.

“Hallelujah?” Doug asked knowing the power and strain it took for Jade to do it, and the show she seemed to put on for them as she did it.

She nodded. She didn’t care what songs they did next, she’d done her favorite one and that’s all that mattered to her really.

She took hold of her skirt as she swayed it back and forth and stepped back up to the mic singing. She didn’t close her eyes but it was evident she was almost spacing out as she stood there doing the lower notes.

“This time we’re not giving up” They all smiled knowing that at this point Jade would almost seem to take life during the song. She began to bounce on her toes again as she bobbed her head.

Jade’s knuckles began to turn a pearl white as she gripped her skirt tightly trying to do the Hallelujah’s perfectly and hit the longer notes. She leaned forward at bit as her eyes closed and she sang. She stood up and let go of her skirt to point a few times and wave her hands around as if trying to animate the words. She leaned to the side again before jumping and going back to singing, but every time she did Hallelujah she took hold of her skirt as if it would help making hitting the notes easier.

The song drew to a close as she dropped to the ground in a huff, her small chest heaving as she smiled at them. They laughed and clapped for her. She bowed her head.

They moved into other songs by various artists and Jade moved around dancing behind the mic stand. The boys had yet to tell her that she could actually take the microphone off the stand and move around with it, that it didn’t just work attached to the stand.

Jade slid into her bed and smiled at the white ceiling. She enjoyed more than anything singing and listening to them play. She constantly wrote things down that she thought would be pretty in a song. She hadn’t shown the boys yet, she was afraid they might not like them.

She slept till Victoria ripped the covers off her body. Groaning Jade sat up slowly rubbing her eyes as she glared at the woman.

“Get up.” Victoria huffed before walking out. “And clean up your sheets.” Jade frowned as she got out of bed and threw the blankets and sheets back onto the bed in a mess.

Stalking out into the media room she sat down on the floor in the corner by herself as her eyes lingered on the clock. It was seven minutes to eight, meaning seven minutes till pills got passed out. She hated pills with a passion. She wasn’t a zombie, she was a human being and no pills should change that.

“Alright ladies,” One of the wardens called. “Line up.” Standing Jade did as told knowing if she didn’t they’d put her in solitary confinement for the whole day and she wouldn’t be able to go to band practice later.

Sliding into line she smiled up at the girl behind her. The girl glared at her till Jade faced forward. Half the time all she wanted to do was brag that she was friends with boys and they weren’t, but she couldn’t because then they’d know she was sneaking out and they’d probably put her under twenty-four hour surveillance by Victoria.

She shuddered at the thought of having to be around Victoria all day long. It was a horrible thought, she mentally swore at her self for even thinking it. She’d have nightmares about it later, she knew she would.

“Jade.” Jade looked up and slid to the front counter where Victoria stood with a small plastic cup. Jade took it with a frown and placed the cup to her lips, opened her mouth and tipped her head back. She could feel the pills hit the back of the throat. She strained her throat a bit, catching them while faking a swallowing motion. “Open.” Jade opened her mouth wide. “Tongue.” Jade lifted her tongue as Victoria checked her lips. “Go.” Jade walked away and sat down on one of the couches and watched the clock again. It seemed like that’s what she always did after pills. Because after that she could spit them in her hand and put them in a pocket on her dress till she had time to flush them.

Glancing around all the other girls seemed to collect around the television as all the wardens watched the girls in line still waiting for their pills. Jade coughed her pills up into her hand taking a risk and spit them in her hand before stuffing them in her pocket.

Standing she wiped both her hands on her dress, to get rid of any sign that she’d touched pills, and moved to the television as well. Climbing up onto the back of the couch she watched the black and white screen with a frown as watched the two old women talk about how to make a nice nit sweater for the millionth time. They only showed them the same shows and movies, nothing else. It was mind numbing and crippling.

“Hey Jade.” Tipping her head back she gripped the couch as to not fall off. She smiled at Lilly. “Wanna go draw?” She asked eagerly.

“Yeah!” Jade gasped getting up and jumping over the couch. “I love drawing!” Jade gasped at her friend as they walked along to the art room.

They sat drew for a while. Jade was a rather good artist. She could draw just about anything and make it look completely realistic or completely fantasy, depending on how she was feeling. She was in a realistic mood.

“Annie says you’ve been sneaking out.” Lilly whispered as she glanced around. Jade stopped Annie was her evil roommate, who half the time would have such a mental breakdown they’d keep her in solitary confinement for ever so Jade didn’t have to deal with her.

“What?” Jade whispered back playing stupid, like she’d been told to do by the boys almost every night when they dropped her off.

“She’s going to tell Victoria.” Lilly hushed again.

“Lilly,” Jade sighed going back to drawing, almost ignoring the subject. “If I ever got out, I’d never come back. Ever.” Jade stated malice in her voice that she had been getting out yet she came back, night after night to her hell whole. “And they’d never find me.” Lilly nodded. It did make sense to her that if Jade did get out she’d never be back. It was just the kind of person she was. Bold, strong, defiant and her own person. Jade didn’t see it but half the girls only hated her because she was the most normal of everyone in there but Bianca who was only in the asylum because she was afraid if she went out side people would hate her for her face; she’d been in a fire when she was little and half her face showed a reminder of the burns to everyone. “I hate it here.” She whispered finally as she finished her picture of a cat lying in the middle of a room.

Jade slid the picture to Lilly who smiled at it.

“If I ever get out,” Jade stated as Lilly ran her fingers over the cat in the middle of the picture. “I’d send you a cat with a note that says love J.P. So they never know it was me.” She teased. Jade always told Lilly that, simply because Lilly always wanted a cat but she didn’t have the money to buy one and that was the only way she was aloud to get one. Is if she either found one or bought it herself. “I wish I could get out.” Jade huffed, leaning on her hands as she stared out the window just behind Lilly’s head. She wanted out durning daylight, not just at night too.