This Tastes Like Poison

"Wait, Dad, turn here and stop three houses down." I yelled out probably scaring him. I guess it's not a good idea to scare the driver, but this was important and I was already mad at myself for not thinking about it sooner. He did as I told him to without any questions, already knowing where I was going.

We stopped in front of the tall brick house I knew so well. I could tell you the way it smelled and which step was the cracked one on the way to the door. I could tell you that if you look up at the window near the top of her house on the right really closely, you'll notice that there's a piece of the brick missing. I could tell you that once you step inside, the stairs are right there, ready for you to take their swirly path to the upper level. I loved this house.

"This is good, I'll meet you guys at home later." I said hurrying out of the car and waving to them as they drove off. I waited until they turned the corner and then followed the pathway leading to their door, skipping over the little crack on my way. I could already smell the assortment of foods coming from the kitchen and it made me smile. The smells were one of my favourite things about this place. I took a breath and knocked three times in a row and loudly, because I knew that they wouldn't hear me otherwise. They were a loud bunch. I liked that about them though, they always had something to talk about, and they made you feel welcome all the time.

I stood there waiting patiently and then there she was. Her pin-straight jet black hair almost down to her waist now. Her ocean blue eyes lighting up at the sight of me. She looked thinner, but in a healthy way. I noticed something though and it was a pretty big something. Her wheelchair was missing. She never mentioned anything about her wheelchair being out of the picture in her e-mails. She came over to me and hugged me tightly.

"I missed you so much! Look at you!" Jada said taking a step back after hugging me and examining me. "You look the same but different. Prettier even, I never thought that was possible." I laughed and gave her a shove, though I quickly rethought that and felt extremely bad afterwords.

"And you! Always so pretty. I missed you more I bet. And your chair? Where is it?" I said smiling widely at her. I tried really hard not to think about the accident and how I was the cause of her being in the chair in the first place. The last thing I wanted was to burst into tears my first day back.

"Oh, that crummy old thang?" She said flicking her hand at me and pretending to be disgusted, "No, it's actually in my room. I've gotten used to walking around the house or short distances at least without it. The therapy actually paid off. Who knew right?" I smiled even wider at her. I was so happy that she was able to walk again, even if it was only a few feet at a time. She gestured for me to come in and so I did.

Everything was the same, but somehow different. I couldn't quite pinpoint it, but I guess being away for a year can cause you to miss things. Changes, for example. I watched Jada walk over to the kitchen where her family most likely was and followed her.

"Mamá, mira quién está aquí." She said excitedly in her thick Spanish accent. She had taught me a few things but I could only understand a few sentences. I'm pretty sure she just said "Momma, look who's here." Her mom turned around and as soon as she saw me she ran over to me and hugged me. She took a step back, just like Jada had, but she kept her hands on my head and smiled brightly at me.

"Mi querida hermosa. Oh look how you've grown!" Mi querida hermosa, I knew that one for sure. You know that Letti really loves you when she calls you her beautiful darling. "Turn." She said rotating her pointer finger at me. I laughed and did as she said. Letti has always been the type of person to adore change and to examine every bit of it.

"Is this really necessary mom?" Jada said laughing. She picked up a bread stick from the counter and started nibbling on it. Jada loved her bread sticks. You couldn't blame her though, especially with the way Letti makes them. I couldn't explain the taste to you properly even if I tried. They were just really, really good.

"Yes it is, Jada! A year is a long time. I need to see what my second niña looks like now." I loved listening to Jada's mom talk. Her Spanish accent always leaked through to her English words which never failed to make me smile and capture my attention. Jada found it annoying, but I think it's because she just doesn't understand the full beauty of her culture yet. I have faith in Letti though; she'll teach her all about it. "So beautiful." Letti said, giving me a second hug and kissing me on the cheek. Letti was the only mom I knew. I couldn't really refer to her as my second mom anymore because well, I no longer have a first.

Jada huffed at her mom and then grabbed my arm, dragging me out of the kitchen and upstairs to her room. I noticed that it took her a little while longer to get up to her room, so I stood behind her waiting to catch her if she fell. She never did though and when we finally got to her room she swung the door open so fast, I thought she had for a second. It turns out that she had painted it and was excited to show me. I just stood there taking it all in.

"Jada, this is probably the most amazing thing I have ever seen." I said while running my hand down her wall. She had replaced her old pink walls for a nice shade of white, but over that white was a masterpiece. There were so many different pictures and scribbles everywhere. It was true art. It didn't make sense at all, and that's always the best kind.

"What can I say? I have a true gift." She said shrugging and watching my face to see if I truly did like it. I nodded, I definitely did like it. I examined her walls for a few more minutes and then sat down on her bed and crossed my legs. I noticed her wheelchair in the corner of her room right before her closet. It didn't seem to take up too much space, which was a good thing.

"So, tell me about Ben." I said patting a spot beside me so that she would sit down. A blush started to form on her cheeks and she smiled so wide that I couldn't help but smile too. I'm guessing Ben is one hell of a guy. She sat down and then waited a few seconds before answering.

"He's really really good. Did I tell you that he told me he loves me?" She said, her smiling forming even wider. I felt myself get extremely excited for her. Jada needed a good guy in her life. She has already had so many crappy ones.

"Jada, I'm so happy for you!" I squealed. I wonder if she feels for Ben what I feel for Landon whenever I think about him. Landon, Landon, Landon. His green eyes and his blonde hair. His breathtaking smile and his nice firm arms. The way he could make me melt with just one look. The way he could send tingles down my spine with just one spoken word.

"I know." She said smiling, "But forget about me for now. How are you and Landon? That boy is fine, Pate." I laughed a little and shrugged. She pretty much knew everything there was to know about him and about us. I made sure not to leave anything out in the e-mails.

"You know everything already. Besides, if you let me begin to start talking about him I won't be able to stop." I said laughing. I looked beside me and over to her end table. There were a lot of things piled on it, especially nail polish. She loved painting her nails. I grabbed an orange-pink colour off of it and started to paint my own nails. I could feel my eyes getting heavy with every stroke of the brush. Eventually Jada just took over, noticing how tired I was. I found it ridiculous to still be so tired after sleeping so much already, but I guess my body was just weird that way.

"So who was that boy?" She said pausing the nail painting and looking at me. I looked at her confused, not knowing at all what she was talking about. "The one in the car?" She added, noticing my confusion.

"Oh, he's just some guy opening a restaurant or something and needs my dad's help. I don't know." I said yawning and resting my head against her wall. I starting looking at her walls again. I was so jealous that she was able to do something so amazing like this. All I could do was write. It would be cool to be able to paint.

"Hmm, he was cute. I saw your car outside, but waited at the door for you because of my legs. Didn't want to overwork them too much, you know?" I nodded knowing that it was probably better for her to stay inside and wait for me. It was my fault she was like this in the first place, I didn't want to be the reason for it happening a second time.

"You're a really good friend." I said out of nowhere really. It was just something I thought of and wanted her to know. I meant it. She was and will always be my number one best friend. She still stuck with me even after everything that's happened. I don't know of anyone who would do that.

"I know. I can't believe you left me for a year."