Sequel: Make You Feel My Love
Status: 2 comments = update

Love on the Brain

Young

Jade could feel her heart hammering against her chest. Her palms were covered in sweat, and no matter how many times she tried to dry them on her yellow floral tunic dress, she still felt sticky.

“So,” her father announced, his fingers circling around his water, before he took a swig from it. “How’s school going, sweetheart?” the dark-eyed man asked, glancing over at his daughter, who hadn’t touched her food in a while.

“It’s great,” she told him.

“No surprise,” Mrs Perez chuckled, while patting her daughter’s hand from her seat. “Are you okay, darling? You seem a little distant today. You haven’t even touched your food,”

Oh my God. Just jump into it. You can do it.

Jade cleared her throat and brought her water up to her lips. She swallowed it, trying to cool herself down, before she all but clenched her fists in her lap.

“There’s something I wanna talk to you about,” she stated, both of her parents looking at her.
“Okay,” her father said. “What’s going on, honey?”

It felt as though her entire throat had turned dry within the next seconds, making it impossible to speak. Her stomach was twisting and the temperature inside of her was heating up, meanwhile she pursed her lips together.

“Brian and I are seeing each other,” she blurted out, not quite sure where to place her gaze, meanwhile the words reached her parents’ ears.

Silence fell over the three of them, making Jade instantly regret what she had just confessed, as she stabbed her fork into her meat, trying to keep herself occupied.

“Jade, that’s very… uhm,” Javier stated, lacing his fingers together, not really sure what to say.

“Surprising,” Esther suggested, exchanging a look with her husband.

“Yeah, really,” he agreed. “We mean, you’re so young,”

“Dad, I’m seventeen,” she muffled. “And we’ve been together for quite some time now,” she confessed lowly.

“Oh…” he sighed.

“Aren’t you guys moving a little too fast?” Esther asked. “You are both still kids, and perhaps a little too young to start seeing people like that?” she went on, not entirely sure how to speak about this, as she had never experienced it before.

“Mom, we’re teenagers…” Jade said. “It’s not like we’re engaged or expecting a child. Dating is very common at this age,” she told her.

“Well, I still think you’re a bit too young to be seeing someone right now,” her mother concluded. “What do you think, Javier?” the way the older woman looked at her husband made it obvious that she was asking him because she needed his support.

“I agree with your mother, Jade,” Javier stated, looking over at his daughter. “You are in fact leaving for Connecticut soon, and keeping yourself busy with a boyfriend is just unnecessary. You should focus on Yale. That’s where your head and future should be,”

Jade could feel the tears that stung her eyes to the brim. Her lips started trembling, and she did everything in her power in order to keep them together. She had no idea how to react to these comments, as it really broke her heart to see her parents react like this, especially when Brian’s parents had been so welcoming.

“Sweetheart, you understand that, right?” her father spoke, wanting to place his hand on top of hers, but soon noticing how she freed her hand from him.

“Come on, honey. Don’t be rude. We’re just being honest with you,” her mother said to her. “I’m not having this behaviour at my dinner table,”

Jade could feel the anger dwell up inside of her. She had never been a furious person, and not even Brian during her first days in Huntington had pushed her over the edge. However now everything was different, because now it was her parents who refused to respect her decision, not even after all she had sacrificed for them.

“I want you to break up with Brian, and keep focusing on your goal,” Javier said, this time making her snap.

My goal? Don’t you mean your goal? You have never asked me what I wanna do after high school. You just assumed I wanted to follow your path and go to Yale!” Jade said, realizing how fragile her voice sounded.

“Jade, that’s enough!” her mother snapped. “You do not get to speak to us like this! We’re your parents. We know what’s best for you,”

“I wish you did, but you don’t. I’ve sacrificed so much for your success and learned to never put myself first. It’s always been about your career in my life, and now I wanna have something nice for myself,” Jade stated, feeling the tears that threatened to slip down her face.

“Honey, I understand that you think you like this guy, but you’re too young to know what love is,” Esther went on, only making her daughter more furious.

Jade got to her feet, clenching her fists. “I know what love is, mother, and it’s not dictating your kid’s life. I like Brian, and he likes me. I’m not ditching college just because I got myself a boyfriend. My grades are still the same and so am I,” she half-snarled at her mother.

Esther suddenly got to her feet as well, her temper rising at how her daughter had spoken to her.

“Jade Celía Perez! We did not raise you like this! We’ve always loved you, that’s why we’ve been moving so many times, because we wanted to make sure you had all your options on the table when you were going to choose a college! You do not get to lecture me or your father about how to raise a kid. We did an excellent job until that boy came into your life!”

Jade could feel the pain settled in her chest by her mother’s words. The tears soon fell from her eyes and ran down her cheeks, making her face feel dry, as she sniffled.

“Esther,” Javier spoke, his voice a lot softer than his wife’s, as he too got to his feet. “I think that’s enough. Why don’t we sit down and enjoy some dessert? We have pumpkin tart in the fridge,” he suggested.

“I think I just lost my appetite. Excuse me,” Jade muffled under her voice, shoving her chair into the table and storming up stairs, not wanting her parents to see how much damage their words had caused.

Jade’s trembling hands shut the door with a loud crack behind her, her body resting against it, meanwhile she sank down until she hit the floor. The tears kept emerging from her eyes, and the pain in her chest only grew by each sob that left her lips.

It felt so terribly unfair.

She had always sacrificed her own happiness in order to please her parents, and she had always done what they had wanted her. Brian was the first person in her life to point this out for her, and to actually encourage her to be herself. He wanted her to be herself, because that was the person he had fallen for.
Jade buried her face into her hands, her entire body shaking for another good ten minutes, before she pressed her phone to her ear, hitting her button after she had dialed the right number.

“Hi, babe. I’m practicing with the guys. Can I call you later?” Brian responded almost instantly, his other hand holding unto the neck of his guitar, meanwhile the guys started yelling at him, telling him that he had to disconnect from his girlfriend for once.

“Bri, I really need you,” Jade all but sobbed into the phone, making a cold shiver run down his spine.
He had barely seen her cry before, and the sound of her voice cracking against his ear was too much for him.

“Sweet, what happened?” he urged, panic rising inside of him.

“I need to get out of here,” the redhead pleaded. “Can you please come and get me? I can’t stay in here now,” she went on, her sobs still reaching the other line.

“Of course, honey. I’ll be there in five,” he promised, slipping his phone into his jeans and rushing for his car keys.

“I gotta go, guys. Something’s up with Jade. I think it’s bad,” Brian announced, barely looking at how his mates reacted, before he all but threw his guitar into Val’s hands and jogged towards his car.

He had no idea what had happened with Jade, but by the sound of her voice, he assumed it was bad.

Really bad.
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Jade's outfit

Aww, I feel so bad for Jade! Poor baby! How will Brian react to this? Will he lose his temper when he sees her? Comment and find out!

2 comments = next update!