Page 6 of Not Your Enemy

“I’m about ready to call it a day on this,” Jade said with a sigh, standing up from the floor and stretching her arms out above her head.

“I can keep sorting. I know you were in here way longer than me today.” Jade shook her head at me and reached out a hand in my direction.

“You worked all day today, probably harder than me. Come on, let’s go rest for a bit.”

I accepted her outstretched hand, noticing the soft, warm skin that pressed gently against mine. She pulled me up easily,which wasn’t what I expected. She was a few inches taller than me, but I was definitely still heavier built than she was. Releasing my hand slowly, she made her way out of the room. Following her, we both took a seat in the living room, and I let out a contented moan to be sitting on something that wasn’t the hardwood floor.

“Hungry?” she asked after a few minutes, and I nodded lazily in response. I was worn out, to be honest. Every free moment I’d had today, I’d run to help Jade, not wanting to make her feel like I wasn’t doing my part. “Want to go out and get something? I don’t feel like cooking, and you need a break from it too.” She wasn’t wrong. I did not feel like cooking, and I kind of wanted to skip dinner altogether and just hit the hay.

“That sounds good, but is there anything around here to eat though?” She snickered at my comment before replying.

“So, we don’t have very many options, but there’s a Mexican restaurant in town, or we can ride over to that diner by Starks College.” I was very familiar with that diner, and while I enjoyed going there during my school days, I think I’d eaten enough of it to last a lifetime.

“Mexican works,” I replied, standing back up way too soon.

"Can you drive? I think I may fall asleep at the wheel." Laughing at her words, I nodded. "Uh, I could just kiss you, Libby." I quickly fled the room to grab my purse and hide my burning cheeks.

Chapter 5

Jade and I ordered our food, and we both seemed caught up in our phones for a bit. I’d texted Jana again, asking if she was alive and well since I still had not heard from her. When we got back home, I’d be calling her since she’d been leaving me on read for days now. Maybe she didn’t want to hear what I’m sure she thought would be complaints about her sister.

“Jade?” I heard a feminine voice speak and looked up to see a pretty, blonde-haired girl walking over to us.

“Hey, Crissy, how have you been?” Jade said, smiling warmly at her.

“I’ve been fine; how have you been? I haven’t seen you in years, girl. What are you doing back in town?”

“Oh well, I’ve been okay. Um, my dad passed away actually, so my friend and I have been cleaning out his place.” Jade gestured in my direction. Noticing me for the first time, Crissy looked over and smiled at me.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Jade. If you two need any help, just let me know. My husband can help too. He’s a contractor, so if there arerenovations needed to sell the place, I promise he’ll give you a good deal.”

“Thanks, Crissy; that’s so generous of you.”

“Of course, anything for you, girl. I still consider you a good friend of mine, you know. Call me sometime.”

Being here with Jade and away from Jana felt confusing. On one hand, she seemed to be super nice at times, which was odd considering Jana had described her as the antichrist. But beyond that, it didn’t seem like a show she was putting on. Maybe she had changed since the last time Jana had been around her. It had been years, after all.

Once Crissy was gone and we’d both taken a few bites of food, I inquired.

“So, Crissy had a lot of nice things to say about you,” I stated, sounding saltier than I’d intended. Jade looked up at me with a curious smirk.

“You jealous or something?” I’m sure my skin looked bright red.

“No, I just found it interesting. To be completely transparent, I’ve heard that you can be…not the nicest person. So, I guess it was just surprising.” She held that intense gaze on my face while she took another bite of her dinner.

“I wasn’t always the nicest person to Jana, that’s true. That being said, there are two sides to every story, you know.” I’m sure there was, and maybe Jana was dramatic in her retellings, which honestly wouldn’t be surprising.

“I can believe that.” I nodded, accepting the information.

“Crissy was just a good high school friend of mine, princess. No reason to be jealous.” I ground my teeth because she would not let that go.

“I never said I was jealous!” I stated a little too loudly, which led to her smirk turning into a full-grown grin.

“Bestie! I’m so sorry things have been nuts here!” Jana shouts into the phone as soon as she answers.

“I was starting to think you forgot about me,” I teased her, smiling at her familiar voice.

I lay back on Jana's bed, releasing a heavy breath from finally talking to her. Putting the phone on speaker, I wentback to my knitting. I'd been working on a pink and white striped blanket for the past few months. Doing something so repetitive with my hands often calmed my overactive brain.