JADED

ADVENTURE

Shawn's eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he stared at Jade. She was wearing the violet colored gown he had picked out for her. He hadn't expected her to wear the dress but she did and she was looking stunning in it. The shade matched her skin color and together with her messy bun and bright eyes, Shawn felt she looked like a doll.

His lips curled up into a smile as he noticed the contrast between the bitchy Goth at school and his adorable best friend. She looked a thousand times friendlier than she did wearing all that Gothic stuff.

She walked toward him and he opened his mouth to say a compliment but he was cut short by a hit on his forehead. He grunted, placing his hand on his head as he watched the girl who had just jumped up to slap him, roll her eyes at him.

“What? It's beautiful and it suits you.” He defended, glad that she had worn it.

Jade scoffed, still rolling her eyes. “Suit? I'm looking like a doll. I hate it.”

“Uh.. Okay. But, if you you hate it that much, why did you wear it?” Shawn retorted.

“But, if you hate it that much, why did you wear it?” Jade mimicked, mockingly. “Let's go.” She said as she took her card from Shawn and began walking to to the cashier's table. She stopped by the shoe rack and picked a pair of purple sandals.

She reached the counter and placed her card on the table, ignoring the weird stare from the cashier. As she bent down so that the cashier could scan the clothes, she could feel the unhappiness within her but she didn't care. She was paying and that was all that mattered.

After a stressful session or turning around and bending over, she finally paid the bills and left the mall. She went and stood by her motorcycle and dialed a number. She didn't even end the call before a tall muscular man approached her. He was wearing black T-shirt and cargo pants with boots. He was black skinned and had very short but curly hair.

His back was turned toward the mall where Shawn was standing so he couldn't see his face. However, Shawn could feel that he was there to intimidate Jade. He ran toward them but before he reached, the strange man had ridden off on Jade's motorcycle.

He tried running after him but he sped away. Shawn sighed and ran back panting to where Jade was standing. She had a curious look on her face as she stared at him.

“Do we need to report that to the police?” He asked, breathing heavily.

Jade narrowed her eyes, confusion written all over her face. “Report what? That I asked my bodyguard to take my bike home?”

“He's your bodyguard?” Shawn asked, a bit relieved.

“You made me wear a dress, remember? So I can't ride a bike. And I can't leave it here either.” Jade explained. Her eyes lit up as she realized why he had been asking. “What did you think? That I had been robbed?”

“Yes. You can laugh at me for thinking that way. It's my fault for worrying too much.” Shawn mumbled, a pout forming on his face.

Jade gave a smirk. “You're so silly.” She teased and grinned widely as he frowned harder. She turned on her feet and faced the road, waving down a taxi.

The taxi stopped and she got into the backseat. After a few seconds, Shawn got onto the passenger seat sulking. Jade gave a soft chuckle before telling the driver their destination.

The car began moving and Jade leaned against the seat. She could see him looking at her through the rearview mirror. She mouthed him a thank you but he looked away, obviously dissatisfied.

Jade took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair. She leaned forward and placed her hand on his shoulder. He grunted as he shrugged her hand off but she placed it back. He turned his head and looked back at her, showing her his frown but she gave a light smile and mouthed him a sorry.

When his frown didn't change, she made a puppy face and a smile crept onto his face. He could never resist her puppy face.

Seeing the smile on his face, Jade gave a satisfied grin and turned her attention to her phone. Shawn grunted and faced forward. He turned on the radio and leaned back on his chair. From time to time, he would glance at Jade through the rearview mirror and see her still on her phone. Each time, his brows would crease and his lips would pout as he felt jealous of the attention she gave to her phone instead of him.

Soon, the taxi arrived at their destination - Dreamyland Amusement Park. They got off the taxi and walked into the park. Jade excused herself and went to pay for tickets, leaving Shawn to admire the place.

Shawn felt emotional as he looked around. The park was just like he'd imagined it to be. From the smell of candy in the air and the colorful environment to the costumed characters walking around the park, it was almost how he'd imagined it to be. The only slight difference was that it was a Wednesday and there weren't much people at the park.

He took a deep breath in as he thought of how he'd longed to visit here. How his parents had made empty promises to him whenever he'd asked them to take him. How he'd forced himself to believe he had no interest in these things anymore but deep down, he knew he still longed for it.

But, as he stood here, knowing he could finally satisfy the longing, he couldn't help but feel grateful to Jade. She wasn't really as cold as she portrayed herself to be.

He heard her call his name and he turned to look at her. She held a balloon and some cotton candy in her left hand and in her right arm were a pair of identical stuffed bunnies as she screamed at him to come to her. Shawn smiled as he walked to her. She never did change.

She placed one of the bunnies in his arms and a cotton candy in his hand then she began walking to the ferris wheel. Shawn looked at the bunny in his arm as he followed her. It was green in color. Smiling, he increased his steps and ate of the cotton candy. A sweet sensation rushed through him and as much as he tried to convince himself that it was the candy's doing, he knew that what gladdened him was the fact that Jade never forgot his favorite color.

He reached the ferris wheel and got on the capsule where Jade was seated. As soon as he shut the door, the wheel began to move. At first, it seemed like the capsule would break and then fall off and he held on tightly to his seat, but the wheel kept rotating and when the capsule reached the peak of the wheel, it stopped.

Shawn gaped as the ferris wheel came to a stop. He could feel the sunlight on his face and the gentle breeze coming in through the window of the capsule as it whipped his face. And when he looked down, he could see how high above the ground they were. His heartbeat increased and his head began to spin due to his fear of heights but he wasn't going to let it ruin the moment for him.

He took deep breaths to calm himself while pressing on his left pinky.

Jade noticed it and placed her arms around his shoulders. He looked at her and she smiled at him, reassuring him and making his racing heart decrease its speed. He smiled back at her and turned to look at his environment.

The park was in the heart of the city and Shawn could see the city from high up in the sky. He could spot the roof of his house from where it stood in the midst of other identical building. He could even see the roof of his school from up there. And he could see the sea, golden as a result of reflecting the light from the sea. It was a beautiful sight and a part of him wanted to stay forever but he knew he couldn't. He ate his candy while enjoying the view.

After what seemed like only seconds, Jade asked him to fasten his seat belt and he did so without questions. Just immediately, the wheel began to rotate again. This time it was faster and Shawn felt they would fall off. He screamed out his lungs out while Jade sat there laughing at him. Shawn vowed to give her a handful when they got out - if they made it out alive.

The wheel stopped rolling and Shawn bolted out of the capsule, running into the nearest toilet where he puked his guts out. He felt dizzy and his brain was telling him to never get on a ferris wheel again but he knew he enjoyed it too much to stop only at once. He'd definitely not ride another ferris wheel at the moment but he'd certainly ride it again.

He washed his face and went out to meet Jade. She was carrying his bunny which he left behind in the capsule while laughing uncontrollably. Shawn pouted as he grabbed his bunny and began walking away but Jade walked up to him and linking her arm with hers, she pulled him away to a stall.

As he entered the stall, different flavors filled his nose. It was a cake shop and a lot of cakes were on display. A rainbow decorated cake caught his eyes and as he looked at it, Jade followed his eyes. She pointed at it to the attendant who had come to meet her. After a brief discussion with the lady, Jade ushered Shawn to a table and as soon as they were seated, a variety of cakes were brought for them to taste.

Shawn smacked his lips as a piece of the rainbow cake was placed in front of him. He looked up excitedly at Jade and she smiled at him, mouthing to him to have a bite. He put a piece into his mouth and savored the taste. He had precisely cut out from the red layer and it tasted as good as it looked - like cherry.

He cut from the others and ate them. The orange layer had an orange flavor, the yellow tasted like mango while the green like kiwi. The blue layer tasted like blueberries, while the purple tasted like blackberries and black currant. Eaten together, the taste was magical and addictive.

As Shawn brought more pieces into his mouth, he could finally understand why his mother had told him that cake was bad for him. It was because of how good it was and how it made him want to eat more despite knowing it was high in sugar content and that there was a chance of him becoming diabetic.

But he didn't stop. Not until he finished that slice. Then he controlled himself, even refusing Jade's offer to pack some for him to take home. She still packed some but it was for herself and she clearly told that she wouldn't give him even a bite if he later asked of it and he really hoped she wouldn't.

They eventually left the park after he had had much fun. Then, they went on to a cinema to see a movie. There were a lot options to choose from and Jade gave Shawn the opportunity to make a choice, but he let her pick instead.

He regretted it immediately the movie started and he realized it was a horror movie. He didn't want to watch but Jade called him a chicken and he stayed back to watch. He had wanted to prove that he wasn't a ‘chicken’ but he ended up proving her right.

He had clutched the arm of the seat all through and when a zombie in the movie ate his own eye, he ran out to the restroom and puked his guts out. After stalling for a few minutes, he went back in. The movie didn't get any better and he hoped Jade wouldn't notice how scared he was. He felt as though the door would break open and a horde of zombies would enter, killing them all.

He tried his best to keep his focus on the screen, ignoring the muffled noise around him. However, when he heard a low growling beside him, he turned to look at Jade and he began screaming at the top of his lungs. Jade had somehow managed to make herself look like a zombie in the few minutes he was gone. She had plunged at him like she wanted to bite him when he looked at her and as he screamed, she couldn't help but laugh.

They were eventually thrown out of the cinema for disrupting the peace but after Jade had managed to convince Shawn that it was just makeup. She washed it off her face as Shawn couldn't bear to look at her. As they walked out of the cinema, Shawn grumbled about the prank while Jade kept laughing.

She couldn't remember the last time she laughed that hard. She couldn't remember the last time she had been sincerely happy. She had never imagined she would ever be that happy again. But she knew it wouldn't last. And this time, it ended faster than she expected.

As they walked on the sidewalk, looking for a taxi, a man slapped Jade's butt. He had an evil smirk on his face as he eyed Jade lustfully. Placing his hand on her hair, he brazenly asked her to name her price. Shawn wanted to fight him but Jade told him not to. She simply brushed off his hand and walked away.