Checkmate

EPISODE 3

LAURA’S POV

“You always do that. Why did you have to invite them, do you have any idea how my Mother must’ve felt?” Jade yells while I stand in silence at the front door. I should call my mother to come and pick me up. I sent her a quick message telling her to pick me up at Jade’s house. The yelling continues in the study and I’m not sure if I should just go inside or stay here, but it's cold and my entire body is numb from the cold.

I can’t quite make out what the fighting is about. All I know is that I’m cold and tired. My first day in Washington and it’s been a complete nightmare.

“Keep your mouth shut.” Mr Summers yell when I walked closer to avoid the cold.

“She has a right to know. You made her Mother....” I heard something fall before Jade could finish his sentence. I scrambled to the study and opened the door. Jade was lying on the floor with blood surging out of his mouth. Did his father actually hit him?

“Get out, Laura,” Jade yells, his eyes full of rage and pain at the same time. He stands up from the floor while Mr Summers pour himself a drink, with no remorse for hitting his son.

“Jade,” I mumbled, not even sure he heard me.

“Let’s go.” Jade grabs my hand, his eye busted and I can feel how he trembles while holding my hand.

“Jade, if you know what’s good for you, you will keep your mouth shut.” Mr Summers yells.

Jade is not looking back while opening the front door. He only whispered f**k you, but in a soft tone so that his father can’t hear him swearing at him.

We both stand on the front porch while Jade is pacing back and forth. I should say something, anything, to understand what’s going on, but I have a good feeling he’s just going to tell me it’s none of my business.

“Jade, my mother is picking me up. Do you want to go with me?” I’m not sure why I even invite him to come with me. He’s rude and an angry boy.

“No, your mother...” he kept quiet when my mother pulled into the driveway.

“What about my Mother?” I ask. My entire body shivering, I’ve never felt so cold in my entire life.

“Nothing, you should go home,” he answered, his back turned not looking at me.

“Jade.”

“Go home Laura.” he lets out with a sigh. I shook my head out of frustration and opened the passenger door. My mother started driving, not asking questions about the night I had.

Jeremy is sleeping in the car's backseat; my Mother’s eyes are focused on the road. I turned the heat up, and finally, my mother asked what happened.

“I don’t know. Jade punched some guy for flirting with me when I wasn’t showing interest in him, and then he yelled at his father about something she deserves to know, and before he could finish his sentence, his father hit him.”

My mother doesn’t respond to what I just told her, instead she kept quiet for almost the entire drive. We finally stopped at home. I can’t wait to change into my pyjamas and just climb into bed. The night was stressful and very confusing.

My Mother looked stressed when I told her what happened tonight, but then again, we are talking about my Mother, who stress about everything. Her hair would stand in the wrong direction and she would stress about it.

I honestly don’t know how she became a lawyer if she stresses so much, or let’s say ever since my father died she stressed about everything. I finally changed into warm pyjamas and cleaned my face, ready to climb into bed, when my mother knocked on my door.

“You can come in, Mother,” I said, while already cuddled underneath the blankets. My room still looks like a mess, with all the taped boxes everywhere.

“Laura, sorry for what you had to witness tonight, but I need you to stay away from Jade.” she looks frightened. I can’t tell if it’s because she wants to protect me or because she knows something.

“Why?” I asked, sitting straight up, my head resting against the headboard.

“Jade is a troubled kid, when your Father met the Summers he was already out of control, I never met them until tonight, although I and Mr Summers have spoken over the phone a few times, your Father knew them when he worked on cases with his Father. He might have saved you from the boy who flirted with you, but he plays with girls.”

She looks down while explaining to me why I should stay away from him. I nodded and hugged her. I still have questions about the way he acted out tonight, that’s just who I am, and that’s probably why I chose a law degree, but I trust my mother. After all, she knows them.

She kissed me on the forehead and switched off my lamp before she left my room.

I couldn’t sleep. Jade’s eyes kept haunting me, the pain and anger I saw tonight. I know Mother said he’s a troubled kid, but why? I need to stop with all the questions. My eyes finally drifted off.

.......

“Get out of my house or I’m calling the cops.” I heard my Mother yelling downstairs.

“I need to see her. Where is she?” is that Jade’s voice downstairs? I jumped out of bed and scramble downstairs where I found a fuming Jade standing in the doorway and my mother yelling at him to leave.

“What’s going on?”

“Laura, you need...” my mother pushed him outside and shut the door before he could finish his sentence.

“What’s going on?” I stand in surprise. I’ve never seen my mother use force to get rid of someone, yes force in court with defence but not physical force.

“Nothing, you need to stay away from him, I’m not asking again.”

“Laura?” Jade yells from outside.

“Mother, let me just speak to him,” I ask, but she refuses and grabbed my hand to walk upstairs.

“Laura, I just told you, he plays with girls like they're nothing, just for once listen to me, please and stay away from him.” she was out of breath by the time she finished her sentence.

“How am I supposed to stay away from him if you’re going to work for his abusive father?” I folded my arms like a typical teenage girl.

“Yes, I work for him, not you. Please get some rest.” she turned around and walked out of my room. I stare out of the window, but Jade left. Why would he turn up at my house if I invited him and he turned me down? What is so important that he would come here in the middle of the night?

I can hear my mother downstairs, making coffee, one cup after another.

I search ** to find Jade’s contact details. At first, I overthought by dialling his number. I promised my mother, but I have to know why he showed up here tonight.

“Hello,” he answers on the first ring.

“Hey, it’s Laura.”

“What is it?” he barks into the speaker, and I already feel annoyed with his tone.

“What we’re you doing here?”

“Nothing, I was drunk, forget about it.” he drops the call before I could say anything else.

Mother is right. He is a troubled kid and needs some manners. Anger filled me in minutes. I did nothing to offend him. He had no right to drop the phone on me. Maybe, for once, I would listen to my mother and just stay away from him.