The Other Half || Jerrie

Chapter Six

When Jade started high school, Ashton Williams and her friends all left for boarding school and Jade found a few friends with the new girls that started at Rhythm School for Girls, most notably Selena, Eleanor and Hailee. Jade was also still staying in good contact with Leigh-Anne who now lived in Australia.

The fall of Jade’s freshman year also brought the Thirlwall family new neighbors in the form of recently divorced Johannah Deakin, the Columbia lacrosse coach, and her son Louis. Louis was only a year older than Jade and the two became great friends.

Louis was the one who insisted that Jade attend the end of year dance at his all-boys school to celebrate the end of her freshman year.

Jade knew that half the reason Louis wanted Jade to come was because she would bring Selena, Eleanor and Hailee with her and he had a not-so-subtle crush on Eleanor. It wasn’t until he promised to bring his cousin, however, that Jade had agreed.

Louis had told Jade all about his cousin and she had seen pictures of the girl. She also knew that she was the first girl in her grade to come out as a lesbian. Jade herself had never come out, but somehow everyone always knew. Maybe the taunts from fifth grade had stuck, but it had actually made life easier for Jade, never having to officially come out. Her dads had asked her several times over the years if she had crushes on anyone, never specifying a gender, simply prying the way parents do, but it wasn’t until the week before the dance that Jade finally gave them a response.

“Louis is bringing his cousin to the dance and she’s really pretty and also a lesbian, but I haven’t actually ever met her before.”

Callum and James grinned at each other, both having guessed right that their daughter was as gay as they were.

So the night of the dance Callum and James helped their daughter get ready and calmed her nerves while four and a half year old Karl tried his best to help by letting Jade hold his favorite stuffed animal.

Across the state line, Perrie was also getting ready for a school dance. The same dance, in fact. Everyone had her school had been invited to the dance as well and neither she nor Jesy ever missed a dance.

Both Perrie and Jesy were doing each other’s make-up in Perrie’s bathroom while Alexander and Debbie drove across town to pick up Harry. Perrie and her two best friends were going to take the train into the city together to the boys school where the dance was being held. It was the first time she was being allowed to take the train without an adult.

Jade met Hailee, Selena and Eleanor at their favorite diner for dinner before the dance. Eleanor was clearly just as excited as Louis was that they would both be at the dance. Hailee and Selena were happy to just have a good time, Hailee admitting that she wasn’t sure if she liked guys, girls or both. None of them were surprised when Jade told them about Louis’ cousin.

The train from Perrie’s town in Connecticut to the city was supposed to leave at 8:30 pm, so Perrie and Jesy were ready by just after eight, waiting in the Edwards’ kitchen as they munched on pizza. Jesy insisted she could eat whatever she wanted because of the workout she got on the varsity lacrosse team. Perrie insisted she could eat as much as she wanted because she wanted to. She had been cut from the lacrosse team during tryouts, but hadn’t been too bothered by it after realizing she enjoyed watching the game more than actually playing it.

Across town, Harry had just got into the car of his best friend’s parents, the couple who was basically his second set of parents. Debbie was like a mother to him after the loss of his own mother, as was Alex. He didn’t notice that Debbie smelled faintly of whiskey, something Alex hadn’t noticed either as his wife had gotten into the driver’s seat. Harry was too busy rehearsing the words he’d tell Perrie later that night, admitting that he was in love with her.

Jade and her friends were waiting with burgers and ice cream. All four girls were on the JV lacrosse team and very much in shape, but also always hungry.

At 8:15 pm Debbie realized that she would be cutting it close picking up Jesy and Perrie to take them with Harry to the train, so she picked up her speed. Neither Alex nor Harry noticed as they were too busy talking about what steps Harry would take to make sure he was safe getting into the city with the girls.

At 8:16 pm, Jade and her friends settled the bill and started heading across town to Louis’ school.

At 8:17 pm, Debbie sped through a light as it turned red, and swerving to avoid a car coming from her right, crashing right into oncoming traffic.

At 8:18 pm, Louis texted Jade to let her know that his cousin hadn’t arrived yet, but that she was probably on her way.

At 8:19 pm, Alex saw blood around him and placed a hand on his head, finding the source of the bleeding. He looked first over at his wife and saw shock on her face, but no blood. Somehow it wasn’t the blood he smelled, but the whiskey. And he made a choice.

At 8:20 pm, Jade tripped over her heel, she hated heels, and causing her and her friends to miss a subway, so they waited on the platform for the next one.

At 8:21 pm, Perrie called her dad’s cellphone to ask if they were almost at the house, but he didn’t pick up.

At 8:22 pm, Jade placed a braid in Hailee’s hair.

At 8:23 pm, Alex forced Debbie and Harry out of the car after seeing they were uninjured. Debbie placed pressure on his wound.

At 8:24 pm, Jade and her friends boarded the subway.

At 8:25 pm, Perrie called Harry, who didn’t pick up his phone and ranted at Jesy about how they were going to miss the train.

At 8:26 pm, Jade started to feel nervous again about meeting Louis’ cousin.

At 8:27 pm, an ambulance arrived at the site of the crash. Alex told the paramedics that he had been driving. Harry and Debbie nodded in agreement. He collapsed to the ground before the paramedics could get him on a stretcher.

At 8:28 pm, Alex was on a stretcher in the ambulance.

At 8:29 pm, Perrie called Debbie, but it was Harry who picked up after Debbie handed him the phone so she could go with Alex in the ambulance.

At 8:30 pm, Niall Nelson received a call from his sister and asked their foster parents if he could borrow a car to pick up Harry from the site of the accident and bring Perrie to the hospital.

At 8:31 pm, Jade stepped off the subway and started walking the two blocks from the subway stop to her neighbor’s school.

At 8:32 pm, Alex’s heart stopped and was restarted, his brain started to swell.

At 8:35 pm, Harry was in the car with Niall and they came to a stop in front of the Edwards house. Jesy and Perrie ran out in their heels and hopped in.

At 8:39 pm, Jade signed herself into the dance and started to look around for Louis.

At 8:45 pm, Alex was brought into the operating room to try and relieve the pressure on his brain.

At 8:49 pm, Perrie found her mother in the waiting room and fell crying into her arms.

At 8:56 pm, Louis received a text from his cousin saying that she’d arrived while Jade and Hailee belted out the words to Soulja Boy.

At 9:01 pm, Alexander Edwards was pronounced dead.

At 9:03 pm, Alex’s doctor came out and broke the news to Debbie and Perrie.

At 9:04 pm, Perrie yelled at Harry through tears, blaming him. If her parents hadn’t gone to pick him up, Alex would still be alive.

At 9:05 pm, Harry decided to take the blame for Debbie, because he knew that Perrie would hate her mother for killing her father. If there was one thing Harry knew, it was that you did whatever you could for your best friend, even that meant accepting her hate if it meant she could still have a mother to love.

At 9:07 pm, Louis introduced Jade to his cousin, Danielle Peazer.

At 10:32 pm, Jade had her first kiss.

At 10:32 pm, Perrie cried herself to sleep in her mom’s arms.