Chapter 9

“Is Kaden trying to get the poor girl killed?” Vanessa asked with raised eyebrows, a furious look in her dark eyes as she stared at her sad friend who was sprawled out on her bed, laying on her stomach and still in the clothes she wore to the date which she just came back from.

Jemima lifted her head up from the pillow so she could speak without sounding muffled. “I was angry at first but now I’m just-” a sad sigh left her lips, “I’m his girlfriend and he just put me to the side for some girl without a second thought.”

“That’s really fucked up,” Zoe shook her head, then dug into the to-go box, pulling out a handful of cold potato fries and shoving them in her mouth.

“I always knew that boy was a good for nothing cheater,” Vanessa scoffed.

“…he didn’t cheat on me.”

“Do you want me to take care of both of them? My older cousin knows people…so I know people.”

Jemima’s head fell back into the fluffy pink pillow, “I’ll let you know if it gets that bad Zo.”

“This is ridiculous!” Vanessa got up and began pacing, “that boy has always been all over you but the minute some new girl shows up, he can’t even walk you up to your apartment, let alone open the car door for you!”

Hell, she was so angry at seeing Kaden jump out and open the door for the girl that she barely paid attention to another bigger issue- he didn’t walk her up to her apartment.

Kaden always walked her up to her apartment.

“You guys are supposed to help me feel better,” she groaned into the pillow.

She felt a hand rub her ankle. “There, there little one, you won’t suffer for long.”

She kicked her leg up to get Zoe’s hand off her.

“Enough with this wallowing, we need a plan,” She heard Vanessa say, her pacing coming to a halt, “get up.”

Groaning, she reluctantly rolled onto her back and took her time sitting up, “what plan?”

“To keep that new girl away from your man before she sinks her claws into him!” Vanessa declared.

“And she has claws for reals- pretty sure the girl has no idea what a mani-pedi is,” Zoe studied her perfectly manicured nails as she said this, eyebrows raised and lips curled up.

Jemima sighed, “girls I appreciate the help, but I told Kaden that I don’t want to fight for his attention, so if he’s going to let some new girl come between us, that’s all him, but I’m not going to sit around and wait for my heart to get broken.”

“That’s my girl,” Zoe gave her ankle another pat, a rare and proud smile on her face.

“Yes break his heart before he breaks yours, I’m so behind that!” Vanessa cheered and Jemima frowned.

“Now hold on, I never said-” the sound of her phone going off with a notification had her pausing her words, she reached over to the bedside table and pulled her phone from the charge.

It was a text from Benj of all people.

He better not be asking to see my notes again.

Ben10

Hi baby girl, ya good? I thought you and Kaden had a date tonight, why is he buying the new girl milkshakes at my aunts ice cream shop? Did you guys get into a fight or something? Let me know if I need to break his jaw…

Attached image.

Jemima opened the image to see a clear picture of Kaden and the new girl sitting comfortably at booth in Benj’s aunts ice cream shop while sharing a sundae, smiles on their faces with their eyes solely locked on each other, unaware of the camera capturing them in the moment.

Her grip on the phone tightened, she felt hot tears prick her eyes the longer she stared at the picture, not wanting to believe what she was seeing.

But it was there, in 4K with the perfect angle.

Right after ending their date night earlier than planned, he took the new girl out for ice cream to share an ice cream sundae.

She felt a painful tug at her heart, something between sadness and jealousy.

“What is it?” Zoe and Vanessa were next to her in an instant, both wanting to get a glimpse at her phone to see what had her mood dampening so fast.

“Oh no the fuck he didn’t!” Vanessa gasped.

“I’m calling my cousin!” Zoe got up and rushed out of the room to go find her phone which was somewhere in the living room.

“Baby,” Vanessa wrapped her arms around her friend after seeing tears roll down her face, “he’s not worth your tears.”

“Why would he do this to me?” She choked out through her sobs, “I’ve been- I’ve tried so hard to be the perfect girlfriend for him and yet-”

“Hey, hey, hey, we can’t jump to conclusions alright? Kaden loves you, everyone knows it and can see it, I mean, I’m not even his biggest fan right now but let’s give the boy the benefit of a doubt? As a concerned friend I’m telling you to dump his ass, but the psychologist part of me is advising you to maybe hear out his explanation before you make any decisions purely fuelled by your emotions.”

“I hate when the psychologist side of you is right,” Jemima sniffed, she softly patted her tear-stained cheeks with the back of her hand, “but you’re right, Kaden and I have been together for too long and we both love each other, I’m not going to let some girl ruin it all- definitely not going to let her make me feel insecure.”

That girl could enjoy Kaden’s very temporary attention while it lasted, because his eyes could go wandering and he could buy her all the ice cream in the world, but at the end of the day, his heart belonged to Jemima.

They were written in the stars for each other.

She was not going to give up on him so easily.

Yet, it still hurt to see him so willing to throw her to side the moment some pretty girl cries ‘help’ and bats her pretty lashes at him. It stung deep.

He abandoned their date and took her for ice cream right after.

“Ugh, what did I do wrong?” She couldn’t stop the tears as they continued to pour out of her eyes, her face felt hot and her nose suddenly felt stuffy as she sniffed through her cries. Vanessa squeezed her tighter as she cried.

“You’re not the problem Mima,” Zoe said, walking back into the room with her phone in her hand, “Kaden is confused and under the spell of that new girl, he’s a dumb boy who is making dumber choices, you’re not to blame in this.”

She sat on the other side of Jemima and wrapped her arms around her as well, creating a human sandwich. “My cousin said just give him the word.”

Jemima giggled through her tears, “no Zo, I don’t want them dead, but thank you,” her hands rested each of their arms that held her, “to both of you, I love you girls.”

“Yuck!”

Jemima laughed, expecting the reaction.

“What Zoe means is, we love you too,” Vanessa rested her head on top of hers, “and we’ve got your back no matter what.”

“For lifers?” Jemima asked.

“For lifers.”

“For lifers…or whatever.”

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