Chapter 73: It’s You!
I brought the cup of coffee to my mouth and sipped. My eyes passed around the small crowd cautiously, but so far, everyone was minding their business.
Seems like my disguise worked, if that’s what I’m gonna call it. I had changed my clothes, let my hair down, and worn sunglasses.
Now, I looked just as ordinary as anyone else here. It’s safe to think it’s working because so far no one has recognized me.
I set the cup down before looking out the window. Compared to how the last month has been, this was nice for a change.
I didn’t need to worry about intrusions, or face Ms. Plastic, bitches and of course that serpent.
For whatever minutes I have, I could just pretend that everything wasn’t turning to chaos, that my mind wasn’t in utter disarray... and the headaches, thinking, and confusion was just... a glitch.
I could still see those pictures as bright as day. Somehow, my brain couldn’t stop visualizing, and it frustrated me more that I felt more hurt than rage.
Hurt? Why the hell should I be hurt? I probably felt that way because of the thought that those rumors about Annabeth might be true.
That was it! That was the only reason, and not because I was a replacement for her or whatever nonsense Shane uttered.
"It’s you!"
At the sudden voice, I flinched and turned my head toward the approaching woman.
"W-Who?" I asked, trying to act confused and looking behind me.
"You..." she said again, so sure of herself.
I mean, there was no way anyone could just recognize me, even though my disguise wasn’t very good. It’s still one.
"I’m sorry... who are you talking about?"
She rolled her eyes and pointed to my hands. "I don’t see anyone else around here with nails like that."
What are the chances of being recognized by my nails?
"My bad. Of course you don’t remember me... It’s alright." She sat opposite me. "I’m Jade from the beauty house. I did those nails. That right there is one of my unique designs."
Oh.
"Jade."
"That’s me."
"I’m sorry I didn’t know it was you—that sounds silly."
"Nope! It doesn’t, and as I said, it’s alright. I see a lot of customers everyday, and I barely recognize them or ever see them again. It may be a small world but spoiler alert... the earth isn’t flat."
"Then how..."
"You left an impression," she remarked.
My mouth hung as I suddenly recalled a month ago when I told her I didn’t know Luca and Dante. Crap.
"I’m sorry..." I whispered. "I—"
"Lied?" She finished for me. "I kinda found out you did after the security team came in. Apparently, those two handsome dudes were your brother-in-laws. That wasn’t my best day." She added the last bit under her breath.
"I didn’t mean to put you in that position."
"Well, thankfully, I didn’t get fired. I may work for my aunt, but I can still get ganked."
I felt guilt slice through me. I don’t know much about it, but I figured something like that’d have been the case.
"Now you owe me coffee."
I blinked. "Come again?"
"You heard me... coffee. Good thing I’m free right now."
A smile slowly crept onto my lips. I made an order for her, and in a few minutes, she had her cappuccino.
"Yes!" She sipped, moaning delightfully. "You know this is like my fourth one. I don’t care if I have to visit the toilet until I collapse. This... any day, any time."
I let out a laugh, and the sound was so foreign to my ears, but I liked it.
"Why are you wearing sunglasses? It kills the idea of disguise, you know," she said.
"I-I don’t know what you mean."
Jade fixed me with a knowing look. "I may be new in the city, but I have literally seen your face everywhere. Now I know exactly who you are."
I cleared my throat. "Then the sunglasses are needed. It defeats the whole point of disguise if I take it off."
She shrugged. "True, but a wig would be good. That sells all the time."
"I’ll keep that in mind." I brushed a few strands of hair behind my ear.
"Yep! So tell me when are you coming for your nails, looks like you need a change."
"I’d love that, honestly. I think I’d also try that sample you made."
"I’m sensing a but?"
I forced a smile.
"I know this is not my place to ask... Are you okay?"
"No..." I replied, the most honest thing I have said for a while.
"Do you wanna talk about it?"
I swallowed thickly. "There’s um... I don’t even know where to start."
I probably shouldn’t, but I don’t know why I felt like I could ramble on without any worries. I think because out of the bitches in my life... she was different.
"We all start from somewhere, right? Trust me, it may be muddled, but a starting point is a good way to navigate. Whatever has a beginning has an end, right?"
"Yeah, I guess..." I replied softly; her words struck deep inside my heart, and somehow I found the courage to let everything out.
"Two years of my life have been like some lucid dream... even now it still does."
"You don’t smoke weed, do you?"
"No!" I chuckled.
Jade pinned me with a questioning look.
"I’m serious!"
"Just messing with ya." She winked.
I leveled my eyes to my hands on the table before looking back at her.
"I feel like I’m underwater most of the time, with sharks around me, and each of those sharks says nasty things. Their teeth sink into me, and I do my best not to let them rip me to bits."
"So these sharks... those nasty things they said... Do you believe them?"
I inhaled and exhaled sharply.
"There are proofs that it might be true, and I may have spent two years of my life defending a lie."
