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⧫Jackson Young

Pretty Princess Restaurant, Cluoshire

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"I really am being bullied..." I mumbled under my breath with a shake of my head.

"Hmm? What are you mumbling about? Come on already!"

I followed behind Andria as she exits the shop. After closing up and relocking the restaurant. We both walk back to her car. It doesn't take too long to get to the place we were eating lunch. It wasn't anything I'm used to, a more small-time dinner. Mostly like a family-owned given the small size and rather home design. We sat down and the waiter brought over the menus. I frown almost as soon as see the selection.

"It's all spicy foods..."

"Yeah, isn't it great?!" Andria responds with a wide grin.

I let out a sigh in response.

She knows damn well that I don't like spicy foods. Before when we were young, she used to make me eat her chaotic concoctions when she was just learning how to cook. I swear it gave me PTSD. Since then spicy foods always make my stomach turn.

"You know I hate spicy foods."

"Oh boo ho. You're still acting like that after all these years?" She said.

"And who to blame for that?!"

She ignores me to flag down the waiter having chosen her meal already. Fortunately for me, there were some milder food options. After ordering, she turns up to me with a familiar calculating look.

"So, tell me. What crawled up your butt and died?"

I looked at her confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Jackson. I'm not an idiot, something is bothering you. That much is obvious even with all the posturing you do on a daily basis." She said with a pointed look.

Ah yes, my second and bigger reason that Andria and I are a chaotic mixed. 

She is a mindreader.

...Well okay no that's a lie but sometimes I swear to god she just knows too damn much.

I frown back at her with a glare. I wasn't about to discuss anything with her.

"Like I'll tell you anything. All you'll do is judge me like you always do. No thanks."

"Aw, come on. I always do that. But with love.." She said with a facial expression that I think was trying to express her support but just made her look constipated.

"No means no Andria. Ever heard of consent?"

She just sneers at me in response. Before she could try to dig further thankfully the waiter returns with our meal. Andria's meal was so spicy I could smell it from my seat which made my nose crinkle in disgust. I, on the other hand, had something more simple.

"Ugh Pad Thai? God, you are so boring!"

I glare up at her from my meal.

"Do I criticize your food choices? No, yeah didn't think so." I said before diving back to my meal.

I enjoy Pad Thai considering it's one of the milder to no spicy options most Thai restaurants offer. Andria just is too crazy with her food choices. She's eaten all kinds of strange shit and honestly, it always frightens me to go out to eat with her even in the past. It was like playing Russian roulette with my food palette.

"Bah, you're just a baby." She taking a large bite of her meal.

I don't give her another response and just continue to eat.

"Is it about a girl?"

I practically inhale my next bite and proceed to start a coughing fit. I scrambled to take a bring of my water while hacking up a lung.

"Well, that's a yes." She said casually like I was literally choking not 1 foot away from her.

After a good couple of minutes of coughing, I finally was able to speak.

"H-how the hell did you even think that?!"

"I mean, it doesn't take a genius to make that guess. And considering the rumors that have been flying around you, it was an educated guess."

I clam up almost immediately. I knew that things were bad but since it's been a few days since everything went to shit, it's always a hit to be reminded.

"Hmm, well your wrong."

"Oh, so it is a boy? Well, that is interesting" She said with a wide sly grin.

"W-what? NO! That's not what I mean."

"Getting mixed signals here cuz. Why don't you explained?"

God damn it, I'm actually going to rely on her, aren't I? Ugh, today just sucks.

After a kind of spotty explanation which was honestly hilarious to watch Andria's facial journey through. She then settles for an almost impressed look.

"I would say I'm almost impressed with how magically you managed to fuck up that badly. But then again I've been around you when we were younger. You in panic is a beautiful mess."

See, this is why I don't tell her shit.

"Thanks, Andria, lovely compliments all around."

"But that isn't everything, right? The way you reacted when I said a girl, begs that question that there's more?"

She likes a damn shark, the first whiff of blood and she won't stop and until she's devoured her prey whole. And telling her about Jasmine is like the very last thing I want to do.

Cause she knows about Jasmine. Hell, she came all the way from Paris, in a righteous fury because of the whole messy situation. So she is the very last person I would like to know if anyone.

"It's nothing."

"...It's that bitch again isn't it?"

The temperature around us drops significantly as I felt my heart drop into my stomach. I looked up slowly to see what I was dreading all along. Andria was fucking pissed.

"Andr-"

"Jackson shut the fuck up for a minute."

My mouth close with a click. The silence between us is just making my heart pound and I could feel a cold sweat building. She let out a sigh and pushes away her food.

"I'm guessing since Grams didn't seem bothered, she doesn't know? And if she doesn't know absolutely your parents don't. So that leaves twidle dee and dumb?"

I didn't say a word but as I said before Andria is like a shark. And she fucking knows too damn much.

"Since Jacob is an obtuse as a rock as times, I'm going on a limb and say he know jack all. Hayden on the other hand has some level of intellect to he knows or at least figured it out."

I felt flayed open, like a wound exposed for deep examination.

"When did this happen?"

"...A few days ago..." I said, feel a heavy sense of deja-vu to when I was younger.

"Jesus Christ, Jackson." She said with a disappointed huff.

"How? You know what- I don't give a fuck about that. Phone now."

I look up at her again shocked.

"W-what?"

"Are you deaf, give me your phone. Knowing you, she begged for your number and you folded like a house of cards from so damn crocodile tears."

And reason number 3 for my dislike of Andria. She's fucking mean. No one, not even Grams would do this.

I slowly and very reluctantly hand over my phone. She takes it and opens it with ease cause of course she remembers that password that I never change. Then with a few clicks, she tosses it down on the table.

"Done."

No doubt, Jasmine's number is both deleted and blocked. I could help the deep-seated dread that builds in my stomach. I knew, from then on, it wasn't going to be that simple. Something just told me that.

"Now we can get back to work." She said in a crisp business-like tone.

After that, she just dives back into a work conversation like everything that just took place didn't even happen. And I slowly but surely joined in.

But no matter what, I just couldn't shake that feeling.

Something bad was going to happen, and I hope to god that I was ready for it.