Work Text:
With a push of the wooden doors, Jade slid into her work complex.
Her keys rung against her purse as she entered the pale room, eyes scanning for a place to put her carried items down. Despite the clean, glossy look to the room, it wasn't hard to guess that it hadn't been organized in a while. A clutter of toys and other assorted items sat on a short bench, and not too far away was a deserted, spilled drink. Even a couple gumdrops were scattered on the ground!
Besides that, the room was clear--big, open windows covered the walls from head-to-toe on the left, while the rest was painted with almost-blindingly-white paint. There were only a couple accessories in the room; a counter, which separated a small, tidy kitchen from a living room-like setting; a surprisingly tidy couch; a television that was set on a wooden desk that looked like it may tip over any second now, due to the awkward angle; and, last but not least, a dog bed sitting promptly right next to the couch.
Jade gently made her way forwards and slid her purse and other belongings off onto the coffee table.
With a sigh, she raised a hand to wipe the sweat from off her brow. Today had not been a very stressful day, luckily—she got to tend to her plants and even got some time to chat with a few old buddies of hers! While she kept in contact with some, she always felt a bit… distant. A bit cut-off, a bit ignored from her usual groups.
Jade frowned, and paced forwards as she reached up and pulled her tightly-held ponytail down.
But she had nobody to blame for this but herself. She had always been a bit distant in communication, which was most likely due to a mostly-alone lifestyle she had lived since she had been a kid. So, in hindsight, it was her fault for not reaching out and instead being incredibly independent!
Jade adjusted her glasses, and absentmindedly opened the fridge.
There wasn’t all that much food—a few snacks here in there and juice boxes, but they held no use for her. It had been a while since she had cooked herself a meal, and there was some sort of market not-too-far down the street. She mentally decided to go down there soon and pick up some fresh produce; maybe she would even invite a few friends!
Jade’s stomach suddenly lurched, and she instinctively grabbed the edge of the counter, clutching her stomach. She steadied herself and bit her lip, struggling to think through the sudden dull pain of…
…of…
…of fear.
Growling under her breath, Jade steadied herself and wobbled towards the shelves on the other side of the room. She made a mental note to try to not be so overdramatic as she opened the shelf door and managed to pull out a wet rag.
She pulled up a chair after getting herself a glass of water and applied the rag to her forehead. This sucks.
Despite the fact that the sharp pain was now dulling rather quickly, Jade still felt… afraid. And, to be perfectly honest, she hated herself for it.
Her friends had been through so much more than her, and yet, she was afraid of just ringing them up and asking if they’d like to come over for dinner? She clicked her tongue and squeezed her eyes shut; she was such a coward.
Maybe she was more so scared of… disappointing them.
Her friends had always had a relatively clear image of her—a happy-go-lucky, laidback and intuitive gardener who was indirectly John’s brother and spent most of her time grinning with her buck teeth. And yet…
…yet she had so much more beneath the surface.
Jade took a deep breath and leaned back.
She was terrified of bringing her friends down.
But she knew this clearer than anything—she couldn’t bring her friends down! If she was in a bad mood—which she clearly was in now, due to her dumb overthinking—there was no reason to call her friends up. All she’d do is upset them, and she knew neither John or Rose or Dave had been very jolly lately. What was the purpose of bringing them together for a meal if she would just drag them farther and farther down with her problems?
Stupid, stupid, stupid!!!
But Jade had to do something. She had to cheer them up, and…
Jade felt her pocket buzz.
Sitting up straighter, she slid her hand into her pocket and pulled out her phone. The screen brimmed with light, and she pressed down to show the incoming call.
It was from Rose.
For a few seconds, Jade stiffened, just watching the phone vibrate and Rose’s stoic icon stare into her soul. She wasn’t sure when or where it was from—the background was a rough gray, and Rose’s hair looked spotless and her lips were pursed in an almost frown. Gee, she sure didn’t look very joyful—then again, she didn’t necessarily look very happy a lot of the time.
Jade listened to the ringtone come to an abrupt end, and the screen darkened again.
With a sigh, the dark-headed girl shut her eyes. The room seemed quieter—even the low hum of the air-conditioner seemed to dull, nothing but the background of a music track. Her head seemed clouded by the thick air, and beads of sweat began forming on her temple. It really was now or never, right?
She wasn’t really sure why this was such a big deal, and honestly, she felt kinda bad now! She felt bad for temporarily getting so angry at herself, for doubting herself… well, she still had a fair share of blame and she wasn’t exactly suddenly open to talking about why she was having such crappy days lately, but…
But maybe…maybe she could…
Maybe she could open up to them.
Preparing for the worst and holding in a breath, along with all her negative thoughts, the ghost of a smile lightened her face.
Jade hit recall.