9.

When we arrived at school I was mentally prepared to be picked up by a cab instead of my parents, what I didn't expect was to see my mother among the other parents.

She was a short woman, thin, she was a natural brunette but her hair was currently bleached blonde, it reached her lower back. Her eyes were grey like mine, but she didn't have long full eyelashes like I had. People often say a girl will only have to look at her mother to see her future, and while my mother was almost fifty, she didn't look a day older than thirty.

While she looked good for her age, everything about her was an embarrassment to me, her alcoholism, her racism, and the way she always had treated me differently than my two older half-sisters who were from a Dutch dad, unlike me who was from a Native American dad.

While I was still holding Jake's hand she greeted me, I wished at that moment she had stayed away.

"Hello Jade, how was camp?" She had one of her good days when she pretended to care about me, so I played the part.

"I'm good mom, remember Jake, Lillith's brother?"

"Hello Jake, I didn't recognize you, god you have grown up so fast how are you?"

"I'm good madam, thank you for asking," he said while his aunt and uncle walked up to us.

My mother acted as if she cared, and was polite to the aunt and uncle who came to pick up Jake as a surprise, I was invited too. When my mother gave me a hug to say goodbye, I wished she felt to me the way she acted now, like a caring mother, I wished she could love me. Hopefully, she would in another life.

"Bonjour," Lillith said while her hair was under a plastic cap to deep condition her hair, obviously just done with a long hot shower while I was on the computer and went through the requests of kids from our school.

"Hi," I said while a notification popped up saying Jake tagged me in a post. I was nervous because I knew I had to tell Lillith about Jake and me. I clicked away the page and decided to get it over with.

"Lilly?"

"What's up?"

"I have to tell you something." The living room was empty, so we had the privacy we needed.

"Well, of course, you've been away for a week. How was camp?"

I took a deep breath before I answered. "Well, I have my first boyfriend," I admitted.

"Well, tell me all about him! Were you nervous? Who fell for who first?" A waterfall of questions left her mouth until I stopped her. 

"How about we go and sit somewhere comfortable and get a drink before I tell you," I suggested to ease my nerves. Lillith nodded and walked to her room to grab some drinks, together we sat down on the couch.

"Okay so, the thing is you know him." I had blurted it out before I could think. I could see Lillith thinking hard and deeply before her expression changed.

"No way, you're not telling me that..."

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

"Okay, tell me everything." Lillith's expression was blank.

So I told her everything. From the new friends I made to bumping into Jake, his weird behaviour the first day, the girls being mean to me and Jake showing me his caring side, making me feel wanted. Making me feel safe and hopeful.

"Honestly, I do think you deserve better than my brother, we both know he's a dipshit, but if he is good to you and makes you happy who am I to judge?"

I was relieved, she was okay with Jake and me. I did have one last doubt though. "Lilly?" 

"What?"

"Well, the only doubt I have is if it was just a camp thing," I admitted.

Lillith got a cheeky smile on her face and her eyes started to sparkle. "Only one way to find out." We opened my myspace to check everything together. 

Jake Miller: updated his relationship status.

Jake Miller wrote on your wall: miss you already <3< p>

While I just opened the last message I was tagged in Lillith walked in to take a seat next to me.

Ohh looks like my dipshit of a brother is head over heels for you, Lillith teased while reading the messages on the screen and seeing more notifications pop up.

As I rolled my eyes I felt my cheeks burn while a blush spread across my face. Being in love looks good on you, Lillith teased when she noticed my blush.

Josie had posted some of the pictures we had taken. The pictures were beautiful, looking at them I could not believe I looked at myself. I was saving them to post on my profile too when Lisa's voice called for Lillith and she left her spot next to mine to see what Lisa wanted.

I took one last glance at my profile and closed off everything I had open before I decided to stand up and grab a glass of water. When Lillith came out of the office a few minutes later she smiled.

"My aunt and uncle asked if I could stay over for the weekend, they felt like it would be good to bond a little."

"Nice," I felt myself instantly smiling. I was genuinely happy things were going so well for her lately.

Lillith frowned a little, "would it be okay with you though?"

"Why wouldn't it?"

"Well, I mean we are always together if they asked me you should come with me."

"Lilly, don't worry so much, they are your family, it's already really kind of them to include me as much as they do." Lillith smiled, happy I saw it that way.

When I laid down my diary my phone rang, an unknown number called me.

"Hello?"

"Jade," my mother's voice sounded over the phone. She never called me usually, and I frowned instantly.

"Yes Mom it's me, I said, why are you..."

Before I could reply she interrupted me. "Jade, we need to talk, any chance you can sneak away this week?"