“Fuck!”Xavier shouted. “Fuck! Fuuuck! You! B-bitch!”
His voice echoed in the garage, but it didn’t matter to Jade. She listened to all his gasps and whimpers. Listened to the way he begged, still standing in front of him with blood dripping off the sharp edge of the knife. She let him get it all out, neither Roman nor I daring to move without her permission.
“J-Jade…” Xavier gulped after a long while, struggling to stay conscious. “You can’t…you can’t kill me.” His head was slumped on his chest, but he still had the energy to beg for his life. “Y-you’re not that person. You’re not dark; you’re l-light. You’re a ray of s-sunshine!” Xavier sobbed, pulling on every string of empathy he thought existed within Jade tonight.
But she had none for him.
"I won't,” Jade said gingerly. “I said I won't kill you, but…oops.” Jade lowered her voice, sticking her hand in front of his face. “I…lied," she whispered, shoving two crossed fingers an inch away from his wide eye.
Stunned and nearly comatose, Xavier stared up at Jade, and she looked down at him, through his panting, through her glee, until she pulled back and pointed to me. "He'sgoing to kill you!"
My girl.
The three of us watched petrified and bloodied Xavier plead something until slowly, calmly, Jade turned away from him, giving me my cue.
I raised my arm, Jesús’s Taurus 92 already in my hand.
“N-no, Alex, wait! Man, don—”
The bullet blasted right through his skull, extinguishing his voice.
Once and for all.
None of us spoke or moved. We all just stood there, coming to terms with what we did. Whathedid.
As I admired the crater in Xavier’s forehead, I wondered how different it all would have been if I had killed him the night Jade climbed onto the roof. I made my decision then—impulsive and irresponsible.
But sometimes, you can’t put things off.Do it now. Not later, not tomorrow, not another time. Do what needs to be done.
The car ride back was quiet and dark, and this time, Jade insisted I ride in the front seat while Roman drove us to the marina to pick up his car.
"Can I have that burger now?" Jade requested, breaking the silence fifteen minutes after we left. As if predicting she would ask that, Roman passed her the food before she could even finish the sentence.
"Mmm. Best meal I ever had,” she added once she took a bite.
Her tormentor was gone, and she was finally free. Through the rearview mirror, I watched how she chewed slowly with her eyes closed, sighing every once in a while, but no longer crying. No longer afraid.
After a few bites, she stilled and leaned her head against the window, fast asleep when we made it to Roman's car.
"Don't thank me; I know you're about to launch into it," Roman interrupted me when I opened my mouth to do just that as soon as he turned the engine off. "Come to New York soon. I feel like Isla and Jade have a lot in common." He looked like he was finding the words, but I had no idea what that meant. With a huge smile on his face, Roman leaned in for a hug. “Brother! Miami was fun! Thank you!"
An hour later, just like I’d imagined, I carried a sleeping Jade into the little beach house.
Ourlittle beach house.
"I'm awake! I'm awake!" Jade shot her eyes open and scampered out of my arms. Still dazed, she blinked in the dim light, slowly recognizing where we were. “Wow. I didn’t think I’d ever be here again.”
Apprehensive and timid, Jade strolled inside, her dress shimmering the same way it did that first night I met her.
“I bit you right there!" Jade walked past the couch and toward the sliding doors, taking it all in.
And I…I propped myself against the wall and simply watched her.
"I fell in love with you on that beach,” Jade said, staring out the glass doors. “I remember I felt it. Unable to stop it. Both wanting it and…incredibly scared."
Tears prickled my eyes. It had all come full circle. After everything we lived through apart. After everything we lost.
We were finally here again.
