"Jade? As in the person we swore to loathe for all eternity, Jade?"
"That's the one."
"May I askwhy?"
"I think Clover misses her, and I don't feel right keeping them apart anymore."
"And you want me there as a buffer so you don't accidentally do something you'll regret?"
"No. I'm not worried about that. I could just use some support. That's all."
"What made you change your mind?"
I sigh loud enough so that she can hear me. "That's a whole other story I have to tell you."
"Oooooo. I can't wait to hear all the tea! That's what the kids these days say, right, Winnie?"
"Moooooom." I can hear Winnie groaning in the background. Teenagers get so easily embarrassed. I'd be lying if I said I was looking forward to Clover getting there. At least for right now, she still thinks I'm the coolest person ever.
Raina laughs, and I can picture her side hugging Winnie as they walk through the mall and kissing her on the head, only embarrassing her more.
"Alright, anything else you want us to bring?"
"Nope, we should be all set."
"Great. See you tonight."
Raina cameover an hour earlier than when I told Jade to be here, and I filled her in on everything that's happened in the last 48 hours. We went through a full array of emotions, from excitement about Blake to sadness over Daisy to anger over Jade to nerves about how tonight is going to go.
Now, the five of us are sitting around the table with four homemade pizzas in front of us. The girls are giggling about something funny on Winnie's phone, and Jade is desperately trying to bond with Clover, like she's trying to make up for the last two years.
Clover was excited to see her, but you know kids; if there's nothing to keep their attention, they lose interest. To be honest, Jade doesn't really know Clover that much anymore. She was six the last time she saw her. Clover doesn't like the same things she did back then. Kids change fast, and Jade can see that now. I'm sure it's disheartening for her, but I can't take back the last two years and make things better for her. If she wants a relationship with Clover, she's going to have to figure that out for herself.
All I can do is try to stay out of her way as much as I can.
"So, Lovie, what are you learning in school right now?" Jade asks.
"I don't know."
"Come on, they've got to be teaching you something."
"Nobody calls me Lovie anymore, by the way."
"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie. I heard your dad call you that earlier, so I didn't realize."
She shrugs, likely not wanting to explain to Jade that I'm not on the same level as her, something she should understand.
"Do you know how you got that nickname?"
"Ummm. I don't know." Clover shrugs again, not even taking her eyes off Winnie's phone this time.
"Well, when you were little and learning to write your name, you realized that the middle letters of your name spelled 'love'. You got so excited and asked your mom if she named you that on purpose because she loved you so much."
At the mention of her mother, Clover turns all her attention to Jade with a curious look on her face.
"She told you yes, of course, because she didn't want to ruin it by telling you that she named you after a flower like her name, and also that she was so lucky to be your mommy, like a lucky four-leafed clover. You asked her to call you Love instead of Clover, which eventually turned into Lovie."
"I don't remember that."
