THE BOY NEXT DOOR✓ EPISODE 119✓

For the next few days, Tatiana stays away from me. Jay is like a shadow; he follows me everywhere, only leaving me when I am nicely tucked in his parent's guest room. His parent's are nice people and they don't mind me staying at their place. At first, his mother was excited thinking Jay finally had a girlfriend but he laughed and told her that he liked being a hoe. She just shook her head and left the kitchen, claiming that Jay was a real pain in the ass. At the Thursday class, the professor keeps staring at me all through the lecture. I try hard to avoid meeting his gaze but it is inevitable. After that class, Jay whisks me out of the lecture hall in an insane speed and I am really glad that I don't have to talk to the creepy professor. Mom's wedding is on Saturday and she insists that I have to go home on Friday. We need to shop for my dress and jewellery. She wants me to go with Jade and Cara since she chose them to be her bridesmaids. I am the maid of honour of course. George and Zac show up from their searching spree that Thursday afternoon and we decide to pick Jade from her parent's place. I get a sinking feeling when they say that they couldn't trace Kain at all. George is convinced that Kain wouldn't have talked to them even if they did find him. I stay quiet, leaning on Zac's shoulder in the back seat while Jay and George sit in the front. "He is going to come back." Zac reassures me as the car speeds down the freeway. "That's becoming cliché." I reply with a sigh. "It is not. He might be mad at all of us, but we are his friends. Plus, he cares about you Bella." "It's been four days, Zac. No word from him, no nothing. What if he was involved in an accident?" He laughs lightly. "Kain is the best driver I know. He might have been angry, but he can't risk his life. His Mom can't live without him and he has to take care of his sister." Does his Mom know anything about his whereabouts? " He shakes his head. "We gave her a satisfactory lie. She knows he will be back." I nod absently. I'm not myself at all. **** Jade's parents live in a medium sized bungalow. It's nice and comfy and her Mom goes an extra mile to ensure that it's cozy by all means. She seems to be in her early forties and if I am not wrong, she is not very accommodating. She barely even smiles at us. We sit on the sumptuous leather couches while she makes tea and Jade sits with us although she appears to be withdrawn. She is not her usual happy self and I know instantly that something is bugging her. "Hey, are you okay?" I ask her quietly after she is done hugging everyone. She is seated between me and George who has a possessive arm wrapped around her. "No." She whispers back. "I am scared." "Of what?" "My dad. He is unwell." Then she rests her head on my shoulder and sobs. "He is at the hospital." "What is wrong with him?" I ask in concern and she sobs harder. "He is in the last stage of lung cancer. He is going to die." The others finally seem to notice that something is going on and they all turn to us with quizzical eyes When I tell them what Jade just told me, they are all speechless. "Can we drive to see him at the hospital?" Jay asks and Jade just nods while wiping her tears. "He is dying, Jay. The doctor told us he won't live long." "A doctor told you that?" George asks in disbelief. "Mom wanted the truth and they gave it to her. She has been withdrawn since then. She takes illicit drugs to help her stay sane which is laughable because she is going insane. She barely talks to me anymore. They are all going to die." George holds her against him and gently nuzzles her hair. "She won't die babe. You need her. She will be strong for you." She shakes her head. "You don't understand. My dad's savings have been depleted on the hospital bills and we still owe them. Mom is a housewife so she has nothing right now. I still need my tuition fees and hostel money and most importantly, we need to survive. We can't do that while we are wallowing in debts." "We will figure it out." George assures her while looking at her straight in the eye and she shakes her head. "I don't want anything from you." He rolls his eyes. "Can you stop being stubborn for once? Before that though, we are going to see your dad at the hospital." ** Jade's Dad seems to be in his early fifties but I can't be sure. He is lying on the hospital bed, his eyes closed. He has dark stubble on his cheeks and overall, he looks rugged. I think it's the cancer getting to him. "Dad." Jade calls him quietly while clutching his hand. He opens his eyes slowly and looks at her, his eyes glowing with pleasure when he recognizes her. "Hi sweetheart?" He asks her gently, his hand moving heavily to touch hers. "I brought my friends to see you." She gestures towards us. "You remember George, right?" "Your boyfriend. Of course I remember him. I can't forget someone who takes care of my daughter." "You have already met Jay and Zac as well. Now I want you to meet my new friend, Bella." He smiles tentatively then grimaces in pain. I feel bad for him, really bad. It's so sad that he has to suffer like this. "Bella. Come and shake my hand." He says pleasantly. I walk to him and lean over the bed, his cold hand clutching mine. "You are a beautiful girl. It's a pleasure to meet you." "It's nice meeting you too Sir." He coughs painfully before he talks. "Call me John." I nod, then make to move away from him when he releases my hand. Instantly, Ethan's pendant which is still hanging around my neck pops out of the blouse and dangles in front of me. I don't give it a thought and I start to tuck it back in. John, however reaches for it with narrowed eyes. He holds it in his hand, turning it around to inspect it. I start to get a little bit uncomfortable and I want to step back badly. Jade notices my discomfort and she turns to remove her father's hand from the pendant. He doesn't relent and his eyes are fixed on the tiny words engraved at the back. I never noticed them before. You are my forever love. "Dad?" Jade calls her father, trying to snap him from his little trance. "Did you buy this?" He finally breaks the silence, his eyes searching mine. "A friend gave it to me." "What friend?" He asks while shaking his head. "You don't know him." I reply uncertainly. I'm not sure where this is headed to. Did Ethan steal the pendant from someone? He distinctively told me that it belonged to his deceased mother. I hope he didn't lie. "I gave this to her on our first anniversary." He says absently, his fingers moving slowly over the words. "My Mom?" Jade asks in confusion. "No. My first wife." He replies, somehow struggling to breath. He seems to be getting worse with each passing second. "Where is she?" Jade asks in confusion. "She committed suicide." I gasp loudly. What the hell? "Did you two have a child before you divorced?" I ask, feigning little interest since I don't want to alarm the rest. "Yes. A son. He was a very handsome baby." "Where is he?" "I don't know. His mother left me when I..." He hesitates and Jade, who is totally confused, sits on the edge of the bed. "When you did what, Dad?" "When I cheated on her." "With my Mom?" He nods. "And you two still went ahead and got married?" Jade asks in disbelief. "I love your mother, Jade." "And you didn't love your first wife?" She asks hotly. She is really mad. "I thought I did, until I met your Mom. She left me and I couldn't trace her. I later learnt that she killed herself." "Does Mom know this?" He nods. "She knew everything." "So she knew you were married?" Jade almost yells. Her father's head falls. "Yes. Come on Jade. That was a long time ago." "What is wrong with all of you!? Where is my brother then? I want my brother!" "Jade...I don't know where they took him. He was taken to a foster home somewhere." Jesus Christ. If Ethan is not Jade's big brother then I'm a monkey's uncle. "Why didn't you live with him when his Mom died?" "Your mother didn't want him." Her dad shrugs innocently. "What is wrong with you people? I want my big brother!!" She's yelling like a banshee and she's almost getting hysterical. George quickly moves to hold her but she is inconsolable. She hits him while he drags her out of the room. Giving John one last look, I remove the pendant from my neck and place it in my bag. Then I walk out of the room. No one knows that I got the pendant from Ethan apart from Kain and Gianna. Jade doesn't seem to connect the dots since she is crying heavily the entire time so she doesn't ask me any questions. At home, she ignores her mother and hastily packs her clothes. Yet again, I'm in a position that I don't want to be in. How am I supposed to tell Jade that Ethan might or might not be her big brother? Will she get mad at me and leave like Kain? I don't want that to happen. I'm telling her everything as soon as we get an alone moment. And what is it with everyone being related to everyone?