Natasha’s P. O. V
I was really tired on my way back home. I didn’t know who had written that obscenity on my door. I didn’t even care. I was about ready to give up.
“Do you think that it was Stephanie?” asked Sean.
“Couldn’t be” said Wade, “She was with Jude”
“Yeah but she had enough time” with that Sean took his cell phone and called Jude.
“Jude is Stephanie with you? Uhuh, ok. No nothing bye” he turned to me and said, “she is with him”
I sighed and rested my head against the seat. Once we reached Wade’s home I ran straight into the bedroom and plopped on the bed. I called Joanna, “Nats I am so sorry about the other day”
“Its ok”
“Nats what’s wrong?”
“Nothing”
“Nats you sound really low, is your mom ok?”
“Yeah she’s fine” I sniffed and told Joey about the vandalism at my home.
“Oh Natasha! Why didn’t you call me earlier? Hold on I am coming there right now!”
“No its ok I am at Wade’s!” then I immediately bit my tongue and Joey asked, “Why are you at Wade’s? where is Jude?”
“He is not in town, he had to visit his parents, I took a rain check” I felt horrible lying to my best friend. But it couldn’t be helped.
“Alright let’s meet up for lunch tomorrow?”
“Ok”
I went and washed my face and ventured outside the room. I saw Wade and Sean deep in conversation. As soon as they saw me Sean beckoned me to sit by his side. I sat down and rested my head on his shoulder.
“We were thinking that we should go to the cops tomorrow and tell them about tonight’s incident.”
“No! please I have enough drama going on in my life, I don’t need this.”
“But Natasha-”
“No Wade! Besides you do realize that I am now associated with the Smith family the press will have a field day.”
“Ok, fine”
“Who do you think must’ve done that?” asked Sean
“I have no clue”
We sat there in silence and suddenly I spoke up, “I want to take her down”
“What?” asked Sean.
“Stephanie, I want to make her lose. I have to! I can’t let Jude marry her, I don’t care if he doesn’t love me but I will not let him marry her!”
“Whoa! Calm down Natasha” said Wade, “why do you care about that idiot so much. If he wants to get hurt let him go ahead”
“No Wade, I can’t” I whispered, “I can’t because I know he won’t come back from her betrayal once again. The Jude I met was a jerk; the one I got to know later was everything a girl dreams of. The way he loves Stephanie like a madman, well every girl craves that. He was the first guy Wade who didn’t call me emotional or clingy when I broke down. I was in two relationships and I learnt to bottle up all my emotions because I could not cry in front of them. Being with him was the first time I knew what its like to be taken care of instead of caring for someone.”
Wade and Sean both stared at me in silence. “You go girl” said Sean.
“Ok we need a plan to bring McBitch down”
“In order to that” said Wade, “you need to show you are everything he wants and Stephanie isn’t what he wants”
“Yeah thank you genius” said Sean, “We know that the question is how?”
We all sat thinking when suddenly Sean jumped up and said, “I got it!”
“What?” asked Wade and I at the same time.
“You need to keep shooting Stephanie down every time she tries to prove she has changed”
“How?”
“Let me think, we all know she is a gold digger right? Let us organize a shopping trip with Jude and let him see for himself the difference?”
“That is just the start, soon we will bring in all aspects; cooking, maintaining a home, kids everything!” said Sean
“You are awesome” I squealed, “I just need to ensure that he won’t cancel the wedding. Once we are married I have a year to make him fall for me!” I stood up and did a happy dance and soon Wade and Sean joined me.
‘Well” said Sean, “I am here for two more days so I have to set the wheels in motion at the same time he needs to feel insecure so you and Wade need to keep up your act”
“Ok” I nodded, we spoke some more and soon retired to our rooms. I woke up in the morning to terrible thumping. I realized someone was knocking on my door. Well trying to break it down is more like it. I mumbled a ‘come in’ and Sean waltzed in and squealed, “Guess what!”
“What Sean?” I pulled a pillow on my head and groaned when Sean pulled it right off.
“Sean!”
“Wake up sleeping beauty ahhhhh” he yelled as I turned to look at him. “What happened?” I asked startled.
“Natasha don’t take this the wrong way but you look hideous! Didn’t you remove your make up before sleeping?”
“Nope I was too tired”
“You look like a raccoon”
“Well thank you now what were you so excited about?”
“Wade called up Jude this morning and told him about last night and Jude didn’t even let him complete the conversation and moved out to come here”
“And?”
“Oh your funny when you’re ignorant”
‘Sean!”
“And that means that he is really worried about you and Stephanie is going to be pissed, they were together when Wade called”
“Yay” I muttered unenthusiastically.
“Get up and get dressed you can’t let him see you like this, remember visually scintillating”
I groaned and hurriedly dressed up. I wore a short denim skirt and a white shirt, I had to meet Joey for lunch later so I had to be dressed anyway. I tied my hair up in a pony tail, just as I finished applying lip gloss the doorbell rang. I stayed in my room.
“Where is Natasha?” yelled Jude and the next second he had barged into my room and pulled me into a fierce hug.
“Nats are you ok? What happened? Who was it?”
“I have no clue Jude” I said going warm all over, I had this fuzzy feeling and inhaled his scent deeply. I missed him; I smiled to myself as he rubbed his hand on my back. But my smile soon slipped of my face as soon as I heard the next words.
“She looks fine to me” I looked up to see Stephanie entering the room, she looked at me with pure hatred and it made my skin crawl to think how someone held so much malice inside them. Jude let go off me and turned and she quickly rearranged her face to look concerned. Oh God I hated her.
“And yes Stephanie I am fine, I am used to looking after myself so no biggie, but thanks for your concern Jude”
“What are you thanking me for? Natasha you are my responsibility!”
“No she’s not!”
“Stephanie just stay out of this” yelled Jude.
She quickly changed tracks and simpered, “I am sorry Jude but I don’t you to feel guilty for something that is not your fault.” I did a little victory dance in my head as Jude ignored her and sat down on the bed taking me with him.
“Natasha we should file a complaint”
“No Jude, I don’t want the unnecessary drama”
“But-”
“No Jude”
“Alright” he said throwing his hands up. “I want you to come back home.” I raised my eyebrows at him as Stephanie gasped. “Jude-.” He raised a hand and stopped her mid sentence. I smiled at him and said, “Jude I don’t think that is a good idea.”
“Nats my parents are coming to stay over for a few days. They already knew that we are living together and if you aren’t there they will wonder what is wrong. I mean I can make excuses for a day or so but beyond that they will get suspicious.” And just like that th warm, fuzzy feeling vanished. However I got some consolation looking at Stephanie’s upset face.
“Ok” I whispered.
“Thanks” and he smiled that heartbreaking smile. How could I refuse him anything? Sean walked in and said, “we are going for some shopping therapy to cheer Natasha up. You want to join us?”
“Yeah” said Jude enthusiastically.
“Oh” said Stephanie, I need a few things as well while Sean made a horrible face behind her back and I fought to stifle a giggle.
“Oh but I will meet you guys after lunch, I need to meet Joey.”
“Ok see you at the mall then” said Jude and left.
Wade and Sean decided to drop me off at the mall and go for lunch. I had asked Joey to meet me at McDonald’s. I went and saw that she was already seated there. I walked up o her and hugged her.
“Natasha you look gorgeous!”
“Thank you Joey you don’t look to bad yourself”
“So what has been happening?”
I brought her up to date about my visit to Jude’s parents and their impending visit.
“Wow I can’t believe you are getting married!”
“Yeah” I said feeling guilty once more, “you will be my chief bridesmaid right?”
“Are you kidding? Of course I will!”
Suddenly I spotted a familiar looking man two tables away from us. I was shocked to realize it was Nick. He had stubble and shadows under his eyes, he looked really haggard. He looked up suddenly and caught my eye. He walked up to my table and sat down un invited.
“Excuse me?” said Joey getting pissed.
“Natasha” he said smiling and making my skin crawl.
“Nick” I said in acknowledgement.
“You know him?” asked Joey wrinkling her nose in disgust.
“he is a friend of Jude’s”
“Oh ok” just the Joanna’s phone rang and she excused herself.
“What do you want?”
“Oh don’t be mean” he said, “my girlfriend left me, my parents have deserted me, I am one lonely guy. My best friend hates the sight of me.”
“Well I don’t know what you did to drive your parents away but with Jude and Stephanie its your own fault”
“What do you mean? Jude I get it but how was Stephanie breaking up with me my fault?”
“Didn’t you cheat on her?”
“What! Is that what the little tramp told you? I didn’t cheat on her! She broke up with me because I have no inheritance, my parents disowned me because I couldn’t get my act together and give up my wayward ways”
I felt my head reeling and I couldn’t breath for a minute. I knew it! I knew it that bitch didn’t come back because she had suddenly realized she loved Jude. I wanted to slap her or break her nose. Suddenly Nick got up and said, “she certainly wasn’t worth losing a friend” and walked away. I felt bad for him but I guess karma is a bitch, it comes to bite you in the ass when you least expect it. Now all I had to do was make Jude see Stephanie’s true colors. I started as my phone beeped, i had a message from an unknown number.
“I will get you bitch” and my hands started shaking, i tried calling but it said the number it didn’t exist. It was sent from a disposable phone. Who was this?