Stuck With You

Broken Minds

Jasinda woke up the next morning super early and got bundled up. Sitting outside in the back, she lit a blunt and waited as the phone rang. Finally the phone picked up and she greeted her mama in french, "Bon Jour mama," Rhonda relaxed hearing her daughter's voice. "Bon Jour, how are you today Jasinda?" 

Jasinda smiled a little as the little flurry of morning snow sprinkled from the sky. "Fine. I'm with Malcolm and Darius right now." 

Rhonda stiffened, "Oh? Well maybe you should come here, with me. Your father...he has the jet this week, but I'm sure one of them could provide the means for you to get here." Jasinda winced knowing at the way her mama faltered at "your father" meant her mother had yet again been hurt. 

She could hear the quiver in her throat and it disgust her. Juno had yet again been callus with Rhonda's feelings. 

"I'm fine here mama...I want to stay." Rhonda leaned back in her seat. Sitting in the tea room in their chateau in Paris, Rhonda nervously fiddled with her diamond choker, "Jasinda...your brother and cousin don't need you lollygagging about while they try to work from home during this pandemic. Come here with me." 

Jasinda closed her eyes and breathed out, "Mama, I don't want to leave...because I'm with Leo." Rhonda was dead silent on the other end of the line. 

For what felt like forever, Jasinda patiently waited as she smoked her blunt. And then her mother began cussing and fussing and wanting to raise hell. Jasinda waited until her mama got it out of her system, watching her exhale mix with the cold air making her smoke cloud look bigger. 

"Jasinda!" Rhonda shouted suddenly scaring the hell out of her daughter, "Do you not know what that boy did?!" Jasinda blew out a breathe, "Mama, what he did is going to save everyone!" 

Rhonda almost laughed at how ridiculous her daughter sounded, "You think that half wit from Alabama is going to save us? Jasinda he's nothing but a common criminal who came up on money and weapons and thought he hit the lotto. The only thing is he read something he should have burned and forgot about. Instead he foolishly told my son and nephew and now both will die with him, I will NOT let you follow that imbecile down the rabbit hole." 

"I love he gave your brother and cousin to believe in the bigger picturez, but whatever plan they scheming up, they shouldn't bother. It'll never work how they plan, and I won't them drag you down with them." 

Jasinda licked her lips slowly, "Mama...I love you okay? And I want you to know that even though we've never been close, I'll always love you okay?" Rhonda choked up, "Jasinda?" Jasinda smiled a little, "When this is all over, I promise you'll see." 

Rhonda protested but Jasinda hung up and Rhonda was left in tears as Jasinda calmly sat the burner down and took out the sim. Tossing it away, Jasinda walked into the house and found Erica eating a salad as she typed away at her phone. Not saying a word, Jasinda fixed herself some hot chocolate and Erica watched her for a moment. 

"Did you do that because of me?" Jasinda stiffened for a moment before facing Erica, "No, I did it so Leo would know I love him and I wasn't going to hide our relationship. In a time like this, he NEEDS to know how I feel about him without a doubt." 

Erica looked at Jasinda for a moment and whispered, "I'm sorry." Jasinda shrugged, "Nothing I wouldn't have had to deal with eventually." Erica winced, "Yeah but in another way, on your own time. It could have been something talked out with understanding. Not thrown at your relationship for ammunition. It wasn't cool." 

Jasinda smiled a little, "It's fine." Erica shook her head, her long silky hair pulled back into a ponytail. "No it's not," Erica admitted as she pulled her cardigan over her hands, "I'm getting worse. And everyone can see it, Bonnie's just about sick of me snapping at her and my nieces. Can't say I blame her." 

Erica sniffled as she whispered, "I don't want my brother to get a divorce because I'm broken!" Jasinda hugged her older cousin tight, "You're not broken sweetie. You're hurting, it'll be okay." Erica looked at her younger cousin confused, "But when will it stop hurting cousin? When will it just f*****g end!" 

Erica sobbed as she rubbed her eyes, "Haven't I suffered enough?" Jasinda knew for a fact she had. But she also knew her cousin was stronger than this, "Erica, you're one of the strongest women I know. You need to pull yourself together...if you want to get better. You have to do better. Take the leap." 

Jasinda spent the afternoon talking with her cousin and left her to take a nap. When she was walking to her room though, she found Jade running from her brothers. "Whoa girl!" Jasinda teased when the beautiful girl almost ran her over. 

Jade bounced back as she looked at Jasinda hyped up, "S-sorry." Jasinda looked at Jade's kiss swollen lips and whispered, "You and my brother?" Jade tried to deny it, but then Malcolm came out of his room and smiled at them innocently, "We have a meeting to go to tonight. We're making final preparations." 

Jasinda watched Malcolm strut to Jade confidently, kiss her long and hard leaving her breathless before rumbling, "I'll try not to be home too late, I'll read to Niko tonight. You can relax...have a nice hot bath." 

Jade nodded mute and Malcolm smiled at her before kissing her one last time and walking away. Winking at his sister who shook her head at him in amusement. Jasinda waited for Jade to come to her senses and watched the young woman groan in agony, "f**k, every time he does that I get confused! What the hell did I just agree to this time?" 

Jasinda linked her arm through Jade's, "Nothing major, so spill, you and my brother were together...?" 

Jade sighed, "No, more like...infatuated? We never went there when we were kids...well we did get intimate but it only happened once and now..." Jade groaned as Jasinda led them into her room where Niko sat with a maid playing with her blocks. The maid left them alone and Jasinda grinned as Jade picked up her sister and held her close. 

"I have to take care of Niko. She needs to be my first priority." Jasinda nodded, "And that's very noble and awesome of you. Malcolm would never ask for that to change, he weirdly seems just as attached to her as you. And I know my brother, he has never liked babies." 

Jade rolled her eyes as she mumbled, "Maybe because he's so burnt out on having so many." Jasinda scoffed, "What? Who told you that? My brother doesn't have any kids!" Jade rolled her eyes, "My dad said he had two that he didn't know "for sure" were his. God only knows how many has doubled since then." 

Jasinda looked at Jade for amount and smiled, "Why do you do that?" Jade turned from her sister and paid attention to Jasinda, "Do what?" Jasinda licked her lips, "At first it was you need to take care of your sister, and then it was, he's a man w***e with twenty possible baby mamas. Why do you try to convince yourself you two can never be together when you know it's not what you want?" 

Jade closed her eyes for a moment, "Um...every since I met Malcolm Prince I've felt in sync and stupidly wanting. But I can't think with Malcolm around, every time his annoying ass is in my presence I melt and loose time, and then..." 

Jasinda gasped as Jade sniffled a little, "Look, I've always had feelings for him. But they just always come at a time where I can say I can take care of myself with or without. I don't need you...but I like having you around." 

Smiling a little Jasinda whispered,  "I know the fear of not wanting someone to take care of you. The fear that the moment they're done with you or you loose them, you'll loose everything." Jade nodded, "Yes, and I've already left two thousand dollars in a coffin can in the apartment I was staying in and I need to go back and get it before my aunt or uncle find it." 

 Jasinda sighed, "If they do I'll replace it." Jade winced, "You sound like your brother." Jasinda grinned, "Sorry." 

Jade laid her head back on the bed as she watched Niko gargle and play with her block content in her little world for now. "My mom made me promise I'd take care of Niko before she died. I have to the best of my ability so far. But I don't want to set her up for unnecessary heartbreak when it comes down to Malcolm." 

Confused, Jasinda watched Jade accept the block from her sister who looked at her and squealed, "Mama!" Jade blew her sister a kiss who returned the motion before going back to playing. "Niko sees me as her mama, because I'm all she knows." Jade muttered softly, "If she sees me with Malcolm, if he keeps being like this with us..." 

Jasinda nodded, "Niko will see him as her dad." Jade shook her head, "I won't set her up for that kind of heart break if he changes his mind." Jasinda hummed as she nodded in agreement. Looking at the little girl playing for a moment, Jasinda admitted, "I understand your fear. I really do." 

Jade met Jasinda's eyes as she noted, "But it doesn't look like he's ever changed his mind to me." Jade's eyes widened as Jasinda made her realize, "It seems like your the one always running away."