Fifty-four

A few hours later I was so excited to go on a date with Jade. I had bought two cinema tickets for us, and I couldn't wait to see her. I decided to go to her house and surprise her. I opened the door and waited for Jade's mother to call her.

"Jade, you have a visitor!" Jade's mother shouted from downstairs.

"Who is it?" Jade asked, sounding annoyed.

"It's Eloise, your girlfriend," Jade's mother said, sounding amused.

"Oh, Eloise, what are you doing here?" Jade said, appearing at the top of the stairs.

"I'm allowed to come here, anyway. Do I have to remind you that you're my girlfriend? And besides, what was Amber doing here?" I asked, noticing a Amber leaving through the back door.

"Don't worry about it. She and I are still training together for the tournament," Jade said, Should I believe her, I don't know.

"Oh, right. Ah, yes, tomorrow is Saturday, so I got us tickets so we can go see a movie together. Do you want to come with me?" I asked, hoping she would say yes.

"I'm sorry, but I have other things to do tomorrow," Jade said, making an excuse.

"But this time, we really don't spend much time together anymore. Besides being in high school, you don't want to spend time with me either. You know I really want to spend more time with you," I said, feeling hurt.

"Yeah, if you say so," Jade said, looking away. She couldn't even look me in the eye.

"Tell me something. What's been wrong since earlier? I feel like you don't really want to talk to me," I said, trying to understand.

"No, don't worry. It's nothing. I'm just exhausted after half training. You better go home, Eloise. I'll see you later," Jade said, dismissing me.

"Alright, I'll go. But first, can I have a kiss?" I asked, leaning in.

Jade just gave me a kiss on the cheek, barely touching me.

"But that's not a kiss. I want a real one, or I won't go," I said, pouting.

"No, Eloise, please go home," Jade said, pushing me towards the exit.

She didn't even say goodbye. She just closed the door behind me.

I felt a pang in my chest. I didn't know what was going on with her. Was she losing interest in me? Was she hiding something from me? I hoped not. I loved her so much, and I didn't want to lose her.

I looked at the cinema ticket in my hand. It was supposed to be a romantic date for us, but she didn't care. She didn't care about me at all.

I felt tears stinging my eyes. I clenched my fist and threw the ticket in the nearest bin. I didn't want to see it anymore.

I go home, not very happy. I had a bad day with Jade. She was distant and cold with me. She didn't want to go on a date with me. She didn't want to kiss me. She didn't want to tell me who she was waiting for and it was probably Amber. I felt like she was hiding something from me.

I eat my dinner, but I don't have any appetite. I just want to forget about everything and talk to someone who understands me. Someone who cares about me. Someone like the four little me leaving in my head..

I go to my room and lie down on my bed. I close my eyes and concentrate. I enter my mind and see the three other girls who look like me. They are the parts of my magic that I can use. 

"You're back, Eloise," the red-haired girl says, greeting me.

"Yes, it's about time. I love talking to you. I feel like only you can understand me," I say, smiling at her.

She is the one who is in charge of the red flames. She verry grumpy but can be nice and friendly. 

"If I have to sum it up, your girl doesn't want to spend any more time with you," the orange-haired girl says, mocking me.

She is the one who is in charge of the orange flames. She is the one who is rude and sarcastic. She is the one who doesn't like Yumi.

"I think you should try to give her more presents, maybe that would work," the yellow-haired girl says, suggesting.

She is the one who is in charge of the yellow flames. She is the one who is smart and helpful. She is the one who is neutral about Yumi.

"Yeah, it's not a bad idea. And you, Red, do you have something to add?" I ask, turning to the red-haired girl.

"Not really," she says, shrugging.

"Wait, I'll go see Yumi," I say, getting up and leaving the table.

I follow the red-haired girl to the dark corner of the room, where Yumi is waiting for me. She looks happy to see me.

"Hey, you're still here. It's about time you came to see us every day," Yumi says, smiling.

"Yes, but I love coming to see you. And I don't need to walk to see you, I just need to concentrate," I say, sitting next to her.

"Let me guess, you mean your so-called girlfriend," Yumi says, rolling her eyes.

"She's my girlfriend, and I really like her a lot," I say, defending her.

"If you ask me, I'm sure she's cheating on you, because normally she wouldn't ignore you so much," Yumi says, making me angry.

"Don't say that, it's impossible for her to do that," I say, denying it.

"Then let's make a bet. If she really is cheating on you and you find out, you'll have to let me go. Otherwise, I'll teach you how to use me," Yumi says, challenging me.

"Challenge accepted. But how long will this bet last?" I ask, curious.

"Let's say one month, do you agree?" Yumi asks, looking at me.

"Yes, I agree. And I'm sure I'll win, so that's even better," I say, confident.

"May the best man win," Yumi says, shaking my hand.

We talk for a while, and I feel better. She makes me laugh and forget about my problems. 

But then, I hear a voice calling me from the outside. It's Alana. She throws me off balance and I go back to the normal world.

"What's wrong?" I ask, opening my eyes.

"It's time to go to sleep, so lights out until tomorrow morning," Alana says, turning off the light.

"Good night, see you tomorrow," I say, lying down.

I close my eyes and try to sleep. But I can't. I think about Jade and Yumi. I think about love and betrayal. I think about magic and freedom. I think about the bet and the consequences. Tomorow the tournament start I'm so exited.