It's six months into the school year when the truth finally comes out. It's a seemingly normal day and for Jade it's actually been a better day than the days she's had lately. Though things are still slightly off between Beck and her, they've been getting along really well today...maybe too well. It almost felt too good to be true.
Everyone's in the main auditorium doing a rehearsal for one of Sikowitz's plays, and everything's going along as one would expect. Tori, Andre and Jade are practicing running through their lines together at one end of the room, and throughout the auditorium other kids in the play are doing the same. At the opposite end of the room Beck is by himself reading through his lines because he prefers to be alone while he tries to get into character. And Cat, who's been put in charge of costumes, can't seem to make herself get any real work done. She's in one of her overly hyper moods and rather than conducting her fittings like she's supposed to, she's trying on all of the costumes and bouncing around the auditorium every few minutes to show Beck all of her different looks. This type of odd behavior wasn't exactly out of the ordinary for Cat. The odd thing was that instead of asking her to go away and let him rehearse in peace like he probably wanted to, Beck was indulging her and playing along with her antics. Every time she'd approach him he'd just smile along and pretend like she really was the characters she dressed up as.
Jade watched them from across the room and rolled her eyes. Beck was way too nice sometimes. Why didn't he just tell the little ditz to quit bugging him?
Currently the unnatural redhead was sporting a long curly white wig adorned with tiny purple flowers and a big poofy dress styled straight out of the 1800s. She approached Beck twirling the end of the wig around her finger. "Guess who…." she sing-songed.
Beck looked up at her and smiled. But he pretended to be puzzled for a moment. "Umm let me see... George Washington? No...Thomas Jefferson?"
Cat sighed impatiently. "No silly! I'm Marie Antoinette."
Beck grinned at his friend. "Ah of course." He stood up and knelt down on one knee. "I must say your highness, thou art the fairest maiden this lowly serf hath ever laid eyes upon."
Cat giggled. "Why thank you kind smurf."
Jade watched as Sikowitz approached the pair, presumably to tell them to stop goofing off and get back to work. Cat pouted but then traipsed her way backstage to change back into her regular clothes and get back to taking people's measurements. Beck sat back down and started reading through his script again.
Jade turned her attention back to Andre and Tori who'd been staring at her because while she'd been watching her boyfriend, apparently it was her character's turn to speak.
"Um hello...earth to Jade?" Tori said, waving her hand in her face.
The goth girl flinched and blinked. She didn't know why she'd just let herself get so preoccupied watching Beck and Cat... Really it was Beck's actions she was trying to make sense of. He'd been acting really strange lately. All moody and distant all the time and the only time he seemed to smile was when he was playing along with Cat's stupid antics.
"Can we take five? I need a drink of water," Jade said. Andre shrugged and went to go talk to Beck, but Tori followed Jade out into the hallway to her locker.
"Hey is everything alright?" Tori asked.
Jade took a sip of her water and turned around, slamming her locker shut. "Yeah I'm fine. Great actually. In fact this is the best I've felt in a while."
"Really?" Tori said, skeptical.
"Yup."
"Oh so you mean you're finally gonna quit stealing your dad's cigarettes? And you're actually gonna get some sleep tonight and not have to overload yourself with caffeine just to make it through tomorrow?"
"Jesus what are you my mother?" Jade grit out.
"No. I'm just a concerned friend," Tori stated.
Jade sighed. She was beginning to regret letting Tori think they were friends. But there were certain things she couldn't always confide in Beck about and at times she'd find herself desperate enough to turn to Tori.
"Well if you're really concerned and you want to help you'll quit being such a buttinski."
Tori's jaw dropped, clearly offended by her comment. "I am not a buttinski!" she exclaimed following Jade back into the auditorium.
"Yeah you kinda are," Jade scoffed.
"I am not!" Tori insisted.
"Well you do have a habit of butting into people's problems and making them your own," Robbie said, appearing out of nowhere.
Tori narrowed her eyes at him. "Who even asked you Shapiro?"
Jade smirked. "Kid's kinda got a point doesn't he?"
"Ughh whatever. Look I'm just trying to make sure you're okay. After what happened between you and Beck you seemed pretty upset..."
"Everything's fine," Jade said, cutting her off. She didn't want to talk about her and Beck. "It was all a misunderstanding. Beck and I are good now."
"Really? So what happened?"
"Nothing. We just made up," Jade said, shrugging nonchalantly. Though inside she was happy and relieved thinking about it. Everything that happened earlier today was a sign their relationship was finally getting back on track. This morning Beck had brought her coffee without her even having to ask him to. And after third period they'd spent almost twenty minutes making out in the janitor's closet, something they used to do sophomore year when they first started dating.
"Well that was fast. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You guys' relationship has always been so solid I should've known you couldn't stay apart for long..."
Yep that's us, Jade thought. Hollywood Arts' most reliable couple.
Further conversation between the two girls was interrupted by what started out as a low rumbling coming from the floor. Jade and Tori exchanged glances as the rumbling got louder and stronger, shaking the floor beneath them. It took everyone a moment to realize what was happening because it was so sudden. But then everything around them started to shake and it became clear what was happening. One kid from across the room screamed out the obvious: "EARTHQUAKE!"
Sikowitz emerged from backstage. "Alright students, everyone remain calm. We're all gonna be fine because we all know the standard earthquake emergency procedure."
"Uh no we don't. You never went over that with us," Tori pointed out. "What do we do?!"
"Take cover and duck!" were the only instructions they were given by their teacher. Jade sighed and grabbed Tori by the wrist, pulling her underneath the nearest prop table. They both crouched down and covered their heads.
Jade quickly scanned the room looking for Beck to make sure he was safe. Even though she knew he most likely would be, since out of everyone in their group he'd always been the best in a crisis. But the fact that she couldn't see where he was troubled her. Especially since this earthquake appeared to be one of the more dangerous ones they'd experienced living in California. Fixtures in the auditorium were actually falling to the ground from the impact.
Cat, who had been off in her own little world backstage, realized too late what was happening. When she stepped out into the auditorium, light fixtures started falling to the ground all around her. The red-headed girl froze in shock as glass fell beside her, inches away from hitting her. "Cat get away from there!" Tori shouted, but the girl wouldn't move. She was too scared. She just crouched down and covered her head and shut her eyes.
And then, just as suddenly as it began, it was over. Once the ground stopped moving the students slowly began emerging from their hiding places. Cat stayed frozen in place still too shocked from the fact that she'd almost been seriously injured to move from her spot.
"Jesus Cat are you alright?" Tori asked, approaching her friend. But she froze when she saw all the broken glass around her. It was a miracle she hadn't been hurt.
Cat didn't say anything. But she opened her eyes and realized everyone was looking at her. Sikowitz came over and took her hand and helped her carefully step over all the glass.
"Cat we should probably get you to the nurse to make sure you're okay. Does anybody else need medical attention?" The teacher asked, and he looked around the room to make sure everyone was unharmed and accounted for. When he realized everyone was okay and at the most, just a little shaken up, he turned back to Cat. But the girl had completely ignored his suggestion to go to the nurse's office. She sniffled and ran over to Beck and wrapped her arms around him. The small girl buried her face in his chest and started to cry. Beck seemed a little caught off guard by the gesture, because unlike Cat, he was completely aware of all the eyes that were on them.
Across the room Jade froze staring at the two of them. It wasn't exactly odd for Cat to look to Beck for support when she was scared, because he'd always looked after her in that way. He'd always treated Cat like a little sister. But something about the sight in front of her didn't look so innocent. Maybe it was the fact that Cat had changed so much within the last six months. She'd definitely adopted a more "adult" style of dress, and now she was standing there with her mini skirt and her hooker heels, pressing up against Jade's boyfriend. But Beck's reaction to it was probably the most telling. He looked awkward, and it seemed it wasn't necessarily because the small girl was hugging him, but because she was doing it front of everyone. Jade watched him as he slowly rubbed her on the back, trying to soothe her but still make sure things looked completely platonic between them. Then he leaned down and whispered something in Cat's ear. Jade raised an eyebrow. Whatever it was it must have been the right thing to say because Cat pulled back from his chest and smiled at him. Beck smiled back at her seeing that he'd gotten her to stop crying. But then he looked over at Jade and his smile fell when he realized she'd been watching them the whole time. He slowly pulled away from Cat and went back to being an awkward statue. Jade could hear him telling Cat to go ahead to the nurse to get herself checked out. Cat wiped her tears with the palms of her hands and left the auditorium.
Beck quickly walked over to Jade. "Hey are you alright?"
"Y-yeah I'm fine," she said, her words coming out shakier than she wanted them to.
"You sure?" he asked, looking her in the eyes. "You look a little shaken up."
"I'm okay Beck. It's not like I've never been through an earthquake before. I've lived in California since I was two."
"Well it's one thing I don't think I'll ever get used to about living here… We don't get them like this in the great white north," he joked. Jade just rolled her eyes at him. She was annoyed that he was trying to act like everything was normal when it clearly wasn't. Everything had become so obvious to her in the previous moments.
"Please tell me more about what it was like growing up in your boring little Canadian hometown," she said, dryly.
As usual, Beck seemed unfazed by her sarcasm. "Why don't we get outta here in a bit and I tell you all about it. We can go to that hipster tea lounge you like so much?" he said, wrapping an arm around her waist.
Jade sighed. Beck trying so hard to be nice just irritated her even more, because now she knew why he was doing it and why he seemed to be trying so hard to get their relationship back on track these past few days. It was all to distract her from seeing the truth that had been right in front of her eyes the entire time. She was just too blind to see it.
But a part of Jade wondered if maybe she was jumping to conclusions too fast. She couldn't just outright accuse Beck of cheating on her with one of her closest friends. She really wanted to believe that she had just been misinterpreting things, but she needed to know for sure. And she realized that in order to find out the truth she was gonna have to act like everything was normal. If she kept acting so suspicious of him Beck would try even harder to cover his tracks. "Alright fine. Let's go."
The earthquake pretty much meant that rehearsals were done for the day. So the couple left the auditorium together. They stopped at their lockers to get their belongings and then headed for the exit. But Beck stopped before they made it through the door. "What's wrong? Did you forget something?" Jade asked.
"Uh, no. I was thinking... maybe we should check on Cat before we go?"
Jade glared at him. "Why…?"
"Because she's our friend and she almost got hurt?"
"Oh come on. That glass missed her by like three whole inches."
Beck placed a hand on her shoulder. "Jade relax. It'll only take a second. Then we can go. Okay?"
Jade sighed. But then she thought about it for a moment and realized this could be a good thing. "Alright fine. But you go on ahead. I'll wait for you outside in the car."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded. "Yeah take your time. I'll be in the car when you're ready."
"Okay," he said. And he handed her his car keys.
The couple parted ways and Jade waited a few moments before she followed him back inside the building. She knew one way to find out the truth would be to watch and see how they acted when they were by themselves. She paused at the corner outside of the hallway where the nurse's office was when she heard two people talking. She peeked around the corner and saw that it was Beck and Cat.
"You don't have to worry about me. I'm okay Beck. I didn't even get hurt," Cat was saying.
"Well what did the nurse say?" he asked her.
Cat shrugged. "I told her I was just a little scared after what happened so she gave me a cup of water and let me lie down for a few minutes."
"Okay. Well do you need a ride home? I can drop you off before me and Jade go out?"
Cat smiled. "I already called my mom and she's coming to pick me up. But thanks for offering...and for caring so much."
Jade swallowed hard. She already didn't like where this was going. She knew how Cat acted when she was flirting with someone. She'd bat her eyelashes at him and start playing with the hem of her skirt. These were all tell signs of behavior she exhibited whenever she was around a boy she really liked and right now she was doing all of those things.
"Cat just because we agreed to stop...doing what we were doing...doesn't mean I'd stop caring about you," Beck told her carefully.
Jade felt her heart stop. What the hell was he talking about and why was he standing so close to her? She watched him put his hand on her face, gently brushing her hair back and she watched Cat's face light up. Jade's eyes widened as Beck actually leaned into her, way too close to be considered normal. He spoke in a low voice, almost too quiet for her to hear but she was able to make out his words. "Remember what I told you back there? I meant it and that's not gonna change. No matter what happens with me and Jade okay?"
The small girl nodded. Jade saw minor hesitation in Cat's eyes at the mention of her name. But clearly remembering she and Jade were supposed to be friends wasn't enough to counteract the allure of kissing her too-perfect-wanted-by-every-girl-in-school boyfriend. When Beck leaned in to kiss her she certainly didn't move away.
Jade slowly backed away from the scene in front of her. A huge lump formed in her throat and tears pricked her eyes. She felt anger and confusion at what she'd just seen, and a million questions were running through her mind. What had Beck said to her in the auditorium after the earthquake? What exactly had they agreed to 'stop' doing and how long had it been going on? How far had they taken things? Beck had always told her that she was the love of his life and that he'd never felt about another girl the way he felt about Jade. Did this mean that he felt the same way about Cat? Had everything he'd ever told her been a lie?
She knew she could've just barged into the hallway and caught them red-handed in the middle of their little affair, but Jade wasn't ready to confront them just yet. Before she did that she wanted to know the complete and honest truth of how and why this happened, from the very beginning. And she knew she'd never be able to trust a word that came out of Cat or Beck's mouth ever again. So she'd just have to find out the truth another way.
On her way out of the building she passed Cat's locker and a thought popped into her mind. She and at least three other people knew Cat's locker combination because the ditzy girl could never quite remember it on her own. All Jade had to do was go into her locker and find that stupid journal she was always writing in. She knew that Cat couldn't keep a secret to save her life. But a secret like this she would have no choice but to hide it, so her journal would be the only place she'd really be able to spill her guts. When she opened Cat's locker, just as she suspected the journal was sitting right there in plain view. Jade grabbed it and shut the locker, and quickly left the building before Beck could catch up with her.
She took Beck's car, knowing that he was gonna be pissed when he went outside and found out that it and she were both gone, but she didn't care. Her mind was on overdrive with only one goal in mind. She started driving and didn't stop until she knew she was far enough away that she wouldn't be found. She ended up at a park one town over. By then Beck had probably realized she'd disappeared with his car because he started calling her cell phone.
Jade rolled her eyes, ignoring all of his messages. She shut off her phone and tossed it in the passenger seat. Then she grabbed Cat's journal and walked through the park until she found a secluded tree she could sit under. She sat down and started to read.
She wanted to know everything that happened, starting from the beginning.
