Jade looked back at Cat, oddly unsure of herself. Cat nodded encouragingly and ran off to make sure the gang was in place.
"Come on, you guys!" Cat exclaimed, grabbing Beck and pulling him out of the lunch line, causing him to not get his change. A couple minutes later, the rest of the group was seated at the table, Andre handing Beck his change.
"Thanks." Beck nodded. Looking around the Quad, his face scrunched up in confusion, "Where's Jade?"
"I don't know!" Cat yelled, "Why are you looking at me like that!?"
Before anyone could say anything, the clearing of a throat could be heard from the stage. They looked up and found Jade sitting on a stool in front of a microphone, her white acoustic guitar (with an outline of a lime green Tinkerbell-it was a Sweet Sixteen present from Beck) slung around her shoulder.
"So," Jade said once she had everyone's attention, "As a general rule, I don't apologize. It's pointless, because anyone can say 'I'm sorry' and not mean it. There are only two people in the world that I will ever say those words to. I tell you this, so you will know that I genuinely mean this. Beck, I'm so sorry. I'm a difficult person, but you put up with that for as long as you could. I didn't tell you enough, but I really did love you, and I still do. And I'm so sorry that I pushed you away. Anyway, Cat was telling me that I should do this and I agreed to get her to shut up. So, this is for you. It's the song you kept claiming was out song and I kept telling you that it stupid and that we didn't need a song. It came on Cat's iPod last night and I realized that you were right; like you were about most things. So, you better appreciate what I'm doing right now; that I'm putting aside my pride for you."
Beck smiled up at Jade, causing Cat to squeal happily, as Jade began to strum the guitar, closing her eyes and mentally preparing herself.
"You were in college working part time waitin' tables, left a small town, never looked back." Jade began, her voice fitting the style she wanted perfectly, memorizing Beck with the first note , "I was a flight risk with a fear of fallin', wondering why we bother with love if it never lasts."
"I say 'Can you believe it?', as we're lying on the couch?" Jade continued, her eyes closing tightly, "The moment I can see it. Yes, yes, I can see it now."
"Do you remember, we were sitting there by the water?" Jade slowly lifted her eyes, meeting Beck's eyes, memories of their first official date. Beck had taken her to the beach and they sat their long after the sun had set. He had been working up the nerve to do a little more than hold her hand, so he finally made a move, faking a stretch and bring his arms down across her shoulder. She had snorted and called him a dork, but leaned into body with a small smile on her face, which had caused his face to break out into a broad grin. "You put your arm around me for the first time. You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter. You are the best thing that's ever been mine."
"Flash forward and we're taking on the world together and there's a drawer of my things at your place," Jade finally broke her gaze with Beck, glancing back down at the guitar. When Beck had found out that her parents were rarely home, he had to do something for her. She had arrived at his RV the following to find that he had emptied out two drawers for her some of her things. He was the first person to ever try to figure Jade out, and he knew her better than anyone. It should have scared her, but instead, it made her feel safe, and wanted… and loved, for the first time in life. "You learn my secrets and you figure out why I'm guarded, you say we'll never make my parents' mistakes."
"But we got bills to pay," Jade slowly picked up the speed of the song, "We got nothing figured out. When it was hard to take, yes, yes, this is what I thought about."
"Do you remember, we were sitting there, by the water?" Jade's eyes were closed again, concentrating on just making the song sound good, and not crying, "You put your arm around me for the first time. You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter; you are the best thing that's ever been mine."
"Do you remember all the city lights on the water?" Jade raised her eyes, looking out over the students gathered to watch the performance, "You saw me start to believe for the first time. You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter; you are the best thing that's ever been mine. Oh, oh, oh."
"And I remember that fight two-thirty AM, as everything was slipping right out of our hands
I ran out crying and you followed me out into the street. Braced myself for the 'Goodbye', 'cause that's all I've ever known. Then you took me by surprise; you said, 'I'll never leave you alone'." Jade's eyes closed again, holding in tears. The fight had been their biggest fight ever. It was the night of Tori's first day, the night after Beck had kissed Tori. She had been over at the RV, watching cheesy 80s movies, her secret guilty pleasure that only Beck and Cat would ever know about, when, somehow the topic came up. Jade had stormed out of the RV, fully intending to walk the, roughly three miles, back to her house regardless that it 2:30 in the morning, when Beck had run out after her. She had asked him if he wanted to break up with her, fully intending him to say that he did, when she simply wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her forehead affectionate, murmuring that he would never leave her and that he loved her. That was the first time Beck had seen Jade cry, and it wouldn't be the last. "You said, 'I remember how we felt sitting by the water, and every time I look at you, it's like the first time I fell in love with a careless man's careful daughter; she is the best thing that's ever been mine'."
"You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter; you are the best thing that's ever been mine." Jade's eyes met Beck's again as she finished the song, "Do you believe it? We're gonna make it now. And I can see it; yes, yes I can see it now. "
Jade finished the song, stood up, and walked down the stairs, not looking at Beck and the rest of the group. She just walked past them and into the school.
"It's your turn now." Cat told Beck, shoving in the direction of the door.
Beck laughed slightly, but entered the school anyway. When some random girl pointed at the girls' restroom, Beck nodded his thanks and pushed open the door, not caring if anyone else was in there.
"Hey." he greeted, walking over to Jade and awkwardly putting his hands in his jean pockets to keep from touching her, something he had to start doing after they broke up.
"Hey." Jade replied, her voice barely a whisper.
"I love you." Beck said, looking her in the eyes.
"Beck." Jade took a deep breath, cursing herself as tears began to fill her eyes, "You broke your promise to me."
"I am so sorry." Beck replied, "I don't know what I was thinking. But I never regretted anything more than I regret ending it. Andre's been trying to get me to tell you since we broke up, but you just looked so collected, so Jade, and I thought that-"
Jade cut him off with simple, sweet, kiss. She smiled sweetly up at him and said, "Tell me you love me?"
"I love you." Beck kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms securely around her.
"I love you." Beck placed a kiss on the tip of her nose, causing her giggle quietly.
"I love you." Beck's eyes bore into hers before he captured her lips in a passionate kiss.
"I love you, too." Jade panted as they separated for air, as he rested his forehead against hers.
"Let's never break up again." Beck said, smiling down at HIS Jade.
"Deal." Jade gave him a stunning smile, pulling him back in for another kiss.
