I guess it's the risk you take when you have a guy for a best friend. Ladies... Beware!
ENJOY!!
The Veronicas - Secret
"Hey, I was wondering if now would be a good time... for us to talk."
That's how it all began. Everything was so simple up until that point. Who would've imagined that just a few simple words could change so much.
Once outside of the confines of Carson Hill High's walls, Jamie continued. "I... got something for ya." He softly spoke as he reached into his coat pocket. With a small smile his long time best friend Jude was naturally surprised. "Do you?" Jamie's smile widened as he pulled out a necklace and handed it to her. "I bought it off E-Bay. It's Joe Strummer's guitar pick."
"This is Joe Strummer's? Are you serious? That's awesome? Thank you... I love it." Jude was excited, but obviously dumbstruck... and not just because he was one of her favorite musicians ever. And it also wasn't because she was actually holding his guitar pick in her hands. No, what shocked her the most was that her best friend had turned it into a necklace for her. The whole thing blew her mind really. He had actually tracked it down, bought it for her, and taken something as priceless as that pick and turned it into a necklace.
She looked at the necklace in amazement as she held it. Not wanting to hurt his feelings, she put it on. Naturally, he made the leather strap it hung on long enough so that the pick rested right between her breasts, so that it was close to her heart. Once it was settled, he reached forward and picked up the pick, brushing his hand against her through the thin material of the t-shirt that she wore as he did so, before quickly releasing it to land back in it's original position. She felt an unusual vibe coming from her best friend, but shrugged it off as mere paranoia. After her little incident at the docks the day before with her new producer, she just assumed she was reading too much into it.
"Jude?" Jamie asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Yeah?" She tentatively asked, not quite sure what to expect next. So after taking a deep breath, he began. "We've been friends a long time, but I wanted to talk about a transition... to something more..." He trailed off, trying to gauge her reaction. After a few moments of silence and the look of shocked confusion on her face, he took that as response enough. "...but you don't, obviously."
Not wanting to lose her best friend, and honestly, not quite sure what to make of the whole situation, she tried to soften the blow. "I'm just... really confused. You just kinda came out of left field with this. Don't be mad, Jamie." Trying to cover up the hurt and disappointment, he cleared his throat and tried to change the subject. "I'm not... I just... I just can't believe that you're letting that hack change our song." "It's not our song, it's my song." She quickly replied, not caring anymore whether she made him mad or not. "But those lyrics... they're about us." He overanxiously reminded her.
Now beginning to get annoyed she defended her choice, because in the end it was her choice, her talent, her career, and inevitably, her song. "Right, and they OBVIOUSLY don't work anymore. They have to go." She replied flatly, stressing the word 'obviously' so he would realize that he was only making matters worse by continuing. He clearly didn't get the hint as he replied not only with a quick, but a very definite sounding response. "Yeah, just like me." And with that, he turned and walked away from the girl he had known since he was in diapers. As he walked away, she called to him to no avail, he was obviously upset with her.
After he had gone of out sight, Jude sat on the stone perimeter of the school's lawn and tried to wrap her mind around what had just transpired. Jamie had asked her out... Her Jamie... The same Jamie she had known her whole life. 'Wait a minute, Jamie?... But isn't he...?!'
You're a little obsessed with me
And I'm a little bit scared of you
The way you look and stare at me
Maybe it's time I let you know
Later that week, it was time for her big performance at the Vinyl Palace. She wasn't sure if he was going to show up considering the last time they had spoken was when he had attempted to ask her out, but she had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to stay away. Deep down, she knew that no matter how mad he was at her, there was no way that he would miss her big debut. It was what they had both been working towards since they were kids. No, he would be here. He wouldn't... no, couldn't miss this.
As expected, there he was, standing towards the rear of the room, trying to remain undetected. It was no use, he stuck out like a sore thumb. While the majority of the room was bouncing around, dancing to her new, faster version of "24 Hours", he and a only few other were not dancing. Thankfully though, he didn't look upset. She was relieved to see that he was actually smiling at her. At one point he even gave her a nod of reassurance. Although she was relieved that he wasn't mad at her, she knew he would be soon. What she was about to do would change everything for them. Well, actually, he had already done that, from her perspective at least. But this... this was more than likely going to end things forever between them. Nothing could ever be the same after this.
As she held the last notes of "24 Hours" she convinced herself yet one more time to go ahead with her plan. She kept reassuring herself that what she was about to do was indeed well deserved, besides he simply wouldn't take the hint any other way. He was asking for it after all. He had been the one who lied to her all this time. Well, maybe not lied to her per say. But he had definitely greatly mislead her all this time. Yes, it was his fault, he had been asking for trouble.
Finally, the song ended and she beamed at the hyperactive crowd screaming before her. "Wow! Thanks you guys! But before I get out of here tonight, I have one more song for you. It's a new one... In fact, I wrote it just the other night, so bear with me please. This is for... Well, you know who you are..." She trailed off as she winked at Jamie who was still in the back of the room. She turned towards her band to give them the cue to begin. There would be no turning back after this. "Hit it guys!"
You could call me six times
but still I won't pick up the phone
You could spend all your money on me
but still I'll say no
You could write a million
letters everyday confessing to me
That I am the girl of your dreams
But nobody ever asked me
I never looked at you that way
'Cause I always thought you were gay
As she finished the first verse, she saw the look of confusion overtake his face. Naturally she expected as much. He probably expected some sappy love song dedicated to him, telling him how sorry she was for the other day. 'Well, tough luck buddy.' She mused to herself. You brought this all on yourself.
Every time you come around
You just look me up and down
And then you try to hold my hand
I'm confused now I don't understand
As she sang, she couldn't help but think back over the last fourteen years she'd shared with him. Everything she once knew had recently just turned out to be one huge lie. She used to think it was sweet how he would hug her whenever he saw her, much like her girlfriends did. The thought that even though it had barely been a day since they had seen each other, yet still missed each other that much seemed quite endearing to her, well at least it used to. It was funny to think back on it now... It used to just be the three of them - Jude, Jamie and Kat. 'The Three Musketeers' as he used to call them "More like the three rejects" Kat had always corrected. Seriously, what guy has two chicks for his best friends?! 'Did he even have any male friends?' Jude wondered.
He used to give her fashion advice, if you could even call it that. No, he wasn't as stylish and fashion forward as Carson Kresley, but he knew enough so that she didn't come off looking stupid. Add his opinion to Kat's, who also happened to be her personal stylist, and she knew she had a look that would kill. She knew she could trust his taste, especially when she was questioning her own. And it wasn't just helping her to dress better, by being around him, her overall fashion judgment had indeed improved. They could be out in the mall and he would point out numerous fashion faux pas' that varied from the rise on some young stud's jeans to the so-last-season Vans that some poor clueless kid was sporting. At first, she feared that she would be a lost cause, but he wouldn't hear of it. In no time he had her not only recognizing some of the major fashion mistakes people commonly make, but also pointing out some that he had somehow overlooked. The student had soon become the teacher.
So, naturally, when his eyes would roam her body intently, she assumed he was making sure that he had taught her well... that she was indeed capable of actually dressing herself properly. And when his eyes seemed to linger on her chest, she figured he was evaluating whether or not he deemed the band who's logo she was currently donning musically acceptable. After all, he was her musical 'Gandolf', and would have been appalled to ever catch her in anything as outrageous as boy-band or plastic pop princess themed attire.
You could call me six times but still I won't pick up the phone
You could spend all your money on me
but still I'll say no
You could write a million letters everyday confessing to me
That I am the girl of your dreams
But nobody ever asked me
I never looked at you that way
'Cause I always thought you were gay
She really shouldn't have been really surprised by the Joe Strummer guitar pick. It wasn't like it was the first time he had gone to such lengths for presents for her. From tracking down really hard to find record albums to vintage band t-shirts, even ones from sold out tours over thirty years before. It was odd however that she never noticed how he only went all out like that her. She couldn't even remember the last time he had gotten Kat anything. Sure, he would pick up a little something, like a gift card to the mall or maybe take her to the thrift store for more fabric and supplies on her birthday. But he had never gone so far to get her something special.
He also hadn't made any of his signature mix CD's for Kat, while Jude had a fast growing collection. She used to think that it was adorable, that he was just into music as much as she was and was just sharing whatever songs that just so happened to be stuck in his sweet little homo head at the time. But now that she thought about it, all of his "Pint Sized Songs" mixes were a little over the top. Come on, what straight man comes up with "Pint Sized Songs of Love" anyways? The songs were usually kind of girly and were always filled with hidden meanings and innuendo that she had somehow overlooked until now. And the intricate collages on the covers were usually filled with images of the two of them that, as he had always told her, showcased how truly gorgeous she was, both inside and out. Why would she have ever read anything into it, he was her gay best friend... Right?
You told me lies
You made me believe
It would be fine
If there was nothing to see
I'd be undressing in front of you
I told you secrets that no one else knew
And if all of that wasn't bad enough, to make matters worse, she had let herself get way too comfortable with him over the years. After she, and many others, had realized (or so they thought) that he was gay, she began to not see him as a guy at all. He was just 'one of the girls' to her. There was no nervousness or self-consciousness that she seemed to feel around other boys. He was much like Kat to her. They knew just about everything about each other. They shared secrets, their hopes and dreams, greatest fears, their most embarrassing moments and even their dirtiest fantasies. It was all pretty much just 'girl talk' to Jude.
They would even have sleep overs, whether it be in the house or in a tent in the backyard. Her parents we were never worried or suspicious, because, well, it was Jamie after all. It also wasn't an uncommon occurrence for her to strip down to practically nothing right in front of him before eventually putting on her pajamas before bed when he would sleep over. Instead of making him sleep on the floor or in another room like she (and her parents) would make any other guy, he slept in her bed with her. He would wrap his arms around her and hold her tight, calling her his 'cuddly teddy bear'. It was Jamie, her Jamie, so she never thought anything of it.
As she sang, the memories kept flooding her mind. She soon remembered something even worse, something so appalling, that made her little song of revenge even more so well deserved. She now thought back to the past few summers spent at her family's farmhouse a few hours away. There were times when he and Kat would go with her and her family so she wouldn't be completely bored and alone as her sister Sadie basically wanted nothing to do with her anymore.
Being that far out from civilization meant no television, no internet access, and no cell phone reception, so it was up to them to entertain themselves. While it never got too hot, it would get really, really warm. Of course, Jude's parents being, well, Jude's parents, refused to use the air conditioner, preferring to enjoy the true beauty of nature and all of it's warmth since it wouldn't be long before they would be craving it - kind of a "enjoy it while you have it" sort of mentality. The three would always end up going to swim in this large pond that was near the main road, yet still hidden by all of the thick brush and trees that had grown up around it.
While they usually remembered to wear their swimsuits, on more than one occasion they had forgotten to pack them before they left the city. Naturally, they didn't want to get their clothes soaked, so they instead went skinny dipping. Jamie seemed a little uneasy at first, but the girls soon reassured him. It was just them after all and no one else would see. After their reassurances, he quickly stripped down to his birthday suit and jumped into the pond, waiting for them to do the same. They followed soon after, but not before he was able to get more than an eyeful. Every time since, he had been the one to suggest they go au-natural, claiming that it would just be the three of them, or just the two of them as it was a time or two. Looking back, Jude guessed that he purposely forgot to bring his trunks all those times.
As she closed the song, she felt relieved, knowing deep down that she what she did was well justified. Now everyone would know what a jerk and giant perv he truly was. He had to have know what they all thought, what they all assumed. I mean please, that blue hair?! He was just asking for trouble. He knew, yet he continued to mislead them all... Jude especially. He took advantage of the situation for his own purposes. And then, he actually had the nerve to ask her out? What a prick!
You could call me six times but still I won't pick up the phone
You could spend all your money on me
but still I'll say no
You could write a million letters everyday confessing to me
That I am the girl of your dreams
But nobody ever asked me
I never looked at you that way
'Cause I always thought you were gay
The look on his face as she exited the stage was truly priceless. His jaw was dropped and he actually looked shocked. There were also a few other people with surprised looks on their faces as they caught onto the true meaning of the song, but his was the best one out of the bunch. Jude strutted over to Jamie with a satisfied smirk on her face as she did so. She silently stood before him for a moment to give him a chance to explain, not that he deserved it of course.
As first she didn't think he was ever going to speak, but he eventually did, or tried to at least. "Gay? You... You thought I was gay?!" He barely mumbled breathlessly, still looking at her in utter disbelief. "Uh yeah, and so did just about everyone else who has ever met you, including your Nana." That sure brought him out of his dazed state. "Nana? MY Nana thinks I'm gay?" "Don't you remember that 'nice boy' Randy she introduced you to?" She asked with a slight smirk that was apparently lost on him. Clearly confused as to what one thing had to do with the other, he questioned her further. "Yeah, what about him?" She just gave him a blank stare in response that clearly said 'Duuuhhh!' "What? He was her bridge partner's nephew. He was new to the area and didn't know anybody, so they thought I could show him around and we could maybe hang out or something... Which we did until he got all weird and started wigging out on me." He adamantly affirmed. "Ummm... HELLO?! She was trying to set you up on a date, genius!" With her words his jaw dropped once more.
"Oh please, don't act so damn shocked. You knew... You had to know what we all thought. You knew exactly what you were doing... and now, thankfully, so do I." As she finished speaking, she grabbed him by the shoulders and roughly kneed him in the crotch. "I can't believe you of all people were giving Tommy a hard time about being in a cheesy boy-band, when all long you were the real poser. At least people can tell he's a real man without having to question it. You, on the other hand, well... If you're not gay, you're a pretty pathetic excuse for a straight guy. Looks like you could use a few pointers in that department... You know, to avoid further confusion. Better yet, for your own sake, you may as well turn since you already fill the role oh so well." Jamie was still doubled over in pain as she spoke, so when she finished, she laughed and gave him a little shove which sent him toppling over to the ground with a thud.
Soon after, Tommy walked up to Jude to congratulate her on her stellar performance. Although he had to step over Jamie to get to her, he tried his best to ignore the punk's presence and overall existence. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't contain his laughter as he looked down at the still cringing Jamie. Jude just shrugged before wrapping her arm around Tommy's and leading him away from the pathetic sight, once again stepping over Jamie to get by. "Damn, remind me to never piss you off, Girl." Tommy laughed as they headed towards the exit. "Oh, you better believe it. No one messes with me..." She laughingly joked before turning to face him, a wide smile gracing her lips. "Now what was that you were saying about my incredible performance?" This time they both shared a smile as Jude reached up and kissed Tommy for the second time that night, this time he didn't push her away though. Once they finally separated, they continued out the exit, towards the parking lot, leaving Jamie on the floor behind them calling out her name. "Jude, no... Jude?!... JUDE...?!"
