Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious or Big Time Rush. They belong to Dan Schneider and Scott Fellows respectively.
Author's Note: Here it is, my first Kendall/Jade story. I love these two because they're such complete opposites and make for a great story. I'm not done with You're the Reason, yet. I'm working on the next chapter along with chapter two of this. Not much happens in this chapter since this is the very first one, but it'll get more interesting as it goes on. I hope this lives up to the expectations that I have for it. Enjoy!
Jade West stands in front of one of the millions of trees she's walked to today. College starts really soon and she needs a roommate, so she's been posting flyers around the campus and around town, hoping to find someone who will be interested. She knows that she's not going to pick the first person who calls, if they want to live with her, they have to pass the interview session.
She staples the last flyer to the tree and makes her way to her car. Her mother offered to help her out with the rent, but Jade (being Miss Independent) wanted to do this without her help. She's been told that having a roommate can be a good or bad thing, but that isn't going to stop her from trying to find one. She needs somebody who will help her with the rent. She's filled out applications for various jobs, but no one has called her back. At least if she has a roommate, half the rent will be covered.
She unlocks the doors to her car and sighs. If no one calls her about wanting to be her roommate, she can consider herself screwed. If someone does call her, she knows her callous demeanor will probably cause them to not want to room with her, so she told herself that when that time comes, to be nice to the people; even if that's the last thing that she wants to do.
Before she gets back to her apartment, she stops by one of her favorite restaurants, to pick up something to eat. Her money isn't going to be wasted on take-out all the time, so she's decided to learn how to cook some things so she'll have some money to save.
When she walks through her apartment door, she notices that her phone is beeping with a new message, seven to be exact. She places her food on the table and walks over to the phone to play the messages.
"Message one. Saturday, 11:43am: Hey, sweetie. I'm just checking up on you. I know you said you would be out posting flyers, but I'm calling to let you know, again, that if you can't find a roommate I will help you with the rent. I know you're independent, but I just don't trust a stranger living with you, Jade. Give me a call. Love you."
Jade rolls her eyes at the message her mother left her and deletes it. How many times does she have to tell her she doesn't want her help with the rent? She's an adult now, she can handle this all on her own. She knows not to just let anyone live with her, but her mother just can't seem to see that Jade isn't a little kid anymore. With a sigh, she plays the next message.
"Message two. Saturday, 12:18pm: Hi, I'm calling about the roommate offer. I, like, really need a place to stay. I don't know exactly what you're looking for, but I'm totes fun! We could do each other's hair and make-up, wait, you are a girl, right? I, like, totally forgot―"
She cuts off the message and deletes it, whether she meets the person or not, she knew that wasn't going to work out. She plays messages three through six, all of them from people calling about wanting to be her roommate. Without even meeting them, she can tell that it wouldn't work out. She considers deleting message seven without even listening to it, but decides that she'll at least give this person a chance.
"Message seven. Saturday, 2:23pm: Hello, I saw the flyer you made about needing a roommate and, if you want, I would like to take you up on that offer. I help run this café here in LA, so money's not really an issue. I can cook, so you won't ever have to worry about that. I keep things clean, for the most part, but this is your apartment so, I'll try not to keep things messy. Well, I guess that's it. You have my number, so I hope you take this into consideration. Bye. Oh, my name's Kendall, by the way!"
Jade listens to the message end before repeating it again. She never really considered living with a guy before, but she figures it can't hurt. He sounded sane and he does have a job. She plays the message one last time, trying to decide whether or not she should call him. With hesitation she picks up the phone.
"So, you'd like to become my roommate?"
The next morning, Jade woke up extra early to go meet Kendall at the café he worked at. Even though they talked briefly on the phone the previous day, she wanted to see what he was like in person.
She arrived at the café, noticing that it's empty inside. She assumed it's because it's not open yet, not Kendall standing her up…not that she would care or anything. She pulls on the door and finds it open.
"Kendall?" she calls out, looking around the seemingly empty café.
A tall blond enters from the back of the café and looks at her. "Jade?" he asks.
"Yeah, so, are we going to get this interview thing started or what?" Jade asks, taking a seat at one of the tables.
"You waste no time, do you?"
"It's early and I would rather be in bed right now."
"Sorry, this is the only time that would work for me."
Jade rolls her eyes. "Whatever. Are we gonna start?"
"Sure, but first, do you want some coffee or something?"
"Sure, two sugars." she tells him.
Kendall turns around to go get Jade her coffee. "Coming right up!"
Jade feels her phone vibrate in her pocket, she takes it out and sees that her mother is calling. "What the hell?" she mumbles before answering. "What?"
"Jade, I just wanted to say that if this interview doesn't go well―"
"Mother, stop right there. I don't need your help, I don't want your help. You've raised me for eighteen years, I'm perfectly capable of living without your help."
"Jade, I just want what's best for you."
Jade sighs. "If you want me to be able to function in the real world, you'll let me do this and stop complaining about it."
"Fine, just…"
"Be careful. Yes, I know."
"Okay, then. I'll let you go. I love you."
Jade smiles a little. "Goodbye, Mother."
Kendall comes walking back in, two coffees in his hand, and takes a seat. "Your coffee."
"Thanks."
"So, where do we start?"
"You may think this question is silly, but after hearing the messages the other people left me, I feel that it's necessary to ask. You don't have any mental issues, do you?"
Kendall chuckles. "No, I'm perfectly sane."
"Good. Where do you currently live?"
"I still live at home with my mom and little sister."
"Okay, I posted flyers around town and around the college campus I'm going to. Where did you see the flyer?"
"Someone brought it in, but they forgot it. When I was cleaning the table, I read it and decided that it would be nice to move out and become an adult."
"What college are you going to?"
"AMDA."
"Really? Me, too." Jade takes a sip of her coffee.
"Awesome, all the better reason to pick me as your roommate." Kendall smirks.
"Not so fast, blondie. We're not done here."
Kendall sighs. "Of course not."
"How often do you work here?
"I work everyday, but once classes start, I'll probably be working about three to four days out of the week."
"Okay."
"Oh, and I know you mentioned on the phone that you didn't have a job."
Jade raises her eyebrow. "Yeah?"
"Well, I can give you a job here."
"Really? Who exactly runs this place?"
"One of my mom's friends."
"And they would have no problem with this?"
"Nope, they would be okay with it."
"I think I'll take you up on that offer."
"Great, just tell me when you want to start."
"Back to the questions, how old are you?"
"I'm eighteen, I'll be nineteen in November."
"Okay, are you in any way OCD or have any other issues?"
Kendall shakes his head. "Nope."
Jade nods her head, secretly relieved. "Have you ever gotten in trouble with the law?"
"What kind of person do you think I am?"
"It's a valid question." Jade shrugs.
"No, I'm a good person."
"It's the good ones you have to watch."
"Well, not me. I try to stay out of trouble." Kendall tells her.
"You said that you can be messy. I actually don't like someone who's extremely messy. So, on a scale of one to ten, how messy are you?"
"Probably a three. But, I'm usually messy when I'm stressed or I have too much on my plate." Kendall replies honestly.
"I guess I can deal with that. One last question, I would ask more, but it's early and I don't feel like it."
Kendall leans back and takes another sip of his coffee. "Ask away."
"You have no problem whatsoever rooming with me?"
"And by that you mean?"
"A girl. A somewhat bossy girl at that. People tell me I can be cruel and uncaring, but that's just me being me. If you have no problem with that," Jade takes a key out of her pocket. "Then here's your key."
"My little sister can be a little bossy, so I'm kinda used to it. I have no problem living with a girl, I've lived with two all my life. So, I would love to be your roommate." Kendall smiles as he takes the key.
"Alright then, I'll text you the address and you can move in whenever you want."
"Sounds great. I look forward to living with you, Jade."
"Yeah, whatever." Jade stands up. "I'll see you later, I guess."
"Yes, you will."
Around six o'clock there's a knock on Jade's door.
"What?" she yells.
"Don't you mean who is it?" Kendall asks through the door.
Jade gets up and walks to the door. "I gave you a key for a reason!" she yells before opening to see Kendall holding two boxes.
"My hands are kinda occupied." he states.
Jade rolls her eyes. "I can see that."
"Could you step aside, please? These boxes are kinda heavy."
Jade moves aside and allows him to walk through the door. "How many boxes did you bring? You don't have to move in in one day."
"I know, I just thought I would get some done." Kendall says, placing the boxes down and looking around. "This place is amazing."
"I won't argue with you on that. It is actually really nice."
"Is this a place for college students only?" Kendall asks.
"No, I would've moved into one of those, but then I would have to find a brand new place to live after I graduated."
"Ah, I see."
Jade starts walking down the hall. "Follow, I'll show you your room."
Kendall follows her down the hall and into a bedroom. "Wow!"
"Yeah, it even comes with your very own bathroom. Decorate it how you want or don't, I don't care either way."
"Awesome," Kendall says. "how is your room decorated?"
"Follow." Jade commands and walks across the hall to her room, black walls with deep burgundy curtains, candles burning all in the room, and butterfly decorations can be seen.
"I may not know you that well, but this seems very fitting."
"It is."
"Okay then, I'm gonna go grab the rest of the boxes I brought."
"Which is how many?"
"I have about six more."
"Oh, carry on." Jade fans him away and pushes past him as she makes her way back to the living room.
"And Jade?"
"What?"
"Thanks."
"Whatever." she tells him as he walks back out the door. Once he's gone, she smiles softly.
Ten minutes later, Kendall's done placing the boxes in his room, ready to start unpacking until Jade stops him.
"Normally I wouldn't care, but don't you think you should take a break?"
"I just want to get it all done. It's less work I'll have to do once I get everything moved in."
"What else do you have to move in? You brought most of your bedroom today."
Kendall rolls his eyes playfully. "Not much. If I had to give you something exact, I would say about four boxes."
"That's all?"
"Yeah, today I just brought clothes and a few other things. I'm keeping some things with my mom, just in case."
"You don't think you'll last here, do you?" Jade asks, a smirk playing on her lips.
"I think you're the one who doesn't think I'll last here. I just rather be safe than sorry."
"Oh, really?"
"Yep. Let me tell you something, Jade; I like a challenge."
That actually gets a real smile out of Jade. "Cute."
"That's the first time I've seen you smile since meeting you this morning."
Jade shrugs. "Don't expect to see it often."
Kendall takes a seat on the couch beside her. "Are you not a happy person?"
"Don't you have some boxes to unpack?" Jade asks.
"Didn't you tell me to take a break?"
"I changed my mind, go unpack."
Kendall stands up. "I'll cooperate today, but don't think I didn't notice your attempt to change the subject."
"Whatever."
"Is that your favorite word or something?"
"Kind of."
Kendall shakes his head. "I have a lot to learn about you, Jade."
"Yes, you do." Jade agrees.
Jade leans against the doorframe of Kendall's room watching him hang up the billionth plaid shirt he owns. "You have no variety do you?"
Kendall jumps a little and turns around. "Shit, you scared me! How long have you been standing there?"
Jade shrugs and sits on the edge of the bed. "Long enough to know that you own a lot of plaid."
"I like plaid."
"Obviously."
Kendall hangs the last shirt up before closing the closet door. "So, what are your plans for the evening?"
"I have no plans. I'm gonna do what I always do."
"Which is?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing as in you're not gonna do anything or nothing as in you're not gonna tell me?"
"I'm not gonna do anything. I don't really like going out."
"You don't have to go out to have fun." Kendall tells her as he flops on the bed.
"Well, I don't exactly feel like having fun."
"You're pretty much a Debby Downer, aren't you?"
"No, I'm just too lazy to go out and do something right now."
Kendall sits up. "Then we'll stay inside and do something."
Jade quirks her eyebrow. "Such as?"
"I'll teach you how to cook." Kendall smiles.
"Next option."
"Come on, it'll be fun. What if one day I'm not here and you have no money to go and get something from a restaurant?"
"I'll call my mother, I'm sure she would love to baby me by bringing me something to eat."
"Jade." Kendall groans.
"Fine, teach me." she rolls her eyes.
"I promise, it'll be simple."
"Not all cooking is easy."
"No, but I'm about to teach you how to cook one of the simplest meals there is."
"Which is?"
"Spaghetti. You really can't do much damage unless you burn the sauce." Kendall tells her as he starts walking out the room.
"Which I'll probably do. Can't we do something more entertaining." Jade yells from her spot on the bed.
"Nope," Kendall comes walking back in and grabs her wrist. "come on."
Jade tugs her arm away. "Don't pull me."
"Fine, I won't touch you." he says with his hands raised.
The spaghetti took longer to cook than expected. Jade constantly kept complaining that they should've cooked something else (especially once she burned the first batch of sauce). Kendall reassured her it was a simple mistake and offered to make the new batch himself. She tried to get the meatballs perfect, but they kept crumbling which pissed her off even further. She burned her arm on the hot pot and not too long after that, she almost dropped the pasta. Once they were done, Jade wasn't even in the mood to eat.
"Come on, you went through all that chaos to not try your final product?" Kendall asks grabbing a plate for himself and Jade.
"I don't wanna try it. I'll just add spaghetti to the list of things I hate."
Kendall sits a plate full of spaghetti in front of her. "Try it."
"No."
"Please, for me?"
Jade scoffs. "You're not helping your case."
"You know you're hungry."
"I'll go out and get something."
"Jade, just try it."
"I don't wanna."
"Don't be a child."
"Don't call me a child."
Kendall sighs. "If you take one bite, I'll leave you alone."
"That's still treating me like a kid."
"Jade!"
Jade rolls her eyes. "If it will get you to shut up, I'll try it!" she picks up her fork and gets a small amount of spaghetti to eat, Kendall watching her the entire time. She sticks the fork in her mouth, and to her surprise, it actually tastes good. Of course, she wouldn't let Kendall know that.
"Well?"
"Nothing."
"Jade."
"I tried it, now I'm done."
"You liked it." he says smugly.
Jade shrugs. "Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. You'll never know." she says and gets up from the island.
"Jade!" Kendall calls after her.
"What?" she asks as she walks back in the kitchen.
Kendall picks up her plate and hands it to her. "You're not fooling anyone," he smirks. "enjoy your dinner."
Jade glares at him and snatches her plate away. "Whatever."
Kendall chuckles once she's gone and starts to eat his meal again. Once he's done, he begins to wash the messy dishes just as his phone rings.
"Hello?"
"Hey, honey." his mom says into the phone.
"Hey, Mom."
"So, what's the apartment like?"
Kendall turns off the faucet before responding. "It's amazing. One of the best apartments I've seen in this city."
"What's she like?"
"Jade is…complicated."
He hears his mom sigh. "Kendall, if this is going to be a problem―"
"It's not, though." Kendall says hurriedly. "Jade is just different, but she has a heart. At least, I think she has a heart."
"You know that if things get complicated, Katie and I would love for you to come back."
"I know, thanks." Kendall smiles.
"Are you staying there for the night or are you coming back?"
"I think I'll stay here for tonight, see how it goes."
"Okay."
"I'll be back sometime tomorrow afternoon, though. I need to get the rest of those boxes."
"Well, the door is always open and ready for you to walk through it."
"Nice to know."
Jade walks into the kitchen with her empty plate and glass. She prepares to start washing them until Kendall stops her.
"What?" she asks.
Kendall covers the mouthpiece of his phone. "I'll get it, I'm not quite done cleaning everything else anyway."
Jade looks at him in disbelief. "Seriously?"
"Yeah."
"You're gonna clean all this up?"
"Yep."
Jade nods her head slowly. "Suit yourself." she tells him as she walks back out.
Kendall takes his hand away. "Sorry, Mom. Jade walked in."
"It's fine, I won't keep you. I just wanted to see how things were so far."
"So far, so good. Jade might be a tough cookie to crack, but I'm sure I'll be fine."
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. Love you."
"Love you, too." Kendall tells her as he hangs up and starts to wash the dishes again.
Not even a minute later, Jade comes walking back in and pushes him aside.
"What?" Kendall asks.
"I'm washing the dishes." she tells him.
Kendall smiles. "Aw, you do have a heart or at least a soft spot for me."
Jade rolls her eyes. "I can let you do this by yourself."
"No, I appreciate the help." he smiles.
"Good," she tells him and passes him a dry dishtowel. "You dry."
"Okay."
They clean the dishes in silence, Kendall smiling at Jade when she looks at him. Jade doesn't smile back, just simply frowns her face a little before going back to washing. Kendall figures that's as much of a smile he'll get from her for the night, so he doesn't say anything. He just continues to wash dishes with the girl who will be his roommate for the next however many months.