Scissor Wings
Chapter 1
"What do you mean he just left? Why?" Jade screamed at the scared girl at the counter.
"He said he had to get away from some stressful customers." replied the girl suddenly aware she was speaking to said customer.
"He was the only one here who even knew how to cut hair let alone style it." Jade hissed.
The other employees turned to stare at her rudeness excepting an apology till they saw who it was. Jade West apologize, good luck, you'll win the lottery first.
"Where do you except me to go now. He was the best in this town." Jade continued to harass the cashier.
"Miss, I don't know. We'll gladly style your hair today if you'll please stop yelling and wait." She responded exhaustedly.
"Fine but if I look terrible you will pay." Jade responded
The next day at HA during lunch Jade made her way to her usual table at the Asphalt Café and sat next to her boyfriend Beck. Looking up she saw many of the group staring at her.
"What?" she demanded.
"Nothing." Tori said.
"Just admiring your lunch." Andre stumbled out.
"Your hair doesn't look good." Cat stated flatly.
"Cat!" responded the group in unison.
"Cat means your new look is… different, Jade." Robbie played peacemaker.
Cat was right Jade's usually perfect hair had become a mess. It was a little frizzy didn't have the right soft curl to it and the black was fading at the roots also her streaks where a bright pink that didn't look like something Jade would pick.
"My stylist left town and no one else around here even knows how use a comb properly." Jade snapped.
"Babe I'm sure there's someone else who can do your hair." Beck injected.
"I'll do it!" said Sinjin eagerly.
"Touch my hair and I'll cut off your limbs." Jade hissed.
"Goodbye now." Sinjin remarked as he left.
"I know someone good who can do your hair." Rex suddenly chimed in.
Everyone turned to him.
"How would you know a stylist? Clearly you and Robbie don't even brush yours." Trina had joined the conversion from a nearby table.
"I'm not going to the puppet's hair dresser." Jade commented.
"Rex is not a puppet and he doesn't have a hair dresser." Robbie insisted.
"Obviously not." Trina again insulted them.
"Rex what are you talking about?" Robbie turned to the friend on his knee.
"Th-e-o" said Rex.
"I haven't talked to him in weeks not since him and mom stopped dating." Robbie responded.
"You still got his number, right? Call him up maybe he'll do you a solid." Rex commented.
"Who is 'Theo', Robbie?" asked Beck.
"He used to date my mom. He's a stylist for movies-" before Robbie could finish Trina ran up and grabbed him by the collar.
"Theo Bonaducee?" she asked in her typical fanatic manner.
"Yeah" Robbie replied breaking free of Trina's grasp.
"Didn't he work for Jessica Monique Alexander?" asked Andre.
"Yeah on Zombies at the Prom!" Trina shouted "You have to introduce me. If he does my hair I'll look perfect and get famous in no time."
"Tina go away." commanded Jade and Tina ran off.
"Teach me your ways master." Tori mock bowed to Jade.
"It's Mistress." Jade retorted.
"And you think you could get him to do my hair?" Jade asked suddenly to Robbie.
"I could try? We got along pretty well, it wouldn't hurt to call and ask I guess." Robbie answered.
"Who knew the puppet had good ideas?" Jade stated.
"I am not a puppet-" began Rex.
BRRRRRING!
"Off to class!" sang Cat.
"Call him." demanded Jade to Robbie.
"Okay I'll do it." he conceded.
After Class
Jade strode to her locker next to Robbie's open one. She slammed his door shut and he jumped back yelping shrilly.
"Did you call him?" she demanded.
"Yes I went the bathroom during class and talked to Theo. It was weird because Lane was in there and he asked who I was talking to so Rex told him the toilet and I had to pretend he was right…" Robbie started babbling.
"I don't care." spat Jade "What did he say? Will he do my hair or not?"
"Oh yeah, he said tonight at my house he could." Robbie replied.
"I have to come to your house." it wasn't really a question as much as a statement of Jade disgust.
"Yeah I don't know where you live and Theo left stuff at my house he may need to do your hair so it seemed like a good idea." Robbie reasoned with Jade.
"Fine. I'll see you tonight." Jade turned to leave.
"It's a date." Rex injected.
Jade turned and scowled at him.
"I didn't mean it." Rex pleaded.
Jade just stormed off.
After School
Robbie entered his room with Rex in hand and promptly dropped him.
"Owww" moaned Rex
"What'd you do that for? Oh." Rex ended as Robbie picked him up and sat him and he saw Jade on Robbie's bed.
"What are you doing here?" Robbie asked "And how'd you get in?"
"A girl broke into your room and waited for you on your bed and you ask questions?" Rex commented.
"Quiet, Rex…" began Robbie when he heard a small "ha" from the girl on the bed.
He turned to look at her.
"He has a point, you know. Do you know how many guys at school are going to hate you when you tell them this story? If I let you tell them that is." Jade said.
"Anyway I broke the widow after climbing the tree outside. So when does the guy get here?" Jade continued walking around Robbie's room looking over various models and
gadgets.
Robbie just stood there in surprise till Jade walked up and yelled "Answer me" in his face.
"Oh…um…Theo won't be here till tonight. Did you say you broke my window?" Robbie came back to himself.
"Yeah, you like broken glass right?" Jade retorted with a smirk.
"It is fun to break." said Robbie as he sat Rex at his desk "Anyway I'll make some snacks. Rex be good."
"There's no one better." Jade turned quickly to see the puppet but too late to see if Rex's mouth was moving. She didn't catch Robbie before he left the room either so she just stood there a moment before walking over and turned the doll face down.
"Ohh" moaned Rex.
'Okay that's pretty good but, it's even freaking me out' Jade thought to herself.
She walked around the room eyeing the different figures and models he had on display. One got her attention it was about eight inches tall and a foot long it looked like a reptile but was dark black with feathers down the back with long blue black ones at the head tail and coming off the arms taking a closer look she realized it looked like a small dinosaur, one of the raptor ones only it was younger looking then any she'd seen before in movies and she had never seen one with feathers but she loved the colors.
"You are creepy cute, you know that?" she asked the little display as she poked its' nose.
Suddenly the mouth dropped open as it made a " Nyyyaah!" sound.
Jade jumped back and shrieked "Ahhh!"
Robbie came in the door quickly still holding the tray he'd prepared in one hand.
"What happened? Are you alright? Oh…you met Raven." he said.
"Does everything you own have a name that starts with 'R' and freaks people out by talking by itself?" asked Jade annoyed.
"I don't freak people out, they love me." Rex's voice came from across the room.
Jade stared at Robbie amazed "Wow…you never stop that do you?" she said almost as if it was a compliment.
"Anyway what is this thing? I kind of like it." she continued now examining its' small teeth with her finger.
"Does it bite too?" she asked.
"No 'she' doesn't" said Robbie.
"Oh" said Jade disappointed.
Robbie half smiled at this and began to explain "I don't just do stuff with Rex. I like to build automated puppets too. Raven's a raptor, you know the dinosaur. I built her when I was really into them. I know nerd cliché 'I'm into to dinosaurs.' I made Raven from one of those moving dino toys I got when I was younger."
"Why's it got feathers?" Jade asked.
"Most people don't know but the later dinos had feathers as they stared to evolve into birds." Robbie answered as he handed her a glass and the plate he was holding.
"Okay, Professor, why so small and why's 'she' so dark and pretty?" Jade asked as she started on the grilled fajitas he'd made 'These are good, didn't know he cooked.' she thought.
"I wanted something cute and natural looking so I did her as a baby with a raven's coloring. It made scents to me some of them would have that kind of look." Robbie finished as he looked at his clock it was past 7. He headed out his bedroom door.
"I'm goin' call Theo. He should be here by now." he said pulling Jade back to the reason she came over. She was listening and talking and messing with the stuff in his room so much she'd gotten lost in thought. "How the chiz did Robbie get me so interested in his life? The room is cool and, man was that fajita tasty. Guess he took that cooking class." Jade pondered to herself as Robbie reentered.
"Nonononono, Theo, you have to come do it." he plead over the phone.
"What's going on?" Jade was suddenly annoyed.
"Theo's car got hit by a bicycle ice cream cart he's at the hospital with the guy till tomorrow." Robbie told her cupping the phone with one hand.
"Well I guess I can wait another day." Jade blinked surprised she wasn't angry.
"He leaves town tomorrow for some movie in the jungle he won't be back till next year.
"What?" now she was angry "So who's going to fix my hair now?" she demanded.
"I'm asking him now if he can send anyone else he knows." Robbie answered.
Jade was mad but Robbie was still trying so hard to help and she didn't really understand why. She was mean to him most of the time but he just came back for more and now she demanded his help and he was more than willing.
Jade moved towards the vanity in his room as she wondered why he'd have one. There were several hair care products sitting around the out side edge and hair dye as well. "Robbie must work for that 'fro after all" Jade mused to herself. Sitting in the middle was a red silk napkin with a silver comb and a strange sheathed dagger on it the dagger had a weird double loop handle set with red jewels on the hand guard. Jade pulled it out of the sheath realizing it was one of the most beautiful pairs of scissors she'd ever seen. "Woah!" was all the escaped her mouth.
"What?, no way Theo, I'm not going to do it." came Robbie's voice.
Jade turned around still transfixed on the sheers.
"Do what?" she asked.
Robbie hung up and turned to answer her.
"Theo says I should just do your hair myself?" he said.
"What? Why?" Jade came out of a daze for the second time to Robbie's voice "I gotta stop doin' that." she thought to herself.
"He said he taught me enough and if I did Jessica's I could do yours." Robbie relayed the message.
"Wait he taught you?" Jade inquired.
"Yeah I was already messing with make-up so he showed me how to style hair. He had me help him on a movie when his assistant got food poisoning." Robbie stated.
"Well what happened?" Jade demand eagerly.
"Well, he asked me to come down to the set 'cause he had to many people to work on. I got there and Theo says "Go do her hair and make-up she's in the next scene" and pushes me over to Jessica Alexander who turns around and looks at me and says "Robbie right? Theo says your pretty good at this for a beginner, cute puppet?" and turns back around waving at me to begin. So I just did it. She seemed to like how it came out. Afterwards, Theo gave me those sheers your holding to mark my first Hollywood job." Robbie ended his story wondering why Jade cared.
Jade turned around put the scissors back on the dresser and sat down on the stool.
"Well get started" she barked at Robbie.
"What, you want me to do it too?' Robbie asked worried.
"You did it for a movie star, just make sure you make me look better" Jade responded.
"Already there babe" came Rex's retort.
"He doesn't speak till your done." Jade commanded.
Robbie didn't know what to say Jade West just told him to make her prettier, if such a thing was possible and give him permission to touch her, so he just walked up behind her and reached around Jade's face for the comb and sheers. As he pulled them backwards his hand bushed her cheek follow by the cold steel handle and she shuddered slightly not sure which caused it. Jade just closed her eyes as Robbie got started.
Two and a half hours later
"Done" Robbie said letting out a breath he didn't notice he'd been holding.
He'd styled Jade's hair, curled it just enough to look natural and frame her face, then touched up her roots so the black was natural looking and got the steaks to a deep red.
Jade opened her eyes and looked in the mirror amazed she looked great.
"I hope it's alright" Robbie got nervous so he tried to break the tension "Sorry it didn't hurt" he remarked remembering one of her post on the Slap.
"Robbie my old stylist wasn't this good I look amazing." Jade finally said.
Robbie let out a sigh "Good"
"You had him worried" Rex commented still face down.
Jade scowled and picked up the scissor again "These are awesome. What are they medieval or something?" she asked.
"Yeah from Persia I think" Robbie answered "What's with the scissor obsession anyways?" he knew he'd asked before and she just said something to frighten him but he found he really wanted to know more about Jade.
"It's because of my grandmother" Jade began thinking how easy Robbie was to talk to "She loved sewing. Her house always had needles and scissors everywhere and she never cared if I picked them up and looked at them or cut up paper with them. My dad didn't like it so that made me love it more. She just said I was to smart to hurt myself. She always encouraged my talent more then he did. After I got in to H.A. she was supposed to come to my first performance but she had a heart attack and was in the hospital that night. I went to see her before and was going to cancel the show but she wouldn't let me. When I got done I when back to the hospital, she died that night while I was onstage." Jade finished holding back her tears, she hadn't told anyone about that not ever Beck.
Robbie reached out his hand towards her but then remembered she had his scissors so decided against it
"I remember that performance no one knew why you left so soon. You did your locker the next day. That's the first time you where open about the whole 'I like scissors' thing." Robbie remembered .
"I didn't have Granny's house with her there anymore so I kind of thought I'd make my locker that new place." Jade said composing herself before turn towards Robbie.
"I get it, you saw my locker." Robbie replied.
"Are you two done sharing yet? I want to sleep tonight." came Rex's voice from the other side of the room.
Jade looked at her watch it was 11.47 "I guess I should go home now" she said heading for the window.
Robbie grinned at her "You do know my house has doors right?" he asked.
"What? I like to climb trees too. Anyway, I should head home." Jade replied.
"Or you could sleep here." Rex commented jokingly. Robbie turned to reprimand him but was interrupted by Jade's voice
"Maybe next time." she said seductively.
"What?" replied Robbie.
"Yeah you're my new hair dresser. I'll be back Saturday, that work?" Jade was more telling him than asking.
Robbie was to nice to say no to her and did like how nicely they got along when alone together.
"Alright but, don't tell anyone I did your hair, okay?" he said to Jade as she looked at him puzzled "Alright but, why?" she asked.
"Yeah let's have Beck find out his usually overjealous girlfriend was in my bed till midnight." Robbie stated sarcastically.
"Smooth" again Rex chimed in.
"Oh… good point." Jade realized.
"That and your pretty popular, other girls find out I'm your stylist they'll try to get me to do their hair too." Robbie said.
"So you could use the popularity boost, they'll probably go out with you too?" Jade didn't get Robbie not wanting to up his standing with the girls at school.
"Yeah because they want something from me, not my idea of a meaningful relationship, besides if that happened I'd be busy Saturday." Robbie remarked.
"True, we will tell no one." Jade was trying for menacing but it just sounded funny.
"What the? How'd he do that to me? Gotta respect his morals though." she thought leaving out the widow.
That night she lay in bed thinking how much Beck was going to love how good she looked tomorrow. She'd tell people the Theo guy did it for her. It would probably up her rep, if it could get any higher. She tried to act all deep but she liked being popular and liked the idea of giving it a boost. Jade suddenly felt a little bad for thinking something so shallow. She'd told Robbie how telling people he did her hair could help his social life and he just said it didn't matter because people would just care what they could get from him. How deep is that?
He just seemed to care that he helped her.
"Why did he help me?" she wondered aloud "I'm mean to him, I break Rex and hurt him all the time and then he just spends all night cooking for me, doing my hair and talking to me about personal stuff, then he gets me to open up too." Jade stared at the ceiling confused her head felt heavy but at the same time her chest was somehow incredible light. She fell asleep wondering if tomorrow would make more sense.
Jade was right Beck loved the hair, he didn't leave her side all day and took every chance to make out with her. The hair combined with the story a movie star stylist did it worked too, Jade was officially the hottest girl at Hollywood Arts knocking Tori down a peg or two. Jade was very pleased.
"You look amazing babe" Beck said for the hundredth time that day sitting down at their table for lunch with Andre, Cat, Robbie, Rex, and Tori. Trina came over and squeezed in between Beck and Tori.
"Of course she does she was already hot and then she gets a famous hair dresser to do her hair. How could she not look awesome?" Trina stated aloud.
Everyone looked at her wondering why for once she wasn't talking about herself.
"What are you doing here, Trina?" asked Tori in an annoyed tone.
"Sucking up to Jade" injected Rex.
"Ah." Jade said realizing he was right.
"So what I'm always sucking up to A-listers not like that's new. Anyway maybe I could go with you next time get mine done too?" Trina got to her point.
"He's out of the country till next year." Jade flattened Trina's hopes.
"Oh man you lucked out most people would pay a lot of money to get their hair looking
that good. Did he even ask you for payment?" Trina was angry things where going good for someone else.
"No he was happy to do it for me." Robbie answered before Jade had time to.
"Jade, you know how lucky you are to have a friend like Robbie?" said Tori.
Jade was actually blushing a little as she nodded "Yeah your right" she replied "I am lucky to have Robbie" Jade said proudly raising her voice a little so more people could hear her.
They all looked a little shocked at Jade being nice to Robbie.
"So who's going to do your hair now Jade?" asked Beck worried this may not last.
"Don't worry his assistant is still in town and just as good as him, maybe better Theo said Jessica like loved when he did her hair, I got his name and number." Jade pulled out
her acting chops and improved the whole thing to end the conversion.
"Oh can I…" Trina began to beg
"You may not come" Jade answered her before she asked
Saturday
The rest of the week had been great Jade had been in an awesome mood the whole time she did better in improv class, got As on all her writing assignments, and was less feared and more admired but she didn't seem to care it was still respect.
She'd been nice to Robbie all week and they'd been closer in the group but it wasn't the same as the night in his room and Jade wanted another day like that. Somehow Robbie dropped her guard without even knowing it, he just put out all his thought and feeling and it made her do so same. In Robbie's room he had everything on display no matter how bizarre it was and she broke in and he just let her walk around playing with anything she wanted and telling her anything she asked. He was so honest and open it opened her and she couldn't wait to go back.
Friday she told Beck she'd be getting her hair done again and it'd be an all day thing. Jade didn't know why but she was just so eager to talk to Robbie and have him do her hair again and look at all the stuff he had around his room.
Jade parked on the side of the road and walked around the back of house climbed the oak tree and reached over to the roof with one foot then the other. She was about to open the window when she saw Robbie inside as he walked out the bathroom with a towel around his neck, no shirt and just his jeans on. He picked up his glasses and headed out the door. Jade sat there for a moment thinking her heart pounding in her chest. "Robbie didn't look that bad shirtless" did she just think that. Jade had decided to forget about it and go in when the window opened and a bowl popped out.
"Here you go." said Robbie as he stuck his head out the window and then climbed onto the roof himself to sit next to her with his own bowl.
He was still shirtless and barefoot. Robbie was skinny and less built then Beck but, Jade found it kind of boyish cute he wasn't trying to bulk up like most guys.
He began eating and Jade looked at her bowl it had shrimp, sugar snap peas, water chestnuts, carrot slices, broccoli and she guessed the bread was supposed to be croutons all in a thin dressing served hot. Unsure she took a bite, Cesar-vinaigrette one of her favorite dressings
" How'd you know I liked Cesar-vinaigrette salad dressing?" she asked Robbie
"You get it from the Grub Truck all the time and I like it in this so I figured it'd be something you'd like, do you?" he was somewhat worried about his choice.
"Yeah what is it? Why are the croutons soft? I like that" Jade had to comment on that, it was just too weird not to be her taste.
"I don't know I just made it up one night when I had to fix myself dinner. I just wanted a different kind of salad. As for the curtons, I hate hard croutons so I made soft ones, I mean most croutons are like stale bread. Why would I want that?" Robbie explained glad Jade liked his choice.
"Oh cool…but changing the subject why are you half naked?" Jade just had to ask. Pointing her fork at him and moving it up and down.
"Oh sorry" Robbie said looking down at his bare chest blushing "The kitchen gets hot so I sometimes cook shirtless. I forgot I was when I saw you out here and just came out let me go put something on." he said starting to get up when Jade grabbed his arm to stop him.
"No you don't have to, I don't mind, I just wondered." she said as she noticed lots of tiny scars on his arms "What are these from?" she asked aloud without realizing it.
"I get cut a lot when I make the animatronic models or work on Rex" Robbie answered "Are you going to let go?" he said making Jade realize she was still gripping his arm.
"Yeah sorry" she said letting go and began eating again "That was awkward why'd I do that?" she thought enjoying the hot salad thing he'd made. They finished and went inside.
"So I guess I'll get started on your hair now so you can go see Beck." said Robbie pulling on a shirt.
"No I told Beck I'd be at the stylist all day so we could hang out together more." Jade responded
"Okay but do you want me to do your hair now?" Robbie asked a little confused by Jade blowing off her boyfriend to hang with a nerd like him.
"We can do that later, where's your guitar?" Jade asked
"In the closet" Robbie answered
"Good get it and play this" Jade said handing him a pack of papers stapled together
"Okay" Robbie went to the closet and pulled out his acoustic guitar and looked at the music sheets Jade had given him. He started to play the song as Jade began singing
Anything(I don't know if it's long enough for a song but it's something I wrote myself and it seemed good for Jade)
I laugh it off and joke
A fragile smile to mask the pain
So easily kick in
Because I can't hide
The scared child inside
I would give anything to make it okay again
Anything(small pause)
I would give my blood it'll pulse through your veins
I would give my heart it'll beat in your hands
I would give my soul to make you whole
Anything to make it okay again
I don't know why
I'm so mad
You didn't say goodbye
Or why I'm even madder still
I couldn't make you stay
'Cause
I would give anything to make it okay again
I would give my blood it'll pulse through your veins
I would give my heart it'll beat in your hands
I would give my soul to make you whole
I'd give anything to make it okay again
Anything to make it okay again
Anything
I wish I could do Anything to make it okay again
Anything
Jade finished singing and Robbie stopped playing
"That was amazing I didn't know you wrote songs yourself you've never done any at school." Robbie was just blown away by such an emotional song from the usual cold Jade West.
"I wrote that before I came to Hollywood Arts. I haven't wrote many others and I've never let anyone else see them so I didn't have anyone to play the music for them. I just had to hear that one played out loud finally." Jade told him sitting on his bed looking a little like she was happy and sad at the same time.
"What's wrong it was a great song, did I not get the sound right? I can try it again." Robbie said seeing her face and worried he'd messed up and ruined something Jade cared about.
"No, it sounded perfect, better than I'd always hope it would. It's just that it was about my parent's divorce. I wrote it kinda as a way of grieving. It's actually written as the five stages, some consoler gave me a pamphlet that had them in it and it made me want to write something and it turned into the song. I just didn't think I'd still have trouble hearing it after all these years but I guess I still feel that way sometimes." Jade told him as he sat down beside her.
Robbie saw she was losing the fight with her sadness and would break down soon, he didn't stop himself this time he reached around Jade's shoulders and pulled her into a hug. Jade started crying into his chest because somewhere inside her there was still a little girl who was mad that her parents didn't love each other anymore and scared that they didn't love her anymore either.
After awhile Jade began to calm down and pushed him away.
"Sorry I didn't know what else to do." Robbie said feeling awkward and a little worried she might hurt him.
"You didn't try anything did you?" Jade retorted.
"What? No? I would never, I mean your with Beck, and it's you, not that your not attractive. It's just you could kill me and you're totally out of my league…" Robbie kept rambling trying to defend himself.
Suddenly Jade clapped her hand over his mouth.
"Okay that's enough you've bored me out of anger." she said not really angry at all but, he had to be kept in line.
"Let's get started on my hair, I'm thinking of going back to blue steaks what do you think?" she asked a still dazed Robbie.
"Jade's hand was on my mouth it's still warm where she touched me." he was thinking to himself when he head Jade's questioning tone of voice.
"Umm…what was that I didn't hear you?" he responded hoping she wouldn't be mad.
"I said, I'm thinking blue streaks again, maybe something deeper like the feathers on Raven." Jade stated again.
"Oh, well those feathers aren't actually blue so I can't die streaks that color." stated Robbie.
"What do you mean, they are to blue look at them." Jade was now annoyed with him and pouted a little without realizing it.
"The feathers are real raven they look blue because they're so deep black it has a blue shine. I don't know of anyone who has ever dyed hair that deep a black. I know painters have reproduced it mixing black and blue and I guess that could work with dye but that's risky." Robbie was working it out in his head as he said it aloud.
"Do you think you could? I mean without messing up my hair." Jade said.
Robbie sat there thinking for a minute and making Jade nervous something that isn't easy to do.