Music Again

When tight jeans were in style Beck bought tight jeans. When the best color to be wearing was red Beck filled his closet with red shirts, and anything else he could find. When combat boots were OUT Beck tucked his favorite pair of shoes into the back of his closet. He was popular and that was because he followed every trend that existed. Even when his favorite type of music became a no-no he stopped listening to it. Apparently artists like Metallica and Linkin Park weren't appreciated anymore.

Beck was a completely different person almost every day that he walked into Hollywood Arts. He was the cool guy because he gave up every ounce of individuality for popularity. He told himself it was just practice for when he became a star. After all if he made it big he'd have to follow trends then too.

Chains were out, Beck cursed. He loved his jean chains and now he had to stuff them away in the back of a drawer. He took them off of his jeans and ran a hand through his hair.

"Hey man," Andre said walking up to him.

"Hey," he sighed.

"What's wrong?"

"Chains are out."

"Ya I heard. Why don't you just wear them anyways?" Beck shot Andre an are-you-crazy look. "Ya sorry I forgot what was I thinking?" Andre rolled his eyes. "Anyway did you hear? A new girl just transferred to Hollywood Arts apparently she used to go to the one in New York but something happened. Pretty cool right?"

"I guess. Have you seen her yet?" Beck asked.

"No but I hear her locker's the only gray one over by Sinjin's."

"I'll go look since I've got some extra time."

"Cool we'll save you two a seat at the lunch tables." Andre chuckled as he went to talk with his girlfriend, Tori.

He saw the blank locker and walked over to it. He didn't see anyone though. "Why are you standing in front of my locker?" a cold voice asked.

"Oh hey sorry," he started turning to face her. He expected the paper doll cutout that every girl was in this school. The light colored shirt with a short skirt and heels that were impractical. Instead he saw a girl clad in black from head to toe. She wore the forbidden combat boots and chains too. Her jeans even had little chains attached to the material as part of the design. Maybe worst of all though was her eyebrow piercing, that wasn't cool at the best of times.

"You were saying?" she snapped at him.

"Sorry," he quickly apologized again "I just knew a new girl was here and I wanted to see if I could help her out."

"Right," the girl said automatically.

"You know chains and combat boots are out of style right?" Beck asked before he could stop himself.

She looked at him oddly as she lifted a can of red paint and begun painting her locker. "So?" she asked.

"Well it's just I know you aren't from here and I didn't know if you knew."

"Ya because I care SO much about fashion trends," she said rolling her eyes.

"Sorry just trying to help," he said sheepishly.

"Well no offense but I'm not taking fashion tips from a guy who doesn't have any sense of fashion."

"This is the hottest look," Beck quickly defended his lose slacks, nice shoes, button up shirt, and H&M scarf.

Jade looked at him doubtfully "and I'm the queen of England. Here's a fashion tip: live for yourself and not for the trends because you're the only one you can never live without."

Beck stared at her for a while. She defied EVERY trend he could think of. She didn't have heels, instead she wore pumps. No skirt instead skin tight black jeans. He cursed how could she be so cool without being cool?

"Hey are you going to help or just stand there and watch me struggle?" He glanced and saw her trying to balance the paint can in one hand and paint with the other.

"Sorry!" he said rushing to her side and taking the can from her. After her locker was done being painted they had a few more minutes. "I'll show you my locker," he offered while they walked to dispose of the paint. They stopped at his translucent one and she looked inside. He was lying though of course he did have secrets. She could see the combat boots shirt jeans chains all hidden in the back behind a cool looking jacket.

She contemplated something for no more than a second before woosh. The red paint stained Beck from head to toe. For a moment everything was oddly still. The kids that were in the hallway didn't say anything they just stared. He wiped paint away from his mouth and eyes. "What the hell!" he screeched.

"I'll help you clean it off," she said and took his hand dirtying her own. She walked into the girls' bathroom because he couldn't see to stop her. She quietly kicked every girl out of it then took him to the sink. She was surprisingly gentle he noted. Her hands traced light circles with the paper towel slowly cleaning his face. When his face was done she sat herself on the countertop and let him do the rest.

"Why did you do that?" he asked still upset.

"Because you needed me to," she told him bored.

"I needed you to ruin my clothes? Not something I thought I needed."

"I know but you did."

"What are you talking about? Is this why you got kicked out of New York?"

She shot him a hard glare and pushed herself off the countertop and left. He cursed again that was probably insensitive of him. Something really horrible might have happened to her there and he was a jerk about it.

To his surprise she reentered about two minutes later. She was holding everything he hid in his locker. She set it down on the space next to him and then turned to leave.

"Hey," he said suddenly realizing neither of them knew each other's name. "I'm sorry. I don't know what happened in New York and I shouldn't pretend to."

"Ya you really shouldn't because the story isn't the one I'm sure you're picturing."

"Then tell me the story," he said softly.

She paused before climbing back onto the counter "keep cleaning," she ordered. He obeyed and she began "it was normal for everyone to pick on me a little because of my fashion choices. But I had a reputation of being rather mean and spiteful. So instead of the normal stuff the kids usually did like deny me a part in a play even though I deserved it they did something worse." She pulled her knees to her body as she recounted it "it wasn't too big of a secret that I used to cut. But I had stopped and I wasn't in a place like that anymore. But when I walked into the girls' locker room one day about five guys descended on me. At first I was pretty sure they were going to rape me as they tied me down. But instead they called in other girls and guys and each one took a razor blade to me. The paramedics were pretty sure I was dead when they found me. But when I snapped my eyes open I was rushed to the hospital and it was called a miracle. I didn't see the miracle in any of it but my mom, she just kept thanking God." At this point Beck had stopped cleaning himself and stared openly at the girl. "When I woke up the day after the doctor told me I had a total of 124 cuts and that half of them would probably scar. Amazingly only 10 did and they're in relatively easy to hide places. The doctor also told me the kids who did this to me were facing trial right now and everything they did was caught on the school's new security camera's. I watched thirty of my classmates go to jail. I thought I was safe then but the parents started threatening me too. My mom couldn't stand it and one day I came home and everything was packed up. She grabbed me and sped to the airport crying. Then yesterday we arrived here at 12:58 midnight. Last I heard she turned the death threats over to the police and now we're here trying to start a new life."

Beck looked at the girl amazed. How could she just talk about that so nonchalantly? She experienced something truly horrible and she was so calm about it. Beck had already changed into the clothes she provided. He pulled the girl off the countertop and into his arms. She squealed in surprise but didn't fight him. "I don't know your name," he whispered.

"Jade," she told him.

"I'm Beck," he said.

The two unembraced and went to go to class. They both had Sikowitz first period so he walked with her. He met Andre inside and greeted them with her hovering in the back.

"You'll never believe the crap she went through," Beck said combing his fingers through his hair.

"I'll bet," Andre said "what up with your clothing?"

"Oh she spilled red paint on me and then found me these," Beck said glancing around.

"They look a lot like something you would've worn before you got all popular conscious."

"Weird coincidence right?" Beck said.

"Why doesn't she come sit with us?" Tori offered.

Beck looked back at where she still hovered in the back. He motioned for her to come and she did. "Sit with us," he said.

She didn't say anything but took the seat next to his.

A smile overtook Beck's face at lunch as she walked up holding a BLT in one hand and macaroni in the other. "What's that for?" he asked "someone get extra hungry?" She didn't say anything but threw his low fat salad across the quad. "Well I guess I don't get lunch," he said looking down at the space now empty in front of him.

"Someone said you liked these," she commented as she set the BLT in front of him.

He looked down and ate it happily. Beck was coming back thanks to Jade, slowly the old fun Beck was coming back. He took out his ipod and flipped to Linkin Park.

Based on the song: Music Again by Adam Lambert