Authors Note: I know, a lot of you are waiting for part 3 of Innocent. Its coming, I promise! But I got kind of stuck, and to remove my writers block I decided to challenge myself by writing something completely different from what I would normally write. So, I wrote a Patrome fic. Even though I'm a Jara and Peddie shipper, it was kind of fun to imagine what it would be like for Patricia to like Jerome. I tried my best to make it believable, so give the story a chance and let me know if I did my job :D

Invisible

She can't see the way your eyes,
Will light up when you smile.
She'll never notice how you stop and stare,
Whenever she walks by.

As I feel those all too familiar butterflies flit around my stomach, I wonder when my life got so complicated. I never used to be that girl. That girl who got all squealy with even a look from the object of her affections. That girl who could live off a single smile for days and could float on a conversation for weeks. No, I despised those types of girls. I hated them almost as much as I hated the fact that, recently, whenever I looked at Jerome Clarke I never wanted to look away.

So how on Earth had I become that girl? I was the opposite of those girls. Strong and independent, I was the first to speak my mind and the last to follow orders. So how had I allowed myself to become so dependent on one boy? On Jerome Clarke, for God's sake, a boy who, at least until recently, I had been positive that I hated with every fiber of my being. He was a slimeball, after all. My favorite enemy and most hated friend, because he was Jerome and I was Patricia and thats just always how I thought it would be.

It was his eyes, I decided, as I swirled soggy cheerios around my bowl with a spoon and tried to keep it from being too obvious that I was staring. His pale blue eyes, cold and calculating and as unforgiving as the iceberg that sunk the Titanic. They were my downfall. They pulled me in and refused to let me go. And when he smiled, oh, when he smiled, those eyes lit up. They sparkled and shone with that mischevious glint that I just loved and I wondered how anyone could ever want to look at anything else.

Sometimes, I think that it wouldn't be so bad, loving Jerome Clarke. After all, he was funny, and intelligent, and, though he'd never let anyone know, vulnerable. He was the damanged boy that I had always dreamed of fixing. And even though we were supposed to hate each other, everyone in Anubis House knew that beyond both of our tough exteriors we cared about each other more than we would ever admit. More and more recently, though, I just can't shake this sudden urge to grab him and kiss him senseless. To wipe away any pain that anyone had caused him in the past, to hold him and love him and never let him go.

God, when did I become such a hopeless romantic?

There was only one problem, a problem that came in the form of bouncing and bubbling Mara Jaffray. Pretty, smart, class president Mara who, without even trying, somehow managed to be better than me in just about everything. So it didn't surprise me, really, it didn't, when Jerome decided to fall in love not with me (like he should), but with perfect little Mara Jaffray (like he was expected to).

Too bad Mara was completely smitten with her boyfriend, Mick Campbell. In fact, they were entering the common room now, their intertwined hands swinging back and forth. He leans down and whispers something into her ear, and she lets out a loud, happy laugh that fills the room like a ray of sunshine. Mara doesn't notice the way Jerome's features tighten in annoyance, the way his fingers grip the edge of his chair so tightly that his knuckles turn white. To be fair, she doesn't notice much of anything, anymore. She's too wrapped up in her perfect little Mick world. But I notice, I notice everything about him. And I wish desperately that I could make Jerome as happy as Mick makes Mara. But I can't. I can't because the only thing that could ever make Jerome as shining and happy as Mara is now is the same person who is causing him all of his pain.

And you can't see me wanting you the way you want her,
But you are everything to me.

As I watch this scene unfold before me, I wait for it to come. As I watch Mick and Mara share a sweet, tender kiss right smack in the middle of the living room, as I watch Jerome turn away, watch his beautiful eyes dim, all hope draining out of them, I wait for that petty, vindictive sense of satisfaction that in the end, Jerome ends up just as miserable as I am. But it never arrives.

And I nearly chokes on my bite of cerial when I realize that his pain, instead of making me happy, just fills me up with this sense of mourning. His pain is my pain, and all I really want is for him to be happy. Even if he can only find that hapiness with Mara.

How could I have let this happen to myself?

He runs a hand through his already messy hair and I have trouble believing that one human being could be that flawless. Honestly, for a genius, Mara was being awfully stupid if she thought that passing up someone like Jerome for someone like Mick was a good idea.

And though I wonder how I could let myself be so entirely consumed by one person, I know its futile to resist. Somehow, without even trying, Jerome has managed to crack through my tough outer shell and expose the vulnerable girl beneath. No matter how much I wish it wasn't true, every wish I ever make is for him.

And I just want to show you,
She don't even know you.
She's never gonna love you like I want to.

How could he be so stupid? Mara doesn't know him. She doesn't know his fears, his hopes, his dreams. Not like I do. I can't even count the number of times we have snuck out after curfew, laying on a blanket under the stars and discussing anything and everything. Though I would never admit it to anyone, I really do miss those days. When it was just me and Jerome against the world. This year, Joy disappeared and everything with Rufus and Victor happened. I got caught up with Sibuna and Jerome got tangled up with Mara, and suddenly its like we live on seperate planets.

But that doesn't mean that I have forgotten those conversations we had so long ago. No, I remember every word, every brushing of fingertips, every electric spark, even if I was the only one to feel them. I know Jerome Clarke, so why can't he see that? Mara wouldn't know how to love him if he threw himself at her feet, but I would never hurt him. (I know he's suffered from too much pain already).

You just see right through me,
But if you only knew me,
We could be a beautiful, miracle, unbelievable,
Instead of just invisible.

"You should just talk to him, you know. Tell him how you feel." I'm so busy watching Jerome that Nina's voice shocks me, causing me to jump about 10 feet out of my seat.

"Nina! You scared me! How about a little warning next time!" I snap at her, but I'm blushing and blustering at her comment. "Besides, I don't know what you're talking about." I wasn't staring at Jerome or anything like that. Haha, silly Nina...

She rolls her eyes. "Patricia, it is so obvious that you love Jerome that Amber and I are literally planning ways to shove your faces together."

"You're one to talk! Do I even need to tell you how many opportunties you had to get with Fabian before you finally took one? And even then, he had to ask you. Besides, I have zero feelings for Jerome. Zip, nada, none."

"Look, I know I'm probably the last person you would listen to about this stuff." She says, ignoring the second part of my statement. "But I'm speaking from experience. Fabian...he completes me. And however corny that sounds, now that he's in my life I can't imagine how it would be without him. I'm so glad that he took a risk and asked me to the dance. And Jerome... maybe Jerome is your Fabian. Don't let him get away. Trust me, I know it's hard to put your feelings out there, because you never know if the person you like is going to like you back. But sometimes you just have to take that risk, because you never know what might happen."

Its funny, because about two months ago I would slap Nina for making a cheesy speech like that. Who would've thought that this girl who I hated would end up one of my best friends? And her and Fabian do look super happy together. They were inseperable before, but now its as if it causes each of them physical, tangible pain to be apart. And just as I'm about to ask Nina where her other half is, in he walks, two magnets being pulled towards each other.

Fabian leans over the back of her chair, wrapping his arms around her waist and planting a kiss on her cheek. "Hey, cuteness. You ready to head into town?"

She smiles a brilliant smile while I pretend to vomit. He looks at me and smirks. "Good morning to you too, Patricia."

"Get out of here, lovebirds. You make me want to throw up rainbows." They laugh and Nina stands up, grabbing her bag in one hand and interlocking her other hand with Fabian's. They leave, but not before she shoots me a pointed look.

"Just think about it."

And then there were two. Mara and Mick have left, too, and Alfie and Amber are who knows where. I stare intently into my bowl, glancing up occassionally through my eyelashes. Sending out telepathic vibes, talk to me talk to me talk to me, as if Jerome's brain might somehow pick them up and answer my prayers. But he doesn't. Silence rings through the room, and a few minutes after Mick and Mara exit, Jerome stands up and leaves, too.

Like I'm not even there. Before Mara came into the picture, Jerome wouldn't hesitate to speak to me, even if his words came in the form of a teasing, taunting remark. His insults used to make my blood boil, but now I would give anything to hear him call me "Trixie".

Funny how things change. Now, Jerome is as consumed with Mara as Mara is with Mick. Its like she is all he can see, all he can hear, all he can think about. Everyone else is as insignificant as a fly. To him, we are invisible.

There's a fire inside of you,
That can't help but shine through.
She's never gonna see the light,
No matter what you do.

Angrily, I shove back my chair and stand up, grabbing my bowl of cereal to place in the sink. The chair emits a harsh screech as wood scrapes on wood, and in the silence of the empty room it fills the air like a small nuclear explosion.

Maybe Nina is right. Maybe I should go talk to him. After all, he'll never know how I feel if I don't say anything. But then again, what will telling him how I feel accomplish? I already know what his answer will be. He's in love with someone, but it isn't me.

It's just... it kills me inside. To watch him fade away. Jerome is brilliant, he's the sun. No matter what anyone else thinks, I will always look at him and see the good. No matter how many layers of hurt and resentment I have to dig through, I can always find his core. And his soul shines brighter than anything I have ever seen.

But Mara, she doesn't notice. She can't tell that there's a fire inside of him, a spark. And every time she ignores him, because she's just so damn ignorant and howcouldshenotnoticehisbeauty?, his light, that wonderful light, fades a bit.

Soon, I'm afraid there won't be any left.

And just then, like when the clouds move away from the sun and suddenly everything is clear, I come to a conclusion. Realization hits me like a bolt of lightning.

I cannot let that happen. Jerome's fire cannot die.

So I go to find him. Because, honestly? I've got nothing left to lose.

So, what did you think? Was my first attempt at a Patrome fic a success or a miserable fail? Let me know!

Stay tuned, part 2 coming soon (:
-Moments