"Guys! Guys guys guys guys guys guys!" Robbie yelled as he ran full speed toward his group of friends. They were sitting on the steps in the main hall of their school, Hollywood Arts.
"What?"
"'Sup Fathead?"
"What. Do. You. Want."
"Hiii Robbie!"
"Hey Rob."
"Guess what I have!" Robbie exclaimed. "Guess guess guess!"
"A guillotine."
"Jade..."
"Shut it, Vega."
"Anyway... I have a cool new video for you guys to watch! It's so fetch," Robbie replied, ignoring Jade's remark and plowing on with his news.
"Robbie, stop trying to make fetch happen. It's not going to happen," André sighed, rolling his eyes. "Just tell us 'bout your video."
"Okay, so, do you guys remember the other day when me and Tori had to chop all that squid and then I broke all the dishes and Tori left me there and I had to rub the Asian guy's feet?" Robbie spewed out, losing his breath.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Mhmm."
"Will I need candy for this story?"
"Ohh Lil Red, can I get some?"
"I'll give you this dollar to get to the point."
"Thank you Jade, Cat can I have some, and I have a video of me rubbing the guy's nasty footsies!" Robbie grabbed at his dollar as he said this, falling forward when Jade slapped him in the face. He reached instead for the gummy bear Cat held out toward him, trying to play off his humiliation. "And I wanna show you all!"
"Umm, Robbie, I just ate so I don't think that's such a good idea..." Tori said, feeling queasy. "I'm just gonna go to the music room and practice my solo for Summer Showcase." As she left, she stared pointedly at André.
"Yeah, I'm gonna go with her. She uh, needs my help. Or something," André said uncertainly. "We uh, we're gonna go make-out- I MEAN uh, take out the... trash. Yeah, take out the trash. Bye!"
"Right. Well, let's see this video!" Jade said with excitement.
"Wait, you actually wanna watch this chiz?" Beck asked his ex-girlfriend, staring at her in confusion. "That's nasty."
"Whatever, Beckett. Just take your little delicate tummy somewhere else if you're too scared," Jade taunted, knowing she was getting under his skin. And it worked.
"No way, I'm staying. And my stomach isn't delicate!"
"Whatever, you pansy."
"Anyway! Can we watch my video now?"
"Yeah."
"Yay, I love videos!"
"Just get on with it, Shapiro!"
"Alright, here we go!" Robbie pressed play, watching the video with Cat, Beck, and Jade.
As they watched, Cat got up and left, not being able to look at the boils on the giant mans feet any longer. Beck looked queasy, but stuck it out. Jade looked fascinated.
Until the end.
It was right when Robbie, in the video, yelled, "I know what to do!"
Jade looked up from the small screen of Robbie's phone, and was taken back three months.
.x.
"I want coffee."
"What's the magic word?"
"Get me some coffee?"
"..."
"Please?"
"Actually, the magic word was lotion. But I'll accept your please because you have a booboo eye."
"Two sugars!"
"I know what to do!"
.x.
Jade came out of her reverie and looked over at Beck. His eyes were glazed over, and she knew he had remembered it too. That was when they were happy, when they loved each other.
They still loved each other.
Jade stood up slowly and walked to the auditorium. She felt Beck and Robbie's eyes on her as she went, one pair curious, the other burning with pain.
"Ten!" she yelled over her shoulder, knowing he would understand.
"Jade, wait..."
"Nine!"
"But-"
"Eight, Beck!"
Jade opened the doors of the auditorium, and let them close behind her, striding up to the stage as she whispered "seven" to herself, standing on the marked center, watching the doors.
"Six."
She knew he was coming.
"Five."
And there he was. The doors opened, and the dark of the auditorium sucked him in.
"Four," Jade whispered into the empty audience.
"Three, two, one," Beck finished for her, jumping onto the stage and grabbing her. He kissed her with everything he had in him, and when they pulled apart, he whispered to her.
"I'll never make you count down again."