Well here's chapter two! Hopefully it's not too OOC or anything. I tried to play it off as Jade having start HA with the black and blue hair. It helps explain in the story why Robbie doesn't recognize her immediately, since he would have last seen her with brown hair. I doubt anybody is reading this anyway...but it covers up the plot hole lol. Feedback is appreciated and will be returned :)
Here I am, sitting here in Beck's RV. It's over 100 degrees and I'm stuck here with Shapiro, all alone with him and our past. Just great. It's been around 15 minutes and neither of us have said a thing since the door wouldn't open. It's been a long time, but he still knows not to bother me when I'm in a mood like this one, even "Rex" doesn't say a word. Fortunately for him, the mere fact of that is enough to lower my rage level from murderous to second degree battery. I hate that stupid puppet more than anything. I have ever since the first time I walked into Hollywood Arts.
Jade's first day at Hollywood Arts, freshman year of High School.
Walking towards this place, I feel ready to turn over a new leaf. The sign in front of the school reads "Hollywood Arts" and I feel like I'm where I need to be. I haven't felt this happy since I was back home in Oakwood. With a sigh, I open the doors with one arm and cross my fingers with the other. I hope nothing happens to ruin my first day.
That thought goes out the window as a blur of black hair and checkered shirt crashes into me, sending me and my books flying to the the ground, the familiar feeling of helplessness wells up inside me and I can't help but remember my mothers words "If somebody pushes you, push back twice as hard so they never try it again"
"Watch where you're going!" I growl without even looking up. I stand up and brush myself off without ever taking a look at the person who had crashed into me. What I do see however, is a crowd of people growing. I know if I make an example of this person, I won't have to deal with this on a daily basis. People don't crash into those that they fear.
"I'm sorry, Rex was telling me that-"
"Save it. I don't want to hear your life story. If-" I spit out with as much hate as I can muster before the breath leaves me. I can't believe it's him, it's been so long. Look at you Robbie Shapiro, you've changed almost as much as I have.
"Robbie?" I ask, the hate leaving my voice as quickly as this whole problem had started.
"What? You know the name of the bug you're about to squash?" He asks, eyes narrowing. It looks like he never figured out the whole push harder mentality until now. Awesome timing, Robbie.
"You think you're special because you found a bottle of bleach and some blue hair dye? I didn't mean to crash into you and before you starting bitching me out I was apologizing" The hate and anger in Robbie's voice puts my outburst from before to shame. I nervously finger the blue highlights in new newly dyed hair. I thought black and blue would be a good look when I was dying it last night. Looks like you were wrong again Jade. Well done.
Pulling myself from my own self loathing, I see that he's got fire in his eyes and I'm about to hear an earful. Just like the last time I briefly ran into him that time two years ago...
Then I see something flash in his eyes, like he's just realized who I am. Who am I kidding? Why would he remember somebody from that long ago. He certainly didn't last time he saw me.
"You know what..."
And he walked away, just like that. Leaving me looking like a fool in front everybody. It took me almost a month to undo that damage to my reputation. Thank god for Sinjin and a box of props from a horror movie.
"Oi! Do you have any water?" I ask gruffly, from my position on the red couch. I can't focus on the past, things are never going to be the same. It's got to be about the present and right now I need water. Surely somebody as neurotic as him must have brought his own bottle of water to the beach.
"Nope" He sighs. He looks as annoyed with himself as I feel.
"He wasn't exactly planning on spending my day trapped in an RV with the meanest girl in school so forgive him if he wasn't prepared with refreshments" Comes another voice.
Ahh Rex...I was wondering when you'd re-appear. I hate that stupid puppet. Shapiro would almost pass for a functional teenager if it wasn't for that stupid thing. I wouldn't have had that fight with him on the first day of school either. It's a lot easier to navigate when you aren't looking at a puppet constantly.
"Shut up Rex" He beats me to silencing the puppet. It's convincing too, almost like he's annoyed at the puppet as well, rather then just venting at me for being a bitch.
"Sorry about him..." He mutters, looking down at the creepy wooden boy.
"Why do you bring him everywhere, Shapiro?" I ask after another long period of silence passes over us. The only thing more awkward than being stuck in an RV with Shapiro is being stuck in a silent RV with a silent Shapiro after you've asked him a question.
"He's my best friend" Shapiro replies, sounding as enthusiastic as I do when Vega greets me at school. "That's about all there is to it"
The heat seems to have zapped him of any enthusiasm. Or is that me? I look over at him, he's just laying on Beck's bed. Staring at the ceiling and paying absolutely to attention to me. Nobody ignores Jade West. Not even him.
"Move over Shapiro" I announce, striding over to where he is on Beck's bed.
I figure if I'm sitting right next to him then he'll have to talk to me while we wait. He doesn't reply, merely opting to grunt and move so I can sit down. Strangely enough this is the first time I've been on Beck's bed or even inside of his RV for a sustained period of time. I've been to his RV before, but the longest I'd been comfortable with staying there had been to wait for his cheerleader neighbor to arrive. She ended up being Nine years old, so I left as soon as she did. I hate the way Beck does that. It seems like if I'm not in some jealous rage he's not happy. With that in mind I've been faking them for six months now just to keep him interested. I barely remember how it felt to care that much if Beck was cheating or not. I don't love him anymore, I don't know why. I just don't.
"What's your deal?" He asks, pulling me out of my thoughts for a moment.
"What?" I reply, narrowing my eyes and looking at him. He's still slumped over, but now his feet are dangling over the side of the bed, rather then laying on the bed like he was before.
"You're talking to me, in case you hadn't noticed Jade." He says pulling himself upright slightly and finally acknowledging my presence. Good. Not so good though, is him questioning me. I hate being questioned, especially by Shapiro. Hence avoiding conversation with him whenever possible. I bite his head off before he gets the chance to do the same, it's just how things are now.
"We're stuck in an RV together" I reply, less venomous than I've been towards him in some time. He sighs, sounding like this was the answer he was expecting but still dreading. Funny, he's not usually so open with his emotions or so willing to talk. This is progress I suppose.
"So this is what it takes for you to talk with me?" He asks simply. None of the usual stammering, anger or Rex related interruptions I noticed. Maybe he's just too tired for all of the usual machinations.
"Yes" I answer simply. The expression on my face as stony as I can muster. That's before I look over at him, he looks pathetic. His hair is even more frizzy then usual, he isn't wearing his glasses and his shirt is drenched in sweat.
"Thought so, got it. Conversation over." He mutters darkly, looking straight ahead. I terrible again. I don't know why my dad's words from years ago affect the way I am around Robbie so much. I feel like I can't talk to him at all without expecting something bad to happen. Hence I don't.
Jade's last days at living in Oakwood, she is six years old.
I don't know what it was about that day, but I remember feeling as though something bad was coming. The sky seemed darker and it felt like there was a heaviness in the air. That was all way before my father came bursting through the door, looking like he had won the lottery. In a way he had I guess.
"Jadelyn, pack your favorite things. We're going to be leaving this place" I'll never forget those words. It was the first time that the warmth had disappeared from my fathers voice. He stopped quickly to tussle my hair like I was a pet of some sort and not his daughter. It was the first time he didn't stop to hug me either.
"I don't want to leave here though" I remember looking up at him and giving him a pleading look with those words too. So of course he would comfort me like any father, right? Wrong.
"Jadelyn. You're too young to understand this, but sometimes when things change, you must change." It's funny, looking back at it. His words foreshadowed the turn my life would take eventually.
"But what about Robbie? Can he come with us?" It was a simple question from a child. I remember the look in my father's eyes when I asked that. It was anger. Anger that his only daughter dared to care about a friend. The next thing I remember are the tears that blurred me vision. My father saw fit to slap away my wrist as I went to hug him. I don't think i've initiated a hug since.
"Don't ever talk to that boy again. Understand?" Through the tears my father's voice came. I don't remember feeling any hate towards him, I don't think I was even capable of it back then. Next thing I knew, my father was stalking out the front door towards the Shapiro home next door.
I remember hearing some yelling in the background after that, but none of the words. I went and hid in my room under the bed. It wasn't until later that night, when my Mother got home from work that I was disturbed. Even then I heard voices downstairs for around half an hour before she came up.
"Sweety, sometimes you need to move on. Sometimes when you move on not everybody gets to come along." My mother stated sweetly, in complete contrast to how my father approached me.
"But I don't want to be alone" I replied, remembering all of the days and nights where Robbie and I had come home from school to empty houses. Most of the time the only company we had was each other.
"You won't be. You'll meet new friends" My mother hugged me while she said this, but I sensed the sadness behind her words. Like she knew the friends I would make wouldn't be as genuine as Robbie. "This is what needs to happen. Your father needs us to do this for him. Can you do this?"
I wanted to say no. But when you're a child there isn't really anything you can say other than yes. My mother left the room shortly after this, but at left she left me with a hug and not a slap.
It wasn't until the next morning, when I saw my mother throwing all of my clothes and toys into boxes that the reality of everything sunk in. I did the first thing that came to mind. I snuck out of my room and hopped the fence to the Shapiro house. I threw stones at Robbie's window until I heard the sound of it being opened.
"What's up J-" Robbie began, looking out of the window at me. His breath seemed to catch in his throat when he saw the tears running down to my cheeks. "Come on in?" He offered kindly.
"I can't" I muttered, looking down. It was the worst feeling I'd experienced up to that point. He know something was wrong and immediately came scrambling to my side. I remember the feeling in my stomach as I prepared to tell him what was happening. It felt like a knife being twisted.
"We're leaving Robbie" I blurted out between sobs. The look on his face told me nothing. He just seemed to go blank. "I don't know where, Daddy won't tell me"
"A-are you coming back?" He asked simply, looking downwards and kicking a small stone.
It was that moment that my father saw us and came storming over. He looked angrier than I'd ever seem him. He grabbed my hand and pulled me away while raging that he had told me never to go near that kid. Somewhere in his rage he let slip that he wasn't going to let the same thing happen again. I've always wondered what he meant by that. The one thing that was clear to me on that day, my father would probably hurt Robbie or Me if he found us together again.
"Look. I don't really hate you, Shapiro. You should know that." I say the look on my face softening just a little bit. He looks over at me, the expression on his face remaining the same. He's unconvinced and it reminds me of that day so long ago. "If I did I would make your life miserable like I do to Vega"
"Alright" He replies, still looking ahead, his eyes still smoldering. He looks more serious then I've seen before. As if echoing my thoughts, he adds "This might be the longest we've talked since our last day of school together in Oakwood"
Dammit. I really wish the door would open. This is opening up too many old wounds.
"Probably" I really hope somebody comes and gets us out of this RV soon, I'd rather be anywhere then here right now. Even a Vega family thanksgiving dinner.
"Do you ever think about when we were friends?" He asks out of the blue, reminding me for the thousandth time since we were trapped in here of why I wish he wasn't so damn self conscious and had just gotten changed in the public restrooms like a normal person. It's not as if he's some freakish mutant. We're too far gone now, I guess I'll just be honest with him for once.
"Would you believe me if I said no?" I asked him. I probably look a lot more vulnerable then usual right now, I know that I feel like a kid again. Like when a parent towers over you and you can feel their rage. Powerless. Scared.
"No" He sounds like me. It reminds me of when we used to be so alike, like when he used to talk just like me. I shift uncomfortably and adopt a mask of indifference. I know it's unconvincing, but it's better then nothing. I really don't want to risk my dad's rage again. It's been so much worse since my Mother left last year.
"Then yes..." I groan and look at him again, for the first time our eyes meet. I think it's the first time I've actually looked into his eyes in years. In that moment I remember all of the moments we shared as children, as of the times that somebody would make me cry and he would cheer me up in his own way.
"Knew it." Robbie breaks out into a smile which I can't help but echo. Besides the awkwardness of our reunion, the lack of water and the unbearable heat, being trapped in here might not be the worst thing in the world.
