It's Thursday before lunch when I'm next approached by the girl. She wants me to drive her brother's car to some broad's house and I give a knee-jerk refusal. But then Vega grabs my arm and explains the situation when I try to walk away and I reconsider it; I do still miss my friend. Besides, there's only a handful of actresses whose death would make Cat that sad and we used to watch TV together when we were young. I want to be supportive. Y'know, without seeming like I'm being supportive or weak or any of the nubby stuff.
Only Tori seems skeptical, so I put on my best face and give her a Jade West creeptastic special. Maybe a little overkill, Vega chickens out and wants to bus it. Then she wants us to leave just after school. Has she never seen LA traffic between 3 and 5? Some people…
Everything in between is a blur of speech and stupidity as I find myself halfway between Hollywood and SD. I can't remember the last time I was this physically miserable. The stupid hamster is distracting, Tori's boring and annoying, and my pants are soggy. I literally could not hate this any more. Vega dangles the option of escape ever-so-temptingly before us.
My friend's grief lances my bitterness though. "You guys promised we could go to Mona Patterson's house so I could light a candle and leave it by her front door." She's right. I couldn't take it back.
Spotting something, I calmly try to get Tori's attention without tipping off either girl. By the way she stiffens, Cat must see It too. Tori screams and Cat attaches to my side. There are no other options. Reluctant as I am to get back into the deathtrap, the hobo clown (I think he winked) gave us a much-needed push in our direction.
The crazy nightmare finally ends after I drop them both off at the Vega house and I'm at my dad's house defrosting in the shower. There's something about driving over 200 miles in pouring rain for 4 hours going 70 that's awfully cold. Makes me love it more when people pull off to the side of the road from the rain.
Now that I've successfully used all the hot water in the house, it's time to get out before I pass out. I'm wrapping the towel around me when my phone rings. I snatch up the red Pear product and enunciate, "What?"
"Jade? I did something bad." Oh for the love of - "Remember that candle I lit? It set Mona Patterson's house on fire."
"What?" I say again. Ringing in my ears, I'm feeling faint for a completely different reason as she continues. "Okay… okay. Cat calm down. There's nothing we can do now. I can take you home and spend the night if you want," I tell her, as much for her as for me. Oh god, I can't go down for arson. Calm down, dammit. You can't break - you're on the phone! With Cat.
I can tell she's considering it, even if she says, "No no, I'm already in my pajama's at Tori's. We always end up sleeping in. Tori and I have our huge science project tomorrow and I have to be there, Jade. I have to." There's a pause in the rapid-fire conversation that draws me back in, "But…"
"Yeah, we can have a sleepover tomorrow night."
"Yay! Oh and Jade it's the weekend - it can be like it was back when we were kids!" I smile into the phone. Why is it so easy with her?
I write it off as a suspending relief. I had started to think that leaving things with Beck meant leaving things with all our friends, especially since Cat was off being evaluated the last time I broke up with him.
It used to upset him that I was usually more considerate to her, that I had a softer spot for my oldest friend. We can't help it; she's just been with me through more shit than he's had the opportunity to. Cat and I built up fortresses walls together, so now we're the only ones who can navigate each other without getting lost or triggering pitfalls. Eventually he assumed it's 'cause she's usually so sensitive to everyone else.
"Your house then, 'kay bye."
I feel like I shouldn't be smiling. It's not like we came together as friends 'cause our lives are so happy. I scoff in my room's telling silence.
"Where's your parents?" asked the girl with the curly brown hair.
If I knew then, we might not be friends now.
God I have skunky parents. Still, when we were that little, it was nice to know neither she or I were alone in having less-than-attentive guardians who left their children waiting for hours.
"My parents are just late. It's not important why and it's nothing new, so how's 'bout you mind your own business?"
Even at the tender age of 8, it was hard to hear the name Jade West and not associate it with fear and quiet destruction. I'm pretty proud of that actually.
"Well, 'cause my parents are late too and it's the first day of school and nobody else is here anymore. I'm almost 8 so it's okay 'cause I'm not a baby anymore." It's amazing how fast she said all those words. I sort of wanna know how she did it - she's so little. Didn't she need to stop and breathe? What's more is she didn't just go away like all the other losers I was mean to today, so maybe she's okay.
"What's your name, Baby Girl?"
Curly giggles, "I like that. My name is Cat with a 'C'."
"All right Cat with a C, I'm Jade West. You better remember that name 'cause it's gonna be big." I stand up all-of-a-sudden and cross my arms.
"Big how?"
Her question surprised me a lot, so I stutter like dorky doll-boy at recess, "I don't know yet. Nobody's ever asked me that before." Now I'm a little sad.
"That's okay Jade West, I'll remember your name 'cause we'll be friends whenever it happens. How's that sound?"
"Well I haven't had any friends asides from my parents' friends' kids. But they're all stupid nubs so I hate them all." I cross my arms again. "So okay. We can be friends."
"Yay!"
"So where are your parents, Cat?"
Our lives are such disasters. The reminiscence alone takes up my brainwaves for the rest of the night. So much for sleep. I'd strongly consider ditching school today if I didn't already promise a sleepover. And I still have Nate's car to return, even if he really shouldn't ever drive it anymore.
The drive is uneventful, despite all the makings of a bad trip. Concrete slick with the recent rain, this orange trashcan has no power-steering so maneuvering it into place sucks. It's topless. So I while can lock it, that'd be a pointless waste of my life. At least I don't have to worry about anyone stealing it.
Most of my classes fly by due to my inattention. Apparently it's lunch again already, judging from my spot in line at the Grub Truck. I pay for my burrito and sit between Cat and André ("Hey-hey" and "'Sup" respectively), directly across from Vega (currently occupied with Sub-Vega). The friendless annoyance leaves and the world is brighter for it. Or well, darker I guess since I don't like it the bright. Why am I arguing with myself over my preferences? Damn popular opinion and its mind-bending tendencies.
I shake my head before I get carried away; Vega's already staring at me.
"Jade are you okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be okay? What makes you think I'm not okay!" I look at my burrito - it's fine! "I'm fine!"
Her eyes widen comically, ducking behind the wave of an imaginary flag, "I was just wondering, you looked spacey."
"I was just thinking about your talentless sister," I deadpan.
"Jade! That's my sister you're talking about!" I shrug. This is what I get for being honest. There's a glaring redundancy in this conversation, but I'm not about to let her have the last word.
I roll my eyes. "Umm, duh! What part of 'your talentless sister' makes you think I overlooked the fact she's 'your sister'?" She's fuming. I give her a cheeky grin.
"Leave her alone, Jade."
I twist to find the speaker, astoundingly not the girl I had been addressing. Cat weaves her hand into mine again, "Be nice. Trina's nice. Sometimes."
"Yeah! Like… okay I got nothing, she's not that nice." Why fix something that ain't broke, why Tori? I sigh and start eating my food.
The musician addresses all three of us, "Wow, did that just work?"
Cat and Tori exchange confused looks and my mouth is full. He looks down at my other hand, currently occupied with Cat's, in question.
Valentine pipes up, "Jade's less mean if you hold her hand." There's a semblance of truth in that, I suppose.
André doesn't bother to question Cat's logic, accustomed to its shoddy and unreasoned nature. If only they knew what she really thought. Her mind moves almost too fast mere mortals. He turns his attention to me, now that I'm done.
I offer an explanation at his query. "I'm less mean if you hold my hand." I never said it was a good explanation. He gives up all the same. He knows I treat Cat special.
A wave of silence passes over us as we face our meals once more. Getting up to throw out my trash, I catch Tori's eye as it bounces between Cat and myself. I tip my head slightly in curiosity when I read her expression as downright guilty. What could sh- Oh. That.
Barely stopping myself from fidgeting, I hold her gaze 'til she breaks away completely to focus on her salad. Between the three of us, she's probably the one who'll crack first. But it's not an issue if we don't let it become one.
André posits another question: "Hey, where's Robbie at?"
Without looking up, Tori fields this one. "Oh he's doing a thing at a place with Beck." Her eyes widen again, but somehow I find no humor it in.
The bell rings, amiably shortening the tense quiet.
I take Cat's hand this time. She positively beams at me. To acting we shall go.
The room is empty and the window's locked. Unless there's no class today. Where the hell is Sikowitz? It's the last class of the day and I don't want to waste my time waiting for him to waste my time productively.
I check his Slap page, since he's really bad at keeping secrets.
I got a new kitten (not to be confused with any students)! MOOD: Purr-ific.
Oh god, just when I thought I could leave the lame puns to Vega.
I consider giving everyone detention again, but I'm in a sparing mood. I decreed class after 5 more minutes.
I grab my bag and my Cat, returning to The Rolling Chizbox.
"Let's see who's home today."
~~~BM~~~
AN:
I suppose it's true I can lower this to T-rated for now and I'll just change it when I think it necessary or somebody says something (whichever happens first, since I might not remember doing it).
