AN: The TFB&J pictures make me excited for the episode again :], but it still makes me sad that they paid for someone to ask Jade out.

Disclaimer: I still don't own these people

Day 1

After Beck left, Jade seemed to be the same as she always was, yelling and scowling at everything that moved. But there was something different. Her snaps were no longer biting, sarcastic, or even mischievous. Instead they were empty, they were weary, and they were just plain depressing.

Andre, Cat, Robbie, and Tori had also gone to the airport to say goodbye to Beck. There had been sadness lingering over them as they watched Beck board the plane. Once he was out of sight, Jade turned to glare at the four remaining people. Then she accused them of being sad. There wasn't any reason to be sad she claimed. He was coming back in three years and he promised to call and skype often. Besides, it wasn't like he was that important in their lives anyways. They weren't the ones who talked to Beck every single night before they went to sleep, they weren't the ones living in the apartment Beck stayed in even more than his own RV, they weren't the ones that was secretly hoping for a dramatic marriage proposal even though it would make them seem like a hopeless romantic, which is simply unacceptable, and most of all they weren't the ones that had planned the rest of their lives around Beck. So what right did they have to act like they were sad, devastated even?

Tori protested at Jade's accusations. Of course they cared about Beck, and of course they would be sad that he was leaving; they wouldn't see him for three years either. He was their friend, so they loved him too. Andre gently told Tori to stop talking while Robbie tried to pull her away. Cat, on the other hand, started singing loudly about how much she wanted some sour patch kids, in hopes of distracting Jade. Jade sighed before hollowly telling Cat to shut up. She allowed Cat to drag her to the nearest stand selling candy. But this time instead of acting like an annoyed older sister, Jade was dragged as if she were a lifeless puppet.

Tori had never seen Jade like this, with broken glares and empty insults. She turned to Robbie and Andre next to her, but they could only shrug. They all knew Jade's tendency to mask any pain, but they have never seen her so obviously faking. Usually no one could tell she was just acting unless you knew her very well and were observing her very carefully. But today, anyone with eyes could take a look at her and tell she was broken. How could missing Beck create such a big reaction? When the couple had been separated before, even if it wasn't quite as long as this time, Jade never even showed any sign of needing Beck. What happened this time that made her break as soon as Beck left?


Day 5

By the fifth day, Jade stopped trying to hide her pain. Instead, she starts hiding herself. She stays in her apartment, crying and not letting anyone except Cat in. There is no yelling, in fact there isn't even any talking. They just sit on her bed as Jade sobs.

Cat sits next to her, stroking her back and handing her tissues. Secretly, there are tears rolling down Cat's cheeks too. Unlike Jade, who is practically wailing, Cat's tears are silent. But like Jade, who wants her Beck back, Cat wants her Jade back. She wants her strong, 'nothing touches me,' smirking best friend back. Jade had always been an older sister to Cat, even if Cat was technically older. Ever since they were young, Cat went to Jade every time something bad happened to her. Jade would tell her that her problems were stupid and to suck it up, but Jade would also sit next to Cat as she cried, stroking her back and handing her tissues.


Day 18

Except for Cat, no one has seen Jade for nearly two weeks. Cat stays with Jade almost every minute of every day. Andre, who is producing Cat's first album, gives her as much time off as she needs. Because all he can do for Jade right now is make sure she has Cat to take care of her.

Actually, he also tries to quell Beck's worries. So do Robbie and Tori. Beck keeps calling them, asking if Jade is okay because Jade hasn't once answered her phone or responded to any other method of communication he has tried. And God knows he's tried everything, even sending her a letter through the mail, actual mail, post office mail. They all reply that she's fine. She just decided she needed a little time without hearing his voice to help her adjust. It sounds like bullshit to him, but he doesn't pry further. He does keep calling her though.

Though Jade isn't constantly crying anymore, she still doesn't pick up. According to Cat, she only cries sometimes now. When she isn't, they talk, but never about Beck. Cat tries to convince Jade to sing Broadway show tunes together or make red velvet cupcakes and mock the ugly clothes models wear while the cupcakes are in the oven like they used to, well Jade made fun of the them, Cat just sat and laughed at Jade's comments. But Jade refused, despite Cat's very convincing pleading.


Day 25

Robbie barges through Jade's apartment building, holding a Rex in his hands. Once he arrives in front of Jade's door, he kneels down and successfully picks the lock before crashing into the apartment. He is met with two pairs of eyes staring at him from the couch in front of the TV. One of them is seething with anger while the other is just empty. Neither girl moves though.

"This isn't the Jade West I know. Why aren't you kicking me out right now? Come on, do something. Insult me. Hit me. I even brought Rex. If you don't yell at me for carrying Rex again, I will permanently take Rex out of my attic and bring him back to life. This is your last…" Robbie screams to the girls.

The one with the furious eyes gets up and forces him out. Robbie pretends to put up a fight, but he lets Cat Valentine push him out the door.

During the chaos the two were creating, the girl remaining at the couch shows the first sign of emotion in nearly a month. She looks thoughtful.

To be continued...