An: I hope no one thinks I'm being to mean to Beck. I just think that the Jade we know and love wouldn't let anyone in so easily. Not even Beck.

It had been about a week since Jade told Beck about her boyfriend Eric. Beck had thought about giving up on Jade, but he decided he would rather have her as a friend then nothing at all. He was still trying to get her to like him just in a different way. She was still giving him the cold shoulder. It is not easy to get past Jade West's walls. He wonders why she is the way she is. There has to be more to her than just the cold attitude and scary threats. After all Cat wouldn't be friends with her if there wasn't. Cat had also said Jade wasn't always like that all the time. He knows there is more to her, he can feel it. All he knows is he is not giving up on Jade West no matter how much she protests.

It is a Wednesday afternoon when Beck spots Jade at her locker. He had noticed that she hasn't really been herself today. She has been quite and withdrawn in a different way. It seemed more sad then hostile. Beck walks over to his locker, he is still keeping an eye on Jade. Cat walks up to her. They talk for a few minutes. Beck can't hear what they are saying, but Cat rubs Jade's back a little. Jade closes her locker and walks down the hall with her head hanging down. When Beck sees that Cat is still there he hurries to close his locker and rushes over to her.

"Hey Cat. Can I talk to you for a sec?" Cat gives Beck a brilliant smile. She is happy and perky as usual. Beck admires her for always being able to look at the world in such a positive way.

"Hey Beck. What's up?" He really didn't know how to ask her. He didn't want to invade Jade's privacy, but he is really concerned about her. With Cat the best approach has always been to be direct. She had a tendency to get confused.

"I noticed that Jade seems sad today. Is she okay?" The ever present smile slips off Cat's face. She suddenly seems so sad. That worries Beck. Cat's never sad.

"I shouldn't tell you. Jade will get mad at me."

"It's okay Cat I won't tell her you told me. I'm just really worried about her." She gives him a tiny smile.

"I know you really like Jade. I can tell." Beck blushes a little. "You treat her really nicely, and when she told you she had a boyfriend you still wanted to be her friend. That's the only reason I'm going to tell you what's wrong with Jade." Beck nods encouraging her to continue. "She and Eric broke up. It is too hard to have a long distance relationship at 14. They wanted to end it as friends. Jade is really sad. Eric is her first love."

"That is really sad. I feel so bad for her." Beck is hurting for Jade. He had a bad break up last year with this girl who didn't really like him. She was just using him to make some else jealous. She was his first kiss. He has always felt bad that something so special was shared with such a horrible person. He was really hurt. Sometimes he thinks that's why he doesn't want to date all of those shallow girls that keep asking him out. They remind him of her.

"She will be fine. She just needs time to heal. Maybe a new friend can help her heal." Cat winks at him while she nudges him with her elbow in his ribs. While he tries to figure out what she was trying to say she walks away. It takes him a few minutes to figure out what she was hinting at.

"Oh." He smiles. That Cat isn't as dumb as she acts.

Second Attempt

It has been a week since Jade and her boyfriend had broken up. She is still hurting, but it was still the right thing to do. She cares a lot about Eric and wants them to be able to stay friends. If they had stayed together the stress from trying to make it work would have ruined whatever chance they had at being friends. She wasn't sure she is ready to move on, but if she meets the right guy than maybe. Cat had been such a good friend to her. She had let her come over that night and cry for hours. Jade doesn't know what she would do without her. This week had been hard, but not too bad. Even that stupid Canadian boy had seemed to back off. If she really had to admit it she kind of missed the attention. It was flattering, and she had never had someone pay that much attention to her before. She guesses he's not that bad. Maybe she will even let him be her friend. Maybe.

Andre, Robbie, Cat, and Jade are all sitting at their usual lunch table. They are all chatting amongst themselves. Cat is telling Jade about something her crazy brother had done, and how he ended up in jail for it. Robbie is complaining to Andre about how a girl put chewing gum in his hair after he asked her out.

"I mean, how rude it that?" Robbie whines. Andre has an exasperated look on his face.

"Where is Beck?" Andre asks cutting Robbie off before he can say anything else. Cat and Jade look over at him. They both shrug.

"Oh, here he comes." Robbie says very excited. Andre rises an eye brow at him. Beck walks over to the table. He sets a cup of coffee down in front of Jade. Then he takes a seat close to her and lays his back pack down in his lap.

"Hey guys." Jade looks from the cup in front of her to Beck. He gives her a smile. Jade doesn't know what to think. He hasn't brought her coffee since he use to try to get her to like him. She already let me him be kind of like a friend to her, why is he doing this again? As far as he knows she still has a boyfriend.

"What's this?" She asks. He just shrugs.

"I thought maybe you might like some coffee. I was getting one for myself, and I know you are a fan. Black two sugars." He gives her a bright smile.

"But you don't have any coffee." Beck looks panicked for a second before his acting skills took over.

"I drank it already." Jade isn't convinced, but shrugs and turns back to her conversation with Cat.

"Um, Jade." She turns to Beck again.

"What?" She says in a very tense way as if trying to warn him not to try anything. He did not heed her warning.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to that new coffee place down the street with me after school. What do you say?" He says hopefully.

"You wants some coffee?" Beck nods. Jade gets that wicked grin on her face that she gets before she does something mean. Beak swallows hard.

"Here you can have mine." With that she pours her hot coffee all over the back pack on his lap. She gets up and storms away. Everyone is shocked.

"Are you okay man?" Andre asks. Beck shakes his head no. He slowly gets up. Coffee is dripping off his back pack. When he is fully standing up his friends see the coffee stain on his left thigh.

"I'm going to the nurse. I think I might have at least a first degree burn." With that he walks towards the building.

"I can't believe she did that. What a Gank." Andre says. Cat stands up putting her hands on her hips.

"Hey, that's my friend. Don't call her that name." She storms away just like Jade.

Cat finds Jade in the janitor's closet. Jade found the place a few days ago. It was the perfect place to hide when she needed to be alone. Jade is sitting on the floor cutting up some toilet paper when Cat walks in. She slams the door behind her. Jade quickly looks up at her.

"What is wrong with you? You burned him. What were you thinking?" Jade puts down her scissor and jumps up off the floor.

"He is burnt? I didn't mean to burn him. I poured it on his stupid back pack."

"That was in his lap. Where was the coffee supposed to run down on to, Jade?" Jade feels bad.

"I didn't think about that at the time. I was just so mad. How dare that creep ask me out. As far as he knows I still have a boyfriend. And I was actually starting to think he was a nice guy. It figures he's a creep just like I thought he was at first." Cat shakes her head and huffs.

"He knows you and Eric broke up." Jade glares at her.

"How does he know that, Cat?" Cat looks down in shame.

"I told him, but he is a nice guy Jade. And he really likes you. Even after you have been so mean to him he still wants to date you, and when he thought you had a boyfriend he was willing to settle for just being friends. Will you please just give him a chance?" Cat begs her. She even throws in a little pout.

"Okay. But only as a friend. I don't want to date him."

"And you will apologize to him."

"What?! No." Cat gives her a stern look. "What if he tells people? I will never live that down. It will ruin my reputation."

"He won't. He respects you too much." Jade rolls her eyes.

"Fine." Cat grins, and claps her hands.

After school was over Beck was standing by the curb waiting for his Mother to pick him up. The nurse said he was okay and didn't need to go to the hospital. He just needed to put some ice on it. It was funny he should be mad at Jade. At least that's what Andre kept telling him. But he wasn't mad. He actually feels bad for upsetting Jade. It was obviously too soon. She needed more time to heal. He will wait until she gives him a sign that she is ready for more from him. Until then he will be a really good friend, and a shoulder to lean on if she lets him.

Jade goes outside to wait for her wicked Step Mother and she sees Beck waiting as well. She promised Cat she would apologize to him. She guesses this is a good time since no one else around to hear it. If people heard she apologized for something she did they would all start expecting it from her. She takes a deep breath before slowly making her way over to him.

Beck sees her walking towards him out of the corner of his eye. He tries not to get to excited. She probably wants to yell at him.

"Hey." She says as she stands next to him.

"Hey."

"So, how is your leg?"

"The nurse says the burn isn't that bad." Jade is digging the toe of her boot in the side walk. This kind of thing isn't easy for her.

"Look, I'm sorry you got burnt. I was trying to ruin you back pack not your skin." Beck places his hand on her shoulder and rubs it a little.

"It's okay. I know you didn't mean to hurt me. I'm sorry that I was being insensitive. I should have known a week isn't enough time to heal after a break up." Jade shrugs off his touch.

"How about I'll forgive you if you forgive me?" Beck smiles and nods.

"Deal. Friends?" Beck holds out his hand for her to shake. Jade looks hesitant, so he drops it.

"I'll think about it." Beck looks at little disappointed. "At least you are on the maybe list. Robbie is still on the no way in Hell list." They both laugh a little. Beck's Mom pulls up.

"My Mom's here. Do you maybe want to come over and hang out at my place?" He didn't want to push his luck with her but he had to ask.

"No." She quickly turns on her heel and walks away. Beck smiles. That's his Jade. Well, she will be his eventually. He gets in the car. His Mom pulls away from the curb.

"Who was that girl?" She asks.

"Someone special." That's all he says as his thoughts start drifting off to Jade land. He got to touch her. It was her shoulder, but still that's more than he thought she would let him. Maybe that was his sign. He smiles the smile that Andre says is his Jade smile.