Here we go, 2nd chapter is up, this time from Jade's POV. Let me know what you guys think.


[Jade POV]

It's 9pm, Prome night and Robbie Shapiro is so close to me that I can feel his breath on my shoulder. It's not the worst feeling in the world. It's actually kind of sending a shiver up and down my spine. Not that I'm going to tell him of course.

Then it hits me, this is the best time I've had in a few weeks. Groaning inwardly, I allow myself a moment of weakness and rest my head against Robbie's shoulder. He's executing what I assume passes for his version of slow dancing and I can't help but smile. It's because he's so pathetic, not because we're friends or anything.

Flashback:

I cast a solitary figure on a lonely swing set. I'm in a forgotten part of town and the afternoon is growing later. I seem to miss this fact until the shadows grow longer and swallow me into the darkness. It's then that I realize I really need to get going. Just because I'm scary to high schoolers, doesn't make me safe in this part of town at night.

"Hey, sweetheart. You lost?" A strange voice comes as I pass a particularly dark ally, which smells of broken promises and stale whiskey. I shake my head, pulling my jacket tightly against myself as if it will offer more protection this way.

It doesn't.

Soon he's enveloping me, the stench of his filthy body almost makes me gag. I suppress it though, if I lay perfectly still, maybe I can catch him off guard and kick him away.

"NO!" I scream involuntarily as his hand creeps below the hem of my shirt. The words shatter the very air around me and ruin the element of surprise. I don't care though. I just want his spider-like fingers to stop crawling all over me. Mentally I try to place myself in a happy place. This isn't happening. I'm performing on a stage, everybody loves me, they're applauding...

"Fuck off." The crawling sensation on my skin is suddenly gone and for a second I wonder if I'm that good at pretending. When I open my eyes, I expect to see a hero, muscles rippling as he stands over me confidently. What I see instead is a skinny boy, shaking with fear, clutching a baseball bat.

Honestly, I'm shocked. Robbie Shapiro of all people was the one to be my knight in shining armor. Eying the silver bat in his hand, to my eternal satisfaction, I notice a small amount of crimson on it. He extends his other arm towards me, and i use it to pull myself up. I'm still eying him curiously, as I wonder why he would bother sticking his neck out for me. I'm nothing. I'm just the girl who's boyfriend left without a second thought.

It's two hours later and I'm still eying Robbie curiously. He's been working busily the whole time, no complaints. Not even when the fat guy in a greasy wifebeater spilt sauce on him. I wonder how he does it without snapping. I couldn't have lasted even ten minutes.

It's almost 4am before Robbie shuts the door to the diner and secures it's various latches. I still feel lost and unsure. I feel more like a child and less like the girl that rules Hollywood Arts with an iron fist. Soon we're on our way out of the diner and into the bitterly cold evening.

"How far away is your house?" Robbie asks me after a short time of walking in silence. I want to answer him, but I'm honestly not sure where we are anymore. I was just going to find a taxi and pay for it at home. It's too late to do that now though. Instead of answering him, I shrug and suddenly the ground is a lot more interesting than it should be. I don't want to appear any weaker in front him then I already have. Eventually, the cracks in the pavement lead us to a building. It's missing windows and there seems to be more graffiti then actual paint. I wonder why we've stopped here.

"Well, this is my house." Robbie states once he sees the questioning gaze I'm sending him. I wonder if he's subtly trying to will me away. It's a sobering feeling.

"Oh..." I reply eventually, jerking back into awareness. Eying him warily, I wonder what's going to happen now. If he is going to walk me the rest of the way, invite me inside or am I on my own now. I wouldn't blame him for just going inside now. He's already done more for me in a night then most people have ever done for me.

"Uh, you can come in if you want? It's not much but it's got a lock on the door." Robbie offers, he looks like he's expecting me to lash out. I guess that's fair enough, I'm still the same Jade West. Brushing the hair away from my face, I look up at him. Not a glare for once, just a look.

"Kay." I reply, eyes still fixed on him. He smiles, something that's actually nice to see after the night I've had. I can't help but shake my head as we enter Robbie's building. I never thought I'd spend the night alone at Robbie's house, much less want to do so. I guess things change when somebody is willing to club somebody with a metal bat for you though.

"So...the dancing?" Robbie asks, pulling me from my revelry. I look up from his shoulder and see him look concerned. It's like he thinks I'm going to break at any moment, since he whole batting incident. It's half rage enducing, half endearing. I suppress the urge to smile, his head is already big enough just from the fact we're dancing. He doesn't need to know that I'm actually enjoying it.

"Needed something to get away from that table." I explain. It's half true, I did want to get away from the table. Cat's been touchy feely all night. It's kind of freaking me out how she keeps brushing up against me. It's even worse that I feel my skind tingling long after she's moved away. He doesn't need to know that I actually just wanted a dance with him as well though.

"Fair enough." he answers, looking back to the table in question. Tori and Cat are nowhere to be found. I wonder where they could have gone, Cat needs constant supervision. I'm half way assuming Cat dragged Vega to the bathroom or something before I see a flash of bright red hair out of the corner of my eye.

"Still crushing on Vega?" I ask, hoping the tinge of jealousy in my voice wasn't entirely obvious. It's not that I hate Vega as much as I used to, she's actually been tolerable tonight. That may have more to do with the dress she's wearing though. It's more elegant then revealing, catching the light and strangling it. The slit in the leg allows a glimps of what's beneath and...man, I sound like a creeper.

"Yeah..." He replies. Suddenly I feel frustrated. Why can't he just tell her if he's that in love. Taking matters into my own hands, push him away and glare at him. He looks like a baby animal that's been kicked and I feel just the smallest piece of regret.

"You know what, Shapiro..." I state loudly as Robbie's brow furrows in confusion. I don't use his last name as often these days, so it has more impact when I actually do. He knows it never used to mean good things for him, so his confusion turns to worry.

"W-what?" He answers back, looking at me like I'm a snake, ready to uncoil and deliver a lethal dose of venom. I almost break character and laugh, stupid Shapiro. By now several couples around us have stopped dancing and are now just staring at us.

"You're a terrible dancer. I need a new partner." I announce. He's not exactly terrible, but I need some sort of excuse for this diatribe. Robbie still looks horribly confused. Now he's staring at my feet, like he's checking to see if he stood on them. For such a nerd, he's kind of stupid sometimes.

"You!" Jade I yell suddenly, pointing toward Cat. She looks like a deer in the headlights and I cringe slightly, of course Vega is dancing with Cat. Looking around the circle of gawkers, I realize it could be worse. Sinjin could have roped her into a dance, then I'd end up getting kicked out of Prome for slapping him.

"You'll do!" I announce, pushing Vega away from Cat and towards Robbie. With a slight sigh, I take possession of Cat. As my arms take hold of her, I could swear I heard a sigh of contentment.

"Hey, Rob." I hear in the background. Usually I would be tuning Vega out completely, but that would mean paying full attention to the fact that Cat is so close to me. I wonder if she's feeling as nervous as me. Looking down at her as she happily sways to the beat, I doubt it.

"Hey, Tori." Robbie replies, his breath hitching in his throat. I'm so closer to smacking him in the back of the head. He's slower than an iceberg when it comes to making a move. Spinning myself and Cat around, I "accidentally" bump into Robbie and Tori, causing her to go flying and him to grab her hands. He can thank me later smirk as Cat giggles and enjoys the feeling of spinning around. My lips disregard what my brain wants and pull themselves into a smile at her glee.

Things are actually going smoothly at the moment for the most part, the main problem I'm having is that Cat keeps grinding against me during the up tempo songs. Glaring down at her, I wonder if she's even aware that I'm here. Her eyes are closed and she's happily singing along with the music. It like the DJ knows exactly how awkward I feel and had decided to make it worse, a ballad comes on and before I know it, Cat is already nestled against my boobs.

She's humming softly to the music and I'm all too aware of how close she is. Reluctantly I place my arms around her waist. It's surprising how well they fit and nervously I look around the room. Anything to distract myself from Cat. Glance over at Robbie, I notice him and Tori haven't moved away from each other. That dork owes me big time.

I wonder if Cat and I look as graceful as those two, Robbie has an arm snaked around Tori's slim waist and is leading. I remember the first time I made him dance with me, I had to lead him. He's actually managing to look halfway decent tonight. A ping of jealousy shoots through me when Vega rests her stupid head on Robbie's shoulder. It's like she just goes around copying me sometimes. They disappear out of sight and I'm left alone with Cat.

Then I feel it. Cat's breathe on my neck, a jolt of electricity shoots up my spine. Suddenly it just feels like too much. I'm not supposed to be feeling these sorts of things for Cat. She's a friend, she's like a child. I'm not going to be the one that shatters whatever make believe world she's got going on in that head.

I do the only thing I can, I pry her off me and run.