A/N: Hello Hello! This was supposed to be updated yesterday, but there was slight technical difficulties. It's up now. Thank you for the reviews, faves, alerts, etc and so forth. It means a lot. To address reviews, I take everyone's suggestions and I might just put them into the story. :)

Without further ado, I present to you all chapter 3

Disclaimer: See CH 1


Chapter 3

Accidents Are on Purpose

Tori sat cross-legged on her light blue bedspread contemplating calling the pale girl. Today was such a mess of emotions and they weren't even hers. What did Mika do that was so unforgivable? What was going through Jade's head when she saw her sister? Wait...Jade had a sister. Why was it such a secret? The crease of Tori's brow was making her face ache. 'Stop over thinking.' She shook the thoughts away then began to stare at her phone for what seemed like the entire time she was home from school. She felt like a boy calling the girl he liked to ask her out on a date. Well, Tori's scenario was half true. With Jade's name highlighted, the tan girl finally got the nerve to press 'call'.

With a deep breath, she put the PearPhone to her ear and the thoughts started up again. 'Maybe I should stay out of this. It's not my place to intervene. I don't even know what's bothering Jade. What's taking her so lon-'

"What?" A sharp voice from her phone kicked Tori out of her thoughts. Jade sounded less cranky than Tori expected. She sounded more tired than anything. Maybe she could do this.

"Um. Hi Jade."

"Listen Vega. I'm not really in the mood for small talk. So let's skip past the moment you stutter over your words and get to the point." Maybe she couldn't do this.

So with a deep breath, Tori dove in head first. "Whywon'tyoutalktoyoursister?" It came out in one blob of meshed up words. But Jade knew exactly what the Latina said. It still took a couple seconds for a response.

"Why is that any of your business, Tori?" Jade snarled a little too calmly for Tori's comfort.

"Uh. Because I..."

"Seriously Vega. You're wasting my time." After Jade's interruption, Tori heard silence, then the beep to signal the end of a call. With a sigh, Tori tossed her phone aside and laid back on her bed. Time for plan B.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

With her black comforter pulled over her head, Jade thought about how agonizing of a phone call that was. She didn't want to be so rude to Tori, but if she spoke to her any longer, she would become civil and that scared her. She might put her guard down, give her feelings away. 'Why does Tori even care? Because she's Tori.' Jade grunted as she let the thought of herself meaning anything to Tori linger in her head for a while longer. 'I wish she were here.' But it quickly dissipated and was replaced with the sudden realization that the girl consuming her thoughts knew about Mika. "Great. She's a little bit closer..."

Mika. Jade couldn't keep the memories at bay anymore. She shut her eyes tight to keep the tears in. No such luck.

"Daddy! You promised you would teach me to ride my big kid bike!" A 7 year-old Jade West dramatically huffed at her father for the third straight day.

"Not now, Jade. Daddy's working." The older man mumbled without even looking at his daughter.

"But, that's what you said yesterday and you promised!" At a young age, Jade began to realize that when someone promised something, it meant less than not saying it at all, except one person, who always kept her promises.

A head popped in through the doorway of Mr. West's home office. "JJ, come on. I'll teach you." With a brilliant smile, a 12 year-old Mika put out a welcoming hand to Jade. The younger girl took it with a new jump in her step and her pouty face was replaced with a big grin, similar to her big sister's.

Hand in hand, the West sisters made their way to the garage where Jade's new 'big kid' turquoise, pink and white bike was stored. "Yay! Thanks Mikey for helping me." Jade beamed at the mere thought of her one and only sister. Mika was a hero in the green-blue eyes of the, then happy, 7 year-old.

"No problem. You ready to knock this out of the ball park?" Mika asked and was answered with a vigorous nod and baby teeth smile. "Cool. So first, we have to learn to balance which is really hard..."

Jade's heart ached with the thought of bonding time with Mika when they were young. It meant nothing now. Even Jade's childhood hero broke promises. If she cared about none of it, then why were her eyes pouring out tears? Jade quickly swiped at her eyes to remove the unwanted water works. She was startled at the sound of her alarm, which lay on the floor, batteries put back in. It signaled a new day. 'The piece of shit finally worked for once.' She reminisced the night away, once again getting no sleep. Time to face yet another day.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

'Why am I in the janitor's closet? With Tori?' Jade questioned. The skinny girl dragged Jade in here for some pointless reason that only Tori thought was important. She was secretly intrigued. But that was quickly replaced with a knowing feeling. It was about Mika. "Vega, you're gonna make me late for class. What do you want now?" With her lips pursed tight, leather covered arms crossed, boot cladded foot tapping impatiently, Jade waited for Tori to talk. And waited. And waited. "I'm not gonna wait much longer."

"I know, okay? Give me a second." Tori stated abrasively, something neither girl was expecting. Now Jade was really intrigued, impressed almost. "Jade, I know it's none of my busine-"

"I know where you're going with this and no, it's not Tori." Jade said sternly while throwing her bag aside to empathize her point.

"Maybe if you just gave her a chance to explain. I'm sure she has a good reason. She's your sister." Tori was not backing down, not this time.

"I don't wanna talk about this." Jade stated shifting her weight, sighing in frustration. She couldn't find an escape. Tori was standing in front of the door.

"Why? Why do you keep everyone at arms length?" Tori's own frustrations were starting to seep out of her.

"Why do you stick your nose in everyone's business?" Jade retorted with another question, voice rising a bit.

"Because I care about you and I-"

"You do?" When she heard that, Jade's defenses fell completely. Her rare, sickly, optimistic voice snuck past her lips and onto the Latina's ears. Her eyebrows shot up in disbelief. With that, Tori started to wring her hands nervously and averted eye contact. She knew that she let just a sliver of her feelings out to the pale girl, it was enough.

"Yes. You're my friend, even if you don't think so and...wait..." Brown eyes shot up, realization hitting her like a dump truck. Jade's voice sounded hopeful, like she wanted to hear those words. Tori had never heard the pale girl sound so small, insecure. Her eyes caught green-blues. Neither girl moved, they hardly remembered to breathe. 'Oh my god, they're even more beautiful when she looks at me like this.' Tori thought. Jade was the first to break the silence.

"Tori..." Before Jade knew it, she grabbed the tan girl's hand and started moving toward her. Just then, Luther the janitor started jiggling the handle to the door and the spell was broken. Jade shook her head and grabbed her bag off the ground, yanked the door open and bolted past Luther.

'What. Just. Happened?' Tori was astonished to say the least.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

With the final cymbal crash of the song, 'The State Of' finished their second of four L.A. shows. "Thanks! Good night L.A.! Get home safely! Don't be stupid." Mika yelled into her mic. As the band walked off the stage, Evan, the lead guitarist and only male of the band, spoke up. "Great job as usual. Now let the drinking begin!" Mika grabbed her phone from back stage to check her messages. She had gotten Jade's number from Cat and texted her baby sister almost begging that she talk to her. She got one response.

Leave me alone. And call off Tori. I know you're using her. At least she actually got an answer.

I'm not using her. She offered. She cares about you, JJ. Mika answered.

You don't get to call me that anymore. Just go away. Replied Jade, within seconds.

Jade... But that was the end of the conversation. 20 minutes went by with no response. Baby steps. Mika had to remind herself. Baby steps.

"Okay! I got it! Now let me try by myself, Mikey!" Little Jade whined. She wanted to try and ride her bike without Mika holding on and finally become a big kid. It was about time that she learned. She didn't want to get picked on anymore for being the only kid on the block not riding two wheels.

"Okay, Okay. Just like last time, but remember to steer. You ready?" Jade nodded vigorously. "On 3. 1...2...3! Go! Go! Go!" Mika started pushing Jade as the younger girl peddled her little heart out to pick up speed. "I'm gonna let go...NOW!"

"I'm doing it! I'm doing it!" Jade's eyes lit up when she realized that she was indeed riding her bicycle all on her own. She looked back at her sister proudly.

"Steer! Jade watch out for that-" Crash! "Mailbox..." Mika grimaced as Jade made contact with the object and hit the grass beside it. She heard crying and the calling of her name so Mika started running toward her sister. "Come here. Let me see."

"Ouch! It hurts, Mikey!"

"You're okay. It's just a scrape. Let's go clean up your knee and get ice cream. Yeah?" Mika offered. She hugged Jade as the little West nodded with that 'little kid, I'm hurt, pouty face' look. So, the two sisters walked back to the house to get ice cream, putting Jade's bike back into the garage. "We'll try again later."

"I guess so." Jade agreed with that pouty look still evident.

"Hey, rock star. What's wrong? Why are you all by yourself, sulking?" The drummer of 'The State Of', Kelly asked as she walked up to her band mate, knocking Mika back to present time.

"Oh, hey Kel. Just checking my messages." Mika answered in a defeated tone.

"Let me guess. She doesn't wanna talk." It was more of a statement than a guess from Kelly. She knew the whole story. She actually knew Jade from back in the day, the older West and her being friends for awhile now. Mika nodded so Kelly continued. "You got to give her time, girl. You know her little 12 year-old heart broke when you left."

"I know. And that's what's killing me, knowing that I'm the reason she's so damn angry." Mika sighed as she stuck her phone into her back pocket. She only had so much time left in L.A. She needed Jade to forgive her soon or she might break.

"Come on. Let's go get our 'after party' on, shall we?" Kelly said, blonde hair swaying, as she put her arm around Mika.

"Okay." disappointedly, Mika went on with Kelly to clear her head with a blurry night of the band's usual after party shenanigans.


I know you guys are gonna ask what the hell happened with the sisters again lol I assure you, by the end of the story, you will find out. Trust me, I'm a professional. I ask for your patience. So you know the next step. Review and maybe I'll update quicker...

And on a side note, it's my birthday today. I'm a Friday the 13th birthday girl. Not to fish for reviews but that would be a great B-day present. Cough cough.

Until next time... :)