A/N: Whew, that took a little longer than I intended it to. Updates may come slower these days, guys, since I'm going to be working a lot this summer so that I can afford a new apartment. Also, thanks to everyone who's reviewed. I'm glad you're all liking it so far.

The rest of the summer passed in a blur. Most of the time at her dad's house was spent locked in her room- which was exactly how everyone liked it. Despite the fact that Andrew and Delilah had been together since Jade was three years old, Jade had always felt like an outsider- especially after Delilah had had Hayden when Jade was five. He was the proper child- the child of a true Soulmate pairing. Jade was this thing that wouldn't have existed if Andrew had waited longer to find his Soulmate. Delilah had never been anything but nice to Jade, but she knew that the woman, all blonde hair and constantly bringing in yappy little dogs, didn't like her. Jade was the reminder that Andrew had been ready to give up, whereas Delilah had never stopped searching for him. Jade was the reminder that Delilah's Soulmate had been in love with someone else once. Add in the way Jade and Andrew hardly ever managed to get along because of his general disapproval over her recent style of dress (too much black) and her desire to become an actress, and it was no wonder that Jade preferred her mother's house. Unfortunately, the majority of Jade's time was spent at her dad's house.

If divorces were rare, divorces that had children involved were like Unicorns. Jade hadn't even been four years old when her father met Delilah and her parents' marriage fell apart. Originally, primary custody had been given to Erica, with Andrew receiving her every other weekend. Jade couldn't remember much, but she knew that after the divorce her mother developed a depression that eventually led to alcoholism and, in time, an inability to properly take care of a small child. She was five years old when a welfare check (at the request of Andrew) had revealed Erica passed out drunk on the couch amidst a messy apartment while Jade stood on a stool and heated up soup on the stove. Two weeks later the courts had officially granted custody to Andrew. Erica had been forced to attend rehab, and Jade's primary place of residence had been her father's house ever since.

She wished that things were different. Her mom had cleaned up her act. She'd petitioned for custody. But despite that fact and that Jade had told the judge that she would rather live with her mom, the truth was that a household with two happy Soulmates was considered a healthier environment for a child than a small, single-parent household. It was a prejudice that Jade hated (mostly because it meant that she was stuck with her dad and Delilah) but that she couldn't avoid. So when the summer finally drew to a close and school started, Jade was happier than most kids were. Not only did this mean that the amount of time that she would have to spend in her dad's house would be limited, but she was going to Hollywood Arts and okay, maybe it wasn't the best performing arts school in L.A, but it was still a performing arts school. It was the start of everything.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Jade West had never been the type to get nervous. She didn't get nervous when she had to give a speech, or sing a solo, or act as the lead in a play. But as she walked toward Hollywood Arts, there was something stirring deep in her gut that she hated and only part of it had to do with this being a new school and the start of the rest of her life.

She never did end up calling Beck back.

She'd finally managed to forget his number, but she definitely hadn't forgotten him. It was hard to do when she saw his name flashing up at her every time her wrist wasn't covered. All it took was the tiniest flash of his name as she showered in the morning and suddenly she'd be thinking about him and the smile on his face when he'd asked her name and wondering if he'd gotten accepted.

Now Jade was here, and even though there were more important things to do than keep an eye out for a boy she'd only had one conversation with (she tried not to think about him as her Soulmate more than necessary because she didn't want to deal with that until it was absolutely necessary) she couldn't help it. As it turned out, keeping an eye out for Beck was unnecessary because she had just gotten her locker open when suddenly he was there next to her. He grinned at her, and then spoke. "You got in! That's great. I knew you would when I saw you. You just look like a performer, you know?" He was all smiles and charm, and she couldn't help but let her eyes fall down to his wrists. Still uncovered. Still bare.

"No, I don't know." Jade said, closing her locker door and shouldering her now much lighter bag. "What do you want?" She turned so that she was facing him properly, looking up and taking in the changes the summer had had on him. His hair was a little longer and he was a little taller, but as far as she could tell that was it. Everything else was pretty much the same.

"I want you to go to a movie with me this weekend. Good Luck Chuck seems like it'd be okay. Or at least bad enough that we can laugh at it." Beck says all of this with a confident smile, like he knows she's going to say yes, and Jade can't help but get the feeling that he's not used to being turned down. And that makes her wonder what his dating history is like, because they're just freshman and it's not like most middle schoolers have a lot of dating opportunities. And okay, he might be attractive and he might be her Soulmate, but she's not that easy.

"Fuck no. I would rather gouge my eyes out." Mostly, she's talking about the movie, because romantic comedies aren't her thing. Either they're incredibly predictable or the director is trying to pretend that the characters live in a world where no one has a Mark or a predetermined Soulmate and has zany scheme after zany scheme that you know would be solved much faster if the world the character's lived in was like the real world. Plus, she really just hates romantic comedies. Beck doesn't have to know that she's referring to the movie, though.

His confident demeanor shifts for half a second, and then "Not a romantic comedy girl, huh?"

Jade just looks at him.

"I know a guy who can get us in to the new Resident Evil, if that's more your speed."

And really, that is more her speed, but she's not going to give him that satisfaction. Now she's sure that he's used to girls just saying yes and his ego is probably a little larger than it should be. So she's going to knock it down to size.

"Did you miss the part where I didn't call you this summer? Walk away." Jade gives him her best glare but he stands his ground.

"Are you holding out for Mr. Soulmate, then?" Beck asks, nodding toward her wrist, and Jade scowls. If only he knew. "Because I thought you said that he didn't have his mark yet. And I can only assume he doesn't got to school here. You're still a free agent."

This guy has balls, Jade has to admit. For a second she almost smiles just because of how easy this seems to be for him. She wonders if he's one of those guys who doesn't put much stock in Soulmates… until he gets his own mark. "No, I'm not holding out for him. I just don't want to go to the movies with you." He looks like he's about to say something else when the bell rings and she speak up before he can.

"Oh look, time for class. Goodbye." Jade says, and as she walks away, she can hear him say, "Hey! I didn't get your name!" But she ignores it, smirking a little to herself as she does. Maybe there's a way to have fun with the uncertainty of this Soulmate thing after all.