A/N: Sorry this took so long. I had a bunch of projects and then finals. But I'm on break now so hopefully I'll be able to update a lot more.
Chapter 4
The bell rang, and Psychowitz's class began. Meg watched from the back of the class as Andre, Beck, and Robbie were forced onstage to perform a drive by acting skit. Watching the boys scramble to meet Pyschowitz's outrageous demands was entertaining, but Meg soon lost interest. She was more focused on the goth girl sitting two rows ahead of her.
Meg was beyond frustrated. Since their coffee date, she had barely been able to see Jade. Three of her classes had assigned huge projects, plus she was helping Andre write the music for the next school play, so she had basically no free time. It seemed as though Jade was in a similar predicament. Lately, she had just been scribbling into her notebook or running off to do something.
The only thing keeping Meg sane was that every time she did manage to get a little time with Jade, she was rewarded with some display affection, be it just a flirty smile or a full blown hug. Another saving grace was that she had also gotten Jade's number during one of their brief encounters. Text messages were now her main form of communication with Jade. It wasn't great, but it was better than nothing.
After what seemed like an eternity, the class finally ended and Meg gathered up her stuff. The rest of their classmates rushed out the door, eager to escape Pyschowitz's insanity. Jade was about to leave too when Pyschowitz called her out. "Jade, please stay for a moment. We need to talk." The dark girl sighed but nodded, shooting Meg an apologetic look. Meg nodded and left, trying to look as understanding as possible, even though she was frustrated enough to murder puppies.
Meg went to her locker and started rearranging her stuff. The hallways had started to empty but she wasn't in any rush, she was still hoping that she could see Jade before she went home. Soon she was alone, or so she thought. She jumped and screamed a little when someone tapped her on the shoulder.
"Woah, sorry." Said a male voice. Meg turned to see a boy with short, light brown hair standing behind her. "Um, hi." Meg said with an awkward smile. "Hi!" He said brightly, flashing a white smile. It faded a little when Meg continued to stare at him, confused. "I'm Marcus Little. I'm in your math and tech theater class." "Right. I remember." Meg said, nodding slowly. He smiled again before continuing. "Cool. Well I was heading home, but I saw you and I figured it's now or never." The confusion returned to Meg's face. "What's now or never?" she asked. "Asking you out. Do you want to do something this weekend? Maybe go see a movie or something?"
Meg felt her jaw drop. She never could've seen this coming. She had only talked to Marcus like once, and now he was asking her out. After a couple seconds of stunned silence, Meg finally answered. "Look Marcus, you seem really like a nice guy, but you're not really my type." Marcus' face instantly fell.
"Oh." He said. "Do you mind if I ask what your type is?" Meg sighed. She didn't really want to go there with a kid she barely knew, but he had asked so he would receive. "My type is girls." She said bluntly. Marcus's eyes widened until they were about the size of basketballs. It seemed as though he was at a loss for words, since all he could do was nod slowly and stare.
Finally he pulled himself together and said "Well, okay. I guess I'll see you around." He turned around and walked away quickly, staring down at the ground. Meg sighed. She felt kind of bad about hurting his feelings, but he needed to know the truth. She was turning back to her locker when she saw Jade walking towards her.
"Hey," the goth girl said as she approached. "Hi." Meg answered with a smile. Jade leaned up against the lockers as Meg finished putting her stuff away. "So, who was that guy?" Jade asked casually, looking at her nails. "Oh, that was Marcus. He's in some of my classes." Meg responded. "What did he want?" Jade questioned. Meg rolled her eyes and snorted. "He asked me out." Jade's eyebrows shot up and she looked more than a little peeved.
"And…" she prodded. "And what?" Meg asked, slightly enjoying the jealousy she could hear in the other girl's voice. "What did you tell him?" Jade asked impatiently. "Oh that." Meg said, still playing dumb. "I told him no obviously! You know I don't like boys." She exclaimed. Jade visibly relaxed at that and Meg couldn't help but smile. She closed her locker and picked up her bag. They started walking to the parking lot.
"Jeez Jade, I didn't realize you cared so much." Meg teased. "Whatever," Jade said rolling her eyes. "I just didn't want some creep hitting on you." Meg laughed. "Riiiigghhhttt. Because that's your job, isn't it?" She said with a smirk. Jade blushed bright red and looked away, trying to hide her embarrassment. Meg laughed again and Jade decided it was time to change the subject.
"Are you performing at the Showcase, Meg?" she asked as they walked. "Oh, yeah." Meg said thoughtfully. She had caught the topic switch but decided to let it go. "That's why I've been so crazy busy lately. On top of my other projects, I had to write something for that too." Jade nodded, but there was a frown on her face. As much as she enjoyed the showcase, she didn't like that it was keeping Meg away from her. Ever since their date, Jade had wanted to know more and more about the new girl, but she hadn't gotten much of a chance. It was making her a little wonky. Well, that combined with the stress of her own projects.
They finally made it to the parking lot, and Jade walked Meg to her car. For the entire trip from her locker to her car, an idea had been buzzing around her brain. When they stopped in front of her beat up Chevy Nova, she decided it was time to voice it.
"I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Jade said with a small smile. "Yeah, for sure. " Meg answered with a grin. Jade nodded and started to head for her own car, when Meg called after her. "Jade, wait a sec." She looked back at Meg with a pierced eyebrow quirked. "Yeah?" Meg shrugged and replied "I'll be done with all of my projects and the Showcase by Friday, so I was wondering if maybe you'd want to go to the drive-in with me on Saturday. I heard they're showing The Scissoring this weekend."
Jade's smile widened, and she nodded slowly. "I'd love to, but you have to tell me something first." She said mischievously. "What's that?" Meg asked. Jade grinned as she asked "Is this a date?" Meg laughed and replied "Yeah, I guess it is." "Cool," Jade said. "I'll see you on Saturday then. Pick me up at 7?" Meg nodded and watched happily as Jade walked away.
Friday came faster than expected and soon Meg found herself standing backstage at the Showcase with Tori. All week, she had been confident and ready, but as each act went by, the knot in her stomach got tighter and tighter.
"Are you okay?" Tori asked, concerned. Although she was physically shaking, Meg managed a smile and said "Yeah, I'm alright. Just super nervous." Tori nodded sympathetically and replied "Everyone gets nervous. Don't worry about it, you'll do great!" "Thanks Tori." Meg replied gratefully. "No problem." Tori said with a smile. "Looks like I'm up. Break a leg. I'll see you after the show!" Tori ran out onto the stage and started her number. It was great, but Meg was having a hard time enjoying it since there was only one act separating Tori's performance from her own.
As Tori finished her song, there was thunderous applause. It stopped pretty quickly once Robbie got on stage. His stand up routine wasn't going too well. People laughed at Rex's jokes but it went back to crickets as soon as Robbie told one. After a painful 5 minutes, Robbie finally finished and exited the stage. Meg swallowed the growing lump in her throat and grabbed her guitar. Showtime.
The MC waited until the crowd had quieted down before he announced the next act. "Hollywood Arts, please welcome to the stage our newest addition Megan Conrad!" There was mild applause as Meg walked onstage. Crossing the stage with quick steps, Meg sat on the stool that was waiting for her and pulled her guitar into her lap. Since she was so new, no one really knew what to expect, except for Jade and Andre. Silence fell as the crowd waited to hear whatever Meg had in store. When everything seemed right, Meg took her pick and started to play.
The song started slow and quiet, just loud enough to be heard. Gradually, it started to build into a fiery flamenco. Meg's fingers danced across the strings, moving so fast they could barely be seen. The audience stood in rapt silence as if under a spell, completely mesmerized by the girl's song. Even her friends were awed by what they were hearing.
Tori turned to Jade with her mouth hanging open and asked "Did you know she could do that?" Jade had been staring up at Meg in wonder, but she looked at Tori and just gave a small nod before saying "Close your mouth Vega. You'll catch flies like that." Tori obeyed and returned her attention to the stage.
Truth was, Jade had no idea what the girl could do. The time she had walked in on Meg playing, she had experienced the girl's talent. But this was totally different. That first time had only been a snippet; this was a whole song with Meg pouring her entire heart and soul into it. Jade was shocked. Just listening, hearing the music that Meg had written made her heart beat a million miles an hour and left her completely breathless. She had never felt this way about music, or a musician. Then just like that, it was over. Meg stood, and with a small bow, left the stage. The crowd erupted in applause, their group of friends cheering loudest of all. Only one thought crossed Jade's mind: Find Meg. While the others were busy cheering and waiting for the next act, Jade slipped away.
Backstage was horribly crowded. Jade had to struggle through performers, stagehands, and costume designers. She was just about to give up when she caught sight of the dark haired guitarist standing near the emergency exit. Pushing, shoving and throwing a few elbows, Jade began to break through the crowd. Meg looked up and flashed a bright smile when she saw Jade making her way through the throng.
"Hey!" she exclaimed when Jade finally managed to break through. "Hi." Jade said a little breathlessly. In the blink of an eye, Jade had her wrapped up in a tight hug. Meg didn't even hesitate to hug back. "You were amazing." Jade said when they pulled apart. Meg blushed and looked away.
"Thanks." She said softly. "But it wasn't that great." A deep frown formed on Jade's face. She gently grabbed Meg's chin and turned it to face her own. "By now you know I don't sugarcoat things. " She said sternly. "You were amazing up there. I've never heard anything like it." There it was again, her heart beating a million miles an hour.
Meg looked up enough to meet her eyes. "Really?" she asked, her brown eyes both hopeful and unsure. Jade swallowed hard and replied weakly "Yeah, really." She knew what she wanted to do more than anything. Apparently, her body did too because before she could stop herself, she leaned in and pressed her lips against Meg's. She could feel Meg's shock at first, but then the other girl melted into the kiss, tangling her fingers in Jade's streaked hair.
They stayed like that for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality was only a few minutes. At last they pulled apart. The two just stared at each other for a while. When Meg could finally find her voice, all she could say was "Wow." Jade nodded and said "My thoughts exactly."
