Here's the next part, and as always, thank you guys for the amazing reviews and support. And Natine, I accidentally left Wallie and Kyle out of chapter one, and once I realized this, I thought it would be odd to just throw them in. However, with Spied's solo career and Jude moving to London, I decided to clear up some of the mystery as to what happened to them in this chapter. Enjoy!
xXx
"Is this the last one?" Spied asked, sweat pouring down his face as he heaved a gigantic box into the front door of Jude's new house.
"Yeah!" Jude called, slamming the door to Spied's truck. "That's everything. Well, for now at least. Sadie's going to pick out furniture for me tomorrow."
"She's back?" Spied asked, collapsing onto the floor in exhaustion.
"Her plane just arrived, so she should be in the area soon," Jude remarked. She looked at Spied and laughed. "Oh come on," she exclaimed. "You moved like ten boxes that were at my studio. No furniture!"
"And I had to move those five boxes of clothes you had shipped from your place in London," Spied reminded her. "I swear clothes in London are heavier than the clothes here. Maybe it's because it's so much colder...they have to build them better."
Jude rolled her eyes and offered Spied a hand up. He took it gratefully and reluctantly rose to his feet.
"I still don't see why a rich girl such as yourself enlisted me to help you move when you could have hired movers and been done hours ago," Spied teased.
"Oh, and miss this delicious enjoyment of your humiliation?" Jude joked. "Not a chance."
"Oh great," he muttered, looking out the window. "Everyone arrives once I'm finished lugging all of your stuff inside. That's just great."
Jude ignored him and opened her front door to her guests. She had bought a small two story house in the neighborhood, nothing grand. She couldn't stand the thought of living alone in a big, empty house. She did love the balcony outside of her bedroom window though, and the in-ground pool outside was also an added perk, not to mention the virtually soundproof basement where she had decided to move some recording equipment for her new record. She figured Jamie needed all the space he could get in his small basement, so she might as well set up camp in her own place. She had ordered all the recording equipment she would need and had it shipped to NBR. That's why Jamie and Zep had stopped by, to drop it off. And Sadie was supposed to come check out her new house and help her decorate. And Tommy, well, she wasn't quite sure why Tommy had pulled up, but she certainly wasn't disappointed to see him.
"Spied, why don't you give Jamie a hand with that equipment," Jude winked, as she watched Zepplin struggle to help Jamie.
"You're the devil, Jude Harrison!" he called, running out the door to take Zepplin's place.
Jude directed the guys to the basement door and let Zepplin in.
"Nice place," she said grinning. "Not real superstary though, if I may say so myself."
"Oh, you may," Jude grinned. "I didn't want anything too over the top. Plus, it's just me, so something more inclusive sounded much better. Big houses tend to creep me out."
"Understandable," Zep said nodding. "I'll just pull up some wood," she joked, sitting down on the wood floor.
Jude laughed. "Sorry, but Sadie wouldn't trust me to order the furniture myself, so until tomorrow, I'm sleeping on boxes."
"Not boxes, Harrison, you're staying at my place tonight," Tommy insisted, strolling in the door. He handed her a rectangular shaped present.
"What's this?" Jude asked, taking it, quite surprised.
"Guess you have to open it," Tommy shrugged.
Jude tore through the wrapping paper and rolled her eyes when she saw what it was. "The Bowie," she remarked happily. "But I gave it to you."
"Yes," Tommy said, "and now I'm giving it to you."
"You know if you two don't want it, I'm sure I can find someone who will appreciate it," Sadie remarked, stepping into the room.
"Sadie!" Jude screamed, enveloping her sister in a tight hug. "I love you and I missed you but if you so much as lay a finger on my Bowie, I swear, I'll kill you."
"Looks like we've got the old Jude back," Sadie grinned, pulling away from her. "I'm so glad you're staying."
"Me too," Jude said, nodding.
"God, I can't wait for the furniture to arrive," Sadie said, looking around. "It's going to look amazing in here."
"Wait, I thought we were picking it out together," Jude whined.
"Oh yeah right and let you have some input?" Sadie remarked. "Please Jude. Trust me, you'll love it. It's very rock and roll, but classy. I know my sister."
"But I thought..."
"Oh come on Jude," Sadie interrupted. "Spied told me you hadn't even gotten around to getting furniture for your place in England."
"Hey! Spied I made you promise!" Jude yelled down the stairs. "I'm glad I made you help me move!" She turned back to Sadie. "It wasn't that bad. I had a couch and my keyboard and stuff."
"Sounds like your studio, not a home," Sadie said rolling her eyes.
"Well at least I had a bed," Jude said turning to Tommy playfully, remembering how he criticized her not having a bed to sleep in at her studio.
"Well of course you did," Tommy joked back. "You would have needed one for Guy what's-his-name to sleep in."
Jude dropped her jaw in shock, unable to tell whether Tommy was joking around or not.
"Wait, wait, wait," Sadie interjected. "Guy who?"
"Guy nobody," Jude said. "Tommy is just a jerk."
"Spoken like the true lady you are," he joked.
"Well, you two sure haven't changed," Sadie noted, walking away to survey the rest of the house.
"Wicked basement," Spied said, as he and Jamie reentered the living room. Can we get a fooseball table? Please?!"
"Don't you have a rock climbing wall?" Zepplin pointed out.
Spied sighed and walked away. "You girls never let me have any fun. I'm going outside to check out the pool and get as far away from Jude as I possibly can. There will be no more lifting of the boxes."
"Wimp!" Jude yelled after him.
"So," Zepplin began. "Are you ready for the benefit concert? It's tomorrow night, remember."
"I know, I know," Jude said. "And I'm just about done my third song. I just need Tommy here to help me perfect it."
"That's what I'm good at," Tommy grinned, "perfection."
"It's sickening wondering how he gets up in the morning, isn't it?" Jude joked to Zepplin.
"All right, Jude," Jamie said, taking Zepplin's arm. "We have to get out of here. We have a meeting with Kwest and Lara."
"Oh, I'm sure she'll make it loads of fun," Jude remarked.
"Bye Jude," Zepplin called, while Jamie ignored her comment.
"Give it up Harrison," Tommy said after they left.
"What?" she questioned.
"Oh come on, the whole Lara thing," Tommy said frowning. "I've known you to be a lot of things Harrison, but spiteful was never one of them. Just let it go."
Jude nodded, feeling a little embarrassed. "All right, all right," she agreed. "I will drop it, and the next time I see her, I'll be extra nice...and then I'll feed her a cheeseburger."
"Jude," Tommy warned.
"What?" Jude asked innocently. "A girl's gotta eat."
Tommy rolled his eyes and headed for the door. "And I mean it. You're staying at my place until you get a bed."
"Aye aye!" she saluted.
xXx
"Okay, you really have to spill," Jude insisted as she and Sadie sat down at a private table in a local club. The club was Sadie's idea since she insisted she had wanted to celebrate Jude's nineteenth birthday properly, since she had already missed it. Jude sipped a whiskey sour as she spoke, Sadie nursing a martini.
Sadie sighed. "I don't know Jude. It's even weird to me. It's just that Darius knows me. He knows what I'm capable of, and he respects me for taking command. He appreciates my talents, I guess. Kwest was always trying to rescue me and pamper me, which was cute, but he made me feel like I was a child. I always felt oppressed or something."
Jude nodded, topping off her drink and ordering another. "I can completely understand your not being happy with Kwest. What I cannot fathom is your even being with Darius, let alone being happy with Darius."
"I don't know," Sadie said. "It's not that hard. I mean, we hardly even see each other. We're both always working and he's rarely home."
"And that makes you happy?" Jude frowned. "Am I missing something?"
Sadie shook her head. "I don't know Jude. I keep thinking maybe I should just be alone for awhile, but I have nowhere else to live and I do work for him."
"Well problem one solved," Jude replied. "Mi casa e su casa."
"Thanks Jude, but I'm not going to move in with my baby sister," she said, scrunching her nose. "I can afford my own place, it's just complicated. And, like I said, I'm not entirely sure what I want."
Jude let out a dramatic sigh. "Fine!" she remarked. "I give up on trying to lure you out of Darius's evil clutches, and do not interrupt me and tell me he is not evil, or else my whole perception of good and evil will be ruined forever."
Sadie rolled her eyes. "You're such a diva."
"Uh, no, you must have me confused with Karma," Jude laughed.
Sadie smiled and lowered her voice. "So, now you have to spill. What's up with Tommy...again?" she asked.
Jude shook her head. "Nothing, Sade. We're just friends. That's what he wants and me...well, I'm just trying to respect that. It's probably all for the best."
"Maybe," Sadie said. "I'm just saying that it seems like you two are a little more than friends...at least, to me anyway."
Jude shrugged, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. The truth was, she didn't know where she honestly stood with Tommy, and she didn't like thinking about it. She turned to Sadie, knowing the best way to change the subject. "Wanna dance?" she asked, leaving her sister out onto the dance floor.
A few hours later, Jude and Sadie were jumping up and down on the dance floor, getting especially excited whenever the DJ played a remix of one of Jude's songs. Sadie stopped drinking after they started dancing, but Jude had developed a love for Long Island Iced Teas and had had at least five of them since she started dancing.
"One more Johnny," she begged, pleading with the bartender. "I'll give you an autograph for your daughter," she bargained, having learned earlier in the night that his daughter was a huge fan of hers.
Johnny the bartender rolled his eyes and fixed her another Long Island. "Muchos gracias," Jude remarked, signing a piece of paper before disappearing with her drink. Up until about a half hour ago, Jude was feeling great. The alcohol left her feeling vibrant and fearless, allowing her to really enjoy herself for the first time in ages. However, she now felt a little lightheaded and dizzy, her mind a jumble of bodies and lights. And much to her annoyance, she couldn't get Tommy out of her head, no matter how much she drank. The thought of him seemed to bother her more than usual in her drunken state and half the time she was dancing she felt ready to burst into tears. Instead, she sat at the bar, polishing off her latest drink.
"Jude!" Sadie called, hopping up to the bar. "You ready to go? It's nearly two and I have to be at G-Major early tomorrow."
"Yeah sure," Jude said, slurring a bit as she sucked down the rest of her drink and hopped off the stool. Sadie had to help her to the car as her feet seemed unusually wobbly.
Jude was quiet on the ride back, her mind alert as ever. It was as if every thought that had ever entered her brain was soaring through her at once and she couldn't concentrate on one enough to utter a single sentence to her sister.
"You sure you want to stay at Tommy's?" Sadie asked. "Darius is still away and you could stay with me. It might be better."
Jude shook her head, suddenly heartbroken by the thought of not staying at Tommy's apartment that night. "No, no," she said, shaking her head. "My stuff's here still anyway."
"All right," Sadie said, pulling over. "Need help in?"
Jude shook her head no. "I'm good now," she lied. "Thanks Sade."
"Okay," Sadie said, hugging Jude goodbye. "Be careful."
"Will do," Jude half sang as she hopped out of Sadie's car. She realized the whole walking thing she had been having trouble doing earlier was quite easy if she danced instead. She rushed up the steps to Tommy's house, heels wobbling, suddenly feeling herself lose her balance, and cursing Sadie for convincing her to where heels. She crash-landed right outside of Tommy's apartment, her head clanking against the door.
"Ow!" was all she could mutter, hand rushing to her head as Tommy cracked the door open.
"Rough night?" he joked, pulling her up and helping her inside.
"Mmm," was her response, her head now throbbing, her mind dizzier than ever. "Tommy?" she questioned as he helped her into bed.
"What is it Jude?" he asked, pushing the blankets aside so he could lay her down.
"Why do I mess everything up?" she questioned, her voice slurred with alcohol.
Tommy lowered her onto the bed, turning away to grab a shirt and shorts for her to sleep in. "Lift your arms," he instructed as she obliged, arms raised in the air. He carefully lifted her shirt off of her, but before he could slide the tee shirt on, she threw her arms down and crossed them, covering herself.
"You didn't answer me," she remarked.
"Jude, would you just put the shirt on," he remarked, slightly agitated.
Jude sat still, causing Tommy to sigh.
"I'll answer your question if you let me put this on you," he offered. Jude thought for a moment then consented, lifting her arms up again and allowing Tommy to slip the tee shirt over her head. She caught his eye as he did so and even in the dark, she could have sworn she saw him blush. He sat down next to her afterward, looking down at her. "You don't ruin things, Jude, and I'm sorry if I ever made you think that you do."
Jude jerked her head away from him, turning to her side. "I ruined us," she said softly, instantly wishing she had never opened her mouth. She would never drink alcohol again, she vowed.
Neither spoke for several minutes and Tommy had begun to think Jude had fallen asleep. He started to get up, but before he did whispered, "You didn't ruin us."
"Tommy?" Jude cried before he could sneak out of the room. He came back towards the bed as she turned to look up at him. "Do...do you think you could stay in here?" she pleaded. "Just for tonight. I just don't want to be alone."
"Jude," he started, knowing he should protest, but finding it hard to do so. "I shouldn't."
"Please?" she asked again.
Tommy took in her dark blue eyes which looked oddly lost and confused and he knew he couldn't resist. Much as he wanted to, he could never truly resist her. He leaned down closer to her. "You don't make things easy," he groaned, as she moved over to make room for him.
"Thank you," she said, staring at him in detail before her eyes were forced down due to the call of sleep.
Tommy lay staring at her for a long while before he dozed off, not sure what to make of their situation.
xXx
Jude grinned as she began to wake. She had had the most amazing dream that Tommy had come back to her and the two had been laying together, talking all night. She opened her eyes slowly, wishing to go back to sleep so that maybe her life would seem manageable again. She had to sustain a gasp as she slowly lifted her eyelids, confused by the situation before her.
Tommy was laying right next to her in bed...and not just right next to her, her head had been resting on his chest. She lay frozen there, stunned, trying to piece together the events of the night before. She recalled going out with Sadie, she remembered dancing...and then...nothing! Her heart was racing. Did something happen? Did Tommy say something to her? She wanted to kill herself for getting so drunk. One of the most important things to ever happen to her could have happened last night, and she couldn't even remember! Were she and Tommy back together? Should she ask him?
Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt Tommy move beneath her and she used her hands to push her body off of his. She looked down at him, still resting her weight on her arms.
"Hey," he said slowly, taking in the sight of her.
"Hey," Jude whispered back, her heart still panicking. "Um, what uh...happened last night?" she asked, trying not to look too concerned.
Tommy laughed. "I didn't think you'd remember."
Jude shook her head. "Did we...?" she began, making a strange face.
"What? No! Come on Jude, do you really think I'd take advantage of your situation?" Tommy remarked, stunned.
"Well, no," Jude began slowly. "But for the record, you wouldn't have really been taking advantage."
"Right," Tommy remarked, getting up. "Nothing happened Jude. I had to help you inside and get you into bed. You asked me to stay with you for a while and I meant to only stay a minute, but I obviously fell asleep. And now, here we are."
"That's it?" Jude asked, feeling as though there had to be more.
"Pretty much," Tommy said. "Don't worry, I won't disclose the embarrassing details or anything you may have said."
Jude groaned, blushing slightly. "I can just imagine," she remarked as Tommy headed for the door.
"Hey wait!" Jude called, sitting up suddenly. "What's in a Long Island Iced Tea?" she asked, curiously.
Tommy laughed loudly, his whole face lighting up. "Well, now that explains it," he laughed some more as he left the room, leaving her question unanswered.
"What the hell's so funny?" Jude whispered, not getting it.
xXx
"Oh, just a little to the left Spied," Jude ordered as Spied shot her a dirty look.
"You know, you could have thought of this hours ago, when the movers were still here!" he whined, pushing the bed slightly.
Jude laughed, enjoying watching Spied complain. "Oh now it's too far!" she teased.
Spied lifted up his hands in surrender. "Move it yourself Harrison," he remarked.
"Here you go," Sadie said entering, an enormous cup of coffee in her hand. Jude leapt for it, nearly knocking it out of Sadie's hand. "Calm down, Lindsey Lohan," she joked. "Or I'll send you to rehab."
"Wait, wait, rehab?" Spied questioned. "Aw great, what did Jude do last night?"
"Well," Sadie started, eyes shining, ever the gossip. "She discovered the woes of the Long Island Iced Tea."
"Oh man, this is gonna be good," Spied grinned.
"Oh, it was quite enjoyable," Sadie grinned. "It started out innocently enough, Jude babbling like crazy, trying to outsing whatever singer happened to be playing at the time. Then she got all crazy on the dance floor. She actually ordered this one guy to do a body shot off of her," Sadie laughed.
Jude's eyes grew wide. "I DID WHAT?" she remarked, heart pounding. "Oh god Sadie, is this going to turn into another blackmail incident?"
Sadie laughed. "No, don't worry, I stopped you. But then you started flirting with the bartender..."
"Johnny?!" Jude exclaimed. "Ew, he was like thirty!"
Sadie shrugged. "Lush. He kept trying to cut you off, but you kept flirting." She turned to Spied. "At one point she actually convinced the DJ to play the macarena so that she could show off her 'rad dance skills'."
Spied shook his head. "Dancing is not your forte."
Jude buried her face in her hands. "Sadie, please tell me that's all."
Sadie nodded, still grinning. "Pretty much. Except for some minor barfage after the jello shot incident, which really wasn't as big of a deal as it sounds like. But, anyway, I'm guessing you made it inside okay?"
Now it was Jude's turn to laugh. "Barely!" she remarked. "I tried right outside of the apartment door and Tommy had to pull me in and actually put me to bed...like I was three or something."
"Oh please," Spied rolled his eyes. "You loved every second of it, I'm sure. You were probably all, 'Oh Tommy, I'm so drunk, you're soooo dreamy, why don't we get down to business so I can have your squinty babies?'" Spied joked as he made kissing noises.
Jude and Sadie both sat in silence.
"See the maturity level I have to deal with?" Jude laughed to Sadie.
"Did someone say mature?" a familiar voice called, walking in, another figure beside him.
"Kyle! Wallie!" Jude yelled, rushing over to the pair and hugging them. "Oh my god, I missed you guys! How've you been? How was L.A.?"
Wallie shrugged. "You know, it was all right. Bright."
"Bright?" Spied remarked, slapping him on the shoulder. "L.A. was bright?"
"Lots of lights dude," Kyle defended him.
Jude rolled her eyes. Kyle and Wallie had left to play with a new band once Spied went solo and Jude moved away. They only signed on for a year and now their gig was up.
"So," Jude began, "was this new singer better than me?"
"Not at all," Kyle joked, putting his arm around Jude. "I mean, when I fantasized about our singer, I felt all weird inside...like something was wrong... Not like when I fantasized about you...now those were some great dreams."
"Ew!" Jude remarked, pushing him off of her. "You're sick."
"Oh, it gets worse," Wallie grinned. "The singer was a guy."
Jude rolled her eyes. "How long are you guys in town?"
"A few days," Wallie nodded. "We signed on for another year. We kind of like life in the States."
Kyle nodded. "See Jude, you hurt us so badly we had to move to another country to get over it."
"Oh stop it," Jude said, rolling her eyes. "It's funny you should mention that though, because I'm actually back here for good," she announced to the pair. "I'm working on new stuff right now, but when you guys are done doing whatever it is you're doing out there, you're always welcome back."
Wallie grinned. "Thank god. Living with four other guys is starting to get to me."
Kyle shook his head. "Tell me about it."
"All right, well I'm taking these guys out on the town," Spied said, "since my wife's making big cash, I can afford to. So Jude, we're going to try and stop by your charity thing, but no guarrantees."
"I wouldn't go," Sadie said. "She'll probably just want you to move equipment around all night."
Spied paused. "Good job Sade...I didn't think of that," he grinned, tapping Jude on the shoulder. "Do good tonight girl."
"Later Jude!" Wallie and Kyle called.
"See ya guys!" Jude yelled after them. "Give Karma a headache for me!"
Sadie rolled her eyes. "You're so mean to that poor girl."
Jude feigned offense. "Mean?! Me?! Sadie, she flashed my boob to the entire world," Jude reminded her.
Sadie shrugged. "It got you noticed."
"Gee thanks," Jude smirked.
"Hey, what are you two up to?" Tommy asked, walking into the room.
"Oh, nothing," Sadie said, getting up to leave. "We were just talking about Jude's boob. Later."
Jude blushed, shooting daggers at her sister.
"Oh really?" Tommy asked laughing.
"Well not both," Jude insisted. "Just one."
"Now I don't know if I'm intrigued or scared," Tommy laughed.
Jude crossed her arms. "Oh shut up, Quincy," she smiled. "Besides, you know you're intrigued."
"Hey!" Jamie called, rushing into the room. "Just finished loading all the equipment. You ready rockstar?"
Jude nodded, looking at Tommy. "Ready," she sang.
xXx
"Thank you!" Jude called out to the crowd, the heat of the night overpowering her. She had played three old songs and her two new ones. Jamie decided last minute that it would be best if Jude debuted her third new song for the crowd instead of the cover they had picked out, but Jude had another idea altogether.
"Well, seriously, you guys rock!" Jude called, waiting for the applause to quiet before continuing. She loved the thrill of the crowd during her shows. She thrived on their excitement. "Thank you," she continued. "So I have another new song I've been working on, but instead of playing that, I decided to close with a cover. This song means a lot to me right now, and it goes out to a good friend of mine, one that I hurt in some pretty rough ways. So, I hope you like it," she closed. She stood in front of the microphone, quickly re-tuning her guitar. She hoped the band would be fine playing this. She had only given them the music at the last minute.
"I've been a bad, bad girl
I've been careless with a delicate man
And it's a sad, sad world
When a girl will break a boy
Just because she can
Don't you tell me to deny it
I've done wrong and I want to
Suffer for my sins
I've come to you 'cause I need
Guidance to be true
And I just don't know where I can begin
What I need is a good defense
'Cause I'm feelin' like a criminal
And I need to be redeemed
To the one I've sinned against
Because he's all I ever knew of love
Heaven help me from the way I am
Save me from these evil deeds
Before I get them done
I know tomorrow brings the consequence
At hand
But I keep livin' this day like
The next will never come
Oh help me, but don't tell me
To deny it
I've got to cleanse myself
Of these lies til I'm good
Enough for him
I've got a lot to lose and I'm
Betting high
So I'm beggin' you before it ends
Just tell me where to begin
What I need is a good defense
'Cause I'm feeling like a criminal
And I need to be redeemed
To the one I've sinned against
Because he's all I ever knew of love
Let me know the way
Before there's hell to pay
Give me room to lay the law and let me go
I've got to make a play
To make my lover stay
So what would an angel say?
The devil wants to know
What I need is a good defense
'Cause I'm feeling like a criminal
And I need to be redeemed
To the one I've sinned against
Because he's all I ever knew of love
He's all I ever knew of love."
Jude finished, the crowd roaring. She beamed as she bowed, elated. "Thank you!" she called out, waving one last time as she disappeared backstage. The second she was back there Jamie was on top of her.
"Okay, Jamie, before you get mad, you're not my producer, and I'm not signed with you, so technically I had all the right in the world to close with that song," Jude remarked. "And yes, I should have told you, but I just decided to do it earlier today, and I knew you hadn't heard me sing it, and I didn't want you doubting it and..."
Jude stopped as Jamie cut off her oxygen supply with an overbearing hug.
"Jude, you were awesome!" he exclaimed. "Really! You could have told me about the song! I know you Jude, and you're amazing. I would have known you could handle it," he insisted, letting her go. "Many may make the mistake of underestimating you, but I would never do such a thing," he grinned.
"Thanks Jaim," Jude beamed, hugging him again.
"Wow Jude, wow!" Zepplin exclaimed, running up to her. "I mean, Fiona Apple is so rad and just wow! You killed it and the crowd simply adored you!"
Jude smiled. "Thanks," she said to Zepplin. "God I love my job."
"I bet," Zepplin remarked.
Jude looked around backstage, eyes darting from person to person.
"He left," Jamie said.
"Huh?" Jude asked, turning her full attention back to Jamie.
"The person you're looking for," Jamie began. You know, squinty-eyed, tall, hair defies gravity due to the extreme excess of hair gel. That guy."
"When'd he leave?" Jude asked, her heart falling.
"Don't worry," Zepplin reassured her. "He heard the song. He left right afterwards."
xXx
Jude let herself into Tommy's apartment, knocking softly beforehand. He was sitting on the couch, tv on low, glass of whiskey in his hand.
"Fun night," she joked. "I personally am a huge fan of drinking alone."
Tommy couldn't help but bite. "Oh really?" he asked. "The Jude I saw last night would certainly disagree."
Jude smiled. "That's why I've been converted to the love of drinking solo. If anything embarrassing happens, there's no one there to see it."
Tommy nodded. "But see, now you're here, so I should stop, before I get all embarrassing on you."
"Please Quincy," Jude rolled her eyes. "You embarrass me everyday."
Tommy smiled, setting down his glass. "You did good tonight Jude."
"Thanks," she nodded, taking the opportunity to sit down next to him. "Do you remember my first show?" she asked, turning to face him. "God, I was such a wreck. I was so awkward and nervous and it was just humiliating."
"Wait a second, Harrison. I remember you going out there and rocking that stage. No awkwardness, no humiliation."
"Oh, sure, on stage I was fine," Jude admitted. "I meant beforehand."
Tommy shrugged. "It was your first time...of course you were nervous...but never awkward."
Jude looked at him inquisitively. "Not even when I attempted to full-on make out with you?" she laughed.
Tommy grinned. "Oh that...yeah, that was a little awkward, I suppose."
Jude shook her head. "I felt like such a joke."
"You were never a joke," Tommy said quickly. "Jail bait, yes. Joke, no."
Jude smiled, resting her hand on his knee. "Well, I came by to drop off your key. I figured you'd probably want it back," she said, dangling it in front of him.
Tommy reached for it, then changed his mind. "Keep it," he insisted. "I mean, just in case, right? If you ever need a place to go or somewhere to stay for whatever reason."
Jude nodded, putting it back in her pocket. "Thanks," she said, getting up. "So, I should go. Jamie wants to celebrate, so we're having a small party at my place. You should come, if you want to." She rolled her eyes. "Lara will be there."
Tommy grinned. "Oh, well then I'm there," he joked.
"Jerk," Jude smirked.
"Nah, I think I'm gonna stay in tonight," Tommy said. "I'm a little exhausted."
"Yeah," Jude nodded. "I know the feeling. But...if you change your mind, just swing by. The back door's always unlocked."
Tommy nodded. "You got it."
Jude waved as she reached for the door and nearly shut it when she heard Tommy's voice again.
"Jude!" he called, coaxing her back inside. She leaned against the door, staring at him.
"Yes?" she asked, knowing he could say any number of things to her right now.
"I just...thank you," he said.
"For what?" Jude asked, furrowing her brow in confusion.
"The song," Tommy nodded. "I mean, I don't exactly think you're a criminal, but I got the point behind it. So thank you."
Jude shook her head. "No, thank you Tommy Quincy."
Tommy looked up suddenly. "For what?"
Jude paused as she opened the door again. "Everything," she said simply, half-smiling at him as she left.
xXx
Okay, that's it for this chapter! Sorry it took a little longer to post than the others. The next chapter should be up in the next day or so...but I'll leave you guys with a little spoiler: Sadie, Kwest, Jamie, Spied, Karma, Lara, and of course, Tommy and Jude all locked in Jamie's basement for over seven hours...and believe me, things will get interesting. R/R!