Chapter Four

Jude sat down outside with Andrea at a nearby patio restaurant. "I can't believe it's only been a week. It feels like months! With all the gifts and flowers from Spied and side conversations with Tommy. Wow. I never would have thought."

Andrea looked over her menu. "So what are you going to do about them? I hope you aren't thinking about giving them a chance still. You already kept Tommy as your producer."

"I don't know." Jude pursed her lips together. Jude still wanted both of her favorite people back in her life just like it used to be but she also loved this new empowerment she got with Andrea. She wasn't sure how to have her cake and eat it too.

"Andrea?!!" Karma stood mesmerized on the other side of the patio gate.

"Yes?" Andrea said calmly smiling. "It's about time we ran into each other. I was beginning to think you were avoiding me. But from your expression I can see you had no idea I was working in the same vicinity."

Karma's mouth stayed open. "What are you talking about?"

Jude interrupted saying, "You two know each other?"

Andrea was about to fall over with laughter, "Dear Karma and I were in a competition together years ago. One similar to the one you two were in. Except it wasn't broadcast on such a large scale. You want to tell her what happened?"

Karma still hadn't moved or made any motion that she wanted to speak.

"Well, precious Karma wasn't doing so well with the judges so she figured to get ahead of her competition, me, she would entertain them. Sadly, her antics didn't work so well after the first couple rounds and they began grading her appropriately again. But Karma couldn't have that! Karma wanted to win! So what did she do, you ask? She completely sabotaged my performance in the final round. From having my allergies flare up, making my skin break out in hives, changing the arrangement with the pianist, and completely ruining my dress."

Now both Karma and Jude had their mouths gaping.

"And she still didn't win." Andrea gave a little giggle. Just then the waiter came over and took her order. "I think Jude is going to have her usual grilled chicken, and she", pointing at Karma, "is not with us."


After lunch, Jude didn't have much to say. She had no idea what to think anymore. Completely confused again.

"Jude, I know you are thinking too much again." Andrea said as they walked into G major.

"Okay, yeah I am. I just had one question." They both stopped in the entrance. "Are you trying to get back at Karma by using me?"

Andrea grinned and said, "I can get back at Karma on my own just fine. You have nothing to do with it. Anymore q's?"

"No, I guess not." Jude relaxed again and proceeded into their workplace. Then she saw Tommy out of the corner of her eye coming straight towards her.

"Jude. We need to talk." He didn't look very pleasant and Jude was nervous about what to say.

Andrea rolled her eyes and whispered to Jude, "Just say no," and walked away.

"I've let this go on long enough. What's up with you? Hanging out with this new girl, I hardly see you."

"Tommy, what are you talking about?"

"I mean, I let you breathe a bit. I showed you I'm still here; I made a mistake, now it's time to come back. That's what we do Jude. You realize we fit and things are back like they were before."

Jude couldn't believe what she was hearing. He had mutilated their relationship into some sort of science and that SHE was always the one that would come back. SHE would realize they belong together. He liked the comfort of knowing that she would always be back, and this time it was taking a little longer than usual.

Jude could take this dilemma two ways:
1) Aww, how sweet! He knows US so well. He really does care and he is showing that he wants me. Or...
2) how he dare think he can have me whenever he wants! How dare he think I'm always going to be here waiting for him to take me back?

Jude went with the latter, "Tommy, you can just forget that whole little theory you have there. What we had before, whatever we had before, can't ever be the same. I'm not going to be waiting for you anymore. As of now...my heart is available to anyone BUT you."


Jude felt liberated after leaving the studio that day. It seemed everyone was in on what she had said to Tommy and were just waiting for her to go back to him. What they didn't know was that she was completely finished. She had never felt so free in her life. She wanted to go dancing or snowboarding or throw herself into a crowd full of people.

"Let's go out tonight. It's Friday, no work, no school, lets have some fun." Jude told Andrea this over the phone.

"Okay, I just need to finish some stuff over here first and I'll be there to get you in about an hour."

"You work too much...come now!!" Jude said over-excitedly into the phone. She hung up before Andrea could answer and walked outside into the front yard. Just then Sadie pulled into the driveway. "Hey, sis."

"What's gotten into you?" Sadie asked inquisitively. "You win a Grammy or something?"

"No. But I should. I've finally done it. My crush and my issues with Tommy are long gone." Jude made herself spin in a circle and almost fell over giggling.

"Looks like you are putting on too much of a show for me to believe you."

"Not in the least." Jude continued to grin as her sister went into the house.

When Sadie closed the door she dropped her bags and dialed her phone quickly, "Is it really over? She did it today? That was really soon. Sooner than I expected. You are really good. Ok. Talk to you later." Sadie fell with her back against the door and looked up to the ceiling. "Now he's ALL mine."


Karma paced outside of G major waiting for Darius to come meet her to go to dinner.

"Karma!" Darius yelled from the doorway, "Why are you out here in the cold? Come inside! I'll be ready in a minute."

"Oh, okay." Karma reluctantly went inside and sat on the couch. She had noticed Darius had been acting pretty strange the past couple of weeks and he really blew the lid off of it when he asked her to dinner. She was scared to think this was anything other than work related but she was beginning to think that he wasn't too concerned with her album. After a few painstakingly long minutes, Darius erupted from his office and had a broad smile on his face.

"You ready? I'm real hungry." Darius offered his hand to help her up and motioned her to walk in front of him to the door.

"So, I brought a copy of the work we have done so far for the album." Karma said nervously. She was trying to get a feel of what the motives were behind this evening.

"Oh, nice. Maybe we'll take a listen later on." Darius smiled again and held the door open for her.

At the restaurant, Darius talked mostly about work which Karma felt incredibly comfortable with. She didn't know his job entailed so much. Darius is truly a master at his craft because he never showed the stress that came with the job. It seemed to come easy for him. She admired that. Her thoughts were interrupted when he said, "Well enough about that, how do you like G major so far?"

"I love it!" Karma blurted without thinking. She didn't want to talk about herself. It would seem too much like a date so she decided to keep her answers to a couple words.

"Are you getting what you need from Tommy as far as arrangement and input goes? I know he can be a bit laid back sometimes, unless he's with Jude of course. But this is a new genre for him, so I wasn't sure how he would handle that. What do you think?"

Karma wasn't sure what to say. "I think he's great."

"Great, huh? That's it?"

Feeling a bit intimated by Darius' glare she looked down at her food which she noticed she hadn't really touched. She started to pick at it.

Darius laughed aloud and said, "You don't talk much unless you are trying to start a fight, huh?"

Karma frowned, "I don't start fights. I let people know what's on my mind and if they don't like it then they want to argue with me." Karma blushed, "I guess I do."

"I like that. You're feisty."

"Should I say thanks to that?"

"You can say whatever you want. I do. And right now, I'm going to say that I think you are a beautiful, talented, unique artist who has a lot of spirit. All that can get you far. But humility and some discretion will get you further. You want some dessert? I'm eyeing those chocolate covered strawberries."

Karma smiled. She didn't know how to take his comments. Darius spoke calmly, almost sweetly like your mother telling you, 'you did an awesome job in the pageant, but this is how we are gonna win next time...' She liked it.