A/N Cat Stevens~ Haha. Cat. No, this isn't really a love song, but it's pretty and I think Jade would think hard about the semantics. Next chapter might be more delayed than usual.
"Jade!"
"What?" Jade realized that she had sounded sort of harsh. "I mean... what?" At least she had tried for a more calm way of saying it.
"Can we go dress shopping together? For prom?"
Jade put a hand on the back of her head and scratched nervously at the back of her head. "Uh, babe, aren't we supposed to surprise one another?"
After considering this for a beat, Cat said, "But Tori said a lot of stuff, and I don't really think that it's very relevant, but she did say something about matching. And what if you wear red and I wear orange and pink and green?"
With a horrified expression, Jade said immediately, "Yes, of course we can go shopping together." Anything to avoid Cat wearing such a catastrophe of color. Usually, her girlfriend was great on the fashion side, but she recalled how interesting homecoming (think of Hollywood Art's football game instead as a giant art and theater extravaganza) freshman year had been when Cat had showed up in an extravagant pastel dress with a full hoop skirt. There was something about formal occasions that mad her go over the top. "This Saturday good?"
"Lunch, lunch, lunch!" Cat sang to herself as she skipped down the hallway.
Beck was having a difficult time keeping up. "Ah, Cat, wait!"
Abruptly, she stopped. "Hm?"
Well, this was awkward. Feeling deeply uncomfortable, he said, "Hey, uh, I was just wondering why you asked me to lunch. I mean, you're with Jade, right?"
Bobbing her head up and down vehemently, Cat replied, "Yes. And that's why I have asked you to have lunch with me."
Quite puzzled, Beck just followed her to the lunch line and then a spare table when she skipped off just as suddenly as she had stopped. While settling into his seat, he finally asked, "What did you want to talk about?"
"Oh, you know. Things she likes, what you did wrong and regret..." She took a big bite of food and started chewing.
"Huh?"
Cat held up a hand to show that she was still chewing. After a moment, she told him, "I want to be the best girlfriend ever and I want to make sure that I don't give her strawberries if she's allergic, ya know?" She dropped her fork and started gesticulating wildly, with gestures that had little relationship to her words. "I already told her about me and nuts. Darn nuts. So? So?"
"Um, that's not really something you ask your girlfriend's ex..."
"But we're friends! And I don't want to kill her! Please?"
Beck shrugged uncomfortably. "I dunno, she's not deathly allergic to anything edible, but she gets really bad hay fever. I'm sure you've noticed."
"Ohh. That would explain a lot," Cat said with wonder. "Thanks. Is there anything else you could tell me, Beck?"
Beck said as pointedly as he could, "That she'd kill both of us if she knew that I was talking to you about this, especially since she's sick now."
A giggle escaped from the girl. "I guess you don't know her well enough, then. Thanks for the hay fever thing. Bye!" Faster than Beck had ever thought possible, Cat gathered all of her things, balanced her lunch tray, and headed off to her usual table with Tori and the gang.
A gentle gust made its way through the street on a Saturday afternoon. Cheerfully, Cat twirled in the breeze, letting her skirt puff out and swirl about her. A momentary care-free laugh escaped from Jade as she pulled the girl into her arms and kissed her neck. Cat smiled to herself, even though she could not see Jade behind her. "You're the most beautiful when you're not thinking too hard."
"What?" Was this some sort of insult? Jade was about ready to say something she would probably regret, but caught herself before she did. Thank goodness.
"You're so cool and calculated all the time. I like you best when you're yourself instead of stringent." Cat smirked and ran a hand down Jade's leg.
Twirling Cat around that she was facing her, Jade smiled thoughtfully. "I like you best always." She then pulled her girl into a kiss, not caring that it was a busy Saturday and people were jostling past them. Some were bumping into them rudely on purpose, and others were just in a hurry to go someplace. If Jade had been in a different sort of mood, she would have probably flipped the bird to the guy who had shouted obnoxiously, "Get a room!" Fuck, if she could just feel this infinite forever, then all would be right. If this was who she really was, freer and more unrestrained, she rather liked the change.
Cat pulled away and looked up at Jade through her eyelashes. Irresistible. "So you said you were going to pick out a dress that isn't black?"
"Yeah," Jade sighed. "And you do know that I have final approval on your dress?"
"Okay," Cat said, pouting. "Why should you have to?"
Jade put a hand firmly on Cat's shoulder. "You really don't want to know what people said about you last year at homecoming. Don't take offense- Oh, don't cry! Seriously! I just to help you look amazing. No! Don't cry again! I- I- You always look awesome, but- I can't win, can I?"
Sobbing a little, Cat said, "Nope," and pulled Jade by the arm to the first store.
