Thank you to all the reviews! You guys rock! This is being posted on request of chocolateelephantz. I just love your reviews! Thanks so much!!!!!!!! Oh, and just just so you all know. when you see little notes in parenthisis, that's me just saying a little something during the chapter. D
I was sitting in the living room watching TV when the phone rang. Sadie was upstairs, still heartbroken, and I don't think that Tom knows that Sadie knows. I reached over and picked up the phone.
"Hello?" I asked in a board tone. Why was there never anything on TV anymore?
"Hey Jude, it's Spied, Wally, and Kyle. Yah, we're practicing over in my garage right now if you wanna come over. Kinda a lost minute thing, I know." I sat up and smiled.
"Of course I would! I'll be right over. You still live in the same place right?" I was excited to say the least. My first real band practice.
"Yah, same place. So we'll see you in about ten?" He asked.
"Yep, see you." I hung up and ran upstairs to change back into jeans and grab my songbook and guitar, just in case. I raced back down stairs and ran into Dad, who was just walking in from work.
"Hey, what's the hurry?" He asked, blocking me. I smiled brightly up at him.
"Dad, I'm in a band! I'm going to rehearsal right now." I squealed. A look of pure, unadulterated joy over came his face. He clapped and laughed like a little boy in a candy store.
"Jude! That's great! Do you want me to give you a ride?"
"No, I'm going to walk. Let out some nerves. Spied's house isn't far from here anyways." I went on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek, "See you later!" I pushed past him and ran out the door, fast walking down the sidewalk to get some energy out.
It was a nice day. The sun was out, the sky blue, the birds chirping… all that jazz... with only a little bit of clouds overhead and a few medium gusts of wind here and there. I got to Spied's house and heard some rock coming from the garage. I went around and opened the door to it. Inside, it was not a garage. No cars or anything. It was decorated with couches, string lights, shag rugs, amps, the whole nine yards. They stopped when I walked in.
"And there's our lead singer!" Kyle exclaimed.
"Please tell me that you have lyrics. We're sort of lyrically challenged." Wally begged. I laughed; I had a feeling that the old songbook would come in handy. I held it up.
"I have tons of songs in here. Some of them need work still, but there's one of them that I have to get out of my system." I set my guitar down and opened the case, bringing it out. "I already have music down for it all in my head, but it needs to sound more rock. That's where you guys come in. Wanna hear what I have so far?"
When I was done showing them what I had without the drums or base guitar or electric guitar, they were stunned.
"I don't know Jude. It's so good already…" Spied said hesitantly. I rolled my eyes.
"We'll do two versions and that way not only will we just have two version of the song, we can decide which one we like better. So what do you think?" I asked hopefully, suddenly nervous again.
"Jude, I am so happy that you walked into this band. We might actually have a chance at making it big now," Kyle said getting down on the ground and worshipping at my feet. Spied and Wally joined him.
"You guys! Stop! We need to get to work!" I laughed. They got up and went to their perspective instruments. "Let the collaboration begin!" I announced with two claps.
6 Hours Later…
My cell phone rang, interrupting the deep concentration that everyone had on the song. Trying to perfect it. I picked it up, shooting apologizing glances at the guys behind me. They just shrugged and began talking.
"Hello?" I asked in a clearly irritated tone.
"Jude, sweetie, I know that you're working with you new band, but its time to come home. It's 11:30. You're past curfew." My Mom's voice rang through. I rolled my eyes.
"Okay mom, I'll be right home… no you don't need to come pick me up, I'll be fine… okay, bye." I hung up and turned around, looking all the three disappointed faces. "Don't look at me like that. I have to go. There is no crossing my Mom lately. Just call when next practice rolls around, okay?" They all nodded. I walked around and gave them each a hug, giving Spied the tightest just so he felt special. Plus it was nice to have someone who likes you as much as Spied. Makes you feel special and beautiful. All that good stuff. Not to mention that it helps your self-confidence levels. With a final wave, I walked out the door, songbook and guitar in hand.
It was cold now, and pitch black other than the dim street lamps illuminating the street here and there. I began thinking that someone would jump out from a dark alleyway and try to do something to me. The hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood up, but not just because of the cold. I picked up my step and glanced everywhere, now getting paranoid. I began to jog a little, and convinced myself that it was just to warm up. No, I wasn't scared, and even if I was, I had to keep my wits about me. I couldn't panic if something happened. That could be life threatening.
The ten-minute walk turned into a five because of my fast pace, and I could see my house with all the lights on. I began going faster, wanting nothing more than to be safe in the warmth of my household right now. I was almost there, out in front Jamie's house, when a hand rested on my shoulder and made me stop. My blood turned cold and I let a very loud scream out. I whipped around, hand up, ready to slap whoever this person was in the face and make a break for my house, but I stopped when I saw a familiar lanky shape looming over me.
"God dammit Jamie! You scared the shit out of me!" I yelled. He took his glasses off and cleaned them on his shirt.
"Sorry Jude. I didn't mean to scare you," He said, putting his glasses back where they belonged, (On his eyes, clearly) "I was looking out my window, I saw you, and ran down here so that I could apologize. Kat and I never should have freaked out on you. We were just mad that we weren't the first to know."
"Jamie, I wanted you to be the first to know, but, like I said, you guys were too busy staring at Sadie. Plus, Spiederman shouldn't have gone off blabbing, but you know him." It was nice to be friends with your best friend again.
"Yah, speaking of Spied, I thought that it was cool what you did for him after you humiliated him. I heard him bragging that you totally wanted him, but he was keeping you hanging for a while. He said that it makes him 'all the more tempting'." I began to get mad, but then relaxed.
"Well, I had told him that he could tell his friends whatever he needed to so that he would have his 'Rep.' back or whatever, so I can't really get mad. Anyways Jamie, I have to go. Parents will go a-wall on me for missing curfew by so much. I'll tell you all about band practice tomorrow." I turned and walked away after giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, wanting now to only get out of the cold. The second that I opened the first door, I saw Tom sitting with all the shoes, a bottle covered with paper bag so that you could only see the opening in his right hand.
"Tom! What are you doing in here!" I hissed, making sure to keep my voice down.
"Jude, Sadie dumped me. She said that she knows what's going on with me and the skank down at the abandoned docks. Does she know that that skink is you?" he was talking too loud, and I ignored the fact that he tried to call me a skank, but said skink instead.
"Shhhh!" I said. I put my stuff down and help him up, putting his arm over my shoulder so that he didn't lose his balance. "I can't believe that you're drunk." I muttered, "Now be quiet." I opened the door to the house, looking around to see if anyone was around. I heard all thee voices coming from the kitchen.
I walked in, careful for the both of us to walk around the squeaky floorboard, and silently dragged him upstairs, shoving him into my room.
"Stay here and be quiet!" I hissed before sneaking back down stairs, picking my stuff back up, and walked outside. This time I made noise when I walked in first door and stepped and the squeaky floorboard into the house.
"I'm home!" I called, "Where is everyone?"
"We're all in the kitchen!" Dad called back. I walked into the kitchen and saw my Mom and Sadie sitting on stools and my Dad leaning against the counter next to the sink.
"I'm really sorry that I'm late," I said setting my stuff on the island, "We were really wrapped up in the music. You guy can ground me if you want."
"I don't think we will. We understand, right Vicky?" Dad piped up. She just shrugged.
"I didn't know that I was allowed to make and decisions around here." Came her bitter reply. There was an awkward pause.
"I bet you guys don't even sound that good." Sadie sneered, breaking up the awkwardness a little bit.
"Back to your old self I see, ice queen." I picked my stuff back up, "Anyways, I'm beat and I think that I'm gonna go hit the sack. I'll see y'all in the morning." I walked over to my Mom, gave her I kiss on the cheek, same for Dad and even Sadie. Sadie told me to bug off, and Dad and Mom both said goodnight sweetie. I walked out of the room, up the stairs, and into my room. I turned the light on and shut and locked the door. I dropped my stuff on the floor. I looked around and couldn't find Tom anywhere. Then I heard noises coming from my bathroom. I walked in and saw Tom throwing up.
"That's nasty Quincy. Really nasty," I said, leaning against the doorway he re-tracked his head and look at me with bloodshot eyes.
"You try being drunk." Then he was back to the toilet, hurling out his insides. I shook my head and walked out of the bathroom to go into my room. After getting my boots of and changing into a tank top that, sadly, showed my stomach and superman pajamas, I sat on my bed and waited for Tom to be done. The sink ran and I guess that he was washing his mouth out. A few seconds later he was in my room, looking horrible with majorly bloodshot eyes, non-perfect hair, and I slight green tint to his face. "Why'd you bring me up here?" He asked. I raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I couldn't exactly let you drive or put you in Sadie or my parents bedroom, so this is the only place that I could think of. Besides, now we need to talk." I patted my bed. "I know you're dizzy, just come sit.' He stumbled over and sat down, then lying down. I laid next to him.
"How do I start? Well, first of all I want to say that what happened between us was all my fault." Tommy started out the coversation.
"Fault?" I interrupted. "How is this a 'fault' situation?" He sighed.
"Not 'fault'… responsibility. I never should have kissed you. I know that you never would have kissed me, so there for, it's all on me." His words were still slurring slightly, but not as much as before. He's going to hate himself in the morning.
"Tom, I still didn't say no. I could have prevented all this by saying no. That way it would have been a tiny kiss and not the much harm would have come about. In those pictures that Sadie got, you never saw my face, so you could have told her that this girl was just a friend, and she came onto you, but you pushed her off."
"Pictures! There were pictures?" He exclaimed softly. I nodded.
"Yep. That means that someone followed us and took pictures. Either they did it to hurt you, me, Sadie, or it was just a do-gooder. I think it was someone trying to hurt all of us now. This person had to have seen my face. Someone out there knows that you were with me, and could easily blackmail us unless we come clean and beat this person to it. I just don't think that I can do it."
"Actually, I'm surprised that Sadie hasn't made the connection yet," Tom said, his voice almost back to normal. I bet he still feels sick though, "We were both gone and I told here that I was comforting you all day, and she saw me holding you on the sidewalk. She must be too heartbroken to see it though." His voice was deep and I could hear the guilt pouring out of his words. That when it hit me. My blood turned cold.
"She does know." I whispered.
"What?" He asked, confused.
"Sadie isn't stupid. She just acts like it. She knows. She now knows why you were holding me and why I was so sad that night. She knows why I was acting so strange. She knows why you've been trying to talk to me all day at school today and why I've been giving you the cold shoulder. When I walked in, Sadie wasn't just her usual bitchy self, she wouldn't look at me. Her eyes weren't only dead from heartbreak and swollen from crying, they were betrayed. A betrayal that you never could have brought upon her. Oh god she knows." I groaned at the end, rubbing my hand across my face. Tom hit his forehead with the palm of his hand.
"That's why when I called and she screamed at me, she said "I can't believe that you guys did this to me, out of all the people it had to be you and her'"; then she hung up. She must've been talking about you." I sighed.
"I have to go talk to her. You stay here and be quiet." I jumped off the bed, un-locked and opened my door, shutting it behind me. I walked over to Sadie's room and knocked on the door.
"Come in!" She called. I walked in and saw her applying her overnight facemask.
"Hey Sadie. I really need to talk to you," I said from the open doorway. She motioned for me to come in and close the door. I did so, sitting on her bed.
"So you know who was with Tom?" I asked quietly. She sighed and shook her head. She turned around and looked at me.
"Yes Jude, I do." Her voice was small and disappointed. My stomach dropped. I opened my mouth to speak, but she beat me to it. "I just can't believe that Shelly would do that to me."
"What? Shelly? As in one of your bestest and true friends?"
"Yep. I called her and she denied it, but of course she did. I so know it was her. I mean, she was gone all day that day, and so was Tom. And that bullshit story about him being with you all day? I don't think so. His engine was still warm and running, his door still open and his seat still warm. Plus, he wouldn't have actually dropped you off that far away from the house. I just don't get why you didn't tell me the truth about him not being with you." I knew that I looked like and ogling baboon on crack (I have NO idea where that came from), but I couldn't help it. How had Sadie drawn such a wrong conclusion? Was it because she knew deep down in her heart that it was me, but couldn't admit it to herself? All I know is that I feel guiltier than ever.
I got up and walked out of her room, ignoring her questioning calls. I closed her door and walked into my room, closing and locking the door. I leaned against it in pure shock.
"Jude? What happened?" Tom asked, now almost completely sober, but still sick, I could totally tell by looking at him. I looked over at him.
"She blames Shelly. Shelly. Her best friend. I can't believe it. I couldn't bring up the nerve to tell her that it was me." Tom was as shocked as me.
"Shelly? I don't even like Shelly. Tell me everything that she said." So I told him. I remembered every single word that she had said too. After that we just sorta.. laid down in silence for a while. We didn't talk or say anything. I knew he wasn't sleeping, and he knew that I wasn't sleeping. I must've drifted off to sleep, because next thing that I knew Tom was putting me under the covers, kissing my forehead, and telling me goodnight. I knew that he was okay to drive. He snuck out of my room, down the stairs, and out the door.
I sat up to look out the window. He was staring up at me. He gave slight wave and smile, got into his car, and drove off. I laid back in bed, staring towards the ceiling. What was wrong with me? Why was I beginning to forgive Tom, falling for him again? What was my problem? There are plenty of other guys out there for me, why do I have to feel this way for Tom? My sisters ex, who are broken up because of me, and my sister is blaming her best friend, and I don't have to guts to come clean about it? I think that James may like me, why don't I just go for him? Sure I just met the man, but that's what I like about him. I know nothing about him, he knows nothing about me… it's perfect. Nothing like my sister blocking the way.
I sighed, knowing that I wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight. Then it hit me. I knew whom I wrote that song about now. It had puzzled me, but now that I look and mine and Tom's 'relationship', if you can even call it that, I now realized it. It was for and about Tom, and that broke my heart even more than when he said that our 'kiss', it was definitely more then that, was basically a mistake. I refused to cry and snuggled up under the covers at an attempt to get some sleep.
So... what do you think! Feedback, reviews obviously, appricated and wanted!!!!
xoxo,
-Shannon