Chapter 7
This took me forever to get out! I hate school.
Jade's POV
I huddle in the corner, watching closely at Beck. His fists were clenched by his sides and his nostrils were flaring. His face was flushed with anger as he threw his backpack to the ground.
"Let her go," he growls between gritted teeth. Boss and his buddies snicker and cross their arms in a not-so-cool-way.
"It's her fault for sleeping around here," Blondie pipes up.
"She was tired and didn't know what she was doing. Now let her go," Beck demands. Tyler comes back to me, grinning wickedly. I try to back up, but I hit a garbage bin. He pulls me forward by my calves and yanks me up by my hair. I yelp involuntarily at the sting. Beck tries to come over to me, but Andre and Robbie step in front of him, pushing him back.
"Put her down!" Beck yells, still struggling against Andre and Robbie's arms.
"If you say so," Tyler shrugs, shoving me into the wall.
"Jade!" Beck exclaims, wide-eyed. I try to force myself up from the filthy ground, but the stings in my legs from the broken glass cause so much pain.
"They know where Cat is," I choke out. "I can't leave until I know." It was like the world froze for them when I announced that.
"There's no way!" Tori suddenly shouts while pointing at me. "I know you had something to do with her murder!"
"I have nothing to do with Cat's murder! She's not even dead!" I shout back, anger boiling inside of me. How dare she accuse me of that? I would never do that. Not in a million years.
"You're the one everyone suspects, Jade! Even my dad thinks that!" Tori screams, causing me to blankly stare at her. Everyone thinks I killed my own best friend? What has Los Angeles come to?
"What goes around comes around," Boss sighs, triggering something in my brain. I've heard that before. From Cat.
"I can't believe anyone would call me a slut!" I exclaim as we drive down the narrow road to our favorite ice cream parlor in San Diego. It was Cat's birthday, and she begged me to take her out here.
"Jade, you're not. People are just people. And people say dumb things like that. But Jessica wasn't the one who started that rumor," Cat tells me from the passenger seat. "Tori did." I slam on the breaks at the red light, turning to her.
"What?!" I scream.
"Yeah," she sighs. "I guess what goes around comes around."
I find myself hurrying off the ground and ready to take off in the direction of San Diego.
Cat's at the ice cream shop.
The ice cream shop was shut down a few months ago, according to Cassie at school. No wonder why Cat's there. No one would ever think to look at an old beaten down ice cream parlor in San Diego, two hours away from here.
"And where do you think you're going?" Boss asks, grabbing me roughly by the shoulder and pushing me back on the ground. The second I look back up, Beck is tackling him to the ground, sending blows everywhere. Andre and Robbie jump in, helping Beck wrestle the guys. Finally, the gang of idiots scurries off down the now dark alley, spewing profanities. Beck scoops me up in his arms and runs down the sidewalk, everyone else tagging along behind us.
"We need to go to San Diego," I tell Beck. "She's there." He then bolts to Andre's car, putting me gently in the front seat and buckling my seatbelt. Everyone else piles in the back, cramming in. Beck hops in his side and speeds off down the freeway.
"Shouldn't we get you to a hospital?" Robbie asks me.
"She doesn't need to go to the hospital," Tori snaps. "She's fine." Despite my injuries, I swiftly turn around in my seat and glare at her.
"Look, you sickening bitch," I start, making the whole car silent. I felt Beck's hand on my shoulder, warning me to stop, but I roughly shoved him off. "I know I left for a year and just abruptly came back, but you don't have to bitch about every little thing I do or spill my whole life to the damn reporters."
"You're still holding that against me?" She laughs dryly, leaning closer to my face. "I don't even think you deserve half the shit you get from anyone. All you are is a cold-hearted, self-centered bitch who-"
I fling my seatbelt off, hearing the metal clang against the window. I leap through the seat and latch onto Tori's neck, my legs still in the passenger seat. My heart was beating rapidly, my breathing was harsh and rigid, but all I cared about was finally putting an end to Vega's trash talk. I've had enough. Something triggers inside of me and a flashback crosses my mind. It just causes me to do more damage.
"Get your cold hands off of me!" She screeches, but her voice just makes me tighten my grip and growl. She tries to get away by backing away in the corner, but I just follow her. Her face is turning a dark shade of blue and she's gasping for air, but I heard nothing. Andre and Robbie try to yank me off of her, but nothing is breaking my death grip on Tori. I hear yelling and the car pulling over, a familiar set of arms wrapping around me. No doubt they belong to Beck. The tighter he squeezes, the more I come back into reality and out of my trance.
"Jade, get off," his voice was calm, but at the same time it was built with firm and seriousness. "Jade, you're safe. It's just words. They mean nothing." He pries my fingers off her neck one by one and finally he has me put of the car and deep in his arms, but the flashbacks keep coming back. What the hell is going on?
It was blurry. The drink in my hand was shaking from the vibration of the music blaring in the house. I'm in a corner, a muscular guy standing in front of me and running his fingers through my dark hair.
"Don't touch me," I slur, swatting his hand away. He just laughs, which makes everything spin in all different directions.
"You're a feisty one, aren't ya?" he questions, gripping my forearm. "Why don't you come back to my place?"
"I said don't touch me," I try to scream it, but it comes out the same way: slurred.
"Do you know who you're talking to? I think these drinks are affecting you," he says, taking it from my hands and placing it on the table next to me. "Now, c'mon."
The unexpected flashback causes me to lash in Beck's arms, feeling unsafe and scared.
"Get in the front, Tori," Beck demands. "Andre, drive. We're sitting in the third row." It was a challenge, but he managed to get me in the third row. Am I going insane?
"Man, what's wrong with her?" Andre exclaims from the driver's seat, speeding down the freeway to San Diego.
"I don't know!" Beck snaps, holding me in his lap. I'm trembling, my bottom lip quivering and my hands fighting to get away from him. He just strokes my hair and whispers in my ear that I'm safe and I'm okay.
"Shh…" he continues as I give in and rest my head on his chest. I can feel the car picking up speed as we continue to the ice cream shop. Another flashback rakes through my brain, causing me to freeze.
"I said get off of me!" I scream, trying to push him off of me as I back away into the corner of the small bedroom in the house of the party. He slaps me across the face when I try to crawl away. But Jade West doesn't go down without a fight.
"Go away!" I yell, shoving him into the dresser, causing a few pictures to fall off. He lunges at me again, making me quiver in fear and give in.
Then it hit me.
I quickly slide to the other side of the seat, pulling my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. That can't be right. This isn't happening.
"Jade?" Beck questions softly, scooting closer to me. But I somehow cram myself smaller.
"Go away," I say, my breathing shaking. The baby wasn't yours, Beck.
