I didn't know how many people were familiar with 13, that's why I gave the hint last chapter. Anyways, I like reviews, so if you can, review please. No, I'm not a review whore. I just like knowing what people think about the story. Honestly. And everyone who guessed who the girl was got it right. XD I apologize once again if the tenses switch around. And I normally don't have copy and paste thingies on my profile, but I think it was osnapitzJess who said that the word Bademance should be put in the dictionary. Go to my profile for a petition-thingy! Please?
The girl smirked and tapped Jade on the shoulder. Jade looked up, slightly startled. She appeared to be confused, but nevertheless she leaped up and hugged the girl. "Lucy! What are you doing here?" Lucy smiled. "I figured you needed some help. I came at the right time too." She walked around from behind the couch to sit down next to Jade.
"Beck, this is my cousin, Lucy." Lucy nodded. "I've heard of you." She said it in an almost flirtatious tone, causing her to receive a glare from Jade. "Jade, I'm kidding. I know he's yours." Jade glared at Lucy again. She only raised her eyebrow in question.
"See, Lucy-"
"Let me explain."
"Okay."
Lucy took a deep breath and began to talk. "Jade and I were really close when we were younger, even though we were five years apart. We lived in the same house because my mom moved in with her mom." Jade smiled, as if she was recalling a good memory of them. "When I was nine, my mom told me we had to move to a really tiny town. Appleton, Indiana. I didn't want to go, but I had to. But I made friends, got popular, and eventually came to accept it." Beck still couldn't believe they were just cousins. They could've been identical twins. They had the same personality, the same appearance.. "When I was thirteen, I got pregnant. It was.." she drifted off, trying to find a good word to use. Jade glanced at Lucy, almost appearing to be nervous, until Lucy continued.
"It was a mistake. A one-time thing. But I called Jade, told her even though she probably didn't understand, and told the father. I left Indiana because my life would've been hell there. The father came after me, though, so it wasn't that bad. A little family, I suppose. But Jade talked to me all the time. She stopped calling me, though, and I was shocked to get a call from her later, because she hadn't called me in a couple of years. I was nineteen, that was eleven years ago. Jade was in tears, she didn't know what to do. So I just got her a flight to Florida. It was the only thing I could think to do."
Beck was staring at Jade in a mixture of disbelief and sadness. His expression was so readable that it almost hurt. Why didn't you tell me?
Lucy continued to talk, seemingly unaware of their silent conversation. "For a while, it was an awkward little family of five. Me, Jade, Liz, my husband and my son. But Jade wanted to go back to California. So I helped her get back here.." she trailed off, now noticing the silent conversation between them. "I'll leave you two alone," she said, rising from the couch and moving toward the stairs.
"Jade," Beck's voice cracked slightly, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice hardly distinguishable even in the thick silence of the room. At that moment, the phone began to ring, slightly startling Beck. He glanced at Jade, but she made no move to answer the phone, so he did.
"Hello?"
"WHAT DID YOU DO?" It was Liz. She was obviously pissed off about something. "I didn't do anything," Beck insisted. "Yes, you did. I know you did. Boy, is Cat mad." "Cat?" He had forgotten about her. Jade looked up at the mention of her former best friend.
"Yep, she's mad. She yelled at us. And I think she's crying." Way to go, he thought. You hurt both of them. "Tell Cat I'm sorry, okay, Liz? Tell her this is really important. Tell her I'll come back." "Okay. But you better hurry. I don't think much good is gonna come from this." The line went dead.
"What happened?" Jade asked quietly. She hadn't been filled in on Beck's life during the past eleven years. "Apparently, Cat's pissed off."
"Why?"
"I didn't tell her I was going to California."
"Oh." There was an awkward silence that filled the room, both of them with lots of things to say but too reluctant to voice. Jade's eyes raked over his body appreciatively. He was leaning against the wall and she could see the faint outline of his abs through his thin T-shirt.
It suddenly hit them like a brick. It had been there all along, it just took a while to sink in.
They were still in love.
And it took Beck a full minute to realize they were kissing and he had hitched her leg around his waist and she was grinding against him through her jeans. But he didn't stop her.
The plan was working perfectly.
