Hi!

This one is kind of sad ish, which happens when I have a bad day haha

Oh well, hope you still like it : )


"Survival of the Hottest"

'Cuz you know I don't do sadness,not even a little bit.
Just don't need it in my life.Don't want any part of it.
I don't do sadness.Hey, I've done my time
Lookin' back on it all.Man, it blows my mind.
I don't do sadness,so been there.
Don't do sadness,just don't care.

Beck's POV

"Beck, seriously?" Jade used her irritated tone on me as she stared me down from outside my bathroom door. "I have more hair than you and I took less time."

"Relax," I told her as I flipped my hair once more. "I have to get it just right." I heard her tapping her foot impatiently waiting for me. I was making us late for school, but I didn't really care today.

"Who are you trying to look good for huh?" She asked pointedly. I glanced over and smirked.

"You." She rolled her eyes and kept tapping, this time crossing her arms too.

"Ugh," She sighed and didn't sound convinced. "Let's goooo! None of those sluts will be around to admire your precious hair if we show up late to school."

I shot her a look that she ignored. Her jealous tendencies were on high alert this week, and I couldn't figure out why. She'd been with me every spare second I had so I don't know where she thinks I have time to flirt around.

"I'm ready," I said a few minutes later when I got my hair just right.

"Finally!" She rolled her eyes as I picked up my backpack and left the bathroom.

"Are you sure you wanna wear all black?" I asked her as I walked to her near the door. "It's already really hot and it's only gonna get worse."

"There's no time to change," She pushed the door open and shook her head. As if she'd change if there was time.

"Hey, hey," I stopped her from walking out, holding onto her arm lightly. "What's wrong?"

"We're late," She said as if it were obvious. "I have a test in first period and we're still not leaving so…let's go."

"Are you sure there's nothing else?" I kept my grip on her arm and tried to get her to look at me. She was definitely irritated and it wasn't about my hair. I waited for the tempered look in her eyes to die down and in a moment her entire expression softened.

"I'm just really tired," She sighed and rubbed her forehead in a stressed out way. "And my head hurts and it's hot outside."

"Come here," I tried pulling her towards me but she wouldn't budge.

"Beck, we don't have time for this."

"Just come here," I said again, this time succeeding in getting her to hug me. She fought it for a second but then tightened her arms around me as I heard her breathe a sigh of relief. "It's gonna be okay."

I'm not sure what I was talking about, but it didn't seem to matter; I think she just needed the encouragement for now. She leaned back to look at me and I combed her hair back lightly, suddenly not wanting to leave at all.

"You're right," She nodded. "I just need coffee and food so I'll be awake and my head will stop hurting. And it's not like I sweat anyways so the heat is just one more thing I can't control."

"It's gonna be a good day," I nodded and rubbed the sides of her arms, trying to go along with this pep talk.

"It's gonna be a good day," She repeated with a slightly worried look in her eyes.

"Or we could not go to school today?" I suggested but she shook her head profusely.

"No, I have to," She concluded, looking determined. "Besides, it's gonna be a good day, remember?" Her fake smile almost broke my heart.

"With no sweat," I smiled back, keeping up with the good vibes. "Unless…"

"Unless?"

"We could always work on that," I said in as flirty a tone as I could muster.

"What are you suggesting?" She smiled a tiny bit as I kissed from her cheek down to her neck.

"I'm sure I can think of a few ways to make you sweat," I had barely sunk my teeth into her when she pulled away.

"Uh uh," She shook her head. "First of all, we seriously need to leave. Now!" I watched he back down towards the open door and smirk. "And second of all, gross!"

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

"I'm just gonna run in and get my sunglasses," Jade nodded as I got out of my uncle's truck and jogged into my house.

"Hey, mom!" I called around then stopped when I got to my kitchen and saw her in there washing dishes.

"All ready to go?" She asked me with a smile as she shut off the faucet.

"Yep," I nodded. It was great that we'd finally get to escape the heat today, I was so looking forward to a day off. "I just need my sunglasses, have you seen them?"

"They're up on top of the fridge," She pointed and I rushed to get them. The truck was air conditioned, but I knew Jade would get impatient.

"Is that Jade in the car?" My mom asked as she peered out the window. I followed her gaze to see Jade fussing with the radio of the truck parked in our driveway.

"Yeah," I nodded even though it should've been obvious. "We're gonna pick up the rest of the gang at Tori's house."

"Hmm," Was all she said and I knew there was more coming. "She's been spending a lot of time here don't you think?"

"Umm…yeah," I tried to make my confusion apparent. "She's my girlfriend."

"I know," She nodded, trying to sound nonchalant. I hated when she beat around the bush like this. Jade always got straight to the point. "But she usually goes home a couple times a week…I haven't seen her leave in almost three weeks."

I didn't know what to say so I stayed silent. I'm not sure what she's getting at. I knew Jade wasn't her favorite person…but she was mine. And my parents had always respected that enough to leave us alone. Especially since I got the RV.

"Aren't her parents worried about her?" She asked when I didn't speak.

"Sometimes we stop at her house after school," I informed her. Most of those visits included us sneaking up to her room to get more of her clothes, but still, we occasionally ran into her mom.

"I'm sure that's not enough for them," She shook her head like a concerned mother with a hand to her heart. Actually it was more than enough for Jade's mother. I'm pretty sure she hadn't even noticed Jade wasn't sleeping at home anymore.

"Mom…," I tried not to sound too much like a little kid. "Stuff at her house kind of sucks right now." Jade wouldn't want me say more so I didn't.

"Oh really?" My mom kept fishing for information, but I already started heading towards the exit.

"Yeah," I nodded. "This is just…this is the best place for her to be." I got to the door and started to say goodbye but she stopped me.

"Honey," She pat my back soothingly. "I know how much you care about Jade…but is that really for us to judge?"

"Mom, I," I paused for a second; I so did not need the extra stress to think about. "I gotta go. I'll see you later."

I left without another word and walked to the truck a bit slower. I hated to think about it, but my mom kind of had a point. I mean, I though Jade was better off with me…but what do I know?

"That took forever," Jade said when I got in. I looked over at her sitting with her arms crossed over her black attire and couldn't stop myself from leaning over to kiss her.

"What was that for?" She asked when I sat back and put my seatbelt on.

"I love you," I said as I started the car. I have no idea what would happen with her parents, but I wanted her to know that. Always.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Tori's POV

"This place is awesome," I said for the second time since we got inside Beck's RV. Everyone had taken a seat somewhere secure once Beck had started driving us to the beach, but I was too busy looking around.

I'd been here before when Jade asked me to talk to Beck, but I didn't get a chance to look around. Now that I did…this place was awesome. The walls were furnished with a bunch of random yet personal touches that were really my style.

I'd been wandering around looking at everything while Trina was practicing an opening monologue for an audition she had coming up. Cat, Andre, and Robbie were all bracing themselves in reaction to her overdramatic tendencies. This was nothing, I'd seen her do this same piece about six times since she'd found out about the audition; I practically knew the thing myself.

Now, though, instead of listening to Trina, I was reading "Beck's Rules", a dry erase board that hung on what looked like the door to the restroom. The only rule written was "Wear pants often", something that made me laugh to myself; Beck was so quirky, I loved it.

At the very bottom of the white board in the tiniest of script, I saw more writing. "Exempt: Jade" it said in small font; that part made me roll my eyes. I wonder which one of them wrote that?

I'd been even more curious about their relationship than ever for some reason. Maybe it was because Beck and I were becoming better friends, and I just didn't get their whole deal; especially after their monologues in Sikowitz's class last week.

Everyone had acted like that hadn't happened, resuming life as normal while I thought about it every once in awhile. Now, I was focused on a picture of Beck and Jade that hung near the door, above the bed area. In it, they had their arms around each other and Jade was smiling; a weird sight I wasn't used to.

"Hey this is cute," I heard Trina exclaim and looked to see her browsing through the closet like she was at a department store. She was holding up a short black mini dress to herself and checking her reflection in the mirror.

"Uh oh," Cat said quietly and shook her head. "You shouldn't look through that, those are Jade's."

"Yeah, no kidding," Trina rolled her eyes and kept checking herself out. "This part of the closet is like a black hole."

"Trina, maybe you shouldn't go through there," I tried to stop her but of course she didn't listen.

"Relax," She said instead. "We've got at least fifteen minutes till we get to the beach, how's she gonna know? And Tori, look! This would be so cute on you." I glanced over and saw her holding up a purple sparkly one shouldered dress enticingly to me and I caved.

"That is so cute," I let my inner girly girl come out and rushed over to get the dress. It looked like it would fit me but I fought the urge to try it on. I couldn't believe Jade had this good of taste.

"And Cat, isn't this yours?" Trina asked Cat, offering her a pale pink cardigan with pearly white buttons.

"Omigosh!" I heard Cat yelp excitedly. "I haven't seen that in forever! Jade borrowed it for some country club thing with her parents and said she couldn't find it." She spoke as she got up to stand next to us near the closet; which now that I noticed, was about three fourths filled with Jade's clothing.

"Figures," Trina shrugged as she held a navy blue skirt to her waist. "It was buried way in the back."

"I wonder what else is back there…," Cat wondered out loud, sparking interest in Trina.

"Guys…," I said warningly when I saw that devious look in Trina's eyes. "We really shouldn't…Jade would be pissed."

"We've got time," Trina said convincingly and I knew Cat was already hooked on the idea.

"I don't think it's a good idea," Andre commented. "Jade will kill you."

"And then chop up your dog and torture your mom," Robbie added with detail and a scared expression.

"We don't have a dog," Trina shrugged then kneeled down to start digging further back in the small closet.

Cat sat on the floor beside her and started sorting through the pile of clothes Trina tossed out.

"What's this for?" Trina asked as she pulled out a mini duffel bag. Without waiting for an answer she started unzipping and rummaging through it. "Underwear…a hair brush…moisturizer…perfume, this is boring," She concluded, tossing the bag aside.

"It's probably for when she sleeps over," Cat said to herself as she started closing the bag properly for Trina. I wonder how often Jade slept here.

"Ooo, this is fab," Trina said when she took out a skimpy looking babydoll top that looked like it belonged in a strip club. "Tori do you think I could pull this off? What am I saying, of course I could."

"Hey, Robbie," Cat interrupted my focus on the revealing top in Trina's hands when she held up a pair of jeans. "Maybe these jeans would look good on you."

She tossed them to him with a giggle and he checked them out. It was weird, because they were definitely Jade's, but they looked like they'd fit his narrow hips.

"Yeah, maybe you should try that lingerie on too," Andre joked and Robbie sulked, tossing the jeans back onto the pile.

"What's this?" Trina broke up the laughter when she pulled out a small white envelope that looked worn out.

"I don't know," Cat peered at it then looked panicked. "But we shouldn't look inside."

"We have to," Trina argued. "Come on, let's just peek…you know you wanna…you all want to." She scanned the room and all our curious expressions long enough to convince us not to stop her.

"Aww," Trina sighed in a lovestruck way when she opened the envelope.

"What is it?" I found myself asking.

"Show us!" Cat demanded. Instead of waiting, we all gathered behind her to see what she was cooing at. The envelope was full of pictures, and the first was of the two of them smiling at each other pretending the camera wasn't even there.

The pictures must've been taken before I got here because both of them looked a bit younger than they do now and Jade's hair wasn't streaked blonde yet.

"Next," Trina announced as she flipped to the next one. We all awwwed again at the sight of whipped cream on Jade's nose and Beck's smile wide as he laughed.

"That was her birthday last year," Cat said in a happy, nostalgic tone.

"Next," Trina flipped to another of them next to a snow man with multiple piercings somewhere obviously not in Hollywood, but skipped it before we could aww. "Boring, boring, boring, boring," She commented as she kept skipping through what seemed like intimate moments caught on film.

"Trina!" I complained. Some of those were really cute.

"Boring, boring…hell-oh," She stopped when something caught her interest. We all stared at the picture of Beck hugging Jade, him obviously holding the camera, but were more interested in the fact that it looked like she was naked. Her body was clung tightly to his, but her back was bare, pale shoulder blades showing and all.

"We should stop," Cat said suddenly with a panicked expression. "Jade will be mad."

"We won't tell her," Trina mumbled as she studied the picture a bit longer then flipped to the next with an immediate gasp that we mimicked.

"Oh my god," Andre's voice went up an octave as his eyes went wide. All of our eyes were glued to the snapshot of Beck sitting behind Jade's naked torso, covering her chest with his bare hands.

"Can you say juicy?" Trina was now smirking with a devious expression that she got when good gossip came around.

"Trina, we should stop," I started agreeing with Cat, who refused to look at the picture. My words were on point, but I still couldn't stop looking at the picture.

Beck was smiling and holding her tight to him while she looking like she was laughing and taking the picture herself. It was beyond strange to see inside their private lives.

"Are you kidding?" Trina responded with sass. "I'm posting this to The Slap." She took out her phone to take a picture and I tackled her down instinctively.

"Tori!" She yelped and tried to push me off her while I reached for her phone roughly. "Get off me!"
"Give me the phone!" We wrestled around in front of a panicked looking Cat and confused looking Andre and Robbie. "You can't post that! She'll kill us!" And Beck would feel totally betrayed.

"But it'll be hilarious!" Trina got in one last argument before I tore the phone out of her hands. In the process, the photos on her lap fell in a scattered mess on the floor, making us all gasp again.

"Oh my god," Cat said looking horrified. "Guys?"

"What's wrong?" Robbie asked her as we all stood frozen staring at her and the clutter on the floor.

"How long has the car been stopped?" She spoke and we all looked around, realizing we weren't moving anymore.

"Oh my god!" I repeated Cat's initial worry. "The pictures!"

Trina and I rushed to put the pictures back, forgetting any order they were in as we stuffed them back in the envelope and pushed them back deep in the closet. Cat and I shoved all of Jade's clothes back inside in a rush while Trina sat on the couch and Robbie and Andre tried to act natural.

"Great!" Cat threw her arms up. "Now I have to pee." She walked towards the door, just as it opened and ran out while I breathed a sigh of relief that we'd cleaned it up in time.

"Who's ready for beach fun?" Beck asked us cheerfully as he and Jade entered the RV. I know I am.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Jade's POV

"Are you guys sure it's 'captain obvious'?" Tori asked again five minutes later.

"Yes!" We all groaned in unison. How stupid did she have to be? And how much hotter is it gonna get!

I sat back on my legs and bunched my hair together, trying to let what little air there was in here breeze past the back of my neck. Beck got off the couch and sat next to me, holding up a thin notebook to fan me.

"Thanks," I smiled lightly at his kind gesture, I was angry to be locked in this heat, but at least he was here. It would've been so much worse if he wasn't.

"Do me next!" Robbie whined and crawled to the other side of Beck, sticking his chin up expectantly towards him.

"No! Me!" Trina jumped next to Robbie and tried to fight him for a turn next. As if Beck would do it for anyone but me.

"Sorry guys," Beck confirmed my beliefs and continued waving the notebook into a cool breeze for me. "Human fan is closed."

Robbie and Trina sighed and made pouty faces while I closed my eyes and tried to imagine an ice cold igloo.

"This is so gross," I couldn't help voicing my disgust as another bead of sweat dripped down my forehead.

"It's actually kind of hot," Beck winked at me and I narrowed my eyes at him. He can't be serious. "Get it?" He smiled at my pissed expression. "Because of the temperature and…never mind." He gave up when I didn't back down.

Nothing about sweating was hot. No matter what kind of pun he was trying to spin on it.

"At least it proves you're human," Tori shrugged from Beck's bed; a place I really didn't like to see her on. "I mean, how could it not have worried you before?"

"Because I don't see anything natural about getting damp and smelly," I gave as dirty a look as I could muster. This weather had a way of making me sleepy.

"Beck," Tori shifted her attention to him when I stonewalled her. "You can't honestly tell me you never thought it was weird!" Why was she so stuck on this? Everyone else had been past it for years.

"Mmm…no," He shook his head lightly, looking just as tired as I felt. "It's actually pretty nice."

"Because sweaty girls are gross?" Tori looked offended. She did look pretty gross, with her blue cami seeming drenched.

"A little," Beck shrugged lazily. "Plus at night, it's like sleeping next to an ice pack." I looked up at him a little shocked, it wasn't like him to share details like that about us.

Everyone else was having the same reaction, raising their eyebrows at me as if I'd confirm that we slept in the same bed.

"What are you looking at?" I spat at them rudely; it was none of their damn business. They were all acting a bit too comfortable in here, I didn't like it.

And I especially didn't like the way Tori and Trina were eyeing Beck's abs. They were nice and all, but they were mine; something they really needed to remember.

"Let's play a game before I lose my mind," Andre suggested.

"Truth or dare?" Robbie offered, seeming to have a sudden burst of energy.

"No," I glared at him. That game only gave girls the chance to kiss Beck, and I wouldn't put it past Tori or Trina.

"Why not?" He whined.

"Because it's stupid," I told him bluntly. "Why do you wanna play, anyways? Cat's not here so no one can dare you to kiss her!"

"What? I don't even—I!" He stuttered and blushed immediately hanging his head.

"Why deny it?" I asked. "We all know you've been dying to do it again since that dare in 7th grade."

"Jade…," Beck whispered warningly next to me. He hated when I picked on Robbie, but I was in no mood.

"Fine!" Robbie shrugged dramatically. "Then what're we gonna play?"

"How about just truth?" Andre asked, and I didn't automatically hate the idea. I had nothing to hide, but I'm sure these losers did.

"Truth and no dare?" Trina repeated the idea. "Sounds kinda lame."

"No, no," Tori disagreed. "This could be interesting. And it's not like we have anything else to do."

"Let's play," Beck said and that was enough to get the gang to circle around on the floor.

"Who's first?" Andre asked.

"I'll go," I sat up a bit straighter; finally a distraction from this heat! "Tori," I started in, staring directly at her 'deer caught in the headlights' expression. "Have you ever kissed another girl's boyfriend?" I tried to keep my voice as innocent as possible.

"Uh…umm," She stuttered and kept that wide eyed expression. I could feel Beck glaring at me disapprovingly, but didn't falter. "Yes," She finally said with a supposed dirty look. "You know I have."

"Oh!" I tapped my forehead as if I hadn't remembered. "That's right! I forgot, my bad." I kept on smirking, I really didn't want anyone to forget how much of a homewrecker she had been.

"I'll go next," Beck elbowed me lightly and I knew I'd hear about that later. Oh well, the pained look on her face was enough for me. "Jade!" Beck spoke to me directly, making me look at him. "Have you always been so pretty?" He smiled at me, and I rolled my eyes, feeling my face get hot; if that was even possible in here.

"Aww," Andre made cooing noises as if Beck minded being teased for his romantic side. Trina had on a gooey look while Tori looked annoyed.

"Yes, always," I answered fast and punched him in the arm. Why was he trying to make me look so foolish? "Robbie, you're next!" I ordered, deciding we'd go counter clockwise.

"Umm," Robbie rubbed his crazy afro in thought. "Andre, have you ever had a crush on someone in this circle?" Interesting.

"Well…," Andre stalled and looked around and I noticed his eyes linger on me for a moment. One second later, Beck moved his arm around me gently. That was weird. "Yeah," He nodded and kind of made a point of looking at Tori for longer than necessary. "Next question," He looked away quickly, wanting to move on.

"My turn!" Trina spoke excitedly and turned to Beck, looking him right in the eye. "Which do you prefer," She started and I hated the question already. "A girl with a big butt or a girl with a huge chest?"

The minute she finished I wanted to pounce on her. Especially when she sat back, sticking her own chest out as much as possible; who was she kidding. Beck glanced at me, making me a bit self conscious seeing as I didn't have much of either at the moment.

"Neither," He answered with a slow nod. I knew he'd find a way to dodge the question.

"What?" Trina's shoulders slumped and Tori's face fell; she was bonier than me so I don't know what she was looking for in that question.

"You have to answer," Tori shrugged. "It's a rule."

"I did answer," Beck shrugged.

"You gotta like one more than the other," Andre prodded. "I know I do," He chuckled to himself like such a boy.

"I don't," Beck shrugged again.

"How can you not?!" Trina seemed deeply disturbed by this statement and I was trying not to laugh at her desperation.

"I don't think about that stuff," Beck explained, and I knew that was a lie. I had the late night phone calls and dirty texts to prove he thought about that kind of thing, but I wouldn't dare voice it.

"Lies," Robbie fake coughed and I almost lost it with a laugh.

"Seriously," Beck took his philosophical tone and I looked down at my hands. "When you're with someone, what's the part of them you see the most?"

"Ass," Andre said and I could almost hear Cat giggle like she did at the sound of profanity; I really wish she'd hurry up and get back here.

"Be real," Beck shook his head. "Their face." He gave the answer away. "So that's probably the part I'd care most about. The rest of it is just details."

The group took his words in in silence and I scanned their reactions. Beck always got a bit carried away with his theology lectures but he usually made sense. Even now, they seemed to be nodding in agreement; aside from Tori who kind of had a spark of hope…she did have a decent looking face.

"Fine," Trina groaned and shrugged. "I guess that's a real answer…but it totally sucks."

"Just because it doesn't leave a lot of hope for your love life doesn't mean it sucks," I challenged.

"I request a do over," Trina squinted her eyes at me and didn't wait for anyone to allow her request. "Jade?" She copped an attitude and tilted her head.

"What?" I answered, did she think I'd back down?

"Truth," She named the game. "Have you ever taken nude photos of yourself?" I heard the gang sort of gasp, which was more surprising than the actual question.

"No," I answered immediately, with Beck's eyes on me. He knew I was lying but I knew he wouldn't dare say it.

"The game is called truth, Jade," Trina spoke so full of herself I almost wanted to tackle her.

Beck and I used to mess around with his camera back when he first got his RV, I think we were just getting carried away with the extra privacy, but no one but us knew about those pictures.

And besides, in all of them I was wearing one of the first thongs I ever bought so technically I wasn't naked. But that didn't explain why the group was staring at me so intently.

"I'm aware," I crossed my arms and stared her down. "I'm telling the truth."

"Oh yeah? Well—,"

"Trina!" Tori interrupted her sister. "Sheeee said she's telling the truth, let's move on! Who's turn is it?"

The whole thing was way suspicious, but I was not in the mood to start an argument in this heat. This was supposed to be a fun filled day of cooling off next to Beck's abs.

And it would be.

If we ever get out of here.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Beck's POV

When Cat finally let us out of my heat trapping box of an RV, we couldn't rush to the beach fast enough. The sun had just started to go down, but it wasn't enough to stop us from playing in the water for hours until it was gone completely.

Now though, we were packing up and getting ready to go home; all except Jade, who was sitting on the sand staring out at the dark abyss that was the ocean.

"Hey," I greeted as I sat down next to her, putting the jacket I'd brought around her shoulders. She leaned her head on my shoulder as I put my arm around her and watched the waves move in front of us.

"I wish we could stay longer," She sighed and looked longingly at the water.

"Me too," I agreed. "But Tori and Trina have a curfew so…"

"Yeah, I know," She nodded and flipped her hair back as the wind blew it around wildly. "Still, though."

"Tell you what," I lifted her chin to face me. "I'll bring you back here really soon, okay? Just the two of us."

"Deal," She smiled and kissed me until Andre's whistle interrupted us.

"Yo guys!" Andre called over to us. "We gotta head out!"

"Okay!" I yelled back and stood up, pulling Jade up lightly with me.

"So what's for dinner?" She poked my abs and looked up at me expectantly, reminding me of the topic I'd been trying to avoid until absolutely necessary.

"Actually," I started, and kept my arm around her as we walked slowly to the truck. "I was thinking…maybe you should go home tonight."

Sure enough, she stopped walking and stepped back to face me. My mom had put the idea in my head, but the more I thought about it, it seemed like she was right.

"You don't want me," Jade said with such certainty it drove me crazy.

"That's not it," I shook my head. "I'm just saying maybe your mom misses you…"

"Is this some kind of a joke?" She overreacted like I knew she would. Maybe I should drop this. "If you want me gone, just say so. Don't hide behind some bullshit reason I—,"

"Jade!" I grabbed her shoulders lightly to stop her from ranting. "Look…you're always talking about how your parents avoid all of their problems, right?" I waited her to nod impatiently to continue. "Isn't that what you're doing?"

"It's different."

"How?" I questioned. "You're leaving your problems at home to be with me, but that doesn't mean they're not still waiting for you there."

"Why are you doing this?" She looked so betrayed, I was just trying to help.

"Jade, you've been kind of miserable lately," I pointed out. "Maybe things will get better if you try it this way…you never know."

"Trust me," Her expression hardened. "I know."

"I just want you to be happy…"

"I'm happy with you."

"No, you're not," I confronted. "I mean, sometimes you are, but then…then you get sad. And I don't know what to do."

"I don't get sad," She shook her head denying it, but her eyes looked glossy.

"Jade, there's nothing wrong with it, I—,"

"No!" She moved my arms off her and shook her head repeatedly. "I don't do sadness! That's just not me."

"Jade…," I sighed. "It's not like sweat, you can't just turn your feelings off…"

Without responding, she turned her back on me and stalked towards the RV where the gang was gathered outside. I called for her to come back, but she ignored me till I caught up to her.

"Leave me alone," Was all she said until we got to the car. "I'll ride in the back," She volunteered, going into the RV before I could stop her.

"Shotgun!" Tori called and raced to the truck excitedly.

That was not how I wanted things to go.

.

.

.

.

Hours later I was lying on my bed going over the conversation Jade and I had earlier. Was I too harsh? Maybe I shouldn't have said anything…but I wanted to; she always told me that she never wanted to turn into her parents…I was just helping, right?

Whatever the case, I couldn't sleep with all these thoughts in my head. I had gotten changed for bed, wearing black sweats and a gray muscle tank top, but I had been lying on top of my bed sheets with no illusion that I'd get any sleep tonight.

When I'd dropped everyone off, she told me to take her home, and didn't speak a word the whole drive there. She didn't even kiss me goodbye when she left my car and walked into her house.

I'd tried texting her…three times. Each time, she didn't reply, and when I called, she ignored me. The silence from her was killing me, I much preferred it when she yelled and screamed; at least I could tell what she was feeling from that.

I got up to get yet another drink of water as if it'd calm my nerves, when I heard a knock at my door. It was faint, but I was sure I'd heard it so I almost sprinted to open it.

"Hi," She said from the top step outside. I don't know why I was so shocked to see it was Jade, but I couldn't speak. She looked sadder than I'd seen her in a long time. Like she'd been crying and rubbing her eyes, she hadn't even changed her clothes from the beach; still donning black shorts and a tank top.

"What's wrong?"

"It didn't work out," She almost whispered with a light shrug. "I know you don't want me here, but Cat slept over at Tori's and I don't have anywhere else to go and—,"

"I never said I didn't want you here," I shook my head and reached to pull her inside. "What happened?"

"I just…," She shook her head and I shut the door behind her.

"Did you walk here?" I asked before she could answer. "You're freezing," I noticed as I felt her arms.

"Yeah," She nodded a bit, still looking absent. "I'm kinda cold."

"Your bathing suit is still wet," I felt the dampness of her shirt and got mad at myself, I shouldn't have made her go home.

"I forgot to change," She said like I didn't notice. "As soon as I walked in, my mom started talking and I…" she just shook her head and I could hear how strained her voice sounded, I wonder what she'd been yelling about.

"Take your clothes off," I said in the least sexual way I could. She complied, reaching to pull her top off while I pulled her forward to unbutton her shorts. I went to get her clothes as she continued talking.

"I don't even remember what we were arguing about," She shook her head to herself as she untied her bikini and stood naked. I handed her a pair of underwear and pajama pants she had here and kept looking for a shirt.

"Was she mad that you hadn't been home?" I asked, hoping that wasn't the case.

"No," She answered as I tossed her a shirt of hers that she just stared at. "I want one of yours," She handed it back to me with a pout and I went to my side of the closet to find something to her liking. "So then my dad shows up," She continued. "And the shit really hit the fan."

"I'm sorry," I shook my head as I found a top for her and helped her slip her arms through the loose Beatles tee. "I shouldn't have told you to leave."

"It's not your fault," She fixed the shirt and brushed her hair out of it. "Things usually cool down between them a lot sooner…I don't know what's taking so long," She sighed and looked up at me exhausted. "I'm just so tired…"

"Let's go to bed," I combed her hair out of her face then led her to my small mattress and laid down beside her. "Things will be better in the morning."

"I hope so," She mumbled into my chest as she wrapped her arms around me, entangling our bodies the way she liked. "Mmm…goodnight."

"Goodnight," I whispered back, feeling much better than I had before I was in this bed and knowing I'd be able to sleep now.


The end!

Goodnight

Thanks to "Guest" for this chapter's song inspiration from Spring Awakening (I love that musical)