Chapter 7: Secrets One Too Many.
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A/N: This is 1kimmy101's brother uploading this. She wrote it, but its me who's uploading this! So all of you fans had better be grateful! She is not uploading this herself because she is at camp!
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Tori's POV:
I left the lunch table soon after Beck, watching as they made their way through the school. First to their locker, then the benches, finally making their way over to their next class. I sigh and walk back through the corridors.
I don't really see much difference in Jade. She's just being the sarcastic bitch she's always been. I don't know what her problem is! Can't she just be flippin' nice for once? And why the hell would Beck, of all people like her? I shake my head in annoyance. How could he, of all people- oof. I bumped into Andre.
"Hey Tori!" he says cheerfully, then noticing my glum mood, he adds, "Still hung up about the Trina issue?" he asks.
"Yeah," I lie, running my hand through my hair.
"Don't worry," he reassures me, smiling casually. Why couldn't it be Andre? He's nice, charming even, and he's sure as hell talented. Also, he's helped me out almost every time I needed it. But it can't be Andre, not just because I'm pretty sure he doesn't like me in that way, but with Beck, there's a spark.
I talk with him for a while more, before excusing myself. Although I don't see any difference with Jade, there is definitely something up with Beck. Whenever he looks at Jade, there's this overwhelming expression of concern and protectiveness that makes me want to pull them apart like a mad woman. Besides that, he doesn't seem completely here, I caught him staring at Jade at least twice today, having to pull his sleeves to catch his attention. I'm just pretending that I never heard him call me Vega. I expect an apology sooner or later, but right now, I'm more interested about what's up with Jade.
The bell rings, signalling the end of lunch, but right now I can't focus. I contemplate about whether going to class and learning nothing would be better than just ditching. Ditching wins, not exactly Tori behaviour, but honestly the only thing on my mind now is Beck.
I walk to the parking lot, trying to spot my car, when I hear a man shouting.
"Selfish, spoiled little brat," he yelled. I turned around, shocked. But he wasn't yelling at me, he was near the end of the parking lot, screaming at none other than Jade West.
Jackpot.
"After what we've done for you all these years, trying to escape with all those lies," he seethes. And then to my horror, he slaps her, I can tell it's pretty hard, because Jade stumbled, and Jade never stumbles. I get closer, hiding behind cars to stay hidden.
"I'm s-sor-rry," she mumbled, I couldn't believe it, Jade West apologizing.
"You should be, I expect this whole issue to be resolved by the time I'm home. They called me down in the middle of a meeting. Can you imagine the humiliation? Trying to explain why the police was looking for me to my colleagues?" He was starting to yell again, and I could see Jade cringe with every syllable. I felt a bit guilty for just sitting here, but I was so close to figuring out everything, I'm not gonna just let go of this opportunity.
"I'm sorry," she half whispered again, her head was bowed down. Then, quick as lightning, he lashes out and kicks Jade in her abdomen. She cries out, clutching her stomach.
"Never forget your place Jadelyn," he says coldly, and I can tell he's going to hit her again when all of a sudden, he's there.
Beck.
He's holding on to his arm, standing protectively in front of Jade, and a rush of envy fills me, replacing whatever guilt I held. I don't know how I didn't spot him before. It's like he teleported or something.
"Get out of here before I call someone," he practically snarls.
"Beck, stop it," Jade tries to protest, but he just holds her back.
"You son of a bitch!" the man yells, but he knows he lost. He can't draw much more attention than he already has. He slaps away Beck's hand and stalks off angrily to his car.
By now, Jade has collapsed into Beck's chest, just relaxing in his embrace, crying silent tears.
"Shhhh, it's ok now," he says, stroking her hair gently, his other arm holding her closer to him. "It's alright," he soothes. Then he looks around the parking lot. His eyes meet mine. I can see his hand falter for a second on her hair. Jade has felt it as well.
"What? What is it?" she asks, looking up anxiously.
"Nothing," he replies smoothly, looking back down at her.
"Kiss me," she demands. And he obliges. I can feel my eyes starting to sting, and I can't take it anymore. I quickly make my way back to the school, locking myself in the nearest girls toilet and vomiting the contents of my lunch.
Beck's POV
"Jade?" asks Lane, she has stiffened in my arms, her eyes wide in fear.
"Can't you tell him she's in class?" I ask Lane, my eyes desperate.
He shakes his head, "I tried, he said it was urgent. Why? Is it an important class?" he asks me.
Jade has come to, "Ok, I'll go."
"I'll go with her," I say quickly. This is going to be bad.
"Not so fast Mr. Oliver, this is not an excuse for you to cut class too, Jade's just talking to her father for a while, chill!" Lane says escorting me to class, while Jade walks away to the office, where her father is.
I get seated in class, waiting for Lane to leave. Once I'm positive he's out of the hallway I raise my hand.
"Ms. Esquesani, may I please be excused to go to the toilet?"
"Beck! You just had lunch!" she chastises.
"Please!" I plead, "It's really urgent!"
She rolls her eyes, but lets me go. I am one of her best students after all.
I quickly make my way towards the office, but Jade's not there. I can't ask the secretary where she is because she'll just tell Lane I'm not in class. Damn. I think to myself, where could Jade be?
The parking lot, I'm sure Jade's father wouldn't cause a commotion in the middle of the school.
I almost run there, just in time to see Jade's father punch her in the gut. She cries out, and it breaks my heart. I can tell he's about to hit her again, but luckily I'm there to stop it.
I'm shaking with anger, "Get out of here before I call someone," I practically snarl.
Jade tries to protest, but I just holds her back.
"You son of a bitch!" he yells, but we both know who lost. He can't draw more attention than he already has. He slaps away my hand away and stalks off angrily to his car. I immediately turn to Jade, who's sobbing silently into my chest.
"Shhh, it's ok now," I soothe, trying to calm her down. I stroke her hair, combing out the tangles in her dark locks.
"Shhh it's alright," I say. Then I suddenly feel like we're being watched. I look up and there's Tori. She's staring straight at us, hiding behind a car.
I falter for a second, then curse myself mentally hoping Jade didn't notice. She did.
"What? What happened?" she cries out anxiously.
"Nothing," I say looking directly at her ice blue eyes, and for a second, I forget everything around me. It's just me and Jade, like it always has been.
"Kiss me," she demands, and I oblige happily, it's the sweetest kiss we've shared for a while, and I'm starting to think I've really got her back. I look back up again, but Tori's gone.
I need to find her, I need to make sure Jade's secret is kept. With Tori, I usually wouldn't have been this worried, but times had changed. If she was really the Tori I thought she was, then she should have stopped the fight, and had a feeling she was there long before I was on the scene.
"C'mon, babe, I need to get back to class soon before Ms. Esquesani sends someone to the toilet after me," I tell her. "It's the last period, you wanna just stay in my car?" I ask her. She nods and I walk her there. She gets in the car silently. "Go take a nap kay?" I say, before rushing back into the building.
Jade's POV:
I try, I really did try, but I couldn't sleep.
What is wrong with me? If anyone saw me right now, I don't think they'd recognize me. I'm a complete mess, and I'm shaking all over. I make an effort to pull myself together, but all I can hear is his voice: "You insolent child!" he'd say, " I wished you'd never been born!" he'd scream after throwing an empty bottle of beer at me. "You are NOTHING!" he'd spit at me... And worst of all was his taunt, "Where are you going? My precious little Jadey." And then I knew I was in for it. He would get me, and there was nothing I could do about it but wait for it to be over.
It wasn't always like that though. No, in the beginning, way back, I can remember a family. A real family. Before, I came along and destroyed it, before it all happened.
I always tried not to remember that day, because then I'm reminded of how my life turned into a nightmare, and I'm reminded of how it was all my fault.
The little girl loved singing, even when she was 5. Back then, they were known as the Woods family. Mr. And Mrs. Woods, and their darling Jadelyn Woods.
They were in the car, she sat at the back, singing along to the radio. They were on their way home from some conference her father had needed to attend. It was a happy occasion, if all went well, her father would be promoted and they'd all move to the city.
"Put on your seatbelt Jadelyn," her father chastised. It was late and the streets were icy, wet and slippery.
"No!" she retorted, a rebel even then. Besides, father had said his boss seemed pleased with his work, what could go wrong? Everything.
They were going up a windy road, and Jade was rolling around in the back seat giggling. Whenever the car turned, she'd fall that way as well, tumbling over the seats giggling happily.
"Jadelyn!" he yelled, looking at her through the rear view mirror.
"Nooo!" she yelled back, sticking out her tongue.
"Jadey!" he said again, and she could tell he was getting angry. So she did as told, sitting down, sulking. But she didn't put on her seatbelt. She just pulled the strap down, hiding it under the folds of her white dress. Determined to disobey her father in some way. She waited for a moment to exact revenge. She waited until her parents were occupied, her mother staring at the map, trying to find the correct exit. Her father focusing on the road.
"BOO!" she shrieked jumping into the front seats.
"JADEY!" her father turned around, to scream at his daughter.
There was a large bam, as their Volvo hit a small Toyota. The blue car skid across the ice, colliding into a large truck. There was a loud explosion, and Jade found herself being jerked into her mother's arms.
The Woods family survived, with just a few scrapes and bruises. Even their car was okay, a small bump at the front the only evidence of the entire incident.
The family in the small Toyota, was not as fortunate. It was a small family of 3. Only one had survived. A little toddler, at the age of 2. And now, because of Jade, he lived on without his parents. A crying infant, strapped to the back of the seat.
Her father didn't get the job he wanted, in fact he was fired. He was no longer good publicly. He was charged for drunk driving, even though he's hardly drank. Just a bottle or less, but it was an easy conjecture for the police. Their family fell into a state of depression. Newspapers and the media took charge of everything. Changed everything. Somehow turning the whole situation into a drama. How one family destroyed another. And Jadelyn West, the despicable child that had just stripped off the parents of another. Constantly harassed by her parents, Jade turned against herself, changing her closet and makeup. She was no longer that bubbly girl in the back of the car.
In school, she used to have a whole group of friends. They all left, except Cat. She was always there for her. But it still hurt, the loss of everyone. Staring at her in dismay or even pity. Jade hated it. How easily human bonds could be broken. What was the point of making them in the first place?
Eventually they moved, places where no one had ever heard of them, and started afresh. It was quite simple to take on her grandmother's maiden name, West. From Jadelyn Woods to Jade West. But Jade was never freed, from those accusations. It's her fault, it's all her fault. And she still remembers it. The crying face of that infant, wailing for his mother. Screaming, flailing around. It's in her every nightmare. It's the one thing that scares her more than her father.
I clutch my head, and pull my knees to my chest. Just sleep Jade, sleep it off, I told myself. I'm huddling myself to the seat of Beck's car. Trying desperately to get rid of that vision. Not even Beck knows. And I plan on keeping it that way. I wait for him to come, and pull me into his arms, wipe away my tears and stroke my hair. To sing me a lullaby and tell me everything's alright.
