J is for Jade

OC sighed at the sight of her boo sitting at her desk, looking as though she hadn't moved from it in over a day.

Max looked up at the sound, and her face broke out in a smile. "Hey!" She got up and came around to hug her best friend. "I didn't know you were planning a visit."

OC frowned. "I wasn't, but then I heard you'd been cranky lately, and thought I'd try to figure what's up." When Max frowned OC raised her eyebrows. "So? What's up?"

Max shook her head. "I've been fine, Boo. Who's been talking smack?"

Everyone, OC thought, but only shrugged. "Tell you what. Wrap this shit up, and we're heading to your place for that girl's day we've been promising each other." She held up her hand to stall Max's protest. "I already got supplies."

Max peered past OC to see the piece of luggage. "You moving in?"

OC snorted. "Hell, no. I just figure it's gonna take a bit to get my boo in a good enough mood to tell me what's going on."

"OC, I swear," Max began, but OC shook her head and looked at her warningly. "I swear, I'll be ready in ten minutes?"

"Make it five, sugar."

Later they were sprawled out in the living room of Max's apartment, and the air hung heavy with the scent of lavender, vanilla, and hot chocolate. Max wiggled her toes, grinning at the nail polish gracing her toe nails.

"Girl, hold still," OC laughed, and blew on Max's nails. "There, fire truck red."

"You have no idea how much I'm gonna be teased over this. I can hear Mole now," Max said grinning.

"You want me to stop?"

"Please," Max laughed. "Mole knows I'll kick his ass."

OC laughed, waited an appropriate minute, then said softly, "I like her."

Max blinked at OC. "Like who?"

"Don't be frontin nothin' with me," OC said, shaking her head. "You know I'm talking about Alec's girl."

"Jade?"

"Yes, Jade. What's your deal with her? She seems to like you enough. Alec's bein' true to her, and she's true to him. So what is it?"

Max shrugged. "I like her well enough."

"But?"

Max shifted, uncomfortable. "I don't think I trust her, not really."

OC shrugged, and Max continued. "It's just, she's still Manticore, you know?"

"No, I don't know. She's always on the down low at work."

Max sighed. "When Alec brings her over, and we're all just hanging out, she doesn't join in. It's like she's just watching us all, and I can't help thinking that she thinks badly of us. Like, how dare we have fun or relax? And there's time's she's just cold, you know? Or like, when Alec and I are hanging out in my office, she always seems to show up, you know? She's always watching me, like she's waiting on me to screw up or something so she can point it out."

OC stared at Max for a silent moment, then burst out laughing.

"What?" Max sat up, staring at her suddenly hysterical friend. "Hey, what is it?"

"Boo, the girl's jealous of you. You haven't figured that out?"

"Jealous?" Max said dumbly.

"Yes. You and Alec? Boo, you really don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Alec's been after your ass since...probably the moment you kicked him across your cell."

"Did I tell you about that?"

"What you didn't, he filled in." OC grinned. "Oh, Max, I love you girl, but you are seriously slow, and that's saying somethin'. Didn't you ever notice the way he watched your back? Or how he'd do anything for you?"

Max grinned, suddenly relieved. "OC, that's just how me and him are. We watch each other's back. It's kind of our thing."

"Oh, I know that, 'cept he be watching more than just your back. Come on, honey, it's Alec. He's a...tomcat, right? 'Cept he hasn't been, for a while." OC shrugged. "That's my theory anyway."

"Yeah, well, your theory's wacked," Max laughed.

"Maybe, but it's Jade's theory too. She just don't know where you stand on the issue. Hence, jealousy."

Max shook her head. "Totally whacked."

OC shut her locker door at Jam Pony two days later, and almost jumped a foot. "Damn, girl, don't do that to me!"

Jade blinked at her, and said softly. "I have to talk to you."

"So, talk."

Jade glanced around them, then pulled OC into the back room. "Have you been talking to Max?"

"I talk to my boo all the time, sugar."

"I mean, about me and Alec?"

"Why?" OC frowned. "What happened?"

"She talked to me."

OC waited, but Jade seemed stalled. "Well?"

"She just told me that her and Alec are friends, best friends, but she's still getting over the Ordinary, and has no interest in Alec."

OC frowned. "And?"

"She was lying," Jade said firmly.

OC stared. "What?"

"Manticore trained me well, OC. I know when someone's lying." Jade seemed to be trying to see into Oc's mind. "What has she told you?"

OC blinked and shook her head. "No, I don't think so. What my boo and I talk about is our business."

Jade lost all expression. "Is she interested in him?"

OC knew the Manticore mask well enough now to know when a transgenic was pissed. OC wasn't the type to run, even from a pissed transgenic. "Thought you knew. You just said you knew she was lying." She raised her eyebrows. "So? Was she or not?"

Jade sighed, and suddenly looked defeated. "I don't think she even knows. She meant it when she said she cared about him. She meant it when she said she'd killed me if I hurt him. Don't know if she meant it when she said she had no interest in him."

OC's eyebrows rose almost into her hairline, but Jade didn't notice. "She's a bit protective," OC said thoughtfully.

Jade nodded, smiling slightly, then she sighed again. "I'm sorry, OC, it's just..."

"He's got you spun?"

Jade frowned, confused. "Spun?"

"It's something you must have missed in Verbal Usage," said Alec's distinctive voice from the doorway. His grin slipped as they both turned to him with murderous looks. "What?"

"Ain't you ever heard of a private conversation?"

Alec grinned again. "Were you talking about me? What were you talking about?"

"Men suck," OC said to Jade, ignoring Alec completely. "That's why I bat for the other side."

Jade smirked. "I'll talk to you later, OC."

OC nodded and watched the two of them walk away, frowning. She knew the way Alec acted when he liked a girl, and he was definitely in like with Jade, but something was off. They didn't lean towards each other, maybe? Jade was stand-offish, yes. She was still Manticore, like Max had said, but she was getting better. Alec was helping with that.

Mole smuggled OC in a week later. "Thanks," she said as they walked towards the bar. "Don't know when I'll be able to come in again, and wanted to leave her the present I got her. Figured she could use it early."

Mole shrugged. "She could use some cheering up, I guess."

OC sighed. "What now?"

Mole gave her an appraising look, seemed to internally debate something. "She's been acting weird around Alec, and so he's been acting weird around everyone else. Only a few of us have noticed, so it's not a big issue."

"Acting weird? Mole, have you met Max? Can the girl act normal?"

Mole grinned. "She's been inviting Jade into meetings, leaving the table so Jade can have her seat at Mess. Her and Alec used to have those meetings in her office? Now they have them with her door open. She doesn't go over to his place spur of the moment anymore. She's skipped out on poker night. Just stuff like that."

"What's it about?"

Mole was silent, and then glanced around them. "My honest opinion?" He didn't wait for OC to nod. "I don't think she likes being in the same room with Alec. He thinks he did something and she's mad at him. I think it's something to do with Jade. I think Max is stepping back, saying 'He's all yours.' Stupid relationship crap."

OC grinned. "I hear you buddy. What's Alec done about it?"

"At first he tried talking to her. Now he's just going to wait it out, wait on her to get the stick out of her ass."

OC nodded, and they walked the rest of the way in silence. OC found her girl sitting at the bar, talking to an X-5 OC didn't recognize, beer in hand. Max had used the make-up OC had brought her, and she looked gorgeous, her hair hadn't been styled probably in over a year, but the way it naturally fell, only added to her beauty tonight in the low lights of the bar.

OC talked to her for a few minutes, and kept her eye out. Sure enough, Mole went to join Alec, Jade, and Luke at a table. Sure enough, when he thought no one was paying attention, Alec would glance towards the bar, checking on her. OC waited on Max to finish her conversation, then dragged her to the bathroom to try on her gift.

"It's comfy, OC. Thank you."

"Uh-uh, girlie. You come out and show everybody." OC winked at Joshua who had come in a few moments ago.

After a slight huff, Max stepped out of the bathroom, the long-sleeved green sweater dress stopping just below her knees. OC couldn't have planned it better. The catcalls started immediately, with an especially loud one from Mole.

Max blushed a deep red, and started to duck back into the bathroom. OC caught her arm and winked at her. "Show it off, girl. How often you get to wear a dress around here?"

Max muttered something that sounded like, "Thank the Blue Lady, never." But she squared her shoulders, held her arms up and did an exaggerated twirl, to even louder catcalls.

OC paid attention. It wasn't where Max looked while she twirled, or where Alec looked while even Mole was jokingly yelling.

It was where they didn't look. At each other.

Max changed quickly, and when she came out, there were boos, but she was back to Commandant Max, threatening her adoring public with latrine duty. OC watched her look at a table conspicuously missing two people, and when her face fell for only a moment, OC asked what was wrong.

Max shrugged. "Figured Alec would make some comment."

OC grinned. "Green's your color, Max." And she didn't mean the dress, but like she'd said, Max was seriously slow, sometimes.

OC was at Jam Pony a few days later when Suki waved her over, and gestured to one of the other female messengers. "I was just talking about that dress you bought last week. What color was it?"

OC opened her mouth, the answer on the tip of her tongue, then she stopped a moment to consider the irony she'd never thought of before. Then she shook her head. "Jade-green." She gave a soft laugh. "It's jade-green."

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