Heyyyyy! So sorry for the late update! I got a bit delayed due to lack of internet, maintaining a social life, sorting some work out and attempting to read the beautiful 'Under Milk Wood' for the first time. Anyway, here it is - a pretty long(ish) chapter for you all! It's not a very nice one, g'ah you'll know what I mean by the end of it, but I hope you're not disappointed D: Lovely, lovely reviews - thank you all so much again! Updates might be a lot slower after this one, but I will do my very best if you all want me to update? Let me know. Thanks for being so incredible!

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Beck's POV

My vision blurred with anger as Tori's heavenly voice buzzed through my cell phone.

"I'm coming over," I stated, quickly grabbing a couple of things and throwing them into a bag.

"No, no, no," Tori rushed. "You really don't have to – Cat's here and we've got school tomorrow. We're just going to go to bed."

"You shouldn't go to school tomorrow," I told her. "I'll cover for you."

"Staying off isn't going to solve anything, Beck," I heard her sigh at the other end of the phone. "I faced my biggest fear last night… Jade's nothing."

I'd told her I wouldn't come over, but that didn't stop me climbing into my car and driving the familiar distance to Tori's house. What sort of a boyfriend would I be if I didn't check that she was okay? I mean, I know how strong she is, but no teenage girl should have to deal with a violent ex-boyfriend… especially not one that I would kill if ever given the chance (and I'm usually quite the pacifist). I really wish Tori would let me call the cops on him – what if he came back? What would I do if Kane turned up for round two, she hadn't told the police about him and I wasn't there either? Again. I should have been there to rescue her first; I shouldn't have let her be on her own… though I didn't know that Trina would be staying out. Unfortunate as it may be, I was still certain that this all came down to me.

The only light throughout the entire house was the one that flooded the porch. Other than that, they seemed to be in complete darkness. I rapped on the door anyway a couple of times but, with no answer, sloped back to my car. I just sat in the moonlight, hands dancing as they drummed the familiar beat to 'Make It Shine' on the cool leather of the steering wheel. Why was I so reluctant to start the car? Every second, my eyes stole a glance at Tori's house. I literally wouldn't be able to forgive myself if Kane went back to hurt her and I was nowhere to be seen. He should be locked up, really.

I needed to know that she'd be safe. I had to – she hadn't told her parents or Trina about Kane, so who would come to her rescue? I couldn't imagine Cat being much help, though she managed to get him to leave tonight apparently, but I would hate for her to get hurt because she was mixed up in something that had nothing to do with her. I'd sleep better if I knew; if I was at a respectable distance if they needed me. I took off my jacket and wrapped it around myself like a quilt. Iwas sleeping here tonight.

After several attempts of trying to get comfortable, I finally drifted off and dreamt of Jade. She'd ripped Tori in half, and Cat was screaming, "Look what you've done to her, Jade! Are you happy now?" and Jade was bawling and whispered, "All I wanted was Beck. This is all his fault." And then I began to subconsciously wonder if this actually was all down to me, and had I just been being selfish the whole time?

My nightmare was interrupted by a soft tapping on the window. My eyes shot open (becoming blind by the sun, might I add) to see Tori, one of her eyebrows raised curiously. "Beck? What on earth?"

I wound the window down sleepily and she leant in. She was all dressed, make up done, ready to go. Whoops, I'd meant to set an alarm or something so I had time to rush home and shower.

"You slept in your car all night?" Tori continued, cocking her head on one side. "Why?"

"So I could be sure that you were okay," I told her and, once she could be sure that I wasn't some crazy stalker, she cupped her soft hands around my face and kissed me.

"Awh, that's sweet."

She was smiling. If this would've been Jade, she'd have snapped that she could look after herself, and if she'd kissed me she'd have ordered me to go and brush my teeth. I knew my breath was probably awful, but Tori was lovely enough not to point it out.

"I need to go home and sort myself out."

"You're gonna be soooo late. Cat went home ages ago to get ready," she informed me, but then she grinned. "I'll cover for you."

I was so happy that she was happy. Ish. How happy can you be after you're almost attacked by a maniac? Either way, she was doing an amazing job of holding herself together. She kissed me again, not at all repulsed by my lack of dental hygiene (and every other type of hygiene, I suppose), and I gave her a lift to school.

"Beck?" she pushed the messy hair from my eyes as we pulled up just around the corner, sapphire-blue fingernails tracing my jawline. "You're so incredible, and I have absolutely no idea what I've done to deserve you… or what I'd do without you."

I shot her a lobsided smile as she shuffled out, and I practically heard my car breathe a sigh of relief as she closed the door gently. It was so used to Jade's slamming tendencies. There I go again with the comparisons, I don't know what it is, but I just love discovering new reasons to prove that I definitely made the right choice with Tori. The funny thing is that I don't even need any, because Tori alone is a reason in herself. The fact that she excludes all of my former-girlfriend's negative qualities is just a fantastic bonus. I'm not really what you would label as a smug person, but I am only human. Human's like to be right… right?

I'd never been more excited about brushing my teeth and hopping in the shower and putting on fresh clothes before in my whole life. I was already late now, so time wasn't really an issue – but just the thought of Tori facing Jade alone was enough to transform me into lightening. I was washed, groomed, dressed and outside Hollywood Arts in less than hour. I was grabbing a sweatshirt from my locker when I felt a familiar icy grasp on my right arm.

"Can we talk?"

Was she serious? Why on earth would I want to talk to her? She was peculiar, I knew that, but this dangerous Jade was one I'd never clasped eyes on before. I struggled to understand who she was anymore, because I'd never met this girl before in my life.

"No."

She sighed, her hands tightening around my arm, "Well, I tried to do this nicely."

Before I knew it, I was in an empty classroom, pinned against the back wall by an absolutely crazy girl. And not crazy in the good way like Tori – crazy in the disastrous way.

"I'm trying to be nice Beck, see," she didn't loosen her grip, but her smile was somewhat genuine. "I'm sorry that you and Vega broke up."

"What?" I asked confused, attempting to prise her off of me. My back slammed hard against the wall every time. "Tori and I haven't broken up?"

I swear to God, her widened eyes were absolutely terrifying, and the ringing of the school bell also contributed to startling me. Her face flushed red as she cursed under her breath, but then that hazardous light bulb appeared above her head – the one that signals an idea that she's literally just this second thought of.

"Okay, so you mean to tell me that she'd risk seeing you destroyed by a complete maniac just so you'd stay her boyfriend? That's a little selfish, don't you think? She's been more selfish in two minutes than I'd been to you throughout the whole of our relationship."

I laughed hesitantly, and her face clouded as she snarled, "What?"

"Kane's a little too late. See, you've already done all the damage, so being 'destroyed' isn't really an option anymore," I moved my face closer to hers and said slowly, "And it's you who's the complete maniac if you thought for one second that all of this was going to win me back. You're so unstable that it frightens me."

"Awh, Beck, I didn't know you cared," she mocked.

"Oh shut up, of course I care," I shook my head. It wasn't in my nature to not care about Jade. I didn't love her anymore, but she still meant something to me – only with no romantic feelings whatsoever. A friend, if you like, but Jade West has never really had many friends. "It was never my intention to hurt you."

The girl moved faster than I'd ever witnessed. Her lips were attached to mine in seconds; crashing into them so violently that it stunned me. My eyes remained wide open, my brows reaching my hairline and my hands clamped by my side as I became numb all over, far too shocked to move. She wasn't put off by my lack of effort – or rather absolutely no effort – to the kiss. My elbow was just millimetres away from forcing her off of me when I heard the door crash open.

The yelp from the front of the room was unmistakeable, as was the gasp and the sound of a shattering heart. One belonged to Cat, and the others…

"Tori!" I shouted, as I wriggled free immediately. "I swear she kissed me, I didn't kiss her back."

"Oh that's right, your next class is in here isn't it, Vega?" Jade sniggered. "I forgot."

Jade had set this up. She knew exactly what she was doing – this whole thing was all intentional. She really was vile and poisonous. Tori had been right all along.

My current girlfriend's eyes were brimming with tears as she contemplated attacking me or hearing me out. In the end, she landed somewhere in the middle.

"How could you do this to me?" her cracking voice wore down every part of me as she fled. She looked so hurt, so shocked and all choked up. Nothing had happened, I hadn't enjoyed any of it, I was literally about to push her off. That's no word of a lie either.

I went to run after her but Cat held up her hand, her eyes wide with so many emotions that I didn't know which to settle on. "Don't you think you've done enough?"

Jade scoffed, "That's a little hypocritical, Cat," her eyes flickered menacingly. "Why don't you tell Beck how you've been my little sidekick for months now, spying on him and everything?"

What? I stared at Cat with a blank expression on my face. I was just so… speechless. Here was the girl who was practically my little sister, my first friend at Hollywood Arts, literally one of the nicest people I'd ever come across in my whole life… and she'd betrayed me? Her face was so innocent and apologetic as she looked back – just like it always is – or so I thought. She turned to Jade, and she looked absolutely furious.

"Tori knows everything, and she's forgiven me for all of that," she stuttered through gritted teeth, before her shell cracked open. "Jade, when are you going to get a grip and stop messing with everybody else's lives? We were supposed to be friends, but you don't even know the meaning of the word. Friends don't force other friends into doing their dirty work for them by holding a scarring secret over their heads! You're twisted, Jade, corrupted, off the rails – you're more not right in the head than I am! It's always all about you, as long as you get what you want, then everything's fine, isn't it? If Jade's happy, then the whole world has to be ecstatic for you, right? No, the world doesn't owe you anything, Jade, and neither do I. Tell everybody what you know, because I don't care anymore. If you're sick enough to blurt something I trusted you with, when I was so lifeless, go ahead. I don't want to see your face anymore unless it's walking away from me, because you can't even see that the way you're treating people is wrong. You're a joke, an absolute joke."

She breathed out shakily. It was so, so strange to see Cat Valentine angry like that. Her, 'What's that supposed to mean?' outbursts were mild compared to everything she'd just said. Jade and I looked at her in disbelief. Her legs were wobbling uncontrollably and she struggled to catch her breath after that unbelievable rant.

"I'm so, so sorry Beck. I'll explain everything later, but right now I need to make sure that Tori's okay," she bit her lip and ran out of the door. Tori had forgiven Cat, so whatever she'd done couldn't have been that bad… and everything that she had done all came down to Jade, from what I could gather, anyway. All of those things that Cat had just said were true; it's always all been about Jade, and she is twisted and corrupted and off the rails. She looked so weak and vulnerable just stood there, just like during those rare moments of our relationships where she softens – my favorite memories of the two of us, as it happens. I sighed, shaking my head.

"You're a manipulator, Jade," I frowned at her, taking hold of her arms. "Promise me that this is the end now. The truth hurts, doesn't it? All of the things that Cat said, none of them were lies. You've got to change, because you can't go through life like this."

"You once said you never wanted me to change," she sniffed. "Remember? Because everything I was willing to change was something you once loved about me."

"But you changed from that moment onwards," I looked straight into her eyes. "This girl stood in front of me right now… I don't even know who she is. The Jade I know was mean, yes, but she'd never put somebody's life in danger like that. You'll find love again one day, but it doesn't lie here with me."

She swallowed, but black smudges still stained her cheeks as she sobbed, "This is like our break up all over again."

I had no idea why I was being so considerate towards her, especially after everything she'd put me through. I guess I just felt partially guilty for causing most of this. I smiled a little sadly at her, "Only you could force a break up out of a none-existent relationship."

"Well that's me. Nothing's ever good enough, but you proved to be far too good."

"You're gonna be fine, I promise," despite not trusting very easily, I knew that she believed me. I patted her shoulder, "Goodbye, Jade."

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I know this chapter's mean, but what's a story without things going wrong at some point? Please review because I love reading what you have to say, and without them I won't want to continue D: There are no words to describe everybody following my stories, it's just so... amazing. Yay! Yes, yes reviewwwwwww! Thanks again!