A/N: Sorry. It's been forever! College applications suck! The title is from Blue October's song 'Hate Me'. Happy reading!
Chapter Fourteen: I Have To Block Out Thoughts Of You
Jude woke up with a smiled that hadn't left her face since the night before. She got up from the bed and wandered down the stairs, where Sadie and Taylor were making breakfast. "Morning all!" She said cheerfully said, as she hit the last step.
Taylor and Sadie each glanced at her, then shared an amused look. Jude glided into the kitchen, pulling out a chair and sat at the corner of the island, munching on a piece of toast that Sadie had set out, knowing Jude wouldn't wait till she was done cooking to eat.
Taylor looked over at Jude, then to Sadie. "Look at her, she's positively glowing!"
Sadie turned off the stove, removed the last pancake and turned around, leaning against the counter next to Taylor. "I know! She looks so well rested! Bet I know what she dreampt of." Sadie said, continuing their commentary on Jude, who sat in a blissful daze.
"I think she's still in the dream." The two girls laughed. "She's so far gone. I don't even think anything could get her attention. Not even-CHOCOLATE!" Taylor yelled, holding up a bowl of chocolate chips left over from cooking, but Jude didn't move. The girls laughed.
"Hmm..." Sadie looked around for the next test. "Or....BREAKFAST!" She waved the plateful of chocolate chip pancakes, bacon and fruit in front of her, but still nothing. They laughed harder.
"Guitars!"
"Hamburgers!"
"SME!"
"Ice skating!"
"Television!"
"Microwave!"
"Steering wheel!" The tests got weirder as they went.
It was Sadie's turn, but she hesitated, thinking, then gasped in pleased surprise at her brilliant idea. Taylor looked at her quizzically. "I've got it!" She said in excitement, then turned toward Jude again. She leaned forward and whispered, teasingly, "Boys Attack."
Jude's head instantly shot up as her mind catapulted into reality. "Huh? What?" she said, looking around, confused.
Sadie and Taylor burst out laughing.
Jude looked at them confused. "What?" They only laughed harder. Jude stared at them for a moment, then muttered, "Whatever." and grabbed her full plate of food off the counter, which only made them laugh harder. "You guys are so weird."
The two girls composed themselves and they all sat down at the table for breakfast. As they were eating, Sadie leaned over and picked up the mail that she had brought in the night before and began sorting it. "Bills-bills-bills. Taylor, your latest issue of Seventeen." Jude stifled a laugh.
"Shut up! You know you secretly love it." Taylor playingly glared.
Jude scoffed and Sadie rolled her eyes and kept going.
"My issue of Vogue, Jude your latest tabloids and, oh look, more bills!" Sadie feigned excitement and each girl began thumbing through their newly arrived magazines.
Jude only got about four pages in, just far enough to read the latest celebrity arrests and talk show embarrassments, when suddenly two hands snatched it away from her.
"Switch!" Taylor yelled. Jude looked up in shock as Sadie excitedly reached for Taylor's Seventeen and threw her Vogue right in front of Jude, who unenthusiastically opened it and began flipping pages. She groaned quietly as Taylor excitedly read the headlines off the tabloid's cover.
"'Former 'Next Top Model' Marries Judge'-saw that coming. 'Fight on Soap Opera Set'-naturally. 'Pop Star, Eden, Too Drunk to Perform'-"
"Ha!" Jude shot out. "Totally could've called that!" They all laughed.
Taylor continued. "Ooh! 'Old Love Rekindled'-I wonder who it is." Jude laughed, Taylor always was a sucker for romances. Taylor flipped the pages quickly, giddy in anticipation. She flipped the last one, slammed it down and stared at the page, shocked. "Oh..my..gosh! Oh my gosh!" She squealed. Sadie ran around the table to stand behind Taylor. Instantly she burst out laughing. Jude stared at them for a moment before her curiosity got the best of her. She stood, walked behind Taylor and looked over her shoulder at the large spread of pictures of her and Tommy at the pier and bold quotes from the article. Her eyes were wide, first in horror, then shock and finally in amusement.
She grabbed the magazine and laughed as she read the headline. "'Jude and Tommy Pick Up the Pieces Again." All the girls burst out laughing. Jude glanced through the quotes. "Wait! Listen to this one. 'Rekindled Love or Fling Affair?' Ha! Hardly!" She handed it back to Taylor, who kept reading, as the girls returned to their seats.
"Ooh-'Is Jude Harrison the Other Woman?'"
Sadie reached across the table and squeezed Jude's right cheek. "Aw. I'm so proud of my little home wrecker."
Jude rolled her eyes and pushed Sadie's hand away. "Shut up." She chuckled as she took another bite of her pancakes, glancing over at the tabloid spread Taylor had thrown back to her. Skimming the article she began to laugh. "Paparazzi. Honestly. Where do they get this crap?"
---
"Where do they get this crap?!" Tommy growled, dropping his head into his hands, as he read the article on the table in front of him. "Stupid paparazzi."
Kwest glanced up from the sandwich he was making. "Tom, chill. It's just a tabloid spread. Give it a few days and no one will remember it."
Tommy went from fuming to defeated. "If Sasha lets me live that long."
Kwest looked up at his distraught friend. "Well, she'll understand. Right? I mean, she knows how the paparazzi are, and that ridiculous stories are part of the territory, doesn't she?"
Tommy raises his head up slightly. "If only. This isn't a perfect world, and she isn't thick skinned, she doesn't just brush off ridiculous things. I mean, she's not like Ju-" Tommy stopped short, realizing what he was about to say.
"She's not like who, Tom?"
"No one. She's just-just not like other girls."
"Uh-huh." Kwest said, knowing his best friend was trying his hardest to lie to himself. "So, what are you gonna do?"
Tommy leaned back in his chair. "Um. Give her chocolate, flowers, make her dinner and pray she doesn't see the article."
Kwest laughed. "Good luck with that, man." He patted him on the shoulder supportingly.
"Yeah, thanks." Tommy said, as he got up and the two went back to work.
---
"Jude, hurry up! I'm gonna be late!" Taylor yelled as she dug under the couch cushions for the car keys.
"Coming! You got the keys?"
Taylor flung a cushion over her shoulder and stood up, victorious. "Yup!" she yelled as she held them up in the air.
Jude ran down the hallway and down the stairs, attempting to put on her left shoe between steps. She finally got her shoe on and ran down the remaining steps, tripping on the last one and stumbling to regain her balance. Taylor laughed.
"You okay there?"
Jude laughed, out of breath. "Yeah, sorry. I had to search for my other shoe."
"Well, when Tommy kills me for being late, I'm blaming you."
Jude grabbed the keys from her and locked the door behind them. "Whatever you say."
---
Jude and Taylor ran through the doors of G-Major and surveyed the lobby.
"I don't see him." Taylor said. "Maybe he's late."
"See, I told you it'd be okay. No worries, he's not even here and-oh crap!" Tommy walked out of Studio B and into the lobby. "Hey, Tommy." Jude said cheerfully. Tommy looked up at Jude from across the room. He stared at Jude for a minute, a conflicted look on his face, then he continued walking into the kitchen. "Or, not." Jude said, slightly hurt and confused.
Taylor stared at the spot where Tommy had just stood. "Well, that was weird." Just then, Kwest walked out of the studio and into the lobby, focused on his text message. "Oh, Kwest!" He looked up and walked over to them.
"Hey, Tay. You're late."
"Oh, never mind that. What's up with Tommy?"
Kwest looked confused. "What are you talking about?"
Taylor stared at him, annoyed. "I'm talking about him just barely giving Jude the cold shoulder. What the crap?!"
"He did what?"
Taylor rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Kwest, catch up, we're past the shock stage. Now tell me why."
"I-I don't know. He probably didn't see her."
"Bull crap he didn-" Taylor interrupted, but Kwest cut her off.
"Anyways. We're late. So let's go." Kwest nodded his goodbye to Jude and walked back into the studio.
"He's right, Tay. It doesn't matter. Go to work, Sadie will pick you up later." Jude hugged Taylor and pushed her toward the studio, waiting to make sure she was with Kwest before turning to leave.
---
A few hours later, Jude and Sadie walked into G-Major.
"She's probably still in Studio B." Jude said, pointing to the door. The two sisters walked over and quietly opened it. Inside, Tommy and Kwest were hard at work at the soundboard while Taylor sat on the couch in the corner quietly strumming a new melody.
Sadie snuck in behind the men and crouched behind Kwest. She leaned toward him and squeezed his waist. Kwest jumped and turned around, face to face with her. Jude and Sadie laughed at his startled expression. Kwest laughed it off and leaned in for a kiss, and Jude called to Taylor. "You ready for dinner, rock star?"
Taylor smiled. "Yeah! I'm starving. Let me just get my stuff." She ran from the room to get her guitar case.
"So Tommy, what's new?" Jude said, trying desperately to believe that Kwest had been right, and Tommy simply hadn't seen her earlier.
Tommy, still focused on his work, developed that same conflicted look on his face as earlier and shrugged.
"Cool, cool. So any big plans now that you're off work? 'Cause we're gonna get take-out and watch movies, you and Kwest could come if you guys want."
Tommy grabbed his notebook and stood up, looking past Jude. "Can't. Sorry."
Tommy walked out of the studio just as Taylor walked in.
"Nice chat." Jude mumbled. She looked up to see a confused Taylor and brightened her expression. "You good to go?"
"Yeah." Taylor said, still confused.
Jude turned back to Kwest. "So, you coming, or are you gonna be lame too?"
Kwest laughed and nodded. "What, and miss a Harrison movie night? I don't think so." He stood and grabbed his coat, wrapping his arm around Sadie's shoulders. "So, food?"
The girls laughed. "Sorry, Kwest. No sandwiches tonight. It's pizza night." Taylor threw over her shoulder as they walked out, Jude staring at Tommy, who had moved into Studio A, as they walked.
---
"Kwest what's with Tommy?" Jude asked halfway through the movie.
"Well. That was random. Where's this coming from?" He asked.
"It's just, I've been thinking about it for the last hour and I can't think of anything I've done to make him angry, and he's treating me like I'm the plague. It's just weird."
"Um. I don't know. I think he's just stressed from work and everything. I wouldn't worry about it." He lied.
Jude nodded, believing him for now.
---
As Sadie kissed Kwest goodbye, Taylor and Jude cleaned up the left over pizza. Taylor watched Jude, who looked troubled. "Jude, what's wrong?"
Jude snapped back into reality. "Hmm? Oh, nothing. I'm just trying to decide if I like the Meat Lovers or Hawaiian pizza more, you know, for next time we order."
Taylor shook her head. "Nope. That's not it. Now really, what's wrong?"
Jude let go of the box she was fiddling with and sighed, turning to face Taylor. "I don't know. It's just, Tommy and I were finally back into a good place and now he's being stupid! ugh!"
"You wanna know what I think?"
Jude mumbled her reply. "Probably not."
Taylor rolled her eyes. "I think you need a distraction."
Sadie walked in. "Who are we distracting?"
"Jude. So Sadie, put some popcorn in the microwave and Jude go pick out a movie. I'm calling in reinforcements."
Jude looked at Taylor confused as she picked up the phone until Taylor motioned with her had for Jude to start moving. As soon as Jude was gone, Taylor spoke into the phone. "Hey. I need your help."
---
Twenty minutes later, the coffee table was set with left over pizza, M&Ms, Swedish Fish and a bowl of popcorn. The girls all sat back on the couch watching the beginning of Transformers, when the doorbell rang. Taylor ran to the door and silently let the guest in. Jude shrugged off the oddness of the moment until she heard an all too familiar and entirely welcome voice.
"So, I hear someone is in need of a good old fashioned Spiederman-distraction." Spied declared, stepping into the door frame of the room.
Jude smiled brightly and ran to jump into his arms. "Always! But I could really use a Kyle-joke and a Wally-hug! Not that I don't love you and your distraction." She joked.
Spied rolled his eyes and laugh. "Your wish..." He began. "Boys, you heard the lady." The other two band mates stepped into view, carrying three duffel bags between them and guitars.
"My boys!" Jude said happily, pulling them all into a group hug.
---
The next morning, Kwest walked into work early to find Tommy already at the soundboard. "Wow, man. You're up early. What's wrong?"
Tommy didn't look up from his work. "Nothing, man. Just got a lot to do."
Kwest shook his head. "Nope. How about the truth?"
Tommy leaned back in his chair and let out a huge tension filled breath. "She saw it."
Kwest stood confused for a moment. "Who saw-Oh! Sasha! Crap man, how did she see it? Doesn't she hate the tabloids?"
Tommy rested his head on the back of his chair and looked up at the ceiling. "Her freaking nightmare best friend and maid of honor showed her. Honestly, isn't there something in the girl code that prevents this. I swear there is, it goes right under 'Always say those jeans don't make her look fat' and just above 'Don't date her ex'."
"You know the girl code? Seriously?"
Tommy looked at him. "No. And that's hardly the point. The point is, her friend broke the rule and now I have to pay for it."
"So, she got mad?" Kwest said, sitting down.
"No, that's just it. She claims to be fine with it and says she understands, but something just doesn't feel right. It can't be that simple, can it?"
Kwest shrugged. "So, is this why you've been avoiding Jude?"
Tommy looked at him. "I'm not avoiding her."
"Tom..."
Tommy leaned his head back again. "Crap." he muttered.
---
"Do you really have to go?" Jude whined, giving Speid her puppy eyes.
He winced, always a sucker for that look. "Yeah. Sorry, dude. We've got studio time next door."
"I'll call Jamie, he'll let you off. Please?"
"No can do. This is the only time we could all get together for two weeks. But we'll come back and play."
Kyle and Wally nodded their agreement. "Bye, Jude! Thanks for the pizza."
"Whatever, boys. You know you can't stay away. You'll be back." She joked.
The guys laughed and walked out. Jude walked into the kitchen to begin cleaning up their mess. As she rinsed dishes, she called to Taylor, who was cleaning in the living room, "How did our mess get this big?"
"We invited the boys." Taylor said, slight irritation in her voice.
Jude laughed. "Oh, yeah. Huh, right. Well, I guess they're kinda worth it, but I say they should have to clean the next one."
The two girls laughed and continued cleaning. Five minutes later there was an urgent knock at the door. Jude smiled widely and ran through the living room, jumping over the pile of folded blankets Taylor had been working on. She slid to the door and swung it open.
"Couldn't stay away I see-" Jude laughed but stopped short, seeing the identity of the guest.
"Sasha." She said quietly, staring at the angry women on her porch. "Hi."
A/N: So, what did you think? Review please! Sorry it's been forever, but my application is so freaking close to being done and we've been redoing my basement but that'll be totally done on Monday, so I'll be able to update regularly soon! My goal is to upload a new chapter every weekend. Thanks for reading! Now go review! All reviewers get a cookie and a lollipop!