AN: We'll hear from Beck later. Here is the finished chapter 21. To kikouma, don't worry, I agree it is a story killer. I promise you that was not my intention when I wrote chapter 16. Also, in this chapter you're going to learn a few things about Shiloh. Enjoy and don't forget to review!
Ps, any King Of The Hill fans out there? Yes? No? Well if you're a fan, you'll notice the reference.

Jade's POV

Everything that happened yesterday felt like a crazy dream. Some parts I hoped I really had dreamt. Others I prayed to be real. But upon waking up with my head on Shiloh's chest on the floor in Tori's living room, I had undeniable proof nothing of what happened was dreamed up.

What woke me up, however, was the sound of Cat giggling. I rolled onto my back, sat up, and rubbed my eyes. When I opened them, I saw Cat and Tori looking at me with their hands covering smiles. I glared at them and whispered, "What?"

Tori dropped her hand and said, "Nothing," before leaving the living room.

I turned to focus my attention on Cat, who was giggling again. She removed her hand and whispered, "You two are so cute." She then followed Tori.

Great, well it looked like the cat was out of the bag, considering they both saw me cuddled up to Shiloh. I sighed and looked down at her, sleeping peacefully on her back. I couldn't help but smile. Immediately I wiped it away, though, just in case Tori or Cat came back into the room. I looked around to make sure they weren't spying, leaned down to Shiloh's ear, and whispered, "Good morning."

She waved her hand at me and rolled onto her side, her back facing me. I shook her shoulder a little bit, and in return she groaned and mumbled, "Coffee."

I chuckled and stood up, heading to the kitchen. After checking a few cupboards, I found the coffee and began brewing an entire pot. Shiloh had a good idea. Coffee sounded wonderful.

While I waited, I took my bag to the bathroom and changed into jeans and a dark purple, black and blue flannel. I brushed my messy hair, trying hard to tame my curls. I gave up and let them be. I picked up my bag and exited the bathroom.

Cat and Tori had returned to the living room and were now whispering ideas for breakfast to each other. They both were out of their pajamas now too. Shiloh was curled up in a ball with a pillow over her face.

Tori smiled upon seeing me and said, "Thanks for making the coffee, Jade."

I waved her off and muttered, "I didn't make it for you, Vega."

Still, her smile didn't fall. And honestly, it didn't bother me anymore.

Both of us headed to the kitchen to pour ourselves cups. I poured an extra cup and added sugar and cream for Shiloh, only sugar to mine. The action made Tori smirk and raise an eyebrow. She must've loved seeing me show some sort of kindness for once I suppose. I set Shiloh's mug down in front of her face and sat down on the couch next to Cat to drink mine.

Shiloh sniffed and threw the pillow across the room, jolting up and grasping tightly to her mug. She took a deep breath and sighed contentedly before taking a small sip. She smiled and whispered, "Coffee, I love you so much." She continued drinking, lost in her own little world now.

I couldn't help but smile, that is, until Cat and Tori started staring at me. I glared at them and they looked away, still smiling. I tapped Shiloh's shoulder and cleared my throat.

She looked away from her coffee and said, "Oh yeah, thank you for the coffee, Jade." She then went back to drinking it.

I shook my head. "Now you owe me," I commented before taking a big sip from my mug.

She scoffed. "Okay, Jade, what you want?" she asked, turning around to face me completely.

I smirked and said, "You're going to bring me to the Pear Store for a new phone."

"What happened to the phone you had?" ask Cat curiously.

I shrugged and stated, "It's at the bottom on Tori's pool."

Tori looked at me strangely and stepped outside to check if I was telling the truth. When she came back, she stared and me and inquired, "Okay, why is your phone in my pool?" She crossed her arms over her chest.

I shrugged again and said, "I got mad and threw it in there."

Cat giggled. Tori and I looked at her strangely. She stopped and looked down at her lap.

Shiloh stretched and put her now empty mug on the coffee table. "Okay, we can go once I get dressed and you finish your coffee," she complied in a mellow tone. She then picked up her bag and headed off to the bathroom.

Once she left the room, Cat and Tori went back to staring and smiling at me.

I growled and seethed, "Why the fuck do you two keep looking at me like that?"

Tori looked away and began whistling nonchalantly.

Cat's smile grew and she explained, "We're just so happy you've finally come out the closet, Jadey."

Tori added, "Cat, technically she didn't. We're just smart enough to put two and two together."

I scoffed, "Vega, you're stupid. Cat new all along." I turned to Cat and said, "You knew before even I did, I bet."

Tori looked at her curiously.

Cat agreed, "Yep! I knew the second Shiloh sat down at our lunch table and started talking about herself that she was your type. But, you see, that would also make her Beck's type. The fact that she turned him down and hung out with you so much, it was obvious which one of you had a shot with her. Sometimes, Jadey, I think I'm a little smarter than you." She giggled some more.

I glared at her and said, "In your dreams, Red."

Tori stared at Cat in awe. She probably didn't think Cat could be so observant, what with her being in her own world most of the time.

Our conversation came to a halt when Shiloh entered the room. She was wearing a skin tight black sweater and grey jean shorts. I had to keep from staring, less I hear more giggling from Tori and Cat. She slipped on her converse and pulled out her car keys. "Ready to go?" she asked me.

I looked at my unfinished coffee. It had gotten cold and was unappealing now. I shrugged, put the mug down, and nodded before putting my boots on and picking up my bag. I waved goodbye to Tori and Cat, and Shiloh and I exited the house.

When we got into the car, Shiloh asked, "Are we a secret?" She looked at me with a serious face.

I thought about it for a second. Did I really want to be out completely? I didn't, but I also didn't want to hurt Shiloh. I didn't want her to think I was ashamed or something. I wasn't. I was happy and lucky to have her. I smiled and said, "No, we're not."

She grinned widely and said, "Good. That means I can take you out to dinner tonight. First, we'll get you your new phone. After, I'll drop you off at home. I'll pick you up again at about six. Sound good?"

I laughed and agreed, "Sure."

It was close to noon when Shiloh dropped me off. I had to admit, I was looking forward to our date tonight. I was very curious about how the night would turn out. I was so wrapped up in thinking about the date, I almost forgot to open my front door and enter the house. Once inside, I tried rushing off to my room, until my mother cleared her throat to get my attention. I had half the mind to ignore her, but was in too good of a mood to start another argument. I spun on my heel and turned to face her, groaning, "What?"

She put down the cup of tea she had been drinking and stated, "I have the day off. Why don't we have a mother-daughter day and go shopping or something?" The suggestion was weird. Mom never had any free days and normally we barely shared words, much less hung out.

I quirked my eyebrow and questioned, "Um, is everything okay?"

She nodded quickly and said, "Yes. Jack's at your father's until tonight and I got all of my work done yesterday. I just thought it would be nice for us to do something together for once. We don't have to go shopping if you don't want to, though."

I nodded my head. "Shopping is fine. I actually need to go shopping," I said, more to myself than to her.

She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Really? What for?"

I looked away and scratched the inside of my arm. I mumbled, "I kind of have a date tonight."

Now both of her eyebrows were raised. "Really? Who with?" she inquired.

I looked down at my feet, allowing my hair to curtain over my face. My heart was pounding in my ears. I shouldn't be nervous, I mean, since when did I care about my mother approving of what I did? I sighed and whispered, "With Shiloh." I looked up slightly and peaked from behind my hair to see her reaction.

There was no emotion displayed on her face. She nodded curtly and asked, "Shiloh is the girl who was over yesterday, correct?"

I nodded.

She smiled and commented, "She seemed like a nice girl."

I looked up completely and brushed my hair out of my face with my hands. "You don't care that she's, ya know, a girl?" I asked her carefully.

She stood up from the couch, walked over to me, and hugged me.

I stiffened, not used to her showing me attention, much less affection.

She pulled away and stated, "Jade, you're a very independent young woman. You always have been. Besides, since when do you care of what I approve and disapprove of?" She smirked and let me go. "Now, let me grab my purse and we'll head out. We can stop for lunch before if you'd like."

My stomach growled. I hadn't eaten breakfast and never did finish my coffee. Food seemed like a great idea. Plus it would give me some time to think about what I wanted to wear tonight. All of the sudden I felt a wave of anxiety sweep over me. What if I fucked this up? Shiloh said there was no way I could change the way she felt about me. I believed her. Still, I was starting to get nervous about tonight.

Shiloh's POV

I was freaking the fuck out. I was digging through every nook and cranny in my bedroom, and not only could I not find my green, I couldn't even find my pieces. This wasn't good. I had a date with the greatest woman in the world and I had nothing to calm my nerves. I ran down the stairs and outside where my father was mowing the lawn.

He turned off the mower and looked at me sadly.

I ran up to him and cried, "What happened to all my marijuana and marijuana accessories?"

He looked down and said, "You're mother went in your room and smelt it. She was furious that you disobeyed her "no smoking in the house" rule and threw it all out."

I pulled my hair and screamed, "Fuck!"

He sighed and said, "Sorry, Kiddo. We can stop by the clinic tomorrow after school, since they're closed on the weekends."

I sat down in the grass and shook my head back and forth. "Dad, you don't understand. I have a date with Jade tonight! I'm anxious enough about it, this makes things worse. Jade's never seen me unnerved before. What if I freak her out or scare her off and ruin the evening with my anxiety? What if I have a panic attack?" I shouted at him.

He kneeled down and rested a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Shiloh, sweetheart, you need to calm down before you do have a panic attack. Let's go inside and I'll make us some chamomile tea, your favorite," he suggested calmly.

I took a few deep breaths and nodded. He helped me stand and took me into the house. I was directed to a chair to sit in at the kitchen table and waited for the tea. I whimpered a little and said, "She makes me so anxious, Dad."

He stepped over to me and rubbed my back. "You really care for this girl, don't you, Shiloh?" he asked with a soft smile.

I nodded and whispered, "I love her." I lifted my hands to my face, only to see them shaking wildly.

My dad wrapped an arm around my shoulders and clasped my hands in his the keep them still. "If that may be, then I'm sure you'll make it through the evening without a panic attack. If you love her, she should calm you, not make you anxious," he pointed out before walking away to pour the tea.

I sighed. He was right. Jade was just such a complicated person. I didn't want to risk doing anything that may offend her. I wrapped my arms around my body and could feel it trembling. I hated feeling like this. I felt so weak and powerless whenever my anxiety spiked up. All optimism faded away and all I could think of was what could go wrong.

He came back to the table shortly and placed both mugs of hot chamomile tea on it before taking a seat next to me. He cleared his throat and stated, "I'm concerned, Shiloh. You're mother is, too. She found something else while going through your room." He stood up and exited the room briefly.

I was left with my tea, anxiety growing. What could she have found that would cause them to feel concerned?

He reentered the room with something in his hand. He placed the object onto the table, and I soon recognized it to be the triangular razor blade, still stained with my blood. I stared at it and looked back up at him, fear taking over me.

He sighed and asked, "May I have an explanation?"

I jerked my head away, refusing to look at the blade. I took a sip of my tea, not realizing how thirsty I was. My hands were shaking too much, and I had to put the mug down. I sighed and whispered, "It was only once. It was a mistake that will never happen again."

He nodded and said, "It better not. If it does, you're going back into therapy-"

"No!" I screamed, cutting him off. I folded my hands in my lap and between my knees to keep them still. "I'm fine. I will be, at least. Please don't make me go back to therapy. Please," I begged him, eyes watering.

He frowned and said, "Well, to make sure, I'm going to temporarily remove that cabinet from your room, just in case you're tempted. Just remember our agreement. I took you to get your medical card only so that you wouldn't have to do this anymore, Shiloh. I don't want to have to worry about you doing these things. And if Jade's the reason-"

"Stop!" I shouted, interrupting him again. "Jade's nothing like Alex, Dad. Please, don't blame her. I lost control, okay? I didn't realize what I was doing until it was done, okay?" Tears were rolling down my cheeks now.

My dad scratched his chin and sighed before pulling me into a hug and letting me unleash my emotions. He rubbed my back gently and shushed my whimpers. It was soothing, that I was thankful for. I could only hope this wave of anxiety would pass before tonight.