So I had this chapter mostly written and ready to post, and then m computer completely shut down and I lost all my work L. So I'm sorry if this chapter isn't the best, I wanted to write something and post it quickly since its been such a last time since my last update.

(21)

She wishes that she never agreed to this stupid dinner.

Everyone is talking about the play, a play that she wanted to be a part of and the play that she can't be a part of because she's pregnant.

It makes her bitter.

It makes her resentful.

Especially towards Beck.

She hates that she feels this way, because she loves him, but damnit, they both had unprotected sex, but she feels like she's the only one being punished.

Not that having a baby is a punishment, but Beck gets to do the things that he wants to and she has to get a job with her shitty dad and grow up before she wants to.

Jade shifts in her seat and looks down at the food in front of her. She got a salad, but ordered a side of fries to go with it. She can feel two pairs of eyes on her as she picks at her salad.

One being Beck, who keeps leaning in and asking her if she's okay (she keeps telling him she's fine, but of course he knows that she's not, because he's so damn annoyingly perceptive).

The other pair, though, is both surprising and not surprising.

Surprising because she would think that it's Cat, but it's not, it's Tori.

She wants to snap and ask just why the half Latina is staring at her, but she doesn't. Instead, she turns toward Beck and tells him, "Move. I need to pee."

She doesn't really, she just needs a moment to recharge from today. A moment away from everyone.

Beck stands and moves out of her way, but when goes to head to the bathroom, he follows her.

"Do you have to pee too?" Jade asks snarkily.

Beck rolls his eyes, but a small smile form on his lips. "I just wanted make sure you were okay."

"You did that all throughout dinner," Jade points out.

"True, but you weren't telling me the truth then. I'm hoping that you'll tell me now."

Jade sighs. "Later. I promise."

Beck rubs the back of his neck, and she can tell that he wants her to talk to him now, but then he nods. "Okay. Now I'll let you go pee."

Jade rolls her eyes even though a small smile forms on her cheeks. "Gee thanks."

"No problem," he responds with a cheeky smile before he leans forward and kisses her cheek.

She watches as he sits back down at the table before she heads into the bathroom, sighing as she shuts the door.

"Is anyone in here?!" she barks out, and when she doesn't get a response she lets out a breath.

Good.

She pulls out her PearPhone and sets a timer.

She gives herself two minutes. Two minutes to just... just breathe.

She needs that today, to just breathe.

She moves toward the bathroom sink and leans against it, looking at herself in the mirror. She doesn't know why, but... she never noticed how her face is changing. It's fuller, and she guess that makes sense, she's gaining weight, but she never noticed it until now.

Her index finger moves to the bridge of her nose.

It seems to be getting wider.

She knows that pregnant women's nose spread, but god, she didn't know that it would be this soon.

Soon she won't be able to hide her belly with large shirts. Hell, she barely can now.

Soon she'll have to own the fact that she's seventeen and pregnant.

Soon her secret will be out, and it's one thing for her friends to support her privately, but would they do so publicly?

She hears the bathroom door open and she jumps, her body spinning around and she narrows her eyes when she sees who's standing in the doorway.

"What do you want Vega?" she spits.

"I was getting worried," Tori replies with a shrug as she shuts the door behind her.

Jade glances down at her phone. She still had forty-five seconds left. "So I'm gone for one minute and fifteen seconds and you get worried? Wow Vega I didn't know you cared so much," Jade sneers.

Tori rolls her eyes. "You've seemed off all night."

"Yeah, that's something I wanted to talk to you about. If you want to stare at my gorgeous face all night, do me a favor a don't."

Tori rolls her eyes. "It's called caring Jade. I care about you, and I know that what you're going through cannot be easy."

"What I'm going through?" Jade repeats with a scoff. "You make it sound like I'm dying or something."

"Well, having a baby at our age isn't going to be easy Jade."

The pregnant teen rolls her eyes. "I've figured that out but thanks Captain Obvious."

Jade sighs as she starts to move past Tori but the other brunette starts speaking.

"I don't think you should have gave up the play."

Jade stops, but doesn't turn toward Tori.

Tori takes that as an invitation to keep speaking, so she does. "You could have gotten a role. We both know you could have."

"Or I would have been your understudy. Again," Jade states.

Tori shrugs her shoulders. They both know that she can't deny it.

"You could have worked on the script or even directed. You still can."

"Why are you even talking to me about this?" Jade asks, because she's getting annoyed. Does Vega not think that she's thought about that already? Does she not think that she exhausted every option?

"Because I know you, and whether you want to admit it or not we are friends. I'm worried about you."

"Well stop," Jade snaps. "It's annoying and unnecessary."

"You can't just stop worrying," Tori says with a shrug. "So sorry, but you're stuck with this."

Jade rolls her eyes.

Just her luck.

There's a pause. Jade should just leave, just walk out of the bathroom and pretend that this stupid and pointless conversation never happened, but Tori is talking again.

"I know how badly you wanted to be a part of this play Jade. I don't see why you can't."

"Because I have to grow up! I have to make adult decisions! I don't have time to participate in stupid high school plays."

The words taste like vinegar as they leave her mouth, bitter and disgusting.

Her hand finds her way to her bump, where her daughter is. She grits her teeth and rubs her forehead. "I love my child. I'm doing what's best for her. And some stupid play doesn't mean anything."

Tori nods slowly. "Okay. I get that. But Beck just gets to do the play? That doesn't seem fair."

"Life isn't fair," Jade bites out.

Tori holds her hands up in mock surrender. "I get that. I do. I just...I thought that you might be upset."

Jade inhales deeply before she shrugs. "You don't know me that well Vega. Even though you might think you do."

Tori nibbles on her bottom lip for a moment before she shrugs her shoulders. "That may be true-"

"Oh it is very true," Jade interjects, but Tori keeps speaking like she hadn't.

"But you said something about Beck getting a job. And now you're okay with him not getting a job and being in the play? Even I'm not okay with it."

"Well I am," Jade growls. "And for your information, even though it's none of your business, financially, we'll be fine."

"I know that Beck's parents are taking care of you guys now-"

"I have a job!" Jade snaps, because she hates that Tori thinks that she knows everything when she doesn't. It's one of Vega's more annoying traits. "So like I said before, we'll be fine."

"Oh," Tori says slowly.

"Yeah oh," Jade mocks as she walks to leave. And then she stops with a sigh before she turns back toward Tori. "Don't say anything to Beck once we get out there. I just got it today and I haven't had a chance to say anything yet."

Tori holds her hand up. "You secret is safe with me."

When Tori left to head to the bathroom, Beck doesn't think much of it. He knows that she probably wants to talk to Jade, he's noticed her watching his girlfriend all night.

She must have noticed how... off his girlfriend was acting.

He knows something's up with her. Knows that it has something to do with when she left and took his car. Knows that it probably has something to do with her father.

He just doesn't know why she won't talk to him

"Yo Beck, you good?" Andre asks, making him look up from his food.

Beck nods with a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you're looking at your burger like it kicked your puppy," Robbie says.

Beck sighs as he pushes his food away. "I'm just worried about Jade is all."

"Why? She was fine in the car," Cat points out with a mouth full of burger.

"Yeah I know but-wait, how do you know that?" Beck asks with a raised eyebrow.

Cat's eyes go wide before she looks back down at her food.

"Why are you worried about Jade?" Andre wants to know. "Isn't everything good between y'all now?"

Beck nods as he moves his hand through his hair. "Yeah, we're good but she went to her parent's today and I just know something happened. She's just been acting off and it's not exactly making me happy that she doesn't want to talk about it."

Andre waves his hand dismissively. "I'm sure everything is fine."

"Yeah, she seemed fine just now," Robbie says with a smile.

"Yeah, she didn't even insult anyone…oh yeah, something is wrong with her," Andre says with a nod.

Beck can't help but snort at that, because of course, out of everything that could possibly be a sign of something being wrong with Jade, the fact that she hasn't insulted anyone tonight is the one that Andre notices.

"Where did Tori go?" Robbie asks.

"She went to the bathroom," Andre responds before he furrows his brow. "Jade has been in there for a minute huh."

Robbie nods. "Do you think she finally snapped and killed Tori?"

The three guys laugh, before they think about it. Robbie turns toward Cat.

"Do you think that you should check on them?"

Cat waves her hand dismissively. "Jade wouldn't kill Tori. They're friends."

"You two are best friends and she shaved you bald because you took off her eyebrows," Andre reminds her.

Cat squeaks and grabs her long red locks, which grew back incredibly fast. "We don't talk about that!"

Beck is about to open his mouth, but jut then Jade and Tori walk back to their table.

He stands to let Jade sit back down, but she grips his forearm.

"Can we go?" she asks quietly.

"Is everything okay?" Beck asks as his hands move down to her waist, his thumbs caressing her belly slowly. "Is the baby-"

"She's fine," Jade says quickly. "I just wanna go."

"Okay," Beck says with a nod and he kisses her forehead before he turns on his heel and tells their friends, "We're gonna head out."

Everyone furrows their brows, but don't say anything but goodbyes. Cat gets up, practically climbing over Robbie and Andre to hug Jade goodbye. Beck catches Tori looking at his girlfriend with an odd expression on her face, and he makes a mental note to ask her about that later.

Jade pushes Cat away gently before she links her arm with his. "Come on, let's go."

They're in the car ten minutes before Beck turns his attention toward her. "Do you wanna talk now?"

She sighs, her head leaning against the window. "Beck-"

"You said that you would talk about it later," Beck reminds her.

"And you promised that you would get a job," Jade spits, before she bites down on her bottom lip, as if she's shocked that she even said it.

Beck can't lie, her words take him by surprise, but he can't say that they're not earned. He did promise her that that he would get a job, and he didn't.

"Jade-"

"Forget I said anything," she mutters as she turns back toward the window.

"No Jade. Remember what happened last time we stopped talking? We just let things fester and then we tried to talk we couldn't. And we broke up. I don't want that to happen again, I don't want to lose oy again. So talk to me. Please."

Jade runs her hands through her hair as she turns toward him. "Today has been a really shitty day okay? I don't want to talk. I really don't. I just want to go home and sleep. We'll talk, I promise we will because I don't want to lose you either. But…not today okay?"

It's not okay. He wants to talk, he wants to make sure everything between them is okay and if it's not, he wants to make it okay. But he can't force her to talk, not now.

"Okay, not today."

Jade smiles softly, her hand finding his and intertwining their fingers before she tells him, "I really love you."

Even if he's not happy right now, those words never fail to bring a smile to his lips. "I love you too."

Jade nods as she leans her head back against the headrest of her seat. Soon she falls asleep, Beck keeps his hand intertwines his hers their entire ride home.