Episode VII: Bad Romance
Saturday surely left a twist on a lot of people. For example, when Kelly called Dakota Sunday, Ellie answered saying that Dakota was in some serious trouble. The same could be said about Shane, who hardly left his room Sunday as well. Jayden seemed to be off too. He seemed to be spaced out or something.
No matter, Kelly and Jordan walked towards the end of the steps where Jayden and Aaron waited.
"Hey." Kelly said to Jayden. He only gave her a nod in acknowledgement. "Something wrong?"
"Not really." Jayden replied. "One of those things that are probably left unsaid. Where's Shane?"
"At home. Sick." Kelly said. "Dr. Mom went in and checked in on him and his story checks out."
Jayden nodded as Aaron and Jordan began walking up the steps.
"Have you talked to Dash?" Kelly asked.
"No. Her mom told me that she was in some kind of trouble." Jayden answered.
"Me too." Kelly said. "I hope she's alright."
"If she isn't," Jayden responded. "I know the first person who I'm going to point a finger at."
"Laura?" Kelly guessed.
Jayden nodded. "Bingo. Her partner in crime."
"Well I'm going to go to get my things for class." Kelly said. "I guess it'll be just you and me today, huh?"
"Looks that way." Jayden said. "I'm going to go find Laura before it's too late."
"And if she tries anything," Kelly replied with a smile. "Remember that she's probably a man in-between the legs."
Jayden laughed. "Now that, I doubt."
Jacob was heading to class before the bell. Many students congratulated him on the show Saturday and some even jabbed about Vanessa.
"I hear you guys did another good job." James said from behind Jacob. Jacob turned to see James standing with a stern look on his face. "So good job."
"Thanks." Jacob replied. "James, about Nessa-"
"Nessa?" James interrupted.
"Sorry. Vanessa." Jacob said. "I, uh, I really, really didn't want to but she's kind of persistent."
"It's alright. You can call her stubborn because she is." James stated.
"Well… Yeah, she is…" Jacob said in an unsure tone.
James sighed. "For some reason, you make her happy. Happier than she normally is. I can't put my finger on what it is, but I do know what she wants. But," James took a step towards Jacob. "Hurt her in anyway possible Isaacs and I swear on my grandmother's grave that I will kill you. Understood?" Jacob nodded. "Good."
James walked away, brushing against Jacob to add an exclamation mark on his statement. Jacob stood frozen for a moment. Did James just say that he could date Vanessa? Was it okay by everyone now? His mind could not compute this, but he was happy.
Today was a good day.
He made a checklist. Damon, check. Nathan, check. A few other losers he did not know, check. And finally what he came for, Laura Reynolds, check and check.
"Laura." Jayden said to her. She glared at him and he motioned his head away before taking a few steps away.
Chills ran down Laura's spine. The 'real' Jayden as she liked to refer him to, was the one she had seen beating on Damon the previous year and this year. That was the Jayden who said nothing, like now, and yet people still did what he wanted. And she wanted him badly.
Standing up, Laura walked over to Jayden. He glanced over his shoulder at the other eyes that followed Laura, prompting them to mind their business.
"What is it?" Laura asked.
"You know what happened to Dash?" Jayden questioned.
Laura shook her head. "No. I went by and her mom basically told me to leave because Dash wouldn't be seeing anyone for a while. I figured you'd know since you are her 'brother' border boyfriend." Jayden's eyes narrowed. "S-stop looking at me l-like that!"
Jayden smirked. "Why? Is there a problem? There wasn't one before."
"Look limp-dick-"
"Really?" Jayden cut off. "I do remember you singing an entirely different song Satur-"
"Shut up!" Laura hissed. "You and I both know that if word of that gets out, it'll ruin the both of us. Seems as if Nate thinks I have some nonexistent crush on you and while that is total bullshit, others are starting to believe that."
"I see." Jayden said. "But you have no clue on what happened to Dash?"
"We both know that you barely left in time for my dad to get home and I sure as hell did not leave afterwards." Laura responded. "So whatever happened had to have happened after we left the club."
"I figured as much…" Jayden muttered.
"What?" Laura asked.
"She probably got drunk." Jayden answered. "And as much as I want to blame you for that, I'm not." Laura's eyes widened slightly. "Seeing that you have quite the collection of stuffed animals…"
"Tell anyone and I will-"
"Do absolutely nothing." Jayden interrupted with a grin. "But then again, what is the worst you could do? Screw A.J and be known as a McDuelle slut? No. I don't picture you living with that kind of attention. Tell the world? You'd make Nate look right and you hate that."
"What are you, a stalker now?" Laura asked.
"Nope. Just remember that I'm a regional champion in human chess and this move here is checkmate." Jayden said. "Whatever problems you and I had, it's over. No more stalking me. No more talking bad about me and Scarlett. You and I are no longer enemies."
"Then what are we?" Laura asked, her voice strangely quiet, barely above a whisper.
"Zero." Jayden answered.
Laura frowned. "Zero? What kind of shit is that?"
Jayden chuckled. "Zero can mean a lot of things. It can mean that I find you worthless or…" Jayden leaned towards Laura's ear. "Priceless." Jayden stood up straight. "But it's really up to you, don't you think? What kind of zero am I to you?"
Laura did not respond for two very good reasons. Reason one, she could feel herself blushing and did not want to reddened her face anymore than it already was. Reason two, she knew he was toying with her. Jayden did not have to say it, but Laura knew he was just messing with her mind. Scarlett was not going anywhere.
"I'm going to go to class." Jayden said. "If you hear anything from Dash, cal… Find me."
"Like hell I will." Laura said.
Jayden smirked. "Now you're catching on."
Laura frowned as he walked away. Her former embarrassment replaced with fury.
"Are you two sleeping with one another?" a boy who she hardly knew asked.
She kicked him in the groin. "No."
Just three minutes before class, Scarlett had never seen Helen so tightlipped before. Well, excluding the thing with Nicole, but Helen eventually told her right?
"Helen, what's wrong?" Scarlett asked. "Come on, tell me. I can help you."
"It's not me that needs the help Scar." Helen replied.
"What are you talking about?" Scarlett questioned.
Helen sighed. "I gave, gave, Jayden to you and what do you do? Flirt with his carbon copy. DeWayne's not even an athlete!"
"DeWayne? Is that what you're angry about? Because I tried to hook him up with you?" Scarlett said.
"No." Helen said. "I'm angry because you're falling for him." Scarlett opened her mouth. "Don't lie Scar. I know you better than anyone. I know when you're falling for somebody."
"It's not even like that. We're on that stupid committee thing, remember? We have to talk." Scarlett said.
"With your ass against him?" Helen asked before sighing heavily. "I'm going to class. You think where your head is because honestly, I don't see you and Jayden on the same page."
"How do you know?" Scarlett asked.
"Because he's not here with you. And he was always there for you. Always." Helen said before walking towards her class.
Scarlett was going to shout something, anything, to Helen, but the shorter girl had a strong point. Jayden was not here at the moment.
"Whatever." Scarlett muttered walking towards the office to do the announcements.
Manny sat down at a booth.
Maxwell would be home by noon. Emma would be at her house by eleven. And she would need to catch up on some much needed sleep. Plus, there was no way that she would meet up with Jay at night. Whether he killed her or she killed him, she needed witnesses. Her husband would want answers.
"You came." Jay said coming towards the table. Manny noticed that not much had changed about him except his hat, which was gone for the moment. "Wow. You look great."
"What do you want Jay?" Manny asked as he sat down.
"I was thinking the Meat-eaters Platter." Jay answered with a smile. Manny only glared at him. "Lighten up Dimples. I'm just messing with you."
"Can we get this over with?" Manny said. "I have a life to live and right now it's on pause."
"Okay. I guess straight to the point it is." Jay said. "Is Danica my daughter?"
"No." Manny said. "And to prove my point I am willing to get a DNA test on her. I just need a sample-" Jay sat a small Ziploc bag on the table with a cotton swab in it. "Okay. I'll get it done then."
"What happened to us?" Jay asked.
"We grew up." Manny answered. "Or at least, I did."
"If I asked you to," Jay said. "What you leave with me? Would you come to my house for one last time?"
"No." Manny replied. "I love Max, far more than I ever loved you. I can't picture myself doing that to him."
"Is it the money?" Jay asked.
"No!" Manny stated. "It's not the money!"
Jay sighed. "Then tell me what he has that I don't?"
"Well," Manny said. "For starters, he has the same last name as me and our kids. Hence the part when I said that I'm married." Jay sucked his teeth at that in a disapproving manner. "Unlike you, he listens to me. If I say 'hey, don't go rob a store' he won't rob the store."
"Because he can buy the damn place." Jay said. "I'm not trying to sound bitchy or anything, but what does he know about the real world? He was born in a rich family and only got richer."
"He deserves it. He's a hard worker and a better family man." Manny said. "He does everything for me and our kids and his brothers and sisters. He even helps my parents now and again just because we're a family and he and my dad are not the best of friends."
"Whatever Manny. I've tried just as hard as he has and for what? Nothing." Jay said.
Manny snorted in laughter. "You tried just as hard? Yeah right. While I admit that you've gone out of your ways for me, I've seen this man in cuffs because he was sick of the way my dad was treating me. He didn't just give me things Jay. He did things for me." Jay lifted an eyebrow to ask for a list. "He gives me massages when I need them. He cooks and keeps the house clean if I'm not able to. He even helped me live past my abortion with Craig's baby. You made me feel good. He makes me feel perfect."
"So I guess there's nothing I can say or do to get another chance, huh?" Jay asked.
"See, that's another thing." Manny replied. "You keep thinking that there's always going to be another chance to do something. Max isn't like that. He's always had one chance with me and he has not failed yet."
"Well," Jay said. "I'm happy for you." Manny's eyebrows rose. "Seriously. You deserve to be happy."
"Thanks…" Manny said.
"Besides, I came back in town to see my kids." Jay said, gaining a frown from his ex. "They go to Degrassi. My son, Nathan, and my daughter, Gabrielle."
"Really? What caused this?" Manny asked.
"To say that I was obsessed over you would be the understatement of the year. When you left Vegas, I didn't know what to do really. I… I knew I had screwed up big time." Jay explained. "And when Amy had Nate and then Lexi had Brie, I just felt worse and worse. But I realized something the other day when I was watching Danni on TV. You guys were close, you, Max, and your kids. That's probably why life is so much easier for him. He had a happy family-"
"No. He didn't." Manny said. "Father dead at seven. His mom had nine kids, three with another guy. He was always being tutored when the other kids were playing because he had to be 'smart enough' to run a company with his younger sister, Ginger, because they were his father's oldest two children. His twin sister had a different dad, so people talked about that. If you think about it, his family was nowhere near 'happy' though he forced it that way."
"I should've seen that one coming…" Jay said.
"I'm serious. His dad's kids didn't like his stepdad's kids because in the end, his stepdad got their mom. But he and his twin, Reggie, went through great lengths to remind the other seven that they are still siblings, one way or another." Manny said.
"Anyway," Jay replied. "A happy family makes life easier, so I thought about coming back to make amends. With you. With Emma. With Amy. And with Alex. Especially with Alex. I hate the thought that I turned her gay."
Manny rolled her eyes. "Whatever Jay."
"Seriously though, I did think that I could come back, make it up with my kids and then get back with you." Jay said.
"Well, I can't speak for the children thing, but I'm off the market. Forever." Manny said. "So you can stop trying."
"I know when I can't change your mind. I'll back off. But if you ever need me…" Jay let his words linger as Manny sighed.
"Jay, the only time I will say the words 'Jay I need you,' is if I'm talking to my son, Jayden." Manny replied.
"You named your son-"
"After one of Max's former band members, Jaden, and my friend J.T." Manny cut Jay off. "But it was a nice try."
The bell for the end of first period rang and the students began to tread towards second period.
"Hey, Jayden," Helen said stopping him before he got out of her sight. "Can I talk to you for a second?"
"Uh, we're going to the same place so why don't you tell me there?" Jayden said. Helen gave him a knowing glare and he nodded. "It's got something to do with your cousin. I get it."
"I know it's not my place to worry anymore," Helen said. "But this DeWayne character is a bit too close for comfort with Scarlett. Have you spoken to Amber today?"
"No." Jayden answered.
"She… Well, I'll let her tell you." Helen said.
"Why are you telling me this?" Jayden asked.
"Because you're my friend and with Shane and Nicky being on the fritz, Jackie being stupid, and Kelly running to help Dakota, you and I are all that's left." Helen said. "Can't really count Scar because you date her and she's my cousin. It's not like she has much of a choice to not be with you or me."
"You have a point." Jayden said.
Helen sighed. "All I'm saying is Scar's just being Scar. She likes you, then she likes Shane, then she likes you again. Don't hold it against her." Jayden smiled. "Don't smile. You and I both know that you are good for remembering when someone screws you over. Don't hold it against Scarlett that she doesn't really know how good she has it."
"You make me think that you want me back." Jayden said with a grin.
Helen scoffed. "Please. You're cute, but too annoying for my style."
"Liar." Jayden said walking to Coach Blue's class.
"I am not lying!" Helen retorted as she followed him. "You are really annoying."
"Do you know what I think?" Jayden said as he looked at Helen. "I think I'm happy to have you as a neighbor and a friend. And if you never, ever find a guy that likes you for who you are, you might want to think of polygamy. If I could date you and someone else at the same time, I would."
"That is so stupid. Then again, I know it's your way of saying, 'Helen, I'll be there' so I'll take it." Helen replied. "And, thanks."
"You're welcome." Jayden said.
Shane watched as Nicole fidgeted and squirm in his bed. The two of them had eaten breakfast, he washed the dishes, gave her some of Kelly's clothes to wear after she got cleaned up, and now this. She was trying to sleep off the urge.
"Come on Nicky…" Shane muttered to himself.
Nicole soon sat up in bed, slightly frightening Shane.
"Nicky? What's wrong?" Shane asked.
"I can't do this." Nicole said standing up. "I have to go get some more."
"Nicky, wait." Shane said grabbing her arms. "You can't go back out there, alright? You're going to get better and I'm going to help you."
"Shane please. If you love me, you'll let me go." Nicole pleaded.
"I…" Shane paused. Why were things so complicated? "Nicky, I care for you too much to let you continue to do these sorts of things. So we're going to go back to bed and lie down."
"No!" Nicole shouted as she began to fight against Shane's hold.
Shane sighed heavily as he put Nicole on the bed as gently as he could. Of course, fighting against her kicks and strikes meant that he did not lay her down so softly. Luckily, he put her on the bed and not the floor.
"Come on Nicky, please calm down." Shane said as she continued to fight against his grip.
"Let me go! You're hurting me!" Nicole screamed.
"I'm doing this for your own good!" Shane replied.
"No you're not!" Nicole said, tears now coming down her face. "Let me go Shane! I said let me go!"
Shane began to pin her entire body down with his own, limiting the struggle.
"Please Nicole, calm down." Shane said calmly.
"Just let me go! No one even cares!" Nicole cried, no longer struggling.
Shane got off of Nicole and pulled her into a comforting hug.
"I will always care." Shane said softly as she cried onto his chest.
Scarlett looked at her easel before looking over at Jayden. He a bit different today. Then again, she figured that with Dakota missing as well as Shane, he would be a little off.
"J.T," Scarlett said. He looked at her, his eyebrows raised. "What do you want to do today?"
Jayden shrugged. "Don't know. My band's a mess right now and that seems to be my top priority."
"Your top priority?" Scarlett asked.
"Yeah. Why?" Jayden replied.
"Oh nothing." Scarlett said. "It's just that, you've been acting weird today."
"Do tell." Jayden said, now focusing on his painting. "I went to find Laura earlier because I thought that Dash would've called her, if anyone, since she seemed to be in trouble Sunday. Of course, I blamed Laura. I went to talk to Kelly because her brother, your ex, my friend, seems to be missing today. He's sick. I went to first period and I came here." Jayden turned to Scarlett. "Anything weird yet?"
"Uh, yeah. Your tone of voice for one." Scarlett responded. "If you're still mad about the DeWayne thing, I'm sorry. Yesterday, you hardly looked at me and today you're doing the same thing."
"I'm looking at you right now Red." Jayden said with a grin. "I think you're looking for something wrong."
Scarlett only stared at him. She did not know what gave her this idea, but she was certain that he was messing with her.
"Look," Jayden said. "While I'm not happy about you dancing with DeWayne during my performance, I trust that nothing else happened. Nothing happened, right?"
"No." Scarlett said. "We danced. Big whoop. Besides, I was trying to be a wingman for Helen."
"Really?" Jayden said, painting again. "I would have never guessed it."
Scarlett frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Jayden shrugged. "I don't know. I never danced with a girl I was trying to hook up with my friend. That seems Mary-Jane-ish, wouldn't you think?"
"Jayden if you're going to be mad about it, at least have the guts to say it." Scarlett said a bit louder than she should have.
"Fine." Jayden said looking at his girlfriend. "I'm pissed. But I made a promise to a friend that I wouldn't hold it against you. I've actually waited so long to date you and now…" Jayden looked at the students and Coach Blue who were listening. "Maybe it's best if we talked at lunch?"
"Deal." Scarlett said.
Helen stepped beside Scarlett.
"I told you." Helen whispered.
"Shut up." Scarlett replied.
Ellie paced back and forth with Craig sitting beside Dakota on the couch. Silas stood against the doorway leading out of the room, his eyes going from his wife to his stepdaughter and back to his wife.
"Rehab." Ellie finally said, stopping her pace. "That's the only solution I can come up with."
"That sounds good to me." Craig said.
"Are you two sure?" Silas asked. It was not his place to override decisions set by Dakota's parents, but he did look at the girl as his own daughter.
"Silas, she has admitted that this isn't the first time. The fact that she's been to the counselor about it before only justifies it." Ellie replied.
"She's got to go." Craig said. "None of my children will grow up like I did. I have medication for my bipolar and ready if any of them develops it. If alcoholism is the only thing wrong with Dakota, then we'll just get it over with."
Ellie glared at Craig. "Really? Did you put Steven through rehab?"
"That's different." Craig said.
"Really? I don't see-"
"El," Silas interrupted. Ellie was normally cranky when she skipped her coffee like today. "I don't agree with the certain favoritism, but it's done, right? We'll send her to rehab. I'll call around and get her into one in the city. A nice one."
Craig stood up. "Just make sure that I hear about it before you decide to do anything with my daughter."
"You have my word." Silas said before Craig walk past him to leave the room. "I have a fresh pot of coffee on. Why don't you go get it?" Ellie gave Silas a small smile before leaving as well. Silas walked over to Dakota and sat beside her. "How're you feeling?"
"Like crap." Dakota said.
Silas laughed quietly. "Yeah, I remember those hard teenage years." Dakota leaned on Silas's shoulders, crying softly. "Hey, you can beat this Dakota. You're a strong girl and you have all of us here supporting you."
"Mom hates me, doesn't she?" Dakota asked.
"No." Silas said. "No, your mother loves you dearly. That's why she's sending you to rehab. So nothing bad will happen."
"I'm such a mess up." Dakota said.
"Far from it." Silas replied. "You should have seen your mother during our reception. Lit like a candle." Dakota giggled softly at the picture of her mother drunk. "But, you just made a mistake. We all do. Thankfully for you, you have people here to help you fix it when you can't do it alone. Don't forget that."
"I love you Dad." Dakota said hugging Silas.
"I love you too Dakota." Silas said putting an arm around her shoulders.
Walking into her house, Manny noticed that her best friends and husband were both talking in the kitchen, Sean sitting at the table with Emma while Maxwell leaned on the island cabinets.
"Well, well, look who finally showed up." Maxwell said as Manny walked to him and gave him a kiss. "Where have you been?"
Emma sat quietly as she waited for Manny to come up with some kind of cover story.
"I went to meet Jay." Manny answered.
"What?" Maxwell and Sean said in unison.
Manny sighed. "I met him at a public place just incase something happened. And I know it was stupid not to tell you, but I had to. Please don't be mad at me."
"I'm not." Maxwell said. "Just… Just tell me next time, okay? I mean, he's back in town and you're the only one that know? That's not safe."
"I'm sorry." Manny said. "So what were you three talking about?"
"Your husband had Sean gambling Saturday." Emma said.
"Emma, gambling is doing something that revolves around probability and chances, forcing one to take a risk on losing something." Maxwell replied. "With Spin, Sean, and I, that was a certainty. Therefore, it wasn't gambling."
"Sean's a guard Max. If someone saw him and told his boss, he could be fired." Emma said.
"Em, you worry too much." Manny replied. "Guys will be guys. Get over it."
"Speaking of which," Maxwell said. "Emma, what time did Shane get home Saturday?"
"Uh, I don't know. He stayed at Spin's. But Kelly said that he was leaving soon after her so I'd say around midnight, twelve thirty. Why?" Emma asked.
"Because Jay came in at one." Manny answered. "And I would have fussed at him then, but I was too tired."
"What do you think he did?" Emma asked.
"Emma, do you really have to ask?" Sean questioned.
"I don't think Jayden is that outgoing like you guys say." Emma said. "I mean, he may act like he's ready, but if the opportunity presented himself, he would remember his parents and let it go."
"I hope you're right." Manny said. "Jay and Scarlett seems to be a little too close lately."
"Gee Manny, how close can a couple be?" Emma asked.
"Close enough to make a baby." Manny stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Emma, please don't tempt her." Maxwell said. "She'll go on and on about this and I'll never get to lay my head on my pillow without 'talking' to my wife." Sean grinned. "You know what I mean."
"He'd better not." Emma muttered.
"Anyway," Manny said. "So Jay's back in town and I got his DNA in a bag. We're good to go."
"Good. The sooner he's out of my life the better." Maxwell said.
"Ditto." Manny said.
Jacob was on his way to lunch when Vanessa caught up to him and gave him a nearly crushing hug.
"What's this for?" Jacob asked.
"Because I can give my boyfriend a hug whenever I want to!" Vanessa said happily.
"B-b-boyfriend?" Jacob stammered.
"James didn't talk to you?" Vanessa questioned and released Jacob, giving him a confused and saddened look.
"Y-yeah, b-but-"
"You don't like me?" Vanessa asked.
"Y-yes, but-"
"What's the problem then?" Vanessa interrupted for the second time.
Jacob sighed. "Nothing I guess. But are you sure you want to… Date… Me?"
Vanessa rolled her eyes. "You are such a nerd." And with that, she planted a kiss on his lips and then smiled. "That answer your question nerd?"
"Y-yeah…" Jacob answered.
"Now," Vanessa said grabbing his hands. "Let's go to lunch. You can tell me about your performance."
"Sure." Jacob said with a smile.
James and Mary-Jane laughed as they sat at a table outside of the school.
"I don't believe it." James said with a grin.
Mary-Jane nodded. "It's very true. My mom had to wash Angele's hair for about an hour to get the smell out."
"Your brother is a genius for that one." James said. "I'm just glad that Amber and I are finally done with that project. Next time you see something, I'll see it too."
"Yeah…" Mary-Jane replied.
"You alright Mary?" James asked.
"Fine. You?" Mary-Jane said. Oh no, she thought, she was acting jumpy again. "But what about this Saturday? We could go see something together?"
"Saturdays fine, but are you sure you're alright? You're acting a bit… Agitated." James said.
"Positive." Mary-Jane said before sealing the deal with a kiss.
James smiled. "Oh. I get it."
"Yeah…" Mary-Jane said.
Once more, crisis avoided.
Jayden and Scarlett stood outside of the cafeteria standing in front of one another.
"On the way to third period," Jayden said. "I kind of walked into Amber and she told me that a certain neighbor of mine was dancing with a certain loser from Lakehurst."
Scarlett sighed. "Jayden, if I said sorry, would you be happy?"
"No." Jayden answered. "I just want to know what your deal is. You've known him for approximately a day and some change and you go throw yourself on him during my performance?"
"Well I couldn't just come up on stage and dance with you, now could I?" Scarlett replied. "Besides, like I said, it was just dancing. And besides the dancing, what other reason would you have to hate DeWayne? He's actually not that bad."
"Excuse me while I ignore that last part," Jayden said. "So, what you're telling me is, if you walked in on me and, let's say, Laura dancing you'd be fine?"
"No and that's only because you're a pervert and she's a slut. It would be more like having sex with your clothes on than dancing." Scarlett responded.
Jayden frowned. "You really think that little of me?"
"Don't you think that little of me?" Scarlett asked.
Jayden chuckled as he looked away. "Biggest mistake ever…"
"What was?" Scarlett asked.
"Wishing that you'd find someone in order for me and Helen to be happy without your scorn." Jayden said. "I knew, I just knew that the second I had the chance to be with you, that mystery person would appear."
"What are you saying?" Scarlett said.
"Let's take a break." Jayden said. "You handle you and I'll handle me. When we've cleared all obstacles out of the way, no Jackie, no Helen, no Shane, no DeWayne, we'll find our ways back to each other. But until then, we're better off as friends."
"All this because you're jealous." Scarlett said. "I never pegged you down for that."
"No," Jayden said. "All because I got home at one and Helen told me that you had yet to come home. There aren't many things a girl and a guy can be doing at one in the morning." Scarlett opened her mouth. "I don't believe you slept with the guy. But, the thought that you barely put yourself in that position makes it painfully clear to me that my decision is a good one."
Scarlett nodded. "Alright. We break-up then. Now what? Are you going to go run off to Helen or are you going to finish whatever you started with Laura the other day in the hallway?"
"You mean when she basically handed herself to me and I told her that I'd wait for you? Yeah. How about I finish that?" Jayden said sarcastically. "But like I said. I won't hold it against you when DeWayne does something remarkably stupid and you're left alone. Because with me, you're never really alone Red. Remember that."
Jayden stepped into the cafeteria, leaving Scarlett to stand with one hand on her head and the other on her hip. With a frustrated sigh, she combed her hair with her fingers before dropping her hand and walking into the cafeteria.
Nicole opened her eyes. Her body felt so cold except for her back. Her back was generating a heat that she had to get more of. Moving her body against the heat source, she heard a tired groan.
"You're awake?" Shane asked groggily as he wiped his eyes.
Nicole turned around to see Shane. He looked as if he had not slept in days.
"Shane… I'm hungry." Nicole said.
"Me too." Shane responded as he sat up. "I'm going to go make lunch. Don't leave the room."
"Sure." Nicole said as Shane moved out of the bed. "Shane, if you want to put me out, I can understand."
Shane looked at Nicole and stretched.
"I'm not putting you out. I won't give up on you like everyone else has." Shane told her before grinning. "Thank my mom for giving me her stubborn ways."
Nicole gave him a weary smile as he left the room. She then sat up and curled her knees into her, her arms around her legs.
"He's the only friend that cares…" Nicole whispered to herself. "I have to do this… For Shane…"
Jordan, Ashton, Aaron, and Gabrielle sat in complete silence. They each stared at Vanessa, who acted like nothing was new.
"You're dating him now?" Jordan asked.
Vanessa nodded. "Yep. James said it was alright."
"Isn't he in the tenth grade?" Ashton asked.
"So?" Vanessa replied.
"Nothing…" Ashton said.
Jordan then smiled. "That must be awesome! Your boyfriend is part of Juvenile Grace!"
Vanessa smiled. "Yeah… I know."
At his table, Jayden and Kelly nearly ignored Jacob when he told him the news.
"We all knew it was bound to happen." Kelly said. "So tell us something important."
"I just broke up with Scarlett." Jayden announced.
"What?" Kelly nearly shrieked.
"But… Didn't you really want to date her?" Jacob asked.
Jayden sighed. "Sometimes, you realize that what you want and what you need is too different things. It's that lust and love thing I was talking about."
"So what are you going to do?" Kelly asked.
Jayden shrugged. "Don't know. Don't care. Well, there is one thing I'm going to do." Kelly and Jacob saw Jayden's eyes narrow. "I'm going to wait patiently for DeWayne Fitzgerald to make one mistake. Then… Then I'm going to snap his neck."
Helen glared at Scarlett. "You broke up?"
"Yep. I don't even think he cares." Scarlett said.
"Could it have anything to do with your stupid new friend?" Helen asked.
Scarlett sighed. "Helen, he's not that bad. And I mean, yeah I danced with him, but I never did anything else because I was with Jayden."
"Well," Helen said. "While you were having the time of your life, I was nearly being jumped by two Lakehurst sluts."
"Nearly? Isn't that a good thing that you weren't?" Scarlett replied.
"No. Because now I owe it to my personal two-ton idiot stalker for helping me." Helen said.
"Marc, huh? Why has he been following you around?" Scarlett asked.
"Beats me." Helen said. "I just want him to stop. Period. Go find someone else and leave me alone."
"Helen, you should be happy that someone wants to protect you." Scarlett said.
"I have one of those and you just broke up with him." Helen said. "Besides, I hate Marc."
"What has he done to you?" Scarlett asked, trying to avoid the conversation of her and Jayden's recent break-up.
"Your ex is at the soda machine." Helen said.
"I'm not going to go up there." Scarlett said. "He's mad about the DeWayne thing and I don't want to hear him either talk in sarcasm or get it all out now."
"Too late. Laura's got him." Helen said.
"What?" Scarlett asked turning her head to see Jayden talking to Laura at the soda machine.
Jayden frowned. "She's what?"
"Rehab. Mom caught her drinking." Laura said. Jayden sighed heavily. "She's checking in at seven, so we can see her before then."
Jayden nodded. "Thanks."
"You pissed?" Laura asked.
Jayden grabbed his Sprite. "No. Just a rough day. I'll pass on the information and please, don't just walk up to me in school. People might start talking."
Laura rolled her eyes as Jayden walked away from her and headed to his table.
"You got your soda without me?" Scarlett asked before he made it all the way to his seat.
"Uh… Yeah. I didn't think you were going to get it, but it's our normal time." Jayden said.
"What was that?" Scarlett asked.
"Dakota's going to rehab." Jayden informed her. "I guess Laura called her a few minutes ago, but Dash checks in at seven and I wanted to see her before she left."
"Oh." Scarlett said.
Jayden grinned. "There's a twenty-four hour rule when it comes to rebounds, you know? Why do you think you and I went out that Friday and not the Monday it happened?"
"Yeah…" Scarlett said. "Well, I'm going to get my soda now."
"Why are you making this so awkward? Go get your soda. I'll probably come over to your table and talk to you and Helen." Jayden said. "I mean, seriously Scarlett, we've been friends before, haven't we?"
"Yeah… But now it's different because…" Scarlett paused. "Never mind. See you later."
Jayden watched Scarlett walk away before sighing.
"Stupid conscious." Jayden muttered.
Shane watched Nicole whimper and quiver beneath the sheets, her forehead drenched in sweat. She had somehow grown a fever over the last few minutes and he had no clue on what was going on. She would scream every now and again about her head hurting, but then be silent and go back to whimpering quietly.
And he had tried a lot. Well, what he knew. Soup, didn't work. He did not have any ginger ale, so that was out of the question. He doubted that he should be giving her any medications after his mother explained to him that medical drugs and street drugs did not always mix to well and he did not want Nicole to experience any more pain that she was already in.
"Shane?"
"Crap!" Shane muttered as his father entered the house. Shane walked out of his room to see his dad. "Hey Dad. You're home early."
"I-" Gavin was cut off by one of Nicole's quick outbursts, his brows furrowed. "Who's in there?"
Shane sighed. "Dad, I think you may want to sit down on this one."
"Shane-"
"Dad, I'm serious. This isn't something I took standing up." Shane interrupted as he moved to the couch. Gavin sat in an armchair. "Alright, that's Nicky in there."
"Nicky? What is she doing here?" Gavin asked.
"Her parents caught her with some crack and they kicked her out. She's been here since Sunday morning when I came home from the show." Shane said.
"What is she doing here?" Gavin questioned. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"
"I was, but Mom came." Shane answered. Gavin nodded. Emma was a bit worrisome at points. "She has nowhere else to go and I didn't want to give her the chance to go back to the ravine or get raped or something. So, I just kept her here because I feel… Well…"
"Like she's safe. Trust me, I know the feeling." Gavin said before sighing heavily. "Does she have any clothes?" Shane shook his head. "Did you bathe her?"
"I gave her some of Kelly's clothes. I doubt she's going to notice because I gave her some of Kelly's normal clothes. You know, tee-shirt and jeans?" Shane said.
"If she stays here," Gavin said. "You can't. I'm not having Emma finding a reason to kill me when she can just kill you instead." Shane grinned. "But I'm sure that Sean'll have our backs on this one."
"What? Really? Why?" Shane asked.
"You think you're the only person to allow a girl to move in with him? At least you have an adult in the house." Gavin replied. Nicole gave another scream.
"Dad, what's wrong with her? She's been doing that since lunch and I know I didn't poison the food." Shane said.
"Withdrawal son. The first step of coming clean." Gavin said. "She'll be fine."
"I hope so." Shane said.
"Now," Gavin said rising. "Time for you to go face the music."
"What?" Shane asked.
Gavin frowned. "You don't think that I'm going to tell your mom that you played hooky twice do you? Added with the fact that you've been in the house all day with a girl, I'm guessing you should do it now while she's happy with friends rather than waiting later when she's not and probably in a bad mood."
"I'll get right on that." Shane replied standing up as well.
"And Shane." Gavin began.
"Yeah Dad?" Shane answered.
"I'm proud of you son." Gavin said.
Shane nodded. "Thanks Dad."
Ashton stopped at his locker and opened it.
"Another day, no pills." Aaron commented.
Ashton smirked. "That's funny Santos."
"So," Aaron said. "You finally think about dating Brie?"
"Yeah." Ashton replied. "I think I'm going to go for it."
"Really? What made you change your mind?" Aaron asked.
"Are you kidding me? If people can accept some nerdy pedophile of a rock star to date Vanessa, then what's so bad about me dating Brie?" Ashton replied. "Besides, Brie looks way better than Vanessa."
"I think that's just your bias thoughts." Aaron said with a grin.
Ashton shrugged as he closed his locker.
"Call it like you want, but she does. Besides," Ashton said as Gabrielle walked towards them. "Only one of them has that thing…"
"What thing?" Aaron asked.
"What are you two talking about?" Gabrielle asked stepping beside Aaron.
"Nothing." Aaron said. "See you two later at the Dot?"
"Yeah." Ashton replied. "You ready Brie?" Gabrielle nodded. "See you later Santos."
Aaron watched his two friends walk away before grinning. Jordan would love playing matchmaker and he would love to embarrass Ashton. Two birds, one stone.
Jay looked at the apartment before sighing heavily and knocking on the door. The door opened to reveal Alex.
"J-Jay?" Alex stammered.
Jay grinned. "Hey. Got a minute?"
"What are you doing back here? Here to tell me how I should've gotten an abortion?" Alex replied with hatred in her voice.
"Uh no. I came here to ask for forgiveness and if I could meet Gabrielle soon." Jay stated. "So can I come in?"
Alex hated her want for making Gabrielle happy and stepped aside. Had Gabrielle not wanted to meet her father, Alex would have just slammed the door in his face and went on about her life. Jay stepped inside the apartment and Alex closed the door.
"Pretty nice place." Jay said as he made his way to the small kitchen. He saw a test on the refrigerator. "A ninety-five? I had a genius?"
"No. A friend has been tutoring her." Alex said. "This is what she got on her last test and she was really proud about it."
"Oh." Jay said.
"Jay," Alex said. "I'm not going to stop you from seeing your daughter, but do you honestly believe that she's going to be happy with you missing-"
"Twelve years out of her life? I doubt it." Jay interrupted. "And then there's Nate who… I don't even want to think about that."
"You know," Alex said. "I always pictured me shooting you the next time I saw you. No word. No money. Just up and left. But now that I'm looking at you, I think I'll settle with you being killed by your kids."
"You know, I've actually had one woman talk bad about me today. I really don't need to hear another." Jay said.
"Who?" Alex asked, her eyes narrowed.
"Manny." Jay answered. "I met up with her earlier today and she made it very clear that she didn't like me around her or her family. Thankfully, Amy didn't seem too down in seeing me. In fact, she seemed happy."
"Are you staying? Here in Toronto?" Alex questioned.
"Yeah. I figured that I'd try to connect with my kids." Jay said. "Call it a change of heart or whatever…"
"I'm glad." Alex replied.
"So," Jay said with a sigh. "What's Gabrielle like?"
At the sound of the final bell, the students crowded the halls to leave school. Dustin walked beside Chandra, going towards the gym.
"So Vanessa dates Jacob? That's weird." Dustin said.
"It was bound to happen." Chandra replied. "Said that he was a pretty good kisser."
"Tch, figures." Dustin stated.
"You know… Jayden and Scarlett broke up and…" Chandra paused after Dustin frowned. "I'm just saying that now that she and Helen are out of the way-"
Before Chandra finished, Dustin kissed her.
"What was that for?" Chandra asked in confusion.
"Because sometimes," Dustin replied. "You just have to reach out and take what you want. See you later."
Chandra could only watch Dustin walk away, her mind playing thousands of scenarios that she would probably never do. All because she was too stunned that he had kissed her in the first place.
Scarlett moved hesitantly towards Jayden's car. Standing at the car was Laura, talking to Jayden about something.
"You need a ride?" Jayden asked, looking over at Scarlett.
"Uh… Yeah." Scarlett said.
"Great. Riding with Dick and Jane." Laura said as she got into the backseat.
Scarlett frowned. "What is she-"
"Dash? I told you that, right?" Jayden interrupted. "Kelly had to work so, it's just us two. Why?" Scarlett shook her head. "Oh come on Scarlett, Laura? You really think that I have something for her?"
Scarlett smiled. "No. I'm just looking out for a friend."
"Good try." Jayden replied getting into the car. Scarlett sighed heavily before getting into the passenger seat. She would never sit beside Laura. "Alright, drop Scarlett off at home and then head off to see Dash. And everyone is comfortable, right? I don't want to hear any fussing."
"Sure Dad. You going to spank us if we act up too?" Laura commented.
"The thought is beyond tempting. Trust me." Jayden said.
Scarlett did not see it, but Jayden saw the small smile that curled on Laura's face. And while she smiled, Jayden felt that much worse.
Sort of.
Emma could only stare at Gavin and Shane, both standing in similar positions. She called this their "guilty stance" because they only did it when they were guilty of something. Sean, who sat beside his wife, was prepared to restrain her from snapping. Hearing news that your son had basically homed a girl with a cocaine addiction was not the best news to hear.
"Are you okay Mom?" Shane asked.
"Am I okay? Shane, why didn't you come to us with this yesterday?" Emma asked.
"To avoid Maddox and Ana hearing anything about crack?" Shane responded. It was a long shot, but he was going to use his siblings to his advantage anyway possible.
"As big of a lie that was," Emma replied. "I'm happy that you at least thought about someone other than yourself."
"Em," Sean said. "You can't be that mad at him. I mean, I did it for Ellie, remember?"
"Whoa, like Dakota's mom?" Shane asked. Sean nodded. "This is so…" Shane paused. "My stepdad and my friend's mom-"
"Shane. Focus." Emma broke her son out of his mumbling. "This is serious. We can't house Nicole, even if we wanted to."
"You're not." Gavin said. "I am. I'm only telling you this because Kelly will be around Nicky and we promised we'd tell each other whenever someone new joins the dinner table, remember?"
"And Shane?" Emma asked.
"As long as Nicky is a guest in my house," Gavin replied. "Shane can't be unsupervised in the house. Not that I don't trust him, it's just… Well, I don't trust him fully."
"Thanks Dad." Shane muttered.
Emma sighed. "Well, if Manny can talk to Jay then-"
"Whoa! Manny talked to Jay? When?" Gavin asked.
"It doesn't matter." Emma replied. "But since she faced her demons, then I guess I can do this. As long as it is alright with Nicole's parents. I don't want you two to go in for kidnapping."
"Well… The thing is…" Shane began.
"We kind of already did that." Gavin finished. "They agreed." Emma's jaw slacked. "Emma, they looked at her with such disgust. It was worse than Manny's dad looked at her."
Now Emma sat quietly. She had taken in a friend when in need, so it was only right if Shane was allowed to do the same thing. That, and Kelly had always wanted another girl in Gavin's house to give it that feminine touch and Nicole was the one. Well, when she was in her sane mind that is.
"So if you guys did all this," Emma said. "What did you need me to do?"
"Tell Kelly that I loaned some of her clothes to Nicky." Shane said quickly.
"No." Emma said sternly. "Your mess, you clean it up."
Shane sighed. He knew he should have said this earlier.
Scarlett looked at the Dot before stepping inside. She looked around before sitting at a table near the back. The only Mason working currently was Kelly, which was good. She knew how Shane would blow this up.
DeWayne walked into the establishment and made his way to Scarlett, a smile on his face.
"What did you want to talk about?" DeWayne asked.
Scarlett sighed. "You were right. We broke up."
"Oh," DeWayne said as he sat down. "Need a pick-me-up? The nonalcoholic kind that is."
"Sure." Scarlett said with a smile. "What did you have in mind?"
Dakota hugged Jayden tightly.
"Hey, you're not going to prison. I'll see you on the weekends." Jayden said.
"Yeah." Dakota said releasing him. She looked over to Laura, who was standing beside Jayden. Directly beside Jayden that is. "Is there something going on between you two?"
"Uh, I did just break-up with Scarlett. Twenty-four hours rule, remember?" Jayden replied.
"And why the hell would I want to be with Jayden?" Laura said angrily. "You really need that rehab because it's fucking with your brain."
Dakota's eyes narrowed as she looked at her two friends.
"Spill it." she nearly hissed.
Jayden's cell phone rang. "Speaking," Jayden walked out of the room. "Uh… No."
Watching him step into the hallway, Dakota's brown eyes connected with Laura's.
"Wh-what?" Laura asked. "Can I have my fucking face back? Damn Dash, you're starting to make me believe that you are a lesbian."
Dakota sighed heavily. "You're not going to tell me, huh?" Laura only glared at Dakota. "Fine. If you want tell me, I'll just get him to tell me. Either way, I'll find out why you two are acting so weird."
"Weird? Who's acting weird? You're just an alcoholic, remember?" Laura stated.
"Normally," Dakota said. "That jibe to get me off of your back would work. But since I'm going to have to hear that later, it hardly bothers me." Laura sighed. "Just tell me. Have I ever told anyone?"
"Fine! I slept with him." Laura said in a low tone. "Saturday?" Dakota's eyes widened. "Yeah. It's not like I planned to. It just happened and now… God, I can't even look at him the same."
"That good huh?" the two girls turned to see Jayden standing. "I'm wanted somewhere else. I'm hoping that that secret stays amongst us three, right? No sharing at group therapy Dash?"
Dakota smiled. "Your secret is safe with me. And you can go. I'll have someone drive Laura home." Jayden gave a nod and left the room. Dakota's smile became a smirk. "So tell me, was it that good?"
Laura rolled her eyes, but the smile gave it away. Dakota only laughed at this. Her friends would be hopeless without her.
That evening, Gabrielle came in to see her mother sitting down on the small sofa watching TV.
"Hey Mom." Gabrielle said.
"Hey." Alex said. "So what did you learn today?"
Gabrielle shrugged. "This and that. The eras of time." Gabrielle sat beside Alex and leaned against her. "We have to meet up Saturday so he can teach me more about it."
"That's good," Alex said. "But I want you to go to this address whenever you get the chance." Gabrielle frowned as her mother handed her a small slip of paper with an address and a number. "It's your father's place."
Gabrielle's voice died in her throat and her heart rate increased by tenfold. Her dad was in town? After all these years, she was finally going to meet him.
"Brie?" Alex said.
"I'm fine." Gabrielle replied softly. "So… What's for dinner?"
Aaron knocked on Jayden's door before stepping inside, his older brother looking at the ceiling from his bed.
"Miss Scarlett already?" Aaron asked.
Jayden smirked. "You've grown a spine over the past few weeks, but you're still a pansy." Aaron glared at Jayden who turned his attention towards Aaron. "What're you doing here A.J?"
"I wanted to ask you why you did it." Aaron said. "You were crazy over Scarlett. Why give up on her because of some DeWayne character?" Jayden lifted an eyebrow causing Aaron to sigh. "Vanessa overheard James talking to Mary-Jane Sunday."
"Oh." Jayden said. "Well, to answer your question A.J, sometimes you like someone so much that you let them go. Just so they can be happy."
"But-"
"There's no buts to it." Jayden interrupted. "If Scarlett truly, and I mean truly, looks at this guy as a friend, she would've called and said that by now. But since she hasn't…"
"I get it." Aaron said. "Boy, relationships are complicated. I can't see me doing the same for Jordan."
Jayden laughed a bit. "Don't worry about that. Now, tell me what's been going on in the life of A.J Santos and I'll tell you how the lead singer of Juvenile Grace is doing. And one day in the future, we'll introduce them to each other."
Aaron grinned. "Sure bro."