Andre
Andre had been sitting in Jade's bedroom for a while now, wondering what the hell was taking Jade so long. He had put some new music on her laptop for her, not knowing what else to do. It had been odd, really, how Jade had rushed out as if she had just realized she left the burner on the stove on and didn't want the house burning down. Andre decided to let it slide, knowing that something was going on. He saw it in Jade almost as much as he saw it in Tori. But he figured that it would come out in time, if it was meant to.
Deciding to take matters into his own hands, Andre got up and left the room. He was going to find where Jade had gotten to, and found out quick when he nearly ran into her, almost spilling the coffee that she was carrying.
"Oh, um hey," Andre said. "Where'd you get off to?"
Jade
"I made you coffee." Jade said monotonously as she slipped in her room. She wanted to get her mind off of things. No, she needed to get her mind off them. God damn her and her stupid urges. She handed him the cup and sat on her bed, trying not to seem bothered by anything. "I.. just appreciate all you're doing. That's all." Jade sighed as Andre took a sip from his cup, burning his tongue.
"Be careful!" She screamed, "You might stain the carpet." Andre raised an eyebrow at her and she sighed. She didn't know what was with her mood swings either.
Andre
Andre raised an eyebrow at the pale girl that was sitting next to him. One of his best friends, someone he cared about immensely, someone he loved. He set his coffee down on the bedside table and, ignoring the searing pain in his tongue, sat down next to Jade. He knew something was going on, and if she wasn't going to let him in about it, he wasn't going to force her. He put his arm around the girl's shoulder and pulled her into him, wrapping her in a hug.
"Jade," Andre said. "I know something's going on in your life right now, and even Robbie would be smart enough to be able to see it. Now, you know that I'll always be there for you, to offer up advice, to be a friend, to be a shoulder to cry on, whatever. I will always be there for you. And I'm not going to force you to tell me what is going on, because we both know that I would have about as much luck with that as Robbie has at getting laid, but I just wanted you to know that I will always be there for you."
Jade
Jade shied away from him, eyes averting. She didn't want to drag Andre into this. But she also knew Andre would be the only one to really understand. "Tell me something?" She asked like a child. A voice Andre knew so well. He pulled away from her and looked into her eyes, awaiting Jade's demand.
"Would you be okay if you found out I'm not who I really am?" Jade said. She hoped she knew what Andre was talking about since he was practically going through the same thing right now. She felt his arm wrap tighter around her shoulder and she leaned into his chest. She remembered the times she'd tell him how much she hated boys and how they disgusted her and how he'd be the only one who'd hold her like this, but with Beck, Tori and almost everyone in the picture she felt like being in square one again, and it felt good.
Andre
Andre would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised that Jade had gone ahead and opened up a bit. He remembered what she had done last time he tried to get her to open up…
"Are you kidding?" Andre asked, half laughing. "I would be a hypocrite if I said I wouldn't be ok with that. After the changes I've gone through, and the things you have found out about me, in these past weeks…" Andre trailed off, knowing that Jade already understood.
Jade
"Then I guess you already know about.. me and Vega, then?" Jade opened her eyes fully. She knew she wouldn't be able to do this with anyone but Andre. She could accept his rejection, she was ready for it but she didn't know what would happen with his acceptance. She knew she had it. She knew Andre wouldn't let something like that affect their strong friendship. It really was that shaky Big Showcase that led them apart gradually.
"Don't you, Andre?"
Andre
Andre knew that Jade knew that he knew about them. And it was only right for him to tell the truth. He wanted to help if he could, offer support, anything he could do. He sighed.
"I do," Andre began. "I saw you both that day at the carnival. So I do know that something is going on. Now, to what extent, that, I don't know." As he said it, he pulled her closer, trying to give as much comfort as he possibly could.
Jade
She let him pull her into a hug. "I can't talk about this. Not alone." Jade felt tears leaving her eyes and she rubbed her face more in his chest, staining the fabric. "I don't get how you're so strong. How you're okay with everything. How everything you've ever known is now twisted and different." Her hand crumpled his shirt and his arms wrapped around her back.
"I don't know what to do." She knew her makeup was ruined by now, but she didn't need to impress the people in this house, so it didn't matter.
Andre
Andre pulled Jade closer and let her cry against him. He knew she needed it. He thought about it, though, how at that time, 4 weeks ago, he had been a completely different person, not believing that there could be any good in the world, on a road towards alcoholism and drug addiction, and now, his life was completely different. He knew he wouldn't have been able to make it through all of that without the help of his friends, and that's what he was going to be for Jade.
"The way I look at it," Andre began, "is that we all go through things in our lives. Whether good or bad, they are the things that shape us into the people we are. The people we are on our best days, and the people we are on our worst days. You have to actively shape your life, so that you come out the way you want to come out. I can't make any decisions for you, but I think some advice I can give you, is actually a question. So, Jade, who do you want to be?"
Jade
"I just don't want people to question who I love. I don't want them to sneer when I hold someone else's hand that's not Beck's." She said. She could put these into a song. Her tears stopped and she looked at Andre. Her rock. Her strength. Her extended family.
"Thank you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and he buried his face in hers. "Now come on." She said impatiently, dragging his hand out to the living room. She didn't know what her next move was but she was hoping Andre would take the wheel after that.
Andre
Andre didn't really know what Jade was suggesting. But whatever it was, he would, in light of recent events and revelations, let these new circumstances play out. He raised his head up and planted a soft kiss on top of her head, and then almost tripped as he was led into the living room. More like dragged.