A/N: Please R n R! Yes, I did feel the need to add yet another guy, lol WND. To Une Poubelle I ask, why do you want to know?


"We have to talk," Jason stated. Bradin looked at him in a bemused fashion. Jason was the last person he expected seeing on his doorstep.

"No visitors, Bradin!" Ava called from upstairs.

"Yeah, thank God," Bradin rolled his eyes. "As you heard, I can't talk." He shut the door.

"BRADIN!" Jason rapped on the door. "You don't get it! This is really important!"

"I know, stay away from Jess, blagh, blagh, threaten, whine, whatever." Bradin retorted through the door, his voice getting more muffled as the sentence continued.

"No-seriously, you'll want to know what I have to say!" Jason shouted. Bradin didn't answer. Jason sighed and kicked the door. Stubborn little ass, Jason thought as he walked away.

The next day at school, Jason was waiting for Bradin at his locker.

"Okay, the stalking thing is getting creepy," Bradin muttered.

"Listen, I don't like you and you pretty much hate me but we both have a major problem." Jason told him. Bradin crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. "Jessica's going out with someone else."

Bradin nearly dropped the book he was carrying. "Wait, WHAT!"

"His name's Will Burke, they take art together," Jason said quickly.

"How the hell did you let this happen?" Bradin demanded, "You were with her practically all day!"

"Don't blame me, you were the one who hurt her so bad that she just wanted to go out with someone in order to get her mind off you! You drove her to it!" Jason said accusingly, "But none of that matters, she's with him as in we are out."

"Dude, one date doesn't mean they're going steady," Bradin replied, more to convince himself than anything.

"Maybe so but we should still take measures to ensure that it doesn't become serious," Jason said.

"Paranoid, much?" Bradin raised an eyebrow. "Jessica knows what's best for herself. She can make her own choices."

"How can you be so calm about this?" Jason demanded angrily. "Don't you care that you could lose your shot?"

"Again, one date does not equate marriage." Bradin answered. "It'd be wrong for us to deliberately sabotage the one good thing going on in her life."

Jason threw his hands up in frustration. "God, I thought you'd help me with this. This was one thing I thought you'd agree with me on." He shook his head and strode off.

Bradin kept an eye out all week to see how Jess behaved around the people around her. He hadn't seen her treat anyone with obvious affection, which Bradin knew was a good sign. Jason was just overreacting. He hoped. However, Bradin had found out who it was Jason was talking about and had seen the new guy and Jessica speaking together on occasion. They weren't close, yet, but Bradin felt slightly uneasy seeing her with intentions to pursue a relationship with another guy.

As Jessica went through the next two weeks, she was very aware of Bradin watching her. Her date with Will had been fun and the two had continued getting together but ultimately, Jessica thought they were really more friend material. However, she had seen Bradin's jealous glances when she was near Will and it didn't exactly make her feel bad. Let him be jealous. He can jump to conclusions all he wants. Maybe she was being petty or a bad person, but it gave her a little burst of joy in knowing that Bradin was squirming. He hadn't even spoken to her at all since the day on her doorstep. Not a word! Okay, so that was probably due in part to the fact that she was avoiding him and Jason was keeping him at bay, but if he tried a little harder how difficult would it be to make it up to her if he was really sorry? Jason, too, was acting differently around her. He was a lot quieter and seemed to get extra sullen when Will was around. Jason also began to insult and scruntize Will at every chance he could, an occurrence that was pissing Jessica off to no limit.

"Can't he even get a full sentence out without stuttering ?" Jason sneered as Will walked off one day.

"For the love of God, Jason, what the hell is with you !" Jessica snapped. "Why must you point out every imperfection ? You're being a jerk !"

"I just think you deserve better," Jason explained, shooting Will a dirty look from across the room.

"And the sentiment is sweet, but please Jason, lay off," Jessica told him.

"Why are you hanging around that guy ? He's so, well, really, you could do better." Jason faltered.

"You know what type of guys used to drive me off the wall in Kansas ?" Jessica fixed Jason with a look.

"What kind… ?" Jason questioned.

"The kind that always thought that they were too good to go out with some girls. The kind that thought they were better than everyone else. The shallow, nasty, conceited bigots who believed that they were doing me a huge favour by gracing me with their presence. I may have changed a lot since my junior high days in Kansas, but even if I'm not really on the unpopular side of the spectrum any more, I know what it's like to have people think the way you do. And I will not be the girl who does that." Jessica stated edgily, walking away from Jason.

Jason stood there looking taken aback and feeling exasperated. His break up plan was really not going well. He sincerly needed the help of Bradin ; Bradin must've been the driving force between many broken couples, after all, he always got the girl. Why wouldn't Bradin just help him!


A/N: Oh my GOD I just wrote Chappies 24 and 25 and you people are going to love me! I'm hoping, at least. Ahhh though, I am so thoroughly depressed now... Anyways, I'll try to have them posted by Monday