A/N: Hello! I woulda had this chapter out sooner but... FF was being a dork and not uploading. Eh... I know I didnt reply to the reviews for my last chapter and I'm sorry, so for all of you that did review me, thank you thank you sooo soooooooo much!
Disclaimer: do not own instant star, but I DO own the song in this chapter...ya..
Chapter 6-
"Tommy.." Jude pulled away from the kiss and looked into his eyes. Her own eyes were still glistening with tears, and he could do nothing about them.
"I'm sorry.." He said, standing up from his kneeling position. She took his hand. Her eyes stayed glued to him the whole time. He gave her a puzzling look and she smiled slightly and looked away.
"I just need some time, okay?.." She asked, "I mean, you've done this before and...and everything with Pure right now is just too.."
"I get it." Tommy turned to walked away "But just so you know...I'm not going to hurt you this time."
"Noted" Jude sniffed and wiped her eyes, looking around the studio. Pure walked in before Tommy left, and Tommy bumped shoulders with him on his way out. Pure gave Tommy a mean look and closed the door. Jude didn't look at him at all.
"Hey baby" Pure bent over and kissed Jude on the cheek. She shut her eyes tight and pulled her face away a little bit, but he didn't notice, and he moved with it. She coughed from crying so much and turned in her chair, her leg now hanging below her.
"Get in the booth and lets record your song" Pure instructed. Jude shook her head no, still not looking at him. He pulled her shoulder forward from its slouched position and turned the chair to look at her. Her eyes were no longer wet, they were cold and firey.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"You" She replied. Now she knew how her mother felt when Stuart had cheated on her. It sucked. Big time.
"What?" Pure took a step back.
"You and Tina have something, and I'm not going to stand in the way anymore" Jude said.
"How did you find out? Who told you!" Pure demanded
"I found out myself, watching you guys behind G-Major. Is this where you've been every day? It hurts Pure, it really does"
"Baby I didn't mean to..."
"Didn't mean to what! Don't call me BABY and we're through" Jude stood up and grabbed her crutches but Pure pushed her back down in the chair, not even caring about her fragile leg anymore. She yelped softly to herself and then tried to stand again, but Pure slapped her face this time with his palm and pushed her back down. Little did he know that Tommy was still watching from outside. Tommy ran in the room and pushed Pure away, helping Jude up. Pure tried to come at Tommy again but he held him away from him with his arm. Pure's eyes were switching from Jude to Tommy and sweat poured from his forehead.
"It's not over!" Pure yelled
"Oh yeah, its long over" Tommy confirmed.
"Jude is my girlfriend, dammit! Not yours!"
"Hey! I'm not your anything!" Jude butt in.
"Shut up!" Pure snapped. Tommy pulled Jude out of the studio and into the lobby. Pure followed, but he couldn't do anything because Darius was in there as well. He saw Jude's face, with the red mark on her cheek and looked over at Pure. Pure raised his hands in defeat and walked away with Darius. Jude wasn't crying anymore, she'd long been over crying. Now she was just mad and holding her anger in for later. Tommy followed Darius and Pure, leaving Jude and Tina alone in the lobby.
Tina sat next to Jude and put her hand on Jude's shoulder. Jude flinched and scoot over on the couch.
"Hey...listen, I'm real sorry" Tina said softly.
"Don't be sorry. You can have the jerk" Jude said. Her voice was cracking.
"You're just not his type..."
Jude glared at Tina and looked away, refusing to say anything.
"Listen," Tina spoke again "I know you guys were together but Pure and I have the connection that you two never will"
"I don't wanna hear this, Tina. You got him, not leave me alone"
"Fine. But just so you know, Pure never had eyes for you. He only needed to get with you so you would stop thinking about Tommy and he could work with his artist in peace. He and I will always be together"
"Shut up Tina! GO AWAY!"Jude demanded. She crossed her arms and looked at the ceiling. Tina smiled evilly and walked away. Tina reminded Jude of Sadie, only way more cynical. It made Jude want to stay away from her house more and more.
A few minutes later, Tommy walked out of Darius' office and Pure walked out after him. Jude looked up at Tommy with questioning eyes. Tommy explained the situation, and how Pure was now fired and returning to Trinta. Jude grinned and stood up on her crutches, using Tommy's arm for support.
"Come on, I'll drive you home" Tommy said.
"Thanks.." Jude followed Tommy out to the viper and sat in the car.
"Pure is such a..." Tommy began
"I dont wanna talk about Pure" Jude interrupted
"Okay...so...how's your leg?" Tommy asked
"In pain..." Jude said. She pulled out her pills and took 2 more. Tommy eyed the bottle and noticed that they had her on some strong stuff.
"Does it make you tired?" He asked, inquiring about the medicine.
"Yeah, but only a little...I've gotten used to it by now"
"It's been a day" Tommy said, laughing in his words a little
"Yeah but I kinda have this immunity to medicines anyway. Had it since I was a kid. It was so funny"
"Poor doctors..not being able to put you to sleep"
"Oh stop!"
"Hey Jude, about earlier..." Tommy started
"Yeah?"
"When I kissed you...I mean, I donno what to say"
"Don't say what you said before" Jude begged
"I won't, Jude. I don't want to hurt you this time. I want us to be together...so that I can get over my fear"
"Fear of what? Me?"
"never of you...just my fear of breaking your heart. I don't trust myself" Tommy looked at Jude for a brief moment before looking back at the road.
"Well...Tommy, like I said, I need some time"
"Yeah"
"I don't know whether to trust you or not" Jude said
"You can trust me this time girl..I promise"
"If only that was enough"
They pulled up to Jude's house. Jude kissed Tommy on the cheek and said goodbye. Struggling to get out of the car with her crutches, she finally made it in the house. Tommy drove away and Sadie helped Jude upstairs.
"So you and Tom are speaking again" Sadie noticed
"Yeah, I guess"
"Well go for it then" Sadie said.
"Huh?"
"Come on, Jude. We both know you like him" Sadie shook her head
"Sadie it's complicated"
"Just be with him, Jude. I don't care anymore. I stopped caring when I realized that he stared at you instead of me"
"Well for somebody who was always jealous all the time, doesn't seem like you stopped caring"
Sadie winced at the truth in Jude's words.
"Well me caring has never stopped you before" Sadie left Jude's room and walked downstairs. Jude took her guitar and started strumming. She would work on this new song until dinner, which probably wasn't for about another 3 hours.
"What to do...What to say...
bring this through another day
a broken truth
a shattered heart.." Jude was brought out of her singing trance when Sadie entered the room, telling Jude it was time for supper. Jude put aside her guitar and allowed Sadie to help her downstairs. She felt like an old lady, needing help to get everywhere. Oh well, not much she could do about it now.
Finally, dinner was finished and Jude needed to take a shower. Yet another flaw. Victoria brought out a black garbage bag and a wad of rubber bands.
"What is that!" Jude asked, backing as far away in her chair as possible. Victoria knelt down and took Jude's leg carefully.
"You can't get your foot wet sweetie." Victoria explained "Doctor taught me how to do this"
"When did you see the doctor?"
"This morning, we were discussing appointments to get your real cast"
Victoria pulled the garbage bag over Jude's leg, bringing it up to her knee and over the splint that was holding her leg. She took 4 rubber bands and brought them up to hold the bag into place. Jude rolled her eyes.
"This is gross" Jude said "My leg is sweating and these rubber bands are making me lose the feeling in my leg."
"Well then, shower fast" Victoria laughed. "Use the one downstairs so you don't have to climb so much"
"Fine"
Jude hopped into the bathroom and Victoria helped her strip the clothes from her, it was really hard to do trying to balance as well. Jude hated this more than being helped down and up the stairs, but it's what needed to be done. She was so embarrassed, even though this was her mother. Finally, Victoria left Jude alone in the bathroom and Jude turned on the water. She looked in the shower, her eyes not believing what they saw. Victoria had put no-slip pads in the bottom of the tub, and had a metal bar installed to the side for Jude to hold on to. Jude laughed to herself and got in the shower, using the bar on the side to help her balance. It worked great! Jude finished her shower in now time and got out, hoping that no water seeped into the plastic bag. It didn't, and she sat on the toilet to get dressed without falling, and to remove the plastic bag. There was no way she was going to let Victoria help her get dressed. She could handle it, she hoped.
After Jude was helped back up the stairs to go to bed, she went and flipped back on the light switch against her sister's orders to sleep. Jude pulled the guitar from its case and set it in her lap, strumming the exact chords that she had earlier.
She woke up, her back laying on the bed and the guitar resting at her side. She must have fallen asleep while she was trying to think of better lyrics. The sun shined brightly through the window. She walked out the door and went to the stairs. She was going to do this without Sadie's help. She had to. She took one of her crutches and threw them down the stairs so it rested at the end of the staircase. She put the other crutch under her arm, and used her left hand to hold onto the banister. She hopped slowly but surely down one step, and another, until FINALLY she reached the end. She raised her hand in victory and knelt down to pick up her crutch.
"Jude! How'd you get down?" Sadie asked
"I have my ways" Jude smiled and opened the fridge, pulling out the milk and bringing the cereal box to her from the table. The phone rang, and Sadie picked it up.
"Jude, Tommy's on his way to pick you up" Sadie said.
"Now!" Jude looked down at her empty bowl, which she was just about to fill with fruit loops.
"That's what he said" Sadie crossed her arms and leaned against the wall. Jude slammed her fist down and reached for the box of ziplock bags in the cupboard, which was just close enough to reach. She pulled out a bag and poured some fruit loops inside it.
Tommy arrived and Jude hopped outside with her bag of fruit loops in hand. She got in Tommy's car without help and opened the bag.
"Don't eat in the viper" Tommy said. Jude crunched on one fruit loop in defiance. "Come on!"
"I'm hungry, Quincy" Jude kept eating.
"ONE crumb, and you're dead"
"I'll keep that in mind"
"So..." Tommy said after an akward silence.
"Hey Tommy..." Jude began. "I sorta...kinda..."
"What?"
"Eh, nevermind" Jude looked out the window. Tommy hated when she did that, but he decided to just let this one slide.
"CRAP!" Jude yelled. Tommy swirved to the side of the road, stopping the car.
"What is it!" he asked, looking at her as if she might explode.
"I don't have a producer!" She remembered. Tommy sighed in relief and started on the road again.
"I'm sure Darius has someone for you now"
"What about...you?" Jude asked reluctantly.
"I don't think thats such a good idea"
"But Tommy, we work AWESOME together"
"Yeah, when we're WORKING, but you know how it gets when we hang out"
"You said you wanted to be together"
"I do, but if you need some time then..."
"You're right, I do need time. But I also need a producer and you're the best one"
"Thanks alot" he said sarcastically
"I didn't mean it like that"
"Look, just talk to Darius. I can't promise anything, but if you really wanna get back in the studio with me, then...okay"
They pulled up to G-Major, still talking as they got out of the car.
"You know, I could try being my own producer, Pure taught me a little about the switchboard" Jude said
"Yeah, break the equipment. Darius will love that" Tommy said, pulling off his sunglasses and hanging them from his shirt.
"I will not!" Jude stole the sunglasses from his shirt and put them on herself.
"Nice, a cripple wearing bad boy sunglasses" Tommy teased.
"You are SO not a bad boy" Jude retorted, laughing "Come on, your bandana days are over"
"But the soul stays within," Tommy joked, tapping his chest lightly.
"Right" Jude handed him back the sunglasses and continued hopping into G-Major.
"Jude!" Darius called when he saw her entering. Tommy looked at Darius as well. Jude eyed Tommy and he gave her a reassuring smile, watching as she went away with Darius to his office.
"Uh, yeah, about the producer situation..." Jude said "I want Tommy"
"Oh no, no no no" Darius chuckled as if she were joking. "You two always seem to get into some sort of fight and then I have to bring in someone else. You can work with Kwest"
"But he's working with Patsy now!" Jude exclaimed. "I mean theres nothing wrong with him but..he's a little busy"
"Tom's workin with Tina." Darius said. Jude's stomach tightened when he mentioned Tina.
"Well switch Tina over to Kwest, and let me work with Tommy" She suggested again.
"If I let you get back in the studio wit Tom, what happens if you get in another fight?"
"I'll deal with it" Jude said "I will"
"I donno..." Darius was fiddling with papers on his desk, and Jude knew he was considering it.
"One more chance with Tom" He finally said. "And if this one doesn't work out, you are officially released from G-Major."
Jude's eyes widened when he said that. She wasn't sure if she and Tommy could do that, but she knew she had to try.
"Fine..." Jude agreed. Darius released her and she went into the studio Tommy was in. She explained to him the situation and he agreed as well. Jude said she had a new song she wanted to try out, so she went in the soundbooth and started strumming her guitar
"What to do...What to say...
bring this through another day
a broken truth
a shattered heart
possibly soon...a fresh start
I gotta think about you
I gotta think about this
I won't give in so easily
to you" She stopped singing and put down the guitar. Tommy clapped his hands from the switchboard.
"It's great" He said over the intercom "Why'd you stop?"
"That's all I could think up last night" Jude picked up the guitar again and started working on new lyrics for the second verse.
"Jude, a visitor" Tommy said. Jude looked up and saw Victoria in the doorway, and she didn't look too happy...
Chapter 7-
Jude walked out of the soundbooth and joined her mother in the switchboard. Tommy eyed them suspiciously, and Victoria took Jude out of the room so Tommy didn't hear. Tommy heard some muffles and Victoria's voice raising. Jude walked back in the switchboard a few minutes later, and Tommy could tell her heart was racing. She closed the door and slid down on it so she was sitting on the floor, careful to keep her broken leg straight. She buried her face in her arms and grunted.
"What is it?" Tommy asked
"Mom found out about stupid Pure and stupid everything" Jude said, her voice echoing since her face was in her arms still.
"How?" Tommy asked.
"One guess"
"Darius"
"Ding ding ding!" Jude brought her face up. "I'm surprised Darius doesn't go all father-figure on me and try to put the jerk in jail."
"Well, he didn't do anything with you..just with Tina, but she's legal"
"Yeah, so he's getting my real dad to do it for him"
"no..."
"Probably. Mom will tell Dad and then I'm never going to hear the end of it. Oh yeah, and I'm grounded" Jude said, putting on a fake smile.
"From what?"
"Oh, everything and anything. I don't get to come to the studio for 2 weeks after today...no music, tv, movies, anything"
"Ouch"
"Yeah" Jude sat on the floor, rubbing her feet together. Her pants slid up a little and the tattoo she got on her ankle was just visible to Tommy.
"Woah!" He pointed "Is that..."
Jude looked down and pulled her pants down, shrugging.
"Jude, you didn't.."
"Jamie's got one too, we got one together"
"You what! When!"
"Long time ago, Quincy, after my 16th."
"And your mom is okay with that?"
"Mommy doesn't know" Jude looked at Tommy
"You think you're such a rebel" Tommy shook his head.
"Yep well, I'm staying at the studio till later tonight...so I have as much freedom as possible..." Jude said, finally getting up off the floor.
"Great" Tommy yawned and scratched his head.
"tommy, you can't be tired!"
"No, that's just my boredom. You're not doin a great job of..well...your job"
Jude groaned and hopped into the soundbooth, putting on her headphones sloppily. The music started up and she sang the song again up to where she left off.
"It's missing something" she said
"I hear it..." Tommy replied "Try adding more energy in the chorus"
Jude tried again.
"Nope, not that. I need..." Jude looked around the studio. She sighed and gave up.
"Jude...lets just give it up for today" Tommy begged. Jude wanted to as well, but that meant going home.
"I don't want to go---"
"Fine, I'll take you somewhere." Tommy finished for her.
"Thank you!" Jude giggled and walked out of the studio, following Tommy to the viper. She put the crutches below her so she could sit comfortably.
A/N: Hope yall enjoyed! Review plz