Chapter 7: The Truth Will Lock Me Up.

Later that day, at Yvette's.

Tommy walks in, and Jude's behind the counter. Jude gets Kat's attention, because she was across the room.

Jude: "That's him," she mouthed.

Kat: "Go over there. Play it cool," she mouthed back.

Jude: She took a deep breath and walked over to him. "Hey. Uh, can I get you anything?"

Tommy: "You know what bugs me?"

Jude: "P-people taking your order?"

Tommy: "No. Taking people's orders."

Jude: "And why would you don't that?"

Tommy: "You don't know my father. Ugh. Sushi and doughnuts? Who does that?"

Jude: "She shrugged."We do. . ?"

Tommy: "Double espresso. Thank you." She got his coffee and set it down. "Do you ever feel like . . .if you show someone who you really are. . .that they'll reject you?"

Jude: "All the time. Like, being your self isn't good enough."

Tommy: "Right."

Jude: "Like you're wearing a mask."

Tommy: "That's exactly how I feel."

Jude: "You-you just wanna be honest with this person and say, "Hey. It's me you're looking for.""

Tommy: "Yeah."

Jude: "Tommy. . . I'm--"

Yvette: "Jude!" She motioned for Jude to come over.

Jude: "One sec."

Yvette: "No, now."

Tommy: "No, its cool, I gotta jet." He set some money on the table and began to walk away. He turned again. "Oh, and, thank you very much, Jude."

Jude: "You're welcome." She said as he walked out.

Next day at school. . .

Eden: "And then she told us she was going to steal Tommy away from you, if that was the last thing she did." She sniffled.

Sadie: "Our stepsister was always jealous of you." She blew her nose.

Portia: "Go on."

Eden: "Well, that's when she invented this whole 'Cinderella' plot. She got a hold of Tommy's e-mail address and-and that's when she started the whole affair."

Sadie: "We wanted to tell you sooner, but she threatened to kill us. She is such a monster."

Eden: "Look, if you don't believe us, just look at the e-mails." She handed her a folder of all the e-mails of Jude and Tommy. "She goes by PunkPrincess211, but her real name is Jude Harrison. Diner Girl."

Portia: "So that little . . . boyfriend stealer thinks she can pull a fast one on me? Well, we'll just see about that."

Pep Rally, that day.

Coach: "Um, the cheerleaders put together a little script that they'd like to show you." He got off stage and Portia stepped up.

Portia: "Hi."Once upon a time they're a frog prince. He had a beautiful girlfriend and his father owned the biggest pond in all the land. But . . . he still wasn't happy. If only he could find a princess and then they could kiss and then runaway together. One night, after the frog ditches his super-hot girlfriend, he meets his princess. Alas, it seems that our frog not only had a secret identity, but also had a secret relationship with a pen pal named Punk Princess."

Jamie: He had been standing next to Jude the whole time. "This isn't gonna be good."

Portia: "He didn't want to be a USC football guy, be he wanted to be a 5 Town's, with her. Oh, she wanted to tell him so, but she was scared; scared that he'd reject her. And to be honest she never had a real kiss before." Jude began to cry.

Jude: "I can't believe they're reading my e-mails."

Jamie: "Let's just go."

Portia: "But are princess had a secret, too. She wasn't a princess at all. She royalty at all, but a geek, a loser, a servant girl." She looked at Jude. "And who may you ask is this imposter? Give it up for our pretend princess, Diner Girl, Jude Harrison!" Everyone turned to look at her and chanted "Diner Girl!" and then she saw Tommy look at her, then turn put his head in his hands. She ran off, leaving Jamie behind.

Jude's Room.

Jude: She ran in crying and dove on her bed. Yvette knocked on her door. "Go away!"

Yvette: She came in anyway. "But you got a letter from 5 Town's." She sat on the bed and handed it to her. Jude ripped it open. 'We regret to inform you that your application to 5 Towns' University has been rejected.' What does it say?"

Jude: "I didn't get in."

Yvette: "Oh, and you worked so hard. Well look at it this way, you've got a job at the diner for the rest of your life." She held out a plate. "You want a cookie?" Jude nodded 'no' and Yvette walked out. Jude buried her head in her pillow. Jude opened a trunk, full of her dad's stuff. There was a fairy tale book, a picture of them, and his old guitar. She took the fairy tale book and threw it across the room.

The Next Day. . .

Jude walked down the hall, head held high. Tommy saw her and stopped.

Portia: She came up behind him. "People like her don't belong in our world, Tommy." Tommy looked at her and walked in the other direction.

The Diner. . .

Jude was trying to clean the floor, on her hands and knees. She got up and then fell due to her roller skates. Kat came up behind her and shook her head.

Kat: "Jude, what are you doing?"

Jude: "Trying to get these floors clean."

Kat: "Get up." She pulled her off the floor. "What I mean is what are you doing with your life?"

Jude: "Nothing, Kat. I'm Diner Girl. I'm going what diner girls do."

Kat: "Honey, what has gotten into you? You have a whole family behind you. Look," she pointed to Kina and Armando. "I have faith in you. But you have to have faith in yourself."

Then Eden and Sadie walked in, slamming the door closed and causing the guitar shaped clock to fall down. Kat rolled her eyes and Yvette came into the diner. Jude looked at the wall and saw the words that the wall paper covered.

Eden: "Mother! Jude just ruined your wall."

Yvette: "Ugh! That's coming out of your paycheck. Now, cover up those stupid words."

Jude: ""Never let the fear of striking out . . . keep you from playing the game."

Yvette: "Okay, I have to go get more lipo. C'mon girl, oh and Jude? I need you to clean he pool tonight." She turned and was about to walk out the door.

Jude: "No."

Yvette: She turned. "Excuse me?"

Jude: "You heard me. No. And I quit. I quit this job. I quit your family. And I'm moving out."

Yvette: She scoffed and laughed. "And, uh, where you gonna live?"

Kat: She stepped up. "With me." She draped her arms on her shoulders.

Yvette: "You can't just walk out on me."

Jude: "I can and I am. You know what? You can mess with your hair, you can mess with your nose and your face . . . but you're through messin' with me." She began to leave.

Kat: "Wait up, Jude."

Yvette: "You take one more step, and you're fired."

Kat: She laughed. "Oh, that won't be necessary, because I quit, too. And another thing, the only reason I've put up with you for all these years is because of that girl." She pointed at Jude. "And now that she's done with you, there is nothing stopping me from wiping this floor with you." She began to take off her earrings.

Yvette: "Oh, no. Not my face. It's much newer than the girls'. Go for the girls!"

Jude: "Kat, Kat!" Kat stopped. "They're not even worth it." Kat looked at her and grunted and Yvette screamed.

Kina: She skated over. "You know what? I quit, too."

Armando: He came out from out from the kitchen. "Me, too. Kat, Kina, wait. I need a ride." He passed by Yvette. "See ya!" He walked out, and so did everyone else. The last guy came up with a plate, still eating.

Guy: "Send me a bill." And then he walked out.