a/n: So I just realized I skipped over Jude's birthday, which is December 17th. I always thought it was later than that, but oh well.

This one is a little short. I can't decide if I want to make the next chapter the last chapter or the chapter after that. But the ending is near.

I don't know if I want to do a sequel… Hmmm… opinions?

Anyways, here's chapter 17.

"Oh, he's under my skin

Just give me something to get rid of him

I got a reason now to bury this alive

Another little white lie."

Jude rolled over and grappled for her cell phone that sat on her bedside table.

"Hello?" She mumbled groggily.

"Rise and shine." She should have known from the ring tone that it was Tommy. "Darius is calling an early meeting to reveal your new video to everyone. Be here in fifteen."

There was a small click and Jude knew he had hung up. She threw her hair up into a ponytail and grabbed some jeans and a t-shirt. This morning Jude Harrison was definitely not in the mood to dress to impress.

She was late to the studio, as usual, and walked into the conference room. Everyone was already there.

"And finally our star graces us with her presence." Instead of Darius standing in front of the room, Liam was positioned stoically in his usual pressed suit.

Liam pulled down a projector and started the infocus so that everyone in the room could see the video without having to bob and duck.

Jude settled in the back of the room; she wasn't even sure if she wanted to see the music video at all. Somewhere in the room Damien was watching, andshe knewthe videowould be an unpleasant shock.

"And here we go." Liam started the file and everybody focused on it.

The video was masterful Jude had to admit. Every detail had been played out perfectly. She cringed at her and Tommy's two scenes and hoped that nobody noticed.

When the music video was over all the staff members congratulated her promptly and left to their own business. After the room was almost emptied Jude still hadn't spotted Damien.

"Wow, that was um."

Jude spun around and saw a bashful looking Damien hunched behind her. "C'mon, let's go somewhere else."

He nodded and followed Jude into the G Major parking lot. They sat on the curb of the sidewalk next to the street and didn't speak for a while.

"So did you know?" Damien asked first.

"Know what?" She asked innocently.

"That you were going to be, you know," He looked like he was fighting to find the right words, "having sex with him on live TV."

Jude was startled for a moment. "I-I wasn't r-really," She gasped for breath, "I was wearing clothes, it was all just for the video."

"But you knew?"

"Sort of." She felt guilt wring her conscience dry.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I only knew two days ago, I never really got the chance."

Damien nodded and stared into the street. A few cars passed and whirred their hair. "What exactly does he do for you?"

"What?" Jude was confused by Damien's bluntness. He was so much more different than her usual run-of-the-mill boyfriend.

"Why are you so attracted to him?"

"Well he is Little Tommy Q."

"No, I mean," Damien sighed, "Look, I'm not going to just leave you cold. I really care about you, Jude. But I don't want to be with you if you're really still with him."

Jude looked down at her feet. "I was never with him." He's so right, but I need him. I need to have somebody to distract me; 'cause if I let Tommy in he'll just break me down again.

"I'll still be your friend." He looked over at Jude for the first time. She could see this pained him.

"I don't want to just be your friend, though."

He pursed his lips and looked away. "I don't want to just be your rebound guy."

"You're not!" Jude was getting angry now, though not with Damien. She was angry with Tommy. How can one guy single-handedly ruinmy entire love life with just the wink of an eye?

"Then what am I? Because if I was something more, I thought you would have called me and said something. At least warned me about it, or reassured me that you didn't feel anything when you did it." Damien blurted. Frustration burned at his cheeks.

"You're my boyfriend! What was I supposed to do, huh? Call you up and be like 'Oh hey, I'm shooting a video and I'm going to be in bed with Tommy'? I was just confused!" Jude was standing up now, her arms flailing in the air.

"No, you were just supposed to be honest! Not telling the truth is the same as telling a lie. Just say if you have feelings for Tommy and stop keeping me in the dark." Damien stood up as well.

"Of course I do! But you mean so much more to me than that. Why can't you just believe that?" Jude was growing desperate. He can't be breaking up with me, not now.

"Because I can see you two together! I'll always care about you, Jude, but I can see that you are feeling so much more towards him."

"You're right, I hate him more than I could ever feel anything else towards anyone else!" Her face tinged red.

Damien looked at her sadly. He reached out and put his hand on Jude's shoulder. She flinched. "I'll always be here for you."

"As a friend." She sighed.

He nodded. Jude grimaced and walked back into G Major. Damien followed her and went into the kitchenette for some coffee. As he poured himself a cup and shadow fell over his progress.

"What did you do to her?"

Damien turned around with a cup of java. Tommy stood before him in full intimidation mode: his shoulders tight, his jaw taught, his eyebrows furrowed, and his muscles pulsating.

"I didn't do anything. You should go ask Jude what's wrong."

"Look, kid." Tommy's raw voice thunked against the thick atmosphere. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything. Just go talk to her yourself."

Tommy clicked his tongue and just walked away. He didn't have time to mess with this new punk. Jude had stormed past him in tears, and he wanted to know why.

"Jude?" He entered studio C with caution.

"What?" A voice called from the corner of the room. Jude was huddled with her head in her knees.

"What happened?" Tommy sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Tommy, get off of me!" She sat up and pushed him away.

Startled, he stood up and backed away. "What did I do now?"

"Everything!" Jude didn't stand up, he wasn't worth it. "You know, I thought that maybe for once I had a real relationship. Damien completely understood me, he never overreacted, and he never tried to deny his feeling for me! But then you come along and get into his skin. You had to act like you owned me, and you had to make me want to be friends with you again."

"Woah, Jude. I didn't do any-" Tommy tried to speak but Jude continued to ramble on.

"But he saw it. He saw that little bit of hope I still had for you, and he knew I would give up everything for you. If you would just stay away from me maybe I wouldn't care, but you've ruined everything, Tommy! I don't have a chance in any other relationship because of you!"

Tommy couldn't think of anything to say. "I…"

"Why don't you just leave me along, Tommy?" Jude stood up and tried to push pass him, but he held her back.

"God dammit, Tommy! Just get out of my life!" She shoved hard into the wall.

He let her walk away and slouched to the ground.

"What was that all about?" Kwest poked his head around the wall to see Tommy disheveled on the floor.

"I don't know." Tommy sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "I came in to see if she was ok and she blamed me for ruining her love life."

"Well, you kind of did, man." Kwest shrugged and sat beside him.

"What?" Tommy gave him an incredulous look.

"Jude's fallen deep for you. After you left she didn't hook up with anybody for a long time cause she was waiting for you. Then when she heard you were coming back, she gave up on any other opportunities to see what happened with you. She even still had hope when you were about to be engaged to Joanne. And you just keep letting her fall for you."

He listened to Kwest and began to sink into guilt. "What am I supposed to do? I just want to be with her but everything and everyone else wants us to be apart."

Kwest stood up. "I can't tell you what to do. No matter how mad she is she's still in love with you, man."

"She told me to get out of her life." Tommy thumbed his pockets.

Kwest shrugged and walked out. He was tired of this Tommy and Jude cycle.