Chapter 2
Jude sat in Shay's tour bus waiting for Shay and their tour manager Marc to start the meeting. Shay was making a sandwich in his kitchenette and Marc was on his cell, probably with Darius. He controlled everything about this tour. You couldn't go to the bathroom without 'Uncle D' knowing about it. That was the downside of going on Shay's tour. The plus side, she got to sing her songs to thirty thousand screaming fans, maybe not her fans, but she usually one most of them over by the end of her set. And it didn't matter that they weren't there for her. Because next year, they would be.
"Jude, ready?" Shay asked waving his hand in front of her face.
"I've been ready," Jude said leaning back, already impatient for the meeting to be over. They'd interrupted her during a rare creative streak. She'd almost thrown something but remembered who was in charge and didn't want to rock the boat. But she only had to get through three more days before she was done with Darius. Then there would be peace, blessed peace.
"Okay, one more concert and then Shay's tour 2005, is officially over," Marc said starting off the same way he did every time. "Really no changes, same songs. Just this one will be televised and released on DVD. So please, no surprises."
"So no starting SME on fire," Shay joked. He was still pissed about the cologne. He'd spent a serious amount of money on that cologne and he claimed he could still smell dear musk on him.
"No, God no," Marc said unaware of the prank wars. Darius would have put an end to the fun if he'd found out and Marc would have tattled.
"Are we done?" Jude asked quickly ready to get back to her song.
"Sorry, yes, just two more days and we're home," Marc said before answering his ringing cell phone again.
"So Spied told me you had nothing to do with the cologne," Shay said as Jude stood up. They hadn't hung out much during the tour, Jude rarely left her tour bus. He'd hoped that going on tour would bring them closer but it hadn't. Not because his lack of trying. He'd done everything to get her attention but Jude didn't notice anything. In fact, she looked sorta lost through the whole tour. Like she was there physically but mentally, she was in another place.
"Oh," she said walking towards the door.
"I just wanted to say I'm glad you came on tour with me," Shay hurried to say before she opened the door. They hadn't had a conversation that was longer than four syllables and he was determined to fix things so they could at least be friends.
"Me too," Jude said stopping.
"Listen, I know you don't like talking to me. And you're in a hurry to get out of here so I'll keep it short and sweet. But I think you know I wanted us to work on getting back together during the tour." When Jude stared at him in shock he chuckled to himself. "Okay, maybe not. But that was my ultimate goal. But I know now how wrong I was. It's him isn't it? Quincy."
"I don't know what your talking about," Jude said grabbing the door handle.
"Jude you couldn't lie while we were dating and you haven't gotten any better," Shay said softly. "I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm asking, as a friend." When Jude turned to face him, he saw the answer written all over her face. "You look sad Jude. And not sad like I made you sad, but like….way deep down, you're sad. You haven't smiled much, if at all. Even performing, your heart hasn't been in it."
"I'm sorry if I wasn't good enough," Jude said stiffly.
"You know that isn't it," Shay said shaking his head. "Jude you are amazing no matter what. But I hate to see you looking so…lost. I don't know what he did, and I won't ask. None of my business. But I just want to say, don't let him bring you down. He's gonna wake up one day and realize what he's had standing before him the whole time."
"You think?" Jude asked walking over to sit in front of him.
"I know we didn't talk much while we were dating, mostly because I was rarely around," Shay said with a self-deprecating smile. He would always blame himself for their not working out. Jude was not at fault for any of it. "But I could always see that he had a part of you. Like you gave him a part of you that I couldn't touch, that nobody could touch."
"It's my heart Shay," Jude mumbled but Shay still heard her.
"I kinda thought it was," he said smiling sadly. "I wish he could see what a precious gift he has but Quincy's always been a little slow and dumb. And from an outsider's point of view, he feels something too. He's just afraid, because I don't think Tom Quincy has ever felt anything serious for a girl and this is really getting to him. So all I'm asking is please, please, at the last concert. Forget Quincy for the night. Have fun. For you."
Jude smiled at Shay, and it was almost her real smile. "I just might be able to do that. But I want a request for the last concert. And I think I'm going to need you to help me pull it off, so you in?"
"Always," Shay said smiling back at her.
Victoria finished boxing up the stuff in Jude's room. She still couldn't believe that she'd sold the house. A year ago, if you'd have asked her what she would be doing at this time, it wouldn't have been this. Selling the house she'd agonized for days about buying way back when. Packing up her things to move in with a co-worker that was ten years younger than her. And doing all this without letting her youngest daughter know.
Sadie had warned her that Jude would blow up. That she wasn't going to pleased with the new move and that WWIII was about to happen. But Victoria couldn't bring herself to write or call her baby on her tour and tell her she'd sold the house. It was too impersonal and she wanted to be there, in person, to wrap her arms around her and hold her while she cried. Because surely, there would be tears. Jude liked to dramatize things and this would definitely be a good one to do the teen angst thing over. Vic liked to call it the stomp stomp slam. When any teenager would stomp up the stairs, stomp down the hallway and slam their door. Jude was really good at doing that.
"She's not going to live with James," Sadie said leaning against the door jam. She'd come home to finish boxing up herself to bring to her dorm. She still couldn't believe her mom had sold the house. And without discussing it.
"She really doesn't have a choice," Vic said softly. She hated that Sadie was pointing out things she wasn't ready to face. Jude wouldn't like living with James. She knew that, but she could always hope.
"She won't forgive you for this, selling the house, packing up her room, planning her life for her," Sadie said walking into the almost empty room.
"Oh, what would you know, you haven't talked to Jude either. She might enjoy the change of scenery, this house holds way to many memories. For all of us, it's time for us to move on," Victoria explained trying to sound really upbeat.
"You mean time for you to move on," Sadie said sitting down on Jude's bed. She patted the spot beside her and waited until her mom was sitting down before continuing. "What's the real reason you are selling the house? Because we both know it would take a lot more than changing your life."
"I can't afford the house payments on my salary and Stuart's already strapped for cash, he's having a hard time making Jude's child support payments," Vic admitted feeling like a failure in her daughter's eyes.
"So what, demand he make the payments. He's spending all his money on freakin Yvette and maybe it's time reality intruded on the two lovebirds," Sadie said really pissed off now.
"I don't want to cause friction when Jude gets home," Vic admitted softly. "I'm hoping that the talk we had will have inspired her to fix their relationship. And I won't be the one to wreck that because I need money. Jude and I don't need this big house, something smaller is good enough."
"But moving in with James," Sadie said doubtfully.
"We're just friends," Victoria said laughing at the look of disbelief on Sadie's face. "I'm serious honey, he's just offering his apartment because it's a decent one and he knows that I can't afford a decent one on only my salary. He has a girlfriend, she lives in the States and flies out once a month. She knows and told me that she hoped I accepted James's offer. He's giving me a break."
"Oh," Sadie said sheepishly. When her mom brought up living with a guy, the first thing that popped into her head was 'great, mom's got a new boyfriend.' Sadie hated being wrong.
"Jude's still gonna flip," Sadie warned. "But you're right, I haven't talked to her. I haven't even tried to talk to her. After the way she talked to me at the coffee shop, I was so angry."
"You deserved everything she said Sadie, you know she had feelings for Tommy," Vic said shaking her head. "You two, always competing, since the day Jude started talking, you both argued. I don't know why you two can't get along."
"Because Jude's like dad and I'm like you," Sadie said rolling her eyes.
"You're kidding right?" Victoria asked staring at Sadie like she'd grown an extra head. "You and Jude are so alike. Not in appearance but your personalities, the same. You'd probably get along better if you two sat down and got everything out in the open."
"I don't think so," Sadie said standing up. She was sick of this conversation. "I just came to tell you I'm all packed and I'm heading back to campus. I'll call you sometime this week and let you know what's up. Bye mom."
"Bye hon," Victoria said watching her leave the room. She still didn't stand up, staring at all of Jude's stuff, realizing how wrong she was to have hidden the move from Jude. She was going to react badly. This was her room, her oasis. She escaped into this room almost every day to write her songs. How would she deal sleeping on a sleeper sofa and sharing a closet and dresser with her mom?
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