Sooner Or Later

by simphony

Season two with a twist: Back from tour, Jude is shocked to find out that Tommy and Sadie are still dating. Hurt and heartbroken, she tries to get over Tommy by dating someone else. Tommy, however, realizes that Jude means a lot more to him than he had thought. Heartbreak, love, romance, attraction, sadness, sex, a bet, and a some funny situations. Jude/Tommy. Give it a try! :)

2. Chapters 3 and 4

Chapter three.

Nervous flutters rumbled Jude's stomach as she walked up and down the booth, and the aim to find something to get her mind off the fact that Tom Quincy was only minutes away from arriving was proving futile. Then she suddenly recalled that she wanted to record the background tracks for her new song this morning, and those recordings required musical instruments, right? Right! So where was her guitar again?

"How does it feel to be back in the studio," Kwest asked with a kind, calming smile as he entered the room. Jude just found her guitar and now looked for the cable to plug it in. "Missed it?"

Jude cracked a happy face, trying to see the bright sight of being here. Either that, or she simply wanted to fake it and to prevent Kwest from asking any more 'you're okay?'-questions. She wasn't so sure about her motivations for doing things lately. The whole drama of seeing Tommy and Sadie had fuddled her train of thought so hard that she doubted it was back to normal yet. Finally plugging the electric in, she came to a stop and looked back at her engineer. "Feels good," she replied in honesty, "I really need to get some songs out of my system right now, so I hope you're prepared to work overtime."

"For you? Always." Seeing how Tommy just then entered the studio, he stepped in front of Jude, blocking her way. "He's here. You want him to stay?"

Smiling appreciatively in return, she noticed once again how different she was treated these days. By now, mostly everyone knew what had gone down the last days. Whenever someone searched a conversation with her, she found that she, as well as Tommy and Sadie, had become mere roles in a tragic comedy to amuse the inhabitants of G-Major. The bad guy, the whore and the innocent victim. Black and white. Guilty and not guilty. As much as she'd have loved to credit all the support to be genuine, she was very well aware that she was nothing but this week's talk, and that those offering encouraging words hardly knew who she was, aside from G-Major's first Instant Star winner. Fame sucked, she cynically noted for herself. Nonetheless, she knew Kwest's words were truly meant. "You would tell your best friend to leave for me? He could fire you for that."

"He should have told you sooner." Jude had always been like a little sister to him and when he had heard how Jude had found out about Tommy and Sadie, Kwest had wanted to kick Tommy right where it hurt. "He told me you fired him. You're going through with that?"

"Last night I wanted to." Jude looked over Kwest's shoulder, seeing Tommy sitting down in his chair. He hadn't entered the booth to say hello like he used to do. Last year, they would have talked the whole morning, drinking coffee and eating all the donuts they could find. This morning she assumed all they'd do was spending time in awkwardness. "It's hard, Kwest. He was my best friend. Right now, I can't look at him without seeing him and Sadie… It's not always going to be like this, is it?"

She was so as innocent and helpless like a little girl of two years, unaware of all the evil of the world, and he felt probably more sorry for her than he should. He knew Jude wasn't the betrayed victim, and despite his lying, Tommy had hardly committed a crime. It was less what he had done, and more with whom, which left Kwest to fend for Jude. Everyone knew how she felt about him. Honesty was the least thing Tommy could have offered in return. "It's getting easier. But, it'll take a while."

Jude forced herself to grin, wanting this morning to not end in a senseless fight, but in a productive way. "He can stay. Right now, I want to lay down the guitar tracks for the song from last night. He can sit there and do his thing with the knobs."

Kwest chuckled, stunned that she didn't stubbornly shut down, refusing to even be in the same building with Tommy. "I make sure he behaves."

"No," Jude objected with a sense of decisiveness Kwest wasn't used to. "It's work. If he feels like something is wrong, he can point it out. My last album flunked. I don't want that to happen again; especially not because of him! He's my producer. I don't have to like him to know he's good in his job."

"Right," he agreed. He went back into the other room, adjusting next to Tommy, just as he was adjusting to this new side of Jude. "Hey, T."

"Hey. How is she doing?" Eyes were roaming her ignoring figure, almost laughing at her stubbornness to take not the least bit notice of him.

"She's playing tough. I'm not sure how long it'll last. You're allowed to stay, she said." Kwest bit away a grin.

"How generous," he remarked with an amount of sarcasm he was convinced Jude would have punched him for had she heard. Ignoring how his mood began to drift away, he pressed a thumb down the intercom button. "Let's begin. What do you want to start with?"

"Guitar tracks for the new song. Count me in," she ordered soberly; far from any way she usually reacted to him. Her face was emotionless and he didn't like that. He was getting more and more gnawed by the whole situation. Not because she was still mad at him, but because he was mad at himself. He couldn't change the fact that she didn't want him as her friend right now, and he hated that helplessness. She used to search his nearness, and as inappropriate and selfish as he knew it was, he had enjoyed it. "Three, two…"

Jude began playing her guitar and she lost herself in the act. The soft tunes filled her ears immediately, while the roughness of the strings caused just enough distraction not to let the repeating sounds lull her into a soft sleep. She didn't stop playing for a long while. The same melody – over and over again. After an undefined amount of time, she had the feeling of being in trance, and her fingertips were playing the notes automatically. He wasn't there anymore, only her music. For a brief moment she wasn't hurting, or confused anymore. She was at peace.

Of course, it didn't last long. At one point she opened her eyes, wanting to adjust the guitar, and it was then that she saw Sadie knocking on the studio door. Tommy threw an agitated look over his shoulder; Jude knew how much he hated interruptions during recordings. When he signaled her to enter, Jude felt another one of those tiny mean little knives sliding achingly slow into her already wounded body. Sadie was his girlfriend now. Of course he didn't mind when she entered! Cynically, as she found herself to be these days, she inwardly noted that she should have really remembered that!

On the other side of the window, Tommy quickly searched Jude's eyes when he realized it was Sadie who had knocked. Out of all the people, she was the last one he had wanted to see just then. But, after long minutes of disturbing, unfaltering knocks on the door, he had grudgingly motioned for her to enter. Jude had done so good recording the tracks. She had been lost in her own little world. He was used to that. She drifted there often during recordings. During those last moments her face hadn't looked quite as hard and sad as it was doing again, now. "That was great so far," he complimented via intercom, not speaking to Sadie, but to Jude. "Let's keep recording," he added, wanting to show in his own way that she mattered more than anyone else.

"No!" Jude stood up abruptly and placed her guitar away. "Let's take five. Your girlfriend is here, anyway." She gracefully exited the room, headed in a calm and unhurried pace towards the women's room, noticed with immense relieve that no one else was there, and hid in a stall and breathed. Breathing. In. Out. In. Out. No crying. She refused to cry again! Why was she hurting so much? He had never let her on to believe he'd ask her out anytime soon, and yet she had hoped so in every second she was alone with him. Now that she had to accept that he most definitely would never ask her out, she just couldn't stop being betrayed.

Maybe it wasn't even hurt, she contemplated. Maybe she just hated herself for being so incredibly stupid to believe that she would have actually had a chance to win Tommy over. It were those many little moments that had so often confused her. He had been the one initiating the kiss. He had never told her he hadn't wanted to kiss her, had only said it couldn't happen. He had hugged her so many times. Never had it felt like one of the hugs she had exchanged with Jamie or one of her band members.

Suddenly, someone entered the room, and Jude froze. If someone saw her in here, fighting tears, then she'd be the talk of the whole studio! More, and on a whole different level than she already was. Deliberately breathing slow and silent, she began to listen to the steps, wondering if she could figure out whose shoes she was hearing tapping. It wasn't only one pair; she found out soon when two voices began to speak.

One was Portia. "Did you see Sadie Harrison? She has some guts to come here! Poor, little Jude. Tommy really broke her!"

Poor little Jude, Jude mentally repeated, angrily. She wasn't a pity case!

"I don't know." The other voice belonged to Fiona, Darius secretary. "I mean, I've only seen little of Jude, but she really followed Tommy around like a love sick puppy! I saw her two days ago, when she was back from tour, and I swear I've never seen someone more blatantly drooling over a guy!"

"Hey," Portia warned, "Watch it. I like Jude, okay? What was she supposed to do? See, you don't know Tom Quincy." Her tone took a snarling manner. "He knows exactly what effect he has on other people, especially young and naive girls. Poor girl was head over heels in love with him, and he enjoyed it! I've been married to Tom. He loves being adored, being worshipped and awed. The problem is no one has ever broken his heart before. He doesn't know what Jude is feeling right now. Everyone knew he'd do her sister eventually. She's blonde, hot and she's his groupie. It was bound to happen. Honestly, I already thought they were hitting it off last fall during D's pool party!"

"I never thought Jude to be that naive. She's sixteen! He'd never touch her."

"He did!" Portia seemed shocked but amazed at the same time. "Last night they had a big fight and I found out they kissed at least once!"

"Seriously?" Fiona laughed. "Bet he couldn't wait to compare the sisters' lips!"

"I really hope Jude's not forgiving Tommy easily. But, from what I've heard from some of the other employees, she's falling for his charm every time. Hey – you want to go to lunch later?" Both women left the room again, and Jude finally exited the stall herself. She caught her reflection in the mirror, seeing the reddish cheeks that mocked her with the tears she had fought so hard. Her eyes belittled her self-confidence as she saw the hurt in them. In that moment she maid a silent promise to herself that she would not let anyone believe for only one more moment that she was the poor little girl who grieved over a guy that wasn't even hers to claim. Yes, she was hurting. But, she was not some crybaby! She was Jude Harrison! She was the first Instant Star! So what? Tommy didn't want her? A million other guys did! Okay, maybe not a million but plenty. A bunch of? Some, at least! One being Spied's cousin David who had taken her home last night! He might not 'like'-like her, but he 'just'-liked her! She could work with that…

###

With one eye firmly locked on the lobby, searching, waiting for Jude's return he halfheartedly bothered to acknowledge Sadie's presence. In the back of his mind he knew he was living proof that men could be ogres, but he couldn't bring himself to care. "Why are you here," he needled Sadie more unfriendly than she earned.

"To find out what we are!" She snapped out of nature, not at all liking the attitude Tommy showed, but she knew he was in the middle of his job, and that she had most likely just caused some trouble between him and his artist, also known as her sister. For that she forgave him. "You slept with me and then disappeared!" For that she didn't.

"In case you forgot," he sternly reminded her, "Jude caught us in the middle of sex! I've other things on my mind right now than to go on some date, or whatever!"

"You could have at least called me!" Having briefly pondered of playing the pouting, neglected girlfriend she had ultimately decided against it, not sure if he would buy it, or even care. However, she refused to leave without either a definition of what they were, or with the hope for another date. "Can I stay? I want to spend time with you and since you refuse to come to me, I've to come to you."

"You're kidding, right? Jude's already on the verge of hating me! If you stay, she'll never forgive me!"

Sadie would not accept being dumped over the volatile moods of her little sister! "That's all you care about? Jude? I am your girlfriend!"

His head snapped up, and his eyes took a deprecatory, darker shade. "We still have to talk about that!"

As interesting as Kwest found the moment, he coughed slightly, interrupting the uprising fight when he saw Jude storming into the sound booth again. Thoughts of Sadie and Tommy were gone when he saw how frantically she began to collect her belongings.

"You're okay," he worriedly asked over the intercom, perplexed by the change in her demeanor. He figured she was eager to get away from the new couple, but the frenetic movements of her had him wondering if there might not have happened something else the last five minutes.

Jude looked up, baffling everyone by the dark and enraged flames that distorted her usually soft eyes. "I'm just peachy!" She snarled full of sarcasm. Strangely neither Sadie nor Tommy felt addressed, what in return confused both. Jude's arms pushed anything but smoothly into the sleeves of her jacket, while she fumed, "If you see Portia, tell her to call me! ASAP! Who does she think she is? Let alone Fiona… stupid little bitch…" The boisterous mumble had everyone intrigued as of what had enfolded why they hadn't been around. Tommy, who was only seconds away from entering the booth and cornering Jude, until she calmed down, couldn't for the life of him remember the last time he had heard her using the word 'bitch'!

But instead of keeping her from her private little freak-out moment, he settled for what he assumed was senseless asking. "Where you're going? What happened?" Not used to this side of her, he watched with in puzzlement how she grabbed her back and headed for the door, not answering. Not that he had expected.

"Lunch," came as an answer a moment later. She had answered. Not that he believed it. "Sadie, you have a second?"

Sadie nodded, stunned she wasn't yelled or barked at by Jude, but simply asked. After yesterday morning's talk, that had left Sadie confused and even a little hurt from the hidden harshness in Jude's words, Sadie had not expected Jude to talk to her anytime soon. Following her sister into the lobby, Sadie finally showed some signs guilt. In times like these, it was hard to combine being the sister and the woman who wanted some attention from the guy she had fallen for. "Sorry. Tommy told me you're having a hard time accepting him and me and–"

Jude immediately looked away to avoid getting emotional again. "I really don't want to talk about that right now! I need a favor."

"What favor?"

"Keys. I got here by bus this morning and now I need a car."

"Where are you going," Sadie now really wanted to know. Something obviously had happened during the last five minutes for Jude's mood to change so drastically from sad to pissed off.

"Lunch. I told you. I need a car to get there." Impatient little fingers tapped in a fast, unsteady rhythm against her thighs. It seemed like she couldn't not do anything – as if stopping to move completely would cause her to implode. Even her toes curled and uncurled in her shoes. Jude wasn't sure if the thrive to leave came from the energy that was currently chasing the blood in her veins, or if the energy came from the thrive. In any way, she wanted to go and not play twenty-one questions.

"I'm not letting you drive when you're about to explode! What happened? Let me take you!"

Jude's inner drive to leave, to change something, to be something else than a pathetic and naive teenager was helping her to ignore the fact that Tommy was right next door, and that her own sister had been the girl in his arms, moaning his name when Jude had secretly wished to be that girl, herself. Except the moaning part. Maybe. But, if she stopped now, calmed down, then she feared she'd transform back into the very person, weak and wretched, Portia and Fiona had gossiped about just a moment ago. No, she couldn't calm down. "Car. Please!" She needed to get away from everyone and everything for just a while.

"No!"

Jude sighed. She would not beg, not under any circumstances, and so she walked back to the studio, interrupting Kwest and Tommy who tried to hide the fact that they had watched both Harrisons the whole time. "I need a car."

"Why," Tommy worriedly asked. "Something happened?"

"Several things. The point is someone is waiting for me, and I need a car to get there." She looked him straight into the eyes, not hiding the turmoil of her emotions. "Quincy, I'm only asking once. Can I have your car? And before you answer, consider the really big amount of effort it takes me to even ask you!"

She played the guilt-card on him, and he didn't even dare to roll his eyes. Saying no would only add more fuel to their differences, saying yes would mean…still having differences, but no car any longer. Although – just maybe, it would score him some points to get back on her good side. While reluctantly handing over the keys he muttered, "please be careful! I don't want any scratches on the paint!"

Jude took the keys with a level of annoyance she had not thought possible. "I didn't want you lie to me either! Did you care?" She spun around, red curls flying wildly, stripping him of any chance to reply. She secretly smirked with a small level of satisfaction, faintly hearing Kwest snickering in the background. Her words must have hit home.

"That must have stung," the engineer grinned, liking the blunt side of Jude. Let alone the exit! He couldn't remember having seen Tommy this dumbfounded before!

Tommy only glared at him. "Where the hell is she going?! And what was that about Portia?" He didn't know this side of Jude. She suddenly had a life that didn't involve him any longer and he couldn't imagine ever getting used to that feeling. Jude was his girl. They were friends, they talked about everything, and even the things she refused to let him in on, he still knew about them from her songs. Now she was just the girl in the booth, occasionally allowing him a look into her sad eyes to remind him he was the only one responsible with no one but himself to blame.

###

David stood at the curb of the street, right next to the bus stop for the school busses, when Jude pulled up. "Nice car," he complimented. David Moore was eighteen years old, rich, senior, and captain of the football team. In Sadie's world, where he used to live in, he was what she would call a 'hot shot', or an 'ultimate hottie'. He wasn't wearing the usual jock-clothes that consisted of a pastel-colored and expensive polo shirt and fancy dark blue jeans. David preferred stone washed, light blue jeans, Chucks and plain shirts. He topped the look with a leather motorcycle jacket, which often reminded Jude of Tommy. But, other than the jacket David didn't have any similarities to him. He was a having dark blond hair, short cut and just the slightest bit styled. He was more of a Justin Timberlake in his cool, past boy band time. He was taller than Jude, which she liked. His eyes were deep, but Jude had never lost herself in them, like she had in Tommy's. David was the school's ultimate bad boy and she never quite understood why he held that title.

She had always seen David as a protection-buddy. Spied was his cousin, and ever since Spied was part of Jude's band, she and SME were officially out of bounds for the 'cool mean guys' to prank on. David had more than once kept his idiotic 'friends' from walking all over them. He had been at the concert yesterday, and Jude had accidentally found out that he had not so long ago broken up with his girlfriend, Amanda. Now he needed someone to keep his mind off. Jude knew how that felt.

"What's so important you make me bail school, Harrison? Not that I mind." She flinched, hearing her name called so nonchalantly. "You're okay? Is it about that from yesterday?" When David had picked her up after the concert, he had seen Tommy. Jude had only told him little things about him so far.

"Yes. Somehow. But, actually it's more about a lot of other people. Can we go somewhere?"

"Sure. I don't expect you let me drive the car?"

Jude grinned, scooting over to the passenger's seat. "Feel free to test it out. I've no idea how fast it goes, but I can't wait to find out!"

"Let's go then," he suggested eagerly, jumping over the door and into the seat. Jude had never noticed before how athletic David was. About five minutes later, after having found out that the Cobra did well even at 180 mph — Tommy would likely get one hell of a ticket since she was pretty sure there had been a speed camera about a mile ago — they reached the MacDonald's drive-in. "About the reason I called," Jude nervously started. "I need a boyfriend. Someone who's good-looking, cool and someone who can't break my heart."

David frowned. "And you called me because…"

"For me, that's the definition of you. That guy I told you about…I like him. I'm still trying not to like him anymore, but that turns out to be a lot harder than I planned. He's with Sadie now, and everyone knows that. Just like everyone suddenly knows I like him, or liked. The point is that I'm getting pitied, and people are giving me looks, saying 'oh, poor you', or 'silly you'. It's like they want to ask me how I could have been so stupid to believe I actually stood a chance at him. And that's almost worse than seeing him with Sadie."

David nodded, not needing the explanations. Since Amanda had broken up with him, or he with her – that still was a little fuzzy – people began to whisper behind his back, cracking jokes about him and some even laughed at him. Rumor had it Amanda had an affair with a guy from another school, and when he had suggested a break up, she had not objected, and a moment later they were no longer a couple. "I know. You start to see a different side of the people around you. Like you're a clown, walking around for their entertainment to keep them from worrying about their own lives. Not to forget that everyone is trying to psychoanalyze you!"

"Yeah. And it sucks!" Jude was enormously relieved to know she wasn't the only person in the world feeling like that. "I thought if you and…uh…I show up at G-Major and…uh…make out," she mumbled, feigning to be highly interested in the menu that was printed on a big metal sign next to the car, "then it'll shut them up. They see I'm not the pathetic little loser and leave me alone. And I could do the same in school with you! You can even brag about having had sex with me," she flatly suggested. A part of her even wanted him to, wanting not to be the young and naive girl any longer. "You'd just have to make me a good sex-partner!"

He laughed wholeheartedly, having never expected Jude Harrison to suggest that sort of thing! Offering a flattered grin, once the hilarity of this moment had subsided he yet faced her apologetically. "Okay, Harrison. You know I always liked you. Platonically. But, you're cool. And I'm okay with the idea, but…don't take this personally, but as famous as you are, Amanda, nor anyone else will believe you and I hit it off."

And there went the good mood. "Why?"

"It's your look." Self-consciously she looked down at herself.

"Are you calling me ugly?" She could sense the tears returning. Those salty little droplets, doomed to leave her eyes eventually, were starting to laugh about her by now, that's how much she had cried the last days! Come to think of it, maybe everyone else did have a point calling her a pity case?

"NO! Geez, no. You're just…boring. In a very sweet and nice sort of way!" His dark green eyes pleaded for some understanding. "My last girlfriend had a closet full of miniskirts that are shorter than most girls' hot pants! I'm saying you can wear those clothes, too. You're just not making much of yourself. For this thing to work both ways you need to change your look! For everyone else to treat me as the 'cool guy' again, I need to be with someone that outdoes Amanda!" David wasn't a fan of how that sounded, but it was high school and there were certain rules that one just had to respect.

"I like my clothes."

"I like them too. I guess that's why I have half of the shirts you have, myself! Come on, Spied said you two trade clothes!" Jude looked away, suddenly feeling stupid for having ever done so, which didn't do any good to her already-weakened confidence. Muttering a weak, "Only that one time…" she found him purposely ignoring that statement. "Try wearing a skirt occasionally. And heels! And, I know you used to be a blonde, so maybe you could consider returning to that. The red is…"

"Don't you dare say boring," she warned and her hand flew up in a warning gesture. At that instinctive act she felt a fire in her that she hadn't experienced in days. "I'm red because it's not boring!"

"But it's fake! And it's not you. You're a hot chick, Harrison. Stop hiding behind that hair!"

Jude scoffed. "For a guy you have pretty precise imaginations how I'm supposed to look! I'm not a Barbie you can dress up!"

"I'm a guy Jude. Ask a guy how the perfect girl is supposed to look like and in nine out of ten cases you'll get the description of a young Pamela Anderson with a better IQ and smaller breasts!"

"Smaller breasts?" Jude laughed at that. Wow, the first time in days she had laughed. It felt good!

"A handful is enough. Imagine, Harrison. You're underneath, and a triple D Anderson on top. She'd suffocate you with her tits!"

"So the big ones are to look at and the small ones are to play with? Wow," Jude smirked. "Now that's what I call a deep insight into men's thoughts!"

"Don't sound so shocked! I'm a failure in math, but women – I know them!"

Jude slapped his shoulder playfully. "After seven girlfriends during the last year, one would think so! I think I can handle some changes. So we have a deal?"

"We have. Let's celebrate it with fries. You don't mind eating them in the car? It'll smell of fast-food afterwards! We can still get a table inside." He drove a Porsche himself, and hated the smell of food in it. It ruined the vague, irreplaceable scent of 'new and expensive car'.

"No, it's okay. It's not my car…"

After ordering a giant amount of food that each left a distinctive and for Tommy unwelcome smell in the car, David took the opportunity to question Jude a little further. They had never been close friends, and now he found himself intrigued why she was so willing to go through so much effort for a guy she wanted to get over. "You're doing a lot for a guy you want to hate."

"I'm not doing this for him. I want to change." She finished the last bite of her burger. "When I woke up this morning I was Jude, the girl with the guitar that writes kick-ass songs. I'm a sassy and fierce person. I'm stubborn and I'm not easily breaking down. That's who I was before I came to G-Major. Then I entered and I saw all those people looking at me, I heard them talking about me and suddenly I'm this entirely different person. What I think about myself is right now so far away from what everyone else thinks about me that it's literally freaking me out. I can't go back there, listening to what they say, doing nothing."

"So you lie and let them believe you aren't hurting?"

"No. I show them that I move on. They can see that I'm hurt. They all saw me crying already, so there's no sense in lying about that." She forced herself to smile, but more important she willed the smile to be genuine. "You want to know what's the worst part? It's the second time this happens. I believed someone to be something he's clearly not, and I'm the last one to understand how wrong I was."

"Shay?" He had read about that disastrous birthday of hers in the tabloids. "I thought you and Tom never dated."

Jude laughed bitterly. "I know. But, I trusted Tommy to never hurt me, and he did." Again, she inwardly added. "It's complicated. The thing between him and me…it's complicated. I wish I could say we were just friends and that I'm making a too big deal out of it. I told him I fell in love with him and he never once told me he didn't fall back. He only ever said we couldn't be together. My age and stuff like that," she further added, letting a sharp, doubting tone lace those words. Her big blue eyes looked at David's in a manner he had never seen before. She was pleading for honesty. "Would it have been too much to ask for the truth? I don't mean the lying, I…I mean…if he doesn't like me like that, he could have told me, couldn't he? That's not too much to ask for, is it?"

"No." He tried to end the heavy moment by smiling at her. "Now you have me to show everyone the new you. The girl that dates a steaming hot millionaire and who wears plain sexy short skirts!"

"Yeah," Jude scoffed with a laugh, "that's the real me!" She appreciated the attempt of lightening the mood. "I don't know if I'm only being more ridiculous for doing this, but I just don't want to be alone right now. Not in public and…"

"It's okay," he assured. "Hey, the deal works for me too, remember? Amanda pulled a number on me! I share your pain!"

Jude doubted that, but smiled in agreement anyway.

###

Tommy had finally agreed to sort some things out with Sadie. He didn't have a car and D had strongly suggested he ought to wait until Jude was back to inform her she couldn't just leave whenever she wanted to. Might as well use the time. "I'm not sure if you and I should really date. It's already causing too many problems." He pulled his hand away from the counter in the kitchenette when Sadie tried to hold it.

"We have fun, Tommy. And Jude knows, now. She'll get used to it; she just needs time!" A persuasive, deliberately soft voice spoke from Sadie's lips. She was smart enough to know he'd never pick her because he loved her. Now, at – hopefully – the beginning of their relationship she was aware that her only plus over the thick friendship he had with Jude was the attraction she believed sparked so strongly between them.

"I know." He wasn't sure what he wanted, anymore.

"One date," Sadie begged, plum lips in a pout, a fingertip dared its way up his forearm. When he didn't pull away, she found herself optimistic. "One date. To see if it'll work."

He was just about to deny, to tell her to go away before he'd find himself stupid enough to agree, when he spotted Jude, entering the lobby. Her step was filled with a carefree sway, a smile lightened her face, and a big bad in her hand, labeled 'Dolce & Gabbana' swung next to her when she sauntered down the lobby. "Wow! What happened?"

"What?" Sadie followed Tommy's view. "What?! How does she even know where that store is?"

Slowly, the world around him began to melt away. Tommy didn't hear Sadie's words. He was too caught up in Jude. She looked completely different from when she had left, without looking any different at all. Like her whole world had changed. She hadn't seen him so far, and the bitter part in him noted that it was probably the reason why she wasn't moping, but – was that a smile?! The plugs of her MP3 player were in her ears, she had a song on her lips, one he couldn't define, but clearly see for her lips formed the words, though mutely. It must have been an upbeat one, because if his eyes weren't playing him, she was swaying to the rhythm. Was this really the same girl that had banned him from her life? The very girl whose eyes had had not even two hours ago been so dark that one who didn't knew the real reason would have assumed she was carrying all the world's grieve?

"JUDE!"

Startled to no end, everyone's head shot towards Darius' office door, where the intimidating, bold and tall man barked a harsh "Get here NOW!" at her. She didn't hear him though, because of the earplugs, and Tommy couldn't help but grin. A small part of him was even a little proud. She defied Darius without even realizing it. It was so like her.

"JUDE!" He shot again, not a fan of defiance. Now Jude turned around, having noticed Portia not far of her, motioning for her to look towards Darius' door. Unbeknownst to her at least eight or nine people were following the scene, waiting for D to start yelling at her, or for Jude to start crying again. Jude though simply smiled at D as she pulled the plugs out of her ears. "Hey," she asked with a missing sense for guilt, "You need me for something?"

"Yes! I need you to work," he informed her sternly, feeling like the pun of a bad joke. Duh – of course, he needed her for something! He needed her to work! "You can't just walk out here. Either you're at school, or you're here. Not out, shopping!" He didn't care that he was giving his lecture in front of everyone, in the middle of the lobby.

Jude simply shrugged as if he weren't her boss, but some a non-threatening nobody, stunning him into muteness. "Sorry. Won't happen again. Damn," she suddenly winced, "It will happen again. Actually I've to go out for lunch again, tomorrow. Sorry…"

"NO! You're NOT leaving." Darius Mills wasn't going to take up the wishes of a sixteen-year old, bad selling artist. "Recording, or school. You pick!"

Never been good with orders, Jude's jaw hardened when she stepped closer to D, making it hard for everyone else to hear what he and she were talking about. A moment later they disappeared into his office, leaving everyone with the wish to be a fly on D's office wall.

"What is she telling him," Kwest wondered so full of interest that Tommy couldn't help but feel reminded of a seventy-year old tattletale. The only thing missing would be for Kwest to pull out a pair of rusty opera glasses to inspect D's door even closer.

"No idea," Tommy admitted, his eyes still glued to the door of D's office. "But, if she's not out in two minutes, I'd be prepared for a lot more tears and some serious sobbing. He'll break her! She just told him no in front of everyone! I still remember the lecture I got for that when I did it!" It had been the longest hour of his life, and the repercussions had been the hardest of his life: He had to stay in the bus with the roadies and wasn't allowed in the band's hotel for a week, which had severely limited his opportunities to hook up with groupies!

Meanwhile inside D's office, Jude sat down in one of the visitor's chairs. Her face was soft, and she looked at him like a two-year old who got caught stealing flowers in the neighbor's garden. "Sorry for before, D. But, I really need to have those lunch dates!"

"Why? You're having a boyfriend?" He wasn't nosy. It was just his job to know.

"Maybe?"

Dark eyes rolled. "I've always hated this word. Either something is, or something is not happening. Do, or do you not have a boyfriend?"

"I do have a boyfriend." Might as well start early with the whole charade! "I'm meeting him for lunch every day because in the evening I'm making my homework, and if I'm not here, I'm at school." She quickly had found out that Darius liked it when someone was good in school. She wasn't good in school, but at least she was a good pretender!

"Is he famous, too?"

"It's not Shay," she snarled, "in case you were wondering!"

"I know it's not Shay!" He barked, not a fond admirer of her attitude, or lately – Shay. "He's with this gold-digging socialite, keeping him from making good music." He couldn't believe what was happening when he found himself confessing, "You weren't that bad for him. I wish you were with him again. He was focused back then!"

Jude stared at Darius for a moment, before breaking out in laughter. Somewhere between eleven-thirty and leaving the studio, and one-thirty and returning to the studio this day had actually gotten good. She was hardly thinking about Tommy anymore, and rather excited to finally find Portia, tell her about her fake boyfriend, and the wish to change her style. Laughter subsided into giggles, and she gave Darius her big blue innocent eyes that shone so brightly in amusement that even he had to crack a smile. "Good to know you don't hate me. I always thought you couldn't stand me for having ruined Shay's image! I thought that's why you made me do the stupid cover."

"I'm your manager, Jude. You think I manage people I can't stand?" While he told her, he took a deeper look at Jude. There was a strange sort of pain in her eyes, one she tried to hide well, and which he found startling. The last time he had seen Jude, before having taken over G-Major, she was a stubborn little pain in the ass that had no respect at all for him. Most of that, he believed, was due to the 'mean stories' he was sure Tom Quincy had told her about him. Now though, Jude was calm. The ferocious trades of her character that had once made her so hard to work with were now replaced by something else he couldn't quite place. She seemed…lost. Defeated.

"You offered me the contract to make you richer," Jude spoke up, recalling that this was one of his comments when she had agreed to let him manage her.

"It failed, and I'm still your manager. Jude," he sighed, finding that it was the time to clear some things out between them. He might come off as a cold and unkind person but in his heart he always ever wanted the best for his artists. "I never stopped Shay from dating you because it'd ruin his image. That's just what I told him. I knew he'd hurt you inevitably. Guys like Shay, or even Tommy, aren't made to be with girls like you. You're too nice. Maybe even too good! Shay is arrogant, which is admittedly my fault, and conceited. He doesn't know how it feels to get hurt, because he never got rejected. He's trying his best to be good, to do the right thing, but in the end he's just who he is."

"I hate when people say that," Jude told him with fierce expression. "It's like giving someone an excuse to be an asshole. Your girlfriend is too good for you, so why even try being a good guy. What crap is that?! If Shay would have cared for me like he made me think, he wouldn't have cheated!"

Darius was amazed Jude was this fearless to speak her mind. Few people ever did that in his presence. Not even older people, who had much less to lose! "You're not afraid of me, are you?"

A few days ago, Jude would have said yes. Now? Things got a different perspective when she found out that there were worse things in life than pissing off your boss! She was done looking at people in awe. It was time for other people to earn the respect they wanted to get from her. "No."

"You can have your lunch break," he agreed. He had always known Jude wasn't like everyone else. That was one of the reasons he had wanted to be her manager. She had been honest with him, and he wanted her to know she had made the right choice. "I didn't give you the cover song to punish you. Your old songs were naive and even slightly boring. Good, but…a failure. You needed a fresh start, that's why I chose the song. It was different. More mature. Your new stuff is good. I honestly like it! But, you need a change of style to go with the new songs. We need to sell you all over again. Differently this time!" He paused, allowing his eyes to look at her for a moment. "Have you ever thought about going platinum blond," he wondered, the thought just then entering his mind.

Jude laughed again, stood up and headed for the door. When she opened it, she returned her view to the confused Darius, offering a smile. "Give me half an hour, and I'll be your new platinum star!"

"There she comes," Kwest proclaimed when the heavy and big office door opened, nudging Tommy's arm to gain his attention.

"Thanks," Tommy remarked with a fair amount of sarcasm. "I would have not seen it myself!" He took in her demeanor. "She doesn't look sad, or scared, or even angry! What happened in there?"

"No idea."

"Are you done stalking my sister," Sadie sneered from one of the chairs behind them. "It's getting boring, and I don't think Jude likes to be watched from afar!"

Tommy was just about to reply, lips already on the verge of reposting annoyed, when he saw Darius coming out of his office, calling Jude's name again.

"Jude, you never told me the name of your boyfriend!" Darius called after her, unconsciously making everyone aware of that fact, and causing Jude to flinch. It wasn't supposed to come out like that, she thought for herself, but now that it had, she needed to go with it.

"David." Jude saw Sadie, Kwest and Tommy from the corner of her eyes, all staring at her. "David Moore." Just then Jude wondered why Darius wanted to know, and in her irritation she suddenly remembered what he did the last time she had had a boyfriend. He had mingled with it! "Don't you dare to call him! He's no showbiz guy, and I don't want you to scare him away!"

"I was just asking! I'm allowed to worry about my favorite artist, aren't I?"

Jude flashed a smile. "You can worry. But, you don't get to call him! It'll just make think I'm having a freak as a boss!"

"Is it me," Kwest asked, watching the scene as if it were the biggest blockbuster movie ever, "or do they sound like friends?"

"They do," Tommy agreed, more than irritated. "Since when is Darius letting other people talk to him like that?!" If anyone knew Darius, it was Tommy. And he most definitely had never seen that side of him!

"I can't believe she's dating my ex!"

"What?" Both Kwest and Tommy snapped their heads towards Sadie. Unexpectedly, the whole moment had shifted. Now it wasn't just about Jude's newfound friendship with Darius anymore, but about a guy that appeared out of nowhere and about whom Tommy had never heard before. "Your ex?"

"David Moore. He's in high school, and captain of the football team! I dated him for about a month last year. He broke up with me! He was one of the few guys who ever broke up with me!" Thinking about that still left a sour taste. "I didn't even know Jude knows him. I had no idea David knows Jude! They don't have anything in common! He's cool, good-looking and popular and Jude is…Jude."

Both Tommy and Kwest once again turned around, and tried to find Jude somewhere in the lobby. "You think she's doing it to bug you?"

"Wouldn't shock me," Tommy let out, a little unhappier than he wanted to be. "She's hurt. I don't want her to do something she might regret later, just because of what I did."

"What if that's not the reason she's with him?"

Tommy only gave a blank look. He really didn't like the thought of that. A part of him had always known there was a likely possibility Jude would find some guy and fall for him. The arrogant, selfish part of him had just never believed it to occur. Not with him in her life. At least he had never assumed she'd find someone else in high school's walls. No one in there could possibly come near to what Tommy had to offer! Money, good – extraordinary looks, and the ability to make her smile so much that not even her own face could offer enough room for those widely stretched lips.

Sure, there had been the brief moment where it had seemed likely that Jude would start something with Jamie, but Tommy had not felt the least bit threatened by that. Jamie Andrews? Ha! Now he found himself nervous. Jude was determined to stay at distance from him, and what if the guy she had met could compete with all those things that made the difference between him and any other guy in her life? What if he was underestimating things, and there was a real possibility that Jude would see that Tom Quincy was replaceable?

Chapter four

Jude looked at her reflection in the mirror. Okay, so it had taken a little longer than the expected thirty minutes to look like this, but she had to admit, it was worth it. She had truly suffered to be a blonde again! Bleaching hair was a mean thing and it had burnt on her scalp like a million needles would if someone would all set them on fire and then pin them into her skin. The comparison wasn't necessarily her most witty one, but it was true!

"Gorgeous," a clearly enthusiastic Portia complimented, discarding the last remains of bleach that the coiffeur had left behind. "You look sexy!"

Jude blushed the slightest bit, wondering if she had ever called that before. Tousling her hair, then straightened out a few curls, before tousling them again she probed how different she could style her new look. "David will love it!"

"David?" Portia was instantly interested, brows curving in attention. "I thought you did it to show Quincy what he's been missing out on!"

"He's sleeping with my sister. He lied to me, and he hurt me. Give me one good reason I should care about the things he thinks about me!" She blew the bangs out of her face, not used to that sort of curly, feminine styling. But that was the point of change, wasn't it? "No, there's this guy I've been dating lately. David Moore. He dated the head-cheerleader before he asked me out, and I want that stupid girl to see how sexy I can be! She keeps belittling me!" Initially, Jude wanted to be blunt and tell Portia to not ever call her naive again, but now she decided for a more subtle method. That, and she felt a little too worn out for a discussion about the pro's and con's of gossip. "Amanda, the ex, called me a naive virgin and a crybaby. She's going to freak out when she sees me making out with David tomorrow! David really likes me and he's one hell of a good kisser…"

Portia smiled, genuinely happy for her, and slightly sorry for having called her naive earlier, too. She had truly misread Jude. Yet, there was still a part in her that had troubles accepting Jude's arguments. "I honestly believed you'd be hung up on Tommy. After last night's fight… So, this David is not just some good looking guy to make Quincy jealous?"

"I'm hurt," Jude openly confessed. "But, the more I think about it, I'm more hurt because he lied to me. We were friends and he deliberately kept it from me for weeks. He told me he knew it would hurt me, it did, and he did it anyway. That's not a friend."

"No, it really isn't."

"And about the jealousy… He had sex with my sister! I think that proved very clearly that it's not me he wants! I'm in love with David. Tommy hurt me. And yes, I might have cared a little too much about him, but I'm honestly in love with David."

Jude amazed Portia. One moment she had made anyone believe she was the saddest girl in the world, who had gotten her big gullible heart broken from an infernal monster, and the next moment she was a happy young girl, in love and ready to fight anyone who threatened her happiness. If Jude weren't sixteen, Portia might have believed she was putting up the best show of the century, but Jude was only sixteen. And, what sense would a show make? Everyone had already seen her crying! "Well, I'm happy for you. And I'm especially happy that you decided to trade your ripped jeans for designer clothes. Trust me, whether Tommy is sleeping with Sadie or not, when he sees you in that skirt with those boots tomorrow, he'll regret picking the older Harrison!"

Jude giggled, for once not suffering upon hearing Tommy's name. Maybe she did like the idea of stunning him with her new look! Wait – Tommy! "Damn," Jude muttered, practically jumping towards her bag and searching for something. "Oh thank God!" She pulled the keys out from a deep chaos of scribbled papers and old lunch wrappers. She was a disaster in the cleaning-department. She knew. "How late is it?"

"Nine pm."

"Shit!" Not only had she still Tommy's key, but also had the last bus home just left the bus stop. "Can you take me home?"

"I'm getting picked up by a friend, later. Sorry."

Of course! Just great! "I've got to go." She grabbed her stuff, put on her jacket and walked down to the studio, seeing light coming from there. Timidly entering, she sheepishly looked at Tommy. "Missing your keys?"

He would have said yes, hadn't her new look thrown him completely off guard. It was only hair that had changed, but the new color made her look so much older, and dare he even say – sexier? The light color of her hair made her skin glow in a golden shimmer, and he found himself oddly reminded of the cliché-picture of an angel.

"Tommy?" Jude wrinkled her forehead as she looked at him. Why was he staring at her like a dorky idiot? "Quincy! Keys. Here!" She held them up, only to drop them clumsily when he reached for them. His fingertips had come entirely too close to her own and she wasn't ready for an actually contact of skin with him. Mumbling a lukewarm "sorry," she looked up at him when he sat back, still having that weird expression on his face. "I can't believe I'm asking this," she dreaded, "but…can you take me home? The last bus just left, and…it's raining and you know I hate walking!"

"Of course." He immediately stood up, switching off every light and lamp in split seconds, like he had waited for this very command his whole life. "Let's go." He was jumping at her every demand these days, but guilt was a tricky thing and he had yet to learn to live with it. That, and he needed to get that confusing angel-comparison out of his head. It was Jude, after all. If anything, she was a devil! A stubborn, annoying, fierce…damn good-looking she-devil. He wondered how she'd look in one of those fiery red costumes, with small horns and a cute little tail, maybe even a fork, or a whip to tease him with. He also wondered how many years he'd have to beg for her forgiveness for her do him the favor of wearing such an outfit! Probably decades!

Turning away from his discomposing gaze she looked down at her feet. "If you need to finish first…"

"No. I'm ready."

She nodded, and went ahead, knowing the way to the car. She had parked it there! The aim was to make the next minutes as smooth and contact-less as possible. Tommy trailed closely behind, admiring her new hair color. He would have never believed that one simple change could let her look so differently, let alone that it would bring such a turmoil into his thoughts! She reached the car first, sitting down in it without opening the door. David had shown her how to swiftly hop over the door. She surely had Tommy amazed by that. "When did you learn that?"

She briefly hesitated answering, not wanting to make it seem like she was beginning to forgive him. After all, she had told him she didn't want to talk to him these days! But, driving in silent the whole five miles…that'd be stupid, too. "A friend taught me after lunch."

A friend. There was the mysterious guy again. He didn't dare to ask her about him. David. Tommy remembered his name from before, when Jude had told it to Darius. He also remembered Sadie saying she had dated David before and Tommy couldn't help but ask himself if this was some sort of payback from Jude. But, she had yet to flaunt him around. Had this been revenge he would have probably been the first to find out and not Darius! And what sort of revenge would it have been anyway? Was she trying to make him jealous? Would it work? He got in the car himself, putting on the seat belt. "You look good as a blonde." Change of topic.

"Thank you." She didn't look at him, but noticed him being nervous and helpless from the reflection in the window. He reminded her a lot of a donkey in a swimming pool, trying to survive but not knowing how to. When she saw him wrinkling his nose, sniffing a couple of times, she quickly busied herself with her own seat belt. She had already forgotten about the French fries and the burgers and the many other things she had eaten in here earlier. She hadn't planned to be in the car with him when he found out! "Time for a change, you know. The red was becoming old." She tried to change the topic, too.

He hardly listened to her, too irritated by the weird smell in the car. It was everywhere. "Where exactly did you go earlier?"

"Why," she wondered nonchalantly, doing her best by appearing as innocent as possible. Eyes found his, big and confused. "Something wrong? A scratch?"

Fear momentarily flashed his face. "Jude, it stinks in here. What did you do to my car?!"

Her face turned away; freckles of sheepishness strewed over her features. "Eating lunch?"

"You know I hate it when you eat in my car! What did you eat?" He still sniffed, trying to figure it out himself. When he found a greasy fries-wrapper carelessly discarded under the driver's seat, he angrily picked it up and held it in front of her. "McDonald's? You ruined my car!"

"Oh please," Jude scoffed, rolling her eyes, "one wrapper doesn't ruin a car!" She had forgotten that she actually wanted this car to stink. Served him right.

He was about to protest when he realized he was actually talking to her without having her wrenching his gut by her tears. His scoff turned into a weary smile. "We're even now," he roguishly asked.

Jude's lips curled into the tiniest grin he had ever seen on her. "It'll take a lot more McDonald's wrappers to even out what you did." She didn't want to feel the hurt returning, but it did unasked. "So, nice car you have." Changing the topic once again was the only thing she could think of instead of silence, or more accusations.

He understood. "I know. Kwest and I, we're hitting the road next weekend, testing it out."

Jude smiled, thinking about her lunch break. "You really should! 180 mph and still no limit reached!"

Tommy had just left the parking lot when the tires of the car stopped abruptly, his stare threatening and shocked at the same time. Not hesitating to be harsh, he barked, "what the fuck did you do earlier?!"

Jude realized what she had just said and gasped, trying her best to look cute and guiltless. "Nothing?" He didn't buy it. "Look," she started, trying to sound convincing. "David knew exactly what he was doing! He's driving a silver Porsche Turbo himself, and knows about speed. His car was in the garage and so I let him drive mine a-"

"MINE. You let him drive MINE! It's my car, Jude. And I don't care if the idiot is a fucking Formula 1 driver! Do you even know how dangerous it is to drive this fast? You could have ended up dead! Ever thought about that? I trusted you when I gave you the key. Truth to be told I expected you to scratch the paint on purpose, writing asshole on the rear spoiler or whatever, but risking your life?"

Every bit of normality that this moment with him might have had so far disappeared, and Jude was caught in a mixture of anger and resentment. How could he dare to blow up on her like that! So what, maybe David had driven too fast, but who was he to lecture her about safety and risks! Had he cared about the risks of losing her as a friend when pushing his stupid dick into her sister? "Shut up, okay? I don't want to hear it, Tommy! Yes, I let David drive the car that fast. You want to hear the truth? I dared him to it! I had fun doing it. I had fun with him! It was a mistake to do this. I'm not ready to be alone with you again!"

"Jude, I didn't mean to yell like that," he sighed, despite not meaning it. She had risked her life! Had she any idea how he would feel in case something had happened to her?

"You don't mean a lot of things lately!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't want to hurt me, but you do it anyway. You don't love my sister, but you do her anyway. You have to decide, Tommy. You can't have everything and never pay for it. You do something; you've got to accept the consequences! Right now that means that you're not my friend! You don't get to lecture me. You don't get to worry about me. You don't get to judge me. And most importantly, you don't get to care about me! I don't want you to care about me anymore! Because, I don't care about you, either!"

"Is that why you asked me if I were getting into troubles, last night? Because you don't care anymore?"

"No. I told you, it was a question out of politeness! See, I promised never to tell anyone about that kiss, but I did and I felt bad about it. I broke a promise, I apologized and if you had gotten into troubles, I would have accepted the consequences with you. Because that's what people do when they make mistakes. They accept the consequences! Why can't you do that?"

"If I did what you asked me to, I would not be in this car with you right now! You'd be somewhere without me, trying your best making yourself believe you can just forget about me. You want me out of your life, Jude! You think that's something I can just accept? I can't imagine my life without you! Believe it, or not, but I need you in my life! If I could go back in time, I would have never even looked at Sadie if that meant keeping you from getting hurt! But, I can't change what happened. I am sorry, and I'm not going to stop saying that until you forgive me!" He started the engine again, drove down the road towards Jude's house and waited until she was inside. No word was spoken after his last ones, and he wasn't sure if there was anything left to say for now. She knew how he felt, and he certainly knew how she felt!

###

The front door slammed shut, the sharp sound equaling the burst of anger that currently made her pulse race. 'Don't cry,' she hissed at herself. 'Don't you dare to cry!'

She wanted to hate him. She wanted to hate him for being such a huge ass. Just when she had thought she had it all figured out, he'd deliver words like those just spoken, and she was lost all over again. Honestly, she doubted he even realized what he had just told her. 'I can't imagine my life without you!' Didn't he know what those words did to her? How much she wanted them to be true, and how little she believed they actually were? "Pff," she scoffed, still fuming. "Idiot!"

"Who?"

"Ahh!" Jumping about a meter into the air, scared to death and completely caught off guard, she snapped her head towards her mother. "Geez, mom!"

"Sorry, honey. I saw you and I got worried. Nice hair by the way."

"Thanks." Jude had already forgotten about that. "Needed a change." "So, who is the idiot?"

"Tommy. We had…this big fight." Even now she couldn't bring herself to hand Sadie over, though this was one marvelous moment to make sure the big sister got some lectures… No! They were sisters! Blood was thicker than jealousy. Or something like that. "Anyway, he's now begging me to forgive him, which I won't!"

"Not now," Victoria amusedly added.

"Not ever!" Jude fiercely corrected.

"You two are like brother and sister. I bet he didn't mean whatever he said to you."

"Brother and sister," Jude repeated with a frown. "You used to think he's coming after me!"

"That was once. And only because I didn't like the look he was giving you. Now I'm more concerned about your sister. I know she's eighteen, but knowing she'd offer herself to be another notch in his bedpost would really disappoint me."

Jude nodded, yearning for nothing more but go to bed and to start a new day. And, talking about Sadie and Tommy was the very last thing she wanted to do.

"Sadie said you were shopping today? She mentioned something about designer stores. I know you've got money, but I don't want my sixteen-year old daughter spending it all on fancy stuff, understood?"

"Sadie told you that?"

"She mentioned it. Don't hold it against her, Jude. She's just concerned."

"I bet." Screw sisterhood! "Must be the hormones. I saw her screwing Tommy on the couch the other day, and I heard her on the phone talking about a pregnancy test." It was a flat out lie, but who was Jude to care. "Night mommy…"

###

Jude sat in the recording booth, alone. Kwest and Tommy were still out for lunch, and she had just arrived from school. Today was the day David was supposed to come by. Yesterday they had decided to play boyfriend and girlfriend and after setting up some good background story on how they met, and fell for each other and all the other important facts people most certainly would ask them about, Jude figured she was finally ready to get it started. That, and this morning Louisa, the receptionist had cracked a remark about how much she felt for Jude and how she could relate to her pain. Jude had barely been able to keep from blowing up in her face.

Pity sucked!

Today she and David would mute G-Major, and next week they'd take over the school. The plan was to wait until both Portia and Fiona would walk back in from their lunch. Both women were the ultimate gossipers and Jude wanted to make sure everyone knew she was done pining over Tommy. She didn't really care so much about him seeing her with David. He'd only end up playing her big brother again. She didn't need that.

Nervously her foot tapped on the floor, and after five minutes she was surprised to find that the tapping had changed into a rhythm. The whole day she had been wrecking her head about ways to get Tommy out of her thoughts and after a while she acknowledged that it would probably take a while for that to happen. Eventually, and Darius had strongly advised that, she'd have to come around to the fact that Tommy was going to stay her producer. And that meant he had to be not just the guy who occasionally was allowed to hear her record background tracks, but the guy who had to hear her words, her pain, and her feelings.

And while she then began to think about a short and sharp way to say all that to him, those thoughts slipped into the form of lyrics.

Tommy was still with Sadie, since Jude had not heard otherwise from Kwest. Jude had to accept that. But, as much as she tried to do that, she just couldn't get over the fact that she simply knew Tommy and Sadie would never last! As much as she was mad at Tommy for last night's words, he had said that he'd have never looked at her had he known before how much it'd hurt her. That wasn't the talk of someone who was in love, or even cared for friendship. Sadie Harrison might know how to have sex with Tommy, but Jude was the one he had come to the whole last year whenever he had needed a friend, or just someone to have fun with.

She blindly reached for the guitar next to her, adjusting on the stool she sat on before starting to play. The tune was out pretty quickly and for the first time she wished for Tommy to be there to record, to hear how it sounded.

"Hey," A husky male voice startled her when it filled her ear.

Jude spun around, grinning widely when she saw David. "Thank God you're here!" "Afraid I wouldn't show up?"

"No."

"So, where do you want to kiss?"

Jude laughed, having noticed David was pretty eager to kiss her. He had explained this was pretty much a come-alive male fantasy. Making out with a sexy girl in a short skirt, which Jude was wearing that day for the first time, without any strings attached! He had sheepishly admitted that sex would have been even better, but Jude had quickly clarified she wasn't going to take things that far! She had felt flattered when he had actually been sad. "Um, no kissing yet. I need you on the other side of that glass," she told him. "I got hit with inspiration, and I want to know how the song sounds when I'm not too focused on playing it. I need you to record for me."

"Okay." He let her lead him into the other room and show him what knob to press and when.

"Understood?"

"Yep."

"Great!" Jude hurried back into the booth, adjusted the guitar and motioned for him to press the record button. David had never been in a studio before, but had seen Jude singing and writing on several occasions, at times even during classes. Twice she had been so engrossed in writing lyrics that she had noticed her class had ended and his begun. It had caused quite a few laughs when the teacher had pointed those moments out to Jude.

He sat back, enjoyed the comfort of the big chair he rested in, and listened to what Jude was singing over the headphones she had given him.

Lipstick, pretty face and maybe you'll notice something

Different bout me, different bout me

Yeah, you talk, talk all you want

You pour your heart out

But you never do see, you never do see me

I can't wait around forever for you

Sooner or later

You're gonna come around and you'll be sorry

When you figure out

That I was always everything that you needed

Sooner or later you're gonna wish you had me

Yeah, you're gonna wish you had me

When Jude looked up between singing her lyrics she found David smiling at her, showing his thumbs up to assure he liked it. She didn't notice Darius standing at the side of the window, grinning. She also didn't notice how she was beginning to catch more and more attention by the way she was playing just then. She was no longer sitting on the stool, but standing, the guitar around her neck, playing and singing with all her heart while beginning to lose herself in the moment.

David looked up when he noticed a tall, bold man entering the room, taking off the headphones he was wearing and switching a knob so that Jude's words now filled the room over the speaker system.

"Who are you?"

"David Moore. Boyfriend."

"Darius Mills. Boss. New song?"

David nodded. D nodded, too. Words were superfluous.

Well, she don't do nothing for you

But mess you up

Yeah, she messes you up

I'm your shoulder, I'm the quick drive over

Tryin' to fix your stuff, well I give up

Oo, you'll never see me standin' right in front of you

"What's going on here," Kwest asked Tommy when they entered the lobby, seeing at least four people at the big glass wall of studio A, Portia being one of them. "And who's the guy in the studio?"

Tommy shrugged. "New producer?"

Kwest looked alarmed. "Isn't Jude supposed to record there right now? I mean we're late so she must be here already!"

"Portia," Tommy called, walking up to her to catch a glimpse of what was going on in the studio. When he saw Jude, playing guitar with her eyes closed and a smile on her lips, while singing, he was speechless for a moment. There was something so enthralling about her when she lost herself in the music that he wasn't at all surprised anymore that she had gathered a little audience already, though no one could hear her. "What's going on?"

"No idea! I came back from lunch when D called me to watch this. Jude is really rocking this and I like what she's playing without even knowing what she's playing! And she's looking good, too. I can't believe she actually wears that skirt. I got it for her!"

Yeah, Tommy had seen the skirt. He liked it, too. That wasn't the confusing part. "Who's the guy in the studio, sitting in my chair?"

"David. Jude's boyfriend."

Sooner or later

You're gonna come around and you'll be sorry

When you figure out

That I was always everything that you needed

Sooner or later you're gonna wish you had me

Oo, oo

Oh, you're gonna wish me back so bad, so bad

Oh, but it's a little too late for that

"You're recording this," Tommy barked irritated when he marched into the studio, a snickering Kwest in tow. "It's not nearly good enough to get recorded! Which, by the way is my job!"

"Relax," Darius advised, more lile an order.

"Yeah," David agreed, apparently not afraid to speak up. "Jude asked me to record for her so she could hear the song for herself. Something about her producer being late…" David chuckled. "I guess you're the producer?" Which also made him the guy Jude liked, though not wanting to. Jude had precisely instructed him not to show any kind of respect to Tommy. Her exact quote was, "Imagine he's the nerd and you are you. It's high school. You can give him a wedgie if you want!"

She had been particularly attracted to that idea, now that David thought about it. But, Tom Quincy was the same height David was, and he assumed equally strong. He wouldn't give him a wedgie. Better not. "Great lyrics, don't you think?" But, he could peeve him a little! After all, that's what he was here for!

Lipstick pretty face and maybe you'll notice something

Different bout me, different bout me

Sooner or later

You're gonna come around and you'll be sorry

When you figure out

That I was always everything that you needed

Sooner or later, oh

Sooner or later

You're gonna come around and you'll be sorry

When you figure out

That I was always everything that you needed

Sooner or later

You're gonna wish you had me

Sooner or later, oh

You're gonna wish you had me, yeah

You're gonna wish you had me, oh

You're gonna wish you had me, oh

You're gonna wish you had me

The song was done and Jude opened her eyes again, startled by the sudden applause she was gaining. Wow, those three minutes she had been singing had really passed quickly! When Jude placed the guitar away, she suddenly was tugged around, and kissed like she had never been kissed before. Damn, these were some really soft lips she concluded, shocked that she so willingly kissed them back. It dawned on her that it was David kissing her. She could feel his leather jacket beneath her hands when she held on to his broad shoulders for support. When she had told him to kiss her passionately in front of everyone given a good opportunity, he had really listened!

Weirdly, the thing Jude enjoyed the most during the kiss was the fact that her stomach wasn't doing any flips, that her skin wasn't getting tingly and that her toes weren't curling. Not that his lips didn't do a damn good job in kissing her, but she simply enjoyed the technique. The way soft lips caressed hers, and how his tongue massaged hers… Tongue? Okay, so she needed to tell him that this wasn't part of the deal. But then again, it felt nice. Fun. It was carefree. It was enjoyable. She found herself returning the kiss more and more, wrapping her arms around David's neck to pull herself closer to him. After a long while of kissing, he leaned back, smirking while finishing up the lip lock with a teasing bite down her lower lip. She'd definitely have to scold him for that! And maybe ask him to do that again…

A radiant smile flashed her face when they parted. "Wow," Jude whispered out of breath. "I didn't expect that!" She could have sworn that was a wave of heat running along her skin! She fought the urge to fan her face with her hand. "Great kisser!"

"Ditto," he smirked. He began to nuzzle her neck, for the show, whispering, "I swear, Jude. That Tom-guy is jealous!"

"Who?" Okay, now Jude freaked out! When she recalled what all this was about, and also when she recalled what the name of her producer was again, she was stunned that she had actually forgotten about it for a moment! That she definitely hadn't expected. "Oh, he… I don't care. And he's not jealous, he's angry! He likes to pretend that he's looking out for me. Should have seen him last year during the whole Shay-thing! Big brother, I tell you!" She grabbed his hand and smiled. "Let's tell some lies…" she whispered.

###

After the song had finished, Tommy was just about to enter the studio and lecture Jude about the value of this soundboard and how some amateur punk had no right in hell to ever lay his incompetent hands on it, when said punk was already busy laying his hands on someone else! Kwest, who so far had observed the scene in quiet amusement, had even whistled when David had taken over Jude's lips in one really impressive kiss. As much as the voyeur in him would have enjoyed watching, like everyone else had, Kwest found it more interesting to watch Tommy during those long minutes.

It had certainly been a while since he had seen Tom Quincy jealous! Anger, jealousy and even envy had covered the truly to be pitied producer's face while his girl had gotten a good lecture in lip-locks and how to turn them into a provocative show. Kwest actually felt sorry for him. During lunch, Tommy had shown a rare side of honesty when he had admitted that the only reason he had started something with Sadie was to keep himself getting over whatever it was that pulled him to Jude. To see something like that after opening up the way he had, it must have killed him. Or at least caused one hell of a strong nausea!

To say the truth, Kwest had assumed the whole boyfriend-thing was just a story to keep everyone from calling her Tommy's little groupie, but after that kiss? Maybe not…

The kiss ended eventually, and Jude and David strolled out of the booth, both grinning happily. "So, how was the song? Worth to make it on the album?"

Darius, who had politely looked away during the PDA moment, smiled like a cat in store full of free goldfish. "Album? I say we have your new single! I want you to record it ASAP! David," Darius said, "I think it's time for you to leave. You can have her back during lunch tomorrow."

"Or tonight," he smirked. His lips placed a soft kiss on Jude's, before placing a deep succulent one down on her neck, making her giggle. "See you tonight? My place?" The plan was to let everyone assume they had really hit it off, fourth base included.

"Can't wait," Jude admitted. When she waved after him, she mouthed a 'thank you' to him and when she turned back to Tommy, Kwest and Darius she shrugged innocently, still smiling. "What? He's cute, isn't he?" She topped the show off by squealing like the girliest girlie would upon seeing Collin Farrell naked! "Ieeeeeeeee!" She took a deep breath, sheepishly wiped her mouth clean from the smeared lip-gloss and then swayed back into the booth. "Can we start? I've plans tonight!"

"Have fun, Goldie," Darius smiled, swaggering off himself.

Tommy and Kwest were left behind, speechless. One was confused, and one was proud of Jude, and it really wasn't that hard to see who was who. "You're okay?" Kwest asked. The teasing grin on his face had Tommy only more annoyed.

"Peachy," he snapped. Hitting the intercom button, he barked a sharp "start with the guitar tracks," into the booth. Jude didn't even flinch. The last minutes had felt so good that even he couldn't ruin her mood today. If anything, she enjoyed bothering him so much. Jude played the tracks over and over again, not even growing tired of hearing the notes. It felt simply amazing to have a really good day!

"I can't remember having ever seen her so happy," Kwest pointed out. He loved this side of Jude, and how she showed Tommy that he wasn't the center of her world any longer.

Tommy scoffed. "She's playing the best act of the century. She's not in love with that guy!"

"I think you've been proven wrong by the kiss," Kwest objected. "Come on, I've seen girls putting up a show before. That kiss? Jude is a walking emotion-bundle. There's no way she's able to put up an act like that just to bother you!"

"You're underestimating her!" He had spent enough time with Jude to see when she was really falling for someone, or just faking it. That's why he had instantly known that Shay was bad news. David… The guy might have gotten some good kiss from her, but that was it. Had this been a real kiss, Jude wouldn't have been able to stand straight. She would have lost her train of thought and she would have just stood there, in loss for words, slightly panting. Her big blue orbs would have been wide open, and they wouldn't have sparkled in happiness, like they had after her kiss with David, they would have darkened in want, like they had after the kiss he had given her on her sweet sixteen. When he had broken her heart the first time…

"You really don't believe she's capable of falling for someone else than you," Kwest sensed with obvious scorn. "You crushed her heart, Quincy. Don't you think she's learned her lesson?"

"Trust me," Tommy told him, ignoring the disdain. "She's faking it." She had to. He really hoped she did…

###

Jude's feed dangled in air as she sat on the kitchenette's counter, looking mindlessly around to entertain herself. They were on a break, and since Kwest was in the bathroom, Jude didn't want to stay in the studio alone with Tommy. They'd only end up fighting again. She'd rather wait out here.

"Here you are!"

Looking over her shoulder, down at Sadie, whose face was sporting scarily angry features, Jude suddenly remembered last night. The whole pregnant-lie… "Hey, how's my pregnant sister feeling," she peeved, not caring that Sadie was pissed off.

"Just great," Sadie sneered with such high levels of sarcasm that Jude felt the slightest bit of guilt. But, just a really small bit! "What the heck, Jude? Pregnant?"

"YOU'RE WHAT?!"

Both Harrisons realized that Tommy had found them, and now believed a whole lot of false things. "NO," Jude barked. "I'm not! Not that you should care," she disdainfully added.

"Cut the crap, Harrison. Did you and that punk hook up?" He felt a strong, unwelcome rumble in his stomach, reminding him of the days he still suffered from hangovers. Only this felt much worse and he had a feeling that half a bottle of aspirin wouldn't help this time.

Jude scoffed, glaring most threateningly at him. "Why do you care? Stay out of this," she warned.

"Why," Sadie asked full of interest, bringing herself back into the conversation. "Apparently he's the father!"

"WHAT?" Tommy snapped again. They wore a condom. It wasn't possible! NO WAY!

Jude hopped off the counter and straightened the short skirt, not noticing how Tommy's eyes followed the gesture closely, or how Sadie was rambling on and on about sisterly betrayal and unjustifiable lies. "Sue me," Jude dramatically mocked, "I lied!" She held up her fists and set her eyes into a plea. "Bring the shackles! You two have never even bend the truth before, so how could I have possibly gone that far? Oh wait – you did lie too!" Seeing Sadie near a detonation, and Tommy completely lost, she rolled her eyes and sighed heavily, as if that would somehow make her feel better. "I lied, Quincy. Relax! Your valuable latex-trapped seed went straight into the garbage, and nowhere else. And Sadie…just leave me alone!"

"No," she objected, holding Jude back by her arm. "What did I do to earn this? Mom lectured me for hours, and had me even to a freakin' pregnancy test!" When she caught Tommy's intense, questioning stare, she growled. "I'm NOT pregnant!"

"What you did?" Jude's hurt gaze took Sadie's confused expression by surprise. "You're a jealous queen-wanna-bee! You saw me with a designer bag yesterday and bitched about it to mom! Is it really that painful for you to see me spending money I earned, while you can't? I mean…what have I done to you? Couldn't you just simply shut up? Are you getting a kick out of it, selling me out?" Sadie stayed mute, and Jude was exhausted. "Like I said, stay away from me!" Yanking her arm out of her sister's hold, Jude marched back into the studio and wordlessly passed Kwest on her way into the booth. All knew better than to start another discussion now, and so they resumed working.

###

At the end of the day, Kwest had already left for a date, when Tommy finished up the last adjustments. "We're finished for today," he informed her coldly. "Need a ride home?"

"No." Jude took off her headphones, pleased with the result of recordings.

"It's nine-fifteen. No bus left, remember?" He fished for chances to be alone with her.

"David, remember?" She wouldn't allow him to ruin her mood; despite the various attempts he had made that day. To avoid anymore contact she turned around, placing her guitar back in its case. The short skirt she wore hitched up, and along with the high-heeled black boots she wore Tommy was suddenly drawn to a whole new side of Jude. He had always found her beautiful, but now she was just plain attractive. He didn't notice right away when she turned back.

But, when he did, and found out she caught him staring at her, he quickly looked away, even blushed. "Sorry."

"It's okay," Jude assured with carelessness he had not believed she was capable of. "I'm a skinny, blond girl with a short skirt and high heels. You must be dying to hump me!"

Anger flashed his eyes. "What?"

"Oh come on, Quincy! I mean I'm blond now. Didn't you tell me that's your favorite hair color? And the skirt and the heels… You did stare at my legs!" She wanted him to know that she didn't care anymore. "Sorry to disappoint you. I'm not Sadie. I don't do the needy."

"What the hell happened to you," he asked in all seriousness. The way she stood on her heels, not even the slightest bit caring for the little skirt she wore, startled him. This wasn't the girl he came to care for so much. "Where's the girl I knew? I mean you show up dressed like a hooker! You know I have a thing for blondes, is that why you dyed your hair? You want to tease me? You think you can take revenge, or some shit?"

"A hooker." If he hadn't hurt her enough already! "You think I did this for you? You think that after everything you did to me, I still spend a thought about you? This is about me, Quincy. I wanted a change." Jude walked out of the booth, finding a way to the chair next to him. "You have to understand something: I really don't care about you anymore."

His look stayed intently on her while he reached out to switch the soundboard on, filling the air with the song she had recorded today. 'Sooner or later you gonna wish you had me…'. I can hear how little you care for me!"

"Listen deeper, Quincy. 'Oh, but it's a little too late for that…' That's it. That's goodbye. I'm done with you!"

"David," Tommy brought up. "Is he part of your new life? Don't you think it's a little too convenient to meet 'the love of your life' just after getting your heart broken?"

She laughed without emotion. "Don't do this, Tommy. Love of my life? I'm sixteen. You out of all people should know that the best. He was there. See, I'm going to let you in on a big secret. I asked him to come over. I asked him to kiss me in front of everyone. I might not be in love with him, but I sure like kissing him! Guess I finally do understand what made you sleep with my sister. You want to know why I asked him? Because I was done being your groupie."

"You never were," he told her. Was he trying to crack a joke, or was he just bitter?

"Maybe I was. I let you walk over me and I kept forgiving you. People pitied me. You have any idea how awful that feels?" Her face took a sadder shade.

"Just as awful as hearing you walked over someone." His insides twisted at her words as if someone had just shot him a dozen times. He asked her honestly. "Did I really hurt you so much?" Her words made it hard for him to breathe just then. "I know I hurt you when I kept Sadie a secret from you, but you make it sound like I've spitted in your face the whole last year. You're my best friend, Jude. Do you have any idea how much you mean to me? How important you are to me? How much I would do for you?"

Little tears began to fill her eyes. When she wasn't angry with him, it was beginning to get hard not to care for him. "You didn't spit in my face," she admitted, letting the softness of her voice making this moment so much heavier. "I'm sorry. I just…" She realized she had been too harsh, and now she struggled for the right ones. "I didn't mean to say you walked over me. I'm really sorry. But, every time I think about our last year, I see something else. Each time I notice another tiny little thing that now tells me I should have never believed I ever stood a chance with you. It's the kiss you gave Sadie at the farmhouse, and how you never apologized. That's when I should have known you never regretted it. It's the kiss on my sweet sixteen and how you cared for anything but my tears. Would it have killed you not to kiss me? Would it have killed you not to hug me so often? Would it have killed you not to smile at me in that one way that you know exactly is mean and makes me weak in the knees? Would it have killed you to care just a little more about me, instead about everything else?"

He wasn't sure how longer he could continue to listen. Hearing how much he had hurt her hurt him even more. All he had ever wanted was to have a good time with his best friend. He had never planned on doing all those things to her that she had just accused him of. He had never planned to let his own confused heart to get in the way of his friendship with Jude. The very moment he had met her he had known she was nothing like anyone else he had ever met and that had been his downfall. The only thing that had ever kept him from going after her was her youth. And exactly that youth he had forgotten about, so often. That was when he had smiled at her in a way he had known he shouldn't. That was when he had hugged her, trying to be just a tiny little bit closer to her than everyone else was. That was when he had kissed her. The one thing he just couldn't tell her was that if he wouldn't care so incredibly much about her, he would have kissed her so much more often, and not just last year.

"You're really sorry," Jude concluded whisperingly. She had never seen his face this pained before. She had never ever expected to see him pleading for forgiveness. Although she still wasn't sure if he was just sorry for getting caught. "Do you regret how things turned out?" She asked him straight out, hoping he'd repay her with honesty, and not just with the words he knew she wanted to hear.

"Every single second."

"I can't be your friend right now. I need some space between you and me, or I'll end up being the same girl that I was before. I'll end up waiting for you to kiss me. But," and she had not believed this morning she'd offer him that much ever again, "maybe soon… I was strongly advised not to fire you so it's not like I won't see you anymore. Just…I need a little time."

He nodded, never more relieved to have such little hope been offered. Jude stood up, and gave him a last small, sad smile before walking towards the door. She haltered another moment, not able to look at him at what she was about to say. "I know you think about ending things with Sadie. Do me a favor… Don't think about me when you make up your mind. She is your girlfriend. And, if you really care for her then you should be with her. Eventually I'm going to be okay with that." That was the last moment Jude could manage to hold it together. Once the words were spoken, tears sprang from her eyes and she ran out of G-Major, letting the fast taps of her heels down the expensive new floor be just another reminder to Tommy just how much it had taken her to say it.

###

David leaned against the car, waiting for Jude when she hurried straight into his arms, sobbing for a long while. He just held her, gently stroke her hair and when she had finally calmed down, he didn't need her to say anything. He could see in her eyes that all she wanted to do was be for herself just then.

###

Song: Sooner Or Later, Michelle Branch