Chapter One || Intro


Andre

It had never been much of a struggle for Andre to attract attention from girls. At least, not in the way Robbie struggled with girls. Once they saw him playing the piano or singing a song, many of them would be drawn to him. He was sweet, charming, and had a great sense of humor. It was everything a girl could ask for in a guy. He was confident that he could sway almost any girl if he tried hard enough. That is, except for Jade.

Winning over Jade shouldn't have been on his mind, anyway. They were so different in every way possible, not to mention she was violent and intimidating. She had bullied almost everyone in their friend group at a certain point in time, for crying out loud! Andre wasn't even sure how Beck was able to put up with it sometimes.

But yet as he sat on a courtyard bench, making out with a girl he just met after his and Tori's performance at school, he only had one girl on his mind. One goth, dark-haired girl that he shouldn't have been thinking about in that way. Nevertheless, he stroked this new girl's hair as if it were Jade's. Placed his hand on her cheek, pulling her in just a little closer. He lied to Tori earlier when he pretended to be apathetic towards Jade. He knew it would take much more time before his feeling for the goth were gone. With his eyes closed, music still playing loud in the background, people crowding and talking around him, it was too easy to pretend.

Once they pulled away, the girl looked at Andre with a grin. "Wow, that was pretty intense," she joked, brushing her hair behind her ear and attempting to look enticing to him. "Has anyone told you that you're an amazing kisser?"

Andre wasn't interested in flirting with her or leading her on, but it was the only way to get his mind off his best friend's girlfriend. "I might've heard that once or twice," he said smoothly, pulling her back in to kiss some more.

He would do whatever he needed to do, as long as he could get Jade off of his mind.


Jade

As she sat there, arms folded and leaning against Beck, she watched the others enjoy their spaghetti tacos. The spaghetti was too mushy for her liking, but surprisingly it didn't bring her spirits down.

Jade knew she could be a hothead. And stubborn. And intimidating. She didn't mind that people saw her this way because it meant no one would mess with her. But tonight, she felt happier than most nights. Maybe it was being surrounded by her dumb friends, enjoying mushy-spaghetti tacos, or maybe it was being in her boyfriend's arms after a long day. But if Jade was being honest with herself, it was all because of Andre. And his great song-writing skills, of course!

Just the other night, Jade had to help Andre finish the lyrics to his song. He struggled for hours trying to put a chorus together. This new song he sang definitely wasn't the one they worked on. How did he write it so fast? Something big had to have inspired him. Whatever it was, Jade knew it had to have been something important. Watching him perform, she could almost feel the intensity of his emotions through his singing and guitar playing. It was a feeling of happiness, passion, and she even sensed some desire. The performance was an experience, nonetheless.

"Babe, you gonna finish your taco?" Beck asked his girlfriend, snapping her out of deep thought.

She shook her head. "The noodles are too mushy. Who makes spaghetti that mushy?" she asked, rolling her eyes at the thought of the cook leaving the spaghetti boiling for at least twenty minutes.

Beck only chuckled and smiled at his girlfriend. "Coffee?" he asked. It was like he could read her mind. That, or he noticed that coffee was her breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Jade gave him a pleading look in response. Beck took her cue and got up to fetch a hot cup of coffee. It wouldn't take him long, but it was enough time for Jade to get lost in thought again. Why was Andre's song playing over and over again in her mind? It was like there was something she was missing from the whole thing. What was it?

Cat was eyeing Jade as she sipped on a cup of soda. "What are you thinking about, Jade?" Cat asked, curious as to why her friend had a weird look on her face. "Your nose is all scrunched up. Sometimes, when my brother smells-"

"Cat, drink your soda," Jade snapped, annoyed that Cat would interrupt her thoughts over yet another story about her brother. The redhead squeaked in response, looking away while sipping her soda once again.

Jade gave up, figuring she should let it go. The performance was great. The song was passionate. That was all there was to it.