Jade reluctantly picked another piece of chicken out of her grilled chicken sandwich, hoping it was at least a fatty piece this time. She fed it to the waiting German Shepherd who sat happily at her feet, his tail wagging so quickly it seemed to circulate the air in the kitchen.

"You're so… normal, Shark." Jade said flatly. She had hoped he would be a bit rougher, especially given his name, but underneath his tough exterior, he was just another sweet eyed, loving dog, loyal to his master and always ready for treats. "I missed you, too." He licked her hand affectionately as she reached to scratch behind his pointed ears.

Lunch, if it even counted as lunch, had been awkward, but not quite as awkward as breakfast. Jade had rolled her eyes through the incessant flirting between Drake and his date, finally taking her breakfast up to the roof for some peace. Jade didn't think they would mind her leaving.

She had Drake hadn't exchanged a single word though out the meal. He had been too busy making out, and she hadn't cared enough to start a conversation. If he wanted to, he could. She wouldn't promise to be nice.

The girl was gone by lunch. Jade's delivery had just arrived when Drake made it to the fridge, pulled out a chocolate donut, took a bite, glanced at Jade like he wanted to say something, but didn't, and went back to his room. She hadn't tried to break the silence.

Jade really hated him.

Shark nudged her, asking to be pet once again. The guard dog that had appeared so mean when she had bought him was nothing more than a big softy. Jade tried to mind that, but even she couldn't find his sweet offensive when he put his head on her lap, his brown eyes urging her to scratch his ears or give him food- either would suffice.

Jade handed over the last half of her sandwich. She hadn't been all that hungry, anyway. Shark wolfed it happily, a doggy grin on his face when he asked for seconds. "Your name should have been Pig," Jade laughed, pushing him away as she got up.

The bedroom door opened, and out came Drake, dressed in a suit and tie. He paid Jade no more mind than a brief nod before plopping on the couch. He checked his watch, then turned on the television.

To Jade's delight, Shark was growling. She rewarded him with the last bit of crust that was still on her plate. He really was a good dog, she decided. Much better than the one she had tried to surprise Beck with all those years ago.

Drake was adamant. She had come back, she could explain herself. There was no reason for him to press. He would be polite, he would do what he had to, but beyond that, Jade was on her own. He watched her out of the corner of his eye, smugly praising her terrible dog for growling at him.

He would never admit that she scared him. Megan had been impossible to live with, but she had been his sister. He was afraid of her, but only to a degree. He knew that while there were a multitude of things she would do to him, there were certain lines she would never cross. Drake wasn't certain that Jade wasn't currently planning his murder. He bet she was. He bet she knew how to make it look like an accident. He bet she knew where to hide his body so that it would never be found. If she didn't, she certainly knew someone who did. She had that look to her.

He could take her in a fair fight; it would be easy. He wasn't the most built man in the world, but she was thin and compact. Drake had a good feeling he could triumph if he had to. Thing was, he rather doubted she would come at him that way. It would be smaller, more subtle, like poison in his food or scissors in places they shouldn't be. No, he decided. Jade wouldn't stab him. That would be too easy to trace, especially with her famous affinity for the sharp, silver blades. Maybe she'd conjure a demon or something.

Drake shuddered. He had to stop thinking like that. He wasn't sure why he had dwelled on it for so long in the first place. Living with Jade was apparently having a very, very dark effect on his sanity.

A glance at his watch told him if he didn't leave now, he'd be late for his meeting with the record company. An executive had been at the beach last night and left a message on his cell phone. He had liked Drake's style, and was interested in meeting with him. Drake couldn't blow this. It was a chance to get back to where he was.

He straightened his tie and left, opening the door a second time to grab his forgotten car keys.

Somehow, that irritated Jade even more. He was really going out, just like that. She had expected her return would have more of an effect on him. She had hoped for another fight. She kind of wanted a fight. Any excuse to yell at him would make her happy.

He wasn't worth the effort of laying a trap. She could easily make his life miserable merely by lounging on the couch and existing. Her vendetta was not appeased. Reliving her experience to Beck had brought back all of her hatred in full force.

Why did she care so much? It hadn't happened to her. Her cousin had since moved on. Jade knew it was stupid, this ridiculous quest for revenge on her cousin's ex-boyfriend.

The reason was as simple as the cause: No one hurt her family, at least, the rare good person in her family, and got away with it.

Jade remembered how long it had taken Carly to heal. Granted, she was fine now, but there was a long time she hadn't been. Carly was the closest thing Jade would ever have to a sister. Ever since the breakup, she had hated the fact that Drake was walking around happily while Carly labored to move on. Even though Carly was happy now, Jade still remembered watching the tears that rolled down her face as they stoked a fire with photos of Drake, photos of Drake and Carly, photos of Drake with Carly ripped out of them, a half-memory saved purely because Carly liked the photo.

As the smoke had swirled into the night, Jade promised herself she would make him pay. The question was, how? Subtle torment wouldn't quench her thirst. She had to think.

Drake stumbled in a few hours later, looking absolutely dejected. Jade enjoyed that very much. Plopping onto the couch, he loosened his tie and took off his jacket, throwing it on the ground. He didn't react even when Shark picked the discarded jacket as his new bed, making himself comfortable on Drake's best suit. He sighed, burying his head in his hands. Then, he stood up, making his way back to his room.

That was delightful. Jade decided it made her afternoon. She was curious, though, and chose to break the stalemate to find out what had caused such a fall in Drake's mood.

She knocked twice on Drake's door before letting herself in. "Welcome to sad town, population you."

"Get out." Drake turned to her. "I'm really not in the mood." His fingers flew over his phone. Jade spotted the name of the girl he had come home with last night.

"Aw, come on. Tell dear old Jade what this thing is that has made me so happy, and you so miserable."

Drake didn't want to dignify that with a response.

"Fine." Jade stood up. "I really don't care that much."

"Awesome."

The door shut, and she found herself in the main room.

She was bored. She needed a job. Thankfully, her savings was covering her, but her agent hadn't called with a new role in two weeks. Jade hoped the phone would ring soon.

"Who do you think you are?"

Jade spun around to face a very angry Drake. "Excuse me?"

"Did you show up here just to torment me? Did Megan send you to mess with me while she's away at college? Pranks are one thing, but you-" he jabbed a finger against her chest. "You are something else, Jade West."

"Something bad." Her eyes flashed. "Look, I don't know who popped your balloon, but don't take it out on me." Jade's gaze remained steady. She was almost enjoying it.

Drake was livid. What happened today had him in a foul, foul mood, and he was not going to put up with her crap. "Why do you stay if you hate me so much? Why do you feed off of my misery?"

"Because you deserve it."

Her answer was a quick snap, precise words that occurred without even the blink of an eye. Her calm was unnerving, but not enough to slow Drake.

"You come in here like you own the place, and then you pretend to care just so you can use it against me? Real nice." Drake was shouting. He was fed up. "Why did you come back?"

She looked away. "I have nowhere else to go."

"Beck." Drake suggested.

"Not that it's any of your business, but I got kicked out of his dorm." Jade said quietly.

"I wonder why." The sarcasm was tangible.

"If they catch him living with a girl, he gets expelled." Jade growled. "They caught me, and we got lucky. He's a great student, so he got off with a warning as long as I vacated immediately. It's an intense school. They don't like distractions."

"I thought he was a mechanic." Drake stated.

"He is, and more." She had given him enough information.

Drake was tired. Tired of stressing about money, tired of fighting with Jade, tired of wondering when he was going to get his life back. The musician was barely twenty seven, and he was feeling twice as old. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, he felt exhausted. "Can we just … not?" he asked. "Can we get along? For both our sanities?" Drake sighed heavily. "I need peace in my house."

A cease fire. It would make things easier for the time being, Jade conceded. At the very worst, she could use the time to learn more about him, find his weaknesses, find how to trap him best.

She plastered a smile on her face. "Of course we can." Her voice was almost too sweet. She repressed a shudder. It sounded nothing like her.

"Thanks." Drake cracked a smile. He was sure it wouldn't last, but for the moment, he was grateful to have one less thing to stress about. Jade's confession had softened him, at least a very little bit. He was willing to try to start over, at least for now. "Still want to know what set me off?"

"Not really, but go ahead."

"I was supposed to meet with an executive for a new record company. Guy calls, leaves a message that he heard my show last night and wants to offer me a deal. So, I go. I meet the guy for drinks. I find him, introduce myself, he looks at me funny. Tells me I'm not Drake. I look at him funny. He asks me if this is a joke. I asked him the same thing. 'You left me a message last night.' I remind him. He cursed, yelling about how he got the wrong number. Tells me his idiot friend gave him my number to book me for his kid's birthday party. I asked him if he was from a record company. He laughed hard and asked me if I actually bought that lie, then said I apparently did because here I am. He was such a jerk. He lied to me about a record deal. Finally he admitted he was just trying to lure someone else to get him to sing for his kid."

Jade knew who, but she wanted to make him say it. "Whoever did he think you were?" she purred.

"The rapper!" Drake groaned. "It happens, but today it just felt like fate was mocking me. I'm working my life away for a chance to get back to where I was, and here's this guy. It sucks."

Jade could relate to that. There were a few times she had followed up on calls, only to find it was a gig she would never accept, or just a loser running a scam. Thankfully, she had always found out before the scammer had done any scamming.

"Maybe I should give up music." That was the last thing Drake wanted. Music was what he craved. He had taught himself how to play guitar, started band after band in high school, and worked his way to the top. But, he was beginning to feel it was all for nothing. This last encounter just felt like a middle finger from his dreams.

Jade shrugged. "Maybe you should." She stood up, pulling Beck's plaid shirt over her shoulders. At Drake's glare, she stared back evenly. "What? I'm not here to encourage you."

Before he could respond, his phone buzzed. "Good. She's here." He pushed past Jade to go let his girl in.

Not long after, he was lost in a happier world, a world where he could forget himself with her. She was great. He had only known her two days, but she already made him happier than most girls he had dated.

As he was falling asleep that night with his date by his side, a nagging thought kept him conscious. Something Jade said earlier kept coming back, repeating itself loudly, no matter how many times he tried to quiet it. He tossed and turned, never quite able to mute it out. It made itself known, similar to the girl whose lips it had fallen from. A reason, a point to the madness, a cause to the turmoil she seemed to enjoy wreaking on him. Four small, pointy words, like thorns on his pillow.

"Because you deserve it."