Beck and Andre finally came out of the thick trees, and were right next to the cave. They jogged the last few yards then came to a dead stop. Where the hell was Jade?
Andre wasted no time. He took the coconuts from Beck and propped them up against the cave wall to prevent them from spilling. Next he quickly checked the rest of the cave, to make sure Jade wasn't hidden in the shadows. She wasn't. Where could she have even gone? She could barely walk from what Beck had told him. Andre turned to look at Beck, who still hadn't moved.
"She was right there." He whispered, looking at where she used to be lying. "I told her I loved her before I left and she was laying right there. Why would she leave? Where is she?" Beck's voice had risen from a whisper and was bordering on yelling. He slapped the rock wall with his hands, and growled in frustration. Beck really just wanted to sit down and cry like a five year old girl. But that wouldn't help Jade in the least. Instead he just shook his head and took a deep breath.
"Beck. Look I'm sure Jade's okay. She probably decided to look for us, but she couldn't have gotten too far. We'll find her. I promise." Andre soothed. He honestly had no idea if Jade was ok, or where she had gone or why she had even gone anywhere. On the inside, Andre was just as scared as Beck. But he had to be strong because he wasn't the one who had the right to freak out. He wasn't the boyfriend, the protector, or the lover, he was the friend. A friend who wished it were him with a terrible wound that was lost somewhere on an unfamiliar island all alone. But still just a friend.
"I'll stay here and build a fire. I know how from camp when I was little, and someone should be here if Jade comes back. You go look for her, and try to be fast because the sun will be setting soon. When it's getting dark, you have to come back whether you found her or not, or you will be lost too. OK?" Andre said, taking charge of the situation.
"Yes. Thanks bro." Beck said. He quickly left the cave, but he felt a little guilty for lying to Andre. There was no way in hell that Beck would return without Jade. He would either find her or die trying.
Andre hurried into the trees surrounding the cave and grabbed as many branches and twigs as he could. Luckily for him, the storm had knocked over quite a few trees, so he dragged as many back to the cave as he could. He was making a nest for the fire, when out of nowhere, the wind picked up heavily. It howled through the walls of the cave. Andre waited for the wind to die down a little before he created the sparks to light the kindling. Soon enough, he had quite a large bonfire. He would've liked to stand there and admire his work, but all he could think about was Jade. Did he like her again? Ugh this wasn't right! He knew how much Beck loved her, and she loved Beck right back. So why did he start getting butterflies when he even thought about her? He hadn't felt this way since…well since he wrote that song with her. The time he fell in "love" with Jade. Maybe it was love, maybe it wasn't. Andre had tried to let it go, there were so many other single fish in the sea, but now he was stranded out here with just one beautiful but certainly not single fish. God, why did he have to feel so wonky about this girl? No matter what though, Andre prayed she would be okay. He prayed that Beck would find her and bring her back, and that she would get off this island safely. Andre decided then and there that even if Jade never liked him the way he liked her, he would still do his damndest to get her to safety. She had a bright future ahead of her, and whether or not he was involved in it, she still deserved to have it. After sorting out his thoughts, Andre started to gather more branches. He noticed the sun setting over the ocean, but he had a strong feeling Beck wouldn't be back like he had promised. Now it was Andre's turn to wait and worry. Would he ever see his friends again?
Beck was going insane. He couldn't think clearly, every turn he took, every tree he passed; it all looked the same as the last. It was very dark by now, he really should've gone back. But how could he, knowing that Jade was freezing, scared, lost and in desperate need of his help, whether she would admit it or not. But how was he supposed to find her? Why was this so hard, shouldn't he just know where she was? Was their love strong enough to lead him to her? Cut the crap, this isn't a chick flick, Beck reminded himself. He kept running through the repetitive island landscape, his heart pounding, breathing heavily. He pressed on, calling for Jade as loudly as he could. He forced himself to believe that she would hear him.
Jade woke up to a freezing gust of wind, raising goose bumps on her entire exposed body. The sun was almost gone, there was just enough light left to make out the shapes of her surroundings. She cautiously sat up, and bit back a yelp when the knife-stabbing pain returned, this time with much more intensity. Jade honestly wondered how long she could last without medical attention, this definitely was not healthy. When she had finally pulled herself into a standing position, she faltered and leaned back onto the same tree she had been holding before she passed out. The scratchy bark hurt her skin though, and she wished for the millionth time that she could've at least had some clothes if she was going to be stuck on this horrendous piece of floating hell. But wishing wouldn't change anything; she had learned that by now. So Jade summoned all of her strength and began walking down towards the ocean. She figured that if she got there, she could follow the shoreline down the beach and eventually find the cave. Or faint again, whichever came first. She really wasn't sure at this point, considering every step felt like running a marathon. She was so lightheaded and she hadn't eaten or drunken anything since yesterday at Venice Beach. Wow. Had that really been only yesterday? Jade wondered idly, anything to distract her from the impossible task of walking. After what felt like hours Jade reached the ocean. She just realized that she had no idea which way to turn from here. Her recent unconsciousness was making it hard to remember which way she had come from, and all the thinking made her head hurt even more! So Jade just stood there, staring out into the black ocean. It was night time now and there was no moon tonight so it was pitch black. It was also freezing. Jade started to shiver like a Chihuahua in the North Pole, and she unsteadily sunk down to her knees on the cold sand. She hadn't realized she was crying until she heard her sobs. "Beck."She wailed. It was all she could repeat, like a chant, as if calling him to her would actually make him appear. All she wanted right now was to be safe in his arms. She wanted this more than she wanted coffee, more than she wanted clothes, even more than she wanted to go home. Because Beck was her home, and right now Jade couldn't feel more lost. So she sat there shivering with her head in immense pain, pathetically sobbing to nothing and no one, until she had no more tears left. When they finally ran out, the headache from crying worsened her pain but at that point Jade didn't really care. She squeezed her eyes shut for a second to get away any lingering tears. That's when she heard him. "JAAAADE!" His voice was far away. So far away, but she could still hear his worry and desperation. "JAAAAAAAAAAAADE!" It came again, this time louder! Jade's hope was renewed, and she unsteadily rose to her knees. But as she did, the dark night started spinning around her. She sat back down and tried again to get up, but she still felt overwhelmingly dizzy. "JAAAADE!" Beck called again from somewhere in the forest. Jade realized that if she couldn't get up, she was just going to have to yell. Her throat had to be better by now right? She hadn't talked to anyone so she had no idea. All she knew is she had to try.
Beck's voice was getting weaker as he hollered for Jade with all his might. He saw he was coming to the edge of the forest again, so he slowed down to catch his breath and convince himself to continue. That's when he heard her. "Beck!" Her voice was so pitiful. It was scratchy and cracking, but most of all it was quivering with…fear? Beck rarely saw Jade get scared. He hated it. He took off full speed now towards her voice. It was faint and it got carried away as the winds were picking up again, but it was definitely there. She was definitely there. Beck could've dropped to his knees and cried out tears of joy when he finally burst out of the trees and saw Jade's lone figure curled down by the water against the black night sky. Her hair blended in, but her porcelain skin was unmistakably recognizable. He ran to her then, forgetting that he had been running for hours, his energy was completely renewed. When he got there, he sank down to the sand beside her, and pulled her into his arms for an immeasurable amount of time. He couldn't explain the feelings that were coursing through him. Relief, fear, hope, but above all, love. He was overjoyed to feel her embrace, to have her entangled with him once more. They were sitting up, but Jade leaned all of her weight on Beck. Neither of them had said anything, no words could describe accurately what they were feeling. After a couple minutes, Beck was startled to hear Jade softly crying. He pulled back to look at her face, but she clung to him.
"Jade what's the matter?" Wow Beck, I wonder whatever could be wrong? Stupid question. He thought to himself before he tried again. "Sweetheart I promise, I swear to you, we're going to be okay. I'll do whatever it takes. I love you, Jade."
At that, Jade pulled back, but just far enough that she could crash her lips down on his. Beck kissed back with more passion than he knew he was capable of. He hadn't realized how much he had believed that he would never see Jade again until now. She broke the kiss all too soon. "I love you too."
After that Beck rose and picked her up princess style, and started the long walk down the shore to their temporary home. He tried to be quick because Jade was shivering uncontrollably and needed something to eat ASAP, but he wasn't feeling too strong himself. It was a long process, but finally he saw Andre's fire burning up ahead. Beck looked down at Jade who had fallen asleep in his arms, and then up at Andre's obviously relieved face, and Beck actually smiled. Because for the first time since they had gotten to this island, Beck actually believed they would be okay. They had arrived here as a high school couple and a third wheel, as three friends. But they were leaving as a family. Beck was positive about that.
A/N: Oh my goodness I'm sorry that took forever! But I just failed like 5 tests and I'm stressed and I have a big game tomorrow ahhh! So please, I beg of you (I'm not above begging) REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW(: It could be one word I just want to know if you like it or not! Thanks! xoxo