A/N: So much snow on the ground. What happened to spring? That ground hog Phil is totally fired! I don't own Instant Star. P.S. thanks for the reviews.
Chapter 4: Protégé Moi
Sadie was brimming with happiness; she was practically jumping out of her skin. She was humming off key when she returned home from work in good spirits. She deposited her jacket and purse on the island in the kitchen and burst into Jude's room to tell her the good news. She took a giant leap towards Jude's bed. Jude emitted an intelligible groan. "You're still asleep. You've been asleep all day?!" Sadie exclaimed. "Since when was sleeping a crime?" Jude said covering her head with her pillow. Sadie merely stuck her tongue out at Jude. "So, what's gotten you shook up like a soda can?" Jude said as she yawned. "Ew Jude, I refuse to talk to you until you brush your teeth!" Sadie said. Jude breathed into her hand and sniffed, made a face, and trudged over to the bathroom grumbling.
She returned with her toothbrush and was vigorously scrubbing. "Well?" Jude said through the foam. Sadie watched horrified as a massive gobbet of foam floated down to the carpet. When it reached the floor it made a gurgling sound before it was slowly being absorbed into the carpet. Sadie dashed to the kitchen and grabbed a paper towel. Jude got the hint walked and back to the bathroom to spit and rinse out her mouth. When she returned to the room Sadie was reaching down and wiping up the mess. "Thanks mom." Jude said as she fell on the bed in a heap. Sadie tossed the used paper towel into the overflowing trash can. She made another disgusted face before picking up the trash on the floor and tied the garbage bag shut. She then walked over to the bed, and yanked the covers off of Jude. "Hey!" Jude said with a glare. "Help me make your bed. Then I'll tell you what happened today." Sadie said.
Jude sighed dramatically and then ambled off the other side of the bed. "So, what's the big news?" Jude said curiously. "Well, my boss' boss saw some of my sketches that I work on during my lunch hour. She invited me to have lunch with her." Sadie was saying before she was interrupted by Jude. "So the good news is you finally had a decent meal that didn't consist of PB & J?" Jude said. Sadie glared at her. "Not that I don't appreciate the PB & J sandwiches that you make for me, sis." Jude said sweetly. "Will you let me finish?!" Sadie said exasperated. Jude made a puppy dog face. "Anyways, she loved my sketches! She wants to be my mentor. Introduce me to people. She wants to help me make my sketches into actual clothes; she's going to help me start my own clothing line." Sadie said excitedly. Jude ran up to her sister and nearly tackled her giving her a hug. "Whoah way to go sis!" Jude said excitedly. "In New York." Sadie said through the choke hold. Jude immediately stiffened. "You're leaving." Jude said. "No, silly I want you to come with me." Sadie said ruffling her hair. "I can't Sades. Toronto's my home, it's all I know. It's my whole world." Jude said. "There's a big world out there Jude." Sadie said holding onto her sister's shoulders and looking into her eyes. "I'm not leaving if you're not going with me." Sadie said quietly. "Don't be stupid Sades. This is an opportunity of a lifetime. Chances like this don't just fall in your lap every day. You have to take it. Besides I'll be perfectly fine on my own." Jude said. Sadie snorted and rolled her eyes at her younger sister. "I can take care of myself." Jude said defensively. "You can't even boil water." Sadie said. "I can microwave." Jude piped up. "Microwaving is not cooking. And what are you going to do about money? It doesn't grow on trees you know." Sadie said throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. "It's been taken care of." Jude said. "What are you talking about?" Sadie said. Jude told her about her dream. "Are you insane? I didn't know craziness was a side effect from drinking. Maybe that bottle was laced with something." Sadie said in all seriousness as she felt her sister's forehead. "Sadie stop! I'm fine. Just come with me to the club and I'll prove it, okay?!" Jude said as she walked over to her closet. She pulled some clothes off the hangers and walked into the bathroom with a towel over her shoulder. "Just trust me, Sades." Jude said raising her voice so it could be heard over the din of the water.
"My little sister's gone off the deep end." Sadie thought to herself all throughout the cab ride over to the club. When they exited the cab they groaned at the sight at the number of people wrapped around the block waiting to get in. They were rescued however when the bouncer waved them over and immediately let them in and personally ushered them to a small table located on the second floor that overlooked the front of the stage that was marked off as reserved. "See told ya." Jude said with a smirk as they were seated.
The performance was just as good if not better than last night's performance. The energy that reverberated off the walls was astronomical. When it was over there was a sense of satisfaction in the air like after a really good session of sex. The people that were leaving moved languidly and had lazy smiles on their faces. Jude and Sadie were slumped heavily on their chairs leaning their heads back against the head rest of their chairs for support. "Did you like the show?" a voice said with a hint of amusement breaking the silence. "It was magical." Jude blurted out before she realized how ridiculous and a bit naïve she sounded. "Merci, ma cherie." Tommy said with an elegant bow. Kwest merely chuckled and took a seat next to Sadie. "Hey." he said taking her hand and giving her knuckles a kiss. "So, Tommy, my little sis was telling me all about your proposition." Sadie said. Kwest glared daggers at Tommy who merely held up a hand. "It's strictly business. She'll be a bartender, but she'll also be working on her musical chops by opening up for us." Tommy said. Kwest did a double take and looked as if he was a fish trying to breathe on dry land. "Can I talk to you for a second Tommy." Kwest said in a strangled voice. "It's my final decision, mon ami." Tommy said locking eyes with Kwest. The air around them seemed to tighten. They stood glaring at one another for several minutes before Kwest finally looked away and shook his head in disgust. "Are you okay?" Sadie asked since she was worried about him and put her hand on Kwest's shoulder. Kwest smiled at her, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Why don't we get a drink at the bar and let them talk business." Kwest said motioning towards the bar and putting his other hand on the small of Sadie's back leading her away. Before he could do so however, Jude got up and put a hand on Kwest's arm. He stiffened at her touch and let go of Sadie. He focused solely on Jude. He stared hard into Jude's eyes as if trying to capture her with his gaze. When it didn't work he blinked in surprise. Jude didn't seem to notice. And neither did Sadie. Tommy noticed. "I'm sorry Kwest. I didn't mean to mess up your plans. I was in trouble and Tommy offered his help as a friend." Jude said. Kwest leaned in and whispered something into her ear. "I'd be more careful when it comes to picking friends if I were you. And even more careful when it comes to favors. You have no idea what you've done. You don't know what he is. You have no clue as to who you've tied yourself to, do you. Take my advice. You're sweet, young, and innocent. Don't let him take the best of you. Don't let him twist you and change you into something you can hardly recognize as yourself." Kwest said. "Is that what I have done to you mon ami? You have never told me this. You speak with much regret and bitterness. Is that what my friendship has cost you? If it did I would have freed you of me to make your way into the world to stake a life for yourself." Tommy said pain strickened and with a hint of sadness in his voice. There was a heavy silence in the air. "I have only the best intentions for her. Je jure sur mon honneur mon ami." Tommy said. "You know what they say about intentions." Kwest said shaking his head and leading Sadie away.
"You heard what he said to me? Do you have super strength too? Laser vision perhaps? Faster than a speeding bullet maybe?!" Jude said. Tommy merely shook his head. He looked completely deflated. I couldn't help but give me a hug. He hugged me back fiercely shocking both of us. "Forgive me." he said loosening his grip on me. "There's nothing to forgive. My friend needed a hug, so I gave him a hug." I said. "I don't remember the last time someone gave me a hug." he said looking a like a lost little boy. He couldn't say something like that and expect me not to hug him. His return hug wasn't as desperate as the first; it was nice as my body molded perfectly to his. "Hugs are free." I said as I slowly entangled myself from him. "I'll remember ma cherie. And I'll hold you to that." he said mischievously with a wink. I blushed like a little school girl, which made him smile even more. "You could talk to me about anything you know." I said tentatively looking over at Kwest who was regaling my sister with a story. Kwest was gesturing wildly with his hands and Sadie was nearly falling off the stool she was laughing so hard. When I turned to look at Tommy he looked closed off as if he had pulled away the darkest of his secrets and hidden them away from view. His face was a mask I didn't recognize. "Oh don't do that." I said as I tentatively put my hand on his cheek and forced him to look me in the eye. "Don't shut me out." I said. "Talk to me." I said. "There are things you don't know." he said and for a split second I saw a glimpse of images too quick to piece together in my head to make any sense and then it was gone. He looked at me in surprise as if to confirm that we shared a flashback of his memory or a nightmare based on how it made me feel. He shook his head and laughed bitterly, "I've never met anyone like you." I grinned impishly at him, "I'm one of a kind."