Chapter 8- Karaoke and Confessions
With the court date looming ever so dangerously over both their heads, Cat had taken it upon herself to form a one girl cheer-up squad. So while in the shower, she'd had her brilliant plan to get Jade out of the house, even if she had to drag the dark haired girl herself.
Karokie Dokie was filled with the same regular customers who you'd expect to find on a Friday night: Hipster's and Northridge girls. Scanning the room, Jade quickly determined that she did not want to be there. She hadn't really returned since her and Cat's singing triumph and truth be told there was a reason. Put simply, it wasn't her scene. But seeing the perky red head standing beside her, basically jumping in one spot, she decided to give it a try. After all, best case scenario, she'd have a few hours of distraction.
Heading further into the room, the pair instantly spotted a familiar crowd. One happy brunette, a lonely nerd with a puppet, a fairly attractive Canadian and finally, one dark skinned musician. Jade glanced briefly at the red head, raising an eyebrow in question as to whether they should approach. Before either girls could move, Tori caught sight of them both, her expression turning instantly to one of pity. A brief flicker of anger reared its ugly head and Jade had to force her expression to stay neutral. Reminding herself that they hadn't up and left was a good sign, she followed Cat towards the group.
"Wassup Little Red?" Andre hummed, the rest of the group turning their full attention towards them. "Jade.." He added with a nod in her direction. Jade immediately noticed that there was no anger on any of their faces, only the pity that was reflected on Tori's. Jade dared to step closer, mentally preparing to be told off some more about beating up on Fiona. Instead, Tori stood up from the group, stepping closer towards them.
"I um…we would like to apologise. We should have believed you and taken your side, not turn against you. Can you forgive us?" Tori asked, slipping into one of her 'cute' moods at an attempt to make amends. There was only a brief pause before Jade nodded, relief instantly flooding through her.
"Thank you." Jade smiled slightly, a rare show of affection towards the brunette. While listening to this, Cat had amazingly stayed quiet but gave a squeal once everything was forgiven. "Group hug!" Cat exclaimed, opening her arms, expecting to be hugged. Instead she was met with laughs and the shake of heads. Tori took her seat back where she was while Beck pulled her up a chair. Jade eyed it cautiously, remembering the last time they had spoken but sat down, grateful for the kind gesture.
"So, are you guys hungry?" Andre asked once they were seated, already standing up to get whatever they wanted.
"Ohhh! I'll have the buffalo nuggets and a diet soda." Cat chimed in, giving one of her cheesy, perky smiles. "What about you Jade?" Beck asked, giving her a small nudge. "The same, thanks." Andre left to get their food as the conversation at the table turned towards Jade's side of the story and what they had found out since.
For the rest of the night, the gang ate and took part in some karaoke, something they hadn't done for so long. As Cat and Jade were walking home, they laughed about their victory performance of "Really Don't Care" by Demi Lovato.
"The look those Northridge girls gave you! If looks could kill, we'd both be dead." Jade laughed, clearly amused at the fact that they were hated all because of winning Karaoke. "We nailed it!" Cat giggled, skipping along the footpath beside the Goth girl. She hadn't seen Jade so happy in so long, not since things started to go wrong. In the right light, Cat couldn't help but think how beautiful her best friend was. The red head mentally shook her head, clearing out the feelings she had for the other girl. 'You can't have her.' She sternly told herself.
It wasn't until they reached the front door where things once again almost got a little awkward. Even to Jade, their outing had felt a little like a date. A date with four other people. Trying to avoid the stereotypical lines from a chick flick, Jade opened the door and stepped inside, having only just narrowly missed another potentially awkward situation.
The pair headed up the stairs towards Cat's room where the red head went into the bathroom to change into her bright pink flannel pyjamas. While she changed, Jade ran their evening together through her head, still full of mixed emotions. She was relieved to have her old friends back, and was a little surprised at the amount of fun that they'd had and then there was the fear and anxiety over the court case, but something stirred inside her which scared her, even more than the court hearing. Something she knew she couldn't fix or control. How long could she ignore it for? Would it make itself known anytime soon? Was it really such a bad thing to like her best friend? The friend whom she knew for sure returned her feelings. She was grateful that it was never mentioned, but maybe it was time to bring it up again.
Jade looked up, hearing the bathroom door open, looking like a dear caught in the headlights. She chewed on her lip nervously as she battled an internal struggle. Should she bring it up now? When she wasn't even one hundred percent sure on how she felt?
"Cat?" Jade murmured, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.
"I know, I know. We can't watch any movies tonight because it's late."
"I know, but C-…"
"I promise I'll turn out the light and let you sleep."
"Cat!" Jade exclaimed, beginning to grow a little frustrated. She took a deep breath and pat the space beside her. "Come take a seat."
Cat's eyes widened in surprise but did what she was told, sitting on her fluffy bedspread. Jade folded her hands in her lap as she turned inwards to face her.
"Do you remember when you confessed that you sort of liked me?" Cat nodded, still confused and unsure of where this was going. "I think I…what I mean is…I don't like girls. Never have. But you're different. The moment we met you looked past my hateful front and seen who I really was. And truth be told, I've always been kinder with you. I don't know how I feel yet. But I think I'm starting to feel like you do…" Jade paused, still unsure on how to continue and nervous how Cat would react. Instead, Cat's delicate features broke out into a smile as she flung her arms around Jade.
"Thank you Jadey." Cat murmured, pecking her lightly on the cheek. Once the red head had let go, Jade stood from the bed, giving her one of her rare genuine smiles. "See you in the morning Cat." Jade headed towards the guest room and slid into the warm bed, in something she realised was contentment, something she hadn't felt for quite a long time.
AN: I'm sorry if this chapter isn't very good, I'm kind of not with it at the moment. So I basically sat down to write this chapter to clear my head of my Diploma stuff and I think it worked. As I said I won't be quitting this story, it may just take a little time to write it all out. Thank you to those still reading this. I really do appreciate it. Don't be afraid to leave reviews or tell me any ideas or suggestions for this story even though I have the basics mapped out. Thanks