Chapter Three – Teardrop on a rose

Jude walked into G-Major with her head downcast and her shoulders slumped. Walking through the lobby she ignored Sadie as she tried to catch her attention, eyes filled with questions. She walked past Spied and Mason both of whom glanced down at her with protective glances. She didn't even notice them. She reached the door to the studio and twisted the metal handle. Feeling the door unlatch she pulled it, stepping into the room. Feeling a presence in the room Jude started to speak without looking up.

"Sorry I'm late, Kwest. I-" She stopped short when the flowery scent reached her nose. Turning around slowly she caught sight of the fiery roses sitting on the soundboard. Just like the first two, the bouquet of roses was meticulously chosen and arranged, creating a beautiful picture. They didn't hold her attention for long however because she immediately took notice of the person sitting next to them.

Shaking her head she backed herself up against the wall, trying to get as far away as she could. He stood up as if to close the gap between them but faltered when he saw the broken look on her face. The two stood in a silent standoff for several minutes until Tommy couldn't stand the feeling of Jude's eyes burning into his any longer and he turned away.

When he turned back around, his head was hung low and sadness was etched into his features. Several times he opened his mouth and then closed it, not knowing how to begin. He touched the petals on one of the roses, hoping it would give him the strength to say what he needed to. Finally he spoke, his voice coming out soft and quavering.

"Jude, I-" He began, stopping halfway through his thought. He faltered, biting his lip roughly. "I made a huge mistake." He looked up at her, wincing at the icy blue eyes staring back at him. They were devoid of all emotion. He swallowed his fear and pushed on, trying to remember the words he had rehearsed. Instead of coming out cool and confident as they were in his head, they came out desperate and pleading.

Halfway through Tommy's speech Jude felt her emotionless mask start to crack. Up until then she had watched him through blurry eyes and a stone face as he paced the room apologizing for every wrong he had ever done. She didn't hear what he was saying, because it didn't matter. There was only one thing that she wanted to hear from him. It was the answer to the question that had haunted her for weeks. Why did he leave? What was so important that he could just give her up, throw her away? The answer never came and when she realized that it wasn't going to, the crack finally broke.

Tears began to slide down Jude's cheeks as she watched the scene before her. She didn't realize she was crying until she tested their saltiness on the edges of her lips. She began to panic as her stiff resolve crumbled and she stopped listening to Tommy altogether. Why did you leave me? She screamed inside of her head. She waited for him to read her mind but he just continued with his pleading apologies.

Suddenly the dam of emotions broke and Jude began to drown in the flood of sadness and anger. She screamed inside of her head for Tommy to see her, to hear her. She cried for him to stop and look at her, to hold her, but he didn't. He continued to pace and apologize, afraid to look at her. To him, her silence was the most frightening thing, and he was determined to apologize until Jude said something, anything.

Before Jude realized what was happening, she had crossed the small space between her and Tommy. She grabbed up the vase of roses and held it unsteadily staring at it as though she had never seen anything like it before. Noticing her movement Tommy stopped his pacing and turned toward her, freezing when he saw the glass vase balanced precariously in her hand. His eyes went wide and the color drained from his face as he held his hands up in front of him, afraid she was going to throw the entire thing at him. A moment of eerie silence passed between them before Jude did in fact throw the vase. She threw it hard at the ground, watching it crash violently to the floor. The shattering glass could hardly be heard over her screaming, which was no longer inside of her head.

"Why Tommy? Why did you leave me? Why does everyone leave me?" She screamed, her voice cracking and her face turning deep red. She stopped suddenly and looked around the room in stunned silence. She glanced at the shocked Tommy, whose mouth was hanging half open. Squeezing her eyes shut she willed it all to go away. When she opened them back up, she found the same horrific scene.

Before Tommy had a chance to react Jude had taken off for the sound booth. Slamming the door, she grabbed a stool and shoved it under the door handle, effectively locking out the rest of the world.

Separated by a sheet of soundproof glass, two people broke down. They cried for themselves, for each other, and for the roses. They were all casualties of their tragic battle, silent to the rest of the world.