Chapter 7: Maybe She's Not So Bad After All

OMG guys, sorry, LONG TIME NO UPDATE! :'( But I've just been so uninspired. I had huge writer's block for this chapter, and honestly, what TheWritingGames says on her profile is true. When I have writer's block, I don't want to write out crappy chapters for you guys, so I tend to wait a little while before updating. Sorry, but I hope you understand. Next time, if I haven't updated in ages, you'll know for a fact that I'm trying desperately to put together an awesome chapter for you guys.

And remember the last chapter, I said Jack and Kim were gonna make up soon? Well… it is soon, but not in this chapter. Spoiler alert. Sorry, I just didn't want to make it too cliché… and don't you guys fret, I'm not gonna make it even more clichéd with Kim singing at the talent show about her broken heart and everything. It'll be a little different… just a little something I'm planning on adding.

And a good point TheWritingGames brought up – sometimes, I sort of forget that Kim is injured, and make her do loads of stuff with her foot that is nearly impossible to do – soaking in the hot tub, tearing down a corridor – so, if I ever slip up again, just imagine that she's doing it all with her ankle broken. Well, except for the hot tub bit… now that isn't possible. But thanks Ariana, for telling me!

Oh yes, and remember to check out a new story I uploaded, 'Writers Wanted' if you haven't seen it! It's my first collab, with my awesome friend on , TheWritingsOfTaylor30! I'm sure most of you know her – she's popular on the Kickin' It archive. So… yeah, CHECK IT OUT IF YOU HAVEN'T!

Disclaimer: Don't own Kickin' It or 'Last Christmas'.

Jack took a deep breath and simply said, "Kim, I'm just so, so sorry." He stared at me with his apologetic, sincere chocolate brown eyes, practically begging me to forgive him with those perfect, glittering orbs of dark brown.

There was a long silence, before I broke it and asked abruptly (and rather sharply, I must add), "Is that it?"

Obviously, that was not the reply he was going for. Yeah, right. If Jack thought that he could say like, six words to me, and then gaze at me with those beautiful, hypnotizing eyes of his, he was wrong. I wasn't going to forgive him with just a snap of my fingers. Life didn't work that way.

Slightly subdued, Jack gave a little cough before proceeding in a rather awkward manner, "Look, Kim, I'm just… really sorry. For everything that happened earlier."

So he was sorry. He had said it like, twice.

"But why?" I demanded, my brown eyes fixed on his sorrowful expression. "I mean, why are you sorry?"

Jack sighed. "Because Kim, I was a complete jerk. You don't almost kiss your best friend, then agree to go out with some girl you met like, three days ago." He sounded genuinely sincere, to be honest. But there was still this little bug in me that wiggled about and made me squirm uncomfortably.

The bug was a question.

"But then, if you just said that almost kissing your best friend then agreeing to go out with Stella made you such a huge jerk, then why did you agree?" I asked pointedly. "I mean, practice what you preach, Jack!"

Jack looked at a loss for words, and words seemed to be unable to flow out of his mouth. Sure, I should've known. Jack's always been a good actor. It must have been easy for him to pull off that sincere little speech that nearly got me to forgive him.

"No reason?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I… I…"

"I'll take that as a 'no'," I snapped. "And I'll give you a 'no' too – a 'no' to 'I am not going to forgive you'!" Then, in a huff, I turned around and began stalking back into the studio.

"Kim!"

"What?" Out of frustration, I swiveled around again, my piercing brown eyes glued to Jack's anxious little face. "You don't mean a single word you're saying, and you probably don't even know why I'm mad at you, and why I'm upset, and all you know is that whatever you did was wrong! Anyone can tell me that what you did was wrong, Jack! Even Jerry!"

It suddenly occurred to me that the three boys were watching me and Jack's conversation, because I heard an indignant, "Hey!" Spinning around again, I saw all three of their ears squashed against the window, trying desperately to listen in on our conversation.

"Mind your own business!" I snapped, and three terrified boys fled from the window.

Turning back to Jack, and I continued harshly, "Look, unless you can actually apologize properly for what you did, and give me an explanation for why you did it, I am not going to forgive you. You got that clear?"

And leaving Jack to stand there, with a helpless expression on his face, I flounced off.

And I did not head back into the studio.

As I headed into my room, I slumped myself down on the bed, propping my broken ankle onto a pillow before pulling out my laptop and turning it on. Well, I was still in the talent show, so I might as well just keep practicing.

I'd decided on Last Christmas in the end, because as of the current time, I had loads of experience with liking boys (Ricky and ahem-Jack) and them throwing my heart away.

Well, I suppose with Jack it was just the way he was behaving about it. I mean, not that I actually have a crush on him or anything (pfft!), but he was a real jerk. Especially to do that to his best friend. I mean, who does that? And that fact that he seemed so strangely casual about it – it just didn't make any sense! I mean, did you see the way he started off his apology to me earlier? It barely passed as an apology – it was just words. They had no meaning.

I found the lyrics to the song, (I had yet to memorize them) and began softly singing them with the tune and everything. My voice came out on-pitch and quite frankly, melodious and pitch-perfect, if I do say so myself. I felt so comfortable, staring at the screen as I sang the words off the laptop. As I sang, my mind filled with images of how I could relate to the song. But strangely enough, while I tried to focus those moving pictures in my head on Ricky and I, my thoughts slowly traveled to Jack, and soon, pictures of the brunette seemed to have invaded my brain. And even though the song had a rather negative message behind it, all the pictures I saw of Jack… were happy pictures.

"This year, to save me from tears, I'll give it to someone special…" I sang the last line, giving it myown little twist my holding the last note slightly longer. As the note lingered in the air, I found myself flashing all the way back to the day Ricky Weaver came to perform at Seaford, and how Jack had been so protective.

Even though it had only been like, a few hours, I already missed speaking to him. As friends.

A knock sounded at the door, and hobbling over and peeking through the peephole, I was so surprised when I saw who it was.

"Stella?" I said in surprise as I opened the door to let her in. I could tell she was getting ready for her date with Jack and I felt a stab of jealousy. I could easily see why Jack got so caught up in the moment and agreed to go out with her. She looked gorgeous, especially when her dark hair was piled up atop of her head, held back by golden butterfly pins, and when she was donned in a shimmering, coral pink dress and fuchsia-pink heels. A beautiful diamond necklace resting upon her neck completed the look.

Well, the general effect of her beauty would have been much better if her face had not been contorted into an ugly, furious scowl.

The moment she entered, Stella stalked off towards the end of the room, pacing up and down the carpeted floor in fury, before sinking down onto my bed in hopelessness and anger.

"Stella… what are you doing here?" I questioned as politely as possible, not wanting to be rude or anything (though I would willingly be). "I mean… kinda weird, huh? We're not even that close…"

Stella stood up abruptly and marched straight up to me, a scowl set on her face.

"Kim, tell me now – do I look gorgeous or not?"

To be very honest, she was extremely gorgeous.

"Well, yeah, of course, why wouldn't you?" I asked with a shrug, trying to ignore the green monster I was about to morph into.

"And how long do you think I took to get myself looking this perfect?"

Well, considering it had been three hours since she asked Jack out…

"Three, obviously."

"Yes!" she suddenly screeched, nearly ripping her pretty hairdo apart. "Three hours, to get ready for my date with Jack! And technically, about two more to go!"

The green monster itching inside of me, about to burst any moment.

"Well then," I said, trying to control my jealousy, "you must really like him, to spend such a long period of time getting ready for your date."

"Yes, I do, Kim, I really do," she said, staring at me with her emerald-green eyes, with an extremely sincere expression on her face. "He's so cute, and just like, so worth spending loads of time over, don't you agree?"

I flushed red, not really wanting to answer this question.

"Well, I thought he was, but apparently, he's not!" Stella's sudden outburst startled me a little, because she had thrown her wrists up into the air, nearly smacking me straight in the face, and began pacing around again.

"What… what… but you just said…"

That's when Stella stalked straight over and grabbed my shoulders, shaking me vigorously.

And said something I'd never thought I'd ever hear her say.

"He canceled on me!"

Oh my (insert F-bomb) God.

Jack canceled on Stella Greene?

What an unrealistic situation. I'd never expect it. I had no idea what Stella Greene was playing at, but whatever it was, there was no way.

I raised an eyebrow, slightly unsurely. "You… you're joking."

Stella shook her head, several tendrils of her coming loose from the butterfly pinks. I could see her eyes getting puffy, and I had a feeling the thick layers of mascara that caked her eyes were about to run.

"I'm not, Kim."

My mouth formed into a perfect little 'o', at the impossible thought of Jack ever cancelling on a girl before. Seriously, he had never done it in his life – he even told me once. He made it a point to go on every single date he had set up, no matter how late, how stupidly dressed, or how unwilling he was.

And I mean, this was Stella Greene we were talking about – the girl he sacrificed his best friend for.

And he cancelled on her.

I was beginning allow the current piece of information to get absorbed into my brain, along with the rest of my tangled, muddled thoughts about love.

"But… but Jack's never cancelled on a girl before," I stuttered slowly. "He… he even told me. Personally." Hastily clearing my throat, and rested an awkward hand on Stella's arm. "It's alright, Stella. I'm pretty sure he did it because he really had to. He… he probably has more urgent matters to attend to."

Stella undid her hairdo in one swift removal of all her pins, allowing her dark long curls to come cascading down her back. Shaking her majestic waves to loosen them up, she tossed her butterfly pins away and sank onto the floor, all rather dramatically.

I find she was really being melodramatic. It was Jack Anderson, for crying out loud! Jack Anderson – a guy she had known for like, three days, who cancelled their date. She was acting as though she had just broken up with the love of her life.

"What urgent matters could he possibly need to attend to on a cruise?" Stella asked. "Do you know, Kim? I mean, you and Jack are close friends, right?" She then stopped short and her eyes widened. "Oh no! Kim, do you think maybe I was too forward? I mean, I've only known him for three days… Maybe I should have waited."

Three days, one week – what difference did both time spans make? It wasn't as if Stella lived in San Jose either.

"Or maybe…" Her eyes widened even more, her emerald green orbs twinkling as she seemed to recollect past events. Finally, with a swift leap onto her heel-clad feet, she pointed at me as realization seemed to dawn.

I backed away slightly.

"It's you!" Stella exclaimed triumphantly, shaking the finger that was pointing at me for more effect.

This made me more bewildered than ever. Sure, Jack and I fell out because of this girl – that I can understand – but what has Jack cancelling on her got to do with anything?

That's when realization dawned on me.

"You ran out after Jack agreed to go out with me!" Stella had started pacing up and down the carpeted floor again, the wheels in her pretty little head seemingly starting to turn. "Which means something huge happened to you guys before I stepped in." She stopped abruptly, tapping her heel against the floor, when she finally swooped towards me and grabbed my shoulders in excitement.

"OMG. OMG. OMG."

"OMG…?"

"You and Jack… you guys have… a thing, don't you?"

Even though that was sort of the answer, what came out was a big, draggy 'No', along with some vigorous head-shaking.

Oh what the heck. I was a terrible liar. It wasn't a surprise Stella saw straight through me.

"You do!" she squealed in excitement, as if I were her BFF informing her of a secret crush I have on this super hot guy in school.

Thing is, I was not.

"Oh, no, you do…" Her squeals trailed off when she realized what she had done. "OMG, are you telling me I've just sort of 'jeopardized' your relationship? Don't tell me you guys are fighting!"

I wasn't willing to answer the question, so I kept quiet. It seemed that Stella took silence as 'yes'.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry!" Stella gushed apologetically, seating me down on my bed. "I never should have asked him out! It was too soon, I 'totes' ruined a beautiful romantic moment –"

"No, no, Stella, it wasn't romantic at –"

"I feel awful!" Stella burst out, grabbing my hand. "Oh, Kim, please forgive me!"

Wow. That was so not the Stella Greene I thought I knew for the past few days. Who would have thought such a calm, cool and collected girl on the outside was such a drama queen when around her friends (I don't know if I'm a friend, it seems that I am).

I bit my lip. "Hey Stella, calm down, I forgive you," I laughed reassuringly. "You don't have to worry about anything. It wasn't romantic at all. We were just practicing for our act for the talent show."

Stella stared at me with sudden curiosity. "What act?"

"We're singing a duet."

"Which song?"

"'Last Christmas'."

"Love song?"

"More of a catchy, strangely happy-sounding heartbreak song."

"And what happened right before I knocked on the door?"

I flushed flamingo pink at the mere memory of Jack's lips half an inch away from mine. I remember having an enormous urge to pull away and continue with practice, because I knew that if we kissed our relationship would just grow even more complicated, and –

"Hey, tell me what you're thinking about!"

I shook myself out of my reverie, giving her a smile. "We had just finished singing," I lied. To my surprise, my words came out rather smoothly and casually.

"Oh." Stella's spirits in my 'thing' with Jack seemed to have dampened. "Well, then nothing happened?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

Stella sighed. "Well, Kim, I'd best be off. See you tomorrow in baking class." As she stood up, it suddenly occurred to me what she had just said.

"Wait, what?" I abruptly stopped her, my eyes flashing with anxiety. Her words had caused me to suddenly remember something.

"Baking class," Stella repeated, rather weirded-out by my expression and tone. "You told me you signed up, remember? I signed up too."

"Oh, great, yeah, see you," I said flatly, giving a subdued wave to Stella as she closed the door.

As I heard the sound of her clacking heels fade away, my heart filled with dread.

Baking class.

The only reason I had signed up was because Jack was in it.

Well, so this chapter wasn't especially long, or super special, and frankly I find I didn't write a good piece of work, but it's hard to write well when you just have this whole bunch of dialogue going on, isn't it?

So, to sum it all up: Jack sucks at apologies, Kim is still really mad at him, Stella is not all that she seems to be (she's actually much nicer), and… Kim's totally dreading baking class because Jack is in it.

So the next chapter would be about baking class. Wonder how that would turn out…

Remember: REVIEW! Please do it. I need all the opinions I can get on this chapter.

~Kelsey xD