AN - I know it's not 2k words long but rereading it I cant find it in my heart to change it just to make it past that word mark. I'm probably not going to follow the themes for the days however I will put off posting my new Rori fic until this Rade week is done. I will be putting out Rade ones however and adding more to the story We Heroes including a special chapter for the theme on Sunday. Once again I own nothing, please support the official release.

"God why did I decide to sport this gothic look, I'm so different from everyone else," Jade mused sadly.

"Shut up already, you look awesome," came the voice of the young man leaning against the locker on the other side from where she was leaning. "Just breath in and remember that you're a great person."

"Thanks a lot Robbie but what if no one likes me."

"That's never stopped you before, just remember who you are. You're strong, brave, independent Jade West don't ever let anyone push you around."

With a nod Jade pushed herself up and towards the theater were orientation would take place soon. Pushing himself up as well Robbie watched her go, smiling. A smile that faltered when another young man came up to him and stood near him watching Jade as well.

"Isn't she a little old to have an imaginary friend?" he asked with a smirk.

"Aren't you a little old to be wearing a super hero costume?" Robbie remarked back at the man who was indeed sporting yellow spandex and the symbol of a bee on his chest.

"Yeah mine is a teacher though, still scared of the dark. Captain Bee," he said holding out his hand, "I know not very original either but what can I say?"

Robbie nodded shaking it.

"Robbie. I bet she wont be needing me soon enough. She is an only child not many friends around so she created me to not go crazy when her parents left her with the help."

"You're talkative."

"Not like you can tell anyone about this." he said shaking his head and walking away towards the theater. To be honest he'd be surprised if Captain back there was the only other imaginary person he met since this school was for the most creative people in the area and it was high school and everyone had issues in high school. Sitting on the catwalk and watching Jade Robbie smiled thinking back on the first day she really needed him.

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Little jade watched as her parents waved getting into their own cars before driving off and leaving her alone again. It wasn't fair, when they had her they were supposed to become parents not just people who take care of her financially. Tears began to fill her eyes and she turned holding out her arms for her nurse who just happened to walk away. Falling to the ground she began to weep until a shadow fell over her. Turning around, eyes wide she shielded them from the glare, the person standing there looked like a giant to her. Turning to run she heard him chuckle and rose, making her best angry face.

"What's so funny?" she demanded and he shook his head removing his sunglasses and replacing them with regular glasses. Taking a knee Jade could see him better, he had really curly hair and a guitar on his back, looked kind of like a nerd from TV but something about his calmed her down.

"You are little pumpkin seed. Why are you sad?"

"Pumpkin? I'm not sad just got something in my eyes."

"If that's what you want to tell yourself pumpkin, I'm here to help you feel better."

"I don't talk to strangers," she said her little girl mind not getting that they have been this whole time.

"My name is Robbie, what's yours?" he asked holding out his hand.

"Jade," she said shaking it. To anyone else she wasn't shaking anything just moving her hand in the air.

"We;; Jade," smiling and taking his guitar out, "Let's go sing some songs to make us feel better."

"Okay."

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If you asked her Jade would have told you she knew about Robbie from the beginning but that's not true. She didn't realize fully that he wasn't real in the third grade though she did have ideas earlier in life Robbie suspects she just didn't want to admit me.

"You're not really here are you?" Jade asked one night while she was laying on her bed, Robbie was sitting in her desk chair tuning his guitar. "I mean you never eat, or sleep or change clothes."

"I could be a cartoon character, closet full of the same clothes," he said smiling as Jade laughed, "I'm real to you."

"But others, like Gran, she cant see you?"

"No love, only you can."

"Why me?"

"Because you're special Jade" She liked that answer and didn't force the topic again. He was always there for her throughout the years. When her parents fought and got a divorce, he was singing to her so that she wouldn't cry. When she got sick he sat next to her every day she was in the hospital. And now that she was in high school it was about time for her to be done with him. Following her into one of the classrooms and sitting in the back he went unnoticed. One major rule that Robbie had to follow as an imaginary friend was to stay close to Jade at all times, even if that meant being invisible to her. The other one was never, ever fall in love with your friend, he had broken that too but it wasn't a surprise normally friends are abandoned around age ten, forgotten or not needed anymore. it was highly unusual for Jade to need him for this long. Looking up he saw Captain Bee sitting at the teacher's desk, when they caught each other's sight the Captain motioned at the crazy acting teacher. Other times it just made sense, returning his gaze to Jade he smiled seeing her talking and laughing with a red haired girl and a guy with good hair. Taking his guitar off his back he spun it around and checked it, there was a little area with numbers on it and what had been a frozen countdown was now moving again. Good, she wouldn't need him soon.

Later at lunch she was sitting by herself so Robbie came over and sat down with her.

"What's going on girly?" Jade smiled.

"I found these new friends Robbie, there's Cat a hyper girl who needs to settle, Andre who is this laid back singer and Beck this super dreamy actor. I cant decide what I want to do just yet though, maybe everything. It's so exciting."

"About that, we need to talk Jade," he said softly and she looked up at him sharply.

"About what?"

"You wont need me anymore soon so I might be around less and less."

"No," she shrieked scaring those around her, "You promised me you wouldn't leave me ever. After my mom left you promised me Robbie."

"Who's Robbie?" asked Cat as she sat down next to Robbie who frowned resting his head in his arms.

"Someone very important to me," she said continuing to look at him.

"Does that mean you have a boyfriend?" asked Beck as he set down his tray, looking over at her Jade smiled at the appearance of dismay in his face.

"No, just someone special to me."

"Oh cool," Beck said with a smile.

Robbie was gone for the rest of the night and honestly Jade didn't notice until she was home alone later. She called out for him, searched everywhere and breaking down when she couldn't find him. Sobbing hard it felt like her heart was going to explode she felt so alone, but then she felt his prescense as strong arms wrapped around her.

"Hush babe, I'm here"

"I thought you left me," she managed to get out.

"I will never leave you, I promised you that and that's what I meant." She didn't yell at him for scaring her like that instead she just laid there as long as she could, feeling like something was holding her there.

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This is how it continued, the numbers on Robbie's guitar resetting every now and then getting closer and closer to zero over the years especially when she and Beck first got together but something always pulled him back to her. When Tori came into the picture it was like Jade needed him all over again, she would have been a lot worse if he wasn't there supporting her. So after Jade and Beck broke up for the second time Robbie went to out to the West's backyard and started to build a fire on top of his guitar. Before setting it on fire he felt someone come up behind him. Half expecting Jade he was amused to see Captain Bee, it had been two years now since they first met.

"You sure about this?" he asked Robbie.

"Sikowitz finally accepted that he didn't need you?"

"He found a woman who loves him and is having a kid right now with her but you didn't hear that from me," he said with a smile, "I'm getting reassigned soon. You know if you do this though you're stuck with her forever?"

"It's not a punishment with Jade though." Captain Bee was quiet as Robbie squirted on lighter fluid onto the guitar and the sticks.

"But what about when she doesn't need you anymore, you cant get reassigned to someone new."

Robbie didn't say anything instead he reached into his pocket, flipped open his lighter and tossed it onto the pile. Once the flames really caught on he turned to Captain Bee and was surprised to see that he was gone. Sighing he switched from his normal glasses to his sunglasses and watched the flames dance. Now even if she didn't need him anymore he couldn't leave, he'd be forced to stay with her until she died and then he would as well, vanishing off to the nothingness. He accepted that gladly, that's what he got for breaking rule number one, for falling in love with Jade West.