This chapter's dedicated to my soul sister Suzy (imlaughingnow). Happy Birthday, m'dear, you get older every day! Enjoy your last year as an official teenager! Oh, and you better appreciate me sitting here for hours to get this posted on your bday.
"I could follow you and search the rubble. Or stay right here and save myself some trouble. Or try to keep myself from seeing double." You Could Make a Killing – Aimee Mann.
-.-.-.-.-
"You should put this one on instead."
Jade sighed before resigning herself to let go of the book firmly held in her hands. It doesn't matter how much time passes by or what happens in her life, Jade West (Oliver) has never lost her passion for literature. She liked books. They were concrete, definitive. There were no what if's or maybes; what gets printed is final, for better or worse. Everything made sense in a book, every event served a purpose other than just to screw with the hero(in)e's life; it all lead to the revelation and lessons they had to learn in order to succeed. So much unlike reality, where life sometimes really does screw you over for nothing other than it's own entertainment.
She's not bitter though.
Not one bit.
Really.
The book she's been reading for the past week is called The Anatomy of Wings, and she's already on the last few chapters. She figured it'd be a well-deserved change of pace to focus on the problems of little Jennifer for a while instead of her own. It's the third novel she's almost finished so far, having absolutely nothing better to do while she's been resting (hiding out) in Beck's Los Angeles home.
One week.
Exactly the amount of time she's been married.
Ain't that a mouthful?
Speaking of which…
She looks up and her bright, blue eyes land on Beck's brown ones. His arm is outstretched towards her and he's holding something in the palm of his hand. His posture's tense and his jaw's set as he tries to feign indifference. Jade holds his gaze and the uncertainty that she can see in his only provides a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that whatever he's offering's going to hurt both of them.
She was right.
There, resting against his tan skin, is a pair of wedding rings.
Shock runs through her and, not for the first time, she feels like the biggest bitch in the planet. While she's been hiding out and avoiding her problems as much as possible, Beck's been working non-stop with his manager and hers to fix their little scandal.
"I figured something a little more serious than plastic rings might be in order for our photo shoot tomorrow," he tries to joke when the silence gets too uncomfortable to bear. His free palm wraps around her delicate wrist as he slowly pulls off her current ring and slips on the shiny, new diamond one. The new ring is elegant and is covered with intricate designs around the band that captivate everyone's attention without trespassing the thin line between sophisticated and tacky.
It's beautiful; the kind of ring that dreams are made of and that any girl would be more than thrilled to wear.
But it feels wrong.
It feels like a weight's been placed on her and even though Jade knows it's all in her head, she can't help but feel like it burns against her skin. She wants nothing more than to rip it off her finger and throw it into the nearest ocean she can find.
This is wrong.
The words flow into her mind and she feels deep in her heart that they speak the truth.
There was a time when Jade West would've been the happiest girl in the world if Beck Oliver had given her a wedding ring. It wouldn't have mattered if it was made of plastic and he'd asked her while they ate Taco Bell in his old RV because they were broke and couldn't afford anything more glamorous. Hell, she would've even taken the Vegas wedding.
You know, altering her inebriated state.
Remembering it would've been a nice touch too.
Never in any of the scenarios her imaginative mind had created, would she ever believe that the day the quote/unquote "love of her life" placed a ring on her finger, it would be to keep up appearance; a farce.
Just like her.
It's like a slap to the face.
So she whispers, "Thank You", before promptly lifting herself off the chair she'd been sitting in next to the pool, and swiftly making her way into the guest room that had been assigned to her.
She doesn't come out for the rest of the day.
-.-.-.-.-
"So, how's married life treating you?"
Beck shrugs his shoulders as he tries not to blatantly fidget with the collar of his button up shirt. His home is currently filled with cameras and equipment as it was transformed into a makeshift studio for them. They wanted to capture the "essence" of the new marriage, and give people an opportunity to look into the lives of two of their favorite celebrities. Beck didn't buy it, but he wasn't going to start arguing over every little detail at the moment.
"It's been great, you know? She means a lot to me," he answers and that, at least, is not a lie.
The reporter, Samantha, notices that Beck's attention isn't really on her, but on his wife's who's currently getting a touch up from one of the many makeup artist on staff. She looks pale, and not just because of her skin tone. With time and a lot of experience, she had learned that the only way to succeed in her job was to learn how to read people. Sam may not be personally acquainted with the young starlet, but she knows people enough to know that Jade West was two seconds away from either being sick or having a nervous breakdown. Still, she couldn't help but admire the obvious beauty the girl possessed.
"She's pretty," she notes absentminded as she studies the girl's behavior. "She looks so poise and on point, different for a girl her age. Has she always been that way? " she asks, noticing how despite her obvious discomfort, Jade continued to be as professional and courteous as she possibly could.
A grin forms on his lips as he remembers a younger version of Jade and how nobody (except him) would relate her with the compliments a practical stranger had just used to describe her. "She's changed a lot," he begins. "You should've met her in high school. She was all combat boot and colorful highlights. Lots of attitude. Had me hooked the moment I saw her."
Samantha was about to start asking him more questions when Beck noticed the way Jade seemed to stumble as she tried to stand up from her chair, and he knew he had to do something now before everything came crashing down.
"I'll be right back," he excuses himself. "I just need to have a few moments with Jade."
He made his way over to her and lead her to his den, making sure no one followed them or tried to eavesdrop on their privacy.
The door has barely closed behind them when Beck turns to face her. She's not crying (because Jade never cries) but she looks hollow and it makes him feels sick to see her that way. It also pisses him off in ways he can't even begin to understand because he's been working his ass off for her and she honestly has no reason to be in her current emotional dilemma.
"What's the matter?"
"This isn't going to work out."
"What are you talking about? Everyone believes what we've been telling them."
"You don't get it!" she snaps. "We're creating this huge lie and it's going to come out sooner or later."
"What is this really about, Jade? You've never had a problem with lying before," he shoots back, the accusation clear in his voice. He wants to tell her that if she hadn't up and ran away years ago, they more than likely would've been really married by now, but he keeps his comment to himself.
For the moment anyways.
"We can't go out there and pretend to be this perfect couple. I can't be this fake persona," she stutters out and she stares at Beck, willing him to understand that she's not the same girl she was before. She's learned from life, from her mistakes, and she doesn't want to be the same girl she used to. It's cost her too much already to let that version of her go.
Her friends, her whole life.
It has cost her Beck.
His stance softens as he catches onto the insecurity she's obviously feeling, and Beck can't stop his palm from rising to caress her cheek and offer her whatever comfort he can. Jade leans her head against the offered familiarity. "It's gonna be okay, you know? I'm going to get both of us out of this without messing up your life," he reminds her in a soft voice, just like the one he used to use on her before, when they were seventeen and he was trying to get her to calm down after she didn't get the role she wanted in the school play.
Something inside of her snaps at the action.
Anger courses through her, at him and at herself, and she brings both her hands up to grab at his wrist and push him away from her. She turns away as she tries to control herself, and turns back two seconds later to stare at him in disbelief.
"God, is this some game for you? Are you setting me up so you can get revenge for me leaving you before? What do you want?" she demands, and this is the side of her that everyone always saw. The angry act she used to get rid or push someone away. Unfortunately for her, Beck knew better than to believe her every play.
"Do you really believe that? Do you think I would ever do that to you, regardless of what you've done to me?"
"Why don't you hate me? I would hate you if you had left me. I would've never forgiven you," she argues and now he understands what she's looking for. She feels like she's drowning and she's looking for a solid lifeline, and he knows that anything less than the truth won't solve a thing.
"I've been angry at you for a long time, Jade," he admits. "I was so angry at you when you left, and I still am, but I've accepted it. Fixating on the past won't help our current reality."
"You're still my friend," he adds when she looks away, and her head snaps back to look at him.
"Friends?" she questions in disbelief.
"Yup," he confirms. "I'm not looking at you as the girl who left me. I'm looking at you as an old friend who needs my help. We can do this, Jade, just listen to me and we're going to be okay. I promise."
"Okay," she accepts. "Friends. I can do 'Friends'".
He nods and stretches out his arm, offering his opened palm as an invitation. She gives him a small, unsure, smile and holds onto his hand as he opens the door and she can once again see the many faces of the various people invading his living room.
It's moments like these when they're both grateful there's such a thing as "little, white lies". They both know they're lying.
Because Beck and Jade have been many things together, but if there's one thing they have never been, it's friends.
-.-.-.-.-
"So, let's start at the beginning; How did you two meet?"
They're both sitting in his den with Samantha, and Beck could not be happier that Jade seems to have finally managed to calm down and come to terms with their situation. She was smiling again, and her skin had regained it's beautiful complexion once again.
"We were in the ninth grade. I asked her out, and little Miss Temper over here poured a cup of coffee on my head," Beck informed the reporter as a blush colored Jade's cheeks in a lovely shade of pink. Beck tried not to think about how if she was exhilarated enough, her skin would darken just enough for the few freckles she has scattered over her nose to be barely visible.
"Hey, I told you I wasn't interested and you kept insisting! I had to get my point across somehow," she smirked, a glint sparkling in her eyes and making them shine at the memories.
"What happened after?"
"I kept going back. I must have ruined at least a dozen t-shirt with coffee stains. I actually started keeping spares in my locker just for the occasion. Eventually, she gave in and let me take her out for coffee."
"He managed to get my order right. I find that a very redeeming quality in a guy," Jade teased, grinning at Beck when they both noticed the surprised look on Samantha's face.
"He won you over with coffee?" she asked Jade, before turning her attention back to Beck. "Why go back to her after so many crash and fails to get her attention?" she questioned, not to be rude, but out of sheer curiosity.
"I knew she was special. That was enough."
The interview continued on after that. Simple, generic questions about their life and the things that 'everybody was dying to know'. Actually, Beck could say that he was enjoying himself, remembering the better times he and Jade had as teenagers. Until they weren't anymore.
"So what happened? Why did you break up before?"
Jade tenses next to him, and her hand unconsciously seeks out his. He catches it and squeezes her fingers in reassurance before intertwining his fingers with hers.
"We were young, and when life pulled us in different directions, we went along with it. I think we can both say it was a mistake, but here we are again," he sighs, dropping his shoulders in defeat before turning to look at Jade with a small smile she returns.
They finish their interview and move on to the photographs. They smile at the right times and look like a couple in love as the camera flashes away.
Samantha Adams doesn't doubt it, but she knows they're hiding something.
It's in the way they look at each other. The hurt and betrayal that burns underneath the surface, and that her journalistic instinct can detect.
But she likes them, and that same instinct is telling her that regardless of what their problems may be, the newlywed couple loved each other.
She just wishes she can be there to help them if, when, their act came crashing down.
-.-.-.-.-
AN: I'm late, I know! My new schedule's been killing me and my laptop crashed so I had to delete everything and it's a really long story so anyways, here's the latest chapter.
I hope you guys like it, and I'll have something more posted before the weekend is over!
Let me know what you think!
Don't forget to review!
Next chapter at 65?
-Lele