author's note: so I think this part isn't as good as the first one, but there might be a little more story progression.. maybe... thoughts?

I just have a lot of Jori feelings that need to be expressed through one sided Jori angst. But there will be more plot in the next parts.

It's lunch time.

You smile because the streaks in Jade's hair are purple today and even though she probably has no idea that purple has been your favorite color since you were twelve, you like to pretend that she did it just for you.

The plastic lunch table is warm, and your legs are pressed against it and getting hot.

Rex announces something embarrassingly personal about Robbie and you laugh, but secretly you feel a little sorry for him. Jade smirks and rolls her eyes, then twists around in her seat. You think she's probably looking for Beck but you wish she wasn't.

"Where is he," Jade almost shouts, more a statement of annoyance than an actual question.

"I dunno, Jade, maybe he got trampled by freshmen girls again," Andre replies, snickering and taking a sloppy bite of pizza.

Jade is not amused. She glares. "That isn't funny! The last time that happened, he had to get stitches. Remember?"

You remember. You remember the worried freshmen girls and Beck's swollen, broken lip and you remember how Jade was almost in tears, her dark eyeliner threatening to smudge down her cheeks. You had never seen Jade cry before then. You haven't seen her cry since.

"I thought it was pretty funny!" Robbie pipes up, smiling around the table. You watch Jade lean towards Robbie threateningly. Her hair falls over her pale cheeks and her eyes shine and you forget to breathe. You make yourself look away.

Robbie looks terrified and Jade hasn't even threatened him yet. He stutters out an apology and shrinks down.

You hear footsteps behind you. Jade looks up.

"Beck! Where the hell have you been?" Jade barks.

"Hey Jade, I was just talking to Sikowitz about some movie part that he wants me to try out for, and—"

Jade looks furious. Her eyes narrow and her cheeks flush. You hate thinking that she looks gorgeous right now when she's angry with her boyfriend, but you do anyway.

"What? You're auditioning for a movie? You're auditioning for a movie and you didn't tell me?"

"Look, Jade, I'm sorry, he told me about it yesterday and I wanted to—"

Jade cut him off again. "Yesterday? He told you yesterday?"

You know Beck won't win this fight and you know Beck knows he won't win this fight.

You think for a second that maybe you don't want Beck to win this fight because maybe this time Jade can't forgive him and he can't forgive Jade, but you push that thought quickly out of your mind and guilt tugs at your heart when you remember Jade laughing, smiling, being happy, fighting and then making up with Beck.

You decide to interrupt them.

"Um, guys, how about you continue this later? People are starting to stare…"

Jade turns her head so fast you swear you can hear her neck crack, and her eyes are shiny and her voice is low when she snaps at you to shut it Vega, did anyone ask you.

Before you can even think about answering, Cat skips over to the table, an orange bottle of Wahoo punch gripped in her tiny hand. "Guess what I just saw?"

No one guesses. Jade stares at Cat with her no one gives a shit stare and you shrug your skinny shoulders.

"A pigeon wearing a bottle cap as a hat!" Cat laughs her breathy laugh and repeats herself: "A pigeon wearing a bottle cap as a hat!"

You hear Jade reply. You hear the way she pronounces her words, her vowels round and full and her consonants hard and sharp, and you love it. You study the soft outline of her nose and cheeks and mouth and her piercing eyes, and you almost die.

Then Cat says something (she's probably still talking about pigeons and hats) and you have to look away. You try to hide your disappointment.

The bells rings and Beck jumps up, Cat, Andre, and Robbie following closely behind.

You stay with Jade.

She sits glaring at the center of the table. Jade doesn't ask why you stayed with her, and you don't tell her (maybe you don't even know why). You're not sure if she knows you're still there, because even though you're sitting right across from her and no one else is outside, she hasn't once moved her eyes.

You notice your legs are burning on the hot plastic, so you cross and uncross them.

Jade's head snaps up and you begin to think that maybe she hadn't noticed you after all.

You wonder why she's so upset about one fight—she and Beck fight all the time. You think that maybe all the fighting gets to her more than she lets on.

Jade stands up and walks past you.