I'm Back!
Sincerest apologies for living up to my pen name, it's been rather hectic lately. Anyway, here's the next chapter! I got kind of carried away so brace yourselves, it's a long one. Hope you enjoy!
The profuse tapping noise had only been occurring for about fifteen seconds but already it had become too much.
"Do you mind?" Jade snaps at Scott, who had been absentmindedly tapping his foot.
"Sorry" he says as his foot stills. "It's just that you haven't said anything and it's making me nervous"
"You handed me the script thirty seconds ago, I've barely had time to read the synopsis" she says somewhat exasperated.
"Right, sorry" he says genuinely apologetic as she turns her attention back to the script in front of her.
Jade certainly hadn't planned on becoming his personal editor when she woke up that morning but he'd called her up frantic, pleading that she look over his script before he entered it into one of Tisch's writing competitions. After he'd helped her ace their previous class writing assignment, she couldn't exactly blow him off.
It was a nice day outside so she eventually agreed to meet him at the chess tables in Washington Square Park to supply her opinion on his newest work. The distraction elicited by his nervous antics, however, was keeping her from her task.
She lifts her head up once again to shoot him an annoyed glare when he begins to erratically tap his fingers on the table.
"Sorry" he apologizes again when he catches her glare.
"Seriously, if you're this nervous to have me read it, how are you going to cope when a panel of pretentious professors get their overly critical hands on it?" she asks in wonder.
"Well to be honest, you make me more nervous than a group of persnickety professors ever could" he says with a shrug.
Jade raises an eyebrow at his statement and he fidgets a little in his seat.
"I'm going to disregard your use of the word 'persnickety' for the moment because I'm actually curious as to how I make you more nervous" she says as she sets the script down and waits patiently for his reply.
"Well…uh… I mean it in a good way…" He stutters out as Jade furrows her eyebrows in confusion.
"I mean I think you're an amazing writer" he tries to clarify, "I really value your opinion, and if you like my script, I'm pretty sure they will too" he says with a shy smile.
She decides to ignore his compliment and quickly shifts the conversation back to the script.
"When's the deadline to turn this in?" She asks as she picks it back up.
"Monday, 7:30am sharp" he answers.
"Okay so you have the whole weekend," she says more to herself.
"Yeah well— "
"You hungry?" she asks suddenly, cutting him off.
"Uh, a little bit I guess?" he says confusedly.
"Good, how about you go get yourself something to eat, preferably somewhere far away from here, so I can actually concentrate on your script rather than your impending nervous breakdown?" she offers.
He nods for a while before answering, apparently thinking over her offer.
"Yeah, I think that might be a good idea" he finally agrees.
"You live near Broadway right? I have to make a quick stop at the drama department around 3 o'clock so I can just drop off the script at your place on my way back. Just text me the address"
"Yeah, that could work" he says tentatively.
"Great, it's settled, bye!" she says matter-of-factly
The fact that she'd even agreed to look over his script, Scott considered to be a feat in and of itself, so he decides it'd be best to oblige her request without much complaint. After a brief farewell, he saunters off to leave her to focus on the task at hand.
Once she begins reading, it doesn't take her long to become engrossed in his latest work. He'd always had a knack for intricate storytelling and strong character development, so the ease at which this new crime-drama put her on the edge of her seat, shouldn't have been much of a surprise.
She's so engaged in the story that a sudden "Hey beautiful", uttered beside her, temporarily disorients her.
When she looks up to locate the source of the comment, she is met with the piercing gaze of the boy she was hoping she wouldn't have to confront anytime soon. It had been six days since their last encounter; an encounter she'd pushed to the back of her mind and pretended didn't occur. Now however, she had no choice but to face him as he towered over her, sporting a stupidly smug grin.
Two other guys, that Jade didn't recognize, stood beside him and looked down at her as well.
"It's good to see you again Jade" Beck says in a smooth tone.
"Can't say the same," Jade blurts out and all of the boys laugh in unison.
"Guys, this is Jade" Beck introduces, once his laughter subsides.
"Yeah, Jade West" one of the guys finishes for him.
Beck and Jade both turn their heads to furrow their eyebrows at him, wondering how exactly he knew her.
"I'm Dante," he says to her, as if his name would jog her memory.
After she still seems to be drawing a blank, he tries to clarify "I'm in your acting class with professor Damon"
"Right" she says flippantly, still having no clue who he was.
"Your Dirty Diana audition was really something" he complements and Jade smiles at his mention of the play.
It's a tentatively titled piece that she'd auditioned for a couple of weeks ago centering on Diana Devane, a greedy seductress who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Professor Damon had written it himself and as soon as he announced that it was cleared for production, Jade knew she wanted to be part of it. It was dark, provocative, and gritty, with a kickass female lead as icing on the cake. It was basically everything she could ask for in a school production, where almost any role would challenge her ability as an actor. She'd of course auditioned primarily for Diana, but the original script was so compelling, she honestly wouldn't mind being cast in any role.
"I'm sure it was amazing, she's quite an actress" Beck says staring down at her with a smirk.
"I saw" Dante agrees with a smile "I'm actually about to head to the drama department now, the cast list should be posted any minute."
Jade's eyes dart to her phone as soon as the words leave his mouth. She quickly picks it up to check the time and sees that it's five minutes before 3 o'clock. She'd apparently been so engrossed in Scott's script that she'd lost track of time. "So much for getting there early," she thinks to herself.
"Are you heading there now too?" Beck asks, "I have to stop by there as well. We could all go together"
"No" she says quickly. "I have to finish looking over this script first"
Truthfully, she was dying to found out if she had a role, but she wasn't too keen on the idea of accompanying them there.
"Okay then, well it was good seeing you Jade" Dante bids.
"As always" Beck quickly adds.
Jade chooses not to acknowledge his comment and instead silently waves them all off before turning back to the script. Through her peripheral, she sees Beck linger for a moment longer before walking away in the direction of the others.
She only has about five pages of the script left to proofread so she decides to just finish it off so she can return it to Scott as quickly as possible.
It's about ten past three when she reads out the last line, after which she has to take a moment to gather her thoughts. If there was even an inkling of a doubt before about Scott's skills as a writer, there was absolutely none now. The boy is truly talented and, besides a few grammatical errors, Jade had virtually nothing ill to say about his work. She makes a mental note to collaborate with him in the future as she stands to gather her things.
She's eager and suddenly a bit nervous as her mind shifts to the cast list that's awaiting her. She takes a deep breath to clear her head as she begins to make her way out of the park. She doesn't get very far before she spots him sitting against a nearby tree, reading a book.
"Seriously?" she sighs to herself in annoyance but keeps walking.
If he wasn't sitting near the quickest route out of the park, she may have considered going in the opposite direction just to avoid him, but she figures she'd wasted enough time already so she continues on. He seems pretty preoccupied with what he's reading so with a little luck, she thinks maybe he won't notice her.
"Lovely day isn't it?" Beck speaks out just as she is about to pass the tree he's sitting against.
She comes to an abrupt halt and turns to glare down at his smiling face.
"I thought you left" she barks at him; not bothering with pleasantries.
"I was going to"
"What stopped you?"
"I don't know, I guess I just enjoyed the scenery" he says as his smile grows even wider.
Jade just rolls her eyes and turns to walk away.
"Hey, wait up" he says as he scurries to put his book in his backpack and catch up to her.
"Done 'enjoying the scenery' so soon?" she mocks once he settles into a steady pace beside her.
"No actually, I'm just getting started. You look great by the way" he quips and Jade just sneers in response.
"So how have you been?" He continues, "I haven't seen you since our night out together"
"Eww, don't call it that!" Jade snaps at him in disgust.
"Then what would you like for me to call it?" He chuckles out.
"I don't know, how about we just not talk about it altogether?" she offers as she quickens her pace.
"Why not? I was under the impression that you enjoyed our outing, I know I did. Although, I'll admit the evening ended quicker than I would of liked" He mutters suggestively.
"I thought I told you this was done!" she suddenly snaps, stopping abruptly.
She didn't intend on losing her temper but she was fed up with his antics.
"Come again?" he asks with a smile.
"This" she says as she gestures between them, "This game you insist on playing, I told you I wasn't interested"
"Game?" he asks feigning confusion.
"Don't play dumb, you know exactly what I'm talking about. All of these compliments, clever witticisms, and subtle suggestions are for naught. Go find another girl to lavish your charms on because you're wasting your time with me"
Beck stares at her for a long moment, with a contemplative look, before responding.
"So let me get this straight, you think I'm charming and clever?" he concludes.
Jade can't help but to shoot him a look of utter astonishment.
"Seriously? That's all you got from that?"
"Yeah, isn't that what you said?"
His smile is wide and playful and Jade has to suddenly fight the intense urge to slap him. She takes a deep breath to calm herself before continuing.
"Listen to me okay? Listen to me very carefully. Nothing, and I mean nothing, even remotely romantic is going to happen between us. Do you understand?"
"Nothing?" he asks.
"Correct"
"Absolutely nothing romantic at all?"
"Exactly"
"And you're certain of this?"
"Unequivocally" she states with the utmost confidence.
Beck nods his head for a brief moment, seemingly thinking it over.
"Okay" is all he says, leaving Jade a little surprised.
"Okay?" she asks tentatively.
"Yeah, I got it. Nothing romantic whatsoever" he states plainly.
"Right" she says, still a bit skeptical of his comprehension.
"But how about just sexual?"
"NO!" she screeches as she shoves him.
"Kidding!" Beck laughs as he holds his hands up in mock surrender.
"Oh, I bet you were!" she spits sarcastically as she turns to start walking again, this time at lightning fast pace.
"Okay, Fine" he says catching up to her, "I understand, but can we at least be friends?"
"Friends?" she bristles as though the word were offensive.
"Yeah, why not? You're great company, and I'm great company, it makes sense right?"
"You're so full of it, you know that?" she says shaking her head.
"Is that a 'Yes'?" he asks with a smile.
They walk in silence for a moment before she answers.
"I'll think about it"
"Tis' all that I ask of you Madam!" he voices theatrically.
"Oh shut up!" she barks at him, however, still unable to keep herself from smiling at his silliness.
The two end up engaging in small talk all the way to the drama department. In a way, Jade is somewhat grateful because it keeps her from thinking about the imminent cast list that may or may not contain her name.
They take the elevator to the 4th floor and Jade takes one last deep breath before the doors open to reveal a large crowd of bustling students. Her eyes quickly dart to the Theatre Space door where the list was supposed to be posted, but all she sees is bare wood.
"Great, now I have to wait even longer to find out" she thinks to herself after she surmises that Damon is running late.
She glances over at Beck, who looks like he's about to say something when, suddenly, a group of annoyingly high-pitched girls make a beeline to swarm him.
"Hi Beck!" one of them enthuses.
"I'm so excited to see your play, I know you'll be amazing!" another one gushes.
"Wow, those jeans look spectacular on you!" A third one adds.
Jade finds their desperation to be both comical and pathetic.
"Uh…thanks ladies" Beck says, shooting Jade an apologetic look for the sudden disruption.
She just rolls her eyes and walks off, trying to distance herself as much as possible from the boisterous hyenas surrounding him.
After maneuvering around a bunch of students, she picks a vacant spot on the wall and leans up against it to wait for Professor Damon's arrival. It only takes about five minutes of waiting for her to become extremely annoyed because, well, she's not the most patient person. She decides that moving would probably pass the time faster so she pushes herself off the wall and starts to walk further down the long hallway, away from the bustling crowd.
She passes a few classrooms before coming to a stop at the room she unfortunately hasn't been able to spend much time in since she's been at Tisch. It's almost always on reserve and Music majors usually get first priority, so every time she'd gotten remotely close to what's inside, she'd been ushered away.
She peers through the thin vertical window of the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of what she's been literally wanting to get her hands on for over a month. The dimly lit room and the vantage point allowed by the window, however, limit her view inside. She halfheartedly turns the doorknob, fully expecting the door to be locked, and is surprised when the door jars open. Not wanting to miss this opportunity, she quickly shuffles inside and flips on the light switch. As the ceiling lights flicker on, a wide smile forms on her face when her eyes land on the elusive object of her affection.
There, in the back corner of the room, a marvelous mahogany Steinway Grand Piano stood in all its glory. Rays of sunlight, seeping in from a nearby window, bounce off the open top making the already stunning instrument seem even more spectacular. Jade wastes little time making her way over to it.
Once she's beside it, she delicately runs her hands over the fine, polished wood, savoring the feel of it under her fingertips as she moves to take a seat on the piano bench. Once seated, she carefully pushes back the fallboard and sighs in contentment as her eyes are met with the spruce derived, alternating black and white keys. She takes a moment to run her fingers over them as well, being careful not to press down on them just yet. Her smile stretches even wider and a small pleasant laugh escapes her lips when she finally fingers a chord and the mighty sound permeates the room. She fiddles with a few random chords for a moment, relishing in the beautiful sounds, before a specific tune comes to mind. She plays the tune for a bit before adding her vocals and her eyes automatically close as she begins to sing out the lyrics.
I hate being that wall
That you hit when you feel like you gave it all
I keep taking the blame
When we both know that I'll never change
As Jade lets the song overtake her senses, she hardly notices the door to the room slowly creep open and a certain tan skinned boy slip inside.
I tear you down
I make you bleed eternally
Can't help myself
From hurting you and it's hurting me
Beck watches her in enthralled silence, captivated by her talent and beauty, as she skillfully accentuates each and every note with compelling emotion.
I don't have wings so flying with me won't be easy
Cause I'm not an angel, I'm not an angel
As she sings out the last line, Beck can't bring himself to fully believe her words because how she looks and sounds in that moment is nothing short of angelic.
"Wow" the word unintentionally escapes his lips and startles Jade into hitting a few stray keys.
"What the hell!" she screeches as her head snaps up to scowl at him.
"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you" Beck says in a soft voice.
"Why are you following me?" she growls.
"I'm not," he says quickly and she shoots him a look of disbelief. "Honestly, I was just walking down the hallway, whistling to myself and minding my own business, when I heard some music and decided to check it out. I had no idea you were in here" he adds with a shrug.
"Whistling to yourself? Really? You know for a 'premier' actor you're pretty bad at this whole lying thing" she shoots back.
Beck laughs lightly but doesn't respond otherwise as he begins to saunter towards her. He shifts his focus to the gem she's sitting behind as he comes to a stop beside her.
"Steinway huh?" he asks and Jade just nods. "How long have you played?"
"A while, how long have you been a stalker?" She throws back at him.
His dazzling smile returns but he again ignores the question as his gaze remains fixed on the piano. He lifts his hand to slowly run it along the side arm, seemingly lost in thought.
"You know the first time I saw one of these, I thought it was a spaceship," He laughs to himself as he reminisces.
"A spaceship?" she asks, somewhat intrigued.
"Yeah, I was just a kid — a squirt really, I was so tiny"
"Not too much has changed then huh?" she jokes.
"Hey now, my waist may still be tiny but I wouldn't let that fool you, I'm quite sizable in other areas" he says looking down at her and raising his eyebrows suggestively.
Jade rolls her eyes at him but has to look down to hide her blush.
"Do you play?" she asks, looking back up at him after she's composed herself.
"Not really" his expression turns serious, "my mother…she used to play a lot"
Jade catches the flicker of sadness in his eyes just before he diverts them back to the piano. He runs his hand back along the side arm again but this time the motion is noticeably stiff.
For some inexplicable reason, Jade suddenly feels a desire to comfort him. The sudden urge, of course, confuses the hell out of her. She's never really been the comforting type and she's not exactly sure why or if he even needs comforting. Still, she can't shake the feeling that he's hiding some type of repressed pain underneath that charming, gorgeous exterior. She thinks it's not really her place to ask him about it, so she doesn't. She just sits there and watches him as his hand wanders down to the keys.
His stiff demeanor disappears, just as quickly as it came, once his fingers graze the keys. His smile returns and he finally looks back down at her.
"I do, however, know some chords" he says, the levity retuning in his tone. "How about you teach me that song you were just playing?"
"What?" she asks, taken aback by his sudden shift and question.
"The song, can you teach it to me?"
"No" she says quickly, shaking her head.
"Oh c'mon, why not?" he chuckles out.
Jade opens her mouth to respond but doesn't really have a good answer to give him so she remains silent.
"Ok fine, how about you just teach me the chorus then?" he suggests when he sees her reluctance.
"We're not even suppose to be in here" she reasons.
"So? We can stay until they kick us out, besides the chords are pretty basic right? I'm a fast learner, it shouldn't take too long" he pushes.
He was right, the chorus was comprised of only three chords, but she still wasn't too thrilled about the idea.
Their eyes remain locked for a long moment as she continued to think it over in her head.
"Pleeeeeease" he eventually drawls out as he leans down a little toward her, shooting her a look of pure imploration.
Jade tries her hardest to fight the smile that's threatening to appear on her face because he seriously looks like someone just flushed his goldfish.
"Just the chorus?" she asks, on the verge of relenting.
"That's all I'm asking" he says with the same pleading eyes.
She let's out a heavy sigh before answering, "Fine, but on one condition"
"Name it"
"Never make that face again"
"What face?" he says with a laugh.
"The one you just made, with the glossy eyes and protruding bottom lip. Never do it again and I'll teach you the song" she smirks.
"Woah hold on, let's be reasonable here. That was my signature puppy-dog face Ms. West, I can't just 'never do it again'. It played a major role in securing that roof top view you liked so much" he quips and this time Jade doesn't even try to fight her smile.
"How about a compromise?" he proposes, "I won't make the face for the rest of the day"
"Rest of the year" she offers
"How about the next day and a half?"
"The rest of the semester; final offer"
"You're killing me!" he exclaims.
Jade lets out an untamed giggle before she can stop herself. She immediately realizes what she's done and the smile quickly drops from her face as a wide one forms on his.
"You have a cute laugh" he beams
"G Major" she says quickly, changing the subject "Root position. Do you know it?"
"Yeah, I think so" he says getting excited.
"Then don't waste my time," she says as she gestures to the spot beside her on the piano bench.
"Right!" he says as he moves quickly to sit down. "Okay G major Beck, you got this" he says to himself once he's seated.
Jade smiles at his personal pep talk and she chuckles when he fingers the wrong chord.
"That wasn't it sorry, give me a second" he says, looking slightly embarrassed.
He takes a moment to stare at the keys with an intense look of concentration, which Jade can't deny, is incredibly cute. He presses a few more keys, listening to the different tones and Jade is about ready to just tell him the correct fingering when he tentatively fingers the right chord.
"Is that it?" he asks timidly.
"Yeah" she nods with a slight smile and he gives her one of the giddiest looks she's ever seen.
"B Minor is next" she says and this time he has better luck finding the chord.
"Repeat the G Major and B minor chords" She continues.
He follows instructions and repeats the chords, the giddy look never leaving his face.
"Good, next is E minor"
He scrunches his nose after he plays what he thought should be the right chord.
"That doesn't sound right" he admits
"Here" she says as she moves his stray fingers into the correct position.
"Ah, there it is" he smiles at her, "Thank you"
"Just repeat the G major and you're done"
He does as he's told and a smile of sheer accomplishment breaks out on his face when he finishes.
"See that wasn't too bad right?" He nudges her "I'll admit I'm a little rusty though"
"Only a little?" she teases and he laughs.
"Alright Ms. Maestro, show me how it's done then" he says gesturing between her hands and the piano, "You start the tempo and I'll take over"
"I think I've humored you enough for one day, besides the cast list is probably posted by now and as much as I 'love' being your piano instructor, I'd much rather like to know if I have a part" she says as she motions to get up.
"Oh, I'm pretty positive you have the lead" he says, stopping her in place.
"And what makes you so sure?" She asks through knitted brows.
"Well if your audition was anywhere near as convincing as your performance that first time in the café then I'm willing to bet that you not only have the lead, but quite possibly a new agent as well"
At this, Jade let's out an uninhibited, borderline rambunctious laugh. She tries to compose herself but only ends up laughing harder when she recollects the face he'd made when she'd duped him.
"Awwww" she coos teasingly between her chortles, "Is a certain someone still sour about that?"
"Maybe" he smirks. "But it's cool, you don't have to play if you don't want to. I understand if you're scared"
"Excuse me?" she asks, suddenly confused "What could I possibly be scared of?"
"You're afraid that I, your star pupil, might outshine you. No worries it's perfectly normal to feel that way, I get it" he shrugs and Jade shoots him a look of disbelief.
"Wow! Were you innately full of shit, or did it just accumulate over time?" she asks and he laughs heartily.
"You don't have to admit it to me, it's fine" he smirks.
Jade laughs sardonically for a brief moment before standing up.
"Nice try but your little game of reverse psychology isn't going to work. Goodbye"
She moves to walk away but he softly grabs at her wrist.
"Wait"
Being touched without her permission had always been one of her many pet peeves but as Jade's eyes dart to the hand now encircling her wrist, she's void of her usual anger and annoyance. Oddly enough, she finds his touch to be warm and soothing. Her brows knit together as confusion once again overtakes her. Beck takes the gesture as a sign that he's offended her and quickly removes his hand.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. It's just I haven't played in so long and it's exciting to be able to learn something new." He says with a shy smile and shrug "Please, can you stay just a little while longer?"
The voice in the back her of mind screams at her to leave, to get away from him as quickly as possible yet she finds herself nodding her head in agreement and sitting back down beside him. An enormous grin spreads on his face as she makes herself comfortable once again.
"Try to keep up" she says looking down at the keys as she places her fingers in position.
"Yes ma'am!" he says still grinning.
She let's out a sigh before she begins to play the chorus using the basic chords in their proper progression as Beck watches intently. She plays it through twice before he picks up the tempo.
"Good" she praises him as he plays.
His giddy smile grows even wider when she decides to accompany him with some lower octave inversions. They play in unison for a while before she starts to sing and as soon as she does, Beck loses every ounce of his concentration. He stops playing to gape at her as she continues on, hardly noticing his awed gaze. Her eyes are closed and her face emanates a look so serene, Beck can't even begin to describe it. His breath catches slightly in his throat as she once again captivates him.
She sings out the last line and her eyes flutter open to finally meet his gaze. They stare at each other for a long moment before she speaks.
"You stopped playing" she points out and he nods slightly.
"Your voice is beautiful" he says honestly.
"Thanks" she replies softly, looking down at the keys.
"You're beautiful"
Jade looks back up at him as soon as the words leave his lips. It's the third time he's called her beautiful in less than a week, second time that day, and she's no more used to hearing it. Her heart begins to pound with the same annoying intensity it had that night in the park. Looking into his gorgeous brown orbs only exacerbates the situation but she still can't bring herself to tear her gaze away.
She honestly doesn't know how long they've been staring at each other when he begins to slowly lean in towards her. The disapproving voice in the back of her mind reaches new volumes, but it's still not enough to stop her from leaning in as well. Their lips barely have a chance to graze each other's before the door to the room swings open, startling them both apart.
A plump brunette woman shuffles in with an expression mixed with surprise and exasperation.
"Excuse me but I have this room reserved for the afternoon. If you'd like to make a reservation, please see Mrs. Kluwe on the 5th floor. For now, however, you must leave" she says with a vigorous point to the door.
Jade is quick to grab her things and make her way to the door. Her eagerness to follow instruction, however, has less to do with the surly woman and more to do with putting distance between herself and Beck. The shock of the woman's sudden entrance was apparently enough to knock her back to her senses, and although she knows she should be incredibly annoyed with herself for almost succumbing to his charms, she is instead bombarded with an array of mixed and confusing emotions.
She hurries out the room and down the hallway, not bothering to look back, as a million thoughts buzz through her head. The fact that she can still feel a faint tingle on her lips only works to further muddle her thoughts. She berates herself to pull it together because it's not like she hasn't had numerous run-ins with his kind before, so what makes him so different? If she's honest, it's a question that's been plaguing her ever since they'd first met. Still, she's sure that once she's had some alone time to gather her thoughts, her animosity toward the aspiring Casanova would return.
She finally makes it to the elevator near the end of the hall and forcefully presses the down button numerous times, as if doing so would make it come faster. She's still lost in thought when she faintly hears the sound of her name beside her. She turns her head to see one of her theatre tech classmates smiling brightly at her.
"What?" Jade asks, prompting the redheaded girl to repeat herself.
"I said congrats on your role, you must be thrilled!" she beams
"My role?" Jade asks softly, still a bit out of it.
"Yeah, haven't you seen the cast list? Damon posted it about ten minutes ago" the girl informs.
The cast list; Jade had completely forgotten about it until now. Her eyes dart to the Theatre Space door to see a now dissipated crowd of students gazing at the long white sheet attached to it. Ignoring the redhead's question, she quickly makes her way over to it. She all but shoves the students standing there out of her way to scan the long sheet for her name and it doesn't take her long to find it. Her mouth drops slightly open as she reads what's typed.
Jade West- Diana Devane
Her brain barely has enough time to register what she's just read before she hears his voice near her ear.
"Congratulations Diana Devane, though we both know it's not much of a surprise"
Jade turns her head to see Beck smiling warmly at her.
"How does it feel to be a star?" he asks.
Jade takes a moment before answering to allow the news to finally seep in. She'd always set the bar high for herself, so from day one of her term at Tisch she's been itching for a lead role. She'd poured her all into every audition since she's been here and the satisfaction in knowing that all of her hard work had finally paid off was difficult to describe.
"It feels damn good" she finally says looking up at him, unable to hide her delighted smile.
"Looks like it's going to be an amazing play, I can't wait to see it," he says with the same sincere, void of guile tone that always seems to baffle her.
Her smile wanes at his words as she's reminded that he's the same boy she'd been trying to distance herself from just a few minutes before.
"We should celebrate" he suggests, surprising her.
"We?" she repeats for clarification.
"Yeah, why not? I have dress rehearsal in a few but I'll be free later in the evening. Let's do something!"
Considering how the last two times they'd been alone together had turned out and her lingering confusion surrounding him, she immediately determines it would be prudent to decline his offer.
"I'll pass"
"Aww c'mon why not? This is your first major role here, is it not? You deserve to celebrate!" He pushes.
"I have other things to do tonight" she lies, knowing she had nothing planned.
He let's out a small disappointed sigh but decides not to press her further on the matter, much to her relief.
"Fine, rain check" he says with a smile. "But can you at least come to my dress rehearsal?"
Jade's eyebrows shoot up in surprise at the secondary offer.
"Tomorrow is opening night so we're having our last full run-through." He continues, "It'd be nice if you could come and maybe even critique my performance?"
"Don't you have Professor Grant for that?" she asks, puzzled about why he would even need or want her critique.
"Yes, but something tells me I'd find your critique to be just as constructive." He grins.
"I don't know" she hesitates aloud
"Please? I could really use some additional feedback. It's how us actors get better right?" he nudges her.
Admittedly, she finds it to be somewhat endearing that he's actually concerned with improving his craft. It's a characteristic, she's discovered, very few other actors share.
"I'll think about it," she says after a long moment.
"Fair enough" he smiles, "It starts at five at the Black Box. It's on 82nd Wash—"
"Yeah, I know where the Black Box is" she says, cutting him off.
"Good" he chuckles, "I should probably go get ready now but before I go, let me thank you again for the piano lesson, I really enjoyed it. You're quite the talented one"
Jade just shrugs as she looks down at her boots, trying her best to avoid eye contact.
"Maybe we can do it again sometime? Hopefully without being interrupted"
His tone is laced with suggestion and Jade doesn't have to look up to know that he's sporting his usual, smug smirk.
"There you are!" one of Beck's friends from earlier, suddenly calls out to him.
Jade looks up at him as he approaches and nods her head in silent greeting after he gives her a quick wave.
"The guys are downstairs, we're about to head to the Black Box to start setting up, you coming?" He asks, stopping beside them.
"Be there in a minute" Beck says without looking at him, keeping his eyes trained on Jade.
The boy takes the hint and quickly walks off towards the elevator, leaving them to resume their conversation.
"I should probably get going too, I have some errands to run" Jade says, not wanting to prolong their interaction any further.
"Okay" he says with a smile, " Are you taking the elevator? We could — "
"No" she says cutting him off, sensing he was going to suggest that they leave together. "You go ahead"
"Okay" he says again, but instead of leaving, he takes another step towards her to speak softly near her ear.
"I really hope to see you at rehearsal"
It's all he says before he begins to slowly back his way toward the elevator. The elevator doors conveniently swing open just as he reaches them and Jade looks up as he backs on.
He's still looking at her with the same smug grin, which oddly enough, isn't the least bit creepy. In fact, it's somewhat alluring, so much so that Jade finds herself glued to her spot, staring back at him.
"Congrats again on your role" he speaks out to her with one last smirk as the elevator doors close shut. As soon as they do so, Jade releases a breath she wasn't aware she was holding.
She takes a brief moment to gather herself and organize her thoughts. Clearly the boy has had years of practice in perfecting the art of charm and Jade's just starting to realize that her immunity to such charms may not be as strong as she previously thought. Well, at least not when it comes to him, which is something she finds to be equally as intriguing as it is unsettling.
She decides to push these thoughts to the back of her mind and focus on returning the script to Scott. It takes her about ten minutes to walk to the address he had texted and, once he's buzzed her into his apartment, it takes another ten minutes just to convince him that the competition judges would be idiots to not at least give him an honorable mention. The relief that washes over him from her assurance is clearly visible and Jade still can't understand why her opinion matters so much to him. They end up talking for a while longer before she leaves to head back to her dorm.
She walks absentmindedly for a bit before realizing that's she on Washington Place, and the Black Box is only a couple of blocks up ahead. She stops to check her phone for the time and sees that it's almost 6'oclock. She estimates that Beck's run-through should be about halfway through the final act by now and, without giving it much thought, she finds herself walking in that direction.
She was, after all, in the area and had previously been denied a role in the play, so it wasn't too much of an oddity for her to want to catch a glimpse of how it all turned out without her right? At least that's what she kept telling herself as she walked to the theatre. Truthfully, there was also a part of her that wanted to see for herself what all the hoopla surrounding Beck was about, but she assured herself that it was more about the play.
Once she arrives, she heads straight to the auditorium, entering through one of the back exits to avoid attracting too much attention. She immediately spots professor Grant sitting in front with his assistant and stage manager, watching the performance intently. She recognizes some of the actors as her classmates but sees no sign of Beck yet. The auditorium is otherwise pretty empty except for a couple of other observers but she still makes her way to the top-back to ensure that she remains virtually unseen.
A couple of minutes pass before the Vega girl she ultimately lost the part to, enters stage left wearing a gaudy, beige walking dress with lace trim. Jade struggles to hold back a laugh as she listens to her recite her lines in an obviously faux cockney accent. Her character is visibly distraught as she dismisses the other characters before beginning a dramatic monologue, after which, Beck finally enters stage right. He's dressed similarly to when Jade first saw him in the café and his hair is pulled back into a tight bun. His character seems just as distraught but his accent is much smoother and believable. He recites his lines with passion and vigor as he emotionally professes his undying love for the girl.
Jade watches attentively as the scene unfolds in front of her. His words, caresses, tears, and eventually kisses, all carry a distinct air of realism that even Jade can't deny is impressive. The play carries on for a bit before it ultimately concludes with his character falling victim to the guillotine and Vega's character taking her own life.
Through it all, Beck continued to poignantly convey his character's love, pain, and heartbreak, so much so that Jade found herself unwittingly clapping along with everyone else as the cast took their final bows.
When Professor Grant got up to discuss with them some last minute improvements Jade figured it was probably the best time to slip out of the theatre undetected.
She quietly makes her way down the riser and toward the same back exit. She's almost there when she hears him call out to her.
"Leaving so soon?" he asks, and Jade can hear the smile in his voice without even turning around.
"Shit" she whispers to herself before slowly turning around to look at him as he walked towards her.
"Hello, Jade" he says softly with a smile, once he reaches her.
"Beck" she greets nonchalantly; avoiding eye contact.
"I'm glad you came" he admits.
"Yeah well, I was in the area so…" she trails off with a shrug, still refusing to look him in the eye.
"Dare I ask what you thought of my performance?" he questions, stepping a little closer.
"I didn't see much of it" she answers quickly.
"What about the parts that you did see?"
If she's being completely honest, she thought his performance was pretty fantastic. His acting style was artful and engaging, which easily drew her into his character even though she'd missed most of the story. Now, she' d seen for herself that the hoopla wasn't just unfounded hype. The boy was talented, that much was certain.
"It wasn't…too horrible" she ends up saying and his smile stretches even wider at her words.
"Why do I feel like I just got the best compliment?" he laughs and Jade gives him a small smile.
"Hey, Beck!" Jade hears the Vega girl call out behind him as she walks towards them.
"Oh hey, you're Jade right? I'm Tori" she greets enthusiastically, sticking out her hand when she comes to a stop beside Beck.
Jade looks down at it briefly but makes no move to shake it before looking back up at her.
"Okay…" Tori laughs uncomfortably after a long moment, before awkwardly putting her hand back down. "So anyway, are you still coming out to eat with us Beck?" she continues.
"Uh, well that depends" he says looking back at Jade, "Are you still unavailable tonight?"
"Yeah, I have some things to do" Jade lies again.
"Right" he says with a smile.
Tori's eyes flit uncomfortably between the two as they stare each other down in silence.
"Okay well just text me if you decide to come Beck" Tori finally says to break the silence.
"Will do" Beck smiles at her.
"And it was nice meeting you Jade" she adds, eventually scurrying away when Jade doesn't respond.
"Wow, I see you're great with people" Beck jokes.
"Whatever, I should get going" she says as she turns to leave.
"Wait" he says as he pulls out a pen from his back pocket. "May I?" he asks reaching for her hand.
He takes her silence as a "Yes", slowly bringing her hand up to sprawl his number on it and, for some reason, she lets him.
"Maybe this time you won't lose it" he smiles.
"Who said I lost it the first time?" she says before snatching her hand away and turning toward the exit. She can still hear him laughing as the exit door closes behind her.
She heads straight back to her dorm, figuring now would be as good a time as any to continue working on her horror script. When she arrives she is happily greeted with a very empty dorm room, with no sign of her chipper roommate and her especially irritating friends. She takes a moment to thank whichever deity, force, or energy that made this gloriously silent atmosphere possible before fetching her laptop. She's, unfortunately, only able to write out a few pages of dialogue before she's gripped with an intense bout of writer's block. She decides to take a small break, hoping the respite would replenish her inspiration but after about forty-five minutes of staring at the text cursor without any progress, she closes her laptop in frustration and lies back on her bed to stare up at the ceiling.
After a quick glance at the clock on her dresser, she sees that it's just past 8'oclock, "way too early to go to sleep" she thinks to herself.
As boredom quickly sets in, she briefly considers going out and finding something to do; it was a Friday night after all. She was still relatively new to New York though and not particularly familiar with the nightlife yet, so she honestly didn't know where to begin. Plus, with all her focus placed on school and auditions these past couple of weeks, her social life was virtually nonexistent. Scott was arguably the only real friend she'd made since she'd arrived.
Still, the thought of spending another weekend cooped up in her dorm room in one of the most bustling cities in the world sounded a bit pathetic, even to her. Besides, she'd just nabbed the lead to a play produced by one of the more reputable professors on campus, shouldn't she be celebrating?
Her eyes dart to the number written on her hand as she's reminded of Beck's words to her.
"You're not going to call him" she says aloud to herself as she stares down at the digits.
He'd caused her enough annoyance and confusion today already, she reasons with herself as she thinks back to how the day had unfolded.
She thinks of all of his stupid compliments, stupid jokes, and stupid smirks. His stupid hair, stupid face, and stupid acting skills. She thinks of his stupid lips especially, and how it felt when they barely grazed her own.
"You're not going to call him" she repeats with more force. But the more she thinks about everything, the more her insistence wanes, and before she knows it, she has her cell phone out and her fingers are dialing the sprawled numbers.
Her heart annoyingly drums in her chest after each ring and by the fourth one she's about ready to say "to hell with him" and hang up.
That's when he picks up.
"Hello" he answers smoothly.
Jade doesn't really know what to say so she remains silent. She can hear a lot of laughter and commotion in the background and again considers hanging up.
"Hold on, let me go somewhere quieter" he says as if reading her mind and knowing exactly who she was.
"Hello" he says again, this time his voice much clearer.
She again doesn't say anything and, for a while, neither does he. They just silently remain on the line together.
"I take it your plans fell through?" he finally says, humor evident in his voice.
"Smug Bastard" she thinks to herself before actually responding "I take it you're busy?"
"Not really" he says softly.
"Do you remember where my dorm is?" she suddenly says, catching even herself off guard.
"Yeah, I think so" he says slowly.
"How long do you think it'd take for you to get here?"
"I don't know fifteen minutes maybe? Less if I sprint" He chuckles out the last part.
"Well then maybe you should sprint" she says just before hanging up.
She quickly throws her phone down in front of her, seriously wondering what the hell she just did.
And there it is! I'd like to thank all of you wonderful people who reviewed the last chapter. Your comments did not go unnoticed and they were incredibly appreciated. I'll try to build a steady schedule so that I'm not updating once every blue moon :-P.
Leave a review, por favor?
*P.S the name of the song Jade sang is called "I'm Not An Angel" by Halestorm. Check em' out if you haven't already. They're pretty badass and a lot of their songs remind me of Jade.*
:-)