Hello!
Here's the second chapter! Thank you so so much for the reviews to the three unnamed guests, Mel and alicheriee! I really hope you can keep enjoying and I would be happy to know what you think about this chapter. :3
Now, everyone, have fun reading!
On the next day, Beck does as he has promised. He already gets the coffee on his way to school and then waits with it in front of Jade's locker after a short talk with Tori and then her leaving for her talk with her singing teacher that she has scheduled for this morning.
Jade cocks an eyebrow as she sees him in front of her locker when she comes in not too long before the bell. She doesn't even say a greeting, instead: "You're actually doing it."
"Of course, I am," he says because he does keep his word.
"Why?" Jade asks while she takes the coffee out of his hand and takes a sip.
"Why not?" he responds, which makes her narrow her eyes at him.
He returns the look calmly and openly because he really doesn't have any good reason to do this - and especially not a mean one, though he has an inkling that Jade believes that.
Finally, Jade looks to her locker and opens it while she says: "Well, whatever. You can leave now."
"Is that all I get for bringing you a coffee to your locker?" he asks to get something more out of her, to have her talk to him.
Jade smirks. "You get to eat lunch with me."
He shrugs and claims: "I think I deserve a little more."
That makes her cock an eyebrow again. "Like what?" Okay, she expects something weird.
"Some small talk?" he suggests though.
"I don't do small talk," she promptly replies, looking back into her locker and changing some stuff in and out of there.
He cheekily says: "Then, let's get right to the heavy stuff." If she doesn't like small talk, she should be ready to talk about her feelings or something.
She smirks again, looking back again, actually amused. "Yeah, right. Then lets hear you first."
"Saying what?" he asks.
"Tell me some 'heavy stuff'," she prompts, closing her locker back up.
Oh, okay. He leans against the locker besides hers and thinks. Then, he shrugs again: "I'm not sure I have anything to say." He doesn't have much heavy stuff in his life after all.
"Picture perfect life, huh?" she replies and he nods: "I think so."
He has great parents that never really fight, has many other relatives he's on good terms with, has amazing friends and a wonderful girlfriend. He's also doing good in school and scores very small spots every once in a while in different movies and series.
"Who would've thought?" Jade says sarcastically and... well... yeah, probably everybody can see that he has a good life.
"What about you?" he asks.
She crosses her arms in front of her and cocks an eyebrow again. "Yeah, right."
Okay, she doesn't want to tell him anything. Of course, she doesn't. But he tries anyway: "Come on. Tell me something. Heavy or not. Something about you." About the fascinating person she is.
"Why?" Jade sceptically asks.
He shrugs. He doesn't really know why he wants to know more about her. It's just this feeling inside of him. It's just the boredness of his own life that he knows she can make go away somehow.
He answers flatly: "Because I'd like to know."
That doesn't make her say anything. But she also doesn't leave, instead looks at him, now with narrowed eyes again, and takes a sip out of her coffee.
He asks, shrugging again, just wanting to talk about anything with her: "Why did you move here?"
She answers him: "Because my mother's new boyfriend is from here and moved back and my mom went with him. Of course, I had to come with them too, though I rather would've stayed with my awful father."
So, her parents aren't together. The tone of voice she used as she talked about her mother's boyfriend implies that she hates him. And she thinks her own father is awful - and yet she would've rather stayed with him than moved here.
Which means that either she must hate her mother even more or... "Because you had to leave your friends behind?"
She shakes her head."Because I had to leave my little half-brother behind. I'll see him every few months now if I'm lucky as my mother already said she won't pay for the flights. Bitch."
Whoa, okay. He has never ever heard someone talk about their mother like that.
Though he can understand that she's bitter. She seems to love her little half-brother, the way she talks about him. It must be terrible to not see him in person all that often anymore, just because your mother decided to move.
"I'm sorry," he therefore says and tries to see some good here: "Though at least you're in LA now, the city for actors."
She did say yesterday that she liked acting best. Then, she's right where she belongs here.
"Well, I aspire to go to Broadway but auditions for that also will be much harder from here. But whatever. That's how life works."
She shrugs and that must really suck. She has been right in the city where she was able to audition for Broadway plays without needing anyone to drive her around or something. So, her mother has messed with her dreams and with her relationship with her brother.
And Jade doesn't sound like that's totally new to her, the way she says that that's how life works.
Beck feels with her and that must have shown in his face, at least Jade suddenly spits out: "You don't need to look at me like that."
She obviously doesn't want to see that. "I'm sorry," he says.
She rolls her eyes. "Ugh. You say that too often." And with that, she leaves him standing at her locker, the bell ringing after her first two steps for the first lesson.
.
.
He does have two classes with her this morning but she barely acknowledges him though he sits down next to her in one of it.
She does show up for lunch. He has almost expected to not see her there, but he remembers that she has agreed to the deal and she's obviously a person to keep her promises, just like he is.
Tori and Beck are the only ones there yet, when Jade sits down to his other side again, not looking at either of them, but directly starting to eat.
"Uhm... Hi," Tori says and Jade answers in a bored voice: "Yeah, hey."
Tori looks at Beck with raised eyebrows. Beck shrugs. He notices that he heasn't told Tori about the deal he and Jade made. She hasn't asked him yesterday after lunch why they have showed up together, probably has forgotten after they have talked about so many other things at lunch. And she has possibly assumed that he had his own coffee in his hand when they have met up this morning. He hasn't mentioned that he would wait for Jade next to give it to her. There just wasn't a reason to tell her.
Robbie and Andre join them only shortly after, also both looking at Jade wondering, but not saying anything.
Instead, Robbie turns to Tori: "Where's Cat?"
Sure enough. Today, Tori and Cat would've shown up at lunch together as they have the same class before.
"Oh, there's something wrong with her brother again," Tori answers, rolling her eyes a little bit. There's always something wrong with Cat's brother. Though Beck wonders how serious it is this time.
Andre says it though: "Her brother is always wrong." Which is why they always are unnerved when Cat starts with one of her stories about him again.
"What's with him?"
Wow, that's actually Jade. Jade has asked them a question, instead of just shortly answering theirs. She has looked up from her food and all of them return her look a little surprised.
Tori is the first to answer: "He's a little off."
"Not like Cat isn't," Andre adds. "But he's really off."
Robbie actually explains some more, seems a little scared of Jade as he does (as does Andre, to be honest), but this is important enough for him to not have Rex speak in his place: "I think it's som psychological problem but Cat can't really say because she doesn't know herself as her parents don't tell her too much about it."
"We have never met him," Tori cuts in again. They have seen photos, otherwise Beck would possibly believe him to be a piece of Cat's imagination. "But Cat talks about him all the time. If you'll be part of this group, you'll probably also hear a lot about him."
Jade rolls her eyes before she looks back to her food, uninterested again. "I don't wanna be part of your 'group'."
Tori feels obviously offended about it and opens her mouth to give a comeback. Beck quickly grabs her hand, in hope that will make her back off. It's not like Jade has been nice just now, but it's also not like Tori needs to feel offended about it. She doesn't need to make another comment about it.
But Tori never backs off, even the rare times Beck would like her to. Instead, she clearly states: "That's extremely rude to say."
"Like I care," Jade dryly answers and Tori looks even more offended.
This time, it's Andre though, who quickly cuts in, rubbing his neck uncomfortably with his hand: "Well... Have I told you about the new song I'm writing?"
Beck of course asks what it's about and Tori also easily gets back to their normal talk.
.
.
The next morning, Beck is in school early, but so is Jade. She already stands at her locker as he approaches it, two coffees in his hand, one for himself, one for her. He just hopes she is in the mood for her usual coffee, otherwise he will have two to drink. He can't give one of them to Tori as they never meet up before class on Wednesday - and Tori isn't too big on coffee anyway. He could otherwise only hope, Andre or Robbie would take one of them out of his hand; he shares his first class with both.
"You are here early," he now notices as he hands Jade her coffee, not bothering with a greeting because she has said she doesn't like small talk and a greeting just seems too mundane.
"That yours?" Jade asks, pointing at the coffee still in his hand.
"Yeah," he answers and she takes it from him and is about to take a sip when he says: "I've already drinken out of it."
He just wants to warn her because he knows a lot of people don't like to share a cup or something.
She cocks an eyebrows. "So? Don't have any weird germs, do you?"
He shakes his head and she takes a sip before she pushes the coffee, he has brought her, back into his hand and decides: "I'll keep this. You know, if you don't mind."
Well, okay, then. He has just put a little milk into his today and no sugar at all. But apparently, she also doesn't like it sweet at all times. While he can very well drink the coffee with two sugars now. It's much better than having both and still having to get her another.
"It's fine," he therefore answers. "What mood are you in then?"
She leans against her locker. "It's not like I like one coffee better when I'm angry or something, and another when I'm bored. It's something I just feel like. And this tastes better right now."
She points at the coffee that has been his originally, that she now drinks.
He wonders if he would be able to know beforehand which coffee she would like in that moment, if he would know her better. If anyone could ever get to know her that well.
But he knows there's no point in asking more about it. Instead, he decides to ask: "Why are you here so early?"
Jade rolls her eyes, though seemingly not annoyed by the question but by the answer she has to give: "I have to meet up with Cat. She's already late though which at least still got me my coffee."
"Why are you meeting up with her?" Beck asks confused. Why should Jade, who barely talks to anyone, meet up with Cat? Especially with Cat?
Jade answers: "Because we're doing that project together for singing class."
"Really?" Beck asks surprised. Jade is doing that project together with Cat? Just like that? Though she also could do it alone, as far as Beck has understood Cat two days ealier at lunch.
"Yeah," Jade says with a shrug. "She kind of assumed we would do it together then and no matter how often I told her I would do it alone..." She shrugs another time. "We're doing it together now. Which is fine, because she's actually an amazing singer and our voices match well together."
Cat undoubtedly is an amazing singer. Beck wonders what Jade's voice sounds like when she's singing. He possibly should ask Cat to record their performance, so he would also hear it.
And he can imagine so well how Cat just takes someone in, how she starts talking and you end up working with her without knowing how it happened. It's weird that Cat can apparently even do that with Jade. He wonders if Jade has a soft spot in some sense.
"Cat really is amazing and she can be quite persuasive," he now says.
Jade shrugs. "She's strange."
Which Cat totally is. Yet, there is something more to her. Beck prides himself of knowing people well on first sight (though Cat is actually even better at it than him) and there's certainly something he has seen right away with Cat.
"She is. But she's also a good person," he says.
Jade tilts her head, looks directly into his eyes as she agrees: "That's true." Then she shrugs again. "Whatever." And she looks past him and notices: "There she is."
Sure enough. Cat comes running up to them.
She apologizes that she is so late but her brother...
"Let's just get started right away," Jade says with an eye roll and Cat always takes offense when she gets interrupted, but for some reason, she doesn't pout as much now, as she usually does.
Instead, she then quickly says: "Okay, I know a great room."
"Have fun," Beck tells both of them as they leave together with Cat thanking him and Jade looking at him as if he has to be kidding.
.
.
He doesn't see Jade again until lunch but Beck has barely sat down with Tori next to Cat and Andre when Jade also sits down at their table again. So, she definitely also is one to keep her promises.
"Hi, Jade," Cat directly says with a bright smile, waving to her.
Jade doesn't even look at her, but digs into her food right away.
Cat doesn't seem fazed by it, instead she asks: "We'll meet at five, right?"
Now, Jade does answer, bored though: "Yeah."
"What are you meeting for?" Tori asks confused.
Beck sees Jade cocking an eyebrow as if she's annoyed about Tori asking, but Cat already answers: "Jade and I are doing that project for singing class together."
"Really?" Andre asks surprised and Beck can't help but be reminded by his own talk with Jade earlier.
Though Jade isn't really in the mood to answer now apparently. It's Cat who says: "Yes. We're doing My Way by Frank Sinatra in a rock kind of style. Hopefully differently than everyone else who has covered it already. I think it will be amazing."
"You can sing rock?" Tori asks Cat.
Beck also has never heard her sing in that style.
Cat shrugs. "Jade says I can."
She glances to Jade who doesn't look back up from her food though, just keeps eating.
Andre meanwhile seems excited: "I wanna hear it." Of course, he does. Naturally, Beck also wants to hear the song by the two of them but mainly because he'd like to hear Jade's voice on it. Without a doubt, Cat's voice in a rock style also has to be interesting as they've never heard it before.
Cat bumps Jade's arms, which makes the other girl glare at her. "Let's sing a little bit of it."
"No," Jade says in a harsh kind of way.
"Why not?" Cat asks.
"I'm not in the mood," Jade simply says before she turns back to her food.
Cat pouts, while Andre finally also dares to talk to Jade again: "You like rock?"
Jade rolls her eyes. "No, I want to sing it because I hate it."
"Okay, then," Andre quickly says, possibly not wanting to aggravate Jade any more.
Tori opens her mouth and Beck is sure she wants to call Jade out for her behaviour again, which is so unnecessary, because they are all old enough and Andre can say something for himself and it's not like Jade overstepped any big line or something which makes it necessary for them to protect their friend or anything. But Beck won't be able to stop her - luckily Robbie is with just arriving at their table.
"Hey, everyone," he says as he sits down with him and Rex also nods at everyone.
Tori also greets him and Beck is sure, he can distract her further from Jade now, and as he's interested anyway with Andre being his best friend and all, he asks Andre: "Are you doing a song in a different style now?"
"I am," Andre says with a smile. Of course, he does.
"We could do that together," Tori puts in happily.
"Sure," Andre agrees. "I wanted to get started with it this evening."
"You can come over to my house," Tori offers and there is this slightly annoyed feeling inside of Beck.
"I thought we wanted to spend some time alone," he tells his girlfriend because that is what they have agreed on. They don't get around to spending all that much time alone because both of them are also caught up very much in their friends' lives, Tori moreso than Beck though. He likes to have a quiet night in but Tori doesn't seem to like it all that much, especially if one of their friends plans something else.
Tori shrugs. "You can also still come over. We can be alone after Andre and I are done with the song."
Well, and it's not like Beck doesn't like also spending time with Andre. He knows they will have a good time together. But it will be good enough that Andre will stay late and Beck will have to be home before him, so Tori and he won't have any time alone.
He knows that Andre also would leave if he would ask him to. But Tori wouldn't like it. She considers it rude to send a friend home to be alone every now and then, while Beck thinks that's just being honest - and they are barely ever alone this way. At least not as much time as he would like to have with just her. Not even to make out or something, just to be with each other, maybe watch TV, maybe talk, maybe just lie somewhere together.
Sometimes, he wishes Tori would also go more for that, instead of always loving to be around more people, do more together with their friends.
Just like he sometimes wishes, she would allow him more often to take her hands in his, to have his arm around her. Of course, they also do hold hands and he also does put his arm around her every now and then, it's just that generally she's so caught up with everyone else that she doesn't stay all that close to him, even if he would like her to. Sometimes, she frees her hands from his to be able to do her stuff which is fine but... Sometimes, he just wishes she would be as much into physical contact as he is, without anything inappropriate happening in front of others.
But they just imagine a relationship different in some points and make compromises. That's what you do in a relationship. You compromise.
So, he now also shrugs: "Okay, then. I'll still come by late afternoon."
