Hello!
Gosh. You guys are amazing! Thank you to the two guests (I'm sure I understood that first one), Thenextcompanion99, alicheriee and Dare To Be Something More for the reviews! They all made me very happy. I'm quickly gonna answer the last review here as I wanted to say something about that anyway: After this chapter, there are only two more left. As you can guess as I promised a Bade story, everything will happen quite fast after this. I hope I was successfull in establishing all the facts, so it won't seem too rushed. I'm a little anxious about that. But well... First this chapter.
Thank you so much again for all the feedback! And I hope you enjoy this chapter!


Beck doesn't really get around to talk to Jade during the next week except very short greetings every now and then. He doesn't think Jade or Tori want him to bring Jade another coffee in the morning and to invite her to eat lunch again with them.

Jade mostly sits alone at lunch during that week but she also doesn't seem to want to sit with anybody. Beck watches on Monday already a few guys wanting to sit with her and she quickly sending them running with just a few words.

Cat eats lunch with her on Wednesday. Beck hears Tori ask her about that later and Cat says that they had to talk about their project again - and that she thinks it's sad that Jade always eats alone. Tori answers that Jade obviously doesn't want to eat with anybody, that she doesn't want to have friends, otherwise she already would've taken her original offer of showing her around. Cat just shrugs for that. Beck also thinks it's more complicated with Jade, but he doesn't say anything about it.

.

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On Monday, the third Monday at Hollywood Arts for Jade, Jade is supposed to do the Bird Scene.

Beck and Tori have met at Tori's locker and have talked a long while just among themselves before they have gone to Sikowitz' class.

Jade is already there and sits in her chair with crossed arms. Cat arrives only shortly after them and instantly asks Jade: "And? Are you ready for the Bird Scene?"

"I am," Jade just answers and Beck is sure she is. He already has experienced her as a good actress the last two weeks. Though of course she doesn't know the secret about the Bird Scene and he's interested to see how she will handle it. He can imagine her getting quite angry at Sikowitz as soon as he will tell her she hasn't done the scene right.

"Best of luck," Cat tells Jade and Jade doesn't even acknowledge it.

"Good morning, everyone," Sikowitz says as he comes in. "As you all know it's time for our new student to do the Bird Scene. Jade, if you may."

He makes a gesture as he goes to the back of the room and sits down there. Jade stands up and walks up to the front. She takes a deep breath before her body language changes totally again, as does her voice and her accent.

Beck can't help but smile as he watches her do the scene, all of them know by heart as all of them have done it a few times. Well... He only had to do it two times until he decided, it had to be good enough and Sikowitz couldn't ask him to do it again without telling him what to change exactly.

Jade does the scene wonderfully and holds her pose a while after without anyone clapping or otherwise acknowledging the end of the scene.

She falls out of character and looks at Sikowitz directly, raising her eyebrows. "What? Didn't you like it?"

Sikowitz tilts his head, seems to think how to answer, before he honestly states: "I think I did."

"Good," Jade says carelessly. "I can audition for plays then?"

Okay. She doesn't ask if she has done it right exactly. That's the question that throws you out. She has asked if Sikowitz has liked it, which he always tries to answer honestly. And now she asks if she can audition for plays, which she possibly can as this already could count as her passing, doesn't she even get the idea of asking if she's done it in the right way.

Beck turns around to Sikowitz to see how he will handle it. He slowly stands up as he answers: "Just because I enjoyed the way you did the scene, doesn't mean you've done it right."

So, Sikowitz is throwing the word in now. He wants Jade to consider not having it done right. Naturally, she can't pass that easily, nobody can.

Jade narrows her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Sikowitz shrugs. "Maybe, you haven't done it right."

Clearly, he can't say she hasn't done it right, as she hasn't even asked yet. You're only doing it wrong if you ask if you're doing it right.

Beck looks back to Jade amused. This is going so differently than all the times he has heard off.

"Maybe?" Jade now asks as if she's sure she must have misheard. "That's stupid. I'm satisfied with how I've done the scene and you just said you liked it as well. I won't do it again."

She crosses her arms in front of herself.

Beck looks back to Sikowitz impressed. Wow. Will he let her pass like this? Will Jade actually pass the challange of the Bird Scene on her first try?

"What if that means you can't audition for any play?" Sikowitz asks her.

Jade looks almost angry at that. Obviously, she doesn't like that thought, but she decides: "Then this school is more than stupid. I've done a good job and am a good actress. If you wanted the scene in a certain way, you should've told me beforehand. But you didn't and my version was good. If that's the rule, I don't think I want to act in any of this school's awful plays anyway."

Wow. Beck looks back to Sikowitz, who makes a surprised face and then finally smiles: "Well... I guess you passed the Bird Scene."

Beck is the first to clap next to Sikowitz and Cat with the rest of the class only joining in slowly and confused. This hasn't gone how anyone would have expected.

Beck is sure to also see slight confusion in Jade's face as she lets her arms fall again.

Sikowitz explains the whole deal about the Bird Scene to her and at the end of it, she raises her eyebrows again and makes sure: "So, I am able to audition for plays now?"

"You are," Sikowitz nods and makes a gesture for her to sit back down which she does.

And while everyone else now turns back to Sikowitz as he starts with his lesson for the day, Beck watches Jade and how a very true and beautiful smile goes over her face.

He can't help but smile as well again.

.

.

On Tuesday morning, he waits for her at her locker again, a coffee for her in his hand.

She doesn't say a greeting as she goes past him and opens her locker.

"In the mood for a coffee with two sugars?" he asks and holding the cup out for her.

She looks at it, then at him. "I won't eat lunch with you and your friends again."

For a second, he considers asking why, but actually... "I don't expect you to. I wanted to give this to you because I really liked how you passed the Bird Scene yesterday and because I wanted to tell you that I think you're really a great actress from everything I've seen so far."

He kind of wants to celebrate with her a little. Obviously, everyone is impressed, almost the whole school knows her name now as she has passed on her first try. But barely anyone will compliment her on it, he guesses, as she sends everyone running anyway.

"I know," she now says and actually takes the coffee out of his hand.

She takes a sip as he says with a smile: "I like your confidence." It's endearing. And he has always liked people who know what they are good at. He doesn't like arrogant people who deem themselves smarter than everyone or better than everyone at something. But he likes people who knows they are good at something and are able to say so. Like Andre would never deny his talent in music.

She looks at him for a second as if to check if he's honest or ironic, then she actually says: "You're also not a bad actor from what I've seen. You are the best in that class."

He has to smile again. "Thanks." He knows she means it which is wonderful. "Maybe, we'll be in a play together soon. Now, that you're able to audition."

She shrugs. "We'll see." And she's done at her locker again, closes it and leaves him standing there again, with him looking after her for too long.

.

.

They do talk every now and then from then on. Sometimes right before a class, sometimes in the hallway. She never starts talking to him, but he somehow soon gets from the way she answers him to a greeting if she's ready to talk or not. They mainly talk about their classes, about their assignments. Little things, actually small talk though she says she doesn't like it.

They never talk when Tori is around somehow. Beck still says 'hi' every now and then but Jade ignores him then.

Cat talks to Jade all the time. And she also succeeds in getting her to their lunch table again twice during that week, just shows up with her and starts talking to everyone else while Jade sits there in silence and eats.

Maybe, Jade does warm up to their whole group though. Beck still thinks she has never disliked them. Maybe, she will be part of the group one day. Beck likes her around in any case, for some reason.

Tori doesn't. A week later on Tuesday, Cat waves for Jade as she passes them. "Jade. Why don't you sit with us?"

Jade just glares at her, obviously isn't in the mood today, and just keeps going and sits down at the other end of the Asphalt Café.

"Why do you always try to talk to her? She doesn't seem to like you," Tori now says, watching Jade with dislike.

Beck draws his eyebrows together. Jade does seem to like Cat in a way. Obviously, that doesn't mean that she isn't rude to Cat or glares at her like this... But it's also not like their group of friends always patiently listens when Cat starts talking about her brother again. Robbie is the one keeping up with it best, everyone else show much more how annoyed they are at times - or just ignore Cat which Beck sometimes deems worse but it's also not like he always feels in the mood for Cat's stories.

Jade is just more direct, he guesses. And more moody. She isn't this overly friendly person like Tori is.

Cat shrugs, possibly is a little hurt by Tori's comment though she barely shows. "I wanna be her friend."

"Why? She is mean," Tori says.

And that's a good question. Beck considers her interesting and also feels barely ever offended when someone is rude to him. Cat on the other hand is easily offended and why does she keep up with Jade then? Why does she try to get close to her?

Cat tilts her head and innocently states: "She is. But she's a better person than you think and... She's also very pure."

Beck turns back around to look at Jade alone at her table. Pure. Yeah, maybe that's a word that can fit. And Cat, who somehow knows people better than anyone, considers Jade exactly that.

He smiles slightly. Jade is a strange girl. So rough and rude. But yes, undoubtedly, she's also very pure.

Tori doesn't seem to get it, also looks to Jade, then back to Cat, with a furrowed brow.

It's Robbie, who interrupts this time: "Anyway... Will we all meet up today again?"

.

.

Jade joins them for lunch again on Thursday and apparently, not without a reason this time. Sure enough, Cat has brought her again, but they all have stopped talking for a second, when Jade speaks up: "Has anyone of you ever been to the Gorilla Club?"

She apparently wants to hear opinions on that club and they are probably the only people she talks to at all in this city. Naturally, they are the ones, she asks now.

"No," they all say though. They have never been.

Jade raises her eyebrows as she looks around the table: "None of you? Really? I heard it's fun."

"I always wanted to go," Andre says with a shrug. Well, Beck hasn't known that. But Andre is a guy who likes danger every now and then. As is Beck. But he has known that Robbie and Tori wouldn't have wanted to go, so he never really brought it up.

"Isn't it dangerous?" Tori asks sceptically.

"That's the point," Jade dryly states. "It sounds like fun. What do you do if you have time?"

Okay, Beck feels embarrassed already. It's not like he cares what other people think of him but... somehow, it's different right now.

Robbie already shrugs and truthfully though possibly also a little embarrassed, says: "Play cards?"

"Honestly?" Jade asks and definitely doesn't want to believe them there.

It is a little weird. They don't go anywhere together all that much. The movies sometimes, sure. But barely to a club or something.

Andre now says exactly what Beck thinks: "Well, we should do something else every once in a while."

They should. Not just spend time together at someone's home (Tori's mostly) and make music and play cards. Not just go to the movies or for something usual to eat. They should go to a club somewhere. And maybe they have just missed a person to suggest exactly that.

At least, Cat also seems to be on board and now suggests: "Why don't we all go there together?"

She includes Jade in that, who actually nods while Andre agrees as well.

"Sure," Tori also quickly says and Beck looks to her and knows she doesn't really want to.

They agree on a time to meet at that club tomorrow afternoon, before they start talking about different things again.

.

.

Beck has invited Tori out for dinner again today and nobody else has barged in, so that they are actually enjoying a quiet meal alone, which doesn't happen all that often.

They are in a nice little restaurant and after a while, Tori asks carefully: "Are you sure you wanna go to the Gorilla Club?"

He looks at her for a moment, considers just saying he doesn't and he would stay home with her but... he does want to go.

So, he nods. "I am. You don't have to come with us, though. Robbie's also not coming."

Robbie has directly said he doesn't want to go there. He has said something weird about a family emergency though they've all known he's just afraid which is totally fine. He doesn't have to come. Rex of course promised he would be there and Beck is sure Robbie still won't show up and Rex will also have an excuse ready after the weekend - probably something mean about Robbie.

"No. I'm coming," Tori says and... Sometimes, it's exhausting. He's sure, even if he would've said he wouldn't go... if Andre and Cat would've still planned to go to the Gorilla Club with Jade, she also would've wanted to go there. She just isn't able to be excluded in any form of anything going on in their group of friends. She likes to be the person everyone comes to with problems and she likes to be involved in everyone's lives. Which is fine and something, Beck often even likes about her, but... at other times, it's also so exhausting.

Like when he wants to be alone with her but she needs to go with him to whereever two of their friends hang out together. Or like now, when she obviously doesn't want to go somewhere herself but joins anyway because the others are going.

It irritates him a little as she feels nervous and uncomfortable and he actually does want to experience the Gorilla Club himself but he almost already sees himself ending up making sure she doesn't get hurt.

Which is also fine every now and then. He likes taking care of her. But not always. Not tomorrrow.

.

.

He actually doesn't end up taking too much care of her. He watches her at first but Jade challenges all of them to all the different things though she's also there for the very first time. And all the challenges and Jade keeping everything interesting and exciting the whole time through, makes him truly forget about Tori in between. He just has fun in a way he barely ever has.