Welcome back to the second to last chapter! Everything will go down here fast, as announced last time. I hope it's not too fast.
Thank you to alicheriee, Dare to be Something More and Mara Faria for the lovely reviews!
Have fun with this.


Jade and Beck are in a script writing class together and Jade has actually agreed to write on their new assignment together.

She's now at Hollywood Arts for a month and has joined them for lunch on her own during last week. The Gorilla Club actually has brought them closer with her a little. Andre now also talks to her more freely, while he has been careful before. And also Robbie seems to warm up to Jade, even though he hasn't even been at the club.

But it's mainly Jade that changes slightly and actually starts making comments every now and then while the others talk, involving herself.

Now, he and she leave the classroom together and she directly says: "We'll write a horror movie."

He raises his eyebrows in surprise. "You're just deciding that?" It hasn't sounded as if she wanted to give her opinion but as if she wanted to inform him what their script would be about.

She nods. "Yes."

"I think we should talk about it," he quickly says. He may like her decisive attitude but this is about a school assignment he will get a grade on. He does want to also have to say something about it.

He continues reasonably: "We are supposed to do something about feelings and to pick up on some clichés, turning them upside down, but still staying in the same genre. A romantic comedy or something alike would make much more sense."

"It would be the easy way out," Jade says. "Everyone will write something along those lines. We're going to write a horror short film."

"I don't know any horror," he says, hoping that she will understand that that means he's not capable of writing anything in that direction.

"Why?" she asks with raised eyebrows. "Have never watched it because you're too wimpy?"

Okay, why does she have to insult him like that when they are trying to agree on the script they'll write together? Why doesn't she seem ready to talk about some compromise regarding this?

"Because horror movies are dumb," he says, slightly irritated, and she instantly stops and turns to him with a deadpan stare.

"Really?" she asks in a threatening tone. "You are prettty dumb if you consider a whole genre as dumb."

"I don't..." he starts because he doesn't necessarily think of horror movies as dumb, he has just said so because he's irritated.

She cuts through him though: "You just said, it's dumb! Idiot!"

And she starts walking again, right in the direction of her locker.

He quickly follows her, asking with a raised voice: "Can you stop with the insults for just once?"

"What? Feel hurt, wimp?" she asks, cocking an eyebrow over her shoulder at him, and he rolls his eyes.

Then, he sighs, trying to calm himself down a little bit again, and getting back on topic. "Let's just do something normal."

She huffs as she stops in front of her locker, him coming to a halt next to her. "Let's just not work together."

Well, and of course that's an option but why can't they just work this out? He would love to do a project together with her. And she has agreed after all.

"Come on, Jade," he says. "Let's try to come up with something together."

She glares again. "You're calling my favorite genre dumb and abnormal and still expect me to work with you? Sure."

And whoa. He has actually offended her when he has exasperated told her he thought of horror as dumb - after her insult. He hasn't counted on that, but yes, she has gotten slightly more rough after that.

"Sorry," he honestly says and tries to explain himself: "It's just that... I've never wrtten horror and haven't watched many movies. And anyway, with the way the assignment was made... I'm sure our teacher expects us to do a romantic comedy or something."

Jade draws her eyebrows together, leaning against the locker next to hers, watching him. "And we should do what he expects? What kind of goody-goody are you?"

And no. He doesn't always want to do what is expected off of him but it would be easier if they would do as expected. Though... Why take the easy way out? Why not try something else? Jade will know the horror genre well enough to probably be able to guide him through it... Maybe, it would even be fun not to do the normal thing, not to do the thing everyone does.

"Well..." he now slowly says, still thinking about it. "How about we meet up later and you tell me about your ideas for the script?"

"And then I'll do the whole assignment and you get my good grade as well without doing anything for it," Jade dryly says, not convinced at all. Wow, she can be negative.

"No," he answers. "I'll think about all of this until then and try to get into the horror genre a little bit more. Maybe, I can get on board with it if I just know more about it."

"Okay," she answers with a shrug, turning back to her locker.

.

.

They meet up later that day in a fast food place and then again, the next afternoon at his house.

He sees his mother, who is home at the time, raising her eyebrows at the strange girl, and she asks him, after Jade is gone again, who she is.

"A new friend," he answers with a shrug though he isn't too sure of Jade would call herself a friend of his.

"You shouldn't be friends with someone like that," his mother says and he grits his teeth. Is she serious? Will she now tell him who to be friends with?

"Well... We're doing an assignment for class together," he says and his mother replies: "Do that but don't let yourself be dragged down by someone like her."

Okay. He decides to say nothing more to that and leaves for his room. He is angry though. And that after the rest of the day has gone so well.

He slowly does get into the horror genre. It never was like he hated it. He just never had much reason to watch it. His friends and his girlfriend favor romantic comedies or comedies in general, Andre possibly a few action movies. And he barely watches any movie just by himself.

Jade meanwhile knows every horror movie and has told him of a few he now has also watched and actually liked very much.

And now, Jade and he are working on a horror script, picking up on some horror clichés, almost making it a parody but actually still having it been scary. It's a big challenge and Beck loves it.

She has told him much more about the genre and he finds it surprinsingly easy to write something scary and creepy himself. He has written a short scene for today and Jade has read it and has actually loved it. He hasn't seen her smile like that before and her eyes lit up like that.

"Good that I got you into this. You have talent for it," she said.

He likes it. He realizes he actually likes the thrill he gets when he watches horror movies. It's not as boring as so many other movies.

.

.

Which is why, as he and Tori are finally again alone at her house and have decided on watching a movie, he suggests, after she has gotten out a collection of her DVDs: "We could also watch some horror movie."

He has already watched every movie on the table and why not watch something different, they can find on the internet?

"A horror movie?" Tori asks sceptically though.

"Yeah," he answers. "Why not?" He knows she's not totally opposed to those. They have once caught one together on TV.

Tori scoots a little away from him on the couch. "Has Jade got that much influence on you?"

"What do you mean?" he asks confused.

Tori answers as if it was obvious: "She likes horror and suddenly, you like it too."

Well, and it's not like that. He doesn't just like it because Jade likes it or something. He does have his own opinions.

"You know I like all sorts of genres," he says because he does and he always has - even though he only really has found himself in the horror genre because of Jade. "And I'm just in the mood for a horror movie."

"You know you're not very good at lying," Tori says and that's ridiculous.

"I'm not lying!" he clearly states with a raised voice. It's not like he never lies but he barely does because he doesn't see much point in it. And he's definitely not lying now. He doesn't like Tori claiming he does.

Tori just looks at him, biting her lip. She doesn't say anything anymore. She never does, whenever he raises his voice even slightly. He doesn't do that often and it's almost as if Tori doesn't dare to keep arguing then, as if him raising his voice is a warning for something bad to come.

He takes a deep breath, doesn't want her to be scared of him or anything like that, then he points randomly to one of the DVDs she has spread on the table in front of them. "Let's just watch that one."

"Are you sure?" she gently asks and he nods.

She gets up, puts the DVD in and they start watching, her leaning into him like he likes it.

He's still thinking about their little argument though. She always stops talking when he even raises his voice a little bit. It of course also hasn't been an important topic now. It's not actually all that important what movie they watch as long as they are together.

Tori also does this whenever it's important to her though. She doesn't keep argueing even then, as soon as he gets slightly louder. And that is always the thing that makes him give in. He is the one to quickly paddle back then, to make sure Tori is still fine, to give her whatever she wants.

Suddenly, he wonders if Jade ever would stop, ever would look at him with big eyes, just because he raises his voice in an argument every once in a while. If he would have to give in with her because he would feel bad otherwise, because he would be worried to have scared her.

.

.

He wonders more and more. Not just about stuff Jade might or might not do. But suddenly, he thinks that some things would probably be different with her than with Tori - and they annoy him more and more with Tori.

It's not like their relationship has been perfect, before Jade has shown up. There always have been things that have annoyed Beck, even though their relationship has seemed so perfect. But he has always pushed them back. He does love Tori after all and they are the perfect couple in a way, aren't they? Yet...

He doesn't know if a relationship with a girl like Jade would do him better. He doesn't know if Jade would even be interested in a relationship with him. But he would like to try out. And even if it wouldn't work out then... The more he thinks about Tori and his relationship with her, the more annoyed he gets at all the little things and he knows that that just isn't something he wants for the rest of his life.

He doesn't want to... always easily compromise, draw back from every argument, sparsely spend time alone and always take care of his girlfriend. He doesn't want this relationship where there are never times where they practically cling to each other and where there's never (or only just now) any jealousy, no feeling of possessiveness. He doesn't want to be... bored. Maybe, it's that.

His whole life is boring. He doesn't want a boring relationship. And yes, he does love Tori but... maybe more as a friend. He does like spending time with her. But there never has been that great spark or anything and suddenly he thinks, there should have been. There should be fire between them but there isn't.

He knows it's crazy to give up a perfectly safe and deeply trusting relationship but he also finally gets that Tori isn't the one for him and he thinks he shouldn't be together with a girl he doesn't love in that certain way. Even if that means he will have to stay alone forever, as he possibly never will find that girl.

Though there's still Jade in his mind. Jade who seems dangerous and decisive and interesting and exciting. Like a person you can clash with and then draw back close. Like a person, who easily sparks fires all around.

.

.

But before he even asks Jade what she thinks about possibly dating, he knows he has to end it with Tori. And it's not like that's easy for him.

When he comes visiting her on Sunday, he directly sits her down. He's glad to not have seen her parents' cars outisde. They must both be away and won't be able to interrupt them. And he doesn't see Trina anywhere, which is also good. Though he hopes the other girl is close by, so that Tori will have someone there. He knows this will break her heart.

He takes a deep breath, before he says it, getting to the point right away: "I'm breaking up with you."

Tori's face freezes. Her whole body tenses up. Beck wishes he could take the pain away before it completely hits her.

"Why?"

"Because it's not working," he says but she shakes her head: "Don't lie to me. It has worked for over a year. You're breaking up with me because of Jade."

"No," he says because Jade isn't the reason. Though... "And yes. Meeting her just made me realize that I don't love you the way I should."

"But you love her?" Tori asks with a broken look in her face.

"Well, no," he answers. "I don't know her well enough." He can't just love her like that.

"Why are you breaking up with me then?" Tori asks.

He takes another deep breath, before he answers: "Because I'm not in love with you and I can finally see that. It would be unfair to both of us to stay together anyway."

He doesn't want to be the hero here but he does think this is the fair thing to do.

"Leave," Tori softly says as tears well up in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he says earnestly and she turns away.

"Please leave."

He swallows hard before he gets up and leaves without another word.

.

.

On Monday, he tells his parents over breakfast that he broke up with Tori, which doesn't make them happy. They ask if anything happened, which didn't, and they start argueing about it which is so weird. But they have really liked Tori and have gotten along with her great.

That's the reason he gets into school a little later than usual. And he directly hears Tori's voice loudly: "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing," Jade's voice comes, annoyed. "He's old enough to make his own choices."

Beck sees Jade and Tori both at Jade's locker, Tori obviously having approached the other girl there. Tori looks like she has just started crying, though angrily, while Jade returns the look annoyed. The whole school seems to watch them.

"You showed up in your miniskirts and tops showing your big cleavage and suddenly, he thinks he's in love with you," Tori just now says.

Jade looks disgusted. "I'm dressing this way because I like it, not to steal your stupid boyfriend. Now piss off."

For a second, Beck thinks Tori will attack Jade, but then she does turn around and stomps off.

Beck swallows and steps up to Jade while everyone else in the hallway finally turns back to their own things. "Hey."

Jade glares at him. "You piss off, too."

She turns back to her locker and angrily stuffs a book in there.

"I'm sorry for her," Beck earnestly says and Jade instantly glares at him again.

"No," she says. "You should be sorry for your own behaviour. Breaking up with her because of me?"

That doesn't seem to sit right with Jade and Beck is quick to say: "I didn't do that."

She narrows her eyes at him: "So you don't plan on asking me out, maybe right now, maybe after some 'appropriate' time after just having broken up with the girl you supposedly loved?"

"Well..." he says helplessly because... Yes, he wants to ask her out eventually. She must know by Tori's words and by his behaviour around her that must have shown that he is attracted to her. But it sounds harsh in the way Jade says it and he doesn't know how to answer.

He also doesn't need to say any more.

Jade turns back to her locker, grabs another book there and pushes it violently into her bag. "Don't think you get to decide alone, who dates you. I won't, just because you broke up with her. I do have something to say about this as well."

"I know that," he says because he does. Obviously, it's not just his decision. "I didn't just break up with her, so I can possibly date you."

"She understood differently," Jade spits out.

"She understood wrong," he is quick to say.

Tori just isn't the right girl for him, that's the whole point. He also would've broken up with her without Jade being around – as soon as he would've noticed, which probably would've taken a little longer. But in the end, it was just a matter of time.

Jade looks even angrier now, though. "Because it's always the girl who's in the wrong with you, right? Yeah, wow. That makes me want to date you."

Okay, that's not what he has said or meant at all. That's definitely not true.

But Jade is angry now and... "You want to misunderstand me right now."

Jade shuts her locker close and as she walks past him, she clearly states: "Leave me the fuck alone."