Wow, it's been a while. xD Sorry for not updating in a long time. =P I own nothing except Jackson Ryan.

Beck Oliver sat on a cream-colored sofa in his small place. Jackson was upstairs, getting his sneakers on. Beck had told him he had gotten him a cool present as a surprise. Tori hadn't gone over, but Jackson asked about her continually. Beck tried to evade the subject and told Jackson to get his shoes on. Beck was a little depressed. Jade didn't want to get back together and he broke up with Tori. Sucking it up, Beck went out to the garage and pulled out the kiddie quad he had gotten Jackson. It was black and had a stainless steel grille and chrome rims. It looked like Jade's old high school car before she traded it in for something more family-friendly. Beck had pushed it out in the driveway and hurried back inside. As soon as he shut the door, Jackson bounded downstairs with a happy grin on his face. He looked excited. Beck opened the door and let Jackson run outside. When the little boy saw his new present, he screamed with delight. Jackson ran out to the front yard and hopped on the quad.

"Daddy! This is the best present ever! Thank you so much!" he yelled. Beck laughed and sat down on the porch. He dug through his pocket and pulled out a pack of Marlboro's. He didn't really smoke frequently but he did it every now and then. He breathed the smoke in deeply and watched as Jackson revved down the streets. Beck could barely hold in a chuckle as he saw neighbors peek their heads out windows and roll their eyes. Beck had turned his head for a second when he heard brakes squeal. Jackson was in the middle of the road and a burgundy Mercedes was sitting there, very close to the quad. Beck yelled at Jackson to get out of the road. With some difficulty, Jackson got out of the way. Beck turned his head and didn't think a thing of it. Until the Mercedes parked in front of Beck's small house. Beck lifted his head and was surprised to see Tori get out of the car. Jackson, seeing her, drove the quad towards her, nearly running her over. She smiled at the little boy. "Tori! Look at this cool quad my daddy got me!" Beck smiled as Tori feigned interest, like she used to do with Cat.

"Wow, Jackson! That's really cool." she noted. Quickly, she walked up to the steps and stood in front of Beck. Beck quickly put his cigarette out, noting her raised eyebrows. He opened his mouth to inquire about the car but Tori cut him off. "It's Trina's." she blurted. Beck nodded with understanding and stowed the Marlboros away. Tori pointed at him. "What's with the cigarettes?" she asked. Beck blushed.

"It's just an occasional thing. It's not a big deal..." he trailed. She nodded and sat beside him. "Why are you here?" he asked. She shrugged and pushed her Coach sunglasses on top of her hair.

"I wanted to see Jackson. He's so cute and reminds me so much of you." Beck was shocked that Tori din't hold a grudge about breaking up. An awkward silence fell between the two of them. After a few seconds, she spoke up again. "So how did you manage to afford this?" she asked. Beck bit his lip.

"I took it out of savings. But that means I won't have much money to pay the electric..." he trailed. Beck's financial situation was dire. Due to his lack of obtaining and holding a decent acting job, the money in his bank account was low. Beck knew buying a quad for Jackson wasn't a priority but he wanted to make his son happy. Tori nodded, feeling a little guilty. From her job at Nozu (Mrs. Lee allowed Tori to work there but with a strong grudge), Tori acquired a lot of money and was capable to pay off some of Beck's bills. However she wasn't sure if she wanted to support Beck and Beck was funny about accepting money from Tori. Tori nodded slowly.

"So I'm guessing you didn't get the role of Patrick?" she asked. Patrick was the latest role Beck was trying out for. Patrick was a Canadian guy who came to the states looking for a job and ended up getting chased by a group of gangsters because of a terrible confusion. It would've been a good movie but yet again, Beck's reputation refused him the role. Beck shook his head and Tori rubbed his shoulder. "I'm sorry..." she trailed. He turned away from her and scowled.

"Why are you acting this way? Why are you even here? Are you that desperate to get back together with me? I broke up with you. Not the other way around. I figured you would be pissed and never come around again...like Jade did for those several months..." he said, thinking back. Those months were the worst of his life. He almost thought Jade would never come back. Anyways, he was surprised Tori was sitting here and was a little angry in a way. Tori sighed and withdrew her arm.

"You keep forgetting. I'm not Jade." she started. "I-I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable but I still love you." she admitted.

"Well, I don't." he snapped. Beck's face paled, realizing what he said. Tori scoffed and stood up. Beck stood up too and grabbed her arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. I just-"

Tori frowned. "I know you meant exactly what you said. I'm leaving, Beck. I was giving you one last chance but you blew it." she walked towards her car. Jackson was revving the quad down the other end of the street. Beck chased after her.

"Tori, wait! Can we just talk?" he asked. She shook her head.

"No! I've tried to talk to you but you're still obsessed with Jade. When are you going to realize that Jade will never love you again?" she asked cockily. Beck bit his lip.

"That's impossible! We were together for two years..." he trailed. "There will always be a special place in her heart. I'm the father of her son." Tori shook her head before getting in Trina's car.

"You're such a pig, Beck! Stop being in denial and get over it! Just because you're Jackson's father doesn't mean Jade is entitled to you forever!" she slammed the door and peeled away, Jackson pulled up on the quad, beaming. Beck ruffled his son's hair and managed a light smile. He asked if he liked his present. Jackson nodded and thanked his dad vigorously.

"You're welcome, buddy. Come sit on the steps. I have to ask you something important." Jackson pulled the quad into the riveway and sat on the steps next to Beck, sipping a juice box. "Women are complicated, buddy. That's the first thing to Women 101. Now I have a serious question. About Mommy and Andre." Jackson perked up and looked at Beck. "Does Mommy love Andre?" Jackson shrugged.

"I don't know." Beck sighed; he realized this wouldn't be much help.

"Do you like Andre?"

"He's cool, Daddy. He works at my library." he said.

"Do you like him better than me?" asked Beck honestly. Jackson shook his head and hugged Beck.

"Nope because you're the best!" Beck smiled, hugging his son back. Inwardly, he hoped Jade thought the same way.

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#

Andre paced around his small house. Well, it wasn't really his. He was still living with his grandmother. Right now, Ms. Harris was taking a nap. Thank Goodness, thought Andre. He loved his grandmother but sometimes taking care of her was too much. Andre had been acting with Jade like they had a relationship. Andre was always an emotional guy. He was never one to hide how he actually felt. When Andre started to harbor feelings for Jade, his head began feeling wonky. Andre felt like confessing his feelings to Jade. When he told Jade he loved her, she hesitated. It hurt him. He felt awkward. After he was there for her and Jackson, faking a relationship to avoid Beck's begging, she didn't like him back. Andre didn't know what he expected. Jade was out of his league. Jade was an independent woman who didn't need a man to make her complete. She had gotten over Beck years ago. Besides, she never had feelings for him. Andre didn't have anything to do (work and volunteering) so he got in the car and drove around. It was the middle of the afternoon. He ran into some traffic, which gave him time to contemplate and calm his mind down. He passed by the elementary school only to see it closed. It was Saturday. Of course it would be closed. Driving by the music store, Andre saw no need to go in. He didn't need any music and he actually hated his job. At one point, Andre pulled into the parking lot of a shopping plaza and sat in his car. He dug through his glove compartment, looking for some cigarettes. Andre didn't smoke often. He had actually purchased the cigarettes out of a dare and never touched them again. Andre opened the door of his car and got out. Hurriedly, he leaned on the hood of his car and smoked.

Wow, that felt good, Andre thought. He had never smoked before. Inhaling this fruity gas was relieving and stress-releasing. In his peripheral vision, Andre saw a burgundy Mercedes Benz sedan speed its way into the parking lot. He could tell the car had manual transmission. The teenager thought the car was nice and didn't think a second thought until the car slammed on its brakes and squealed loudly. Andre was startled when the car pulled beside him. He couldn't tell who was in there because the windows were tinted. Andre blew out a puff of smoke when the engine died down. His heart beat rapidly when the door swung open. He wasn't expecting to see Tori climb out. She pursed her lips at him and scoffed.

"You too?" she asked. Andre narrowed his eyebrows.

"What are you talking about?" she shook her head and waved her hand.

"It's nothing. What are you doing out here?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." he said indifferently. Andre didn't forget his history with Tori. In high school, they used to be the best of friends. But shortly after Beck and Jade's breakup and their little short fling before the Full Moon Jam, they began to drift apart. Now, Andre and Tori weren't close friends. He visually showed that he wasn't a friend of hers. He didn't know how Tori felt, but honestly he didn't care. In the beginning of their school years, he considered her a best friend. However, now he thought she was a slut like Jade thought so since the start. Andre was quiet, just studying Tori. She wore designer sunglasses and definitely looked diva-ish. However, he did know that the car was Trina's.

"So...what's new, Andre?" she asked with a light smile. Andre pursed his lips.

"Nothing much." he said.

"You must be stressed." she asked, walking closer and locking the car. He tried to turn away, looking at the Wal-Mart across the way.

"Yeah."

"What's up?" she asked.

"Nothing." he muttered. He didn't feel like getting into it with her. He knows her strategy. Deja vu was playing through his head.

"Are you sure?" she asked setting a warm hand on his shoulders. "I mean, you-" Andre jumped away from Tori, scowling at her. He cut her off harshly.

"Just...just get away from me! Don't you understand what happened in high school? I-don't-want-to-talk-to-you." he yelled, throwing his cigarette on the ground. He stomped on it with his sneaker, clambered in his car and peeled away. Tori was left in the parking lot. Alone.