Welcome to the third chapter - which means we're already halfway through as I'm sure I'll finish this up within the next two. I hope this one isn't... overdone or anything. I myself like it, so...
Thank you very much to alicheriee for you sweet review!
Everyone, please have fun with this chap.

They don't get done with their last two scenes and have to continue with those on Wednesday.

Jade still ignores Beck outside of the theater, even when he tells her hi in the hallways. He watches her though and feels a little creepy, just like before, but he's really interested in this girl.

Jade doesn't seem to talk to anyone – except Cat. Beck doesn't know or understand how that friendship has happened. He isn't sure anyone knows or understands as they sometimes appear to be complete opposites and not compatible at all.

But they spend much of their time together in school and that doesn't only seem to be on Cat. Beck sees Jade going to Cat's locker that one time and she may not say anything on her own but she seems to listen as Cat starts to talk.

Beck wonders how Cat has succeeded in befriending Jade. And he wonders how well Cat actually knows Jade, if Jade has let her in. Beck wants Jade to let him in, to truly let him know her. But she isn't even answering his greeting.

On Wednesday, Beck is almost the last one in the theater. Everyone else is back today and Jade and he have to start with their last scenes.

Not one of them takes their script with them to do them and Beck has to smile about that. He has practiced like crazy to get the whole play down, but especially these last two scenes as he has known he would have to do them today. Apparently, Jade also has done everything to know her lines by heart by now.

Thomas again critizes a lot and they have to do them again and again while everyone else watches, until he's finally satisfied: "Okay, great. That's all of the scene for just the two of you. I hope we have the opportunity to go through all of them a lot more times until the first performance but either way: Practice them on your own and try to remember everything we worked on. I love that you had your lines down for today for those scene. I would say that you, Beck, can go for today. Be back tomorrow though."

"I'd like to stay," Beck says and Thomas makes a gesture to the chairs for the audience where the others also sit: "Feel free to do so. Tony, Jade, I want to work on your scenes next."

Beck likes the whole play and knows he won't get much opportunities to truly watch any scene, so of course he likes to stay. Not to mention that he is interested how Thomas sees every other scene – and how Jade will act out her others. He has only seen her act a little during the first run through. For everything else he has had to play his character too, so he couldn't really marvel at her acting all that much.

Now, he leans back and watches her closely. They do many of her others scenes today and Beck is glad to see that Thomas also has to critize everyone else, his friends as well, as much as Jade and Beck.

Not everyone is off script yet – Jade is for every scene they do today. She does mix up her lines twice by accident and doesn't remember her next line once but she is the one who is most angry about that. She really takes this seriously and Beck loves it.

When Jade and Tony have done the final scene of the play, Thomas turns to everyone: "Okay, I think that's it for today. I want to see everyone here again tomorrow. I'd be happy to have everyone off script then. Either way: Practice at home, yeah?"

Everyone nods and then, they get going.

Beck thinks about that as he slowly leaves the theater as well. Yes, Thomas wants them to practice and Beck already has and will. But he has done it alone or has run his lines once with Andre yesterday to make sure he knows them by heart for at least his last two scenes with Jade. It's much smarter to actually rehearse with another person also in the play. The best surely would be to rehearse with the person who actually plays that other character.

And why shouldn't Jade and he practice together?

Jade obviously also wants to do good here. She will also know that it would be smart to practice together instead of them both doing it on their own. She may not like talking to him for some reason but this play probably will be important enough for her to rehearse with him, won't it?

And rehearsing together, just the two of them, would be a great opportunity to actually getting to know her, to talk to her. He knows, he will try it.

.

.

Jade loves the play. She hates that she apparently doesn't do anything right but she also loves that Thomas does know how he wants to see everything and is able to directly tell them.

And well... She does do right one thing: the kiss. She wants to say that that's because she is a good actress after all but she knows it somehow has to do with Beck and something between them. Ugh.

Anyway... After she has finished up all her scenes on Thursday, they have to do a few with Beck, her and some others. And then it's just very few scenes left. Beck has to do two short scenes without Jade and Thomas tells Jade that she can already go for today.

She also decides to stay to watch. Of course, everyone else is also getting critized by Thomas but they're doing good and better with every time they have to do a line again. Especially Beck is great. Jade hates it. It's awful that he really is a good actor. He is concentrated and always realizes and implements Thomas' ideas extremely fast.

She hates it because it makes him even more attractive for her. Apparently, she's a sucker for someone who is good at something she has passion for. Who possibly even has the same passion.

There are only three other scenes left that Jade isn't a part of and Beck is neither but Thomas tells them that they will do them next week on Wednesday, then also do the whole play as their first performance is already on that Friday.

He also reminds them all to practice on their own and Jade is one of the first out of the room. This time, Beck follows her again though and stops her before she has left the building.

"Hey, Jade," he calls after her and for a second she considers ignoring him but this isn't just him greeting her. He obviously wants something from her and it's not like she wants to be mean to him. She just doesn't want him to believe there's something going on between them or that he can have her like he can probably have every other girl in school.

But maybe, he actually has to say something smart, so she does stop and looks at him expectantly.

"I thought about how we have most of the scenes together," Beck says. "Maybe, you wanna rehearse together?"

Somehow, her first instinct is to say yes and no at the same time. She does want to because that dumb side of her wants to spend time with him and seems to have just waited for a question like this. But she should say no. She doesn't want to spend more time with him. She doesn't want to fall for him or something.

Yet... This oh so perfect guy has to hide something really bad. Maybe, she will find out about it if they spend some time alone. He will let his mask fall and she will finally know what's wrong with him and her heart won't have to pound like crazy every time she sees him or thinks about him.

And it definitely would do them good to rehearse together because they have some of the most important scenes together (next to her and Tony) and they only have two rehearsals left and of course she can also go through all the lines herself but it isn't the same as to go through them with the person who actually plays the other character.

Therefore, she shrugs. "Sure."

Beck smiles his ridiculously attractive smile. "I have time tomorrow."

Jade shrugs again as she also has time tomorrow, and thinks about where to meet best. She doesn't want him to know where she lives while she also thinks it's weird to act out their scenes somewhere in public. Also, where best to find out what he's hiding, what's wrong about him? "I can come to your house."

He writes down his adress for her while they agree on a time.

.

.

Beck's excited that Jade has actually agreed and is coming to his house. He makes sure his room is presentable and informs his parents that a class mate will come over to go through the play with him. His mother won't be home anyway because she has to go to some event. But it's fine for both of them.

She comes an hour after school has ended with a small bag and he directly leads her into his bedroom. He's nervous as he watches her look around with raised eyebrows. Well, she is definitely judging over his room but he isn't sure if the verdict is postive or negative. She is hard to read which makes her even more interesting.

He suggests for her to sit down on the small couch in his room and he sits down with her.

His script already lies on the small table in front of the couch. He thinks he knows all his lines but depending on how exactly they want to rehearse, how much they possibly will interrupt the scenes, he will need to take a look into the script.

Jade actually pulls out her own as well in which she has made several notes as far as Beck can see.

"Will we just go through our shared scenes chronically?" she asks while Beck still tries to read what exactly she has written into it.

He nods. "Yeah, think so. I've got these for props." He makes a gesture to the coffee cups also on his table, a small figurine that could pass as her bottle full of poison and a few other things.

Jade looks over them before she puts her script down and grabs one of the coffee cups. "Then, let's do it."

They do their first scene in the middle of his bedroom without much of a problem. Obviously, they both have taken to heart what Thomas has told them last week about what to change. At least, they both have implemented the changes now and Beck himself thinks it feels much better to do it this way.

They go into the second scene, sitting on his couch again and after a while Beck runs his hand through his hair. "I'm not sure we do it like we're supposed to." He still can't really grab this whole pretend eating thing and also thinks it doesn't look real with Jade.

She makes an annoyed sound and she takes her script into her hand and looks into it. "He made such a big deal out of it."

And it sounds like she wants to say that it's unnecessary, yet he finds: "But he is good."

Jade glances up tp him. "He really is."

Beck has to smile. He knows by her answer that she really does feel the same way. And it feels like he has known that all along.

"It's amazing that he has a vision," Beck continues.

Jade nods. "That's true. He knows what he wants." For a second, they look at each other, then Jade says: "But let's get back to this."

They do every scene, though they leave out the kiss, both without mentioning it. And they actually start giving each other tips as they go through it and do the scenes a few times. Jade does it first. Instead of her line, she tells him, he should do something differently, and he does because he finds he already trusts her opinion.

He also gives advice about her acting every now and then after that and she may never thank him or sometimes not even acknowledge much that he has said anything at all but she does always try it the way he suggested the next time.

It's after one of their heartfelt scenes close to the end that Beck has to say as he sits back down on the couch: "I think it's beautiful that they truly love each other."

Jade has already sat on the couch and now raises her eyebrows at him. "So you're one of those."

"One of which?" Beck asks.

Jade rolls her eyes. "One of the idiots who believe in true love."

And of course he believes in true love. He also wants to believe in it. He has to. What would life be like if you wouldn't believe in things like that?

"You don't?" he asks interested.

For a few seconds, they just look at each other before Jade shrugs. Well, and that means she does not not believe in true love. Maybe, she also wants to believe in it at least a little.

He has to smile. "So, you're possibly an idiot too."

That makes Jade glare at him but that doesn't let his smile vanish. He shrugs as he explains his thoughts: "Just saying... If you don't say you don't believe in true love but everyone who believes in it is stupid, you're..."

"Oh, shut up," Jade interrupts him and his smile gets wider as he sees that there's possibly also a very small smile on her face.

Then, she abruptly says: "Either way... I don't think anyone could fall in love that fast if it is for real."

Beck looks down to his script. "I think the play spreads over two months. I think that's reasonable."

Jade tilts her head and narrows her eyes slightly. "Have you been in love then?" Her voice sounds almost soft there.

"Not yet," Beck confesses. "But I hope I can love someone as much some day."

"Ugh," Jade answers to Beck's surprise and now raising her eyebrows again. "As much that you would just let yourself be killed by them?"

Beck shrugs. "Yeah, sure."

He wants to trust someone so much that he would lay his life in their hands. He wants to love someone so much that he will trust them with anything.

Though actually letting someone take your life of course is something very difficult – and it is different in this case.

So, after Jade makes another "ugh", he continues: "Though it obviously isn't just about love in this case."

"It isn't," Jade agrees without hesitation. Still. Having your life get taken is something drastic but he still wants to love as deeply, as unconditionally.

"But don't you ever want to be in love with someone as much that you would... let anything happen?" he asks.

Jade actually almost shudders as she answers: "That sounds horrifying."

Yet... If she wants to believe at least a little in true love, she must also want that, doesn't she?

He watches her as she pushes a loose strand of hair out of her face, returning his look. Finally, she asks: "Do you really want to love someone like that?"

"Yeah," he earnestly says. "And of course be loved back like that." To love and be loved like that must feel incredible.

Jade doesn't seem convinced. "So, you want a girl to follow you to death out of love?"

He has to chuckle. "No. That sounds melodramatic." Because it does. He doesn't want a Romeo and Juliet kind of love story.

Jade also smirks. "It's stupid."

But the thing is that that of course happens in the play they star in. Sam has other reasons to take death out of Lindsay's hands but love is of course one of the reasons. And Lindsay does kill herself to follow him, purely out of love.

"Why did you take the role then?" he asks interested.

"Who wouldn't take any role as a freshman," she answers but he may not really know her... he doesn't believe that's the only reason for her to take the role. She must have seen something in Lindsay, in the whole play. Jade doesn't seem to be a person to just take any role. Beck also wouldn't do that. It has to fit. It has to be something he feels for. He's sure it's the same for Jade, maybe even more so.

"Come on," he therefore says. "You wouldn't have just taken any role."

Jade looks at him for a few seconds at that, then: "I think she's an interesting character."

"She is," Beck agrees. But not only Lindsay is an interesting character. Jade is even more interesting. He can imagine that she has found something in Lindsay's darkness and conflict. And maybe also in her love.

He has to smile again and for another few seconds, they just look at each other, then Jade looks back to the script, to the watch around her wirst and to the script again. "My mom will pick me up soon. If we're fast we can do the last scene at least once."

They do hurry at the beginning of the last scene but obviously both feel like it's wrong, even though it's their very private rehearsal and noone will care how stupid the scene looks and sounds this way. But both get slower and actually do the scene, but only once, then Jade packs up quickly and they both go downstairs.

Jade already leaves the house when a car pulls into the driveway.

"See you on Monday," Beck calls after Jade as she goes to the car. Apparently, she's back to ignoring him though, at least she doesn't look back or say anything as she gets into the car and it pulls away.