Disclaimer: Own nothing but Crystal and the rest of Jess's band aka Adam and Joe.
A/N: Here is another chapter. Hope you all enjoy it. I am fallen a little behind and haven't finished next chapter yet like I usually like having before I update but I wanted to get another chapter out. So hope you all enjoy.
Thanks again to my reviewers!:
Tryphyna
LitLover101
Ghostwriter
Jeremy Shane
Ladysup67
You guys are awesome and also thanks to those who added me to their alerts. Makes me happy. Okay I will shut up now. To the chapter…
Chapter 8: Aftermath, Goodbye to you
Rory's POV
I stood in the hallway staring at Jess. Seeing him walk past me and not do anything hurt. It hurt even more that he nodded towards Lane, Paris, Jamie and Zach but me I am ignored. I should have known this was going to happen but it still hurts so badly. The only way I am going to fix this is if I go talk to him. With that thought I started walking in the direction Jess had gone.
"Hey Rory, where are you going?" Lane asked making me turn around.
"I need to talk to Jess." I said before I turned to walk away.
I followed the path Jess had taken. I started to think of what I was going to say to him. I turned the corner that I had seen Jess turn at and I stopped dead in my tracks. This could not be happening. I wasn't seeing this. I am just dreaming this isn't really happening. I pinched my arm and knew this was real. Tears formed in my eyes as I keep staring. There a few feet in front of me was Jess kissing Crystal. I dropped my books to the ground as the tears started to fall down my face. Jess must have heard the noise because he pulled away from Crystal. I quickly reached for my books but someone had kicked them so they were all over. I finally gathered my books as the tears still fell and looked up to see Jess staring at me. His face showed no emotion like he didn't even care. I knew I needed to get out of there so I quickly turned to head to my locker. As the tears continued to fall I ran to my locker and into the arms of my friends who saw me coming. Why was this happening to me? Why would he do this to me? Did he hate me that much?
Jess's POV
"Hey Crystal." I said
"Why hello there Jess what brings you here. Thought you liked hanging with the nerds." She said as she turned to me.
"Yeah well I thought about it and I think I really do belong with you guys." I replied. Why am I doing this I hate these people.
"I knew you would come to your senses sooner or later Jess." She said with a big smile.
"Yeah I guess. I also had a question for you."
"What ever would that be Jess?" She asked as she twirled her hair.
"Would you be my girlfriend?" I asked knowing I had to do this. Rory hurt me so badly she needed to know how it felt.
"Oh my Gosh! I knew you liked me! OF COURSE!" She squealed as she gave hugged me. I returned the hug and when I went to pull away I felt her lips on mine. I didn't do anything. I just stood there while she kissed me. I pulled away when I heard a noise. There was Rory staring at me. She quickly looked away and started to get her books which was hard for her to do since I saw my 'friends' kicked a couple of her books. Once she got them she looked at me again. She may not have looked long but it was long enough to see that she had tears running down her face.
"Ugh what a freak for staring at us." Crystal said as she clung to my side.
"Yeah."
"Well come on Jessie it is time for us to go to class."
"Yeah…. Okay."
"I'm so glad you finally asked me to be your girlfriend. I knew you really liked me. This is so great! Isn't it?" She said while taking my hand a pulling me down the hall.
"Yeah great… really great." I said knowing I didn't agree but I had to do this. It was the only way.
"You aren't thinking about that freak are you?"
"Nope I'm thinking about how great this is." I said with a fake smile.
"I knew you would come to your senses and realize you belonged with me. Not hanging with the freak and her only two friends. I mean she is such a nobody and you are a somebody."
"Yeah exactly." I aid as we continued to walk. We meet up with all my 'friends' and they all greeted me saying it was great to see that I was back and thinking clearly. The only people who weren't here were Jamie and Zach. I looked around and saw that they were still with Lane, Paris and Rory. When they saw me they just shook their heads and went back to Rory who was still crying.
"Gosh you think she would get over that you would never be her friend let alone boyfriend. Since we all know you and I are meant to be." Crystal said as she saw Rory.
"Yeah." I said quietly as Crystal started talking to everyone else. This is what I had to do wasn't it. I knew it was but I still couldn't help but feel that it was so wrong.
Rory's POV
I couldn't stand this feeling I was going through. Seeing Jess kissing Crystal made me feel like my heart had shattered into a million pieces. I just stayed in the arms of Lane and Paris as I cried knowing they had no clue what was happening. Knowing I had to tell them I pulled away and looked at them. When I did I noticed Jamie and Zach were still there and they looked worried along with Lane and Paris.
"Rory what is wrong?" Lane asked with concern.
"Jess… he…. Crystal… kiss." I chocked out as I was still crying.
"Jess was kissing Crystal!" Paris said. I just nodded my head not thinking I could talk as I heard her say the words.
"Oh he is so dead." Lane said as she turned to go towards him. It was then I noticed him, Crystal and the rest of their friends were in the same hall.
"No!" I said as I wiped away my tears.
"Why can't I hurt him… he hurt you?" Lane asked confused.
"She still cares for him even if he is being a jerk." Paris replied.
"Yeah." I said quietly.
"Well I am here for you Rory. And my offer still stands about hurting him if you think it over." Lane said with a little smile.
"I am here too Rory." Paris said.
"Thanks guys." I said giving them a hug.
"Ummm Rory." I turned to see that it was Jamie speaking. "I just wanted to say that Jess is being a dumbass. He has never liked Crystal so I don't get why he is with her now. I also wanted to say that even though he is back with the popular group I am not going back I am staying with you guys."
"Yeah I agree with Jamie. Jess has always gone out of his way to avoid Crystal and has turned her down so many times. He is the biggest idiot for letting you go. You are so much better then her." Zach said with a smile.
"Thanks Jamie… Thanks Zach that means a lot to me." I said as tears rolled down my face again.
Everything came back to me so quickly and it hurt all over again. As I cried into my friends I didn't notice Zach and Jamie were looking at Jess and shaking their heads at him before turning back to comfort me. I calmed down just in time for the 5 minute bell to ring.
"Never did I think I would hate going to science." I said as I wiped away my tears.
"I'll see you next period Rory. Don't worry to much he is an idiot." Lane said as she gave me a hug then left with Zach who gave me a quick hug before leaving.
"Everything will be fine Rory. I know they will be don't worry." Paris said as she gave me a hug followed by Jamie and then they were off to class.
I took a deep breath and then started walking to class. Once I got to class I sat down at my seat and pulled out my notebook and a pencil. Mr. Jolly entered a minute later and I looked up. It was then I noticed that Jess wasn't here yet. Which I didn't know if I should have felt relieved or sad about. I was feeling both though.
"Okay class today we…" Mr. Jolly started to say only to be interrupted by the door opening. I tuned and saw Jess had entered. "Nice of you to join us Jess. Please take your seat."
Jess just nodded his head and started to head to his seat. Which just had to be next to me. I looked down and my notebook avoiding any contact with him. I was going to avoid him at all cost. Though I don't know if it will work since he just had to be in all my classes. I made sure I never looked over at Jess and focused on the board and my noted the whole time. That didn't mean I couldn't see Jess next to me. Or the fact that he was stealing glancing at me from time to time. And just when I thought my day couldn't get any worse. He was probably just trying to think of other ways to torture me. And to think I thought my life was going to start getting better it just had to get worse.
…. A Week Later….
You would have thought my life would have gotten a little better in a week right? But no it seems to have gotten worse. The 'populars' were back to harassing me since Jess was no longer with me. Every time they came over to me Jess was there watching them. He acts like he doesn't even know who I am sometimes and it hurts. To make it worse I had to see Crystal and Jess all the time. It seemed that they went out of their way just so I can see them. I could hardly stand it. I wish I never had to come to school but that still wouldn't help because I would still miss Jess. No matter how much of a jerk he is I still miss him. They only thing that helped me through school now was knowing that I would get to see Lane, Paris, Jamie and Zach. Jamie and Zach keep their promise and stayed with me. Well they stayed with me for another reason. Jamie had asked out Paris and Zach had asked out Lane. I was so happy for them but sometimes felt really sad since I had no one like they did. And that is when my thoughts always went back to Jess. I knew Lane and Paris could see how this was affecting me even though I try act like it doesn't. I bet even Zach and Jamie notice.
I heard the final bell ring and I ran to change back into my regular clothes. I have been wearing sweats and big hoodies all the time now hoping I could hide from everyone. When I was dressed a quickly went to my locker and got what I needed then headed straight home. If Jess and I were still talking I would be headed to Luke's to get some coffee. But now Crystal was always there and I couldn't deal with going there. I got home and headed straight for my room and laid on my bed looking at the ceiling. My thoughts once again where drifting to Jess. I quickly shook my head. Why can't I get over this and just say goodbye to you.
I jumped from my bed and ran into my secret room and grabbed my guitar and songbook. I quickly opened my songbook and starting writing down lyrics that came to my mind. I poured my feelings out into the lyrics hoping this would help. Once I was finished with the lyrics I grabbed my guitar and started strumming. After messing around I finally had finished the song and was very satisfied with how it came out. With a small smile I knew this was the beginning of getting better. I put my guitar back and walking back to my room. I laid back on my bed and looked at my lyrics. I knew I would perform this soon.
"Oh my darling daughter who I love so much! Where are you?" My mom asked as she entered the house.
"In my room mom!" I shouted back.
"How are you doing hun?" She asked as she sat next to me. I sat up since I was still lying down and she leaned and gave me a kiss on the top of my head.
"I'm doing pretty good actually. I just wrote a new song." I said with a smile.
"You did honey. Oh can I see it please please please."
"Yes mom but only if you calm down."
"Okay I am calm now gimmie." She said taking my songbook from me.
"So mom what do you think?" I asked a little nervous.
"It's beautiful hun. I love it." She said with a smile.
"Thanks that means a lot to me." I said with a small sigh.
"No problem hun." She said and then started to walk out of my room. "Hey hun. Was that song about you know who?" She asked as she turned around to face me.
"Yeah… it was." I said.
She just nodded and turned back around. Once she left I laid back on my bed and soon fell asleep. Thinking about what would happen after I performed my song.
…. Skipping another week (but to Friday not Monday)….
Today is the day I was going to perform my song. Well that is after I deal with a day of school. I have been in a better mood then the last couple weeks. Even though I was still being harassed by the 'populars' and treated like a no one from Jess. Then of course seeing Crystal and Jess still hurt but I knew I had to get over him. And tonight I would take my first step. I noticed Lane, Paris, Jamie, and Zach I quickly walked towards them with a smile.
"Hey guys."
"Hey Rory." All four of them said at once.
"Okay that is just freaky I thought Lane and Paris only did that but now all four of you." I said. They all laughed at me and I joined in. I hadn't laughed like this in awhile and it felt great. While we were still laughing I noticed Jess walked past us. He was alone which was strange but he was also staring. Once he was away from us I turned to look at everyone.
"Hey guys I forgot I have to go in early this morning. Ms. Powers wanted to see me. I'll catch you guys later." Lane said quickly. She gave Zach a kiss on the cheek and then was gone before any of us could reply.
" Wonder what that was all about." I said.
"Maybe Ms. Powers really wanted to see her." Jamie said.
"I don't remember Ms. Powers wanting to see her though." Zach said.
" She would tell us if anything was up." Paris said looking at Jamie and Zach.
"Yeah I know she would." I said as I stared to where Lane had gone.
Lane's POV
"Hey guys I forgot I have to go in early this morning. Ms. Powers wanted to see me. I'll catch you guys later." I said quickly. I gave Zach a quick kiss and then was off. I didn't want to stay long enough for any of them to ask me a question because I was lying to them. I started walking down the hall following where Jess had gone. I saw him just leaning up against a wall. None of his friends were around. In fact no was around which was great for me.
"Jess." I said and he turned towards me.
"What do you want Lane?" He asked sounding confused to why I would talk to him.
"I have a bone to pick with you." I said as I stood in front of him.
"Okay…" He said still confused.
"I can't believe you are such a jerk. How could you hurt Rory so much? She was your friend. In fact I believe you said she was your best friend. Then you yell at her, backstabbed her, leave her to go to the friends who have done nothing but harass her, then you go and start dating that slut. When you know Rory liked you Jess."
"She lied to me Lane! She knew I liked Rose. I opened up to her and she lied to me. How do I know I can trust her?" He said angrily.
"She keep it from me too. I got mad too really mad. But I realized that Rory only keep it from me because she was scared. Scared that no one would like her for who she is. You don't know what life is like for her Jess because you are popular and people like you. But for some reason everyone doesn't like Rory, which is stupid because she is awesome. So don't give me this crap about you not knowing if you can trust her. If you really think Rory would lie about anything else then you know nothing about her." I shouted.
"She still could have told me Lane. I really liked Rose and she could have told me she was her."
"She was scared that you would react badly Jess. Which is exactly what you are doing now. You don't know how sad she is Jess. You don't know how she tries to hide from everyone. And you say you really liked Rose well if you did then you wouldn't be dating another girl. Because Rory is Rose every time she talked to you it was Rory talking to you she just had a mask on. She never lied with everything she told you when she was Rose. If you stop to think of what she said you would see that it is Rory. She just hides herself because she thinks people won't like who she is since no one here does besides Paris, Zach, Jamie, and I. She really liked you Jess and I think you may have ruined it by doing this. By going back to you old friends and dating Crystal even though you said you never would. And by acting like you don't know her and allowing your friends to harass her. I thought you were better then this Jess but I guess I was wrong. What ever happen to the guy who just wanted to be himself not what people wanted him to be? I really wish that guy was back." I said finishing my speech. I looked at Jess and he looked shocked by everything I said. I turned from him and started walking away. I stopped though and turned back to him. "Rory has a performance tonight. You really should go maybe it will help you realize what you did." I said then left him to stand there.
Jess's POV
I stood in the hallway all alone as I watched Lane walk away. I started to think about everything she said. When I played 20 questions with Rose I remember telling her she reminded me of my friend. I should have realized Rose was Rory. I started thinking about everything she said the day she told me she was Rose. I asked her if she liked me and she said yes. Rory did like me. I started to feel horrible about everything that had happen these past three weeks. I don't think I will ever be able to make it up to Rory. I don't even know if it is worth trying. I shook my head and started heading to class.
Rory's POV
…. Cloud 9 ….
I stood in the dressing room looking in the mirror at me reflection. I hardly had any color in my outfit. It kind-of fit the mood I had been in these past weeks though. I had a black off the shoulders shirt, a black and gold vest, black ripped skinny jeans, gold and silver bracelets on both wrists, a gold and silver tassel necklace, silver hoops, black high boots, and a black mask with silver and gold designs. (A/N: Outfit on profile, I like making them)
Lane and Paris were of course with me supporting me tonight. They both had a mask on since they were staying backstage with me. Lane had a pink and black sleeveless shirt, black skinny jeans, pink high heels, a black feather necklace, black feather earrings, and a pink mask. Paris has a purple long sleeve shirt, black skirt, white leggings, purple high heels, black bow necklace, black bow earrings, and a purple mask. (A/N: Outfits on Profile)
I was getting really nervous on to how everyone was going to act when I perform my new song. I was also nervous when I just think about performing it since it is really personal. But I knew I had to do it.
"Good Luck." Lane and Paris said as they gave me a hug before I walked out onto stage. I performed my first two songs 'Get this Party Started' and 'Hot'. When they were over I knew I had to perform my last song. I took a deep breath and grabbed my acoustic guitar.
"Hey everyone! Hope you all are enjoying yourselves tonight. I will be ending the night with a new song I just wrote. I wrote this song for someone I really cared for but they didn't and still don't feel the same way. So this is a song saying goodbye to them. It's called 'Goodbye to you'." I said then I started strumming my guitar.
"Of all the things I've believed in
I just want to get it over with
Tears form behind my eyes
But I do not cry
Counting the days that pass me by
I've been searching deep down in my soul
Words that I'm hearing
Are starting to get old
It feels like I'm starting all over again
The last three years were just pretend
And I said,
Goodbye to you
Goodbye to everything I thought I knew
You were the one I loved
The one thing that I tried to hold on to
I still get lost in your eyes
And it seems that I can't live a day
Without you
Closing my eyes and you chase my
Thoughts away
To a place where
I am blinded by the light
But it's not tight
Goodbye to you
Goodbye you everything I thought I knew
You were the one I loved
The one thing that I tried to hold on to
And it hurts to want everything and
Nothing at the same time
I want what's yours
And I want what's mine
I want you
But I'm not giving in this time
Goodbye to you
Goodbye to everything I thought I knew
You were the one I loved
The one thing that I tried to hold on to
The one thing that I tried to hold on to
And when the stars fall
I will lie awake
You're my shooting star"
When I finished I had a couple tears streaming down my face. The crowd was cheering loudly. I was glad they liked it.
"Thanks everyone. Have a great night." I said before walking off the stage. Once I was backstage Lane and Paris ran towards me.
"That was great!" Lane shouted as she pulled me into a hug.
"Yeah it was awesome." Paris said with a smile and then gave me a hug.
"Thanks guys." I said with a big smile as I wiped the few tears that I had from my face. I felt so much better after performing that song. I felt so much different then I have been feeling. Like I was a new person. "Hey why don't we go to my house now guys."
"Sounds good." Lane and Paris said together.
"You guys really need to stop doing that." I said laughing.
"Don't think we can." They said together again. We all started laughing. We stood there for a little and I help but wish Jess had been here tonight so he would hear the song. Then it wouldn't have been even better if he talked to me. I knew that wouldn't happen, at least not yet. I started to think again about how I felt different. Then an idea came to my mind.
"Hey guys can you help me with something when we get to my house?" I asked as I turned to look at Lane and Paris.
"Sure Rory. What do you need?" Lane asked.
Jess's POV
I don't even know why I listened to Lane and came here tonight. But here I was standing in Cloud 9 waiting for Rory to come out and perform. Soon enough I saw her come to the stage and perform her first two songs. I then noticed she grabbed her acoustic guitar and went back to the mic.
"Hey everyone! Hope you all are enjoying yourselves tonight. I will be ending the night with a new song I just wrote. I wrote this song for someone I really cared for but they didn't and still don't feel the same way. So this is a song saying goodbye to them. It's called 'Goodbye to you'. Rory said the started to play her song.
As I sat there and listened to her sing I started feeling horrible. Was this song about me or was I just over thinking everything? I was pretty sure the song was about me and I knew I should try and make up with Rory but I think it was too late. Once she was finished everyone was going crazy. I was clapping along with everyone else. The song was beautiful and she was amazing, like always. She said her goodbye then left the stage. I saw her hug two girls with masks backstage and I knew that it had to be Lane and Paris. I stood up and started going backstage thinking I should say something to her. As I got closer and saw her talking to Lane and Paris I stopped and just hide behind a wall and listened to them talk.
"Hey guys can you help me with something when we get to my house?" Rory asked.
"Sure Rory. What do you need?" Lane asked.
Rory didn't reply she just started walking towards the exit with Lane and Paris following her. I wouldn't what she needs them for. I really should try and talk to her but I knew I destroyed her trust in me. I had tried to get back at her for what she did to me. But I think I only ended up hurting us both even more.
A/N: YAY! So hope you all enjoyed it. I know people may be mad because of what Jess is doing but I need some drama and this is important for it. Don't worry Jess will be better soon. Thanks for reading, review if you can/want to I love reading them… except for if they are mean then I get sad but then I get over it when I get a nice one. Anyways Thanks again everyone I will try and get next chapter up soon!
Song in this chapter was Goodbye to you by Michelle Branch
