Chapter 1

09:16 AM by Jade's closet

"Here you go, baby"

Large cup of coffee, two sugars, just like Jade favored it. Beck never drank that much coffee before, but since they started going out he got accustomed to it more and more. Now his mornings were a nuisance without a bit of a caffeine jolt.

He handed his girlfriend the cup, and she smiled briefly. It was one of those special smiles, especially for him, as Jade wasn't known to smile that way to anyone else. A sweet loving smile, that almost made her look like a normal girl.

Jade wasn't normal though, she was the zest of a lemon- bitter and acidic, her eyes were green, blue and every icy color there was, she was distant. Today she felt scarlet like hot thick blood drowning in a pitch black night; sadism by the depraved.

But he could maintain her fire and break through her coldness; he was the cup of cold water in a hot July afternoon breaking the acidic peel of her citrus flavor, he was the gasoline igniting her flames in a jealous rage and he generously offered her his world, even though she had one of her own.

Familiar faces passed by them, just like every day; colleagues, friends, and teachers. However as normal as the day seemed, neither of them could get over that sickening feeling in the pit of their stomach that something was going to happen.

"Hey, what's up?" said the hyped up voice of Beck's best friend, and the closest thing Jade could describe as a good friend, Andre Harris.

"Hey Andre" they answered simultaneously.

"So y'all wanna go grab ice-cream later"

Before they could answer, a voice interrupted from behind Jade.

"Can I come?"

"Sinjin, if you don't leave I will pull your throat out of your eyes" Jade said as calmly as possible.

"It's actually very painful" Beck chimed in.

The bespectacled boy ran for it, feeling slightly hurt.

10:12 AM in Sikowitz's class

"… So that's is why you should never put coconut milk in your ears"

The entire class was just sitting still, looking around in confusion, their teacher had been going on and on for ten minutes about the time he had an ear infection from using coconut milk as drops.

"I-I was just asking how to make up a suitable voice based on character" said Robbie.

"Oh, then why were you asking about coconut milk?"

"I really wasn't"

"Nobody said anything about coconut milk" Beck chimed in.

"Really?!" asked Sikowitz "That's weird"

"No, you are weird" said Jade bitterly.

She wasn't mad at Sikowitz per say, she was mad at the girl sitting on the left side of Beck; Tori Vega. Her worst enemy and occasionally good friend, they had remained frenemies ever since Tori had tripped over a pile of luck that landed her in Hollywood arts.

But they pulled through, tolerating each other. Jade however found it very hard to like Vega when she was in such close proximity to Beck. So she brought her foot up and kicked the brunette of her seat.

"Oww" Screamed Tori "What was that for?"

"Felt like it" She shrugged and could see Beck rolling his eyes from the corner of her vision.

To be fair, Tori wasn't really pulling a move on her boyfriend. But why risk it?

11:02 AM in the Janitor's closet

"Why do you care so much?" screamed Jade.

"Tori is our friend, you have got to stop treating her that way" answered Beck"

"She is not my friend and why are you so obsessed with her?"

"When are you going to get it" he said, his voice starting to rise "I am obsessed with you?"

Jade felt a gush of warmth rush through her, only Beck could ever make her feel that way. They leaned in, their lips almost touching when…

Screams of panic sounded right outside the door, followed by the sound of what seemed to be explosions.

"What was that?"

Hurriedly Beck opened the door and the both of them ran outside into the hall, but regretted it a second later.

Smoke had filled up the place, and Beck hollered in pain, it hurt badly. His eyes were on fire, yet there were tears seeping out of them hastily, it felt like a hand had enclosed around his neck as he choked on the terrible smell; Tear gas had filled up the place.

"Jade, get back in the closet" he said coughing loudly, but his sound was drowned by another bomb thrown in the hallway.

In the midst of all the chaos he tripped over something, while trying to look around for any sign of his raven haired girlfriend, but to no avail. As soon as he hit the ground, the pain in his body came too quickly for his mind to register.

People were stepping all over him, as they ran around frantically. The stampede lasted for several agonizing minutes; neck, kidney and groin hits were the worst. Every part of him ached under his colleagues shoes. Occasionally, someone would trip and knee him in the stomach or chest, and he would groan loudly, but not too loud that anyone could hear him.

His vision started to blur, as the pain turned into numbness. A red converse on his head, and darkness took over.