12. Like a Bird in a Cage.

It was official. He was seriously pulling her out of school. After all those years of threatening to do so, he finally pulled the plug and she had mere weeks left at Hollywood Arts. Richard didn't know it, but he was giving Jade until the end of the quarter to find a way to stay.

Her first thought was to pick up the phone and call someone. But who could she call? Cat would be reduced to a weeping mess if Jade were to leave HA even hypothetically. She didn't really feel like calling Beck was even an option anymore, and thus ended the list of people she'd ever put her trust in. The social worker, Theresa Roy, would most likely agree with Richard's assertions that he was 'doing what was best for her.' Adam would complain about Jim the assistant, and there probably wasn't much a criminal defense lawyer could do about bad parenting anyway. Thus ended the list of adults whose jobs were to help her. So, she took the immature path — the low road— pilfered cash from her father's wallet, and hopped in her car.

Since she was already in the doghouse for coming home half drunk the night before, it probably wasn't very smart for Jade to go out and buy wall paint on Saturday afternoon. But she did. While Richard and Celia were out having lunch with a few friends at the country club, Jade painted over the horrid white walls of her room with a dark burgundy quick-dry paint. She sprayed the lemon-smelling stuff that the house cleaners were so fond of outside her door to cover the smell of the fumes. Once the paint was reasonably dry she started pounding nails into the wall on which to hang her vast collection of scissors and framed butterflies and other precious knick-knacks she'd picked up throughout her life. After a week of living in what felt like a hospital ward, finally the room started to feel like Jade. And if it made her father angry, all the better. She certainly slept better that night in a room that could at long last be classified as dark. Now she just had to deal with all those boxes.

On Sunday morning Jade strolled into the kitchen to find Friday night's chef flipping an omelet on the stove.

"Good morning," he said uneasily. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Nope," Jade said, pouring coffee into a travel mug. She wasn't quite sure where she was going, but she wasn't planning on spending the day here.

"I'm Mart, by the way," the chef told her hesitantly.

"Mart?"

"Well it's short for Martin, but my dad's Marty and my grandpa's Martin, so… I'm Mart."

"Why not Martin Junior?"

"…I never thought of that," Mart looked like he'd experienced an epiphany.

Jade looked disgusted. She went to the entryway, and halted when her car keys were not hanging on their usual hook.

"Where are my keys?" she yelled to whomever was listening. Celia emerged.

"We smelled the paint last night, you know," she said.

"So?"

"So you have lost your car privileges."

"That's bullshit."

"It's your father's orders," Celia said with an innocent shrug. She gave Jade a sympathetic half-smile that only succeeded in enraging the teenager further.

"His orders?! He can't just—"

The doorbell rang. She seemed to always get interrupted by the fucking doorbell. Normal people can't possibly have this many unexpected guests.

"Oh hello, Alyssa," Celia greeted cheerfully. "I'm afraid I haven't finished that guest list yet."

"Oh, no no, I'm not here about that," Alyssa Vaughn's voice said. "I'm actually here to see Jade, is she in?"

"Yeah, I'm here," Jade muttered, stepping into the doorway beside Celia.

"Hi Jade," Alyssa said happily. "You look much better than you did on Friday."

"Yeah well…" Jade shrugged. "Friday was two days ago."

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. I hardly even have a headache."

"No, I meant…. How are you feeling?"

Jade glared at her stepmother until Celia took the hint and disappeared around the corner. Once Jade heard a door shut, she turned back to Alyssa.

"I'm fine," Jade rolled her eyes.

"Right," Alyssa didn't believe her. "Do you want to go hang out? We can get an early lunch, and I'm assuming you haven't really had a tour of the neighborhood."

"I thought you lived in Bel-Air."

"My mom lives here," Alyssa said brightly.

Jade narrowed her eyes, assessing the girl in front of her. A girl who's face she was symbolically destroying in a magazine not a month ago.

"Fine," she said finally.

Jade had to continually remind Alyssa (and herself) that they were not friends. They couldn't possibly be friends. Alyssa took Jade all around Brentwood in the yellow convertible, spending the day stopping at boutiques and cafés and a farmer's market. Jade's mood did brighten a bit once she'd tasted the homemade roast at a particular coffeehouse, though she'd never admit it. It was late afternoon when they had run out of things to do and were simply sitting on a sidewalk bench, people-watching.

"I love it here. It's like a little slice of heaven, you know?"

"Sure," Jade agreed sarcastically with a sigh. "If your heaven involves a simulation prison."

"So I take it things aren't going well?" Alyssa said pointedly.

"Could be better," Jade admitted.

"Anything I can do?"

"Bust my mother out of jail?"

Alyssa looked startled at that response.

"I'm kidding," Jade assured her. "Sorta."

"Well, take it from a girl who's been there." Alyssa paused. "Not there exactly, but I understand what it's like to want a clean slate. And I happen to know you have a great group of friends, so just rely on them and, you know, create your own family."

"That's your advice?" Jade asked skeptically.

"That's my advice."

"I should probably be getting home," Jade changed topics quickly. Not taking 'no' for an answer, she slung her purse back onto her shoulder and started walking in the direction of Alyssa's car. Create your own family, she grumbled inwardly. You have a great group of friends. Yeah. An awesome group of friends: a boy who lives his life with his hand up an impolite puppet, the girl who gets everything Jade wants, a musician who probably still thinks Jade's a criminal, an artificial redhead who has the IQ of a seagull and the attention span of a squirrel, and Jade's ex-boyfriend the poker-face master. Great.

Jade found herself willing to suffer whatever music Alyssa wanted in order to prevent the young socialite from giving any more unsolicited advice. Jade checked her phone as Alyssa messed with the radio station, and she found a missed call from Cat. Talking on the phone would be an even better deterrent — Alyssa was far too polite to interrupt.

"Jaaaadey!"

"Hi Cat."

"Jadey I haven't talked to you since Friday!"

"No you haven't. But I'll see you tomorrow."

"Can't you see me tonight? We're all going to Tori's, you should come over!"

"I can't, Cat." Also I won't.

"Are you surrrrre?" Cat whined.

"I'm so sure, Cat."

"But everyone wants you to come!"

"You're a terrible liar, Cat."

"No really! They do!"

"Have fun with the Scooby Gang. I'll see you tomorrow."

"No Jadey! Come over!"

"No, Cat!" Jade snarled.

"Okay…." Cat sounded like she was nearly in tears. She hung up before Jade had the chance to stutter out an apology. Jade glanced to her left and saw Alyssa quickly turning her eyes away. When they arrived back at Jade's house, neither girl said goodbye. Jade just jumped out of the car, slamming the door when she entered the house that loomed before her.

Richard was waiting for her.

"Hi," Jade said, somehow making her greeting a threat.

"I didn't say you could go out today," Richard responded.

"I don't need your permission."

"Actually, you do. You need to learn to do as you're told!"

Jade rolled her eyes.

"Any other scabs you wanna pick at?" she asked.

"Take that jewelry out of your face," he said for possibly the millionth time.

"No."

"I will not have my daughter dressing like a harlot."

"Then disown me."

Richard West stared at his daughter.

"You would seriously regret it if I agreed to that."

"No, actually, I wouldn't."

"Where would you go?" Richard asked menacingly, stepping forward. "What would you do? Sing? Act?"

Jade didn't respond, crossing her arms defensively.

"Dance?" her father drawled, giving her a once over. She scowled, turning her back on him and walking away. "Also, be sure to clean your room, and take all that crap off the walls. The decorators are coming to repaint tomorrow."

There's a darkness upon me that's flooded in light

And I'm frightened by those who don't see it.

Okay, you're all mad at me. Feel free to rage, I love reading your comments! So yes, Jade's dad is making her leave HA at the end of the quarter. We'll see how that works out ;) Also, on another note, that movie quote I used in the last chapter was from Shutter Island (which I sort of love) and it is the best description of a migraine I've ever heard - I would know. So, sorry for torturing Jade! Sort of.