Beck, and the rest of his co-stars, begin filming the second season of Manhattan Med the week following Cat and Robbie's wedding. When he once had a lot of leisurely time off with the exception of a small professional obligation here or there over the past few months, he now has a full schedule again. He's on set almost all day, every day...leaving before Jade is awake and coming home after she's already left to go to the theater for the night. Both of them would be lying if they didn't admit that now getting to spend less time together is upsetting for them both. They see each other even less than they did when Jade was still in school, and that's with the two of them living together now. It's definitely an adjustment, but one they're both willing to make because they know there's no other way to obtain the careers they dream of otherwise.
Hopefully, their opposing schedules won't last for long. Jade's time with 'Our Town' will be coming to a close sooner rather than later. Although it has been quite popular with audiences and gotten decent reviews, there hasn't been enough attention around the show to extend it past what the people in charge had intended to be it's original run. The play will run through Labor Day weekend, and then close for good...or at least until someone decides to revive it again with a different cast somewhere down the line. It feels a bit bittersweet to Jade, knowing that her job now has an expiration date. She had never intended for it to be a long-term thing, but now she needs to find something else to compensate once it's all over. Through different friends and with Beck's advice, she's able to hire an agent. The woman, Marcia, starts looking into different options for her and at the beginning of August, starts to submit Jade for different auditions. Hopefully within the next month, she'll able able to figure out what comes next.
Cat is working on Broadway now too, as part of the company of Moulin Rouge, and Andre had just recently taken an entry-level position at one of the record labels in the city. Tori and Robbie are preparing to go back to school, Tori as a elementary school music teacher and Robbie as a graduate student. Not only is adulthood making it harder for them to have quality time for each other, but its also making it harder to see their friends.
"If I book anything, it will be something else in stage, or something already in progress..." Jade explains to Beck as they lay on the couch together "Pilot season is over, no one in TV is trying to start anything new right now."
It's a Sunday night, which Beck and Jade have come to know as their favorite part of the week. With Jade doing eight shows a week and Beck only getting one real day off, the time after her Sunday matinees are the most time the couple gets to spend with each other. They'll either have dinner together or go out and get it, then watch something together or see friends if the situation permits. It's a lot different from how they had spent time together in their relationship at the start, always going out and being out late, but with all of the changes that life has recently brought their way, they both know that it's to be expected.
"Are you looking for something in TV?" Beck asks her
"I think so." Jade nods "Movies and plays are great and all, but they're temporary. You know? A play will only run for so long, and a movie gets made and then is done. A TV show that does well guarantees me at least a year of work, possibly more if it gets renewed. That's what I want, at least until I establish my name in the industry enough that it becomes easier for me to find work more regularly."
"That makes a lot of sense and I would have to agree with you." Beck shrugs "Would you want to join a TV show already in progress?"
"Work is work." Jade admits "But I feel like all you can get mid-season is guest arcs and that doesn't really guarantee longevity of a job."
"So, you're looking for something to hold you over until pilot season comes back around?"
"I guess so." Jade agrees "Or a huge blockbuster movie that will put me on the map and set me up for life. First option seems more likely though."
"Hey, you never know." Beck laughs "Would you ever consider Broadway?"
"I'm on Broadway right now."
"I meant Broadway like Cat is doing." Beck clarifies "Musicals."
"Eh." Jade shrugs "Maybe one day down the line if it was a part I really felt drawn to. I'm not enough of a singer to put up with being part of the company or an understudy."
"You're a great singer though."
"I never said I wasn't." Jade smirks "I just meant that it's not my main passion. It's Cat's for sure, that's why she's doing what she is."
"I guess I see that too." Beck nods "Well, hopefully everything will fall into place in the next month and you'll be all set."
"It's not the best time of year to be an out of work actor." Jade jokes
"S'never a good time to be an out of work actor." Beck laughs before pressing a kiss to the top of her head "It'll all work out, I promise. You're ridiculously talented and any director would be lucky to work with you."
"Thank you." She smiles, snuggling into his side a bit more "I've had enough work talk though, let's move to something else."
"Should we find a true crime documentary?" Beck suggests as he picks up the remote "Something mindless?"
"True crime is not mindless." Jade points out "I have to solve the mystery before the detectives do!"
"Am I sensing a career change?"
"Nah." Jade laughs "But maybe I can play a detective at some point."
"I'd watch that." Beck smirks "You'd be a sexy detective."
"You're getting distracted." Jade snatches the remote from him "You're not wrong, but you're getting distracted."
"I have a casting director who wants to see you at 3:30 on Thursday." Marcia tells Jade over the phone "Can you make that work?"
"Yeah, I can make that work." Jade tells her immediately "What's it for? Another play?"
It wouldn't have mattered if Jade did have plans at 3:30 on Thursday, she would cancel them. Auditions trump everything these days, anyone who works in the industry understands that.
"A TV show, actually." Marcia says "A new one."
"A new one?" Jade is confused "Pilot season is over...or hasn't started yet...depending on how you want to look at it."
Pilot season, when directors are looking to cast their new TV shows, usually starts in January and lasts until the end of April or beginning of May. Beck had booked his role on Manhattan Med during pilot season in early March, it's a very typical time for television actors to find new work. By wrapping casting up in May, the shows can start filming during the summer and have enough episodes ready to go by the fall premiere slots. It's mid-August now though, and the fall premieres are only about six to eight weeks away depending on the network. There's no way a new TV show can be ready to go by then if they're only just now holding auditions.
"I know, it's a late development." Marcia explains "You wouldn't have a fall premiere, it would be mid-season in the winter. Only twelve episodes, but the possibility of getting picked up for a full twenty-two episode season next year if the ratings are good."
"What's the part?" Jade asks, a bit more intrigued now
She'll take whatever audition experience she can get, so she would have gone regardless, but this seems like exactly what she had been hoping to find.
"It's a legal drama." Marcia informs her "Centered around a law firm that is recovering from a scandal revolving around one of it's former partners and trying to prove that it's still a reputable organization. They have you reading for the part of an associate, so it would be a supporting role for now. But based on what I've heard, much like an actual law firm...if they like you and you do well...this character has the potential to work her way up to a starring role."
"So, I'd be playing a lawyer?"
"Yes. That's okay, isn't it?"
"Yeah..." Jade chuckles "I think my dad always had a secret dream that I would follow in his footsteps, this is a roundabout way of doing that."
"Is he a lawyer?"
"Yeah he is." Jade nods "Tell them I'll be there at 3:30 on Thursday."
"Perfect!" Marcia cheers "I'll have the pages sent over for you."
Jade ends up being more interested in the script than she had originally expected herself to be. For being part of the supporting cast, the character she's reading for seems to have a lot of depth to her already, and that's just what Jade can tell from the few pages of the script she was given. She doesn't want to get her hopes up, but she definitely wouldn't mind taking this job if it were to be offered to her.
She nails her audition, or at least she thinks she does. She had the attention of everyone in the room the entire time, no one seemed distracted by their phones or by paperwork. They had also asked her if she had availability the following week, implying the possibility of a callback. The casting director said he would be in touch, and Jade feels as if her phone is burning a hole in her back pocket as she leaves the building.
It's after 4:00 by the time that she's done, and by the time she were to get home...she would only have about fifteen to twenty minutes before she would need to leave to get back to the theater for that evening's performance. Jade decides it isn't worth it, and that she'll just head to the theater early and hang out in her dressing room for a while instead of rushing all over the city.
She'll need coffee though first, she decides. The offices where she had auditioned were only a few blocks away from the theater district, so she walks until she finds a coffee shop. Jade has never been to this one in particular, but it looks nice enough from the outside...and she wouldn't pass up the opportunity to support a small business. So she decides to go in and orders her regular, a black coffee with two sugars, and waits near the counter for it to be ready.
"I didn't know you hung around this block." A voice says
When Jade, who had been busy texting Beck an update about her audition, looks up from her phone, she sees a ghost. A metaphorical ghost of course, but one from her past nonetheless.
"Marcus..." She sighs "I...I don't usually."
She could explain the whole situation to him, that she is on her way to work a different way than usually because she had just come from an audition, but she doesn't think he deserves it. The last time they spoke he had been terrible to her, and to say their relationship ended on bad terms would be an understatement.
"Just out exploring?"
"I don't owe you an explanation of any kind." Jade says to him as the barista hands her order to her "Now if you'll excuse me, I have-"
"Jade." Marcus reaches out at touches her arm, an attempt to stop her from walking away from him "C'mon, don't be a bitch."
There aren't many other people getting coffee at four in the afternoon, so almost no one else is around. Outside, however, the group of high school girls who had seen Jade go inside and were waiting to get a picture with her have a clear view from the window. They can't hear the conversation, they don't know the context, but that doesn't stop them from snapping a picture of her the exact moment that Marcus touches her arm.
"Is this what I think it is?" One of them says to another
"God, I hope not."
Regardless, they decide not to stick around and find out. Who needs to wait around for a picture with Beck Oliver's girlfriend when they had managed to discover something much more interesting? The girls outside scatter down the block, but inside...Jade finally feels like she has something to say.
"Don't touch me." She yanks her arm away from Marcus "And don't speak to me like that."
"Dating a B-List celebrity so you think you're better than me now?" Marcus spits, following her away from the counter "I have a six-figure salary and a high-rise condo. I'm not doing too shabby either!"
"Do you want to brag?" Jade asks him, turning around "Is that what you want? Will that make you feel better? Do you want me to tell you that I'm jealous? Because I'm not."
She doesn't know how she could have ever tolerated this man, let alone loved him and hoped for a future with him. He's really solidifying the idea that time changes people, and that sometimes it brings out their worst.
"I just want you to realize you made a mistake."
"I didn't." Jade assures him "Your behavior right now is solidifying that for me."
"Whatever." Marcus scoffs "I hope you're happy with that...guy and your new life plastered all over the tabloids. It won't last, and when it doesn't...don't expect me to be there to pick up the pieces."
"I don't know what I've ever done to give you the impression that I would want you to, Marcus." Jade has to stop herself from laughing "I haven't spoken to you since we broke up, I'm over you. I've moved on. How conceited are you to think that my world still revolves around you like that?"
He's still mean, but now he's self-obsessed too. While their breakup had hurt her at the time and done some damage, Jade knows now that she made the right choice.
"I-"
"Bye." Jade shakes her head and begins walking out of the coffee shop "Have a nice life."
"Like I said, don't come crying to me when you screw up another relationship!"
Jade doesn't respond to Marcus' last comment, she doesn't want to invite any more comment from him. She doesn't have anything else to say to him, nor does she want to hear anything else that he has to say. Marcus doesn't chase after her, and she's relieved that he doesn't...she wouldn't be able to stop herself from telling him off and causing a scene on the street. All she can think about as she walks away is...thank god that part of her life is over.
"When did you see Marcus?" Cat's voice is frantic on the other end of the phone
Jade had come off stage that night to three missed calls and twenty texts from her friend. Thinking it was some kind of emergency, she immediately called Cat back...but now she's more confused than anything.
"Huh? How did you-"
"Jade, someone got a picture of the two of you together and posted it online." Cat explains "The tabloids got ahold of it, and now there's all of these headlines that say you're cheating on Beck."
"What?"
Jade puts Cat on speaker phone and navigates into the twitter app. Sure enough, she's a trending topic. There's a picture of Marcus touching her arm as they're both standing at the counter in the coffee shop. Whoever took it clearly didn't stick around to see her tell him off, or if they did...they care more about spreading drama than the truth.
"Cat, it wasn't anything. I swear." Jade insists "I went to work a different way and stopped at a different coffee shop. He happened to be there, we argued, and then I left."
"You didn't meet up with him on purpose?"
"God, I would never."
"You still have some damage control to do regardless."
"I know..."
She's already thinking of Beck, how he might react. He hasn't texted or called, so either he hasn't seen it yet or he isn't sure what to say. Either way, she needs to get home and explain herself.
"Hey, I've gotta go." She tells Cat "I'll talk to you later."
"Good luck, Jadey."
"Thanks."
Jade changes out of her costume and into her street clothes faster than she ever has before, grabbing her phone and her purse and rushing out of the theater. There are a few audience members already waiting at the stage door when she exits, so she quickly takes pictures with them and signs their playbills before more can gather, and disappears into the crowd of people leaving other shows. The commute home feels like it takes ten times longer than it normally does and by the time her Uber drops her off in front of the building, Jade feels like her heart is about to explode.
Beck is waiting for her when she enters the apartment. It's not abnormal for her to come home and find him sitting on the couch reading or watching TV, but he isn't doing either of those things. Instead he sits, staring out the window at the skyline visible in the distance. He doesn't turn to face her when she walks in, but he does speak.
"I saw the picture..." He says, an emotionless tone in his voice
"Beck..." Jade sighs, closing the door behind her and hanging her purse on it's hook on the wall "I can explain."
"I know you can." He turns to her now "And that's why I want to hear you out before I have any kind of reaction to it."
Beck's phone was blowing up when he got to his dressing room after his last scene of the day, both from social media notifications and texts from friends regarding the picture of Jade. He recognizes the man in the picture as her ex-boyfriend, Marcus. Although Beck has never met the man, he has seen pictures of him from before. For a moment, his heart hurt a bit as he thought about the possibility of the rumor being true, but then he remembered how nasty the media can be...and decided to hear his girlfriend out before blowing up and making any rash decisions.
"I didn't seek him out, I ran into him when I stopped at a coffee shop that I don't usually stop at..." Jade explains as she walks towards the couch "..and will never be stopping at ever again. I didn't want to talk to him, he kept talking to me, he touched my arm to get my attention, I walked away. I swear, that was all that happened."
"You swear that's all?"
"I swear on my life, Beck." Jade nods "It's a grainy picture taken through a glass window. If it were clearer, I promise my face would look pissed off and disgusted."
Beck is quiet, considering everything that his girlfriend has said to him so far. He knows how much she hates Marcus and how badly he had hurt her. If Jade were going to cheat, and he doesn't think that she ever would, she certainly wouldn't have chosen him to do it with.
"I'll call the coffee shop and get the security footage." Jade offers "Beck, I promise you-"
"I believe you, Jade." He cuts her off "It's okay. If you say it was nothing, then it was nothing. I believe you."
"You do?" Jade breathes a sigh of relief "Thank you."
She throws herself towards him, wrapping her arms tightly around his body as she hugs him. He hugs her back just as tightly, and the two of them stay in their embrace for a while. Jade can't help but think about how this could have ended so much differently, and what that could have meant for their relationship. She doesn't ever want to lose Beck, the thought of doing so terrifies her.
"I love you so much." She tells him as she sits up again "I'm so sorry."
"Don't be sorry. From what you've said, it sounds like you were ambushed. I'm sorry that you had to encounter him at all."
"I should have called you right when I found out." Jade shakes her head "I shouldn't have waited until I got home. I should have called you as soon as I got off stage and saw it-"
"Jade, it's okay..." Beck smiles as he takes her hands in his "Stop apologizing for something that didn't happen."
"I can't stop thinking about how you must've felt when you saw..."
"I was more confused than anything." Beck admits "Like you said, the picture quality isn't that great but...deep down I knew you would never do something like that, especially with him. I knew that you would tell me the truth as soon as you got home too, whatever it would be. I love you, Jade, and I trust you."
"Can we just act like it never happened?"
"Sure." Beck laughs "Although, we should probably post a picture of us kissing or something before we go to bed tonight so that the breakup rumors aren't swirling by the time we wake up tomorrow."
"Good idea." Jade agrees "God, this is all so ridiculous."
"It's the price we pay to do what we love, right?" Beck shrugs "Or to be with the people we love..."
"Yeah." Jade nods "Definitely."
"Hey..." He nudges her gently "How did that audition go?"
"Honestly...I think it went really well." She grins "I might have a real shot at getting it."
"I never had any doubts." Beck says, leaning over to kiss her "Fingers crossed?"
"Fingers crossed."