Jade woke up slowly, her senses starting up one at a time. The hum of the RV's air conditioning, the faint smell of cedarwood and Beck's cologne embedded in the sheets, the too-soft pillow under her head—it was all wrong.
She opened her eyes, disoriented. It took her a moment to remember where she was- in Beck's bed. His bed. In his RV.
The familiarity hit her like a wave, dragging her mind back to junior year. She could almost hear the echo of their laughter as they crammed into this space after dates, the quiet murmurs when the world outside got too loud for her, and the way he used to sit beside her, brushing her hair out of her face when she needed to cry but didn't want to admit it. It was a strange feeling, being back here now. Like she'd stumbled into a time machine she didn't ask for.
Jade groaned softly, rubbing her temples as she sat up. She was still wearing the same clothes from the day before, her jacket crumpled at the foot of the bed. The scent of Beck—his cologne, his shampoo—was everywhere, enveloping her in memories she'd spent years trying to bury.
"Morning," Beck's voice came from the floor, startling her. She looked down to see him laying down there, propped up on one elbow, a mug of coffee in his hand.
"You're sleeping on the floor?" she asked, her voice groggy.
"When we got back you looked like you were ready to collapse," he replied, sipping his coffee. "I figured you could use the bed more than I did."
Jade huffed, her lips twitching upward despite herself. "Chivalry's not dead, huh?"
"Only for you," Beck quipped, a hint of a grin on his face. "How'd you sleep?"
"Better than I thought I would," Jade admitted, though it felt strange to say it. She ran a hand through her tangled hair, glancing around the RV. "This feels... weird."
"Yeah, I figured it might," Beck said, setting his mug on the small table nearby. "You wanna talk about your fight? Properly now- not the halfhearted avoidance of last night?"
She froze for a moment, her walls instinctively shooting up. But this was Beck. He'd already seen the cracks in her armour more times than she could count. With a sigh, she swung her legs over the side of the bed to face him.
"I didn't know where else to go," she admitted, her voice quiet. "The fight was worse than usual."
Beck's brow furrowed. "And that's enough to make you leave? You've fought before."
"It's not just the fight," Jade snapped, though her tone softened almost immediately. "It's... everything. The fights are getting worse. She's frustrated, I'm frustrated. I said things I shouldn't have-" She paused, her voice cracking slightly.
Beck sat up fully, his expression serious now. "What did you say?"
Jade shook her head, swallowing hard. "It doesn't matter. What matters is, I'm afraid I've screwed this up so badly she won't want me back. And maybe she shouldn't. Maybe I'm just... too much for her."
"Jade," Beck said firmly, his tone gentle but insistent. "If you thought you were too much, you wouldn't be here. You'd be out pretending you don't care like you used to. You came to me because you still care—about her, about fixing this."
Jade let out a bitter laugh, her fingers curling into the fabric of her jeans. "You make it sound so simple."
"It's not," Beck admitted. "But running to Arizona isn't going to make it easier, either."
"I needed to get away," Jade said, her voice defensive but tired. "Give her space."
"Or give yourself space?" Beck asked, raising an eyebrow. When Jade didn't answer, he added softly, "You're scared."
She glared at him, though it lacked her usual venom. "No shit, Sherlock."
Beck sighed, leaning back against the wall behind him. "Look, you've got a choice here. You can keep running, or you can figure out what you want and fight for it. But whatever you decide, you're gonna have to face it eventually."
Jade stared at him for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then she looked away, her gaze settling on the floor. "I didn't come here for a pep talk, you know."
"I know," Beck said with a small smile. "But you're getting one anyway."
For the first time since leaving LA, Jade felt the faintest flicker of clarity. She wasn't sure if she was ready to face Cat yet, but Beck was right about one thing—she couldn't run forever.
Jade sighed and picked up her phone to check the time, and felt a pang in her chest when she realised Cat hadn't messaged her yet. She'd surely seen the note by now- if she'd gone back home that was. Maybe she hadn't gone back-
The thought hit her like a punch to the gut. What if Cat was still at Tori's? What if she was more hurt than Jade had realised? What if she wasn't coming back at all?
Jade clenched her jaw, her fingers twitching with the urge to call Cat. She needed to know where she was, if she was okay, if she—
No. She shoved the phone face down on the small table next to her. Cat needed space. That's what she kept telling herself, wasn't it? Jade had left precisely to give her that, to avoid making things worse by pushing too hard. But now, sitting here hundreds of miles away, the silence was unbearable.
She ran a hand through her hair, tugging at the ends in frustration. Her thoughts spiraled back to the note she'd left. Was it enough? Did Cat understand why she'd gone? Or had it just made everything worse?
Beck's voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Did she message?"
Jade shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.
"She probably just needs more time," Beck said gently, sipping his coffee.
"Yeah," Jade muttered, though the word felt hollow. She didn't want to say it out loud, but the thought had crossed her mind more than once—what if Cat didn't message her at all? What if the note was the last thing she'd ever say to her?
Her chest tightened again, the pang sharp and unforgiving. She hated this feeling, this helplessness that gnawed at her insides. Jade West wasn't supposed to feel like this. She wasn't supposed to be the one waiting by the phone, hoping for a text that might never come.