The gang were struck silent as the two girls squealed in delight and leapt up to the stage to collect their award. Their toothy grins were the perfect opposite to the gaping mouths of Cat's friends, who were all utterly dumbstruck. The girl in question just melted back in her seat, almost as if she'd expected the disappointment.
"What the fuck?" Jade scoffed.
"There must be a mistake." Andre protested.
"Yeah, he's said the wrong name, surely." Jade suggested
"We'll go check it out." Beck said, nodding at Andre.
The pair had barely moved two yards, however, when they found their path blocked by Hayley and Tara, looking far more smug than warranted for such obviously undeserving champions.
"Come to congratulate your winners?" Said Hayley, batting her eyelashes in a manner so unsexy that it made Jade want to puke. And after a nine month pregnancy, that was really saying something.
"We're actually on our way to complain." Andre explained. "There must've been a mix-up with thr results."
Hayley and Tara laughed.
"Sore losers?" Asked Tara.
"No need to complain - there's no mistake. Hey Louie!" She called towards the DJ, who was weaving through the tables at that moment."
He nodded in recognition, heading their way. "Hey, something up? I gotta go pee."
Hayley shot him a look of disgust, before composing herself. "Yeah, these guys had a problem with the results. But we won fair and square, right?"
"Uh, yeah." Louie replied, glancing at the Hollywood Arts group. "These girls won. Uh, gotta pee now." He smiled half-heartedly, before scarpering off towards the bathroom sign.
"Well there you have it - we were better, just accept it." Hatley smirked.
"This is a joke. Cat was way better." Tori pouted, finally putting in her two cents. Jade would've put money that she'd have said 'we' if someone else had mentioned her.
"Yeah, we're supposed to believe that you screechers were better?" Jade scoffed.
"You guys are delusional. You Hollywood Arts wannabes wouldn't recognise real talent if it slapped you in the face."
"I'll slap you in the face." Jade threatened, veering into Hayley's personal space. Beck grabbed her shoulder, but there was no need when a burly security guard muscled over in between the two girls.
"Right, that's it. You kids need to get out of here, now."
This was not in fact the security guard, but the mousy-looking man lingering at his shoulder. But strangely, he was directing this only at Jade and her group of friends, despite Hayley and Tara's provocation. Come to think of it, the security guard hadn't muscled his way between the two girls, either, but shoved Jade back and remained facing her, almost as though he was protecting Hayley.
"Fine by us, this stupid thing is rigged anyway." Jade spat, backing away from Hayley and the guard. "Congrats, by the way, on your all-deaf judging panel. Very progressive."
"I don't know what you're talking about. Hayley and Tara won because they were the best." Said the mousy man, shooting a smile at the two girls. Andre scoffed.
"Thank you, daddy." Hayley replied, sweetly.
Ah, of course.
Jade didn't even try to bite back her laugh, the rest of the gang joining in with murmurs of humourous incredulity.
"You're her dad?" Jade snorted.
"I'm also the manager of this place. And I will call the police if you don't leave this property." Said the mousy man, failing to come across as even slightly imposing.
Nevertheless, Jade heard Tori gulp behind her.
"Yeah, even more reason we don't want to hang around here." Jade replied, smirking. She turned around and the gang began to walk towards the car park.
"I hope you and your daddy have a lovely evening!" Jade called behind her shoulder, saccharinely sweet.
"I think I'll spend it with your boyfriend actually!" Hayley called back and Jade simply laughed.
"Seeing as he really enjoyed talking to me about his show. Superstars don't often stay with mongrels."
Against her better judgement, Jade turned to scowl at Hayley. "And you think you're classier, huh?"
"It's not hard."
Beck couldn't understand why Jade was getting so riled up. She knew she was prettier and more talented than Hayley, amongst other things, and that Hayley was both naïvely self-assured and off-putting. There was absolutely nothing to feel threatened by, and she knew that. Yet, here she was, rising to the bait.
"Hey, hey, chill." He said, pulling her into his side. "She can say whatever she likes. Only one of you has my baby."
This was, however, the worst thing he could've said. What Beck failed to realise was that, whilst her father and the security guard had gone inside, Hayley had in fact moved closer to the group and really wasn't that far away. That, combined with Beck's volume being slightly louder than intentioned, meant that he had inadvertently given Hayley a blazing piece of ammo.
"Baby?" Hayley spat out in disbelief. Beck and Jade spun round towards her, seeing a smirk begin to spread across her face.
"I can't believe you thought I'd be jealous of you." Hayley laughed, cruelly. "You're nothing but a trampy slut whose stupid to work out how to use a condom."
To Jade, slutshaming always seemed the weapon of choice for people too dim to think of anything more creative. It certainly tended to be an effective insult, but more was needed for someone who'd heard it all a thousand times - from her own family.
"At least someone wanted to sleep with me. I doubt anybody would touch you with a ten foot pole." Jade snapped back. Beck snorted beside her, and she almost forgave him for not having stood up for her.
But Hayley was unmoved. It's what money did to some people. "I'd rather die a virgin than be you. Imagine how embarrassed and disgusted your parents must feel every time they have to explain what you're doing with your life. I'm they'd much rather you were a virgin, or dead."
This was particularly harsh, and even Beck opened his mouth to retort this time. But Jade was far better at confrontation than him, and had snapped back before he'd even formulated his response.
"What the fuck do you know about my life? You're just a fucking priss who relies on daddy's money for anything and everything. I'd be embarrassed if I created something as pathetic as you."
Jade saw a flicker of irritation run through Hayley's face. Struck a nerve, had she? "Whatever you think I am, just know that your disgusting little baby is worse. At least I was planned."
Jade lunged forward, Beck grabbing her arm in response. "I'll plan to punch you." Jade growled, losing all faux decorum.
Hayley beamed as she realised she'd found Jade's kryptonite. "Will you now? I wonder what social services will have to say about that?"
Jade's eyes blazed and Beck rushed to step in.
"Hey, hey, let's not do anything we'll regret." He said, extending one arm towards Hayley, as if to push her away, as his other still looped across Jade's front.
"You think you're funny?" Jade yelled.
"I wonder what they'd think about a teenage mother, out without the baby, clearly unstable, shouting at and threatening violence towards an innocent girl." Hayley continued, unfazed.
"Shut the fuck up."
"I mean, we've got CCTV here, and I'm sure my daddy would be more than happy to let CPS take a look."
"I said shut the fuck up." Jade shouted, but her voice had lost much of its venom. There was something hoarse about it now - not unstable with anger, but with fear.
"Yeah, I'm sure they'd find that just as entertaining as I found your little boyfriend's show. Should I give them a call?"
Jade lunged towards Hayley, but Beck had tackled her into his arms before she could get close.
He knew this was bad. The way Jade was allowing herself to look so feeble, clawing at his hands whilst Hayley just stood back and laughed, meant that what Hayley had said had enraged her beyond sense.
"It's okay, she's just riling you up." Beck said, swinging between wanting to pull Jade close to comfort her, and push her away as she scrabbled to escape from his clutches.
But Jade was deaf to his assurances. "You do anything to harm my son and I'll kill you!" She yelled at Hayley, whose humoured reaction suggested that she didn't realise just how serious Jade could be.
"Jade, Jade, please calm down." Beck said, wrestling his girlfriend away from Hayley's smirking face.
"I'm getting the number up as we speak." Hayley said, taking out her mobile and beginning to tap.
"Don't you fucking dare!" Jade screamed.
"She's not, Jade, I promise. She's bullshitting." Beck said, his words strained.
"She just knows how to push your buttons." Suggested Robbie, trying to be helpful as he awkwardly lingered by the pair. Andre and Tori had, a little more usefully, headed over to Hayley to try and talk her down, whilst Cat was stood by Andre's car, nervously surveying the scene.
"I know I'd be just as fired up as you if they were threatening Rex so I can understand." Robbie nodded, and if Beck had had a free hand he would've slapped it against his own forehead.
"Are you trying to compare my baby to your fucking puppet... again?" Jade roared, causing Robbie to shrink back. Beck silently wondered when the previous occasion, to which he clearly hadn't been privy, had occurred.
"No." Robbie gulped. "Just- it's kind of the same-"
"No it's not! Toby is a child; Rex is an inanimate object!" Jade cried. "What's the worst she can do to him? Stick her hand up his ass and get him to say a rude word?"
Robbie looked alarmed, and Beck presumed that this was actually more at the thought of that happening to Rex than the comparison which Jade was drawing. However, he commended the boy for making the right choice for once, and not responding with some kind of parallel between that and harm befalling the baby.
Taking opportunity of Jade's momentary distraction, Beck gained control over her and practially wrestled her into the passenger seat of his car, almost hitting her head on the door in his haste to get it open and closed.
Once inside, however, Jade almost appeared to respect the physical boundary created between herself and Hayley. She made no attempt to reopen the door, instead burying her head in her hands and beginning to shake.
Beck ran a hand through his hair as he walked around to the driver side door, brainstorming ideas of how to talk her down. Now she'd got it into her head that Hayley's threat was threaded with truth, there was little chance he'd be able to talk her down that night. Jade was vulnerable and insecure in ways that people seldom recognised, and by far her biggest Achilles' heel these days was harm inflicted upon Toby. Beck knew she'd lay down her life for their baby, both a blessing and a curse.
His hand was on the handle of his truck when a the sound of giggles from behind him made him turn around. Before him was two girls, probably a couple of years younger than him, eagerly clutching PearPhones to their chests. Beck raised an eyebrow, hoping to death that they hadn't been filming the exchange. Jade might've been a fan of uploading embarrassing videos of others online, but now was not the moment for her to get a taste of her own medicine.
"Hey girls, can I help you?" He asked, with faux cheeriness.
The girls giggled in response, exchanging looks as though deciding which would take the plunge and actually talk to him. In the end, some unspoken agreement was reached, and the preppy-looking blonde all but stepped forward to talk.
"Yeah, I-we were just wondering if you were Beck Oliver? You know, from Little Lake High?" She asked, her sentences punctuated by giggles, and a nervous twisting of the phone in her hands.
"Oh." Beck laughed, awkwardly. "Ah, yeah I am."
"We're so excited for it to come out." The blonde girl continued, suddenly imbued with a stab of confidence. "Blake looks so cool."
"Oh, thanks." Beck grinned, unused to this sudden outpouring of recognition. "I'm glad you girls are looking forward to it. You've been following all the promotion, then?"
The girls eagerly nodded. "All of it." Added the blonde's redhead friend rather awkwardly.
"Great." Beck smiled, relieved that the girls were simply fans rather than filming onlookers, but simultaneously concious that Jade remained panicking in his passenger seat. "Do you guys want a picture?"
The girls nodded eagerly, and he obliged in their request, spending a minute or so taking selfies with his new fans, from different angles and with numerous expressions. Once he felt as though he had more than satiated their interest, he bade them goodbye, trying not to notice as they stared at him eagerly even as they backed away. He was going to have to get used to this, wasn't he?
"Yo Beck."
What now?
Beck turned around to see Andre walking over to him, his brow furrowed.
"Hey man, what's up?" Beck asked, doing little to hide his exasperation.
"Man, what are you doing?" Andre asked, quietly but with noticeable irritation.
Beck was taken aback. "What?"
"Jade's in there crying and you're taking selfies? Get her home, man."
Beck raised an eyebrow. Since when did Andre care about Jade?
"They asked me for pictures. What am I gonna do, say no?"
"Yes!" Andre replied, disbelievingly. "You say no, you get in your car and you get your crying girlfriend home."
Andre was really striking a nerve here. "That's not how things work. I do that, I piss them off and get an angry call from my producer tomorrow asking why there's a tweet about me being rude to fans. I can't give myself a bad image before the show's even come out, man."
Andre groaned. "The show, the show, the show. Is that all you care about? Come on, man, you need to have a think about your priorities."
"Yeah, thanks but no thanks, Andre. You don't understand, which is fine, but don't try to lecture me on something you know nothing about."
He was in the driver's seat before Andre could utter a reply. Andre wasn't sure if Beck had even looked over at Jade before he sped off. Although he was somewhat glad that his chat, though it clearly hadn't got through to Beck, had had the desired effect. He just wished it was because Beck realised the importance of getting Jade away from the scene, rather than because he himself wanted to escape his confrontation with Andre. He watched with concern as the car drew away, hoping that Beck would at least have the sense to comfort Jade before she went to bed, so that she didn't fall asleep to the soundtrack of her own tears.
"They're not taking my baby." Jade sobbed, shaking her head wildly.
"Of course they're not, babe. She's bluffing. What would she even say to them?" Beck said, reaching over and placing a hand on Jade's thigh.
"Anything. That I argued with her - that I threatened her?" Jade cried. "I can't - I won't let them take him."
Beck didn't know if it was futile to keep explaining to her that that wouldn't happen. For the past six months, Jade had tried her hardest to do right by Toby and keep him safe, healthy and happy. This episode represented a threat to one of those tenets, and Beck knew that Jade would take more than a few comforting words to let go of that thought.
"I- I always knew my personality would come back to bite me." Jade continued. "I know I'm not the nicest person and I react to things and I'm not- I don't do good things like Cat, or Tori, or whatever."
Beck shook his head, readying a retort.
"But I shouldn't have let it harm Toby. I can deal with getting hurt myself, but not him. Never him."
At that, Jade descended into another flood of tears, her head dropping back into her hands.
"Oh, babe." Beck whispered, moving his hand from her thigh to her hair. "They're not going to take him, I promise. He's okay, you're okay, everything's going to be okay."
But Beck knew that his words were falling on deaf ears. Jade didn't say another word for the remainder of the drive, presumably working herself up into a state thinking of all the negative possible outcomes of her interaction with Hayley.
There was no question as to where Beck was heading. Jade didn't want to be at her house at the best of times, and this couldn't have been further from that. His mom certainly wouldn't have been expecting them back so soon, but he could explain later.
He activated his key fob to open the gate and pulled into his driveway. The car hadn't even come to a complete stop before Jade had ripped off her seatbelt and jumped out of the car.
The kitchen was warm and golden, a sharp contrast to the dark atmosphere from which Beck and Jade had arrived. Beck's mother, Sanah, was humming to herself as she wandered between the counter and the stove, and the smell of home-cooked food lingered in the air.
She looked up in surprise at the sound of incoming footsteps; Beck had told her that it could be a late night but, after he'd assured her that it was his idea and not that of that awful girlfriend of his, Sanah had agreed to watch little Toby for the evening. He was usually good for her, after all, and it was probably good if her grandson was surrounded by some kind of maternal influence other than Jade. Sanah often wondered what kind of issues Toby might develop as a result of having her as a mother, and therefore swung between wanting Beck to have a bigger role in Toby's life in order to essentially save him, or to push Beck to live his life as normal, so that he wasn't pushed off course by one little mistake with a big mistake of a girl.
She'd barely had time to register the pair's arrival before Jade had scrambled across the kitchen, without so much as a hello, and pulled a confused Toby from his highchair. Sanah didn't miss the tear tracks down the face of a girl who never seemed to show any emotion outside of anger. Neither did she miss the way that Jade tightly clasped Toby to her chest, as though he was going to jump out of her arms.
Well, this was an unexpected turn of events. To put it simply, Sanah was stunned. Turning to Beck did nothing for solving the mystery, however, as he simply shook his head, and pulled Jade's trembling body into his arms.
Sanah watched as her son wrapped seemingly his entire body around his girlfriend and son, placing one hand on the small of Jade's back and the other on Toby's head. As he kissed Jade's temple and rested his head on top of hers, Sanah decided that she was to take leave to give them some privacy. Partly because she had never been able to stand the sight of Beck directing physical affection towards Jade, not that he needed to know that.
And partly because she knew that that was what she needed to do.
Just as her son, clasping his world as close to him as he could, knew that that was exactly what he had to do in that moment.