The Break Up
Jade's POV:
"Beck Oliver!! Don't you dare walk away from me!!" I screamed down the corridor.
Beck and I were having another fight. It's like the fifth one this week. Except this one seemed pretty serious. Ok, so maybe I'm the one who keeps starting the fights. But he's usually the cause of the fights so.
"Jade, I'm done talking about this. You're being ridiculous. I wasn't flirting with that girl!" He tries to stay calm, but it's obvious he's getting really frustrated.
"She was practically throwing herself on you and you didn't even push her away!" I counter.
"She was giving me a hug Jade! For letting her borrow my history notes!!"
I don't care. He's my boyfriend and no one is allowed to touch him except me.
"Oh, so all your hugs last for an hour!?" I exaggerate. Of course it was a quick hug, but too long for my liking.
"Oh my God, will you ever grow up Jade? It was just a quick, friendly hug!
"Tell that to your boner! I can see it from here" I yell at him. That caused everyone to stop and giggle. Beck's face went red from embarrassment coz now everyone thinks he got a boner just because of a hug.
Ha! I win.
"You know what Jade!?" He growls. Woah. I've never seen him so mad before. Beck's the kind of guy that can stay calm, even during an earthquake. He's just a really chill guy, but there's only so much he can take.
"I'm sick of fighting with you! You never trust me! I tell you that I love you, but you won't believe me!!" He's eyes are red with anger, and for the first time ever... I'm speechless. I just stay quiet and let him finish for once.
He sighs. "I don't wanna be in a relationship where you don't trust me Ja-"
"So you're breaking up with me!?" I cut him off. I know that our relationship has been on a bumpy road, but I honestly never would have expected him to dump me. And that just infuriates me even more!
"I'm not saying that. I'm just saying that you should learn to trust people-"
"You know what!? Fine! Have it your way! We're done!!" I yell at him. I'm just so mad at him right now, the words just spilled out of my mouth.
Usually this is the time where Beck tries to sweet talk me outta breaking up with him, but instead he just stands there, quiet.
We hold eye contact for a few seconds, mine glaring at his. And then, he turns on his heel and begins to walk away. I heard a couple of gasps but my brain's too blank to tell them to mind their own damn business. Beck just walked away from me. He walked away without an apology, without saying baby, without kissing me. He just walked away.
The bell rings and students scatter to their classes. However, my feet don't move. I tell myself that I don't need him and that he can go to hell for ever deciding to let me go. But deep down I know.. that without him, I'm a complete mess. He's the shoulder I cry on. He's the only one that truly understands me. He tolerates me. He brings out the best in me. But now he's gone.
I find my knees become weak and I finally come out of shock. Beck wanted to break up with me. And that's when the tears prickle at my eyes. As I'm about to let it all out, I hear an annoying yet familiar voice.
"Jade? Oh my God are you okay?" She asks, with concern written all over her face.
Tori Vega. The girl I can't stand. She's ruined everything since the first day she came here. First, she kissed Beck, knowing he was dating me. Then, she gets everyone in my group of friends to like her, and she tags along with us now. And lastly, she gets ALL of the lead roles and big opportunities in Hollywood Arts. So there's a pretty legitimate reason as to why I don't like her.
I really don't wanna talk to anyone right now, especially her.. but I still can't seem to walk away. Maybe deep down I want to be cared for and not neglected.
"Jade!" She shouts, snapping her fingers at my face. I must've zoned out.
"Leave. Me. Alone." I growl, and usually when I speak like that, people run away before I literally might murder them. But she doesn't.
"Jade" she sighs. "You're obviously hurt, and I can see the tears clouding your eyes. You've cried in front of me before remember?"
I don't say anything. She hesitantly takes a step forward, scared that I might do anything. But I don't. I want to, but instead I just continue glaring at her.
She steps so close that our faces our just inches apart now. I don't think I can hide my tears now. Ugh, stupid legs. Function!
"You can let it out Jade. You're only human, and you don't need to keep your feelings bottled up" she croons. And before I can stop myself, I break down. All the tears I've been holding, flow out and down my cheeks.
I feel so weak. Like I should say something rude to her, but all I do is cry in front of her. It's funny actually. For some reason, every time I break down, which is pretty rare btw, the only people that seem to be there for me is Beck and Vega.
"Oh Jade" Vega reaches for me and wraps her arms around me into a tight hug.
Push her away Jade. This is Tori Vega we're talking about. Why the chiz would you hug her!?
I try to listen to my mind, but my body reacts in a different way. I grab onto her waist and pull her impossibly closer to me and I bury my head into the crook of her neck.
This time I don't try to stop my tears, and instead let them stream freely.
I hear Vega whisper reassuring words while rubbing small circles on my back. And a few moments later, I calm down. But I don't pull back. I don't know why. But I just wanna stay in this position for a while longer. Maybe I just like the feeling of being wanted, or maybe it's Vega's sweet perfume.. whatever it is, I just want to stay like this until my heart stops breaking into tiny pieces.
"You okay Jade?" She asks, noticing that I've gone very quiet all of a sudden.
I don't respond. Mostly because I don't trust my voice after my little break down. Instead I just hug her tighter and I bury my head deeper, if it's even possible.
Vega squirms a little because I'm holding her a little too tight, but I refuse to loosen my hold, so she soon gives up and stays still.
I still can't believe I'm letting her hug me. I'm Jade West. She's Tori Vega. We're practically enemies in this school. Always bickering and fighting. Everyone knows that they should never interfere in one of our fights, because things can get ugly. I once was so mad at her, that I used my favourite pair of scissors to snip at the ends of her hair in Sikowitz' class. Oh, she blew up alright. We got into a screaming match and it became so violent that Beck had to hold me back, and André had to hold her back.
Beck. I forgot about him these past few moments. And all the feelings come rushing back to me.. but this time I refuse to let them out. Ugh why did I just have to say everything I felt. But it's not that I'm upset about. It's the fact that he didn't fight back. He walked away. And that obviously meant that he didn't want to stay in this relationship. I need to get him back. I just have to.
As for Vega. Well I can either push her away from me since it's still not too late to hate her again. I mean.. I've hated this girl since the day I first met her. And nothing's changed.
But there's a small part of my brain telling me to keep her. And that she's the one that's there for me when I need someone the most.
However, this time, I decide to listen to my first option and I push her away, with as much force as I can. She stumbles backwards, in shock, but doesn't fall to the ground.
"I don't need your help Vega. I don't need you or anyone else. I just need Beck. He's all I need" I bluntly say. She has a look of surprise on her face but also a little bit of hurt in her eyes. And before she can say a word, I walk out of the building. I don't know where I'm going but all I know is that a small part of me regrets treating her like that. Maybe I should've- No Jade. You did the right thing. Vega will go back to being angry at you, you'll reciprocate and then you can somehow get Beck back. And then things will be back to normal.
I smirk a little and decide to head to my favourite thinking place. The only place where I can enjoy some true peace and quiet.
Or so I thought.
As I'm walking towards the woods, I hear my phone ring. It's Cat. I really don't want to talk to anyone so instead I just decline her call. I don't even make it another two steps until I get a call from André. I press decline but my friends just keep calling me. Don't they see that I don't want to talk to them!? I mean I know they're worried about me but they don't need to be.
I open my phone and see that they all sent me like a dozen text messages. Well, nearly all of them.. except Beck. Of course he wouldn't care where I am. We just broke up.
I read the texts and it's basically just a bunch of 'where are you' and 'we're so worried, Jade' type of texts.
I then check to see what Vega sent me.. and surprisingly.. none. Nothing whatsoever. Huh. That's weird. Usually she's the one that gets the most worried if anything happened to one of her friends. But then it hits me. Vega and I aren't friends. Well.. honestly I don't know anymore.
At first, I despised her with all of my heart. I hated how she ruined my life because of her and her perfectness. But then.. things started to get better and I started to hate her less. Like when she took the blame and a bad grade and she even went through detention just so that I wouldn't get in trouble for her fake hitting my eye.
I tried to be nicer to her since then. But she's just so irritating and I don't know, annoying as hell. But for some strange and odd reason.. she's one of the very few people I trust enough to see me cry. And she's always there for me. No matter how much I piss her off. No matter how bad I hurt her. No matter how much I scream and threaten her.. she comforts me and stays there for me.
My thoughts are interrupted by another phone call and I'm ready to ignore it, until I see Vega's face light up my screen. I just stare at it for a couple of seconds, contemplating if I should pick up or not.
I really just want to hear her voice right now. I'm wondering if she's angry with me or if she's upset with me. I'm mostly just expecting her to lash out at me for walking away and not letting her comfort me. Curiosity takes the best of me and I answer the phone, putting it up to my ear.
I wait in silence, because I never greet someone first. Even if I called them. I hear a sigh from the other end, mostly of relief but also of defeat. And then I hear her voice. One word. Just one word.
"Jade". And that's all it takes for me to break into a smile. Tiny.. but a smile nonetheless.
"Jade, where are you?" I'm pretty surprised. I expected yelling and outbursts, but instead I hear her speak so calmly, yet full of concern about my whereabouts.
"Out" I simply reply. I don't want to give away too much and I certainly don't want her to follow me to my private thinking spot.
"Yeah well I figured that much but-"
She's cut off and then I hear an all too familiar voice call my name.
"Jade!"
"Beck?" I blink.
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Jade's POV:
"Jade!" He yells through the phone. His tone is rough and harsh, unlike Vega's. Her's was sweet and soft.
"Beck?" I reply, full of confusion and shock. I thought he was avoiding me and that he didn't care.
"Jade, where the hell did you go! Everyone was so worried. I was so worried!"
I scoff at that. Yeah right. If he was so worried, he would've called. Or at least sent a text.
"Jade just come back to school" he demands, and he of all people should know that Jade West does not listen to anyone but herself.
"No" I spit.
"Ugh, why do I even bother with you?" He huffs before handing the phone back to Vega.
"Jade, please just come back" she softly says. I almost have the urge to go back, but I don't because I don't want to see anyone right now.
"Vega" I say in a softer voice. I can practically hear her raise her eyebrow at this. I've never talked so calmly to her. Ever. God what is happening to me?
"I just need some time to think okay. I don't want to see anyone right now, but I'm fine. I promise" I tell her before hanging up. Why the chiz did I only answer to her? And why did I speak so softly to her? Ughh.
I shake my head at the thoughts, and start to walk further into the woods until I reach my spot. It's the place I go to when I need to escape from reality and just enjoy the view and the fresh air. It's the only place where I can calm myself down before doing anything stupid.
My mind's so tired from all of this chiz. First the fight with Beck, then the break up, then Vega coming to comfort me. It's just all too much. I decide to close my eyes and forget about everything, but instead I slowly drift off as I feel the heat from the sun, relaxing myself further.
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I wake up to the violent vibrations of my phone going off. As soon as I open my eyes, I gasp. It's pitch black. I quickly get up and start to practically run down the woods. I check my phone and see that I have hundreds of text messages. My mom sounds soo worried and I can tell that I'm gonna be grounded for the rest of my life when I get home.
I also see a bunch of messages from my friends. All saying the same thing. And this time, even Beck texts me a couple of times. But that's not nearly as many times as Vega. Jeez. That girl gets worried way too easily.
I first text my mom telling her that I'm alright and that I just dozed off. She called me immediately and as soon as I put the phone to my ear, I felt like my ear drum was gonna bust. She is super mad at me, but I can tell she's more relieved than ever.
"Jadelyn West! Where the hell are you!?" She yells down the phone.
"I'm at a friend's house, mom" I lie. Well I'm hardly gonna tell her that I slept in the woods, trying to clear my mind.
"Oh just wait till you get home!" She goes on and on about how I can kiss my car goodbye and all of that chiz, but I know I deserve it. I can't imagine how worried she must've been.
"Mom I gotta go. I'm sleeping over at my friend's house so I'll see you tomorrow" I quickly say before hanging up. I really can't go home right now because I know I'll be listening to her go on for practically the whole night.
I would usually go to Beck's house at this time, but now that we're broken up I can't. I could go to Cat's, but she's with her roommate and I don't really wanna intrude. Robbie's just out of the question. André. Well he's alright but there's no way I'm gonna listen to his grandma scream about nonsense for the whole night.
So I decide to go to the place that I swore I would never go to again.
I hesitantly knock at the door. Maybe she's asleep. Maybe she's so mad at me and doesn't even wanna look at me, let alone talk to me-
The door swings open to reveal Vega wearing the same clothes as she wore in school. A look of pure relief washes over her face as soon as she sees me before turning angry.
"Jade! OMG you're unbelievable! You told me that you needed to think and you promised that you were fine! Where the chiz were you!?" She whisper shouts at me, since her family are probably asleep.
I notice the dark circles under her eyes, and how her stance is slightly slouched. She looks like she hasn't eaten and she looks like she was super worried. I feel a slight bit of guilt but I brush it off.
I look down, suddenly not able to look at her eyes anymore.
"I'm sorry" I mutter.
Did I- Did I just.. apologize??
Oh my God. Somebody for real call an ambulance.
I look up and see a very shocked Vega. Jade West doesn't apologize to anyone. I don't know what's going on with me.
"Can I- can I stay the night here?" I quietly ask.
She doesn't say anything and just simply nods her head, while moving aside so I can step into the house.
We go upstairs to her room and she grabs a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and hands it over to me. She then does the same for herself before quietly saying that she's gonna go change in the bathroom.
I quickly change while she's in there and while I'm waiting I take a look around. I'm not gonna lie, I expected her room to be bright pink, filled with posters and all that chiz. But instead it's got white walls, a pretty big desk and a king-sized bed. I also notice a bunch of pictures she hangs up around the room. Most of them is of her and her family. One of them is with a guy. Hmm. I didn't know Vega had a boyfriend. Maybe he's not her boyfriend but by the looks of their closeness, I'm assuming he is.
Just as I'm staring at all of her pictures, she comes out.
"Jade" she softly says. God I love how she says my name. Wtf is wrong with you today Jade?
"Yeah?" I ask.
"It's getting late, and it's been a long day. Maybe you should get some rest." She says, motioning towards her bed. I nod and crawl under the covers, on one side of the bed. I close my eyes and wait for her to get in too, but instead I hear some shuffling and I open my eyes. She grabs a pillow and a blanket, and she looks as if she's about to go downstairs, probably to sleep on the couch.
Usually I wouldn't mind a whole bed to myself. But, I mean, this is Vega's bed, and I'm the one who's the guest.
"Vega!" I accidentally shout, which causes her to jump a little at my voice.
"Sorry" I whisper, for my sudden loudness. Ugh that's the second time you've apologized today Jade. Get a grip!
"You can.. sleep here too.. if you want. I mean, the couch doesn't look that.. comfortable and I am the guest and I don't want you to feel uncomfortable in your own house." I ramble.
Vega just smiles before plopping herself down beside me. I turn to my side, my back facing hers.
My mind starts racing again. About everything that happened today. How the hell does Vega do it? How is she so patient, even though I'm like the worst person she's probably ever met??
"Jade?" Vega calls, and I turn over to my other side, and she repeats her actions so that we're face to face now.
"I'm glad you're okay. I was worried something had happened to you" she says with a sad look on her face, and I immediately feel guilty for making her sad.
But you upset her literally every day dumbass!
Ugh whatever. I lift my hand up and place my finger under chin, lifting her face so that her eyes meet mine again.
"I'm sorry Vega. I lost track of time and I ended up dozing off, and by the time I woke up, the sky was pitch black" I tell her, trying to sound as apologetic as I can.
"It's okay Jade. Don't worry about it. As long as your safe" she says.
She's being so affectionate towards me. How can anyone as sweet as her, be nice to someone like me. I'm a gank. A grunch. A b***h. I make her life a living hell, every single day. And yet she still cares about me. Ugh I swear this girl... is just absolutely perfect.
And for the first time ever. I smile at her. Not a sarcastic smile. Not a smirk. But an actual, genuine smile.
And it grows bigger when I see Vega do that heartwarming smile of hers too. As for now, I'm not thinking about Beck, or about our break up. All I can think about, is the person who's lying in front of me. Inches away.
"Thanks Tori" I mutter and she smiles even bigger, probably because I didn't call her Vega for once. I close my eyes but I know that I won't be able to sleep tonight. So I just start to think.
I really am thankful for Tori. Vega doesn't ask a million questions even though I've been missing for hours. Hell, she didn't even push about my break up earlier in school when she was comforting me. It's like all she cares in that moment, is me. And it makes my heart flutter at the thought. I can feel the butterflies in my stomach going crazy. Or maybe I'm just hungry. I haven't eaten for a while. I don't know and I don't care. All I care about is Vega and I never thought I would say this.. but I think I might actually try to be her friend.
It's not gonna be easy that's for sure. I can get irritated pretty quickly, and when I do, I lash out at people. Very harshly. I honestly don't know how Beck stayed with me for so long. But he knew exactly what to do whenever I was mad. I would call him so many things, but he never ran away. I was probably the scariest girl in Hollywood Arts but he was never scared of me. He never even flinched whenever I shouted at him. He's truly incredible I gotta admit.
But I gotta get over him. But how?
And that's when a brilliant plan comes to my head. I open my eyes and see Vega fast asleep. So innocent, with her eyebrows dipped slightly. It's kinda cute. Did I just f*****g call Vega cute? Ew.
Anyways, looking at Vega gave me the perfect idea. I need to make Beck jealous. I'm not the type of person that's gonna go crawling back to him and apologize over and over again, practically begging him to take me back. Hell no! It's gonna be the other way round.
I'm gonna 'move on', and make him super jealous. He's gonna be in denial and s**t at the beginning, but he'll soon realise that I'm the one he needs. At first I'll say no just to teach him a lesson for walking away in the first place, but eventually I'll say yes. And then Beck and I can be together again, just like things were.
But who should I 'move on' with? It has to be someone Beck is kinda close with, so that he can become more jealous. But he can't be too close to them or else he'll find out that it's fake. As I go through all of my options, I have an evil smile on my face as I stare on front of me. Vega.
At first, I would've thought it was repulsive to even imagine going out with Vega. I can barely stand to be in the same room with her. But I choose her for a number of reasons:
1. She's not that close to Beck or anyone in fact since she moved to Hollywood Arts recently. That means, she can easily pull of the charade and say that she's bi or gay or something.
Then I start to think about it some more. I'm straight. And I want Vega to be my fake girlfriend. I guess I can just say that she made me realize I wasn't 100% straight or something like that.
2. Vega seems like she can handle me pretty well too. As I mentioned earlier, she knows what to do when I'm mad or upset. And she doesn't get frustrated with me as much as the others.
3. Another really important reason I chose Vega, is that I despise her. A lot. She's annoying and all that chiz, but it's actually a good thing in this scenario. I can't fake date someone gorgeous looking with a great personality. What if I end up falling for that person? That would be disastrous. I need to fake date someone who I don't like, but can tolerate. And after today, I can tolerate Vega.
And lastly 4. The most crucial part of all this. The reason why she will agree to all this, without me having to bribe her with all of my allowance money. I have something big on Vega. And I've been keeping it from her for a while now. Waiting to use it whenever I needed something big from her. And I know this is the perfect opportunity.
I start to feel pretty guilty about it. Vega might not be my favourite person in the world, but she was so nice and welcoming towards me today. And honestly.. I wish she wasn't. It would make this a whole lot easier. But whatever.. I'm Jade West. And I don't give a s**t about Vega's feelings. I look at her one last time as she's peacefully sleeping. I'll just talk to her about it tomorrow. Thank God it's Saturday.
And before I knew it, I was fast asleep.