Chapter 2
For the first time in a long time, Perrie was the first one among the girls to the studio. Ever since Jade didn’t show up in their last rehearsals, she couldn’t keep her mind of her. She couldn’t sleep, she couldn’t eat, she’s been snapping at Alex. The guilt was eating her up. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Jade but she didn’t have any choice. Not saying anything or doing something was worse. But she doesn’t want to see Jade in pain. She may not be in love with her anymore but she still loves her.
One by one the girls came in. First was Jesy who gave her a warm hug. Then Leigh-Anne who rolled her eyes at her. Then Jade waltzed in. She greeted everyone who she passed until she came right up to her.
“Hey Pez, doing good?” She asked with a smile as she gave her a quick hug. Then she moved on to Leigh-Anne without waiting for a reply. There wasn’t any hint of anger or sadness… it as if nothing happened. Was she purposely doing this? Perrie was confused.
After a few minutes, they started their rehearsals. Every break, every chance she got, Perrie tried to talk to Jade but Leigh-Anne would step between them and get Jade’s attention. Jade would smile apologetically at her, before turning towards Leigh-Anne. After the fifth time, Leigh-Anne pulled her away from the others.
“Haven’t you done enough?” Leigh-Anne hissed at Perrie.
“I just..ahmm… I just want to see how she’s doing?”
“She’s dealing with it the best way she could. So if there is even an inch of what you claimed you felt for her before, let her be. Don’t talk to her unless it’s work related. You owe that much to her.”
Perrie glanced over Jade who was laughing with some of the dancers, seemingly unaffected with everything that happened and oblivious to her and Leigh-Anne’s discussion. She seemed fine, isn’t that what she wanted to know. “Okay. I’ll back off.”
“Good.”
After rehearsals, Leigh-Anne invited Jade over to a sleepover at her house. Andrei went to his buddies for a guys night out, so it was just the two of them.
“I hope you don’t mind, I just called for delivery.”
“No worries. I’m not expecting you to cook after our long day,” Jade replied as she flopped down on the sofa. “That choreography is a killer but I’m sure the fans will lap it up.”
“Yeah.” Leigh-Anne agreed as she handed a glass of wine to Jade and sat beside her. “But… how are you really doing?” She treaded carefully, not wanting to trigger her friend back to her catatonic state a few days ago.
“Tired. Exhausted,” Jade sighed as she closed her eyes. “All I want to do is sleep.”
“You can’t sleep it away, you know?”
“Isn’t that what you do when you’re tired? Rest? What’s the matter with you, Lee-Lee?” Jade asked with a grin.
“Tired? I’m talking about the Perrie thing.”
“What Perrie thing?” Jade sat up and stared at Leigh-Anne. “Is there something wrong with her? Is that why she was trying to talk to me earlier? Should I call her?”
“Are you shitting me right now?”
“I don’t really know what you’re talking about.”
“I’m one of your best friends. You don’t need to pretend around me. Let me help you.”
“Help me with what?”
“You and Perrie breaking up.”
“Me and Perrie? Broke up?” Jade looked at her with disbelief. “What are you talking about? Me and Perrie an item? That is funny. Have you been reading a lot of Jerrie fanfics lately?”
“What the...” Leigh-Anne didn’t know what to say.
“I’m not gay, Lee-Lee. You know that. There’s nothing wrong if I am, but I’m not.”
“So you and Perrie are...”
“Friends. Just friends. We joke about Jerrie, that’s all. It all for fun.” Jade yawned, losing interest. “Can we just call it a night?”
“Yeah, of course darling. I’ll wait for the food but you can go ahead and sleep.”
“Thanks babe.” Jade smiled at her before walking over to the guest bedroom.
Leigh-Anne stared at the hallway Jade disappeared to. She couldn’t figure out what’s Jade up to. But if this is how she wants to handle it, then she’ll support her. For now atleast.
The following day after Jade left, Leigh-Anne asked Jesy and Perrie to meet.
“Is this another stay-away-from-Jade-or-I’ll-hurt-you talk?” Perrie asked when she arrived at the restaurant. “Cause I’m doing that already.”
“Shut up and sit.”
“This is one side of you I never thought I’d see.” Perrie grumbled as she sat down.
“I don’t even know you have this side,” Jesy said as she took a sip of her drink.
“I never have a reason to be this person until this last week, until this girlie here decide to break Jade’s heart.”
“What would you have me do? Continue with this lie with her. Isn’t that worse? I’m doing the right thing. Not an easy thing but it’s what’s right.”
Leigh-Anne’s face softened as she glanced at Perrie. “I know. It’s just something that you two should have never started.”
“It’s not like we went into this thinking that we’ll eventually break up and be weird about it with the band. It’s always with the belief that we’ll live happily ever after.”
“And here we are.” Jesy stated as a matter of fact.
“So this is what’s up, Jade is acting like it never happened.”
“What?” Perrie asked. “She thinks we’re still together?”
“No. She’s acting like you’ve never been together.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I don’t know. But if this is how she wants to handle it, then let’s let her. I’d prefer this side than when I first saw her. She was just sitting in her room, not moving, not talking, just sitting there. Holly and Zack told me she has been like that since she returned.”
Perrie looked away from the girls as a look of guilt passed over her face. ”
“So you want us not to mention it?” Jesy asked.
“Yes. Act like it never happened, that she and Pez were just friends, are still friends.”
Perrie grabbed the Jesy’s drink and emptied it in one gulp. “I don’t know... it doesn’t feel right.”
“You do not have a say in this. You broke up with her. You let her deal with it the way she wants to.”
“She’s right babe,” Jesy said looking at Perrie. “You’ll probably still have that painful talk in the future, there’s no getting around that. But she doesn’t want it right now. And you being the breaker have to follow her lead.”
Perrie took a deep breath. “Fine. I’ll act like we are just friends, that we don’t have this freaking history between us.”
“Act like when we were just starting the group.” Jesy suggested.
Perrie let out a little laugh. “There was never a moment when there wasn’t something between us. I had a crush on her the first time we met even when I was nervous as hell with the auditions...” Perrie trailed off as she stared off in a distance, lost in her world, a small smile playing on her face.
“Earth to Pez,” Leigh-Anne called her attention, waving her hand in front of her face.
“Oh,” Perrie came back to the present. “Yes, it’s fine. I’ll do whatever is needed. I’ll act like it never happened.”