Chapter 7
The next day me and Jade arrived at school together. We were almost late, because of me, so all of our friends were already there. Beck saw us walking in together and gave us both a knowing look. Jade gave him a look back like she wanted to kill him, and I just smiled.
“I’ll see you at lunch?” I asked Jade as the bell rang.
“Yes.” She answered. I turned to walk towards my classroom, but she grabbed my arm and pulled me back to her.
“So you don’t forget me.” She smirked and kissed me, walking away before I had the chance to say anything. Forget her? I’ve done nothing but try to forget her, with zero success, so the odds of me forgetting her now are definitely zero.
Since I didn't do singing or acting, most of my classes were separate from the rest of the group. My last class before lunch was English, and I really needed to finish what I was doing. I decided to go to the library for a few minutes before I met up with the others, and Jade. ‘Good enough’ I thought to myself after about 15 minutes. I closed my laptop and went to find my friends, but when I arrived, Jade wasn’t there.
“Where’s Jade?” I asked all of them.
“She went to look for you.” André told me. “And she did not look happy.”
“There she is!” Cat said smiling and pointed behind me. I turned around and saw Jade walking fast towards me.
“Where were you?” She said, sounding more upset than angry.
“I just needed to finish my English assignment, so I went to the library.”
“You didn’t tell me that!” I just looked at her.
“I didn’t forget you, I promise.” I almost whispered to her as I put my hands on her shoulders. Her expression relaxed and she sat down. I sat down next to her and when I did, she put her hand on my thigh, causing me to smile and my cheeks to turn a light shade of pink. She started rubbing small circles on my thigh and I found it harder and harder to focus on anything other than her touch. I didn’t want to stop her, so I did my best to keep my composure. From the corner of my eye I could see a smirk tugging at her lips. When she noticed my reaction to her touch, she started moving her hand to the inside of my thigh. I put my hand on hers to stop her movement, not trusting my own reaction if it continued. She squinted her eyes at me as she shook her head in response. That’s when André broke us out of our silent interaction.
“Hey Alex, do you think you could help us with a play we're doing?”
“With a play? Depends on what it is.” I answered, a little sceptical since acting wasn’t my strong suit. André laughed when he noticed my skepticism.
“It’s not acting, I swear. We need some art done for one of the scenes, and for the posters.”
“I can check if I can combine it with my arts class, two birds one stone.” I told André.
“Cool.”
Lunch ended and we all started walking to our classes.
“You have two classes left today, right?” Jade asked me.
“Yes, do you know my schedule?”
“Maybe.” She smirked and I wasn’t really that surprised. After all, she did look through Tori’s medical records and how she did that, I don’t wanna know. Jade then walked towards her class and I left for mine.
When I arrived at my locker after my classes, Jade was standing there waiting for me.
“Didn’t your class end like an hour ago?” I asked her, a little surprised that she’s still here.
“Yes, but I took you to school, remember? I couldn’t just leave you stranded here now, could I?” I smiled, thankful she didn’t leave me to walk home. Not that I would’ve minded it. I usually walked to school, it only took about 15 minutes and I enjoyed the cold air in the morning. And if you walk to school, you set yourself up for walking back home. I gave her a quick peck on the lips as a thank you, before walking with Jade to her car.
The week went by much like this. Jade scolding everyone who even looked at me for too long (or at all), us kissing (mostly when no one was watching), and her doing small gestures to show affection. We hadn’t really hung out alone together, mostly due to both of us having a lot with school. She had started taking me home after school everyday though, and she always kissed me before she left.
It was now Saturday and I was just in my bed, listening to music and doing some sketches for the other’s play. The posters needed to be finished one week before their performance, which was two weeks from now. Just as I was about to give up on the project for the day, I got a text from Tori asking if I wanted to come to a movie night at hers with the rest of the group. I didn’t have anything else planned so texted her back that I’d be there, and to ask her when I should come over. Before I could get an answer from Tori, I got a text from Jade.
[05:36 pm] Jade ✂️ : Tell her no
[05:37 pm] You: Too late
[05:37 pm] You:Guess u just have to go to Tori’s tonight
[05:38 pm] Jade ✂️: tell her you’re sick
I decided to just call Jade and talk to her instead, but she didn’t pick up. Instead I got a text from her, and one from Tori telling me to be there around seven.
[05:40 pm] Jade ✂️ : I’m not talking to u rn
[05:41 pm] Jade ✂️ : say NO
[05:42 pm] you: see you at 7 <3
After that I didn’t hear from Jade, I guess I'll just have to wait and see if she shows up. She usually did, even if she made it very clear she did not want to be there. Whilst I waited for time to pass until it was time for me to leave for Tori’s, I just doom-scrolled on my phone. After about an hour I decided to freshen up and leave.
When I arrived, Cat opened the door and welcomed me with a loud ‘Hi’ and a hug. That’s when I heard Jade come up behind her.
“One… Two… Don’t let me get to three.” She warned Cat who then let me go with a frown.
“I’ve missed you.” Jade said in a low tone, as she stepped closer to me. She tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before she leaned in to kiss me, with her hand resting on the back of my neck. I moved my hand to rest on her hip as I returned the kiss. She pulled away and turned around with a smirk, before sitting back down on the couch. I couldn’t help but blush a little as I followed her to the couch and sat down next to her. Everyone was now staring at us, when Rex broke the silence.
“That was hot!” Robbie quickly put his hand over the puppets mouth.
“Robbie, I will rip your puppet’s head off with my bare hands.” Jade snapped back towards Robbie and gave him a look to show him she meant it. I wouldn’t put it past her if I’m being honest.
Everyone then started arguing about what to watch and Jade refused to watch anything that wouldn’t scare Cat.
“Just let them choose something, please.” I said with a sigh, now tired of this argument just going round and round in a circle.
“No.” She said in disbelief of the fact I would even suggest she shouldn’t get her way.
“Fine, then I’ll leave.” I told her, hoping she would fold if I left her alone with them.
“I’d love to!” She quickly stood up from the couch, turning towards me.
“Alone.” I said firmly. She groaned and sat back down.
“Fine. Put on whatever!” She crossed her arms and legs, and sulked in defeat.
“Thank you.” I whispered to her, and kissed her cheek. She just glanced at me from the corner of her eye, continuing to sulk.
Eventually the group decided on a movie to watch, so everyone spread out on the couches and on the floor. I didn’t look at the TV, instead I kept my eyes locked on Jade.
“Aren’t you gonna watch the movie? It’s you who wanted to come here after all.” She asked, still not happy she didn’t get her way.
“Watching you suffer in defeat is waaay better” I grinned. She snapped her head to look at me before turning away again, causing me to chuckle.
“Not funny.” She muttered.
“It’s a little funny.” I decided to just let her sit there in her sulking state, and turned to look at the TV. After a while I could feel Jade's eyes on me, so I turned to look at her.
“You done?” I asked and raised an eyebrow, to which she rolled her eyes and stretched out an arm towards me. She gestured for me to come closer, so I did, and rested my head on her shoulder. She was running her fingers through my hair, and I could feel my eyes getting heavy. After a while I inevitably fell asleep.
“Wake up, the movie’s almost over.” Jade whispered to me and kissed the top of my head.
“Shit, sorry.” I started to sit up, but she didn’t let go of me.
“Stay.” And she didn’t have to tell me twice. I laid my head back on her shoulder and she rested her head on top of mine. I felt genuinely happy here, just sitting there, with her. I caught myself thinking how I never wanted anything to change. That I didn’t need anything or anyone other than her.
The movie ended and everyone started talking to each other about everything and nothing. That’s when I felt my phone vibrate, so I grabbed it from my pocket to see who it was.
[09:33 pm] Emily 💛: any updates? 😏
I caught myself smiling at her message, knowing exactly what she meant. We had talked about me and Jade, and I had told her what happened a few days earlier.
I could feel Jade tense up behind me, so I knew she had seen who had texted me and what it read.
“She means you.” I tilted my head to look up at Jade, who just furrowed her brows at me. “I told her about you, us, this.” She continued to look at me with skepticism. I put my phone down and sat up to look at Jade.
“I kissed her to try and forget about you. I stopped kissing her, because I couldn’t stop thinking about you . And the whole time I was there, I was talking about you . She’s my friend, and she’s not you. No one is.” I knew it was easy for her to get jealous. I also knew she needed a lot more confirmation than she’d ever admit to. I didn’t blame her for this, not when considering how her family was and how Beck was when they were together. Also when considering how this started out, it wasn’t completely uncalled for for her to not be super excited about mine and Emily’s friendship.
She didn’t respond, and I took it as a sign that she believed what I’d said, since she probably would’ve let me know otherwise. I grabbed my phone again, holding it in a way I knew Jade could see the conversation if she wanted to. Maybe this was me feeding into her insecurities, but I didn’t want this to potentially turn into a scene amongst all of our friends.
[09:36 pm] You : lmao so nosy
[09:36 pm] you : I’ll call u tomorrow
[09:38 pm] Emily 💛: ☕
We stayed at Tori’s for a while just hanging out with the rest of the group before Jade gave me a ride home.
The next day I called Emily to tell her everything about me and Jade.
“So is she like your girlfriend now?” She asked me, and I could almost hear the smirk on her face. I laughed awkwardly, since no, she wasn’t my girlfriend.
“No, we haven’t even talked about it. It just kinda is what it is.”
“If you say so.” We then continued talking for a while, before hanging up. Just as I did, Jade texted me that she was outside. I went downstairs and opened the door.
“Didn’t know you were coming over today?” I said, smiling at her.
“Yet, here I am,” she said and stepped in. “You’re mom’s not home?” She asked me.
“Work.” I gave her a look as to say ‘why are you asking questions you already know the answer to’. We started walking up the stairs to my room, when I started thinking whether or not Jade had actually been inside my house before or not. Usually, we were at her house, mostly because I didn’t like having people in my space, and then being questioned about my mom never being home. I knew Jade kinda already knew she was basically never home, but that didn’t mean I enjoyed talking about it. I had next to no relationship with my dad even before the divorce, but my relationship with my mom wasn’t bad. It was just difficult. I often felt like she could care less about what I did as long as I was alive and well, and I had conflicting feelings about her work. I was thankful for it since I would’ve never had the opportunity of moving here without it, and I never had to worry about needing anything. I was also proud of her for finally getting the opportunity to make something of herself and to finally get the career she always wanted. But all of that meant she was never home, I barely saw her and she didn’t know me like she used to. I couldn’t blame her, at the same time I felt guilty for not being 100% happy for her. I knew Jade would understand this, after all, her relationship with her parents wasn't the greatest. That didn’t mean I wanted to talk about it.
“Have you actually been here before?” I asked her as she sat down on my bed.
“Not really, I mean I’ve seen the inside of your house when I’ve picked you up, but you’ve never actually let me in. So, I figured I’d just let myself in.” She smirked as she said that last part. I raised my eyebrows and nodded, before sitting down next to her.
This was the first time in a week we had been alone together, and the tension was palpable. She turned to me and glanced down to my lips, and I wanted nothing more than for her to kiss me.
“Kiss me.” she told me quietly but demanding. I did as told, and the kiss quickly turned into something more. For a moment I pulled away and I could see desire in her eyes, and I felt the same. I wanted more, I wanted her, and she saw it too. She pushed me down on the bed before straddling me, and I didn’t object. We continued to kiss each other, more rushed than before. Our hands got more eager and she started to undress me. My breathing got heavier, and I pressed my body against hers.
She pinned me down on my bed and locked her eyes with mine. Desire was written all over her, and me. I tried pushing my body against hers, pleading for her touch again. She kept her position, not giving into my movements.
“Beg me.” She said calmly.
“Please… I want you.” I managed.
“Good girl.” She smirked before moving her hand down to my heat.
.
.
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow, don’t be late.” She said and gave me a kiss before leaving. I closed the door behind her and walked back up to my room. Not really wrapping my head around what had just happened.
~timeskip 2 weeks~
I was sitting on the floor, watching the others rehearsal for the play that was taking place a week from now. I’d just finished with the posters André had asked me to do for them earlier. Just as I put my supplies back in my bag, someone sat down on a chair close to me.
“Hey, are you in the play too?” he asked me. I looked up at him, surprised and confused to who he was, and what he wanted with me.
“No, I’m not in this class.” I answered in a short tone.
“Explains why I haven’t seen you around here before.” I just looked at him, not really interested in a conversation with some random dude. He leaned in closer to watch what I’d been drawing.
“That for the play? It looks nice.” He smirked.
“thanks…” I responded and gave him a weird look, thinking he really couldn’t read the room.
“HEY!” We both turned our heads to see Jade standing on the stage with her arms crossed.
“I think she’s talking to you.” I told the boy, who looked a little scared. I guess he didn’t have getting screamed at by Jade on his agenda for today.
“Who are you? And what are you doing talking to my girlfriend?” She stepped off the stage, closing the distance between her and the boy. I looked at her with shock and amusement. Girlfriend? Since when was I her girlfriend?
“I- I didn’t know, I’m sorry.” He said quickly, before getting up and walking out. I couldn’t help but to laugh a little at how scared he was of her. Jade then smirked, pleased with herself for chasing him off.
“Girlfriend?” I asked her, a little surprised. Jade looked at me with surprise, almost as if she hadn’t realized herself what she’d just said.
“I-” She started and I stood up from my place on the floor.
“I liked it.” I told her, feeling my cheeks getting warmer. She smiled back at me.
“Good.” She then walked back to rehearsal and I sat back down to watch.
I continued working on the other pieces needed for the play, when Beck sat down next to me.
“Girlfriend, huh?” He asked me, clearly he heard what Jade had said moments earlier.
“I guess so..?” I said and smiled at the thought. “You really don’t need to be all up in it, I get it if it’s weird for you.” I turned to him. And it was true, I didn’t know the specifics of how their relationship had ended, but seeing your ex girlfriend with one of your friends can’t be all that great.
“No, it’s fine. I’m actually surprised it didn’t happen sooner to be honest.” He said nonchalantly and shrugged, but I just looked at him. “I mean, I already knew she had a thing for you, even before we broke up.” Did they break up because of me?
“Shit, I’m sorry. I never-” He cut me off before I could finish.
“Relax, I’m happy for the both of you.” He looked sincere when he said it, so I gave him a small smile in return.
The bell rang for lunch and everyone gathered their stuff before walking towards the asphalt café. I was still a little stuck on what Beck had told me, together with what Jade had said before about it being over way before it actually ended. Did I contribute to their relationship not working out, was I a contributing factor to the whole jealousy and fighting between them? I knew I couldn’t put all the blame for other people’s relationship on myself, at the same time I couldn’t help but wonder if I had caused unnecessary drama.
“You okay?” Jade asked me quietly, noticing I was somewhere else.
“Yeah” I said and gave her a quick smile. She raised an eyebrow and gave me a look, not really believing me. I wasn’t exactly upset about the fact they had broken up, since it led to her and I. At the same time, I didn’t want to be the reason for their bad ending. I knew she was happy with him when things were good. I knew she felt comfort and safety with him, otherwise they wouldn’t have ended up back together every time. Maybe this was my insecurities talking? Was I really that insecure about me, or rather mine and Jade’s relationship, that this is where my mind went? Maybe I just didn’t want her to leave me, for him. Would she actually do that?
“Come.” Jade said and stood up from the table, breaking my chain of thought. I stood up and followed her back inside to her locker. She turned to me and crossed her arms with a serious look on her face. “Tell me.” I let out a sigh, not wanting to be cornered again.
“Did you guys break up because of me? Or, did I like, I don’t know, cause you guys to fight or whatever..” It sounded pretty stupid when I said out loud, I heard it myself. And from the look on Jade’s face, she found it pretty stupid too.
“That’s the dumbest shit I’ve ever heard.” She said calmly, still crossing her arms. “Why would you think that?”
“I know, let’s just forget it.” It was a stretch for me to ask Jade to forget about it, but I was starting to feel a bit embarrassed and uncomfortable talking about this.
“No.”
“Well, you said it was over before it ended, then Beck said that he was surprised this didn’t happen sooner.” I gestured between me and Jade. “I don’t know, it just got me thinking if I contributed to messing it up for you somehow, and I don’t want that.” She let her hands fall to her sides, before stepping closer to me.
“No, we did that all on our own. You had nothing to do with it.” I smiled, still a little uncomfortable. She tilted my chin to look at her, wanting me to give her confirmation that I’d heard what she just said.
“Okay,” I whispered and she smiled back at me.
“I’m with you, you understand that, right? Or did you miss the part where I called you my girlfriend?” She smiled as she said it. I could feel a warmth building up in my chest when she called me her girlfriend, again.