Family Feuds

Chapter 4

Three days later, it was Jade's birthday. Most of the gang gathered at Nozu for her birthday party. The Vega sisters didn't show up because they knew Jade wouldn't want them there.

"So, when do you think Valerie will be here?" Andre asked curiously, as he and Jade stood together at the counter.

"Give her time," Jade said simply.

Just then, Cat walked into Nozu's with a large white box in her hands. "Surprise!" she said with a giggle, and placed it on the table.

"What is it?" Jade asked her. But when she noticed a logo on the box, she instantly realized what it was. "Cat, I told you. I don't want the party to be anything fancy." She opened the box, which contained a white colored vanilla cake. It also had frosting in the shape of scissors.

"Woah," Jade said, clearly surprised.

"Yeah!" Cat replied quickly, taking a seat. "It was Beck's idea. I picked the flavor, and like you said, nothing fancy."

Jade glanced at Beck. "Happy Birthday, babe," he told her.

"Thanks," Jade said with a smile.

As everybody was enjoying the party, two people entered Nozu. Jade noticed them, but didn't realize who they were until they came up close. "Mom? Dad?" she asked, surprised to see them and almost choking on some cake.

"Happy Birthday, Jade," Jade's mother, Irene said.

"Thanks... I guess?" Jade said, unsure how she should be feeling at the moment. "So what are you guys doing here?"

"It's your birthday and I thought we'd pay you a visit," Frank said briefly.

"And I thought it was a perfect chance for me to surprise you, and let you know that I moved back to town," Irene added.

Andre stood up. "Jade, we'll catch up with you tonight," he said. Cat and Beck stood up as well.

"Stay," Jade told Beck, almost desperate, so he sat back down again. Jade watched as her friends left Nozu. Once they were gone, she turned to her parents. "Why would you visit me now after all this time? You didn't even show up to my graduation."

"I'm sorry, Jade," Irene started. "With planning the move back, I just didn't have the spare time to make a trip out here."

"And you know I was out of town with a conference," Frank offered. "We both wanted to attend, and we are sorry that neither of us could be there for you."

"Things that should have been postponed for your daughter's graduation," Jade bit in reply. "Or maybe I'm just not important enough for you two.."

"So," Irene began, ignoring Jade's small outburst. "I'm guessing you're Beck Oliver?"

"Yes, I am. It's a pleasure to meet you," Beck replied, hesitant. He was not at all sure how Jade was feeling at the moment.

"Same," Frank said, curtly. Then he turned to Jade. "Listen, Jade, we've really got to talk about this engagement business," he told her.

"No, there's nothing to talk about," Jade said, raising her voice a bit. "This engagement already happened and next May, we're getting married and there's nothing you can do to stop it." She noticed the shocked expressions on her parent's faces. "Listen, I love him and he loves me," she insisted. "That won't change. I need you to accept that."

"Excuse me, Beck," Irene said, then turned to her daughter. "Jade, can you and I have a moment alone?"

Jade hesitated for a moment, then she nodded. She got up from her seat and followed her mother to an area where they wouldn't be overheard. "Go on, I'm listening," she said coldly.

"Don't you think you're rushing things, Jade?" Irene asked her. "You've been going out with him like what.. A few months?"

"It's been four years!" Jade exclaimed.

"Well you never mentioned him to me," Irene said confidently.

"When did you ever ask?" Jade spat back.

"Jade, stop being so stubborn," Irene groaned. "I personally think you could do better," she said, looking past Jade and across the room at Beck.

"Better?" Jade asked back. "You mean, like better as in dad? I mean, you two divorced after only a few years of marriage."

"Jade, that was different!" Irene said. "I've already explained what happened! I'm not saying the same thing will happen to you, but you two are so young! There's a good chance that you'll grow apart as you get older!"

"How could you say that!" Jade replied, tears stinging her eyes. "You know nothing about true love..." She paused for a minute, her expression turning cold and cynical.

Just then someone walked into Nozu. Jade glanced up at the entrance, and saw Valerie coming in and looking around. She turned back to Irene. "You don't have any room to talk about marriages not working out," she hissed, just as Valerie noticed her and walked towards her.

Irene looked up too, and saw Valerie coming to join them. "Valerie?" she asked, shocked. "What in god's name are you doing here?"

"Mom?" Valerie asked, going suddenly white. "I could ask you the same thing!"

"Well..." Irene sputtered. "How do you two know each other?"

"Mom, I found out about Jade," Valerie explained. "How could you keep that from me? Even if it was from another marriage. And half-sister or not, I actually enjoy Jade's presence."

Jade gave Valerie a grateful look before turning back to her mom. "Mom, the fact is we never see eye to eye and we've never been close. All I want is for you to accept my engagement. Not that it matters; I'll go ahead with it anyway. Blessing or not."

"Fine," Irene finally admitted. "It's your life. And I want you to be happy. I'm just sorry that we couldn't sort this all out sooner. And I'm sorry for not telling you about Val. And most of all, I'm sorry that I couldn't come to your graduation."

"Well, you're sorry for a lot of things," Jade muttered, still upset. Then she relented. "But I guess I'm sorry that we never became very close," she added.

"It's not too late to start over," Valerie pointed out.

"I'd be willing to try, if you were," Irene said. "Jade?"

"Fine, we'll give it one more shot," Jade said, reluctantly.

Soon, the three of them went back to the counter. Jade was surprised that her father and Beck were actually talking, and getting along..

When Frank noticed Jade, he turned to her. "Look, Jade; I understand we don't always see eye to eye," he started. "But I respect your decision, and you have my blessing for this engagement to take place."

Jade went silent for a minute. "Thank you," she said finally, having a hard time getting the words out. "It-it means a lot."

After spending a couple of hours together in Nozu, and actually getting along really well with Valerie and Jade's parents, Jade and Beck both departed. Jade told her parents that she would answer their calls and texts, and she told Valerie that they would keep in touch and even hang out sometimes.

Later that evening, as Jade and Beck took a walk, Jade looked up at Beck, curious. "What ever did you tell my dad to make him change his mind like that?" she asked.

"We just talked," Beck shrugged. He placed an arm around Jade.

"Yeah, talked about what though?" Jade asked, puzzled.

"First of all, how much you mean to me," Beck answered. "Second, how you're one of a kind."

"And he bought that?" Jade replied.

"Bought it, because it's absolutely true," Beck said quickly.

"God, I love you so much," Jade added. She rested her head on Beck's shoulder.

"I love you too, babe," Beck answered back, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

THE END!