𝔇𝔢𝔰𝔦𝔯𝔢 [Jade West Fanfiction]

[15] Rooky

The sun rose over Hollywood Arts, bathing the school's courtyard in soft morning light. Students milled about, laughing and chatting as they made their way to class. For most, it was just another ordinary day, but for Harper, sitting next to Jade in Sikowitz's acting class, nothing ever felt ordinary. Every moment with Jade was electric, a current running between them even in the most mundane situations.

Jade was seated at her desk, idly doodling in her notebook, her expression unreadable as usual. Harper leaned over slightly, watching her draw. She admired the way Jade's brow furrowed in concentration, the way she absentmindedly twirled her pen in her fingers. Everything about her was effortlessly captivating, even when she wasn't trying.

Sikowitz was pacing at the front of the room, his usual coconut in hand, rambling about the raw emotions of acting and the importance of connecting with your character. Harper tried to focus, but her thoughts kept drifting to Jade—how, after everything they had been through, there was still so much she didn't know about her. Jade had walls, thick ones, and no matter how close Harper got, sometimes it felt like Jade still kept parts of herself locked away. Harper's heart ached with the desire to know her fully, to break through those walls.

The bell rang, and Harper was jolted from her thoughts. Class was over. As the students filed out of the room, Harper caught up with Jade and slipped her hand into hers. Jade glanced over with a small smirk, squeezing Harper's hand before leading the way to the courtyard for lunch.

The group found their usual table outside under the shade of a large oak tree. Tori, Cat, Robbie, and Beck were already seated when Jade and Harper arrived. Jade immediately sprawled across the bench, her head resting comfortably in Harper's lap. Harper smiled down at her, running her fingers gently through Jade's dark hair.

"Do you want something to eat?" Harper asked softly, looking down at Jade.

Jade's lips curled into a lazy smile. "Only if you're feeding me."

Harper chuckled and began feeding Jade small pieces of food from her plate, one at a time. Jade accepted each bite without moving, her eyes half-closed in contentment. The others at the table exchanged glances, amused but not surprised by Jade and Harper's displays of affection. They had grown used to it by now—Jade was always so openly comfortable with Harper, in a way that she wasn't with anyone else.

As the conversation drifted between topics, Cat suddenly reached into her backpack, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Look!" she announced, pulling out a small, plush rabbit.

At first glance, it seemed innocent enough—a soft, pink rabbit toy. But as soon as she held it up for everyone to see, the table fell silent. The rabbit didn't have eyes. In their place were two red dots that looked disturbingly like blood, giving the toy an eerie, grotesque appearance.

"What the hell, Cat?" Beck said, his eyes wide as he stared at the rabbit. "That thing looks like it belongs in a horror movie."

Even Robbie, who was used to Cat's quirks, looked unsettled. "Why does it look like that?"

Cat, completely unfazed, beamed at them. "Isn't he cute? His name is Mr. Bunny."

Tori leaned forward, inspecting the toy with a frown. "Cat, why does Mr. Bunny look like his eyes have been... ripped out?"

Cat blinked, as if this were the most normal thing in the world. "Oh! That's because my brother stole him once and ripped off his eyes. Then he painted red dots there instead so it looked like blood."

The group sat in stunned silence, their expressions a mix of horror and disbelief.

"Your brother did that?" Tori asked slowly.