Andre Gets Crushed

One Last Rehearsal

He let his face fall onto the piano, striking an awkward key. Andre sat in the living room in his house with an all-too-familiar sinking feeling in his chest. This time, it was composed of guilt, hopelessness, and of course, still love.

Why her? Andre thought miserably. My best friend's ex. How could I fall in love with her? Of all people? Whenever he was this upset, his piano would be the only cure for his ailments. Running his fingers across the keys, creating a melody that was all his own right on the spot. It was a natural, peaceful state for Andre. He immediately forgot whatever it was that was troubling him, until now. If it was Jade-related, it pervaded every inch of his brain. He also couldn't stop thinking about Beck. He felt like his inner turmoil would make him explode. He loved to sing with her; there was nothing really wrong with that. But he wanted to hold her close as they sang. He wanted to run his fingers through her black river of hair, and it made his stomach churn. He longed to feel the softness and taste the sweetness of her lips again, and he felt lead in his chest. He was in love with someone that Beck had loved, and it made Andre feel like a monster.

It's not like she even feels the same anymore. Andre remembered her cold indifference at lunch. She wouldn't even look at me... He was startled out if his thoughts by the doorbell, and he definitely wasn't ready to face who was behind it. At that moment he would've preferred Helena Alvarado.

"Were you hoping for Helena?" Jade's obvious annoyance made everything more awkward. Andre standing there mouth agape didn't help either.

"You gonna let me in or what?" Jade asked rather impatiently. Andre quickly shuffled aside to let her through. She walked past him briskly and plopped herself down on the couch with her arms crossed. Andre slowly closed the door and made his way next to her even slower. He wished he could sink into the cushions. He avoided her eyes very carefully when he looked at her. She waited for him to speak, gave up, and said, "I'm here 'cause I wanna know what's the matter with you." He winced.

Seeing what a fragile state he was in, Jade decided to try her best to be gentle as she explained. "I wanna know what's wrong. Why couldn't you just be honest at lunch today? Now everyone thinks you're in love with this Helena chick."

"W-what's wrong with that?" Andre was stuttered. Now Jade looked about ready to throw one of the pillows at him.

"What's wrong," she explained less gently, "Is that you let all our friends think you love a complete stranger. What're you gonna do? Fake date Helena while we're together so you can keep covering me up? Why can't you just work up the guts to tell everyone how you feel about me."

"Jade, you know why I can't do that! I can't imagine what it'd do to Beck!"

"What about me, Andre?" Jade raised her voice. "You care so much more about his feelings than mine. I'm surprised he's not the one you're in love with."

"Why are you so mad?" Andre was incredulous. "You're the one who said we could keep it a secret in the first place."

"Yeah, well that was a mistake," Jade spat. Then she sighed rather defeatedly. "Maybe this whole thing was."

"Jade," the way he said her name broke her heart.

"I can't keep doing this, Andre. I'm sorry." She began stalking toward the door. He wanted to stop her. He wanted to take back everything he'd done except for singing with her. Kissing her. Holding her in his arms. He loved her, but now he was about to lose her. And he knew it was all his fault.

"Jade, wait!" He called desperately. She turned her head slowly, her hand on the doorknob. The hurt in her eyes killed him.

"Get some sleep for tomorrow," she sounded so dejected. "I don't wanna get a bad grade on this. I know we were supposed to have one last rehearsal, but I don't feel much like singing." The thud of the closing door echoed through Andre's house, and then in his mind as he closed his eyes that night.