Behind The Scenes

Stage Fighting & Jade Dumps Beck

Stage Fighting

Beck sighs as he runs his fingers through his hair. He's sitting on the girl's bathroom counter while Jade wipes off the black-eye makeup. "Why'd you fake it?"

Jade wets another paper towel. "I wanted to feel like you still cared."

He can't keep doing this with her. He cares so fucking much and no matter what he does or how he says it, it never sticks. "My voice has to mean more than the one in your head, okay? At least when it comes to how much I love you."

She doesn't respond and just when he's debating about whether to say it again, she whispers, "I love you too."

_________________________

Jade Dumps Beck

Beck rolls his eyes as Jade follows him down the main stairs. "We're not done talking about this!"

"I am," he calls back. Jade can't seriously be mad at him for making new friends. Especially when she's been so emotionally distant. He needs someone to hang out with who doesn't know Jade or the rest of their friends. Someone who he doesn't have to hide Jade's secret from. Not that he would ever tell Alyssa, but not having to watch his every word in case it might tip someone off is a huge weight off his shoulders. That's why he'd taken up yoga to begin with.

Beck hears his phone beep. Jade's haughty comment follows soon after. Beck pulls out his phone. Of course, it's another text from Alyssa. He agrees that Alyssa is texting him way too often considering they just met and he has a girlfriend, but he's never going to concede that in the middle of their school with everyone staring at them.

If Beck is being honest, he's not paying much attention to their fight. He doesn't know why Jade is picking this fight and he doesn't really care. He figures that if he doesn't feed into it, it'll fizzle out by lunch.

But then he hears Jade declare, "We're done."

Beck stands there in shock. He's vaguely aware he's still talking, but it's all autopilot. Did she really just break up with him over this? A few text messages are what she's going to leave him over. After all of the fights and compromises, they've made in order to make this relationship work, she's leaving him over some girl? Beck turns around and yells after her, "You're being ridiculous!"

"What do you care? I'm not your girlfriend anymore!" And then she's just gone.

_________________________

Beck sighs as he sits down on the curb outside the school. He checks his phone on the very unlikely chance that he missed a text from Cat. But there are only his unanswered texts.

come on. just tell me she's okay

cat please

i miss her

He stares at the screen for a few minutes, hoping Cat will take pity on him. But he knows it's not likely. Cat is Jade's best friend. Every fight they've ever had, Cat has always taken Jade's side. Most of the time he's glad Cat is so loyal. Jade needs that in her life, but right now, he'd appreciate a text. He perks up as his phone vibrates with a text from Andre. Maybe he found her since both Jade and Cat had been noticeably absent from all of their shared classes.

Can't find her. Sorry man

He'd hoped that she'd just been avoiding him, but based on Andre's text and his thorough search of all her hiding places, he thinks she left right after their fight. He refuses to think of it as a breakup.

_________________________

Jade takes a deep breath before lightly knocking on Beck's door. Her pride hopes he won't hear and she can turn around and drive away telling herself she tried, but the part of her that loves him refuses to let her leave. Then the door creaks as it opens. "Hi."

"What are you doing here, Jade?"

Jade stares at him. She can see relief in his eyes, but he keeps his face unreadable. "Aren't you going to let me in?"

"I thought you weren't my girlfriend anymore." There's a bitterness in his tone that Jade isn't used to hearing.

Jade breaks away from his eyes. "I'm sorry, okay?" She looks up and decides to just go for it. If she was going to ignore her pride, she might as well stomp all over it. "I should never have accused you of lying or picked a fight or broken up with you. I didn't mean it and it was stupid because I could have just talked to you and I'm sorry. And I love you."

Beck studies her face. He wants to see pain or desperation or something that tells him this tore her up inside the way it did him. "Did you even feel it?"

Jade's face scrunches up in confusion."Feel what?"

"We broke up- no, you dumped me. Two years down the drain. And it's been eating at me for the last two days. I haven't slept, I'm crying more hours than I'm not, and I'm stalking our friends trying to get you to talk to me." Beck looks her up and down disdainfully. Her hair is freshly washed, her makeup impeccable, blue hair extensions. Her eyes don't even look red or puffy. "And you look fine."

Jade takes a step forward. "Beck..."

He puts a hand up to stop her from coming closer. "Did you feel it? Did you feel your heart get ripped out of your chest? Because I did. You ruined a relationship we have spent years developing into something real and lasting. You threw it away without blinking."

"That's not what happened." He can't blame this all on her. Not like this.

"I don't think you felt it." Beck feels a dark chuckle escape. "God, if you didn't feel this, how do you even know you're in love with me?"

"I am in love with you. You know I am." Jade tried to reach for him again. If she could just sit down with him, reassure him, then this would all be fine.

Beck pulls his arm away before she can touch him. He shifts his eyes to stare at a point over her shoulder. He doesn't think he can say this while looking at her. "I can't get back together with you."

"What? Beck-" Jade feels like someone knocked the wind out of her.

"I'm sorry." Beck shakes his head and closes the door before she can push her way through.

_________________________

Jade stands outside Tori's house as she debates whether she's really going to sink this low. She does not want to let Tori anywhere near her relationship with Beck, but Andre flat out refused to help her.

Jade thinks about Beck and the hurt in his eyes yesterday. Yes, she is really doing this. She looks down at the kite in her hand and touches the running makeup she spent an hour perfecting. With one last deep breath to solidify her resolve, she knocks on the door.

Jade can't believe the words coming out of Tori's mouth. She doesn't do nice things? A can of lemonade? What the hell did Beck tell her? Jade doesn't have long to think it over because Tori's talking about giving up.

Jade grabs her arm and drags her into the janitor's closet. Somehow by the time they both leave Jade has talked herself into buying Beck a dog. Beck hates dogs, but she can hardly admit that to Tori now.

_________________________

Beck can't help the smile breaking through their kiss. Jade growls, "What?" She's enjoying kissing him and Tori just left and now he's ruining it.

Beck pulls back. "A dog? Really?" The thought makes Beck chuckle. He and Jade had always talked about adopting a cat, and he thinks it would have been a hell of a lot easier to have gotten the cat instead of this big dog.

"A can of lemonade?" Jade quirks an eyebrow.

"Point taken." Beck sighed. He tightens his grip around her waist. "All I wanted was this, us being us. I didn't want to break up or date anyone else. I just- I wanted to know we were still in love." He pauses as he works up the courage to admit, "That you were still in love."

Jade smiles up at him. "We are." She leans up to peck his lips. "Promise." As Beck searches her eyes he finds affection and some amusement staring back at him. He can't help the idiotic smile that comes over his face. It's the first time in a while that he's felt confident she loves him.

Jade pushes against his face as she says, "Ugh, stop being a cheeseball. It's gross." Beck just shakes his head with a laugh before leaning down to resume their kiss.