The Script [JADE WEST]

2

When Beck woke up early in the morning, a smile spread across his face when he realized it was Saturday. That meant that he could spend some extra time with Jade. He knew she would grumble at first, but she would appreciate it at the end of the day. A little bit of distraction from schoolwork and the script would not harm her. While getting ready for the day, he decided to let her sleep until about nine and then would wake her up for a day full of adventures.

But the smell of coffee he was preparing had been enough to wake Jade up earlier than planned. Beck brought her the cup he had prepared for her and proposed to have their breakfast outside with which Jade agreed. It was part of his plan to make his girlfriend feel better.

Beck had never told anybody yet, but he secretly wished for Jade to move in with him. He knew how miserable she felt when she was around her family and was aware that neither her father and step-mother nor her mother would pay her enough attention to notice her absence.

So why did she always go back to the place where she felt the least secure?

"Wanna stay here tonight as well?", If she said yes, then their day would end just the way they wanted to. Perhaps even the rest of the weekend.

Jade shook her head, "I can't. I have to go home."

As much as she hated going back to the place she was supposed to call "a home", she had a younger brother and a bunny to take care of. Besides, if she didn't remind her brother to feed his own rodent, nobody would.

For the rest of the day, Beck didn't bring up the question anymore. It was evident that it upset Jade. If he dared to ask him to move in with her, that could cause an argument between them and both of them were sick and tired of fighting - it had been indeed conflicts that had almost broken them apart forever until they had realized that they needed each other more than anything else in the world.

Instead, Beck made sure the whole day was full of smiles and joy for both of them. He knew and could see how much both of them needed it. School life was stressful enough for everybody with all of the exams and assignments.

At midday, they had lunch they had prepared together and then took Beck's dog to the park to play. Back in sophomore year, Jade had given Beck the best gift of his life - a rottweiler he later on named Jay, after her. In the past, all Beck had dreamt of was having a dog. When Jade had broken up with him briefly but had changed her mind, he had refused to take her back. With the help of Tori Vega, she had realized that to win his heart again, she had to do a grand gesture. Thanks to that, now Beck was happier than ever. Sometimes, he secretly dreamt of the day he would live together with Jade, her bunny and Jay. And they would be a small, happy family.

Another reason Beck desperately wanted Jade to move in with him was her family. Jade came from a dysfunctional family. Her parents had gotten divorced soon after the birth of her little brother but the problems hadn't stopped even after that. Clifford and Ellen had been given joint custody and that meant Jade and her little brother Jack were being bounced around from parent to parent. Jade wasn't sure who was worse - her father, his new wife and her yappy little dog or her mother. All she knew was that no matter what, she had to stay strong and to provide emotional support for Jack.

No matter how much she wished she could stay forever in Beck's arms, she had to go home as soon as possible to check up on her brother.

During the journey home, Jade had to hold back her tears while she was driving. Life felt unfair to her. Why couldn't she have a happy family, like Beck's? Sure, his parents were strict and disliked her, but despite that, they loved him and cared about his wellbeing. She, on the other hand, had to be the parent in the house. Her own father was too busy with his new family and her mother had begun seeing someone new. Nobody paid enough attention to the children and they both suffered from that. They had only each other.

The moment Jade set her foot in her house, she wished she could take her brother with her and leave everything and everyone behind. Except for Beck, of course. He would come with them, she imagined. Alas, she couldn't. She was still underage, hadn't graduated from high school and made no money yet. Until she went to University, she was stuck in sunny Los Angeles that she hated. At least there was life after high school. If she got in her dream University, she could make a life for herself. She knew that if she got married (possibly to Beck) and had children, she would try her hardest to be a better parent than her own.

Her own bedroom felt foreign to her. She had been spending too much time with Beck and their group of friends that she had almost forgotten about the life she had (or was supposed to have) at home - the place she felt the least secure. Not even her bedroom was a safe haven anymore. Sure, the butterflies wallpaper, the iron bed and the stuffed bunny she still liked to sleep with sometimes brought her comfort, but just being with Beck's arms felt the best. At least he accepted her the way she was. So did her little brother, alas he was far too young to understand everything that was happening around him.

Jade was about to plop on the bed when an idea struck in her mind. Terrified of forgetting it, especially in times like the ones where she had to write probably the most important script of her whole existence.

She pulled her laptop from her bag and opened the word processor to where she had left off and her fingers began to dance viciously on the keyboard until she could barely keep her eyes open.

And that night officially symbolised the beginning of the play "Butterflies and Moths".