13I know I should be updating my other story...
Little Jadelyn West never really had a normal life. Somehow, she would always stand out or be unique on her own. She could sing a thousand times better than most of the kids of her age. She could dance and act quite well too. She has been showing huge potentials in arts, specially singing and acting. By just standing in a room full of people, she would somewhat be easily found or seen. She was never a fan of bright bubbly clothes, she'll just cut them with her favourite pair of scissors anyway so her parents allowed her to wear dark, lifeless clothes. Her eyes too are very distinct. They're so blue, so deep and oh so powerful. Being a daddy's girl, little Jade would always get what she wanted with just one deep stare at her father's eyes any he'd quickly give in.
Jade's family isn't exactly normal too. Well, she has a mom who rarely goes home because of their known family business where she is forced to go to different countries for meetings or when companies merge. Jade isn't really close to her mom. The aura was just never there. It's almost as if they don't share this mother-daughter bond at all. When her mom is able to stay at home, her parents would always get into a fight. Whether it's about a big thing or not, they just want to fight, sometimes argue. Her daddy on the other hand stays at home and does all the paper work for their company. Jade and her father rarely talk, but they have this strong bond that most of father-daughter relationships don't have. It's like they know and understand what the other feels by just starting at each other's eyes. They share the same colour of it after all.
Her parents fight. It starts with a small argue, then a fight. It use to happen only once every time her mom gets to go home. Then later did Jade knew that they started fighting regularly, until it starts to seem unhealthy. They kept having fights even when her mom is at work, specially when her mom is at work. They argue about everything. From as small as losing a pen to missing two huge meeting because, apparently, her mom woke up late. Daddy didn't buy that though.
...
With shaky hands, wet palms and shivering skin, eight year old Jade hides behind a concrete wall just before his father's office. She's secretly been listening to her parents' argument. If you'd asked Jade, she doesn't want her parents to fight at all. She wants them to act like they really love each other, not like two people who hate each other are forced to marry. No, all little Jade wanted was a family. A family that radiates love through out the entire house, not a family where both her parents are screaming at each other.
'Listen to me, Nadine' Her daddy told her mom sternly. 'You've missed 3 huge company meeting about another huge investment that could be valuable for our business! What have you been really up to?'
'Give me a break, Ralph! I'm just human and traveling everywhere is tiring.' Her mom defended. 'I said I just overslept, okay?'
'Overslept? Over-fucking-slept, huh? Well please explain to me how you could have overslept for three consecutive days!' Her dad grips on her mom's arm tightly, shaking her a little for answers.
'Why are you asking me such things? Do you not trust me anymore?'
'To be honest, I don't know. We've been fighting for so long now... Never did we agree with each other.' Ralph West replies rather calmly this time. 'I think our marriage is at stake here, Nadine.'
'Let go of me!' Nadine replied, twisting her arm out of Ralph's grasp.
'What is that?' Ralph suddenly questioned while pointing at the exposed skin of Nadine's neck.
'Oh shit!' She gasps and quickly covered it.
'A fucking hickey! You've been cheating on me, huh? Was that the reason?'
Jade's mom shamelessly nods.
'But why?'
'It never did work between us, Ralph. I'm sorry this marriage ends like this.' Nadine took three steps forward and leaned to kiss Ralph's cheeks. 'Take care of our little Jadelyn, she deserves all the love.'
'I love you, remember that, alright?' Her father says as he fights back big, fat, salty tears.
'Thank you, Ralph' And with that, she ran of the house.
Jade saw and heard everything. Everything. She saw her parents fighting, her dad showing both aggression and worry in his face when he talked to her mom, saw her mom admitting her affair, and lastly saw how her daddy's heart was broken -crushed and crumpled, even. Little Jade saw her daddy cried again since that incident when she saw her daddy signing a piece of paper. Never did she saw that awfully mourn face from her father. She felt sad, of course. Sad that her family -if you want to call it like that- weren't able to make it, weren't successful, but more specially because she saw how her daddy was hurt, how she realised that even the person you'd deeply love could and would hurt you.
At the age of eight, Jade learned to fully trust no one but her father and was convinced that love is nothing but a fantasy.
Love does not exist, she strongly believed.
Love isn't real. It isn't real.
...
Six years have passed. Six better years. Her father and Jade have been each other's shoulder, each other's best friend, buddy and they share now an even better, stronger father-daughter bond. Like what her mother last told her father, he filled Jade with love, a kind of love that only a father could give. It's fulfilling really, and it she feels nice to finally feel someone's presence, someone's love and support towards you.
Six years later and her father's little princess grew up. She started having her periods, which caused her dad a good minute or so to google what to do when a girl has her first period. She started to grow more, her hair got longer, face got more defined, more beautiful. She also started to grow more and more attractive than she already was. But there's one thing that never changed though. Her little princess' big blue eyes, those shiny, gloomy blue orbs. Every time he stared into Jade's eyes, he suddenly remembers his small little Jade. He could never forget as long as she gives him a glance.
'Daaaaad!' Jade screams from the first floor of their house, calling her father. 'I'm gonna be late for my first day of high school.'
'Oh, shut up.' Her father jokes. 'I'm coming'
The next thing Jade knew is that her dad had dropped her off and now she's left standing in front of the huge building with the sign 'Hollywood Arts' in gold plates. Well, if you don't already know, Hollywood Arts is one of the most prestigious, well know, greatly acknowledge performing arts school throughout the world. The most talented young artists are filtered during auditions to really have the best students there are. The school is known to produce successful graduates such as Drew Henderson, an award winning singer, songwriter and now a popular producer.
Jade felt confident as she walked through the wooden doors of the school. She made it. She did great during her auditions, she totally nailed it. She was Hollywood Arts worthy, meaning to say, she was one of the bests. She can be as successful as Angelina Jolie, receive tons of awards such as Oscars when she graduates. Oh, she knows she will.
...
Oh, of course daddy Ralph would never forget the first time he saw Jade smiling more. A year in Hollywood Arts, yet he's only seen her smiling that big today. It almost scares him. What could possibly make Jade smile, who? Even Ralph himself plan schemes to make Jade smile, but staring at her from a far, he sees Jade smile while eating pasta. What the hell is happening?
'What's up with the smile, kiddo?'
'Oh, nothing. Just received a funny text.' Jade says with a smile.
'That's the best you can come up with? A funny text?' Her dad chuckles. 'You're an actress in one of the best arts schools there is. Like that's convincing.'
'Dad!'
'What?' He asks. 'If you told me then we could've been over with it.' He smirks.
'Fine. So I've been messing with this Beck guy that claims that he likes me.' Jade says and blushes slightly. 'He's been asking me out for like -I don't know- more than a month now?'
'A month?' Her dad asks, oblivious of what he just heard.
'More than a month.'
'You know I allow you to date, right?' Ralph confirmed. 'Why won't you say yes?'
'I know I'm allowed to go on dates, but I don't want to.'
'Why is that?'
'Because...'
'Yeah?'
'Just because.' Jade rushed to her room straight after her reply.
The only reason why because she was afraid, frighten, actually. Seeing and hearing how her parents fought and how their marriage ended scared her. Seeing the pain her father went through, seeing how he tried fixing his trashed heart as he took care of her was painful for her part too. She even remember how sometimes she would hear him muffling a cry, swallowing all the pain. She completely loathes her mother by then. What a horrible, horrible time her father has been through. It was not the best image in a young child's mind. It's not even close to being a poorly acceptable scene to watch. She doesn't want to try and date anyone, fearing that that guy would cheat on her like what her mother did and would just break her precious little heart. No, she wants none of that to happen. She's independent after all. She doesn't need another person to love her because she has her dad, right? Her daddy is enough, Jade thinks, but she doesn't know what her future awaits.
...
'Babe, are you serious?' Jade asks her boyfriend for almost seven months now, Beck Oliver. 'Are you really afraid to meet my dad?' She almost laughs.
'Jade, I'm dead serious.' Her fluffy haired boyfriend replies. 'What if he doesn't like me?' He confesses and runs a hand through his hair.
'Believe me, he'll like you.' Jade assured. Beck didn't know that she's been telling Ralph everything about Beck. 'Let's get going to my house, okay?' She said and held Beck's hand as they enter his car.
Jade learned to trust.
She truly did, and all thanks to Beck. He's never given up on her, not at all, not even once. He continued asking her out until she 'got annoyed' and 'just said yes for only one date.' Well, she fall for Beck Oliver. She fell fast, hard and deep. Often she thinks why Beck would choose her after any girl that he sees in school as they practically throw themselves to him. Why not choose a normal girl? Why choose her, she asks, why not every other preppy and prettier girls? Sometimes she thinks that maybe all of this is just a sick joke. If it is though, she'd be damned about it. Somehow, she's also thankful. To who, she's not sure, but she just is. She's thankful that there is someone like Beck, who puts up with her interesting humour and wit. She's genuinely thankful for whatever Gods there are that they brought Beck into her life.
What Jade didn't know is that Beck feels more gifted knowing that he has Jade as his girlfriend. Why, you ask? The answer is simple, in Beck Oliver's eyes, Jade is the most beautiful, excellent, talented and brilliant human being he has ever met. Sometimes he wonders whether Jade is a fallen angel given and made by the Gods from above specially for him. Beck even asks himself what glorious things have he done to deserve such beauty, but who knows, maybe they're just meant to be. And yes, he knew, he surely knew how tough Jade can be, specially her jealousy. She's just too much sometimes, but he never saw that as a flaw, instead he sees that as a way of showing care in a really possessive way.
'Beck, this is my dad.' Jade says as she introduces the two most important people of her life -as of now- to each other for the first time. 'Dad, here's Beck, my boyfriend that I always tell you about.' Jade smiles. 'Careful, he's afraid, he says' Jade adds.
'Nice to finally meet you, lad.' Ralph said and shook Beck's hand.
'Nice to meet you too, Mr West.' Beck replies.
'I prepared some snacks. Let me go and grab it.' Jade's dad answers with a tap of Beck's shoulder. 'Relax first, boy. I already like you, so you can calm your nerves.'
'I told you that daddy already likes you.' Jade tells Beck.
'Why is that so?'
'Cause I tell my dad everything. I share everything with him. I also tell him everything about you and how you like flirting with stupid girls in school.' Jade teases.
From afar, Ralph takes a look of the couple. He nods approvingly. He's good for her, Ralph thinks he makes her a lot happier. He can see how her daughter's eyes sparkle whenever Beck smiles. He could also see the change in Jade. She's less bitter with life now that she's dating Beck. She actually seems to glow to a better, more tolerable, slightly mre friendly and optimistic person. Ralph can't help but like Beck even more because of the things he've done to Jade. He makes Jade happy, therefore he makes Ralph happy too.
He sees how Beck wraps his arms around her and kisses her forehead modestly. She blushes, though Beck did not see, but her father did. She smiles too, which made her father's heart flutter. Jade looks up to Beck and plays with his hair. Mr West could see the adoration in Beck's eyes. He could see how the two really loves each other. Though Jade told him that Beck was very vocal about him loving her, Jade wasn't. They've been dating for a good couple of months, yet Beck is the only one who had said the three majestic words.
'Kiddos, here are some tacos I made.' Ralph said as he went to the couple with a tray of warm tacos.
'Thank you Mr West' Beck says with a smile as he grabbed two tacos, one for Jade.
'So Beck, Jade told me that you're really good in acting.' Ralph began. 'You aspire to be anactor too, just like my Jade, huh?'
'Yes, Mr West. I really have a passion for acting.' Beck replies. 'The tacos are really nice, by the way.' He complimented Ralph and smiles at Jade.
'I told you he makes the best tacos.' Jade said. 'But did you believe? Noooo.'
'Mr West, I might ask for your recipe on this later on.'
'Oh please, call me Ralph.' Jade's father said. 'I'll pass the recipe later. Make sure to keep it between us, alright?' He jokes.
Jade is so glad that Beck and her daddy are getting along really well. Beck throws genuine laughs every now and then as her father smiles widely in small anecdotes that Beck tells. This wasn't too bad after all, Jade thinks. They're like the best of friends already. Jade could tell by the body language of her dad that he strongly approve of Beck and that just made her heart skip a beat.
She haven't told Beck everything. She told him about her mother leaving them, but nothing more elaborated than that vague statement. She told him a lot of things about her. She explained how her eye colour varies between blue to green, how she loves her daddy a lot. Beck was also informed by Jade about her weird scissors obsession and love of everything black. To Jade, Beck was like the best friend she never had, the person she never thought she'll have.
He makes her feel complete, happy and actually contented. She sees no reason not to be contented when she started having Beck. Aside from having all the lead roles, what more could she ever want when she already have the best people around her. She has her loving father alone, while Beck keeps her company and reminded that someone is there for her when she's not with her dad. She finally felt love from another person aside from her father. Finally. She almost want to scream it to the whole world. She finally have someone to love her who makes her feel the butterflies and nervousness. She finally found him.
At the age of sixteen, she wishes that Beck would be the one for her.
With Beck in her life, she slowly starts to believe that maybe love does exist.
...
She feels like she's dying.
She feels broken, wounded, stabbed, torn, destroyed -oh there are a lot more adjectives she could thing of. Jade and Beck called it done. They're separated now all thanks to Sinjin's stupid game show. If your wondering how she's been coping, well, she's not coping at all. She has been missing school for the fourth time already. She has been locked in her room for the whole day and rarely comes out. Even her father can't get her out of the room. She also refuses to talk to anyone, even to Ralph. All she does is cry, cry and cry some more. She realises that crying is more tiring than running a 10 kilometre marathon. To be honest, she's exhausted and a hair strand away from being insane. She's trying get it together... She really tries.
Jade has never felt more stupid in her entire life. How can an intelligent seventeen year old like she could be so stupid, she asks herself. She trusted him, adored him, cared for him, but what did he do? He gave up. Oh she knew that this would happen, she knew, but what she can't understand is why does it need to happen now, or how stupid could she be to pursue their relation even if she knew that they would also break up someday. She truly trusted him, and now he's gone. She never should've lowered her walls and let him in. Big, awful mistake. She feels so fucking broken, it's not even fair.
Love is nothing but a joke.
She extremely believes of no such thing as love. Beck proved it anyway, didn't he. She hates him so much, loathes him, despite him. How could he? Who gave him the fucking right? He almost let her believe that love exists. He was almost there, he almost reached the whole of Jade, the whole of her heart. Love is goddamn joke. Nothing but cruel intentions to break someone apart, to tear their heart and twist their minds. The thought of someone loving you is just too damn good to be true, isn't it? Oh, and all those things like destiny and faith, they're all jokes too.
'Jade, open up.' Her father knocked on her door. 'Talk to me, tell me whatever you're feeling.'
'Daddy, please...' What is she asking for? She also have no idea.
'Come out and eat. Let's talk about things.' Ralph asks again. 'Jade, you can't rot there forever.'
'I don't want to go out, dad.' Her voice trembles. She doesn't want to because she's afraid that she might break down in front of her father.
'I'm gonna be forced to unlock this door if you wont come out.' Ralph tells Jade and slowly listens at the door knob. It clicked open and a Jade he's never seen before stands in front of him. Her eyes are red and puffy, hair all messy, clothes are baggy, and looks like she hasn't been getting any sleep. Jade's whole body drops into her father's open arms. She breaks down, for like the hundred and eighty-first time in three days.
'Why is it so painful, dad?' She tells her dad, not waiting for a reply at all. She just wants him to listen. 'Dad, I feel so, so...broken.'
'Shhh, oh Jade.' Her father comforts her with his words and a hand rubbing her back. 'Believe me, I know how it feels. It really stings.'
'But why does it need to hurt?'
'Because you cared a little too much and fell a little too hard.' Her father speaks 'when that happens, it's hard to move on.'
'I don't wanna go to school anymore. I don't wanna see his face. I don't want to be anywhere near him.'
'Look at the bright side, Jade. It's -'
'There is no bright side!'
'See, Jade, right when you were born, someone is already destined for you. Someone is already set to marry and cherish you forever. You were also destined for that special guy who is probably suffering with a broken heart right now. Maybe the guy for you is Beck, maybe not, but he'll come to you.'
'But, how about you and mom?' She asked cautiously as she brought the forbidden topic out.
'Your mother and I...our story is different.' Her dad replied and slowly wipes tears off her face. 'We were meant to be, but we were too much of a coward to fix our problems like mature people. We fought and screamed at each other instead. Darling, you and Beck are different. Never think that your relation with Beck would end up like our relationship. Beck's a good guy.'
'Beck and I aren't fixing our problems too, dad.'
'If it's meant to be, it will be, darling.' Her daddy says and rocks her backand fort in between his arms as an attempt to sooth Jade's pain.
You know what the worst part is? Jade hates herself because she can't let go of the fact that she still loves him. She misses him. She misses everything. It has only been days after their break up, and here Jade is, missing every damn part of Beck. Oh, she hates it, hates herself for it. She misses his embrace, his feather light touch, sweet kisses, sleeping in one bed together, the teasing, the shouting, she misses it all. Most of all, she misses his presence, a form of assurance that someone loves her, that she is capable of being loved. Now that he is gone, everything crumbles. She doesn't believe that she's capable of being loved and loving someone else rather than Beck.
After being heartbroken, she swears she would never ever believe in love.
But she believes in Beck Oliver.
...
'Jade!' Her dad shouts. 'Where the hell is Jade?' He asks again, franticly looking for Jade. He shifts from his left leg to his right uncomfortably and fixes his black bow tie and tux.
'Calm down, dad. You're not the one getting married.' Jade says as she locks elbows with her dad. 'I'm here, happy now?' Jade replies sarcastically with a smirk.
'I'm so relieved. I thought you wanted to make a scene and run away from Beck dramatically right before your wedding like those in the movies.'
'Gross. That is too cliché. Though I might run right before I say 'I do'.' She teases her dad and he only kissed her forehead in return.
'You're not gonna be my little princess anymore. Oh, Jade, I'm just so glad that after all these years, you and Beck finally decided to wed. I'm gonna miss my little devil so much.' Her father fights back his tears as the doors open. They take small steps as they inch closer to the altar.
'Dad, I'll always be your little girl.' Jade says and smiles at her dad. 'Aww. Dad, don't cry.'
'I'm just so happy to know that you'll be in good hands.' Her father replies. 'I love you, darling.'
'I love you too, Dad'
Right after she says 'I do', she knew that everything she was fighting for all along would be contradicted. She kept reminding herself not to love, not to love, not to love. Then Beck showed up and she reminded herself not to fall, not to fall, not to fall. Well, she's been trying so hard not to fall in love with Beck, but in the end she did. She kept telling herself that love doesn't exist, no, it really doesn't. Her mom proved it after all didn't she? But her heart says something different. Her heart tells her that it's okay to love and be love. That it's okay to trust someone fully, it's okay to let someone pass beyond those walls. It's okay. Beck is a living proof that Jade is now believing, that she now understand and wants to be loved truly and completely. She now allows herself to be free when it comes to love, to give all of her heart to Beck.
Maybe she now accepts the fact that everybody does have their own happy ending. Whether may it be happier than the rest of the other people's endings, they still have a happy one. Her dad, Ralph found his happy ending by himself. The though of Jade marrying a responsible, kind and loving man is enough to make him happy. Finding a new lover, Annie, is a bonus. For Jade and Beck though, their story hasn't ended yet. Everything is just the beginning of something better. It's just the start of something new. Perhaps a family maybe? Maybe.
She now believes in love, a long, everlasting love.
Beck made her believe.
I apologise for typos/grammatical errors.
A/N: I wrote this before hand and I didn't have the time to publish it. I was suppose to write a new chapter for my other story, but time isn't on my side. I'll try to update asap. For now, please enjoy this one shot.