The True Life of a Performing Arts Student (#2)

Chapter 4

Jerad's POV

Me and Jade walked out of the room and went to the place where there wasn't a fist fight going on. All I have to say is, Lauren won.

Before I go on, let me say something. I know it seems like me and Jade have been really close, but we'll never become a couple. I don't have feelings for her that way. We're too close as friends to become a full-fledged couple. That's all I have to say about that. Don't get your hopes up.

Like I was saying, we went to the cafeteria. It seems like the best place to not see a fist go through a wall. We got a tray full of food. We're both stress eaters. It's something we bond over.

We got our trays full of food and sat at one of the many empty tables. The smell changed. It now smelt like a dentist's office. A mix of that and barbecue chips. We started actually having a conversation after the five minutes of stuffing our faces. It started off fine, then it finally fell on the subject of Mason.

"We don't need another mentally insane person in our group of anti-social band kids. " Jade yelled in between chews.

"This is something we can't help," I said calmly. "It was Mason's idea to go into that building the day scheduled for the smashing. "

"Or if Anna and Clair didn't screw with Lauren, we'd all be sitting happily in band right now and they'd be expelled."

"That can only happen in a perfect world. Guess what? We don't live in a perfect world. Anna and Clair are still stupid geniuses, Lauren is still insane, and these chicken strips taste awful."

Got a little off track there.

"Well, I can dream right?" Jade yelled with a slight crescendo.

Before I knew it, we were screaming at each other like a bunch of choir students fighting over the last mascara in the makeup store. It was that intense. Lauren texted me that the fight was over and that her hand hurts. Punching a wall might do that.

"Fight's over," I said after ten minutes of screaming. "We can go back up."

"Are you sure that no punches are being thrown into a wall?" Jade said sarcastically.

"I'm ninety percent sure."

We walked back to the elevator. The smell of the main lobby walked into us as if it were a wall of stench. The elevator wasn't as bad. Then it flared up again.

"Seriously," Jade started again. "What if our group will never be as strong as it used to?"

"JADE," I yelled. "It will be fine. We just need to give everyone some time."

"It's been five months, it's been long enough. Lauren's insane. I'm not too far behind her. Sarah is confused. Zach is more idiotic than usual. Jason is sad. Mason has a spork dangling out of his mouth. Your completely oblivious to everything. And Jordan is probably sitting under her coffee table rocking back and forth."

"Mason will regain back his memory eventually." I whispered.

"Oh, please. If he can't remember Lauren, what makes you think by tomorrow he won't forget us too?!"

"You have to stop being so paranoid!" I snapped.

We were on the eleventh floor. We finally stopped arguing. I started to look at her in a new light. She's an inconfident girl who feels alone in everything she does. People look at her as if she were an elephant on a small trampoline. But she's just really asking for someone to be with her instead of against her. Her life hasn't been good from what I've heard from her. Not going to say what has happened since it's kind of personal to her. I feel bad.

The elevator came to a complete stop. It stalled and wouldn't move. Jade started to panic as did I. We tried texting Lauren, but her phone is dead. There's no use in texting Mason since his phone is probably in the hands of his mother who is probably going through his contacts blocking all of us. So our plan C was to just start screaming.

Our luck has been really crappy lately.

After we've been in an elevator for ten minutes, we just completely went bonkers. Jade was rocking in a corner while I was twiddling my thumbs as if I were playing with my tuba's valves. We stood up again and finally decided we were going to be trapped there forever. In this moment of panic, I decided I had to do something. Feelings have changed. For everyone. Jade especially. After five minutes of silence, Jade finally spoke up without screaming in my ear.

"Jerad," she said meekly. "Since we're finally alone, I have to tell you something."

"Say no more." I quickly squealed out before I finally did the thing I should have done forever ago. I finally got the courage to put my lips on hers.

It was really awkward because we didn't notice the elevator started back up and the door opened Lauren, Mason, and his mom all wide eyed.

Lauren coughed then my attention was finally grabbed.

Jade and I went to the opposite sides of the elevator to embrace the awkwardness of what just happened. Everyone else walked in the elevator (with the exception of Mason who wheeled in there).

The elevator stopped for us to see a person that almost all of us weren't delighted to see. Ms. Thomson and Ms. Anko were standing there with awkward looks on their faces.