I Will Always Love You

Chapter Nine: Hardest Thing

Jade West

Even after two years Beck's lips still tasted like Listerine mouthwash and the indefinable Beck trademark taste that still eluded me. My hands ran through his impossibly soft hair. At first he didn't respond to the kiss, making me momentarily worry. Maybe things had changed? Did he still love me? But soon the thoughts were banished from my mind as his arms wrapped around my waist. He pulled me in closer, which initially hurt my rib cage, but I barely felt a thing as I melted into the kiss.

Just as the kiss started getting intense, Beck pulled away. "No. This isn't right." He looked shaken and guilty.

"Excuse me?" I asked, extremely pissed off. Not right? Is he fucking kidding me? Did we just not share a deeply passionate kiss like... three second ago?

"I'm taking advantage of you," insisted Beck, taking a step away from me.

"It's not taking advantage if I agree to it," I respond sexily. I slowly bite down on my bottom lip, knowing that drives Beck crazy. He shook his head.

"It's not right. Your not mine to have."

"Yes I am. I'm all yours Beck," I said genuinely. I took a step closer to him, whispering in his ear, "I'm all yours."

"I... We..." He stumbled over his words. His vulnerability and obvious show of weakness turns me on even more. I leaned in for another kiss and Beck's lips met mine greedily. I could feel his want, lust, and desire in that one simple motion.

"You fucking asshole!" I heard André yell. I wanted to continue kissing Beck, but he instantly pulled away. It was like a slow motion movie. André stalked up to the two of us and I could tell what he was going to do, but it was like I was eternally frozen to that one spot. I watched as the raging boy with dredlocks in his hair lifted his fist and punched the beautiful boy in the face. Finally I could move. Beck, who was keeled over in pain, showed no tears. His face was shocked and guilty and in agony. I placed a comforting hand Beck's back. Staring up at André I watched as Robbie attempted to hold him back, it wasn't working very well.

"Beck, are you okay?" I said nervously. Damn, I haven't been nervous since... how long has it been?

"You douche! I can't believe you would do this to Tori! I should rip your balls out! Taking advantage of Jade and then betraying Tori's trust!" Robbie, failing to hold André back due to his lack of muscle strength, finally let go and André lunged again at Beck.

I quickly got in between the two, but I wasn't needed. "What's going on here?" It was Tori. André immediately stopped at the sound of her voice, but I remained frozen.

"That prick over there was just kissing your—" but André was cut off.

"I know," said Tori in an all-knowing way. I stared at her, mascara running and eyes red from crying she was still relatively attractive, not that I'm gay or anything.

"Since Beck was only kissing one thing, that being me, I'm letting you know that I'm not your anything," I snarled at Tori.

"I know," she said again, way calmer than her blood-shot eyes suggested she should be.

"But she—"

"André maybe we should talk in private," said the brunette, ending the subject. Thankful that was the end of it all I watched as Tori and André walked away, leaving me with Beck and an awkward Robbie.

"Babe, are you okay?" I asked curiously. I kneeled down next to him and stared at his face. His eye was already swelling up.

"I'm fine Jade," he responded. "I should just go." Holding his hand up to his aching eye he walked away. "Robbie." The skittish puppeteer ran up to my maybe-boyfriend, accompanying him somewhere.

"At least we're in a hospital," I heard Robbie joke.

Left on a bad joke, an undetermined relationship, and a badass punch to the face, I had a hell of a lot to think about. Starting with what the hell Tori had to do with this.

Tori Vega

"You can't let Beck get away with that! You can't just give up on Jade and let that asshole have her! And after he specifically told you he wouldn't make a move on her! God, I could just—"

I quickly cut off the fuming André Harris. "I'm not giving up on her. I will never give up on her."

"Good." Looking rather stunned André asked the next obvious question, "Then what the hell are we doing here?"

"Jade wants Beck right now. I can't just force myself on her. And if I try to help keep Beck away from her, she'll only have more reason to hate me. Plus, Beck is one of the only people that she's found comfort in all her life. How could I just take that away from her?"

"Good point," commented André.

"I know that deep down Jade loves me. I'm going to fight for her, even if it means against Beck. I'm going to make her remember us but on my own and not just because I have first dibs. Which means that I don't want you telling her about us. And I don't want you meddling," I resolved.

"Ok..." said André. "But I don't have to like this."

"I don't expect you to," I said. "But hey, if we're meant to be, it'll all work out." André sent a huge grin and we walked back together in comfortable silence.

On the way back to Jade's room I came across Beck, who appeared to be leaving with Robbie, not even bothering to say goodbye to Jade. "Where are you going?" I asked.

Beck, who had been staring down at his shoes with a look guiltier than a murderer, looked up. "Oh my god Tori! I am so sorry," he said genuinely sympathetic. I could feel André's grip on my hand tighten, he was obviously going through a lot of self-control not attacking Beck.

"It's okay Beck, but I have something I want to tell you," I said calmly, even though I totally wanted to burn him alive for kissing my girlfriend... or well... I'm not sure what we were anymore.

"I'm so sorry! I promise I'm leaving right now. I won't visit her alone anymore. God I'm such a douche-"

"It's okay," I said cutting him off. "Well... not really, but you don't have to go. As much as I don't like you two around each other, she needs you. Jade barely knows how I am, and besides me and maybe Cat, you're the only person I know she's ever opened up to. She needs you right now."

"I really don't think I should stay," replied Beck tersely.

"I don't want you to. But you have to for Jade. You said that you wanted to make things right, this'll help."

"But-"

"Don't mistake this for kindness or forgiveness, but as someone who cares about Jade more than anything in the world, I'm trying to do the right thing. Don't think this means I'm not going to fight for her, but right now, she needs a familiar, comforting face. That's not me." It took everything in me not to cry or flip out and to keep my poker face up as I spoke to Beck.

Beck seemed to debate it over awhile, but eventually nodded his head. "Yeah. Ok."

I nodded my head in return. "Go and find her," I ordered. As Beck walked away, trailed closely by Robbie, silent tears fell from my face. I know I told it to André first, but telling Beck to go and comfort my girlfriend, I don't think I've ever had to do something this hard before.