Videotape

Chapter 4

I blinked in bewilderment. Jade really was full of surprises, I thought to myself. "Yeah, it is. I skip study hall on occasion and do my work there instead. It's way quieter. We should do it."

Jade smiled, settling down in the chair beside me. "Cool."

The rest of lunch was a blur. I ate most of my sandwich despite the fact that I wasn't hungry in the slightest, remaining silent for the rest of the period. Jade talked to Gabby and Caleb for a while; to my surprise, she seemed to warm up to them quite quickly. Of course, Caleb made it easy; he was one of the easiest people in the world to warm up to. However, I hadn't expected Jade to become comfortable around them so easily.

Full of surprises, I thought once again.

Little did I know.

I silently entered the empty art room, closing the door behind me as I did. I immediately felt a surge of relief; I was away from the overwhelmingly crowded hallway at last, away from all the students who could potentially stab me by mistake with the pencils and pens that they carried in their hands.

Didn't happen, I silently reassured myself.

I turned around to see Jade sitting in a chair at the front of the room, hunched over her phone and staring intently at the screen. "Hey," I greeted her, lugging my belongings to the chair beside her. She glanced up at me and smiled, turning off her phone and jamming it into her pocket. "Hi, Ase."

I settled into the chair. "I really liked the recording you sent me. The vocals were great," I said.

Jade's smile turned into a full-on grin. "Thank you. That was an amazing take on 'Street Spirit', by the way. It was interesting to hear it on keyboard instead of guitar."

I felt heat rush to my cheeks. "Thanks," I mumbled, turning my gaze to the floor. There was a long silence before I finally perked back up. "Does your song have a name?"

Jade shrugged. "Right now I'm calling it 'I Think', but it's a working title."

"That's cool," I replied.

"So, Radiohead, huh?"

I nodded. "They're my favorite band," I replied. Jade ran her fingers through her hair, a thoughtful look in her eyes. "Hm. That's cool. They're definitely in my top ten, but I don't think they could ever top Nirvana or Soundgarden for me."

"Nirvana? Soundgarden?" My jaw dropped. "I love them too!"

It was then that Jade and I lost ourselves in conversation. For the remainder of the period, we talked about our favorite bands, our dreams of becoming recognized and making it big in the world, and music in general. It felt as if I was talking to an old friend. Jade was just so laid-back. So understanding. So non-intimidating. I hadn't found it this easy to talk to another human being in what seemed like years.

Toward the end of the period, things were beginning to get quiet between us, so I spoke up. I surprised myself by doing this; I was never the first to speak in any situation, unless I was talking to Felix. "Do you want to hear the worst joke in the history of music, and possibly all of humankind?"

Jade raised her eyebrows. "Uh-oh. What is it?"

I smirked. "Why did Bono fall of the stage?"

Jade gasped. "No! Oh my God, I've heard this one before. Don't you dare say it, Ase."

"Because he got too close to The Edge!"

"No!" At this point, we were both practically sobbing with laughter despite how blatantly awful the joke was. Jade's laugh was light, airy, and incredibly easy to listen to. I felt an unfamiliar warmth rush to my cheeks at the sound, and once I regained my composure, I lifted my head again. "We have got to keep coming here together," I giggled.

"Definitely," Jade said with a nod. "You're a lot of fun to hang out with." Suddenly, her expression became thoughtful, and she became very quiet. "I just had an idea," she said after a moment of silence.

"Yeah?" I asked.
"Do you have anything going on after school?" I thought for a moment, then shook my head. "Not that I can think of."

Jade grinned. "You should come over to my house. You can bring your bass, if you'd like. We could jam together." My heart leaped as the words left her mouth; I'd never had the opportunity to play music with anyone besides my brother, and even then, it had been over a year since our last jam session. I nodded eagerly. "Absolutely," I agreed. "That sounds great."

At that moment, the bell rang. Jade sighed, beginning to gather her belongings. "I guess it's time to go, then," she said, flashing a smile toward me. "I'll see you later?"

At that same moment, I got a good look at Jade and realized something I couldn't believe I hadn't before: she was beautiful. She stood tall and elegant like a willow tree, her pale, near-translucent skin practically glowed in the sunlight that streamed in through the windows in the back of the room, her jet-black hair fell over her shoulders in perfect waves, and her stormy blue eyes seemed to tell a million stories. She looked almost imaginary, as if she was too close to perfect to truly exist, though I knew deep down that even someone like her couldn't possibly be anything but real.

Jade tilted her head. "Ase? Did you hear me?"

Shoot! I blinked in surprise, swallowing nervously. I hadn't realized how long I'd been staring. "Sorry. Yeah, I'll see you later, Jade."

Jade smiled again. "Can't wait. Bye, now!" she said, then spun around and headed for the door with a slight bounce in her step. She left me alone in the art room, allowing the door to close behind her as she did.

"Huh." I pondered my thoughts from moments earlier as I gathered my belongings. I'd gotten to know Jade a lot better in the last half hour or so. She seemed nice enough, not to mention how talented and relatable she was. And gorgeous, I thought dreamily.

Am I jealous of her? I wondered, interrupting my own thought as I headed for geometry class. God, I'm pathetic. A feeling of hopelessness spread through my chest, and I walked faster, desperately trying to think of something else. I was finally in a good mood for once in my life; I wasn't about to let one meaningless thought ruin it all.

I need to get my life together.