Lilac was standing in the hallway searching for her best friend, she suddenly saw him sadly walking towards her. The navy teen trotted over to walk beside him, "are you ok Jake?" She asked in concern. The blond looked up at her with a warm smile, "I'm ok. Don't worry about me." He's lying. She wasn't convinced, "I know you better than that. You know you can tell me anything right?" She studied him, wondering if some jerk had hurt him, however she didn't see any bruises or any sort of injury.
Jake took a deep breath, "I've been thinking about who's side to choose." He muttered. Lilac just sighed, "you don't have to pick a side Jake." She told him. Her best friend looked at her, his face full of sadness, "but I have to! you heard Hailey!" Lilac bit her lip, "what I mean is, you shouldn't have to." She wanted Jake to know that he shouldn't pick a side, since he's clearly happy with both sides. It hurt Lilac the most that they couldn't get along, that's really all she ever wanted not only for Jake but for herself as well.
Jake stayed silent until he spotted Zander and Hailey. The teen now had a small smile on his face, Lilac let herself smile as well, "why hello there Mister Simp and Queen Sarcastic." Zander greeted in a teasing tone. Lilac's eyes gleamed with amusement as she replied in an equally teasing tone, "hello to you to Mr. Grape King." Zander playfully rolled his eyes while Jake giggled quietly. "So Millys' taken it upon herself to design matching jackets for the club." The purple haired boy informed them, "but I can't imagine how ghastly the design will be if we let her do it alone. So we have no choice but to help." Lilac felt that Zander would for sure do well in theater if he kept this up.
"You two gonna come check it out with us?" Hailey asked. Lilac glanced at Jake, he giggled a little, "we would but, Lilac and I are hanging out with Drew and the others now so, uh..." He explained. "Ah, ok". Zander replied. Lilac exchange a look with Hailey, "well we'll see you two later then." Hailey grabbed Zander's wrist and began dragging him with her, "come on Zander, those jackets aren't going to design themselves". "Hey! Why does everyone think they can drag me around like a ragdoll?" The purple haired boy complained.
"Alright Lilac, let's go." Jake said when the two siblings were out of sight, Lilac trailed after him as he spotted the jomies by the lockers. "Ah-ha! I told you they'd show up!" Liam exclaimed while Henry looked shocked then annoyed, "you owe me a soda!" The brown-haired boy told the shorter who looked annoyed, "heya." Jake greeted Drew with a straight face when they got close enough, "oh Jake, Lilac. I'm surprised you two aren't ditching us for the music frea-" Lilac shot him a glare and so did Jake, "club for once". Drew corrected. Well, that's new. He'd really do anything for Jake, huh?
Jake groaned, "we said we would come, didn't we?" He asked. Lilac put a hand on her hip with an annoyed look, you mean you said you would come. "Could we just get going already?" Lilac huffed. Drew playfully rolled his eyes, "ok Queen of Sarcasm." "Hmf." The navy girl huffed, which caused Jake to laugh. Drew looked over at Zoey who was putting on mascara, "you finally ready to leave Zoey?" He asked the blonde girl, "just a sec!" Zoey replied, Lilac just rolled her eyes. "Can't you just do that at my place?" Drew asked, losing his patience. "Beauty is patience Drewy Bear." She told him. Lilac glanced over at Jake who looked heartbroken, her blue eyes softened, he wished he was the one with Drew. Not Zoey.
"I don't think that's how the saying goes." Drew said. "Wait a second I forgot something important in the music room, give me a minute." Lilac told them, realizing that she never put her song book back into her locker. "Alright well, we'll be waiting anyway so go ahead." Lilac was surprised that the magenta haired boy was ok with her going, "okayyyyy I'll see you guys in a minute". She said awkwardly. Jake stopped her by grabbing her wrist, "hey do you want me to come with you?" He whispered. Lilac shook her head, "I'll be quick. Plus, you get to spend more time with Drew." She winked at the end with a smirk. Jake went red, "s-shut up!"
Lilac turned around with a satisfied smirk, "sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight." Henry began to count down as she walked away. I hope no one read it. She's only ever showed Jake the songs she's written in it, of course he loved each and every one of them, but she wasn't sure how the club would view her songs. She finally made it to the club door and opened it, she saw Hailey looking through her song book with wide eyes. The navy girl darted through the door, "Hailey please don't read that!" She begged. Hailey looked up in surprise, "I'm sorry Lilac, I didn't know I wasn't allowed to read it." She apologized. The teal haired girl handed it to the taller, "it's ok you didn't know." Lilac told her.
Hailey's eyes were shining when she looked at Lilac again, "did you write all of those?" She asked in awe. Lilac nodded slowly, "yeah but they aren't that good". Hailey scoffed, "aren't that good? Lilac, they're amazing!" She told Lilac with an impressed smile. Lilac blinked, "you really think so?" She asked shyly. The teal haired girl nodded, "I never knew you wrote songs." Lilac shrugged, "it's just a hobby. I've only ever sung them to Jake". Hailey nodded in understanding, "do you think you could sing one for us at rehearsals tomorrow?" She asked.
Lilac thought for a second. Hailey loved her songs as much as Jake does, maybe the rest of the club will like them too. She smiled to herself, "I would love to." She replied, which caused Hailey to smile. Lilac placed her song book on the table, "I'll just keep this here. See you later Hailey." The teal haired girl waved at her as Lilac trotted out the door and down the hall to meet back up with Jake and the jomies. "Negative sixty-one, negative sixty-two." Henry was still counting down; Liam gave her a look full of relief when he noticed her.
"You can shut up now idiot!" Drew snapped. Lilac stood next to Jake, "did you get your important thing?" The magenta haired boy asked with a groan, "oh I changed my mind." Lilac explained which technically wasn't a lie, Jake raised a brow he seemed curious about what she meant by 'changed my mind'. "Anyways let's go." Lilac grabbed Jake's wrist, "what do you mean by changed your mind?" He asked her, his voice just above a whisper. The taller girl smiled softly, "oh it's nothing. I'll tell you later, ok?" The blond seemed eager to hear her answer, but he just replied with a blunt, "ok". Then they were off to Drew's place.
Jake and Drew were playing video games, Zoey and Lia were on their phones, so were Henry and Liam, including Lilac herself. She glanced up from her phone to watch Jake and Drew, "hehe it worked! She saw my donation message!" Liam exclaimed excitedly. Lilac rolled her eyes, what are those idiots doing this time? "Congrats dude. You just wasted your money on someone who doesn't know you exist." Henry sassed. "Well, she does now. I, Megachad9000 just might have a chance. Just wait and see." Liam replied. Henry looked unimpressed, "that is the definition of sad." The green haired boy replied with a hint of sass.
Lilac proceeded to block them out and turned her attention back to Jake and Drew's game, "looks like I win again." Drew bragged Jake looked like he wanted to sink through the floor, "Dreww I'm so bored! Can we do something?" Zoey complained. Lilac groaned, can she shut up for five minutes? "Like what?" Drew asked he looked annoyed which gave Lilac a hint of satisfaction, maybe Jake will have a chance after all. Considering Zoey might annoy Drew to the point where he cuts off their relationship completely.
Zoey tapped her chin in thought, a few seconds later she responded, "oh I have an idea! Let's watch a movie in your dad's cinema! Lilac could pick the movie; she always picks the best ones!" Lilac was caught off guard by Zoey's praise, Drew sighed, "fine. As long as she doesn't pick another one that's scary beyond all reason." Drew groaned, giving Lilac a look. The navy haired girl snorted, "those are the best kinds of movies!" She argued. Henry gripped the bridges of his nose, "it's not the best when everyone is screaming except for you!" He sassed. Lilac shrugged, "it's not my fault you guys don't appreciate my taste in movies." They all stared at her like she was crazy, except for Zoey, Lia, and Jake. Drew face palmed, "your taste sure comes with a lot of nightmare fuel." Lilac rolled her eyes, "whatever."
The magenta haired boy turned his attention to Jake, "you up for it Jake?" He asked. Jake looked like he was caught off guard, "huh? Sorry, what are we doing?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck. The shorter boy sighed, "Jake." The peach-blonde looked confused, "what?" He asked. "Just tell us what's up already." Drew demanded. "You've been sulking ever since we left school. Something obviously happened when you and Lilac were talking." Jake looked like he was trying to think of a good lie, "Lilac and I were just talking about the competition. That's all." He laughed nervously.
Drew didn't buy it, "why would you be sulking about that competition?" He demanded. Jake bit his lip, "uhhh. We were just thinking of..." He trailed off. "We were talking about what to do about our current situation." Lilac gritted her teeth, why would you tell them that? Drew groaned, "all you both do is worry about this stupid competition. Those freaks aren't worth any of your time, besides you are only doing this to get people's attention." Lilac narrowed her eyes. Jake looked nervous and didn't know what to say, "of course I'm doing it to get people's attention, and that hasn't changed." Why is he lying?
Lia rolled her eyes, "I don't think any of those freaks think that. They wouldn't stop rubbing the whole duet with you and Lilac in my face. The moment you two auditioned they knew they could use you, that's all they care about." She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes again. Jake glared at her, "that's not true!" He protested. "They accepted both of us because they thought we were passionate and were even kind enough to give me a second chance. They told us themselves." The blond protested. Lilac felt that everything was moving too fast, why were they telling Jake all this? Lilac stood up to stand a little ways away from Drew and the others, she walked over to stand next to the tv.
Drew scoffed, "you seriously believe that? Just open your eyes Jake, they can't sing so they need both of you to. They're clearly control freaks who want everything their way and are using you and Lilac to get it." Lilac couldn't believe her ears. What was the point of all this? "Just the way Hailey was a few days ago in the music room was proof enough, just ask Lilac." The magenta haired boy's voice was full of bitterness. Lilac looked at Jake, she could tell that he was slowly breaking under the pressure, she knew he didn't need any more than he already had.
Zoey walked over to Drew with a stupid smirk on her face, "you gotta admit Jake, they kind of have you both around their pinky finger." The blonde girl twirled her hair with an evil grin. Henry stood up, "not to mention one of the freaks was really mean to Lilac, despite knowing that it hurt her." The navy haired girl put her hand on her other arm, a look of pain crossed her face, he's talking about Zander. But he apologized to me. She shook the thought off, her expression changed to suspicion. Right now, she had to make sure the jomies didn't do anything stupid. Liam stepped forward to stand near Henry, to her disappointment he agreed, "Henry's right. She never did anything to him, yet he still treats her like the enemy." Stop it!
"And the only reason this school cares about this competition is you and Lilac." Drew pointed out. "You're spending all your time doing all of this for them, and what do you get in return?" The magenta haired boy added bitterly. Does Drew really believe that or is this some kind of set up? Lilac narrowed her eyes at the thought. The navy haired girl turned her gaze to Jake who looked really nervous and indecisive, don't let them break down your walls Jake. You know they're lying.
She wanted to say something, but she didn't want to add on to Jake's pressure. She heard the sound of the jomies arguing, filling her ears, she met the peach blond's eyes, they held panic and hurt. For the first time in her life Lilac didn't know how to comfort her best friend, she didn't think there was anything she could do to show her support in this situation. Jake furrowed his brows and clenched his fists, "I joined to get people's attention, and that's what I'm gonna to do." The navy haired teen's eyes widened; he doesn't mean any of this! She turned her gaze on the jomies, why did they push him so hard?
"Whatever they're using me for I'm not going to let them get in my way!" Lilac could tell Jake didn't want to say any of this he felt like he had to. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Zoey smirk evilly. "Heck, I'm the only reason that anyone is going to this stupid competition in the first place. They probably wouldn't stand a chance without me; they should be grateful that I joined them in the first place. They should have known from the very beginning that I wouldn't be a music freak!" Lilac could tell Jake didn't want to say any of this, but thanks to the jomies they caused him to look angrier than the navy haired girl had ever seen him.
Lilac saw Zoey glance down at her phone in her pocket, what is she planning? "Dang Jake, you and Lilac have us!" The blonde girl said in her annoying voice that made Lilac want to punch her in the face. "At least you finally realized it." Drew said, walking towards Jake who still looked really mad. "It'll be nice to have you and Lilac back hanging out with us like this again once it's over." The magenta haired boy said with a smile.
Jake still looked upset and guilty after what he just said, "yeah me too." He replied hesitantly. "Alright I'll go set up the Tv downstairs-" Drew glanced at Lilac with a stern stare, "and make sure Lilac doesn't pick one of her "we all scream except her" movies." The navy haired girl rolled her eyes with an annoyed huff, "will do." Jake replied with a small smile. With that Drew walked away, the others close behind. Lilac's gaze trailed towards Jake who looked guilty as ever. She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, "hey, are you ok?" She asked worriedly. The shorter boy looked her in the eyes, his hazel eyes clouded with guilt, "I shouldn't have said any of that. I got so angry, and I lost control". His eyes turned sad, "I would understand if you're disappointed in me."
Lilac's eyes widened in disbelief. Did her best friend really think would ever be disappointed in him? She locked her gaze with his, "I'm not disappointed in you." She told him firmly. Jake looked surprised but still guilty, he was about to list reasons why Lilac should be disappointed in him, but she silenced him with a flick of her finger, "you felt pressured. You didn't know what to say so you just snapped, you just wanted them to stop arguing." Jake leaned forward and buried his head into her shoulder. "I can't choose." He confessed. Lilac wrapped her arms around him, "I know. Everything will be alright, I'm here for you." The navy haired teen purred.
Jake lifted up his head to look her in the eyes, "thank you." He said with a smile. Lilac raised an eyebrow, "for what?" The blond smiled even more, "for always being there for me." Lilac rubbed the back of her neck and returned the smile, "aw, gee. What are best friends for?" Jake pulled her into a hug, "what would I do without you?" The navy haired girl returned the hug, "probably be an even bigger simp than you are now." She mused. The two separated, and Jake had an annoyed yet playful look on his face, "hey! We were having a nice moment just then." Lilac giggled which caused her best friend to start laughing too. "Jake, Lilac! Are you two coming or what?" Drew called from downstairs. "Yeah, just a second!" Jake called back. "We should probably get going before Henry and Liam drive Drew crazy." Lilac said, playfully rolling her eyes. Her best friend smirked, "knowing those two, they probably already have."
Lilac's eyes gleamed with amusement, "alright we should probably go." With that the two best friends skipped down the stairs to Drew's theater room.
The next day at school Lilac was still thinking about why the jomies had set Jake up like that. What was their game? She remembered the way Zoey had glanced down at her phone like she was planning something. Her thoughts got interrupted when she noticed that Hailey was sitting at the desk next to her. The two shared a brief smile as Lilac remembered that she was going to share one of her songs with the club. She glanced back and saw Henry and Liam being idiots as usual. But she was paying more attention to Jake than those two, she noticed how her best friend had been sulking the whole time, he still feels guilty about what he said.
After class the two best friends were walking down the hallway until they spotted Hailey. She motioned for them to come closer, the two then paced over to her. "We're going to start rehearsals at eleven-thirty today." The teal haired girl informed them. Jake looked confused, "why so early?" He asked. Hailey met Lilac's gaze and smiled, "Lilac is going to sing one of the songs she wrote." The peach blond looked surprised, "Lilac is going to sing one of her songs for everyone?" Hailey nodded then raised an eyebrow, "she didn't tell you?" Jake's hazel eyes met Lilac's, "was that what you were going to tell me?" He asked. The navy haired teen just nodded.
Hailey rubbed her hands together awkwardly, "well we should-". "Lilac, Jake, could you help me bring these papers to the English classroom?" The voice of Ms. Jones surprised the navy haired girl. Lilac saw that her teacher was struggling to carry three boxes. "Uh, sure". The navy haired teen replied. Jake nodded in agreement. In response the brown-haired lady placed the boxes in the two teenagers' hands.
Ms. Jones began to walk away the two best friends trailing behind them, "we'll meet you guys in the music room." Lilac called over her shoulder. "See you guys later." Hailey called back. Lilac let a mischievous grin spread on her face, "don't miss us too much!" She added slyly. She heard Hailey laugh. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the teal haired girl turn around to walk towards the music room. "Well, you two, three weeks from today is the big day!" Ms. Jones declared when Lilac had turned her head around. "And Lilac thank you for talking to me about Sadie. I promise I won't ask her to tell the class to be quiet." The navy haired girl smiled at this. She knew Sadie would be happy to hear that. Lilac turned her sapphire gaze on Jake, who looked stressed. Ms. Jones must have said something that I didn't hear.
She wondered if their teacher said something about how great the two were doing with the music club. Lilac wondered if her best friend still felt guilty about what he said. Her mind cycled back to the memory of how Zoey glanced down at her phone. She narrowed her eyes, she's planning something. I just know it. The question is what? She was snapped out of her thoughts when they arrived in the English classroom, Ms. Jones had left them to attend a meeting.
Jake looked tired from all the walking and carrying they were doing, "we should probably get going before Hailey scolds us for being late." Lilac nodded but stayed silent, she was still trying to figure out why Zoey had looked down at her phone; but she didn't get much time before Daisy and Sadie walked through the door. "Hi Jake! Hi Lilac!" Daisy greeted them warmly. Lilac let herself smile, "hi you two." She chirped. Her sapphire gaze met with Sadie's purple orbs, the black-haired girl had a visible smile on her face. "What are you two doing here?" Jake asked. Daisy grinned, "just taking care of head girl duties." Her pale blue eyes sparkled when she looked at Lilac, "I heard about the duet you and Lilac are doing! I'm so excited!" The white-haired girl's enthusiasm made Lilac smile from ear to ear.
"I'm sure you'll do great". Sadie whispered to her. The navy haired girl grinned shyly. "We're so excited for the competition! Right Sadie?" Daisy exclaimed. Lilac glanced at Jake, who was awkwardly standing next to her. The navy haired girl exchanged a look with Sadie. A mischievous smirk spread across Lilac's face. She locked eyes with the black-haired girl in front of her, who shared her mischievous expression. "Yeah, I'm thrilled. Break a leg, Jake." Sadie said in a dry voice with no expression. Lilac glanced at Jake who looked terrified. He laughed nervously and grabbed Lilac by the wrist, "Lilac and I should probably get going. Don't want to be late for rehearsals!" Lilac exchanged a knowing wink with Sadie before the blond dragged her out of the room.
Jake let go of her wrist, "let's go before Hailey scolds us". The peach-blond told her. The navy haired teen realized she left the duet in her locker, "I'll meet you there. I have to go get something". Jake nodded, "alright I'll see you there". With that he trotted away. Lilac walked off in the opposite direction, when she got to her locker the jomies were hanging out around it. Drew had a tiny smile on his face, "so you finally decided to ditch those freaks, huh?"
Lilac narrowed her eyes, "no, I actually came to get something." Drew was visibly disappointed, "you miss your freak friends already?" He asked, with visible jealousy in his tone. The navy haired girl quickly snatched the paper from her locker before turning back to Drew. The magenta haired boy crossed his arms, "I'm starting to think you prefer their company over ours." Lilac rolled her eyes, "what if I said I did?" She challenged.
Henry and Liam exchanged glances while Drew stood there in disbelief, "you can't be serious right?" Lilac scoffed, "I am serious. Why would I ever want to be around people like you?" She hissed, looking Drew straight in the eyes. Liam looked shocked, Henry didn't want to believe what the taller girl had just said, and Drew looked taken aback. Henry glanced up at her in disbelief, "but.... We're friends." He muttered. Lilac's eyes widened in amusement before she started laughing, "friends?" The shorter boy looked both hurt and surprised, "I was only friend with you because Jake was." Lilac explained.
Liam was lost for words, "but we care about you! You're our home girl!" He managed to say. The navy haired girl was unimpressed, "yeah right! You would dump me the first chance you got; just like my ex-friends did." She muttered bitterly. Drew was clearly hurt by this, "we would never do that to you! You're like a sister to us!" Deep down Lilac felt guilt tug at her heart; however, she shook it off, "you bullied the music club for the same reason Jake was bullied for!" She growled. The jomies were in pure shock. Lilac realized what she had just told them, her eyes narrowed at them, "he never told you?" She asked sternly. Drew was trying to comprehend what the navy haired girl had just confessed out of anger.
The magenta haired boy avoided Lilac's gaze sadly, "no." He confessed. The navy haired girl let out a snort, "of course he didn't! Because he knew that you would bully him too!" She snapped, glaring at them full of hatred. Henry took a step forward; his eyes were full of pain, "we would never do that to him or you!" He protested. Lilac bitterly rolled her eyes, "then why were you constantly bullying the music club?" She challenged. The jomies stayed silent, "that's what I thought." She growled. She was about to walk away when Henry grabbed her arm. She turned her head around to glare at him, "Lilac please don't leave." He begged. She slapped his hand away, "we were never friends!" She snapped, shoving Henry away. Each one of the jomies stared at her full of hurt. The navy haired girl glared at them one last time before walking away, leaving the jomies with a pain they couldn't escape.