"Sorry we're late!" "We fell asleep on the couch!" "My alarm didn't go off!" "I couldn't find any clothes!" "We were out of coffee!" These were just a few of the many things Beck and Jade yelled simultaneously as they burst into Sikowitz's class over ten minutes late. Last night they had drifted off in Jade's living room and without Beck's alarm clock they woke up already late. By then there had been no time to change clothes or sort out hair or make up, so the two looked a mess as they flopped until their usual seats, out of breath.
"Ah," Sikowitz said, seemingly in the middle of a story. "And your child?"
In the rush to get to school relatively on time, they had almost forgotten about Robin, who was somehow still curled up asleep into Beck's chest. The poor girl was still in her pyjamas, with her long brown hair in two messy braids.
"She's not our child," Jade argued defensively. She had grown used the assumption that they were teen parents when she and Beck took her sister out for ice cream, and the disapproving glares that came with it.
"So what, you just found her?" Andre chimed in, an amused expression on his face. He knew who the young girl was, and it seemed he just found messing with an overtired Jade amusing. Robbie stifled a laugh to avoid any possible murder attempts.
"No," Beck sighed, lowering his voice as to not disturb the girl on his lap. "She's Jade's sister, and we had to bring her here until she can be picked up."
"You have a sister?" Tori asked, sitting forward in intrigue. Everyone knew the entire Vega family, and it surprised her that Jade's own siblings had never come up. She assumed that she was just an only child.
"It appears that way doesn't it?" Jade remarked sarcastically, earning a pointed look from Beck.
"And how long will-" Sikowitz paused.
"Robin," Beck filled in.
"Little Robin be joining us in the wonders of acting for?"
"Just until my brother can pick her up in like twenty minutes," Jade told him. "If that's okay," she added, quieter this time.
"You have a brother?" Tori gaped once more, and Jade felt a strong urge to slap her. She didn't, but only because the sound might wake up her sister. Rex made fun of her instead.
"Her brother's hot," Cat stage whispered to Tori, adding yet more tension to the room. The whole morning was a reminder of why exactly she never mentioned her family, aside from the overall drama in the West household.
"As long as the girl is quiet, she may stay here until the arrival of Jade's brother," Sikowitz said, giving a nod to Jade to show that he was sympathetic towards what was happening. "Now how about we let teacher talk."
By some miracle, Robin stayed asleep on Beck's lap, unbothered by Sikowitz's booming voice. Jade suspected it was because she didn't want to be around all the people, and she didn't blame her. Her whole big sister act was making people look at her with pity, and she'd prefer if instead the ground simply swallowed her whole.
When Tori and Andre were doing an improv bit on stage, Jade took it as an excuse to take out her phone and check her appearance. Yesterday's eyeliner had become today's smoky eye, and her hair gave the effect that she had been dragged through a bush backwards. Once Robin had been picked up, she would sneak into the costume department to redo her make up and borrow a hairbrush. But for now, she just used the hair tie on her wrist to pull her hair back into a high ponytail.
Beck noticed her checking herself out, and once her hair had been secured, he whispered "how do I look?" flashing her an obviously forced toothy grin.
"Never better, baby," she replied, punctuating her sarcasm with an exaggerated wink. "C'mere a sec," she whispered, softer this time. He leaned over, allowing her to fix his hair and rub away a little of her make up that must've smeared on him in the night.
He mouthed a thanks, a piece of chewing gum between his teeth, god knows his breath needed it. Jade held out her own hand for some, also feeling the need for mint. He pulled another stick from Andre's bag and unwrapped it for her, before moving right past her hand to pop it directly in her mouth. It was a sweet gesture, though one they both regretted when Robin began to stir. As if by luck alone, this was the moment there was a knock on the classroom door.
"Enter!" Sikowitz bellowed dramatically, and so Aiden did. He had a college student look about him, with ripped jeans and a form fitting NBA t-shirt, wrinkled by the long drive. His hair was a little longer than Jade remembered, and stubble had begun to litter his jaw.
"Thank fuck!" Jade exclaimed, redirecting the class from drawling over her brother for a second. If their teacher had planned on reprimanding her language, he stopped when he saw Beck clasp his hands over Robin's ears with a comedic gasp. She rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's theatrics, biting back a smirk.
"You must be Jade's brother," Tori practically swooned, and if Jade had had any breakfast, she would've puked it up. Poor Robin sat confused on Beck's lap, probably wondering where the hell she was and what was going on.
"I normally go by Aiden," he retorted easily, unfazed by her sultry tone. Jade relaxed in her seat, happy her brother wouldn't entertain Tori's advances.
"Ah, a comedian, must run in the family," Sikowitz snarked to Jade's dismay. "Now Aiden, I understand you're here to pick up a delivery." He nodded, as if only now remembering what had brought him to his sister's high school classroom at 7:30 in the morning.
Beck stood up, Robin on his hip, to hand her over her brother. Jade mumbled her goodbyes before her siblings left the room. It seemed as though maybe the class could return to normal, when the door swung open again.
'Wait, sis," Aiden called out, and she visibly cringed as she leaned her head over the back of her chair to see him, almost dropping her gum. She widened her eyes in a plea for him to leave. "House keys."
The keys were tossed, a tad more aggressively than necessary, before all who were not either student or faculty of Hollywood Arts had left the class. It was then the improv resumed, and Jade sat half watching with her arms crossed, back to wishing the ground would swallow her whole.
...
"He's so good with kids," Tori gushed as Jade took her spot at the lunch table after fixing her make up. She was trying to to decipher whether they were discussing her boyfriend or her brother, and so began the internal battle of deciding which was worse.
"Oh you should have seen him when Robin was a toddler," Cat added to the already traumatising conversation. And seen as though Beck was not looking after her sister when he was 13, that left the latter. Great.
"You guys should really stop, Jade looks like she's about to puke in all our lunches," Andre stepped in, and she shot him a thankful glance. Beck placed a reassuring hand on her thigh, and it was enough for her to actually be able to eat for the first time that day.
"I don't see what all the fuss is about anyway," Robbie gave his own two cents.
"Well you wouldn't, Aiden's a man," Cat dismissed, and Rex let out a 'ha!' Jade stopped paying attention after that, and instead read a text from the subject of her friends' pining.
—
MESSAGES
[two participants]
KANYE
in the house, Ro's napping, all is good
sorry for embarrassing you in class
WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST
they will not shut up about u
how long r u in town?? imma need more help
KANYE
well what can I say ;)
class doesn't start for 2 more days so ill leave Thursday when u finish school :(
but you got becky with the good hair
you'll survive
WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST
-_-
KANYE
I know our parents fucking suck, J
but you're doing great with Robin
I'm proud of u
WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST
stop I'm trying to eat
but thanks
I'll be home at 3ish
KANYE
see ya later sis
WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST
& change your profile picture
u look like a dickhead
KANYE
;)
—
Tori peered down to see who Jade was texting. "Is that a picture of Aiden at the beach?!"
"Jesus Christ, woman!"