**BACK AT BRIAN'S**
"I hate him!" Jade yelled. "It's like he wants me to, and if that's what he wants, he'll get it!"
"Sweetie," Nick's voice was soothing. "Calm down. He isn't trying to make you hate him, he's just-"
"Don't defend him, Nick." Her eyes were red and swollen and she felt like she had been slapped in the face. "He doesn't deserve that."
Nick stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her. When she didn't relax, he leaned down and whispered in her ear. "Jade, baby, calm down. Everything will be fine. I promise."
She could feel a fresh wave of tears coming just when she thought she couldn't cry any more. "This is all I seem to do lately, and I'm sick of it!" she said fiercely wiping her eyes.
As Brian walked through the door, he grinned at the sight before him. Staring at Nick in only boxers and Jade in nothing but a T-shirt standing very close, he couldn't help himself.
"Did I interrupt something here?" he was still grinning. His face quickly fell when Jade looked up at him with tear-stained cheeks. Her eyes were cold and angry looking.
"J, what is it? What happened?" he asked knowing he would be angry when she explained.
He sat down on the couch and pulled her into his arms, rubbing her hair and comforting her. "What happened?" he asked again. Why do I have a feeling that this is all my jackass cousin's fault?"
Jade sighed heavily and recounted the things that had happened just recently. She tried to keep from crying but just couldn't hold back tears as she went back through everything that was said.
Nick, who had gone to finish getting dressed, stood with his hands in his pockets. "I finally made him leave." He moved his right hand to the back of his neck and looked down. "I wanted to kick his ass."
Jade couldn't keep a small smile from playing on her lips as she listened to Nick. "Thank you," she replied, still sniffling.
He walked over and sat down beside her. "Kevin had no right to talk to you that way," he said, taking her hand. "I'm not gonna sit back while he talks to you like that."
"Jade," Brian spoke up. "Nick's right. You don't deserve to be treated like that."
"Thank you," she forced a tiny smile. "Y'all are sweet."
"No, we're just truthful and we care about you a lot," Brian said and Nick nodded in agreement.
**THAT AFTERNOON: EARLY**
Jade decided to finally go home, although she didn't really want to be alone. She had chores she could no longer put off, and she already knew the guys were busy.
She checked her messages. "You have seven new messages," the electronic voice said.
"Message 1: 9-28; 1:32 pm: Hi J, call me back. Bye." Meredith
"Message 2: 9-28; 1:57 pm: Hey sweetie, it's Mom, give me a call."
There were two more from Meredith and one more from her Mom. She had one call with no one talking; she could only hear a little noise in the background. She figured it was a wrong number. The last message pissed her off to no end.
"Message 7: 9-29; 12:04 pm: Jade, hi,*giggling*, just wondering if you had seen Kevvy, he forgot his wallet, and well, nevermind. I forgot you fucked your friendship up, he wouldn't have called you. Ciao!!"
"I hate her," Jade replied, aloud. "She's such an idiot." She hit the erase button for that message and went to call her mom and Meredith.
She called her mom first, explaining how she went out with Brian to lunch then stayed the night. No big deal. She called Meredith next.
"Hello?" a raspy voice answered.
"AJ? Is Meredith home?"
"Yeah, Jade, hang on a sec," she could hear him calling Meredith.
"Hello?" she finally answered.
"Hey girl. Whacha up to?"
"Watching T.V. with AJ. Where were you? I called twice yesterday and once this morning. Your mom even called to see if you had been by here," she explained, talking quickly. "You just did the whole disappearing act."
"I went to lunch with Brian yesterday."
"Yeah, AJ told me. I couldn't go because of work. I had a photo shoot at the last minute." Meredith was a model for Calvin Klein. "What about after that?"
"Oh, I took Brian and Nick home and ended up staying there. Nothing big," Jade sighed.
"What's wrong sweetie?" Meredith was concerned for her friend.
"Kevin," she stated quietly. "When I woke up this morning, Brian had gone somewhere and Nick got in the shower and Kevin came by." Jade closed her eyes as she remembered Kevin yelling.
"Sweetie, what did he do?" Meredith knew it wasn't good.
"He told me that I had no right to tell him I love him and all that wonderful Kevin crap. He told me that everything that was happening now was my fault."
"So, in other words, he was just being the dick that he is? He's a sexy dick, but hey." Meredith heard Jade laugh slightly. "What?" she tried to sound innocent. "You know I'm right."
"I know...he really is," Jade sighed, then cleared her throat. "Then Alexia called and left a bitchy message on my machine. The typical stuck up, stupid bitch deal, you know?"
"She's such a slut," Meredith said seriously. "She needs to just go back to her screwed up knock off Barbie life."
"Yeah, well, I have a feeling that Lexi isn't leaving for a while. Looks like she and Kevvy are getting along very nicely," Jade's voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"But I thought-"
"Yeah, me, too. Turns out Kevin is a little confused about the whole concept of a break-up!" Jade's voice was angry, but still sarcastic. "I know my Kevin would never lie."
"I know this must be really hard," Meredith sighed. "If he's not careful, he'll realize that he lost you when it's too late."
"Thanks," Jade was near tears again. "I'm gonna go. My house won't clean itself, no matter how much I hope," she stated unenthusiastically. "I'll call you later."
"Okay girl. J, if you need anything, let me know. Okay?"
"Sure thing. See ya later Meredith."
"Bye."
Jade just wanted to forget the entire morning, and that's exactly what she intended to do. For a little while at least.
**KEVIN'S HOUSE**
"Jade is not going to fuck with my life and get away with it!" Alexia screamed. She picked up a picture of Jade and Kevin locked in no more than a friendly embrace and hurled it at the wall with a yell.
"That little whore won't know what hit her. I'm gonna put an end to her in Kevin's life once and for all."
Alexia took a breath and decided that she needed to start working immediatley if she wanted Jade gone.