(written by Lacy) "Is she okay?" Howie asked when he looked over and saw Jess' pale sweaty face. "Jess?" Brian said, gently shaking her awake. "Jess, Honey, we're almost there," he said. "Whah-huh?" she mumbled, shooting up in her seat and looking around with wide eyes. "We're almost there," Brian said again, giving her a worried look. "Almost there?" she asked, jumping when Brian put his arm around her. "Hey, what's wrong Honey? Did you have a bad dream?" Brian asked, pulling her against him and kissing her forehead. "A bad dream... yeah, a bad dream," she muttered, biting her thumb.
What is going on with me? I swear, I've had more bad dreams lately than I think I ever had in my entire life, she thought to herself, sighing.
As they pulled into Jade and Jess's driveway, the limo driver yelled, "Hey! Be careful!" from the frontseat as Kevin opened his door and jumped out before the car even came to a complete stop. "What happened, anyway, Nick?" AJ asked as they all got out of the car and followed Kevin to the front door. "Some guy tried to get Jade to leave with him against her will because he thought she was a... a hooker, and Kevin and I walked up just in time to catch the guy in the act and Kevin lost his temper when the guy twisted Jade's arm and so he pounced on the guy," Nick said, sighing and running his hand through is hair. "So why would Jade leave?" Howie asked. "Jess, do you have the keys?" Kevin asked, running back to them. "Yeah, here," she said, digging in her purse to find them and throwing them to Kevin. "I don't exactly know why she left," Nick continued; "She was saying something about knowing what Kevin really wanted her for, or something... and then she just left."
"And you just let her leave?" Jess asked, giving him an angry glance. "No! I tried to follow her, but by the time I got outside she had already hailed a cab and was halfway down the street," Nick said. "Where the Hell was Kevin?" Jess asked. "I don't know. He ran off ahead of me," Nick replied. "Which damn key is it?" Kevin yelled as the others reached the porch to find him standing at the door trying to figure out which key fit the hole. "Here, let me do it," Jess said, grabbing the keys from him. Five seconds later the door swung open and Kevin dove into the house and headed straight for the back door. Jess, having a feeling Jade wasn't going to be in the hammock, turned on the hallway light and headed upstairs.
Opening her bedroom door, she saw the figure of someone on her balcony and shivered as the memory of her earlier dream came flooding back to her. "Jade?" Jess called, walking slowly to the opened sliding glass door. "It's me," Jade's voice called back. "Can you do me a huge favor and please come in here?" Jess asked, glancing at the bolts that connected the balcony to the side of the house. When she didn't get an answer, Jess looked back to see that Jade hadn't moved. "Jade, please!" Jess yelled, taking a step closer to the doorway. "Have you ever tried to count the stars?" Jade asked, craning her neck up to the sky. "You can get a better view of them from the hammock. Come on, let's go count them," Jess said, trying any way possible to get Jade inside the house. "So far I've only counted 5,970. I thought there'd be more than that," Jade said, still looking up at the sky. "Jade...," Jess trailed off, tears falling down her face. "What's wrong?" Jade asked, turning around and finally looking at Jess, who still stood just inside the room. "Nothing, I just want you to come in here," Jess said, wiping her wet cheeks with the back of her hand.
"Okay... since it's that important to you," Jade said, stepping into the room. Jess immediantely ran behind her and shut the sliding glass doors that seperated her room from the balcony. "What's wrong, Jess?" Jade asked when she unexpectedly received a hug from her crying best friend. "You! Why can't you just listen to me for once?! You could have gotten yourself killed!" Jess yelled, pulling away from Jade. "What?" Jade asked, a look of pure confusion crossing her face. Jess sat down on her bed and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry Jade, I didn't mean to yell at you. I just... I had this dream in the limo on the way home... it was horrible," Jess said, looking up to see Jade sitting down beside her. "Did everyone else come, too?" Jade asked. "Yeah... they're outside, I think they think you're on the hammock," Jess said. "Usually, they would be right. I don't know why, but something drew me out to your balcony tonight. I was downstairs in the hammock when I first got here, but then I came up here," Jade said.
Both of their heads immediantely turned towards the door as they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Jade gave Jess an apprehensive look and Jess said, "Don't worry, I locked the door." Jade gave a thankful sigh and closed her eyes while leaning back against the headboard. "Jess? Please tell me Jade's in there with you," came Brian's voice from the other side of the door. "We're both here, Brian. We're okay," Jess said, smiling at Jade. "Thank God! Kevin's having a heart attack downstairs," Brian said. Jess looked out from the corner of her eye and caught Jade rolling her eyes. "Tell him she's fine," Jess said. "I don't think that will calm him down any, but I'll do my best. I love you," Brian said. "Love you, too," Jess called back, smiling. She turned back to Jade when she heard his footsteps retreating back down the stairs.
"Jade, what happened tonight?" Jess asked, leaning against the headboard with her best friend. "I mean, Nick told me what happened at the club, but why did you leave?" she asked. Jade opened her eyes and turned onto her side so she was facing Jess. "I really liked him, Jess. And I though he like me, too. But I was wrong... just like usual, Jade's boyfriend only wants one thing," Jade said, twisting the corner of Jess's comforter around her finger. "Jade, he's not like the others. You have to give him a chance," Jess said, knowing that Jade was afraid to get involved with someone again. "You didn't see his face, Jess. You didn't see it. You were right, I should of never wore that dress," Jade said. "Jade, he loves you," Jess said.
"He loves my body, Jess. He doesn't even know me," Jade said, staring at the wall just above Jess' head. "Maybe I'll devote the rest of my life to sitting on the couch eating Bon-Bons and watching Soap Operas," Jade said. Jess laughed. "What would that accomplish?" Jess asked. "I dunno... maybe I'd finally find a guy who loved me for me and not my body," Jade said. "Well you can do that with the internet, my dear," Jess said, making Jade laugh.
"What were you saying about a dream a few minutes ago?" Jade asked, and Jess told her about the nightmare she had had in the limo on the way home from the dance club. "Wow... that's pretty intense, Jess. But why would I try to kill myself from jumping off of your balcony? It's only 35 feet off the ground, at the most I'd get a sprained ankle," Jade joked, receiving an elbow in her side from Jess. "Don't joke like that, Jade. It scared the shit out of me. You have no idea how real it seemed," Jess said. "I know, I'm sorry. I'm gonna go to bed now," Jade said, sitting up and stretching. "What about your fans waiting for you downstairs?" Jess asked.
Jade stopped at the door and turned around. "Tell Brian, Howie and AJ I'm sorry they had to leave the club early because of me," she said, turning the doorhandle. "What about Nick and Kevin?" Jess asked, stressing Kevin's name. Jade stepped into the hallway and stood there for a few seconds with her back to Jess. "Tell them I fell off the balcony," she said, closing the door behind her.
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