Episode Nine: The Thin Lines
Wow. Um, so…me and Spiederman. Never thought it would happen. Well…maybe…but, it's still gonna take some getting used to. Me and Spied. Heh, it's kinda catchy actually.
Okay, so, love-sick schoolgirl moment aside, lemme tell you something. Me and Spied? We're uh…we're not exactly the best at this kinda stuff…like, at all. And oh, it shows. We used to fight all the time, sure, chemistry or whatever. But now? Now, if we say something we don't mean, it hurts a lot more.
Oh, and on another note, remind me to tell Tommy to leave my sister and her boyfriend the hell alone from now on, because it's REALLY annoying!!
-- Jude.
-x-x-x-x-
Thursday, June 12th
"Didja hear?" Jude asks as she walks into class, leaning over to be at eye-level with Spiederman, who is already in his seat. She grins, sitting in the seat in front of him.
"You're dating the hottest guitarist on earth?" he smirks, leaning forward in his seat as she half-turns to face him, leaning on the back of her chair.
"Maybe," she grins teasingly. "And both me and Sadie got nominated for People's Picks at the music awards next week.
"They made an announcement, congrats," he states, doodling on his notebook.
"So how many times you gonna vote for me?"
"Well, you do know I founded Mira's fanclub," he chuckles, looking up at her and speaking about one of the other nominees. He bites his lip teasingly as she turns around, a sort of pout already forming on her face.
"Man, promise you hate her," the blonde mutters.
"How are you gonna win Miss Congeniality with an attitude like that?"
She crosses her arms against her chest, trying not to get mad at him. Then, she changes the subject to a degree, whirling around. "Maybe I need a makeover. Because Sadie's got some…nervous-making plan for my hair!"
"Hair is important," Spiederman exclaims sarcastically, nearly rolling his eyes. "I mean, there's a whole sub-genre of 80's rock devoted to it."
"Spied…," she groans, turning back around bitterly. "Enough."
"I call 'em like I see 'em, dude," he shrugs, doodling again. "Have you seen how glossy Mira's hair is?"
"I need support here!" she hisses, turning around again with an exasperated sigh. "And my name is Jude, not dude!"
Spied's teasing smirk falls as she whirls back around, crossing her arms in anger.
-x-x-x-x-
"Whatcha doing?" Sadie asks as she walks into Jamie's A&R rep office at G-Major that afternoon. Her boyfriend sits at his computer, typing away with his face practically glued to the screen.
"Signing up for my fifth email account," he states, never taking his eyes off the screen.
"Why?" she inquires, walking up behind him and wrapping her arms around his neck, resting her head on his.
"So I can vote for you and Jude again," he replies, and she notices Jamie is on the Music Awards site in the second web browser, at the page to vote for People's Picks.
"Aww, you I love but there's no way we're winning anything," she grins, kissing him on the cheek.
"Pfft, please," he laughs.
"Here, look," she states, leaning over and taking control of the keyboard. She opens another web browser and goes to the chat forums of the Music Awards. "This is me and Jude's favorite chat thread; 'Why the Harrison twins suck'."
"It's probably got zero responses," Jamie tells his girlfriend.
"Close," she jokes. "Two hundred and eighty-three, actually."
"What…?"
"Okay…'Jude is getting way fat'…or, oh, 'I hate the blonde," Sadie reads, finding it amusing. "Sadie's head is disproportionate to her body."
"It actually says 'dyspripurshinite'," Jamie points out the horrible spelling, pronouncing it like it's written. "If…spelling counts."
"Yeah…the…y-yeah…that makes me feel way better," Sadie complains.
"Okay, how about this?" Jamie grins, taking the keyboard back and changing the address in the web browser. He brings up the vote count for the Peeps Picks award, and Sadie's eyes widen when she sees where she and her sister are.
Mira
540, 295
Jude Harrison
370, 528
Sadie Harrison
370, 119-oh, 120
Naomi Caprealla
329, 772
"What?" she frowns, wide-eyed. "People are actually voting for me and Jude?"
"Yeah, the bootlegs we put up last week are top downloads," Jamie adds. "They love you girls. You're way more than the…size of your head."
"Which is good, because apparently, it's way too small," Sadie states, and his goofy grin brings a smile to her own lips.
-x-x-x-x-
Ding dong! Ding dong!
Jude pushes her computer chair back and it wheels across the floor. It speeds towards the hallway, and she turns it so that when it hits the little bump to go up to the wooden floor of the hall, and it ejects her, she lands on her feet and heads straight for the door.
She's met with birds chirping, a slight breeze…and Spiederman.
Spiederman…with a rose? A red rose in his hands, he looks quite apologetic.
"I like your image," he states.
"No being cute when I'm still mad at you," she replies, sighing and crossing her arms, a defiant smile showing on her face.
He cocks his head to the side a little, a mix between a smirk and a smile splayed across his lips. "Do you wanna come out dude—I mean, Jude?" he grins, holding the red rose towards her.
She stares down at it, the meanings of a red rose dancing through her mind. I love you. A red rose means 'I love you'…
"Ok, too cute," she gives in, grinning as she takes the rose from him, smelling it. A happy smile slides into place with Spiederman as he takes a deep breath, happy he fixed things. "Lemme grab my sweater."
She turns to get it, and he places his hands in his back pockets, triumphant.
-x-x-x-x-
"You are so dead!"
"No way, I'm like miles ahead!"
"That was so your fault!"
"Was not!"
"Was too!"
"Was not!"
"Fine, but you're still cheating."
"How?"
"Ahem," Sadie stares pointedly at the fact that he's got one hand on his PS2 controller, and the other is slowly snaking towards her sides to tickle her.
"How did that get there?" he jokes, staring at his hand. "Tsk. Tsk. Bad hand."
"Bad Jamie," Sadie shakes her head, before the game announces the end of a race and that Player One is the winner. "Ha!"
"What? How did…," he trails off, realizing he looked to joke about tickling her, but she'd still been playing. "And I'm the cheater?"
"Huh, a breakup song would balance out what we've got on the album so far," a voice muses, and the two teens turn to see Tommy Quincy standing in the doorway of Jamie's A&R rep office, arms crossed, sending them a stern gaze.
"That was mean," Sadie points out, while Jamie shuts off the PS2 and looks to the producer.
"Can I help you?"
"Yeah, I'd like my singer back, please and thank you," he states. "She'd be a lot more productive in the studio than playing video games with someone who should be working, don't you think?"
"Afternoon off, Liam went home sick," Jamie bites back, smirking.
"C'mon, Sadie," Tommy says, turning around and walking out. "Studio Three."
"Lord Squinty Frown just loves killing my Sadie time, doesn't he?" Jamie exclaims, and Sadie giggles, leaning over to kiss him.
"I'm sorry," she apologizes, standing up. "Also, don't call him that!"
"Spied does," Jamie shrugs. "And Jude sometimes too."
"Yeah, but they're weird," she grins. "And they don't like him."
And with that, she walks out, giving him a little wave. He watches her disappear into studio three down the hall, where Tommy stands in the doorway, sending him a blank look before closing the door.
"Neither do I…," Jamie sighs, turning the PS2 back on and starting a single race.
-x-x-x-x-
As Jude and Spiederman walk down the path in the community park, he takes two bandanas out of his pocket. They stop beside a fountain, and he holds the red fabric up in the air in front of her.
She looks around the fountain and sees a beautifully sunny park, with a young boy running around flying a red kite. She grins, sighing in content as she takes the red bandana from him. "Another surprise?"
She goes to wrap it around her eyes and tie it at the back, and he gives her a funny look, chuckling. "Dude, back pocket," he tells her, patting her butt pocket as he heads towards the steps leading to the green area.
She stares past him, lowering the bandana, and spots her brother and Wally a little ways off, blue bandanas tucked into their back pockets. Kyle calls to Wally, and then tosses him the football.
She sends Spiederman and incredulous look and he pauses halfway down the steps, laughing. "You forget how to play touch? Already?" he chuckles, knowing they played it often while on their last tour.
"Football?" Jude cries, her voice a bit squeakier then she intended. She takes a few steps downwards, but remains higher than him, hands on her hips.
"Yeah…," he nods, not seeing the problem. "Same rules as on tour."
"I thought we were on a date?" she says, hoping that her disappointment shows through at least a little.
"Yeah!" he laughs, shrugging. "That's why you're on my team and not Kyle's this time around."
Wally runs up and passes Jude the football, which she catches easily in the hands already holding the red bandana. "Remember," he grins. "Spied hates losing."
And then, her world spins as she's rammed into by her brother, who knocks her off her feet and into the grass, effectively taking her down and creating a massive grass stain on the left side of her jeans at the same time.
Wally and Spied laugh, and Kyle gives his sister an apologetic look. "Sorry."