Ch.8: Can We Rebuild Him? Will be delving into the aftermath of Jade's little poetry/kidnapping scheme. I will also be adding dates to new chapters so you can keep up with the timeline. As always I want to apologize for how crazy my publishing schedule is. With work and real life it's been hard to get any writing done. Thank You to my Liz, for always supporting me, making me laugh, and getting me through rough times. -ABEDFAN

[October 2nd, 2009.]

...One day after the Poetry fiasco.

I'm walking through the Hollywood Arts doors, just waiting for the day to be overp running out of that performance probably ruined any chance of seeing Rex again. Jade is a heartless monster, she probably torched him last night. Once I get to my locker, I put in my combo and open it.

"Holy shit, Rex!?" I say with a shocked smile on my face and a silent tear rolling down my face. After never thinking I'd see my best friend again, I was almost ready to give up on everything. The thoughts I had last night were to say the least, very frightening.

"So you just gonna stand there looking pathetic, or are you going to get me out of here?" Rex asked me and I shook my head, clearing my thoughts as I quickly pick him up. I adjust my backpack and close my locker as I start walking with him.

"Did she hurt you? are you okay? I'm so sorry I left you." I spew out in a rushed attempt to make sure that devil woman didn't scar him for life. Because if she did, I don't exactly know what I'd do, but it definitely wouldn't be inviting her to brunch. "Calm yo tits Rob, she through me a round a bit and said some nasty, nasty stuff to me, but I'm no bitch, I didn't say shit. I gave her the silent treatment the entire time." Rex reassured me. I had to admire his strength, he was always a rock ever since I got him when I was ten. No matter how bad things got, he helped me through it, even my sister for awhile until she got her new attitude and stopped liking him. "You actually survived Jade. . . Rex, I think you may have just earned legend status." I tell him with a smile and a look over at him. Honestly it may have only been a few months of all of us being here, but Jade already had a reputation of being the girl you don't fuck with. "Yeah, well it's always nice to finally be appreciated for the badass I am." Rex said smugly as he offered me a seldom given high-five which I happily obliged him in.

The only thing to do now was go to my first period, which just so happened to be with Jade in Creative Writing 101. I really was not looking forward to seeing her after letting her see me cry yesterday. But I wouldn't give her the satisfaction of talking about it, or even acknowledging her as a matter of fact. I was done with her, and her cruel games. It wasn't friendship, it was her making power plays to prove her dominance. As I walked into the room, I quickly moved to my seat, which sadly was right next to the scissor-crazed girl and I could feel her eyes on me as I sat down. "You got your little toy back, happy?" Jade asked me in a monotone voice. To which I just stared ahead at the front of the classroom. "I asked you a question, Shapiro." She stated through gritted teeth, obviously getting irritated at my ignoring her. I stayed plain faced and continued to say nothing to her. I guess Rex was amused by the look on her face because he started chuckling. "Ignored by a nerd, that's a real low-point for you creepy." Rex told Jade with a small chuckle. He always knew just how to get under her skin. "If that fucking puppet says one more thing to me before you do Shapiro, I really will destroy it." Jade says. I can see through my peripheral vision her fists are clenched, but I can aso tell her face isn't as naturally hard as it usually is, and for some reason her voice doesn't carry the same venomous impact that it normally does. I slowly turn my head, and with a soft smile I just look at the dragon girl. "You better get used to it, because I'm done with you Jade. I'm done with how you treat me, and everyone else." I tell her with the harshest tone I can muster. "I don't know why you do it, maybe you have trust issues and try to push people away, maybe it's all you know at home, or maybe you're just a bitch, but just because you hate yourself, doesn't give you the right to treat everyone else like shit." I tell her ending it in a more calm tone, and somehow that shuts her up. I can see her face soften ever so slightly and her gaze move downward for the briefest of moments before she returns her eyes to me, now with her signature cold stare. "Oh no, the loser Puppet boy is done with me, whatever will I do?" She remarks sarcastically, before facing back to the whiteboard.

...Later That Day

During the five minutes we get between classes I usually go to my locker to exchange textbooks and chat with Rex, but seeing Beck and Jade having a somewhat heated discussion quickly threw those plans out the window, so instead I was by Cat's locker as we discussed getting some veggie tacos after school,

"We should totally invite Jadey, Beck, and Andre, you know? Make it a group thing!" She said in her ever present cheerful tone.

To which I could only shake my head, "I..I don't really think that's a good idea Cat, Jade is kind of a…"

All of a sudden I felt my back hit the locker, and Rex falls to the floor as I see Cat looking at me with an expression I had never seen her make before.

"You better not finish that sentence!" Cat yells at me, covering my mouth with her hands

"Look Cat," I begin to explain once she lets me go " Jade and I are like oil and water," I shrug, "know what I mean?"

Cat steps back and looks thoughtful for a minute "So you guys make vinegar together?"

"What?" I say, momentarily confused. "No We don't mix "

Cat narrows her eyes at me "Well you better learn how to 'mix' with my best friend in the world, Robbie Shapiro."

That's when I realized what the look on her face was...disappointment. She walked away from me towards Beck and Jade, looking back at me and then towards the ground before greeting the two. My hands shake as I crouch down and pick up Rex, and he looks at me,

"Rob…" Rex starts to say, but I cut him off.

"Let's just go home Rex, I don't feel well today." And we leave Hollywood Arts, not knowing if it felt like the escape it used to anymore.