Sure, the entire school heard about the spectacular fight between Jade West and Beck Oliver. It was done out in the front parking lot and only ended when Jade agreed to get into his rusty truck to settle their issues somewhere else. Before the terrible break up this had been so common. Jade screaming at Beck as he froze her out until he finally broke down into rage. Now, there were new things at risk.

Ryder and Jade's budding relationship, for one thing, was so delicate and new the entire school couldn't help but wonder what this fight would mean for it. How long would it take for Beck to take Jade back, how long would it take for Ryder to take off?

Jade West herself had changed since the break up and no one could really tell if they wanted her to revert back. This Jade was just as angry and spiteful, but she was almost more open in an odd way. Her coldness was clipped with openness that hadn't existed before Beck broke her heart.

.

The next day at lunch everyone is watching.

Jade sits next to Ryder at her old table with the entire group of friends that had for the most part broken up themselves. They're oddly seated together for whatever reason, and Ryder and Beck can barely tear themselves away from their glaring contest.

"So, I was thinking about going to Karaoke with some girls from my song class after school," Cat began in her airy voice. She's giving the entire group a blissful little smile. "This new place opened up downtown, and they serve ice cream and bubble tea!"

"Sounds great, Cat." Tori said passively. "Who are all these girls that you're hanging out with now?"

The red head starts talking with giddiness while Robbie leaves to grab two drinks from the food truck. Jade hates how Tori is already tuning Cat out.

"Maybe we should come up with a song to perform for the big dance this weekend," Tori says talking over Cat. Andre has his phone and is texting fourteen other different people including his pen pal from Europe.

"Maybe." He grunted before taking a sip of his lemonade.

They sit in silence for a few moments before Ryder turned to Jade. "Why the fuck are you wearing sunglasses? It was raining this morning."

Something in Beck's jaw clenches.

.

Jade is walking away from her locker with her head bent and her copy of Shakespearian History clutched to her chest. She makes it about ten feet away when Ryder grabs her by the arm and hauls her off to the janitor closet. "Get off of me!" She shouts in his ear and he winces. "I swear to God you have exactly five seconds to get your filthy hand off of me."

He flings the door open and forces her into the closet before slamming the door shut again loudly. "You look ridiculous wearing those glasses."

"You look like you have a death wish you freak."

Ryder rolled his eyes. "Listen, I saw you leave school with him last night to talk. Today those have been glued to your face and I'm actually not that stupid."

"Debatable."

"Whatever." He stops her when she tries to push by him. "Take them off now."

"How about no?"

Jade nearly gouges his eyes out as he wrestles with her in the enclosed space for the sun glasses. They nearly break when he rips them off her face and suddenly the fight is drained out of her. "Holy fuck, did Oliver do this?"

The black eye is only slightly noticeable from her efforts with makeup. However, it exists all the same. "What do you care?" She demands and steps back away from him. "Don't touch me."

Ryder ignores her and starts to peel away her dark sweater that looks suspiciously like his. There is an angry bruise on her wrist and one just below her right shoulder. "I'm going to pound his face in, I swear to God."

"Relax, dude."

"Don't tell me to relax."

"It was an accident,"

"No. Me forgetting to text you when you got home was an accident, this is the opposite."

.

They're lying in his bedroom in a tangle of sheets and intertwined limbs. She's always been cool to touch so he can't help but pile on the blankets whenever he has the chance. "What happened?" Ryder finally asks.

Jade had washed off the make up when they made it to his house. The bruise on her face looks so much more violent when it's not hidden under layers of concealer. "He wanted to talk."

"What did he say?"

"That he missed me. That he was sorry. Common bullshit."

Ryder hates how it's like prying answers from her. "What did you tell him?"

There's a long pause before she bothers to reply. "That I was happier now."

.

Beck comes to school a mess. His face is swollen and bruised and he walks stiffly. "Your home boy do this?" Andre asked, pausing by Jade as she drinks coffee by her locker.

"Just a little."

.

"Don't fucking touch my girl again, Oliver."

.

"I love you, you fucking moron."

"I love you, West."