It had been different since the break-up. Different since they stood on either side of the door, parting ways with what seemed like too much finality to not be taken seriously. For the most part, Jade had just tried to keep her head down since and not let the feelings in. In truth, she hadn't felt a whole lot since the initial devastation set in. There was a numbness that seemed to shroud most of her thoughts, with precious little to distract her. Still, it was easy to play off with her personality and no one bothered too much with questioning her further. She knew the students at Hollywood Arts had all assumed it was only a matter of time until they split from the day they began dating. She had tried to take comfort in the fact they made it longer than anyone said but, really there was no comfort to be taken from the loss of the most meaningful relationship she'd had.

'Everyone leaves in the end' she thought bitterly as she drove up the expansive drive of her Mother's house. Her parents had divorced when she was nine, but after years of arguments and tears the damage to the relationships between Jade and both her parents had been irreparably damaged. Beck had been something good to hold onto, a warm light in her life, as cliché as she was aware that sounded. Now she returned each day to an empty house, with an absentee mother and a lack of warmth within the marble walls.

Jade tossed her keys in a bowl by the front door, drifting through the foyer and up the stairs; too exhausted to bother thinking about food. She opened the door to her bedroom, making a beeline for her bed while pulling out her phone.

No new messages.

It wasn't that she was expecting a message off of anyone, but she frowned none the less. No one seemed to message her anymore. Of course, Beck always used to be the person who messaged her the most, but Cat used to pop up often and even Andre. Robbie had always been too scared, and she'd blocked Tori's number a long time ago. Even though Tori had nothing to do with the break-up, Jade struggled to reconcile her feelings surrounding the girl.

She was the antithesis of Jade, and from her first appearance at Hollywood Arts, Jade had felt threatened. More than that, she had felt jealous. Tori was the type of girl that a boy like Beck was supposed to go out with. She was the girl-next-door, childhood sweetheart type that got the guy at the end of the movie. The picket fence in suburbia, the two children and the Labrador. It wasn't that Jade particularly wanted all of that, but she did want Beck and since Tori's arrival she felt like he was slipping away from her. Jade wasn't blind to the fact Beck used to make her jealous on purpose, but somewhere along the line it had gone from playful to hurtful. The fights had become worse and the writing appeared upon the wall.

It hadn't helped that despite Tori's nice girl attitude, she could be genuinely thoughtless which no one else seemed to care about. Jade had assumed that after the debacle with Cat's boyfriend, their friends might understand why she was so concerned about Tori making a play for Beck. No such luck. In truth she didn't put the whole thing on Tori, she was fearful that Beck would realise that there were other options. Easier options. Easier, more attractive options with much less baggage.

Still, her relationship with Tori was no longer outright enemies but it was far from Jade being comfortable around her. Ever since she could remember, Jade had been fiercely protective of her feelings.

'The more you share, the more you've got to lose' Jade shook her head, reaching around her neck without noticing until her fingers failed to find what they were looking for.

There it was again. A pain deep in her gut, reminding her why she no longer wore a necklace around her neck. Jade tugged her cardigan around her, pulling her knees up as she tossed her phone aside. She let out a small breath, trying to find the energy start on her homework. She stared at her bag which had been abandoned in the doorway.

'I just don't care right now' she thought, aggravated. Absentmindedly picking at loose threads on her sleeve, she let her eyelids start to droop. Sleep didn't seem to come easily to her anymore, likely due to the loss of the other person who would inhabit her bed almost every night. Deciding that if she was tired enough to sleep, she should take advantage of it, Jade let herself drift off. She didn't hear the distant hum of a car pulling up the drive.

Beck sat on his couch and sighed, his finger hovering over the send button on his phone. For what must have been the 7th time he deleted the message and let his phone drop onto the cushion. Running his hand through his hair he wondered yet again how he had ended up in this situation. He should be glad that he was free of a controlling girlfriend, or so the populace at Hollywood Arts seemed to think, even his closest friends. Beck supposed he was missing the familiarity as Jade had been so engrained in every aspect of his life that there was no escaping her absence.

He was pulled from his thoughts by the chiming of his phone. He took a quick intake of breath before remembering he never actually sent the message to Jade. It turned out to be a message from Andre, inviting the group to Karaoke Dokie. Beck paused for a second, not really in the mood for socialising but neither was he feeling great about sitting around moping. Replying quickly, he picked up his jacket without much though and was almost out the door before he came to a sudden stop.

Sandalwood. He could smell sandalwood.

More specifically, he could smell sandalwood with a hint of vanilla or rather he could smell Jade. He looked at the jacket, this time recognising as the one that Jade had worn so many times, he used to joke it was practically hers. He felt a clench deep in his gut. He held the jacket tighter for a second and was overcome with the urge to sniff it more directly. With great strength he ignored it, putting the jacket back onto the end of the bed and picking up his usual jacket. Refusing to look back over his shoulder, he left the RV wondering if he'd ever be able to wear that jacket again.

Jade had been in a somewhat uneasy sleep when she suddenly found her eyes snapping open. Momentarily confused, she sat up blinking as she focused in on the noises that had woken her. A clattering downstairs and then a microwave ping. Her mother was home.

A small frown appeared on Jade's face. It was unlike her mother to be home this early, or even to be home at all. Generally, their relationship was limited to text messages and the occasional conversation in passing about credit cards and if her mother was off on an extended work trip. With a high paying job in finance, Jade was used to barely seeing her mother. In truth, she preferred it that way as the relationship was fraught. Jade's mother disapproved of her fascination with the arts and her macabre aesthetic. Jade disapproved of her mother's 'extra-curricular' activities. It had taken Jade a long time to realise that her mother's erratic behaviour was rooted in the fact she was a habitual drug user. The one time she'd confronted her over it, her mother had blamed both her and her job. The only saving grace was that her rare appearances at home meant Jade didn't have to deal with it.

Jade picked up her phone, still no new messages.

'Better bite the bullet and see what's going on' she thought bitterly as she began to make her way downstairs.

Beck walked through the door at Karaoke Dokie, taking a moment before he spotted his friends.

"Hey man" Andre greeted as Beck approached the table

"Hey" he replied as he took a seat next to Cat. "What's the plan?"

He looked around at the usual gang. Andre chilled and relaxed, Tori with a permanent grin, Robbie who appeared to be having an intense albeit quiet argument with Rex and Cat who was predictably vacant. There was only one noticeable absence.

"Well we were just waiting for you to get here and then we were gonna get some food ordered" Tori smiled "Andre said the buffalo nuggets are to die for!"

"Shouldn't we wait for Jade?" Beck questioned.

Tori's wide smile faltered for a split second and a definite feel of awkwardness descended upon the table.

"Well" she started "we, we just thought it would be easier" she trailed off meeting Beck's unblinking stare. Tori's eyes darted towards Andre who took the cue.

"Honestly man, we just thought it would be less awkward for you if we didn't invite her"

Beck frowned at this.

"We just wanted you to be able to relax" Tori interjected, reaching across to lay a hand on Becks arm in what he assumed she thought was a sympathetic gesture.

"Don't you think that's a bit harsh? Leaving her out?" Beck wasn't sure how he was feeling about his ex-girlfriend, but this didn't seem fair. For all Jade's harsh remarks and exterior she was friends with Cat and at least friendly with Andre and Robbie.

"Well it's not like she was ever that big on socialising with us to start with" Tori pointed out. Beck frowned at this too. Jade turned up at group gatherings more often than not, at least while they were going out.

"It's not fun to be left out of things" Cat had momentarily checked back into the conversation and for once Beck was glad. "My brother throws things if we leave him out"

"We'll invite her to something too" Tori switched tracks "But let's just have some fun this evening" The smile was back and pleading. Beck shrugged glancing at Cat who had checked back out and was now combing her hair with a fork.

"Soooo" Andre began, attempting to lift the atmosphere that had settled over the table. "Anyone seen the new James Bond movie?"

As Tori responded, Beck zoned out. He couldn't make sense of his feelings surrounding the whole situation. He had wanted space from Jade, he'd decided not to follow her out of the house and yet he wasn't feeling any sense of relief or freedom. On the contrary, in the month since he had felt quite detached from things going on around him. It wasn't all the time, but it was often enough that he noticed. He gave himself a mental shake and tried to focus on the conversation – currently Rex teasing Robbie for crying at Judi Dench's 'M' dying in the film – these were his friends. He shouldn't need Jade to have a good time.

A/N - Hi all, I'm just getting back into fanfiction writing after a very long break - used to use a different username but can't access the account any longer. Anyway, hope you've enjoyed this chapter - let me know if the layout works swapping between Jade and Beck. I'm planning this as a multi-chapter but any feedback would be great!