It's been a lot longer than I wanted it to be...I'm pretty sure I say that Everytime, but this time couldn't be helped. Our internet access has been acting up for a while now, our modem kept shutting off and then we were disconnected for the longest time. But I have returned with this final chapter...

...With that being said, please, please don't hate me (I'm sure you will, but still I ask). Please?

It was cold for California, but it was September so maybe it could be expected, it had been raining non-stop for the past few days and it had really started to annoy Cat, even the bubbly girl had her limits.

She was rushing too, because she had slept too late. She figured that the storm from the previous night must have cut the power and shut her alarm off. Luckily she had a back-up that went off about ten minutes after the original (at 7:40) so she could still make it on time.

She had her shoes in her hand and was sitting on the edge of her bed ready to lean over and put them on. As she dropped them to the floor her phone began to ring. Quickly she picked up the small device and put it up to her ear, "hello?"

"Hey, Cat," Robbie answered back, "Andre just texted me, he's wondering where you're at? You weren't there to greet him like normal. You're not sick are you?"

Cat leaned back down, phone still pressed to her ear. She put on shoe on, "No, I guess the power went out last night…I woke up late."

"Oh, do you want me to run by an pick you up I'm heading to school now."

"No, it's okay." She told him, "my mother's letting me borrow her car."

"Okay." He sighed, "well, I'll see you first period?" He hinted at the question.

"Yeah, I should get there before then."

"Alright, well, I better scoodily-doo."

Cat's brow furrowed for a moment before she decided not to question it. "Okay, I'll see you."

Cat threw her phone to the side before she slipped on her other shoe. "Cat." Her mother's voice rang through as she knocked, "Jadelyn is on the phone." she motioned to the portable phone in her hand before she tossed it to Cat's waiting hands. She giggled as her mother left the room, "hiiiii."

Jade sighed before greeting her with a, "hey, I've been calling your cell like crazy."

"Sorry, I just got off the phone with Robbie."

"Ugh, why do you even talk to him?"

"I like Robbie, he's nice."

"Look," Jade said, "it's pouring down hard outside, I'm getting ready to leave my house. But I think I'm gonna be a little late. You let Sikowitz know for me?"

"Why didn't you ride with Beck?"

"I didn't think the storm was this bad…and he had to go into school early to work on this project thing with Sinjin." Cat could sense Jade's irritation. "I tried calling him to ask him to tell Sikowitz, but I think his phone's off or dead or something."

"Well, I'll let him know." Cat promised.

Jade hesitated a moment before she asked, "are you sure you'll make it in time? Do you want me to pick you up? We could just ride in together, give Andre the message."

Cat didn't understand why but this conversation seemed kind of familiar to her. "No, I'm okay. I've got plenty time to make it there. I'll be fine."

"Okay, Cat, just be careful and I'll catch you later." Jade said.

"You be safe too." Cat replied instantly before she and Jade said goodbye, Cat threw the phone on her bed and grabbed her cellphone before she took her backpack and made her way down the stairs. "I'm heading to school."

"Is Jade picking you up?" Her mother wondered.

"No, I'm driving…She just needed me to tell Sikowitz that she'd probably be a little late."

"Okay," her mother nodded, "did you bring the phone back down?"

Cat stared at her a moment before she shook her head, "I forgot."

"Cat, you know it needs to be charged."

"Gah! Fine, I'll go get it!"

"No, sweetie, you need to get to school."

Cat huffed in annoyance, "make up your mind, would ya!"

"School." Her mother pointed toward the door, "now…and be careful honey. The roads are pretty bad."

"I will." Cat nodded, giving her mom a quick hug.

The roads were worse than she thought they were going to be. She knew they were bad, it's not like she thought Jade and Robbie had been lying to her. But the rain was nothing like she thought it had been.

It was so bad that her wipers were turned on to their highest level. It took her ten minutes longer to get to school than it normally would have.

She was late. Only by a few minutes, but she was late.

When she reached Sikowitz's classroom she explained that Jade was going to be in late because she lived further away than Cat did. The teacher understood, and thankfully didn't mark her tardiness down, and said that Jade would easily be excused.

"Why didn't you answer your phone?" Cat whispered to Beck as she took a seat beside him.

His brow furrowed as he glanced her way. "What?"

"Jade said she tried to call you."

"No, she didn't." Beck shook his head, he reached in his back pocket for his cellphone, but came up empty handed. "Wait." Beck then proceeded to feel around his jeans and in his jean jacket before he looked to Cat, "I don't have my phone."

"She's on her way." Cat told him, "she called me."

"I can't believe I forgot my phone…Was she okay?"

Cat smiled, "yeah, she just said she was going to be a little late."

"All right, boys and girls…let's talk about Hollywood!" Sikowitz cheered. "Hollywood!…Holly-to-the-Wood!"

Andre chuckled, "and what about Holly-to-the-Wood are we actually discussing?"

Sikowitz turned to him, "Well, most of you people wish to be actors. Correct?"

"Uh, yes." Tori shrugged.

"And where is it that people who are actors…act?"

"Everywhere." Beck shrugged.

"Yeah, but where specifically?" Sikowitz asked.

"New York." Robbie said.

"New Zealand." Andre added.

"Broadway!" Cat cheered.

While Beck added, "Canada."

"California!" Tori stated, "our home state."

"Yes!" Sikowitz cried pointing to Tori, "you're so close you're almost there."

"Psst, Tori." Cat whispered, causing the girl to look to her, "I think he wants you to say Hollywood."

"Correct you are!" The teacher did a little jump, "Cat's right. Hollywood." The teacher took a sip from his coconut before he said, "anyway, as your Hollywood Arts teacher, I must inform you on how to properly prepare and audition for the roles that you hope to one day get. So-"

"Sikowitz, I'm sorry for the interruption but I've got some news." Lane said, stepping into the room. He didn't sound like his normal self and Andre, Beck, Robbie and Tori all seemed to notice this fact.

"Oh, no." Cat whispered, it finally hit her, why the conversation with Jade had been so familiar. It was similar to the one they had in her dream. The same dream where she had died in a car accident on a rainy day while she was on her way to school.

Sikowitz eyed the counselor a moment before he stepped from the stage and allowed Lane to take his place.

After the guidance counselor stepped up to the stage he cleared his throat, "I've just been informed some terrible news." He whispered. Scratching his head he sighed, "I uh...this morning driving to school, Jadelyn West swerved to miss a deep pot-hole in the middle of the road and she ended up hitting another car that had ran a stoplight." He examined the shocked faces of the students.

Cat was standing, "she's okay right?" Beck stood up with her.

Lane shook his head, "no, the car flipped twice, the police statement said she was killed instantly."

Beck collapsed into his chair, his head falling into his hands.

"Beck?" Tori asked, her voice cracking.

"Do her parents know?" Cat's voice was small. It was almost as if she hadn't said anything at all.

"I think the police are on their way now."

Cat fiercely shook her head, "no…it could've been someone else." She said quickly, her eyes searching the faces in the room. Everyone looked sad.

Cat didn't like sad. "Maybe-"

"Cat." Lane shook his head, "why don't you and Beck come to my office, huh? We can talk about it there."

"I don't want to go to your office." Beck stated, he lifted his head from his hands and stared at the counselor. "If I had just answered my phone."

"No, Beck don't do this to yourself." Andre shook his head, "you couldn't have known."

"I could have done something!" Beck bit back.

Cat was shaking, "but-"

"I forgot my phone." Beck said, "I never forget my phone."

"Dude, don't do this." Andre tried again.

"Yeah, its not your fault." Tori chimed in.

The voices became too much. Everyone was focused on Beck. Everyone wanted to console him, but he wasn't the only one hurting. Jade was Cat's best friend. Sure Beck loved her. But Cat did too. They were patting his back, trying to get him to calm down. No one cared that Cat was standing in the middle of the room with tears silently falling from her eyes as she shook uncontrollably. Finally she just let out a scream before running from the room.

Beck had followed, "Cat..." He started as he reached forward and tried to calm the girl down.

Cat slapped his hand away, "No!" She hollered, "don't touch me!" She shook her head trying to wrap her thoughts around the moment.

Jade had died.

She had really died.

Cat was pacing back in forth, she was shaking her head fiercely trying to wake herself, hoping and wishing it was just a dream.

I just had to be a dream. Her death was a dream. Jade's had to be also.

"Cat," Beck tried again.

She just looked at him, and he had never seen her so heartbroken. New tears kept brimming her eyes before following the ones that had fell before.

"She can't be dead." She whispered, "she can't be dead." It was like a broken record.

Tori, Andre, Robbie, Sinjin and Lane were all standing in the hallway now as Sikowitz stayed in the classroom with the rest of the class.

"She can't be dead!" Cat yelled, she pushed Beck back as the boy tried to step up to her once again.

"I understand your pain." Beck replied. "Okay…Cat-"

"You don't get it. I loved her." Cat admitted.

"So did I." Beck replied quickly. "Okay, Cat. I loved her too."

Cat watched him a moment before she shook her head, "no. Beck, I loved her. I was in love with her and now I'll never get the chance to tell her."

Beck's eyes danced around Cat's face a moment before he leaned against the row of lockers they were standing in front of. "Okay." He told her. "You were in love with her…what am I supposed to say to that Cat?"

Cat looked over to him, "I'm sorry."

"I loved her too." Beck told her, "I was in love with her too."

"I know." Cat whispered.

"Your confession changes nothing. She's gone."

"Beck, maybe you should-"

Beck's hand collided with a locker, "stay out of this Tori!"

Cat squealed sinking to the floor. "I can't-" She whispered, beginning to cry again. "It's all my fault." She whispered, "it's my fault."

Beck furrowed his eyebrows, moving away from the lockers he moved to sit beside her, "Cat, no...that's not...how can you say that?"

Cat looked at him, "she'd asked me if I wanted a ride." She shrugged, swallowing hard, "if I had just told her I did. She would've stopped at my house. And the person who hit her…it wouldn't have happened because she would've been at my house waiting for me." She glanced at Beck once more, "this is my fault. Her death is on me."

Beck shook his head, "Cat, stop," He whispered, "you can't do this, you can't blame yourself. It's not you fault!"

Cat pushed him away. "It wasn't supposed to end this way." She continued crying. "I was supposed to die not her." And no one else really understood what she was talking about. But Cat knew. And Jade had known.

"It should've been me."

Jade's funeral was two days later.

Everyone in the school attended.

Tori sang, Cat was too heartbroken to try.

Things were different since the funeral. They're little group had split apart. It was almost as if Jade had been some kind of glue that held them all together. Cat would still pass them in the hallways. Tori, Andre, Robbie and Beck. She'd send a small smile to Tori, maybe a wave to Andre and possibly exchange a few words with Robbie. With Beck there was nothing. Losing Jade and admitting her feelings to him had cut every tie. They were no longer friends. They didn't even acknowledge one another.

Andre and Tori still seemed to be the same, they were always chatting in the hallway. After a while their sadness seemed to fade and they were romantic once more. The lonely melodies Andre had been writing soon turned into instrumental masterpieces. Tori would sing with him as he wrote.

Robbie had a spout of anger after Jade had passed, but every angry word would be spat out through Rex. He'd spend some days staring at the locker beside his own and wonder why it had to happen the way it did. Until one day he made the scissor abused locker into a memorial and all his anger faded away.

Beck stopped showing up to school a few days every week. There were girls still crawling over him, but he was too heartbroken to pay them any mind. At least they had the decency to wait a few weeks after the tragedy to start obsessing once more. He didn't seem to be taking care of himself, he was in a downward spiral. He stopped dressing nicely, stopped fluffing his hair. He no longer turned in full assignments. And when anyone tried to help, he'd push them away. Cat was worried he'd be joining Jade soon.

As for her, Cat still went to bed at night hoping she'd wake up and see Jade West walking though the hallways at school again. Hoping to hear her complain about stupid homework assignments over the phone. Wishing for Jade to mock Tori at the lunch table.

Her sleep was still haunted by dreams, only now it was a whole other nightmare keeping her from rest. She no longer dreamt about confessions…now she was haunted by her love lying down, her eyes closed, never to be opened again. She'd see it over and over again, Jade's accident. She hadn't been there when it happened, but it didn't keep her from seeing it in her sleep.

She'd wasted so much time confessing her feelings to everyone else, she'd never gotten around to Jade.

But this time it wasn't a dream.

This time it really was something Jade would never know.

From the beginning I always knew someone was going to die in the end. For the longest time I had thought it was going to be Cat. Then I thought about the possibility of it being Jade and then there was a lot of contemplating. In the end I wrote it this way, I hope you don't hate me too much, but death had honestly always been the ending. As much I love Jade (which she's seriously my favorite) it felt right this way.

Thanks for reading this story, I appreciate it a lot.

Again, sorry if you don't like it.