Jaded by Bright Colors and Faded Walls

Jade stood in the middle of the stage, her small form leaning forward, one hand holding the mic from her mouth the other one held out towards the screaming crowd. Her hair falling into her face while her large green eyes squeezed shut in attempt to hold the long note.

Jumping back her small, thin, yet long for her height legs helped her jump up and down as she sang, her hair flying around in a brown flurry as she bobbed her head. Her vocals dropped out and she pun around running around the stage getting the crowd to scream. She couldn’t and would stand still.

Sliding his hands into pockets William frowned, he’d never be that energetic on stage, he didn’t have the lung capacity he’d end up missing half the words in every song. Licking his lips he watched as she moved around, her hips and shoulders swaying to the music. Her lush lips form the words.

She ran off stage as the set ended, passing him quickly. She didn’t want to look at him at the moment, if she did, it would just come out right in front of everyone.

“Dude, you must have seriously messed up her drawing.” Doug stated passing William.

“Yeah.” Was all he managed to get out.

Jade left the venue, the cool night air prickling against her skin as she headed for the small area with shadowed over trees. Sitting down she watched the back door, picking at the hem of her shirt. She wasn’t sure what words to use.

Taking in a deep breath she lifted her hands and opened her mouth trying to practice.

“No.” She whispered shaking her head, those wouldn’t be the right words and she already knew it. “Oh.” Her mouth opened a small smile forming on her lips. “No.” He brows narrowed as she fought with herself, missing William was walking over.

Tucking her knees up to her chest she let out a deep groan while hiding her face in her knees and pulling at her hair. Why was it so difficult for her to figure out how to say it? They were only simple words; she was normally really good with words.

“You okay?” Squeaking her head shot up to William sitting down next to her slowly. “So… Um…” He licked his lips as his fingers pulled at the little bit of grass there was under them. “I don’t think it’s fair.” Jade’s brows narrowed at him. “That you tell me a secret with out me telling you one.” He smiled at her. She nodded lightly. “Do you want me to go first?” She nodded slowly, terrified of the words she lacked. She didn’t like not having the right words around him. “Okay.” He took a deep breath, sitting up right, staring straight ahead of him. “I’m not,” Glancing down at her he smiled as his shoulders relaxed. “I don’t know how to say this.” He whispered honestly. She nodded slowly, her fingers tapping on her knees nervously. “I,” Swallowing he licked his lips looked away. “This shouldn’t be this hard.” He scolded himself. Waving his hands in front on himself he closed his eyes taking another deep breath.

He paused as Jade lifted her hands from her knees putting them out like he had, imitating him. It didn’t look very calming, and it wasn’t. Laughing he watched try the move again.

“What’re you doing?” He laughed softly. Her green eyes flashed up to his face, his nerves came back with in milliseconds. She shrugged lightly.

“It… it looked like it calmed you down.” She whispered softly, stuttering out her to him. He smiled as her cheeks flushed.

“No, I was just hoping it would.” Groaning she threw her self back into the grass startling him. “Whoa, are you okay?” he asked leaning over her.

“I’m scared!” She gasped sitting up, scaring him again. She was so, random.

“Scared of what?” He asked softly, jaw tightening.

“That you won’t like, that… that you’ll… you’ll never wanna ta-talk to-to me uh-again.” She whispered softly, watching him.

“What’d you mean?” He asked softly. “Nothing you can say would ever make me stop talking to you.” It was true he’d prepared himself for the potential animal. She was busted out of jail, she was a cancer patient with so long to live, or that she had some other deadly disease. He was expecting just about everything under the from her lips.

“You’ll be a afraid of me like everyone else. That’s why we can’t tell people, that’s why I can’t tell people.” She sniffled. William wrapped his arms around her as a few tears glistened in her eyes.

“Jade… I’ve thought of all the reason why the guys are so protective of you, shield you so much from the world. Why you were shield ten fold before this. I just don’t know the truth. Jade I’m expecting something different, I’m not expecting the ‘my parents were controlling answer’.” He whispered down to her. “If that’s the secret you wanted to tell me.” He tacked on. Sniffling her hands found their way under her eyes as she tried not to cry. “But I said my secret first.” He whispered softly into her hair. Nodding slowly, Jade forced back her tears and fears for a few seconds to listen to him. “I really like you.” He whispered nervously.

“What?” She looked up at him. “Like…you’re heart beats funny, you can’t breathe right, like?” She asked softly. Nodding he leaned down his thin lips pressing to her full ones.

Jade’s eyes fluttered closed as she kissed back. Her first kiss.

Gasping she stood up. William blinked startled by the sudden distance.

“See.” She gasped, pointing at him as she paced. “You’ll hate me, you’ll run away!” She gasped, biting on her thumb nail. She stopped looking at her thumb and forcing it away, she only did that when hiding from him once he’d started drinking and had the bat. She hadn’t done it in years.

“I won’t.” William stated reaching up and grabbing her hand. “If you don’t want to tell me don’t. But I doubt it’ll matter, I like you,” He pointed at her, watching him.

“That’s just it!” She snapped ripping her hand away from his. “It’s what’s made me, me! It’s at the center of who I am! You think you like me, you think you know me and you don’t! You’re missing the piece that links everything together!” She cried. Standing he wrapped his arms around her, dropping to his knees with her.

“Then tell me.” He whispered to her. “I wanna know you.” He stated to her. She pulled away running her hands on her eyes as she sat in the grass, knees up to her chest. She looked so vulnerable to him. “Please.” He whispered, keeping his distance.

“Since I was eight,” She stated sniffling. “I live in the Julie Ann,” She licked her lips watching William’s face closely. “Insane Asylum.” She whispered softly. William sank into the grass.

He hadn’t been expecting that.

“But I’m not crazy.” She stated pointing at him as she watched him scared and startled features.

“Why were you there?” he asked softly. Licking her lips she dug the toes of her shoes into the ground.

“I… When I was eight,” she sniffled softly. “My dad tried to kill me,” William’s eyes bulged. “by bashing my head in with a baseball bat. Everyone said I’d never be normal, I’d always be eight and I’d have trouble learning.”

“That’s a lie.” Her eyes lifted to him as he reached out for her. “You’re the fastest learned I know.” He laughed smiling at her. She smiled back. “I’m surprised by your answer.” He licked his lips trying to find his words. “But it makes complete sense with how you act.”

“You can’t tell anyone I told you.” She whispered as he took her hand. Smiling he nodded.

“Never.” He laughed hugging her into his chest.

They sat there for a while. He just held her as she cried into his chest, trying to forget the past. Neither one of them cared that they were sitting under dark trees at the edge of parking lot in each others arms, but Dan did. He flipped when he finally found them. He didn’t understand why Jade was crying, she never cried.

“What’d you mean you don’t know either?” Dan gasped throwing his arms up at William’s lame answer.

“This is how I found her!” William gasped back. Dan’s brows narrowed at him. “I wanted to talk to her after the show, but I haven’t gotten out what I want.” He let Jade go as Oliver and Alicia took her form his arms heading to the van with the small crying woman.

“What’d you wanna talk to her about?” Dan asked softly. Rubbing the back of his neck William licked his lips nervously.

“That I really like her.” He whispered. He watched as Dan choked on air.

“You… you-what?” Dan gasped. William gave a small at his shoes. “You can’t.” His head snapped up at the dark, dry words leaving Dan’s lips.

“What-why?” William asked softly.

“You can’t. Stay the hell away from her.” Dan growled at him.

William sat there speechless as Dan walked off. His shoulders slumped while he fell back in the grass.

“Fuck!” He screamed, hands falling over his thin face.