From GuitarGuy92 to xoJadeBabyxo

“I still can’t believe Nick showed up at your house during break. And with his family in tow nonetheless!”

I couldn’t help the way my lips twitched in a tiny smile at Charlie’s words. The second week of Spring Break had passed by with no more surprise visits, but that one left a permanent imprint on me. Charlie had called me non-stop, hoping to get some information out of me, but I had refrained from telling her anything, waiting to tell her everything in person—and she had demanded every single detail. I had delayed this conversation for as long as I could, but Charlie just couldn’t wait a second longer. So she cornered me at my favorite quad—a smaller one that was usually less crowded than all the main ones—and had demanded I tell her everything.

And I had. I told her about the afternoon we shared when they first got there, the sailing trip and my conversation with Frankie, the fiasco at dinner, then the second conversation I had with Frankie, the few hours we spent in my den watching TV before they went back to their hotel for the night, and finally their stop to tell me and my grandparents good-bye the following morning. But I had refrained from telling her the most important thing that happened during their visit.

During that last conversation with Frankie, I couldn’t help but think that maybe Charlie had been right all along—maybe it was best if I just told Nick the truth, got it all out there. I mean, everyone had their own fears when it came to relationships, and I figured if Frankie was right and Nick did like me—something I still wasn’t too sure about—it would be better if this weren’t hanging over our heads. It would be better if that information was all out there. I would deal with the consequences of whatever happened.

“What are you thinking?” Charlie asked. I had momentarily forgotten that she was still there as I once again thought about telling Nick the truth. No doubt she understood my silence and contemplative features.

I bit my bottom lip for another second before releasing it from my teeth and turning to look at her. “I’m thinking I’m gonna tell him the truth,” I said tentatively, knowing she was going to approve of this decision.

It was so obvious she did. Her lips instantly stretched in a smile. “Oh you are? That’s great Legs! You should have told him from the beginning.”

I grimaced slightly at how enthusiastic she was being. I couldn’t share her excitement knowing that this decision might make things harder. “I’m not exactly sure everything is gonna work out perfectly though,” I told her.

Her smile instantly faded. “Why do you say that?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

“Because I know too much about Nick, Charlie. I know how he hates being lied to, taken advantage of. How do you think he’s going to react when he finds out that not only was I JadeBaby, but that I hid it from him all those weeks he spent torturing himself, looking for her, for me! I can’t imagine he’s going to overlook that little detail so easily. He’s going to be furious.” Charlie opened her mouth to say something but I held my hand up to stop her before continuing. “I know, I know, it’s better to have him know and then deal with it, but that’s the thing—I don’t know how I’m going to deal with it. How am I going to deal with him hating me for keeping such a huge secret from him?”

Charlie was silent for a few minutes as she contemplated the questions I threw at her. After a while she finally turned to look at me. “Allegra, you have one of the kindest hearts I know. Everyone that you encounter ends up loving you. I’m positive Nick is going to be able to overlook this. He likes you too much not to,” she said, placing her arm on my forearm in a reassuring manner.

“I’m not so sure,” I whispered.

“Legs, remember how you didn’t want to allow yourself to get too close to him? You were so set against it. But you have a good judge of character and you saw the potential that was Nick Jonas. And now look how far you’ve gotten. I mean, you told him about your mom, he’s even met your grandparents! It took you a whole year to tell me and Kenny that your mom died while giving birth to you. Yet you’ve only known Nick for a few months and he already knows stuff about you that I’m sure neither Kenny nor I know, and we’ve been your best friends for years. You obviously trust him enough with your biggest secret, your biggest burden. How can you think he won’t overlook this if you trusted him with something as big as your mom’s death? He obviously has it in him to do that.”

I mulled over her words silently. She did have a point. It wasn’t easy for me to trust people, yet I had told both Nick and GuitarGuy—not knowing they were the same person—things that I struggled to confide even in my bestest of friends. The sense of trust I felt with Nick, that sense of security and safety was something I hadn’t ever felt before. I couldn’t deny that he had become a bigger part of my life in a shorter amount of time than I had even realized.

I released a long sigh and I could see the corner of Charlie’s lips stretching in a cautious smile as she realized what this meant. I was giving in.

“So, you’re going to tell him?” she asked, just to be sure.

I nodded my head slightly. “Yea,” I replied. If he could ever forgive me for lying to him for this long, then I would find a way to overcome my other fears. One step at a time.

JB—JB—JB—JB—JB

Unbeknownst to Charlie or Allegra, Dawn Denato was listening to their conversation, standing just behind the bushes that lined the quad they were sitting in—their backs to her. Dawn’s lips stretched into a deviant smirk as she took in all this new information.

She had been on her way to the athletic building when she heard both girls speaking. As she was passing, she only groaned grudgingly, not being a big fan of either girl. But then she heard Nick’s name and her interest was instantly sparked. “I still can’t believe Nick showed up at your house during break. And with his family in tow nonetheless!”

This made Dawn root on the spot. Nick—her Nick—at her house. With his family?

Dawn’s body seemed to gravitate closer to the bushes blocking her and the other two girls. She needed more information—what was he doing there? Did she know he was going? Was it planned? Why had his family gone too? Her mouth dropped in a frown, she hadn’t met his family until months after they started dating, yet she had already met them? She waited, a bit impatiently; waiting to see what else there was to say. But there was a long silence before she heard Charlie ask, “What are you thinking?” She let out a soft groan—it seems Allegra had already told her friend all she wanted to know.

Dawn turned to continue on her way before Allegra’s response made her stop again. “I’m thinking I’m gonna tell him the truth.”

She stopped once again. Truth? Truth about what?

Dawn turned her body back to face the bush, the girls invisible to her and vice versa. She stood motionless as she continued to listen to everything Allegra and Charlie were talking about. Her blood nearly started boiling half-way through the conversation at the new information she was receiving. Allegra was JadeBaby? It was bad enough Nick was spending so much more time with her in the past few weeks, but she had to be the girl he had scoured the school for after the dance?

She continued to listen to their conversation, growing angrier by their words. How dare she claim she knows a lot aboutmy Nick?!? Dawn tried to control her temper as she listened to Charlie explain why Nick would overlook Allegra lying to him. And the conviction gave Dawn an idea. When they stopped speaking about Nick and started discussing something that held no interest for Dawn, she continued on her way to the athletic building.

So Allegra was the girl Nick had been searching for—and he didn’t know it. She had lied to him the whole time, keeping it a secret. She was right about one thing—Nick was going to be pissed when he found out.

And she was going to be the one to tell him.

But something else had caught her attention while the girls were talking—the part about Allegra’s mom. Dawn was pretty sure she could find a way to use that against her. She was going to discredit both of them in the other’s eyes—that way she could get Nick back for herself—the way it was supposed to be.

With a wicked laugh, Dawn entered the athletic building, the finer details of her grand scheme falling into place in her mind.

JB—JB—JB—JB—JB

“So you’re sure that things are okay between you two?” Joe asked Nick over the phone.

Nick chuckled once again. “Things are absolutely fine,” he assured his older brother for the second time in this conversation. Ever since he got back to school three days ago, Joe has been calling every day to make sure that things between him and Allegra weren’t on the rocks because of his big mouth. And every day Nick assured him that things with Allegra were fine—more than fine, they were perfect. So perfect, in fact, that Nick had finally worked up the courage to ask her out. When he related the news to Joe, he all but blew out Nick’s ear with his excited hollering.

“Dude, that’s awesome! When are you gonna do it? Are you gonna ask her out as in like on a date or ask her out as in to be your girlfriend?” Joe questioned, his voice raising an octave higher in excitement.

Nick couldn’t help but laugh, his mood just as uplifted. “As in to be my girlfriend. Today,” Nick replied.

“That’s awesome man. I guess you’ve forgotten all about internet chick, huh?”

Nick let out a sigh at the mention of JadeBaby. He really wished Joe would just stop bringing her up. He had already let go of hopes of ever seeing or hearing from her again. “You were right all along Joe. I shouldn’t have been so hung up on that fantasy when I had an awesome girl like Allegra around. I realize that now and I’m gonna do something about it. I’m hoping her behavior last week indicates she has feelings for me,” he trailed off at the end as he continued on his walk through campus. He had asked Allegra today during lunch to meet him in front of the library, the first place they really talked, to ask her that important question.

“Don’t worry dude, she’s gonna say yes,” Joe said, his tone one hundred percent sure.

“I hope so,” Nick mumbled under his breath. “Listen, I have to go,” he said.

“Sure, sure. Call me later and let me know how it goes,” Joe said.

“Okay, I will,” Nick replied.

“Oh, and Nick?” Joe started.

“Yea?”

“I’m glad you’re happy little bro. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you like this.”

“Thanks Joe.”

“You’re welcome. Tell Allegra I say hey. Later.”

“Alright, I will.” With that, Nick hung up, shoving his Blackberry in his back pocket, then his hands in his front pockets. He was walking with his head down, thinking about how he was going to ask Allegra to be his girlfriend and wondering what her answer would be, when he felt his shoulder collide with someone else’s. “I’m so sorry,” he said, looking up to see who he just walked into. His face stiffened a bit when he saw it was Dawn.

“It’s okay. Oh, hey Nick,” she said, with her bright smile. Nick couldn’t believe he ever fell for her innocent act. He knew better now.

“Hey Dawn. Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” he mumbled, wanting to get away from her as soon as possible.

“It’s okay, don’t worry about it,” she said, waving her manicured hand in a nonchalant way. His lips barely lifted as he gave her a weak smile and moved to walk around her. “Actually,” she said, turning around to look at him. Nick paused before turning slowly to face her. “I’ve actually been meaning to talk to you,” she said.

Nick’s body stiffened slightly. “Now’s not really I good time. I’m meeting someone,” he started to explain before he was cut off.

“It will only take a second, I promise,” she said, her blue eyes piercing into him. He looked at her for a second, noticing how she too had dark hair and blue eyes, just like Allegra. But Allegra was prettier—her eyes wider and softer, her hair shinier. He was more attracted to her than he’d ever really been to Dawn. “Please,” Dawn begged, taking his silence as a moment of hesitation.

He bit his bottom lip and glanced down at his watch—he still had a few minutes till the time he asked Allegra to meet him. He let out a sigh. “Okay, what’s up?” he asked, shoving his hands back in his pockets.

Dawn’s lips barely twitched in a satisfied smile—her plan was working so far. Her smile quickly faded and she molded her face into one of innocence and remorse. “I just wanted to apologize for the way I used to behave,” she said, knowing she successfully surprised Nick when he lifted his eyes to look into hers. “I was awfully rude to others and it drove you away. I didn’t know it offended you so much. But I know that it was still wrong of me to be, well, such a bitch. And I’m sorry.”

“Oh,” Nick said, still a bit off guard. “It’s okay, I guess. As long as you understand now how wrong you were to act that way. I’m not the one you hurt really, so you shouldn’t really be apologizing to me, but I’ll accept it anyways.”

Just like she planned. Her lips stretched in her fake, appreciative smile. “Thanks Nick, that really means a lot to me; that you can forgive me like that. Who knows, we might even be able to work things out between us, get back together?” Her voice was tentative, and vulnerable, just like she had planned it to be.

She could see the reluctance in Nick’s eyes. And he shook his head, just like she knew he would. Just because she knew it was going to happen didn’t ease the sting of rejection. “I’m sorry Dawn, but I don’t think you and I will ever get back together. I forgave you, but you and I don’t belong together—we’re wrong for each other,” he said, all the while shaking his head at her.

Nick saw her face fall. She had really thought she had a chance of getting back together with him, but that was impossible, even if he hadn’t met Allegra.

“So I don’t even have the slightest hope?” she asked, her voice crestfallen.

“I’m sorry, but no,” he said shaking his head. “Now, if that was all, I should be going. Allegra’s waiting for me,” he said.

He saw fury flash in her eyes at the mention of Allegra. Her tone was cold when she said, “That’s why you won’t get back with me, right? Because of her? I mean, you’ve been spending a shit load of time with her. You guys are together, aren’t you?”

Dawn was proud of herself—she delivered those lines with just the right amount of malice, even though she hated that Allegra girl more than she was letting Nick see.

“Dawn, that really doesn’t concern you anymore,” he said, his voice showing how irritated he was with her for speaking that way about his precious Allegra.

We’ll see how long that lasts, she thought.

Her eyes focused behind him, as if she were trying to calm herself. She took a deep breath before looking back at him. “I don’t understand why you like her so much. It’s obvious she’s a fake,” Dawn continued. “That little murderer,” she mumbled under her breath so low that Nick almost didn’t hear her.

Almost.

“Excuse me? What did you just call her?” he asked, completely surprised by her words. Why in the world would anyone call Allegra a murderer? She wouldn’t harm a fly.

Dawn’s lips lifted into an amused smirk. “Oh come on. Her mom died while giving birth to her, she killed her—you know that.”

She looked past him where she knew Allegra was hiding behind a tree. She could just imagine the stricken features on her face—it was all she could do to hold back the smile dying to break free.

Nick was still staring at her in shock, probably wondering how she knew that. His back was to the tree where Allegra was hiding, so he didn’t see when she poked her head out, her eyes full of hurt, tears welling in them. Dawn’s plan was working better than she imagined. She took advantage of the fact that Allegra was looking at them and that Nick was still shocked speechless. She took a few steps forward until her body was pressed close to his. “Why would you want to be with her when you could be with me?” Before Nick could react to her closeness, she closed the remaining distance and pressed her lips forcefully to his. She felt his body stiffen, but he didn’t push her away.

By the time Nick had come to his senses and pushed her away, Allegra was no longer standing behind the tree—Dawn could see her long black hair blowing in the wind as she ran in the opposite direction of where they were standing.

She turned her attention back to Nick, putting on an innocent look.

Nick didn’t fall for it. His features were furious—madder than she’d ever seen him. “Are you crazy?” he barked at her, wiping at his mouth. “There is nothing that would make me get back together with you,” he spat, growing more furious as he continued to look at her. “I don’t know how you know about Allegra’s mother, but that wasn’t her fault. And the fact that you have the audacity to suggest such a thing proves to me that your apology was crap. You’re still a bitch and you always will be,” he snarled.

He turned to walk away from her, ignoring the things she was shouting at his back. “If the fact that she’s a murderer doesn’t turn you off, what about the fact that she’s a liar?” He continued to ignore her, telling himself that she was just saying this so that he wouldn’t speak to Allegra. “She’s the one Nick, she’s JadeBaby.”

That stopped him in his tracks.

“She’s that girl you met at the dance, the one you searched for, for weeks. It was her all along and she never bothered to tell you.”

Her voice was closer now and he knew that she had walked towards him as she spoke.

“You’re lying,” he said over his shoulder continuing to walk away from her.

“Am I?” she asked. “Think about it Nick, the physical appearances, her voice. It’s her.”

Nick didn’t want to listen to her, but he couldn’t help the images that flooded his mind. JadeBaby at the dance—her sharp blue eyes had been so familiar, her jet black hair, her rosy pink cheeks, her voice, everything. And Nick knew then, deep in his bones, that Dawn was right. Allegra was JadeBaby. He hadn’t been so close to her all those weeks ago as he was now, so he didn’t pick up the similarities, but now it was painfully obvious.

A sudden fury ripped through him. He was such an idiot. How could he not have realized it sooner? The mask had barely hidden anything; he could see her face clearly in his mind now as if she hadn’t been wearing that stupid thing. And the charm bracelet with all the marine charms…Allegra’s grandfather was a marine.

“You know I’m right.” Dawn was right behind him now. “Of course I am. I heard her talking to her friend, Charlie, about it. They were laughing about it too, laughing at you and how you still hadn’t figured it out.” She was stretching the truth, but she knew this would just get him more worked up. She didn’t have to be facing him to see the anger in his eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line, his nostrils flaring as he tried to control himself. “Don’t you see Nick? She’s the fake one around here, making you believe she was this sweet, innocent thing, only to get to you. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was just using you to become more popular.” After years as his girlfriend, Dawn knew that was the one thing that really bothered Nick about being popular—how people were always trying to use him to become popular. It wouldn’t hurt her case if she planted that idea about Allegra in his head.

She could see his shoulders heaving as he tried even harder to control his anger. Her lips lifted in a wicked grin, not bothering to stop him when he started walking away again. She had already said all she wanted to. She had planted the poison, now she just had to sit back and watch as they both self-combusted.

JB—JB—JB—JB—JB

Nick was furious, no, beyond furious, as he walked with blinding rage through campus. All he saw was red. He couldn’t believe what Dawn had told him—though it was clearly the truth. After everything that had happened, Allegra had just proved to be another one of those fake girls using him. She had seen how worked up he was about finding JadeBaby, about finding her, yet she never told him that it was her.

Why?

Did she know from the beginning that he was GuitarGuy? Had it all been a lie—her not liking him at the beginning, then softening up to him, pretending to be surprised at the dance when he appeared. Was it all just a lie? Or did she not know he was GuitarGuy, but once she found out thought it would ruin whatever plan she was using him for? Was she really that fake?

He didn’t even know where he was going in his rage before he was standing in front of Seton Hall—Allegra’s dorm building. He didn’t think about it as he took the stairs two at a time, not patient enough for the elevator. Before he could control his anger, he was pounding on her door. He tried really hard to control his breathing, part of him not wanting to blow up on her.

But when the door swung inwards, Allegra wasn’t the one standing in front of him, or Charlie for that matter, but Kenny. Had his teammate been in on it too?

Nick watched as anger flooded Kenny’s own eyes when he took in who was at the door. “You,” he growled, glaring menacingly at Nick. “How dare you show your face around here?”

Nick was temporarily confused. The anger Kenny was directing at him just made him angrier. “I came to speak with Allegra,” Nick replied, surprised by how even his voice sounded despite his fury.

Kenny let out a dry laugh. “You must be insane if you think you’re going anywhere near her,” he said, shoving Nick away from the door, closing it behind him. But not before Nick caught a glimpse of Allegra inside, Charlie comforting her as she cried into her shoulder, her eyes red and blotchy, and her nose just as red and runny.

For a split second the sight of her like that tugged at Nick’s heart in a funny way, the sudden urge to be the one comforting her over powering him. That just made him angrier. She didn’t deserve him feeling that way. She had been using him all along, playing some sick game with him.

Kenny stared at the kid in front of him, anger coursing violently through his veins. Just minutes ago he had been full of compassion for Allegra. His very best friend—and the girl that he had liked since the minute he saw her standing near that flight of stairs, studying her map—had come to his room bawling her eyes out. He managed to calm her down enough so that she could explain what had happened to her. When she did, the same anger he felt at the moment had flooded through him. He quickly walked her down the hall to her own room, knowing that Charlie would be better at a time like this than he was. Not even a minute later Nick had come banging on her door, demanding to speak to her.

“I’m here to speak to Allegra,” Nick repeated.

Kenny’s blood was close to boiling. “After what you did to her? You must be delusional.”

Nick’s face contorted in confusion. “What the hell are you talking about?” he asked. “I didn’t do shit to her.”

“Oh please, you know exactly what you did to her, you ass,” Kenny stated, shoving Nick again, making him stagger. “You know, I’ve sat on the sidelines these past few weeks, watching as she got closer to you. I didn’t like it, because I know what you little dickheads are like. But I held my tongue because for some strange reason, you made her happy. But after what she told me today, I’m not feeling so generous,” he said, shoving Nick once again, and again making him stagger.

Nick’s face was now visibly turning red with anger. “Don’t shove me,” Nick barked, shoving Kenny right back. “I didn’t do shit to her, so don’t try to blame me for anything. Not when she’s the one that’s been a lying fake this whole time.”

“Don’t you dare try and put anything on her. That girl is the most special person you will ever meet in your life and you fucked up big time with her. Now leave,” Kenny demanded, shoving Nick towards the elevators.

“I told you not to shove me,” Nick yelled, pushing Kenny forcefully into a wall.

That did it for him. Kenny lunged at Nick, who quickly moved out of the way. They managed to get a hold of each other, swinging wildly, smirking in satisfaction when the other grunted from the impact. This went on for all of two minutes before Allegra’s head popped out of her door.

She gasped loudly. “You guys stop,” she said, tears cascading down her already tear streaked cheeks. Both boys halted their movements, fists halfway in the air.

“Legs go back inside,” Kenny instructed. “I’ll take care of this fool.”

“No Kenny. It’s not worth it. Just leave him alone.” Even though Nick had betrayed her in the worse way possible, she still couldn’t stand to see him getting hurt—or Kenny for that matter.

But thankfully Kenny listened to her, letting go of Nick’s collar with another shove, then walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her.

That made Nick’s temper flare again. Even though she was a lying fake, jealousy surged through him. But then he remembered that he shouldn’t feel that way about her. She had just been using him the whole time they knew each other. And now she was standing in front of him, her face blotchy with tears, as if he were the one that had betrayed her.

“You’re JadeBaby,” he said, his voice not as even as he would have hoped courtesy of his labored breaths.

She took in a sharp breath. “How did you figure it out?” she asked in a low, gentle voice, her wide blue eyes piercing through him with innocence.

It made him slightly sick to his stomach that he was still attracted to her despite everything. “Does it really matter?” he asked his tone cold and guarded.

“I was going to tell you,” she mumbled, looking down at her feet.

“No, you weren’t. You’re a lying fake. All this time I was looking for you and you never bothered to mention the truth. You were going to let this run its course, hoping I never figured it out,” Nick snarled at her, focusing on his anger so that he wouldn’t run over to her and ease the hurt in her eyes. She stayed silent, not refuting his accusations. He let out a humorless laugh. “I knew it, you’re just a liar.”

He saw Kenny flinch, but Allegra grabbed onto him, looking up with anger in her own eyes. It caught Nick by surprise because he hadn’t ever seen that look in her eyes before—a mixture of hurt and anger. It was disconcerting.

“Maybe, but at least I never spoke about your personal issues to anyone,” she spat back at him. “I can’t believe you would do that Nick,” she said, choking off on his name.

She had been on her way to the library to meet him as agreed when an eighth grader had approached her and told her that Nick had asked him to tell her of a change in their rendezvous location. When she had approached the new location she had seen Nick speaking with Dawn and when she got close enough to hear what they were talking about, she heard Dawn speaking about personal things that she had confided in Nick—things only he could have told her. That had hurt her more than the kiss she saw exchanged between them.

“I never pretended to be anyone I wasn’t, it was me all along,” she continued. “But you proved to be exactly who I thought you were from the beginning. A jerk, no, worse than a jerk, you were an ass.” The word sounded strange coming from her mouth, and Nick realized it was because he’d never heard her curse before—and ass was hardly a curse word. The anger in her eyes was gone and now they were clouded with just plain hurt. “How could you do that to me Nick? I trusted you with those things, things I never told anyone else, and you just went around telling all your friends about it.”

Nick was slightly confused. He didn’t know what she was talking about. He hadn’t told anyone her secrets.

These false accusations just made him angrier. He opened his mouth to defend himself but she just shook her head at him and turned away from him, wiping away at her face. “Just leave,” she mumbled.

“Now wait a minute,” he tried to say.

“I said leave,” she said in a fiercer voice, yet still choking with pain. He stared at her for another second before Kenny dropped his arm from around Allegra and started walking towards Nick.

“She asked you to leave. Do you want me to make you leave?” he threatened.

Nick glared at what appeared to be her body guard, but Kenny had a few inches on him, so he backed away. He shook his head once more at her in disgust before turning around and walking towards the stairs, ignoring the questioning looks of the students that had gathered in the hallway. He hadn’t even noticed they had an audience.

Allegra watched Nick’s retreating figure until he slammed the doors of the stairwell closed. Then she let the complete anguish inside of her out, turning into Kenny’s chest and sobbing until she could barely breathe. What hurt the most was that she wanted a different pair of arms to be consoling her through this pain—and that was something that wouldn’t ever happen.