Disclaimer : I don't own Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter or Guitar Hero but other than that, everything in this story belongs to me.
I hope you'll enjoy reading this :)
Troublesome. Disastrous. Delinquent. Goth.
Those would be the first thing someone could have said when they set their eyes upon Gage Skyler. Mysterious and dangerous. A black-haired with its length covering his ears and having a pale complexion; paler than most girls at Ashwood High- a strong jaw and almost pouty-like lips; his bottom lip pierced with silver snakebites. With his black clad clothing from the hoodie to his skinny jeans except a silver chain dangling from his pocket and black shoes. The one thing that made his features stood out more was his eyes. His piercing green eyes.
Those very eyes and the way he looked at someone could make any girls and even boys fall at his feet, figuratively speaking. Just by looking at them, he could hypnotize them into doing what he want. Alas, those very eyes was also the reason why most people avoided him like a plague.
Now, if only all of those were true.
Sure, Gage Skyler is what people would consider a Goth. And yes, he does have a pair of silver snakebites pierced on his bottom lip and a pale skin complexion with a bit of acne but instead of a black-haired, he's a dark brunet. Rather than a pair of piercing green eyes, his was dull and light. Instead of strong jaws and pouty-like lips, Gage has slightly chubby cheeks and almost thinned lips. He's the complete opposite of mysterious and dangerous.
He couldn't make any girls nor boys fall at his feet.
"Hey, watch it freak!"
He couldn't hypnotize them into doing his bidding.
"Move, loser!"
And people sure do avoid him like a plague except it wasn't of his 'piercing green eyes'. It was the fact that he's a geek. A goth that is a geek.
Now, normally these kind of things shouldn't bother anyone because every one should be entitled in their own clique or whatever they want to be and it isn't anyone's business, really. Unfortunately, Ashwood High is anything but normal and in here, if you are one, you're a walking target. The students here built a hierarchy that consists of the 'First Class', 'Middle Class' and the 'Irrelevant' ones as they put it which in this case, happens to be Gage.
Walking among a sea of students, Gage picked up his pace quickly and walk out of the hallway to the field. Another day, another torment, he mused silently. He made his way to the empty basketball court and sat on the bleachers. Clenching both his fist tight, he took some deep breaths before unclenching them.
"Bad day?" Someone asked.
Startled, he turn around and was met with a pair of beautiful green eyes. He instantly look down before moving to take his bag-ready to bolt.
"It's not any of your business, Jade." Gage said as he stood up and face her.
Jade Rollins.
With her dark brown hair and the length a little bit past her shoulder, her fair complexion, her pouty lips and heart-shaped face, she's easily described as one of the nicest and friendliest girls here in Ashwood High. Although a 'Middle Class', she isn't afraid to talk to the 'First Class' snobs who, surprisingly treats her like their equals. It always seem easy when it's Jade and no one knows how she does it. It's part of her charm, Gage thought. It's also a surprise to see her at an empty field when there's a class going on right now considering she's known to never miss one and is one of the top five students who nearly always ace in their test.
"Maybe it isn't." She shrugged at him. Then, with a pretty smile, she asked, "Well?"
He gave an annoyed look and sigh. "Does that answer your question?"
She feigned innocence. "What answer? All you did was give me a sigh."
At his blank look, she chuckled. "Okay, okay. I was just messing with you."
"Doesn't everyone?" He bit back, albeit a little harsh. That took her off guard. "Wow, you're really having a bad day."
He shook his head and sighed again. "Look, I just really wanna be left alone, alright? So just…go." He made a 'shoo-ing' gesture at her.
Jade crossed her arms and pursed her lips at him before saying, "Did you seriously just shoo me like I'm some kind of an animal?"
He was nonchalant when he answered her. "Mhm."
She scoffed. "You're rude."
"You're annoying."
They stared at each other-both willing themselves not to blink. Jade felt like neither one of them is going to crack first so with a tactic to make him blink, she walk down to where he was while holding their eye contact still and stood in front of him before blowing him a kiss. Gage quirked his eyebrow up when she went to stand in front of him but widen his eyes when she blew him a kiss which resulted in him blinking and eventually lose the staring competition.
"Aha! I win." Jade chirped.
Gage ran a hand through his hair and grumbled. "That's lame."
"You say that because you lost." She patted his shoulder with a big smile.
He pretended not to notice her hand on his shoulder even though he likes the feel of it and shrugged it off. "Whatever. I'm gonna go." As he made to move, she tug on his shirt. Groaning, he look at her with an irritated expression. "What?"
Jade smiled sheepishly. "Do you wanna come over to my place later? My mum's been asking about your mum and you since it's been a while we all had dinner together."
Gage pondered on that. His mother, Kara Sawyer is a blonde-haired lawyer with brown eyes who has immersed herself in her work that he rarely saw her at home. She has been like that ever since her husband left her and their son for an accountant at his workplace two years ago. The divorce hit him like a brick after they finalized it. She won the custody of him but the relationship between Gage and his parents went downhill. It's been quite a while since his mother and him had dinner at home either, he mused silently.
Gage paused before he answered. "I'll..tell my mum about it. Anything else?"
She shook her head with a smile. "Not at the moment. I'll see you around, Gage." With a wave of her hand, she begin to turn and walk away from him.
Gage look at her retreating form before shrugging and walking to the other direction.
Kara Sawyer was leaning against the counter top drinking water when her son, Gage entered the kitchen.
"Hey, mum." He said as he poured orange juice into a glass.
She lean in and kissed his temple then smiled. "Hey, sweetie. How was school?"
Gage groaned internally but shrugged at her. "Fine. What about your work?"
She nodded and answered. "They're alright."
There was a pause as they both tried to bring up something to talk about. It's been a while since neither of them had a family time together and Kara felt guilty as she had been neglecting Gage since her divorce. Gage thought this was the first time they ever really spoken to each other after two years. They'd usually greet each other in the morning but that's just it. Most times, he felt as though he had been living alone and to finally have a conversation with his mother after a while tend to leave him a bit on the awkward side as he didn't know how to converse with her now. As if broken out of trance, they both spoke.
"Mum, Jade-"
"Gage, listen-"
They paused until Kara motioned him to speak first.
He was quiet for a bit before saying, "Jade told me that her mum invited us to have dinner with them later." He drank his orange juice and adjusted the bag strap on his shoulder.
Kara nodded at him before gulping down the water and took both her and Gage's glass to the sink.
"Yes, her mum called me earlier. It's been a while too since we spoke to them. How is Jade, by the way?"
Gage cleared his throat. "She's fine, I guess."
With her back to him, she rinse the glasses with a smile on her face. "I see. You two used to be so close back then." Once done, she wipe her hands on a hand towel and turn to face her son.
"Yeah, back in middle school. Um, mum I'm gonna go freshen up-"
"Wait, Gage."
With her hand on the back of her neck, Kara thought it was time to just say it. She could feel him slipping away from her and the last thing she want to lose now is her son.
"Listen, before you do, there's something I have to tell you."
He paused in his steps as he heard her tone. Turning around, he quirk an eyebrow. "What is it?"
She took a deep breath and look at him. "Okay. Well, I know I haven't been the best mother for you and I'm sorry for neglecting you. Ever since your dad…ever since your dad and I got a divorce, I was never around much and I should have been there for you." She willed herself not to cry in front of Gage but choked a sob. "I'm so sorry, Gage."
His mum was never an emotional person, as far as he knew. Even when his dad and her fought in the living room while he was upstairs, and after he stormed out, he never saw her shed a tear. At least not in front of him so seeing her like this made him feel guilty for distancing himself from her since that incident rather than try to patch things up together. Gage walk towards his mum and hugged her. "It's okay, mum. I'm sorry too for avoiding you. I just didn't know what to do anymore now that things were different.
She hugged her son and pressed a kiss on his head. "I know, sweetie."
Relieved was what they felt and they could try to fix what was left of their broken family. They both composed themselves as Kara dabbed her eyes with her sleeve shirt and Gage wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
"Well then, I think we have a dinner with our old neighbour in an hours time so off you go and freshen up, young man." Kara said as he put on an apron to bake something.
Gage smiled. They had just started to become a family again.
"Oh Kara, it's so great to see you!" Roxanne Rollins exclaimed as she greeted both Kara and her son, Gage.
Roxanne Rollins. A blonde-haired with green eyes doctor who's in her mid-thirties, just like Kara. Jade inherited her green eyes and heart-shaped face from her and dark hair from her dad.
"It's great to see you too, Roxanne. After all these years. How's Dexter?" Kara asked as she handed the home-baked blueberry pie to her.
"Dexter's fine. He couldn't join us tonight 'cause he had to attend a meeting. He left thirty minutes ago. And thank you for this lovely pie." She took the pie and hugged Kara before resting her gaze on Gage. "My goodness, is this Gage? I haven't seen you in a while, young man. It's so good to see you." He didn't get to respond as she gave him a hug then proceeded to usher them both to the dining room. Mrs. Rollins still is hyped up as ever, Gage thought. He exchanged glances with his mum and knew they were both thinking the same.
Roxanne then palm her forehead. "I can't believe I forgot about my own daughter! And come to think of it, she really should be down by now." She excused herself from the amused guests and called her daughter. "Jade! Sweetie, why are you still up there? They're already here!"
Seconds later, they heard a door shut followed by footsteps thundering down the stairs. Standing on the last step in a black dress, just above the knee length and with her hair braided, Gage thought Jade looked gorgeous that night.
Jade mentally smack herself for coming downstairs eagerly. She should have just kept her cool and ascended like a poised and elegant lady-well, that was the plan until her mum yelled her name. After that, the system kicked in and she was in a panic as she just started to do the finishing touch by braiding her hair. Remembering her manners, she greeted Gage's mum and nodded at him with a smile before they were quickly seated in the dining room.
Seating beside Gage and across her mum, Jade took the liberty to pass the chicken casserole to everyone before putting some for herself. Mrs. Rollins didn't hesitate to start a conversation. "I cannot tell you how happy I am that you're both here now. It's been a long while since we saw each other." And in a grave but softer tone, she clasp Kara's hand. "Since that."
Gage and Jade proceeded to eat in silence as the adults conversed with each other. They both observed as Kara gave Roxanne a smile that normally wouldn't reach her eyes whenever someone mentioned it, but this time it did. "It's alright. That was two years ago. I'm sorry for not staying in contact with you, what's with the sudden move and everything."
"Well you're here now, and that's all matters." Roxanne smiled.
Jade whispered to Gage. "I think we should leave them be to catch up on things."
Gage caught on to what she's saying but refused to leave his chicken casserole. "But I'm not finish-"
He was cut off mid-sentence as Jade smiled and politely interrupt their mums. "Excuse me, but Gage and I are done with our dinner. May we be excused?"
Unfortunately for Gage, they both nodded. Jade tug on his sleeve and he reluctantly got up before letting himself get pulled by her. All the while staring forlornly at his now abandoned dinner.
She brought him to the basement where there's a huge TV and piles of video games and DVDs stacked on long shelves. The basement wasn't big; but it wasn't small either. It was green in colour with a blue couch, a tiny fridge and an air-conditioner. Gage remembered the place as he and Jade used to spend their past time hanging out here. They'd either play games or watch movies and sometimes have sleepovers. But those were back in the old days. Things have changed now.
Jade sat down on the couch and noticed Gage standing as he look at her. She quirk an eyebrow and patted the empty seat beside her. He complied.
"So, what are we doing here?" Gage asked as he took in his surroundings once again.
"I thought we could watch a movie. Lord of The Rings or Harry Potter?" Jade asked as she went to set up the DVD player.
"We've watched them both a thousand times, already." Gage said as he walk to the shelves and started scanning the DVDs.
Jade look at him. "So? We could watch it again."
Gage didn't find anything to his interest, and he did remember when they both used to hang out, he'd only watch Lord of The Rings and Harry Potter especially Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. Other than that, they watch mostly Jade's preferences. It seems that was the only thing he could have in common with her. That, and something else. At the thought of it, he grinned.
Noticing the sudden change in him and ignoring how the butterflies begin to flutter in her stomach, Jade asked, "Why are you grinning?"
Shaking his head, he look at her with a challenging look. "Let's play Guitar Hero. The third one."
Jade was stunned for a moment before grinning.
An hour later found them both sitting on the floor as they both tried to beat one another at the game. They chose the same song but different levels. Although Gage picked Expert and Jade chose Hard- it seems like the latter is winning.
She beat him by a few points and he groaned. "Damn it! You were never good at this game."
She look at him triumphantly. "Oh? Is that why you chose this game? You're losing your touch, Gage."
Unsatisfied, he chucked a small cushion on the couch at her. Jade couldn't react fast enough as he took her off guard with the sudden force that it hit her right in the face. "Oomf!"
There was a pause before they both engaged themselves in a cushion fight. Jade was about to throw another at him when they were both stopped by Roxanne.
"What are you doing, trying to kill each other?" Amused, she quirked an eyebrow and rest her hands on her waist.
"Geez, mum. It's just a cushion." Jade rolled her eyes.
Just then Gage's mum came into view and chuckled. "You didn't have to be a party pooper, Roxanne. You have to admit it was fun seeing them like this again."
Gage and Jade shared a look before looking away. He cleared his throat. "Um, are we leaving now or something?"
Kara looked at her son. "Unfortunately, we are. I have work in the morning and you, have school."
"So does Jade." He said, nonplussed and Jade stifled a laugh.
"And you both need to sleep early." Roxanne said with glee.
"What? It's only ten o'clock! "Jade exclaimed.
"We're not 12 anymore!" Gage said.
Kara chided her son. "Well you're acting like one now."
"You're welcome to come here anytime, Gage. So really, this isn't the last time you'll be seeing us." Then in a quieter tone, "Or Jade." Roxanne and Kara then shared a laugh.
Jade rolled her eyes as Gage look at them both blankly. "We heard that, you know."
Their response was to only laugh again.
"Say your goodbyes now. I'll wait for you at the front." As both parent left, Gage heaved a sigh. "They're treating us like we're five."
Jade quirk an eyebrow and chuckled. "Five? I thought you said twelve?"
Gage gave a low chuckle and ran a hand through his hair. "We should do this again sometime."
She nodded at him with a smile. "Yeah." Then, bumping her shoulder with his, she grinned. "Also, do you wanna know what I think?"
Gage smiled then nodded. "What?"
"I think you shouldn't give a damn about what others say about you. I think you're fine just the way you are."
His heart may have soared when she said that. He didn't know why, it just happened out of nowhere. He could also feel his face getting flushed. Hoping that it didn't show too much, he cleared his throat and nodded at her with a grin. "Thanks, Jade."
They left the basement after putting away the game and walk upstairs to where their mothers were. Kara was in the car whilst Roxanne stood near it, talking.
Gage turn and look at Jade who stood at the door. "I gotta go now. See you at school?"
She nodded. Jade watch as he made to turn and walk away from her-she couldn't help but feel a bit deflated that he didn't exactly tell her how she look. Not that she spent hours choosing the right dress for tonight's occasion. And she didn't get all dolled up for him, either because that's ridiculous. Or so she told herself.
She quirked an eyebrow up as Gage stopped in his tracks and turn around. "You know, I thought you looked great tonight." He grins.
Her heart skipped a beat as she took what he said in and beamed at him. But only for a quick moment before she raised her eyebrow in an amusing manner. "That compliment is a little too late, don't you think? Maybe I would have appreciate it when you told me sooner." She then laugh a little.
"I meant to. I just got distracted." He shrugged.
Walking towards him, she asked, "By what?"
They stood close to each other as Gage nonchalantly said, "By your horrible skill at playing Guitar Hero." He has a cheeky glint in his eyes.
Jade mock-gasped. "Says the guy who lost!"
"Yeah, well I haven't played that in a while. Give me another chance and I'll show you I still have it." He said with a challenging grin.
Accepting it, she challenged her own. "We'll see about that. The loser has to take the winner out on a date. Deal?" Jade then extended her hand for him to shake.
He thought about it for a bit before nodding with a determined look and shook on it. "Deal."
They went home that night. As he lay in his bed, Gage thought it was the first time in two years that he started to feel more…lively. He started hanging out with Jade more and even though he still got picked on by majority of the students, he couldn't care less. Even if he still has three more years to go until graduation, he told himself he could deal with it. Every day is going to be a new day and start for him so he might as well make a change. Starting with his childhood friend, Jade.
After dinner at the Rollins' residence, Jade and Gage got into another match of Guitar Hero, as they remembered their deal.
He lost.
