Instant Star 1. Awkward Beginnings

Chapter One – Awkward Beginnings

The rising of the sun marked a new day for Jude Harrison; a day of new beginnings, new choices, and new experiences. Today was the day she was heading off to college. Jude had woken up an hour before her alarm was supposed to go off. She didn't know if it was nerves, excitement or both that made her wake up at such an early hour. She had spent that extra hour writing in her journal. The one thing that made her feel at ease was her music. She was most herself with a guitar, a pen and her journal, that was all she needed to get by day to day.

"Jude, honey? It's time to get up." A kind voice floated up the stairs.

"Already up, Mom. I'll be down in a minute." Jude said to her mother, Victoria. Her older sister Sadie had already left for college the week before. He dad, Stuart, would be arriving any time now and she wasn't looking forward to the awkwardness. '_I hope he doesn't bring Yvette._' Jude thought to herself as she walked down the stairs. She was met with the delicious smells of breakfast. Her mom had evidently made her favorite, J-shaped pancakes.

"Mom, you didn't have to do this." Jude said as she made her way into the kitchen. Victoria smiled and nodded.

"It's the last breakfast I'll be able to make you for a while, honey. I had to do this." She said as she placed the food on the table. As soon as they say down, footsteps could be heard from the living room.

"Where's my college student?" a male voice bellowed from the living room. Jude rolled her eyes as she heard a female giggle come from the same room. Jude chanced a glance at her mother and sighed.

"In here Dad." She replied shortly. Victoria's happy face had completely fallen as soon as she heard Yvette's distinctive voice. Stuart made his grand entrance with Yvette holding his hand. Jude noticeably turned away from them and focused on her mother and her food.

"Hi Vicky." Stuart said trying to be civil in front of everyone. Victoria completely ignored him and glared at Yvette.

"Why are you here?" Victoria asked Yvette. Yvette looked completely shocked at the question. "This is a family moment and last time I checked you weren't a part of this family. You've already done enough and I don't want you in my house anymore. Please leave."

Jude smiled at her mother and did a happy dance on the inside. It was about time she had stood up to the home wrecker. Yvette's face was priceless. Her mouth was opening and closing like a fish and all Jude wanted to do was laugh. She was trying her best to not laugh but a little giggle escaped that she quickly covered up with a cough.

"Vic, there is no need to be rude to Yvette. I brought her here because she wanted to be apart of this and she wanted to see Jude off." Stuart said. Victoria's eyes widened and Jude could see that the situation at hand was about to be World War III.

"Mom, Dad. Can we just sit down, have a nice breakfast and just chill for once? Mom, I'm not condoning Dad bringing Yvette here but I don't want to leave here with everyone fighting. Dad, I appreciate you coming here and everything but don't you think it was just a little bit wrong to bring Yvette here?" Jude said as she looked between the two people who meant the most to her. It broke her heart every time she saw how broken up her family had become. Victoria looked at her daughter and nodded as did Stuart.

'_It was going to be one long morning._' Jude thought as she watched everyone sit down at the table and ignore each other.


	2. Never The Right Time To Say GoodBye

**A/N: I do not own anything related to Instant Star. Hope everyone enjoys!**

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Chapter Two – Never the Right Time to Say Good-Bye

It had been tense ever since her father had walked in with his mistress. Jude wondered how her dad had been so stupid to bring her into her mother's house. Nothing was said over breakfast. It was just filled with an awkward silence that someone could cut with a knife. Once Jude had finished her pancakes, she walked out of the room and went back upstairs. She needed to get away from the tenseness for at least 15 minutes. It had made her so sad to see the way her parents were acting around each other. It was hard to imagine that not even a year ago everything was perfect. Ever since Yvette had come into their lives, it had been downhill ever since. Of course Jude held some resentment against her father but there was also a tremendous feeling of love for him.

Upon entering her room, she made a grab for her journal and just started to write down some thoughts and feelings. She was almost through this journal and pretty soon would need to buy another. Evidently she had been upstairs longer than 15 minutes because when she looked at the clock during a moment of thought, she shot up and hurriedly put all of her music stuff in her knapsack and grabbed her guitar case. She was supposed to leave in less than an hour and her car wasn't even loaded up yet! She quickly ran downstairs but stopped short when she saw that all her bags were gone.

"Mom?" she questioned loudly. No answer. Jude tried again. "Mom?"

Jude dropped her stuff by the door and walked into the kitchen hoping to find her mother. The sight she saw surprised her. Her mother was sitting at the table with her head in her hands sobbing uncontrollably. Immediately Jude went over to her and embraced her.

"It's going to be ok, Mom. Believe me, it's all going to be ok soon." Jude tried to soothe her mother but it was turning out to be a task.

"How do you know that?" Victoria asked after her sobs had slowed down. "How do you know that everything will be alright soon? You don't know what this feels like Jude. It's like my heart has been ripped out of my body and stomped on. It was even worse this morning seeing them so happy together under my roof! He's not supposed to be happy. He's supposed to be just as if not more miserable than I am." Victoria said, trying to give Jude some sort of insight in to the situation. Jude, not knowing what to say just grabbed her mother into a tight hug trying to offer some form of comfort.

After about 20 minutes of trying to calm her mother down, she sent her upstairs to rest. Today was going to be an emotional day for both of them and she didn't want to burn her mother out before she even left the house. Jude glanced down at her watch and sighed. Only 15 minutes left until she was supposed to be on the road.

Jude went outside on a hunt for her belongings when she found them packed nicely into her car. She sighed as she put her knapsack and guitar case in the passenger seat. After arranging them so that when she drove they wouldn't go flying all over the place, Jude made her way back inside. She had completely missed the piece of paper tucked under her windshield wiper.

When Jude got inside she found her mother cleaning up the breakfast mess everyone had made. Jude busted inside in with love for her mother. She wished that someday she would be as strong as her. Jude smiled as she made her way to the table.

"Do you want some help with that?" she asked, trying to pick up a plate but was stopped when Victoria turned around.

"No, it's okay honey. I'll finish this after you leave. Right now I just want to apologize for my behavior earlier. I didn't mean for you to see that and I'm sorry." Jude shook her head and sighed.

"It's fine Mom. You don't have to apologize to me. I completely understand." Jude replied, giving her mom a sort of sideways hug. Victoria patted Jude's shoulder and shakily smiled.

"Aren't you supposed to be on the road right now?" Victoria asked, once Jude backed out of the hug. Jude nodded her head.

"Yeah, I was actually about to leave. I just wanted to see if you were okay and everything."

"I'm fine, honey. Now, you have everything that you need? Car filled with gas?" Jude laughed and made her way to the door.

"Yes, I have everything. I have the directions; I have Jamie and Kat's address in New York and I have all of my bags in the car. And yes Mom, the mustang is all gassed up and ready to go." Jude reassured her mother, but also trying to reassure herself. This was the moment that she would drive away from everything that she knew and try to make it on her own. Her eyes began to well with tears as she walked out the door. Victoria followed her closely and tried to hide her tears. When Jude finally reached the mustang, she turned around and just threw herself into her mother's embrace.

"Good luck honey and call me when you get to Jamie and Kat's, okay?" Victoria asked, this time being the one to comfort her daughter and not the other way around. Jude nodded her head against her mother's shoulder and finally backed away. Jude sniffled and opened up the car door. She went to hug her again and sighed.

"I'm going to miss you Mom and I'll definitely call you when I get to Jamie's. I love you." Jude said. Her mom nodded and blew her a kiss as Jude got in the car and backed out the drive. Jude waved to her mother before completely leaving the drive way and going on down the street.

Once Jude had made it out of Carson Hill, driving by all the childhood places she used to play, she pulled out her cell phone and called Kat. She was hoping to let them know what time to expect her but all she got was a recorded message letting her know that Kat was not available. She pressed one and took a breath so she could leave a message.

"Hey Kat, its Jude. Just letting you know that I'm on the road and I should be there in a couple of hours. I'll try giving you another call when I get closer. I'm excited to see you guys!" Jude said into the phone. Once the message was delivered, she fiddled with the radio hoping to find a good road trip song on. She stopped when her favorite band was playing and started singing along. Now that she was finally on her way, Jude was extremely excited about arriving at Berklee. Never being to Boston before, she had a feeling that this was going to be an adventure, and she hoped that her feeling was correct.


	3. The Beginning of Something Wonderful

Chapter Three – The Beginning of Something Wonderful 

After driving for what seemed like hours, Jude finally pulled over at a rest area. Gone were the nerves that haunted her before she left Canada. She was now in New York and she was excited. She was only about 20 minutes away from Jamie and Kat's apartment and she couldn't help but do a little jig while waiting for her snack to drop from the mechanical claw. Kat had finally called her back and told her where she could park and that they were equally excited as she was.

Jude couldn't believe the sight that was before her. Their apartment building was huge. Living in Carson Hill, she really didn't get to see that many skyscrapers or for that matter people. She almost understood why neither Jamie nor Kat had a car. In New York City it's a deadly weapon! Not to mention the fact that parking was damned near impossible. Luckily for her, Kat had told her a good place people usually don't think of. Just as Kat said, there was a spot big enough for her baby to fit into.

Now that the stress from the drive was over, a little bit of nervousness began to creep up. She hadn't seen Kat or Jamie since graduation. Kat had already gotten the apartment for her intern and when she invited Jamie to come with her, Jude was left all alone.She had changed over the course of the summer. Her once natural blonde, wavy hair was now a striking red that was straight ironed religiously. She couldn't explain why she did what she did, but there were no regrets involved. Sometimes a girl just has to change every now and then.

Jude took a deep breath and walked up the short amount of stairs to the entrance way. She knocked on the door, nervously playing with the ends of her hair waiting for some sign of movement from inside. Her heart beat picked up a notch when she heard footsteps running towards the door. Everything seemed to slow down as the door was being pulled back from her.

"Jude! Look at your hair! Oh my goodness, just look at you!" Kat's excited voice said as she lunged toward Jude.

Jude smiled and hugged Kat tightly. She looked up and saw Jamie in the doorway smiling at the sight before him.

"Hey Jamie." She said, smiling at him brightly when Kat finally let go of her best friend.

"Jude, wow. Loving the red hair." Jamie said as he moved aside to let Kat and Jude inside the apartment. Jude turned around in a circle just to get the entire effect of the house.

"This place is beautiful, guys. Oh I've missed you so much." Jude said as she was lead into the living room. She smiled at all the little trinkets that decorated the room. "It's just all so homey."

"So Jude, what inspired the hair change? Not saying it's bad or anything, I actually like it but um, why?" Jamie stuttered out. He never could talk about girlish things like hair without his tongue getting all tangled. Jude laughed as she fell onto what looked like the most comfortable couch in the world.

"I was bored one day and just decided to dye it. The waves were beginning to annoy me anyway so I figured, why not straighten it? That was the best decision. It's so easy to handle now." Jude rambled. Even though she thrived on not being as girly as Sadie, she had to have her moments.

"Well, Jude. I love it. So tell me, are you excited about Berklee? I'm so proud of you for getting in. I looked it up and did you know that John Mayer went there? Just think, my best friend, Jude Harrison, going to the same college as someone famous." Kat said, leaning forward in all the excitement. It was just too much for her little body.

"Honestly, when I woke up this morning I was terrified. But now that I'm almost there, I can't help but be excited, ya know? I'm going to be taking classes about stuff I love and it just doesn't get any better than that." Jude said as she smiled. "Enough about me and college. Tell me about your plans. How's interning and how's the record company? I want to know everything."

The day continued on like that; old friends catching up and just being together again. After the first awkwardness was passed, it was as if the 3 months without them had never occurred. They talked about each other's work and all the cool people they had met. The two hours that Jude had planned to stay with them had gone by much too quickly. She left their apartment with their contact information and an invite to come by whenever she wanted.

As Jude got back into her mustang and fought with the god awful traffic of NYC, she couldn't help but smile at the fact that everyone she knew was at a place in their life where they are happy. She had come a long way since the music nerd sister of Sadie Harrison. She was going to make something of herself in Boston and she couldn't wait to get started.

--

Jude followed the directions perfectly and arrived at Berklee right on schedule. She parked her mustang in front of her dorm and began to unpack. Evidently, her dad had packed it all in there pretty tight because nothing was budging. She was trying to pull out one suitcase and just when she thought she had it loose, she gave it one good pull and down she went. Her butt landed on the concrete sidewalk and the suitcase landed on top of her. All you could hear was the 'oof' she managed to get out. The people passing by got a good chuckle at Jude's predicament and she thought she was going to die.

Jude pushed the suitcase off her stomach and as she was sitting up, she noticed a shadow come over her.

"Do you need some help?" a smooth voice asked from behind her. Jude looked up and all she saw was a pair of sunglasses that reflected her picture right back. He had a smile on his face and Jude couldn't help but smile back.

"I think I do, actually. The suitcase was putting up a big fight and I think it won." She said as she let out a giggle. "By the way, I'm Jude."

The stranger laughed at Jude's joke and the smile got even bigger. He took off his sunglasses and looked at Jude with smiling eyes.

"I'm Shay. So, are you a freshman or transfer, or what?" He asked as he stepped down off the sidewalk to look inside the car to see what he was about to deal with. Jude pulled the suitcase that shall not be named to the side to make room for more.

"I'm a freshman. Is it that obvious I'm new here?" she asked, worried that she was already doing something wrong. Shay stood back up on the sidewalk and shook his head.

"Not that obvious. It's just that I would have known if you were here before. I don't forget a pretty face." He said, winking as he turned around to get another one of her bags out. Jude's smiled widened and she was shocked to feel her face blush. She didn't know how to respond to that so she just stood there smiling like a giddy school girl.

"So what year are you?" Jude finally asked. The silence was just killing her. Shay had already unloaded the trunk with such ease she couldn't help but be a little embarrassed.

"I'm a sophomore. I'm majoring in Music Business / Management. What are you thinking of majoring in?" Shay asked as he unloaded the final bag from the backseat. Jude never missed a beat.

"Songwriting."

"Wow. Seems like you already know what you want to be. That's good, ya know? So, which room are you in?" Shay asked as he grabbed some of her bags. Jude was about to decline his offer to help but Shay interrupted her. "I know you can't carry all these things in by yourself. Let me help you."

Jude sighed and smiled in thanks. "I'm in room 135, or so it says here."

Shay laughed and began to walk towards the building. "I know exactly where that is."

After Shay helped carry some of her bags in, she got his number and a promise to meet up again. She laid down on her bed and giggled. Shay was definitely an attractive man and she couldn't help but notice the subtle signs of him hitting on her. She looked over at the vacant bed across the room and couldn't help but hope that her roommate was someone she could be friends with.

She slowly began to unpack her things and putting some sense of Jude Harrison in the blank, dull room. Just as she was about to hook up the TV a loud noise interrupted her.

"What the hell?" she asked herself as the banging sounded up again. Jude walked out of her room and over to the room next to it. The door was wide open and a man was standing up on a chair nailing a poster up onto the wall. Three other guys were playing around with what looked to be a PS2. The one with the dark curly hair noticed Jude standing in the doorway and let everyone else in on it.

"Hey dude, you've got company." He said. The guy on the ladder stopped hammering and looked over at her. He jumped down off the chair and walked over.

"Hey there pretty lady. What can the Speedmeister do for you?" Jude raised an eyebrow and lasted 20 seconds without laughing.

"Speedmeister? Please tell me that's not your real name." Jude said, buckled over in laugher. Speed's face completely fell and he sighed.

"No, it's not. I'm Speed." He said.

"His real name is Vincent." The blonde haired guy shouted out. Speed turned around.

"Shut up Kyle. You too Wally. I know nothing of what they are talking about." He told Jude.

"Well then Speed, I'm Jude and I live on the other side of that wall you're banging in."

Speed's face turned red and he looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone was in there yet. I'll just use those sticky tab thingies."

Jude smiled and laughed at Speed's face. "It's okay. I'm not really doing anything special but I appreciate it. It was nice meeting you all and I'm sure we'll see each other again."

Jude's first night in her dorm went off without a hitch. She already made some friends but there was still no sign of her roommate anywhere. Classes started tomorrow so maybe she will move in then. She fell asleep listening to all the voices floating in from other rooms as she dreamed about her first day of college.

Jude awoke the next morning with a bright smile on her face. She glanced over at her roommate's bed and it was still unoccupied. Maybe she got lucky and the girl decided not to come. Jude shrugged and walked into the bathroom to take a shower.

About 20 minutes later, Jude was blow drying her hair straight and dancing around the room. Her first class of the day was 'Essentials of Songwriting' with a Mr. Quincy and she already knew that Shay was in that class with her. Even though he's more interested in the business end he loves to write music as well. They had decided to meet up outside of the class and sit next to each other.

Glancing at the clock Jude figured she had just enough time to get to the classroom. When she made it there, Shay was already there waiting for her.

"Hey Jude. You excited?" Shay asked. Jude narrowed her eyes playfully as Shay raised his up and down.

"Nothing can ruin my excitement, not even you saying that." Jude said with a huge smile on her face. Jude and Shay made their way into the classroom that was pretty small. They sat right in the front row. Jude tried to make Shay move but he was rooted to the spot.

"The front row is the best, Jude. Trust me." He said. Jude sighed and sat down beside him. Just as she did, a guy with a cowboy hat came in and scanned the room for a friendly face. Jude, feeling nice, raised a hand and waved him over. He smiled and walked over towards her. He sat down in the seat next to Jude and grinned.

"Thanks. By the way I'm Mason." He said, his country accent winning Jude over right away.

"Oh it's no problem. I'm Jude and this is Shay." Jude replied. The three talked amongst themselves for about 15 minutes. Right at 9 AM a man walked into the room. He looked to be about in his mid-twenties and very laidback. Jude's first reaction was a strong one. This man was very attractive. He put his bag down on the desk in front of him and smiled.

"Welcome to Essentials of Songwriting."


	4. Just Call Me Tom

Chapter Four – Just Call Me Tom

Jude glanced up when she heard the professor's voice. She didn't listen to what Shay was trying to tell her. All she could hear and was the man standing up in front of the room. He was dressed very laidback.

"I'm Tom Quincy, your professor for this semester. In this class I hope to give you inspiration and the skills to write a beautiful song. I don't have a set plan for this course so we'll just roll with the punches on this one. Anyone have any questions before I move on?"

Jude was completely mesmerized. She didn't even realize her hand was in the air, begging to be called on. Tom's eyes landed on the red head and smiled.

"Yes, Miss…"

"Jude Harrison. Will we have to perform our own work before the class?" she asked, making direct contact. She couldn't explain it but she felt a connection with this man; a blow to the gut kind of reaction towards him. He smiled at Jude and nodded his head.

"Good question Miss Harrison. Yes, each of you will write a complete song with your instrument of choice and perform it in front of the class for your final grade. You will also be working on that song throughout this course. At the end of every week, you will do a little mini-performance within a group, which I'll leave it to you to pick yourselves. When you're not working on your song you will be learning the basics and the inner workings of a song. I also have to ask you to not call me Mr. Quincy. That was my father and it just makes me feel ten times older. You all may just call me Tom."

At the end of his speech Jude glanced toward Shay and smiled. He noticed her move her head and turned towards her. Shay smiled back at her and winked. Jude dropped her head bashfully and turned back towards Tom.

"Anymore questions?" Tom asked looking over the class. His gaze stopped at Jude. For some reason, he just kept being drawn to her. Partly because she was front and center but there was another reason he wasn't so sure he could admit to himself. He watched her smile at the man on her right and his hear sped up a little at that sight. When she turned her head back towards the front and locked eyes on him, he held his breath. He mentally shook himself and forced himself to look away from the stunning red head.

"So since there aren't anymore questions, let's get started." Tom said as he turned to his desk to grab his notes. Jude lifted out her journal from her knapsack and began to copy down all the important points Tom made. She couldn't help but smile at the thought that she was on her way to becoming what she always dreamed of, a songwriter.

After class was over, Mason looked over at Jude and smiled.

"So Jude, do you want to be in a group with me?" he asked as looked back and forth between Jude and Shay. Jude looked over towards Shay who shrugged casually.

"Sure, Mason. I would love to be in a group with you. It's okay if Shay is in the group too, right?" Jude asked, as she put her notebook back into her knapsack. Mason nodded his head.

"Of course it's okay. You guys are the first friends I've made since I've gotten here." Mason said as he put his book bag over his shoulder.

The professor, Tom was still sitting at his desk preparing his notes for the next class when he looked up and saw Jude laughing at something the cowboy said. She threw her arms around him and gave him a huge hug while the other guy didn't look quite as amused. Tom smirked at looked back down at his notes.

"Hey guys, you all go ahead; I have to talk to Mr….uh Tom for a minute. I'll meet you there." Jude said, waving the guys off. Jude walked over towards Tom who was writing some things down in a notepad. She cleared her throat to get his attention.

"Tom, I have a question for you." She said in a quiet voice as the next class was beginning to make their way into the room. Tom finished what he was writing and looked up at her.

"Go ahead Jude." He replied, marveling at the way her name sounded coming from his mouth.

"I was just wondering what you were looking for in our final piece." Jude asked, fiddling with her long hair. She always did that when she was nervous and she couldn't explain why she was so nervous talking to this man.

Tom smiled, noticing her nervous behavior. Once Jude saw the smile, she smiled back and all of her nervousness disappeared.

"I'm looking for the best song you have ever written. I'm looking for a story. I want to be able to feel what you felt when you were experiencing that event. I want to feel like after that song is over, I know everything about you." Tom said, never breaking eye contact. Jude smiled at his passion over music.

"I think that answers my question perfectly. Thank you." Jude replied as she walked out of the room to meet Mason and Shay for lunch.

After meeting the guys for lunch, she made her way back to her room. She wanted to start on her song right away and she knew exactly what event she was going to convey. As she got closer to her room, she could hear some loud music coming from inside.

"What in the world?" she asked herself as she stood outside of her own door. It sounded as if someone was dying inside and she was already getting a headache. Just as she was about to open the door, Speed popped his head out of his and motioned for her to come over. Once she was inside his room she looked at Speed expectantly.

"Jude, I have to warn you before you walk in there. I met your roommate as she was moving in and let me tell you, she is a force to be reckoned with. She scares me, Jude." Speed said, looking over at the wall that separates the two rooms. Jude smiled. Then before she could stop it, she laughed. Before she knew it she was laughing so hard she was crying.

"Speed, it can't be all that bad. I mean, Berklee wouldn't let in some serial killer or anything. You are just overreacting. I'm sure there is nothing to worry about." As soon as Jude finished that sentence, a loud crash could be heard throughout the building. Jude's eyes' widened and she quickly ran out of Speed's room and into her own. What she saw shocked her beyond all reason.


	5. Winding Down

**A/N: I am using and abusing the song "Skin" in this chapter. I don't own it, obviously. I changed some of the words in the song but it will return to it's awesomeness soon enough. Thanks so much for y'alls great reviews, I really appreciate them. Anyways, R & R please! Enjoy!**

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Chapter Five—Winding Down

When Jude opened up the door, she gasped at the sight before her. Her once clean room was now completely unorganized. Her side of the room looked completely different than what it was when she left earlier this morning. Her bed was covered in her own clothes and her guitar that was on its stand was now laying on the fall. Jude had to count to ten in her head so she wouldn't kill the intruder.

"Excuse me?" Jude said in her regular voice. Apparently the woman before her dressed in black had her headphones on because she made no move to show that she even heard Jude come in. Jude huffed and walked towards her. She reached up and patted her on the shoulder, trying to get her attention. The woman turned around while she was playing air guitar to whatever godforsaken music she was listening to.

"You must be Harrison." The woman said as she pulled out her ear buds and turned off the radio that was in the place where Jude's laptop used to be. Jude's expression was anything but amused.

"No, I'm Jude, not Harrison. And who are you and what do you think you're doing to my side of the room?" Jude asked, obviously angry. The woman laughed and Jude's eyes widened.

"Okay, Jude. I'm Patsy and I'm your roommate. I just thought I would help you by unpacking your bags and everything." Patsy said, nodding her head as she went along. Jude sighed and pointed to her bed.

"Those are not my clothes! Where did you put my laptop and why in the hell is my guitar laying on the damn floor?!" Jude said, her voice slightly rising letting everyone know she was not happy about the situation.

"Calm down, Jude. You're laptop is on your desk and I may have knocked down your guitar while putting my sound system up. I can't explain the clothes because they aren't mine either." Patsy explained. Jude looked around and sure enough her laptop was on the other desk in the room. Jude sighed and sat down on her bed.

"I think we've started out on the wrong foot. Want to try again?" Jude asked, looking up at Patsy. Patsy smiled and nodded.

"Sounds good to me. Hi, I'm Patsy Stewart. I transferred here from UCLA." She said, extending her hand out towards Jude.

"I'm Jude Harrison and I'm a freshman here." Jude said as she grabbed Patsy's hand and shook it.

"Nice to meet you Jude Harrison. So do you know what you are majoring in?" Patsy asked as she began to unpack more of her things. Jude nodded even though Patsy couldn't see her.

"Yeah, I'm majoring in Songwriting. What about you?"

"I'm majoring in Music Production and Engineering. I'm all for experimentation in the studio. I actually missed my first class this morning because my flight was delayed. Besides, how hard could Essentials of Songwriting be?" Patsy asked, as she shrugged her shoulders. Jude's head shot up at that.

"You're in Essentials of Songwriting?" Jude asked, eager to know the answer. Patsy nodded her head and Jude almost jumped up in excitement. "So am I. That's so cool. If you want, later on the day, I could give you my notes so you could get caught up."

Patsy smiled and nodded. "That would be great, thanks. So when is your next class?"

Jude glanced at the clock and calculated. "In about 30 minutes or so. It's Songwriting 1. I'm excited about it."

Patsy also looked at the clock and swore. "Dammit I'm late for my class. I've gotta go. I'll see you later tonight." Patsy grabbed her bag and was out the door before Jude could say a word. Jude shrugged and went towards her laptop.

After checking her e-mail and responding back to them she sat down on her bed with her journal and tried to think back to when she first found out her dad was having the affair with Yvette. When Tom had said that she could pick any event in her life and that he wanted to know how she was feeling when this event happened, Jude knew exactly what she was going to write about. She actually wrote a few entries during that time and had some bits and pieces of a possible song. She reread what she had written and smiled. This could be turned into something wonderful.

_So what you had didn't fit  
Among the pretty things  
Never fear, never fear  
I now know where you've been_

_I don't believe I'll be alright  
I don't believe I'll be OK  
I don't believe how you've thrown me away  
I do believe you didn't try  
I do blame you for every lie  
When I look in your eyes, I don't see mine_

Jude couldn't help but reach for her guitar and strum a few times until she found the perfect chord. The lines that she had already written weren't what she had in mind to start the song off so she continued to play until the words came to her.

_I float away to a place  
A different kind of life  
Take away the hurt  
I make my paradise…_she sang when it felt right to begin. She smiled at the sound and wrote them down. This went on for a while until she had a rough draft of the song. It wasn't perfect but she was well on her way. Jude glanced up at the clock as she put her guitar in its case. She had about 10 minutes until her next class so she figured she would go ahead and leave now and possibly get there early.

Jude had successfully gone through three of her five classes and she was so excited. She didn't have that much homework, just reading through some chapters and working on her song for Tom's class. She had caught up with Mason in her Songwriting 1 class they decided that they should meet in the library after dinner to work on their songs together.

Jude walked into the dorm room and was surprised that she didn't see Patsy anywhere. Jude shrugged and went to pack up her guitar and journal to get ready for dinner and then the meeting when someone knocked on her door. She opened the door and smiled at who was behind it.


	6. Is It Love?

**A/N: YAY for double posts! Hope y'all like it!**

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Chapter Six

"Hey Speed. Can I help ya?" Jude asked, as she propped herself against the door.

"Me and the guys were wondering if you wanted to come eat dinner with us, if you haven't already eaten or have any other plans." Speed rambled as he avoided Jude's gaze. Jude giggled and nodded her head.

"Let me grab my stuff and I'll meet you out in the hallway." Jude said. Speed nodded as Jude closed the door. She inwardly smiled at herself. She was actually making friends and she couldn't help but be proud of herself. Back in Carson Hill she was sort of a loner, even when she was hanging out with Kat and Jamie.

After grabbing her guitar case and her journal she opened the door and met Speed, Wally and Kyle out in the hallway.

"So where are you going with that guitar, Harrison?" Speed asked, as they made their way out into the commons area.

"For my Essentials of Songwriting class we have to write a song and work on it in groups so I'm meeting my group in the library after dinner." Jude explained. The guys all nodded and the rest of the walk was quiet. When they walked in and handed the woman their I.D. cards she saw Shay and some of his friends sitting down at a nearby table. He looked up and smiled when he saw her. He gave her a little wave and laughed at something one of his buddies said. Jude blushed and continued to walk into the line to get her food.

"Did Shay 'I'm the Man' Mills just wave at you?" Speed asked after he told the man what he wanted. Jude nodded and also told the man what she wanted. Once they were seated Jude looked up and saw 3 pair of eyes looking at her.

"Do I have something on my face?" she asked, wiping at her mouth just in case. Wally shook his head and leaned closer towards her.

"Shay waved. At you. How do you know him?" he whispered, trying not to bring attention to the table. Jude's expression was one of confusion as she made eye contact with each of the guys.

"He helped me move into my room the other day. Why?"

"Because his uncle is Darius Mills. He's an alumnus of Berklee and he provides a lot of grants to the school. He's a very famous manager. I'm surprised you never made the connection." Kyle supplied as he took a break from eating his cheeseburger.

"I've never even heard of Darius Mills. I'm from Canada, remember?" Jude asked, sipping some of her Dr. Pepper. Speed looked up and grinned.

"I never knew you were from Canada, eh." He said laughing at his own little joke. The rest of the table just looked at him like he was crazy.

"Moving on from that sad attempt, how was everyone's first day of classes?" Jude asked, trying to move the focus off of her and Shay. Not that there was a her and Shay or anything, she just felt uncomfortable being the center of dinner conversation. The change in subject worked and soon everyone was engrossed in talking about their classes.

Jude was in a completely different world thinking about her song and her professor Tom that she didn't notice the lull in conversation. Someone cleared their throat which finally dragged Jude back to reality. She looked up and to her surprise Shay was standing at the end of their table looking at her as if he were waiting for her to say something.

"I'm sorry, but what?" Jude asked dumbly which caused Speed, Wally and Kyle to crack up laughing. Shay cracked a smile and Jude blushed at her own blondeness.

"I was just asking you if you were going to the group meeting at the library." Shay said.

"Yeah, of course. Are you going?" Jude asked, noticing that he didn't have a notebook or anything with him. Shay noticed her confused glance and nodded his head.

"Yeah, I'm going. Do you guys mind if I sit here with you until it's time to leave?" he asked looking at the guys for their permission.

"That's fine; we were just leaving anyways, right guys?" Speed asking, noticing the glances being shared between Jude and Shay.

"Right." Wally and Kyle said in unison as they all got up to leave. Jude looked over at them in shock as if saying, 'Don't leave me.' Shay pulled out the seat in front of Jude and smiled.

"So have you started on your song already?" he asked, glancing at the journal that was beside her tray. Jude nodded her head and smiled.

"Actually I have. I know that it makes me seem like a dork or whatever but I just couldn't wait to start. I had already written a few lines before school so I'm excited to see where it will go." Jude rambled. She blushed when she saw that Shay was grinning like an idiot.

"It doesn't make you seem like a dork. It shows me that you're passionate about songwriting." Shay said, reaching out to put his hand on top of hers to reassure her. Jude smiled down at their hands and sighed.

"So what about you? Have you started?" Jude asked, leaving her hand right where it was. She couldn't help but feel like a giddy school girl on the inside.

"I have an idea of what I want to do but I haven't exactly written down anything." He explained.

"Oh, that's cool." Jude said as she continued to stare down at her food. All of a sudden she wasn't hungry anymore. She was just so tangled up in the fact that Shay still had his hand on top of hers. Jude glanced at her cell phone to check the time and cursed.

"Shay, we got to get going if we want to be at the library on time." Jude said as she reluctantly pulled her hand out from under his. Shay nodded and grabbed her guitar case as she grabbed her journal and tray. They power walked the entire way there and made it there just as Mason was walking up to the doors.

"Hey guys!" he said waving with his one free hand. Evidently he could play the guitar as well.

"Hey." Shay and Jude said in unison. They all walked into the library together and went in search of a vacant study room so they could practice.

"So who wants to go first?" Mason asked as he pulled out his acoustic from its case. Shay shrugged and looked towards Jude.

"Jude told me during dinner that she had some parts of a song written. Why don't you go first?" Shay said looking at Jude. She shrugged and grabbed her notebook and guitar.

"That's fine with me. I only have a couple of lines written that I've worked on and the beginning isn't perfected yet. So, I guess here we go." Jude said before she began to play the haunting chords. After she counted to ten in her head, she opened her mouth and began to sing.

_I float away to a place  
A different kind of life  
Take away the hurt  
I make my paradise…_she stopped after the verse and shook her head.

"It doesn't sound right to me. What do you guys think?" she asked the stunned guys in front of her. Mason was the first one to answer her question.

"I think it sounds good but it could use some fine tuning. How attached are you to some of those words?" he asked as he stood behind her so he could see her notes.

"Not too attached. I was thinking maybe instead of 'float away' maybe drift?" Jude looked to Shay for any signs of emotion. Mason smiled and nodded his head.

"I like the way that sounds. Now what about 'a different kind of life'? That sounds like too many syllables to me. Maybe shorten it to 'another kind of life'?" Mason asked as he watched Jude make some notes in her journal.

"I like it. Any thoughts Shay?" she asked, trying to include him. Shay stared off into space for a minute before answering.

"I was thinking maybe instead of 'take away the hurt, I make my paradise' how about 'take away the pain, I create my paradise'?" Shay said looking at Jude. Jude smiled and nodded.

"I love it Shay. Good idea. Okay, so let's try this again. This time I'm just going to keep going, I'm feeling inspired." Jude said. Mason and Shay nodded and Jude began playing the guitar once more.

_I drift away to a place  
Another kind of life  
Take away the pain  
I create my paradise…_she nodded as she sang indicating that she liked the changes that they made. She continued playing the guitar and the words just kept pouring out of her.

_Everything I've held  
Has hit the wall  
What used to be yours  
Isn't yours at all _

Falling apart, and all that I'm asking  
Is it a crime, am I overreacting

Oh, he's under my skin  
Just give me something to get rid of him  
I've got a reason now to bury this alive  
Another little white lie…Mason tried to write down what she sang and frowned as he heard her pain throughout the song. Shay just sat back and closed his eyes, taking all of it in at once. Jude wasn't paying attention to anything except her memories and the pain that they brought all along.

_So what you had didn't fit  
Among the pretty things  
Never fear, never fear  
I now know where you've been _

Braids have been un-tied  
As ribbons fall away  
Leave the consequence

_My tears you'll taste _

Falling apart and all that I question  
Is this a dream or is this my lesson

_Oh, he's under my skin  
Just give me something to get rid of him  
I've got a reason now to bury this alive  
Another little white lie _

I don't believe I'll be alright  
I don't believe I'll be OK  
I don't believe how you've thrown me away  
I do believe you didn't try  
I do blame you for every lie  
When I look in your eyes, I don't see mine

Oh, he's under my skin  
Just give me something to get rid of him  
I've got a reason now to bury this alive  
Another little white lie

Oh my permission to sin  
You might have started my reckoning  
I've got a reason now to bury him alive  
Another little white lie..she finished in an almost whisper. She sniffed once and looked up to gauge the guys' reactions.

"So?" Jude asked when neither Shay nor Mason said anything.

Mason smiled softy at Jude. "Wow Jude, that was amazing. I loved it. I don't think you should change a thing about it. It's perfect."

"Thanks Mason. I appreciate it. What about you Shay? Love it or hate it?"

Shay opened his eyes and saw a heartbroken woman sitting in front of him waiting for his approval. He tried to smile but failed. Jude saw the smile falter and looked down to the ground.

"I take that you didn't like it." She said as she put away her guitar. Shay quickly shook his head in protest.

"Anything but that, girl. I absolutely loved it. You have such raw talent and I'm just amazed. That song is filled with so much pain, I actually felt it. You're just amazing." Shay replied, making eye contact with Jude. Jude smiled brightly and blushed.

"Thanks Shay. That really means a lot, ya know?" Jude replied.

"Oh my God!" Mason shrieked, ruining the moment that was occurring between Jude and Shay.

"What? What's wrong?" Jude asked, worried beyond belief that something had happened.

"Look at the time. We've been in here for 3 hours!" Mason replied, shaking his head in amazement.

"3 hours? It didn't feel that long. I'm sorry that I used up all of our time." Jude said as she watched Mason put his guitar away.

"That's okay. I wasn't really prepared anyway. I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow." Mason said. Shay and Jude nodded in response and watched as Mason left.

"So what are you doing after this?" Shay asked, avoiding Jude's gaze. Jude smiled at Shay's nervousness.

"I was going to go back to my room and work on some homework. I have a lot of reading to do. Why?" Jude asked. Shay finally made eye contact and shrugged.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out or whatever." He replied. Jude's smile faded and shook her head.

"I can't tonight but maybe sometime tomorrow? Maybe lunch?" Jude said as she stood up, getting ready to leave.

"I understand. I'll see what I can do about lunch. I'll give you a call." Shay said as he opened the door for her. She smiled up at him.

"Sounds good to me. I'll see you tomorrow." Jude replied before walking off towards her dorm. Shay watched her until she turned the corner and smiled.


	7. You've Got Mail

Chapter Seven – You've Got Mail

When Jude got back to the dorm, Patsy was sitting on her bed reading through one of her textbooks. Jude quietly put her things away and logged onto her computer. She had a couple e-mails from her family just checking up on her and all that jazz. The last e-mail she checked surprised her. It was from Tom and the subject was the name of the class, Essentials of Songwriting. Intrigued, Jude opened the e-mail not knowing why he would be messaging her.

_Dear Jude,  
I hope that it's okay that I'm mailing you. I just wanted to let you in on something new that I'm doing in this class. I'm going to be taking on one student to coach them through the songwriting process. The reason I'm telling you this is because I would like you to be that student. I saw something in you today Jude. I believe you have what it takes to be someone great. Let me know either before or after class on Wednesday whether you are interested or not. I look forward to hearing from you soon.  
Sincerely,  
Tom Quincy_

Jude smiled in excitement. She didn't have to think about it, she knew she wanted to work one-on-one with Tom. She wanted to explore the connection that she felt with him and hopefully find out what caused her to feel that way.  
"Hey Patsy. Do you want to go ahead and take a look at my notes before class on Wednesday?"

Patsy looked up from her reading and pulled out her ear buds.

"I guess so. It really doesn't matter to me." she replied, stretching out her arms and legs. Jude headed over to her bed where she dropped her knapsack earlier. She dug through its contents until she finally found the notebook she was looking for. She handed it over to Patsy.

"Here yaw go. I apologize ahead of time for my handwriting. Tom was talking fast and I didn't want to miss anything." Jude explained.

"Who's Tom?" Patsy asked as she flipped through the pages.

"Oh yeah, he's the professor. He doesn't want us calling him Mr. Quincy so we call him Tom."

"Well that's a little unorthodox of him. Considering there is supposed to be a fine line between teacher and student." Patsy replied, sitting down on her bed. Jude looked at Patsy for a moment before turning back to her own computer. She shouldn't be feeling guilty because there was nothing to feel guilty about. Jude turned around and looked at Patsy.

"Just because he wants us to call him Tom doesn't mean anything. Don't talk about things you don't know about." Jude snapped before walking into the bathroom to get ready for bed. Patsy stayed seated on her bed, oblivious to the actions that just took place. She had put her ear buds back in and was jamming out when Jude had her outburst.

The next morning Jude had gotten up early to avoid talking to Patsy. She had to get breakfast down and everything before her first class of the day. She only had two classes and they were back to back. She wanted her Tuesdays and Thursdays to be free after lunch so she could work on her homework and hang out with friends.

Jude had so far accomplished her goal of not talking to Patsy. She didn't know why she reacted so forcefully towards what she had said. She didn't think Tom was crossing any line by wanting all of his students to call him by his first name. It wasn't as if he had asked only her to call him that. Jude was completely lost in thoughts while playing with her eggs when Shay sat down in front of her. She didn't even notice him which caused him to suppress a chuckle.

"Hey Jude." He said loudly. Jude snapped out of her thoughts and dropped her fork onto her plate. Her eyes had widened significantly and her expression reminded Shay of a fish. He just couldn't hold it in anymore, he just had to laugh at how cute she looked.

"Shay, you scared the crap out of me. What are you doing?" Jude asked as she tried to recover from her almost heart attack. Shay leaned forward and shot her a superstar smile.

"I noticed that. I'm here to eat breakfast and when I saw you staring off into space I figured I'd come and eat breakfast with you instead of by myself." Shay explained, pointing to his plate filled with pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage.

"Did you save any for the rest of us?" Jude asked, staring at his massive amounts of food. Shay smiled and nodded his head.

"I sure did. This is only my first plate. You can never have too much breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day."

Jude's eyes widened and just had to laugh at that. Shay was a growing boy after all. She just didn't know where he put it all. He was in very good shape, not that she was checking him out, all the time anyway.

"Jude, where'd you go off to again?' Shay asked, pointing his fork at her with a grin plastered on his face.

"I'm sorry Shay. I seem to be completely out of it this morning. I'm not making for very good company."

"It's cool. So about lunch, I'm free around noon ish. How about you?" Shay asked. Jude thought about her classes and calculated how much free time she would have.

"That sounds good to me. I've gotta get going. I have class in 20 minutes. I'll meet you here around noon?"

"Sounds good to me. See you then." Shay said, standing up to give Jude a hug. Jude smiled and walked to throw her trash away. Good day so far, what could go wrong?


	8. Accidental Meeting

**A/N: Eek you guys! I am so sorry about not posting chapter eight sooner. I thought I had uploaded it a while ago but I guess I didn't. I fail at life. Anyhoo, enjoy!**

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Chapter Eight

After breakfast with Shay, Jude had gone to her class actually happy about it being over in 50 minutes. Jude couldn't pinpoint why she was so enthralled with Shay. She could feel herself liking him more and more every time they hung out together. Jude doodled throughout her class, only paying attention when something the professor said intrigued her.

Jude's class was over and she had some time to spare until her next class. Making a quick decision she made her way back to the dorm. The incident with Patsy had been plaguing her thoughts ever since she snuck out that morning. She couldn't put her mind around the fact that she just blew up at Patsy because of what she had said about Tom. If it were any other professor, Jude would've thought the same thing but for some reason, Tom didn't warrant that reaction.

By the time Jude had reached her dorm, she already had an apology rehearsed and ready to go. She paused at the door, took a deep breath, and opened it. To Jude's surprise, Patsy wasn't there. Her book bag and laptop weren't in their places. Jude figured she had gone to class already and went to sit down on the bed. Before sitting down she saw a note lying on her pillow. Intrigued, Jude picked up the note and tried to decipher what was written through the chicken scratch.

_Hey Jude,  
Some guy called Speedmeister came over looking for you. Something about wanting to have breakfast. Just wanted to let you know. By the way, don't worry about last night. It's cool._

Jude smiled at the note and placed it in her drawer. Speed was definitely a trip and she was glad that he was her next door neighbor.

Jude grabbed her journal which she had forgotten in her hurry to get out this morning. For some odd reason she was feeling inspired. She knew what she wanted to say but she was having difficulty putting that feeling into words and into music. Frustrated with herself, Jude dropped her journal and walked out the door heading to her last class of the day.

Jude walked out of her class feeling slightly better about her writer's block. She just figured that when the time was right the words would come. As she was walking outside, enjoying the sun and just enjoying the day, she had managed to knock into someone. All of her books went to the ground and she would have too if it weren't for the person's hands steadying her.

"I am so sorry. I should've been looking where I was going instead of daydreaming." Jude apologized. She had yet to look up to see who she had bumped into because she was just too embarrassed.

"Jude, it's okay. I wasn't looking either." the man said, bending down to help Jude pick up her books.

"How do you know...?" Jude began as she looked up at the man's face. They were definitely close to one another, almost nose to nose. Jude's eyes widened as she kept looking into beautiful blue eyes.

"Mr. Quincy, Tom. I'm sorry." Jude said, still not looking away from those eyes. Tom smiled at Jude and shook his head.

"It's ok, really Jude. Don't worry about it. No harm, no foul." he replied, standing up and holding out his hand to help Jude up. She slowly placed her hand in his and stood up. She wiped off her clothes and shifted her books in her arms so she could take the ones Tom had picked up.

"Thanks." Jude replied as he handed the books over.

"No problem. So, are you heading to class or heading from class?" he asked, putting his hands into his front pockets. He didn't want anyone to see how his hands were shaking. He was confused as to why he was acting the way he was around her.

"Heading from. I'm on my way to meet Shay for lunch." she said, once again shifting her weight from one foot to the other.

"Oh." Tom replied, looking down at his feet. He knew that he saw some chemistry between the two. He wanted it to be nothing but not sure why.

"Yeah, I should get going. I'm already late as it is. I'll see you tomorrow in class?" Jude said, not realizing what she had asked. "Never mind, of course I'll see you in class, you're the professor."

Tom chuckled and nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess I am. Oh yeah, have you decided on whether or not you'd like to work with me one on one?"

Jude smiled. "Yeah I have decided. It really didn't take that much thinking. I knew as soon as I finished your e-mail what I wanted to do. I'd love to. I actually a having trouble with writing something now, I'll make sure to bring that in to class." Jude looked down at her watch and grimaced. She was now 20 minutes late.

"Ok, that would be great. I know you have somewhere else to be, so I'll see you tomorrow, Jude." Tom said, before he began to walk away.

"Great." Jude said as she began to jog towards the cafeteria. She was really late and she hoped that Shay wouldn't have left.

By the time she reached the cafeteria she was 25 minutes late and out of breath. She walked in immediately looking for Shay. She sighed in relief when she saw him sitting at a table with a few friends, laughing and having a good time. She was glad that he didn't leave or anything like that. She straightened her clothes and walked over to his table.

"Hey Shay." She said, trying to get his attention. He turned around and looked at her. He smiled and stood up to give her a hug.

"Hey girl. I was beginning to worry about you." He said to her. "I gotta go guys, see ya later." He said to his friends. He wrapped his arm around her waist and guided her to an empty table.

"So what happened?" he asked as they were waiting in line to get their food. Jude shrugged her shoulders.

"I was taking my time walking from class and I accidentally ran into Tom and got carried away in conversation. I'm really sorry Shay. I didn't mean for it to happen." Jude explained after she told the worker what she wanted to eat.

"You ran into Tom? Does that mean you saw him and started talking or actually running into him as in collision?" Shay asked, hiding a smile behind his hand. Jude saw this and hit him in the arm.

"It's not funny. And it was a collision of sorts. I almost fell on my ass." Jude said, walking out to the table and sitting down. Shay followed and when he sat down he couldn't hold in his laughter anymore. This wasn't just any laugh either; this was the kind where everyone in the room turns to look at the person. Needless to say, Jude was embarrassed when she noticed that everyone's attention was on her and Shay.

"Shay, everyone is looking at us." She said, looking down at her food, afraid to look up. Shay stopped laughing and put his hand on top of hers.

"Let them look all they want, girl."

Jude looked up at Shay and couldn't help but smile. She turned her hand and laced her fingers with his.

"Yeah."


	9. Part I: That's What Friends Are For

**A/N: OMG you guys, I am so sorry that it has taken me this long to post even this little bit. Life got in the way and I'm sure most of you know how that goes. Anyhoo, this is just Part I, so I hope you enjoy!**

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Chapter Nine: Part I

As Shay and Jude enjoyed their lunch together everyone around them was curious as to whom the woman was with him. Everyone knew Shay Shay and who his uncle was, including the contribution Darius Mills gives to the university. People were intimated by Shay because of that one fact. Sure, he had friends and people to hang out with, but sometimes he wondered if they were really friends with him or just trying to get to his uncle through him.

Jude and Shay's lunch date finally came to an end when Shay made Jude laugh so hard some soda came out of her nose. She was extremely embarrassed when Shay laughed at Jude's predicament. Her face turned the same color as her hair and she tried to hide her face from the onlookers.

Shay and Jude walked out of the cafeteria after Jude's little episode and just walked around for a while. Jude had finished her classes for the day and Shay had as well.

"Shorty you don't have to worry about what happened in the cafeteria earlier." Shay said as he put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to him in the process. Jude shook her head and blushed some more.

"You don't understand Shay. That was mortifying for me. Everyone was already looking and then you had to go and make that joke while I was drinking. You know what happened next." She said, smiling at the fact that he called her 'shorty'. Shay chuckled.

"You've just got to chill. Who cares if everyone is looking? What matters is that I thought it was cute and made me like you even more. Don't worry about what everyone else thinks." Shay replied, running his hand down her hair. Jude closed her eyes for a brief second before looking over towards Shay and giving him her widest smile.

"You're just too good to be true, Shay." She replied, leading the way to her dorm room.

They slowly made their way back to Jude's dorm, trying to savor their time together. They haven't talked about what they were to each other or if there even was a 'we' involved. Right now they were just enjoying the moment and hoping it would last forever.

Jude and Shay finally made it to Jude's door after about 20 minutes of extra walking. They stopped at the closed door and faced each other. Shay stared into Jude's eyes waiting to see if it was alright for him to kiss her. Once he saw her eyes migrate down to his lips he knew she wanted it as bad as he did. He kept staring as he moved closer, only about 90 percent of the way in, letting Jude move that last 10 percent. Jude's eyes kept moving back and forth between Shay's intense stare and his mouth. Jude smiled right before she moved in and let their lips connect. It was a beautiful moment. The kiss was just perfect. Shay pulled back a little and looked at Jude's face. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was just a little pink and swollen from the contact. He smiled.

"You're beautiful." He whispered as his hand reached out and stroked her cheek ending at her jaw line where it just laid. Jude's eyes fluttered open and she smiled slowly. She leaned into his hand and ran her fingers over his lips.

"So are you." She whispered. Shay smiled and leaned in to kiss her again.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Jude." He said as his thumb caressed her cheek. Jude nodded and watched him walk down the hall.

Jude sighed and leaned back against her door. She was the happiest she had ever been and it was because of Shay. She stood upright and turned to unlock the door but before she had the chance, Speed's door opened and an arm grabbed Jude and dragged her into the room.

"Speed, what the hell are you doing?" Jude asked as she rubbed her arm where he grabbed. Speed's face was priceless. His eyes were wide and he kept starring at Jude as if she had a third eye in the middle of her forehead.

"Did what I think just happen, happen?" he asked, continuing to stare. Jude looked surprised at what Speed had just asked her.

"I don't know. What do you think just happen?"

"I think that I just opened my door to go to class and what do I see happening next door? Jude Harrison macking on Shay Mills." Speed said rapidly.

Jude's mouth dropped and her eyes narrowed. "You were spying on me?"

"No, um not really. I just happened to open my door when you leaned in to kiss him. I closed my door right away, I swear. No spying, just coincidence." Speed explained, pleading with his eyes for Jude to believe him. Jude tried to decide if she was going to believe him or not. The look in his eyes told her he wasn't lying.

"Ok Speed. I believe you. I do have to say that I wasn't macking on Shay. We had just come back from having lunch and it just happened. I don't know why it happened, but it did. And, it was wonderful." Jude said, going off into a dream like state as she talked about the kiss she and Shay shared.

"Jude, come back to the light. Focus, now what does this mean? Are you and Big Shay dating or what?" Speed asked as he plopped down on his couch, watching Jude daydream. In the beginning Speed was attracted to Jude and maybe had a little crush on her but as time went on he thought of her as more of a sister more than anything else.

Jude seemed to contemplate the question for a moment before sitting down beside Speed and leaning up against him for support.

"I don't know Speed. I like him and everything but I feel like I don't really know him all that well and I'm not too sure if he likes me enough. I'm just so confused." Jude said. Speed put his arm around Jude's shoulders and helped her find a comfortable place on his chest to rest her head.

"I don't know what to tell you Jude. I'm not really close friends with Shay so I don't really know much about him. What I can tell you is that since you've met him, he doesn't have any booty girls around him anymore and he seems to have toned it down some. I don't know if that means anything, but it's something right?"

Jude sighed and nestled into Speed's chest. So many things were running through her head at the moment. Shay was great. He was everything she thought she wanted in a man and then some. He seemed to like her which was a plus and she had fun when they were together. Laughing was a major part of their relationship, whatever that said relationship is.

"Do you think I should talk to him about it? He's the one who initiated the kiss so that means he likes me, right? Or I don't know, Speed. Guys are just so confusing sometimes."

Speed tried to think of what to say. He knew that she really didn't have any girl friends, minus Patsy. He didn't know what to say to make Jude feel better. He knew what to say from a guy point of view but he doubted that Jude wanted to hear about that.

"Jude, I once again don't know what to tell you. All I know is that if he kissed you that means he felt something at that given point of time. I didn't see the entire thing but from what I did see, he's into you." Speed replied, nodded at his answer. It sounded good enough to him, but by Jude's expression he couldn't tell if it was good enough for her.

"Speed, you're the greatest. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if I didn't have you as a friend." Jude said as she stood up to head out the door. Speed also stood up and grabbed her into a hug before opening the door for her and waiting until she walked in her room before closing his door.


End file.

Instant Star, Drama, Romance