2 - The Part Where Jade Wanted To Make It Up To Perrie

Perrie was immensely hurt by what she just heard. Her legs were becoming like noodles as she walks down the hallway with a stagger. Even though she was looking down on the tiled floors, Perrie knew that she heard snickering from other people who apparently saw the whole thing a few minutes ago but Perrie was too heartbroken to even care about her mortification. The only thing that's running around her head was who on earth is Jade dating.

"Perrie!"

Perrie instantly knew that familiar voice, the voice that made her heart abnormally beat very fast. But instead of turning around, Perrie fastened her pace and walked briskly towards the comfort room where—hopefully—there is nobody inside. But just when she was about to open the door, she suddenly felt a soft hand tightly grab her shoulder, pulling her to turn her body around.

"Perrie, I know you're hurt but please try to understand that I still want to be friends with you." Jade pleads, frowning for a second but recovered immediately.

"I'm sorry," Perrie choked out between her sobs, "I'm such a stupid girl for thinking that you'd like me."

       "Come on, Perrie," Jade sighs out, "You're not stupid. You know I like you, just not the same way as you want me to..."

       "That's a lie. You won't like me because you now know the truth about me."

       "And that's a lie, too," Jade chuckled, "Friends don't just dislike a friend just because of something like this. In fact, friends are supposed to support their friends and tell them how brave they truly are for risking their friendship for this."

       Perrie felt the earth-shattering urge to just break down in front of the brunette. Friends, that's what they are and nothing more. Of course Jade would never be Perrie's girlfriend, who is she kidding? Perrie is nothing but a mere friend in Jade's eyes. Only a friend, Perrie. Only a friend, Perrie thought in her mind. And Perrie sometimes wished she wasn't even an acquaintance to Jade anymore.

       "Can we still be friends and act like nothing happened?" Jade asks, and Perrie swore she heard a crack in her chest.

       "S-sure," Perrie says, not sure if that's what she really wanted.

       The edges of Jade's lips curve up into a bright smile when she knew that nothing will change between the two girls. Somehow, Jade was relieved to think that Perrie would still stay in her life and not throw away whatever they had built over these few months of gaining trust and built-up friendship. But despite all this, Jade still had that roaring guilt inside her that, until now, would always remind her of how she rejected the blonde.

       "Oh my god! Thank you so much, Perrie! How about this, let's hang out in dismissal? I mean, if you want...?" Jade abruptly spoke, inwardly frowning of how relieved she sounded in her own ears.

       "Uhm, sure," Perrie replied.

       "But I must warn you: I have training after dismissal... So how about you wait for me, yeah?"

       "What time does your training end?" Perrie asks, placing her sweaty palms inside her pockets.

       "Five-thirty," Jade answered.

       "Okay."

~•~•~

       Perrie was currently leaning on her bench, continually glancing at her rose golden watch, and sighed every time a minute had passed by. It was already five forty-five and the doors of the gym hasn't been opened yet, meaning that the Volleyball team are not done with their training.

"Perrie!" A familiar voice calls out to her.

Perrie snapped her head to the right to see an all too familiar girl running towards her with a bright smile splashed across her tanned face, which makes Perrie wish she could kiss every inch of it.

"You were dismissed late?" Perrie guessed, smiling slightly as if to tease the brunette.

"I'm sorry about that," Jade sighs out, inhaling and exhaling every second. "But just so you know, I was really in a hurry when the coach finally dismissed us so I could check if you're still waiting for me and... here you are."

"It's okay."

Jade shook her head. "No, it's not okay. It's never okay, Perrie. I wanted to make it up to you since today is Valentine's Day and I sadly rejected you because I'm taken. I wanted to make it up to you because you're the only girl who was so brave and courageous that you would risk our friendship because of your feelings for me. I wanted to make it up to you because I feel genuinely culpable of what I did to you. And you and I both know that a mere 'sorry' won't fix anything."

At this moment, Perrie could actually feel her heart roaring back to life inside her, which unfortunately awoken her intense feelings for the volleyball player. Perrie never saw this side of Jade Thirlwall: the guilty and sincere type of her crush. The only side she saw on Jade was the cutie side, which is what she always see practically everyday.

"Jade, you seriously don't have to make it up to me just 'cause you rejected me on Valentine's Day," Perrie assured the brunette, who seemed to be a little hesitant at Perrie's words. "And besides, I have homework to do so I really need to go before I go home tired and decide to just sleep."

"Pssh! No, you're not going anywhere, Edwards." Jade picked up Perrie's bag that was sitting on the bench beside the blonde along with Perrie's books. She was now walking past the blonde as she tries to look for her car in the school's parking lot, assuming that Perrie was trailing behind.

"What on earth are you doing?" Perrie couldn't help but ask as she gestures to her things that Jade was currently holding. And Jade looked at her with a face that said 'common sense, my friend'.

       Jade snorted, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm holding your things and you're following me towards my car so we could eat dinner together."

       "I already ate, though."

       "Then you'll have to watch me eat my food then." Jade shrugs as she faced forward once again, glancing at Perrie at the corner of her eyes before looking back to where she's going.