Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. Just these words.
Holding Onto Chance
The next time Jade breaks up with him is through a text message. He gets said message just when his eyes are feeling droopy enough to sleep and he's annoyed that someone bothered to disturb his much needed rest as he hadn't slept a full night in days. He opens the message and just stares at it for a while after reading the offending words. He doesn't know just how serious he should take this. They didn't have the most stable relationship. But a text message? She's losing her touch, he thinks, and had half the mind to tell her so, if he didn't know she was probably really pissed off for whatever reason at him.
He rereads it again. I'm breaking up with you. This is serious. Short and not sweet, just the way he preferred. Usually, she would give a whole long speech about what he was doing wrong and why he was a failure of a boyfriend and she usually dragged out the fight for days, but this time he gets two lousy sentences. Through a screen. He didn't like the never-ending fights, but a text? He wishes he could see her face right now to determine the level of anger she had, and to approximately guess how long it would last, but alas, he's just laying alone on his bed in his trailer, staring at the screen until it goes black, and pushing the button so it lights up again, just to stare at it some more.
No matter how many times she breaks up with him, he can't help the sinking feeling he gets in his gut every time. And once he gets past the almost comical way in which she did, this time is no different.
He doesn't sleep, for his bed still smells like her.
She avoids him the next day and the rest of the week. No big schemes to win him back, no apologies, not so much as a glance his way. She stopped sitting at his lunch table. He gets the hint.
One particular day he's late for class, and sees Tori coming the opposite direction. She smiles when she sees him.
"Hey, Beck." She chirps brightly.
"Hi." He says.
"What're you doing?" She asks, making conversation.
"Late for class. You?"
"Bathroom." She shakes the hallpass her teacher gave her, in this case a stuffed frog, in front of his face.
He nods.
"How are you?" She asks him randomly. They never get to talk. Why not take advantage of it? she thinks.
"I'm okay." Now he knows he should probably be getting to class, but he kind of likes just talking to Tori.
"I heard what happened with Jade. I'm sorry." She looks sympathetic.
"Thanks, Tori." He says and means it, shuffling his feet.
"What'd you do this time?" She teases, kidding around with him.
He shrugs. "Heck if I know."
They make eye contact for a minute and then she breaks it, clearing her throat.
"Well, I should probably get to the bathroom. They'll think I fell in," She jokes.
He smiles at her. "You wanna hang out sometime, Tori?"
They start dating a week later. No one's surprised, per se, just more kind of like, finally.
Jade sees them when they walk down the hall together, holding hands. Always fucking holding hands. She rolls her eyes and shuts her locker, going the opposite direction. She ignores the uneasy feeling gnawing at the pit of her stomach. She gives it a week, tops.
A week comes and goes. So does another. When she hears Cat talking to Robbie about how they had some big three week-anniversary dinner planned at that "insane new Thai restaurant", she wants to puke. How mediocre.
She snorts a little too loudly and Cat and Robbie look over at her. "What?" She feigns ignorance.
Cat frowns at the look on Jade's face. "Jade…" She warns.
"What, Cat?" She asks, getting annoyed. She had some serious planning to do and talking to Cat isn't getting her anywhere.
"Don't mess this up for them. They're happy." She emphasizes. She knows Jade all too well, and she figures she is going to find a way to ruin Beck and Tori's relationship as soon as she sees fit.
Happy. Right. That bitch'll never make him happy. She gets up and leaves, rolling her eyes at the closest thing she has to a best friend.
Jade narrowly avoids Beck and Whore-y walking by in the hall and laughing about something stupid by ducking into the janitor's closet. She feels a rush of fresh anger. Why the hell is she hiding from them? She isn't a coward. She exits, but they've already passed. She looks up and across the hall she sees Andre, his eyes following the smiling pair with a longing look on his face. It was obvious he was in love with the home wrecker; anyone with two eyes could see that, Jade just didn't get why. Why is everyone so obsessed with her? She grinds her teeth as she watches Andre. He meets her stare for a second, and looks away. She glares.
Tori isn't blind. She knows Beck most likely still has feelings for Jade. You don't just date someone for two years and then never give them a second thought. She knows she is probably just the rebound girl. But, she doesn't really have the willpower to be upset about it. She doesn't blame him, and to be quite honest, she's wanted him since the first day she came to Hollywood Arts. Of course, being the kind of person she is, she didn't act upon it. Not even when Jade herself recruited Tori to get them back together. It would have been so easy to keep them apart… but she knows if she would have done that, her conscious would never let her live it down. And somehow, Jade and Beck worked together. She guesses. The thought makes her stomach turn.
So, when Beck asked her to go out with him, against her better judgment she said yes. She liked him, she really, really liked him, but she knew rebound relationships didn't exactly work out most of the time. She shoves those thoughts to the back of her mind as she finishes getting ready for their date.
Being with him is easy. He's a gentleman, and so easy to get along with. Typically an introverted soul, he's content to just have late movie nights in his trailer, and she's content to just be with him. Every second with him she cherishes. She knows it's just a matter of time before something bad happens. Ever the perpetual optimist, she smiles and looks forward to the impending evening ahead.
Beck gets back to his trailer at around 12 o'clock midnight. His date with Tori went great. They had fun at the restaurant, and afterwards they saw a stupid romantic comedy and made fun of it the whole time. After that, they sat on the beach and talked. And then some. He smiles and closes his eyes as he remembers the way her lips felt against his. Warm, soft, and sweet. Just like her. They shared a couple of chaste kisses before this, but tonight it was different. He absolutely got lost in her, and they didn't make it off the beach until their hair was mussed from the wind, clothes were wrinkled, and they were shaking sand out of everything. Every time he kissed her he felt strong, electric tingles he hadn't felt in a long, long time. He liked Tori. He did. Eventually he gathers himself and makes it inside of his trailer, vitally missing the car parked in his drive.
He sees her sitting on his couch, flipping the channels on his TV like she owned the place.
He lets the door close behind him and freezes.
"Jade, what are you doing here?" He asks when he finds his voice.
"Took you long enough. I've been here for hours." She complains, getting up and stretching, a little bit of her pale stomach in view. She gives him a once over and takes in his messy hair, shirt that was buttoned wrong, and the flushed look on his face. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were up to. She rolls her eyes.
"What do you want?" He asks harshly.
"Did you miss me, Beck?" She smirks, changing the subject.
Yes. No. He settles on saying nothing.
"I don't like this. You and her," She grimaces, cutting to the chase.
"It's really none of your business." He grits his teeth.
"Oh, it's not?" She glares.
"It's not. You broke up with me. Through a text message." He says, steeling his willpower. He did miss her, a little. But he guesses that's because he used to be around her everyday.
"And yet you never asked why."
"Well, it's too late now, don't you think?"
"So you still care." She states, satisfied. This was going swimmingly.
He sighs, exhausted. "What do you want, Jade?"
She steps closer to him until she's arms length away.
"I want you back." She says flatly and puts her hand on her hips.
Uh-oh. Think of Tori, think of Tori. He chants over and over again inside his head.
"Finish what you start, Beck." She taunts. He swallows thickly and she moves even closer, leaning up and forcing her lips right on his, roughly an demanding. He indulges in a second and a half. She dumped him all those weeks ago, ignored his existence, and here she was claiming she wanted him and kissing him. Does he want her back? While a part of him screams yes! The other, quieter, more rational part said a firm, no. And for some reason he trusted the quiet part. He had a girlfriend. Oh my god, Tori. He finally shoves her away.
"What the hell?" He asks.
She looks thrown off for a second.
"You can't just break up with me through a freaking text, ignore me for almost a month, and then decide you want me back when I have a new girlfriend." He says with his mind officially made up.
She furrows her brow. "What?" She was not expecting this.
"Jade… I love you, and a small part of me probably always will. But, you can't keep playing these games," His tone is gentler this time.
She opens her mouth but then shuts it. She was at a total loss for words right now.
"I'm with Tori. And I like Tori. And who knows what will happen in the future with Tori? So, I'm asking you. For all three of our sakes, please, please just accept it and stop screwing with my mind." He hopes he gets through to her.
She looks at him, and for a second her tough exterior melts. "I…" She trails off. This was not what she was expecting to happen and he looks really desperate and worn out. Did she mess with his mind this much?
"I'm not going to be the cheerleader for this... thing you have with her. But… I'll back off." She says, gaining her edge back. She pushes past him and goes for the door but he catches her arm. She turns around.
He gives her an awkward hug and feels his heart constrict. This was the end, they both know it. With this in mind, she briefly returns his embrace. A few seconds later she shoves him away.
"We won't be friends." She says with sharp eyes, and pushes the door open, heading for her car. It was late. She needed to get home.
He doesn't know if she meant him or Tori. Mostly probably both.
She drives home, and doesn't let herself shed a single tear until she's in her bed, face down. She officially lost.
Beck lays awake in bed. There's a dull ache in his chest. He can't really be mad at Jade. She, throughout all of her twisted games, tried to cling onto him, a constant in her life for two years. He actually feels bad for her. She had some emotional damage, of that he was sure. She was a bitch and hard to get along with, but he'd miss her.
But he knows what's good for him and he knows what's logical and he knows what he should do and he knows what fun he had tonight and he knows who he'd very easily fall in love with and he knows that that's Tori.
He sends her a text. Thinking of you.
Within minutes he gets her reply. Before bed? Why Beck, I'm flattered. ;)
He laughs and sends a reply. You're too cute for me, Vega.
She takes a little longer to think of a reply to his text. She finally answers him a minute later. Just cute enough, I'd say!
He smiles before typing back. I think you made me blush… weird. I didn't know I could do that.
I can make you do a lot of amazing things. She types, before widening her eyes. That was not appropriate… she erases the text and starts a new one. Oh yes, it's very common among teenage *girls*. Should I be worried, boyfriend?
His heart does a weird jumpy thing at the word boyfriend. He likes it. No, no. 100% man here ;)
Oh, I believe you. ;D She sends.
He chuckles. This girl. Go to sleep, Vega. I don't want you looking like all raggedy.
She smiles. :O you did not. Alright, bossy! I'm going to sleep now. You should too! She sends back quickly.
He answers her just as fast. Look who's bossy now. Goodnight, Tori. Sweet dreams and all of that romantic stuff…
She smiles and tells him as much. You make me smile, Beckett. Alright, I'm going now. Night xxx
He gets all fuzzy inside and it's foreign, but not unpleasant. He doesn't plan on replying until a thought hits him. He picks up his Pearphone again.
She had just closed her eyes when her phone chimes. You make me happy and get weird girlish fuzzies. I had a reeeally good time tonight. Thank you for being you. She reads and almost tears up. She should lay off the romantic comedies. They were making her almost embarrassingly overemotional.
She locks his text before falling asleep, Pearphone in hand.
He smiles after he sends it and lays back, hands behind his head. A small part of him would always care for Jade, yes, but a growing part of him was steadily falling for Tori.
He sleeps soundly for the first time in months.
A/N: That was pointless and slightly fluffy. I love how my writing just runs away and has a mind of it's own. :) This was originally a lot more angst ridden and dramatic, but I decided to give Bori the happy ending. I'm a sucker that way :) Hey, at least we got to see inside their heads. Pretty certain that this will be a one-shot, might expand on it in the future. I'll be working on a few more one-shots soon.
Happy readings. ;)