Catching Up To You
A/N: This is my very first Victorious fanfic, so naturally it's my very first Jori fic too. Let me tell you, it's quite a big jump to go from Fringe, where I have to deal with Alternate Universes and weird sci-fi terms to Victorious, where I have to deal with kids and hormones. Look at me, talking like I'm thirty… Which I'm not.
Anyways. I hope you enjoy this very first chapter of Catching Up To You.
(I believe I should also state that I have no beta, so all mistakes are mine, :D)
Disclaimer: I own the laptop on which I am typing this and I own the dreams in which I meet Miss. Victoria Justice and Miss. Elizabeth Gillies all the time. However, I do not own Victorious nor do I own the characters.
It's All Coming Back To Me Now.
I remember that day in 2012 like it was yesterday; I wore the classic black hat and robe. My parents were in the audience, acting as if they were oh so proud. My friends laughed and joked and I even swallowed hard once when I realized this was the end. We would probably never see each other again, because I just wasn't like that. Life goes on and you can't cling to old friends forever. I hugged each and every one of them, taking not only them but also myself by surprise. But they deserved it. We performed together one last time, we toasted and then we each went different ways.
I am twenty-three now and it's been five years since that day. Sometimes, just sometimes, I look at our graduation picture and it all comes floating back. The familiar feeling of loving Beck, of being around Robbie and Andre, of feeling sympathetic towards Cat – you couldn't love or hate her, you did both – and that oh so familiar feeling of hating Tori Vega. Life was so simple back then, now that's all about to change.
August means sunshine! It's like this unwritten rule. June, July, August and a bit of September means sunshine. Not freaking pouring rain. This is so not how imagined my morning run to be like; hiding in the Starbucks because it's raining too hard to go out in a t-shirt and shorts. Who came up with this? I thought we were dealing with global warming? Shouldn't the sun be burning our skin the minute we step outside? Screw it, I am going to order one more cup of coffee and when I'm done and it's still raining, I am running home.
I get up and walk to the counter to order my seventh cup of coffee, I am gonna see all of night television tonight. I could just have taken decaf, you say? Yeah, I could've taken water too. I turn around, cup in hand, making my way back to my table and I bump into someone, spilling coffee all over my shirt. I'll be damned. I hear someone mumble sorry and jerk my head up, away from the stain on my t-shirt. My eyes pierce straight through chocolate-brown ones. A pair of eyes I have glared at many times, a pair I will never forget. Same thing goes for her.
"Jade?" I hear her say. Five years and her voice has gotten just slightly deeper, still this girly edge to it. And it takes me a while to realize that I still know what she sounded like.
"Vega." I acknowledge and she sighs at that as she smiles. She smiles. And it's all coming back to me. Whenever I would see her walk through the school hallways, sing on stage or play my role in a school play. What I was sure was hate back then, hits me again. Hits me in my stomach and my heart, causes me to swallow harder than usual and momentarily takes away my voice. And as my eyes widen, I realize I never hated her a day in my life. As I choke on my words, I know what this feeling is.
"Sooo, what have you been uh... up to?" It's love. Not the superficial type of love, the love that makes footballers date the cheerleaders. No, this, whatever this is, is love. Real love. The type that goes beyond appearance and her cheekbones. The type of love that makes you love everything in a person, inside and out.
She smiles, offers to buy me another coffee and sits down at my table.
"Auditions." She simply states. It takes me a while to respond, because I can't take my mind of the bizarreness of the situation. I love her. I always have and it takes me just one look in her eyes to realize that. One look, five years later and I suddenly know. And part of me is shocked that I don't question it. Another part of me keeps reminding me exactly why I can't love her.
"Any luck with that?" She starts laughing, like I've only seen her do twice.
"No, not really. For some reason I keep getting cast as the stunt woman." We laugh simultaneously and I wonder if our hearts beat simultaneously too. What the hell? Where did that come from? That was way too cheesy for words. My god, even Hugh Grant wouldn't say that. This is so wrong. So sudden.
"So what have you been up to?" She repeats my words.
"My parents died three years ago, I inherited the family fortune and the care-taking of my grandmother. She died three weeks, so I guess I am only starting to live just now." I fake nonchalance – something I have never failed at – about my grandmother, taking care of someone for three years makes you care. I can't really mourn my parents. If it wouldn't be for the monthly family dinners, I wouldn't even know what they looked like. I don't even remember what they sound like. Sometimes I say my name out loud – Jadelyn – so that maybe, just maybe, I can hear my mother say it in that disapproving tone of hers. But all I hear is silence and the sound of my own disgust.
"Jade, I'm so sorry." Ever the polite girl.
"Don't be. I live in the here and now. What happened yesterday doesn't matter." I see her eyes light up with realization. Yes, Jade West changed in the last five years. Life and death does that to you. Okay, I need to get my mind on something else. Her hair is beautiful, it's all... No! Not on Tori Vega!
"How's your love life going?" What a stupid question. Why is that always the first thing, besides the weather, people talk about?
"Not too well. I just came out of a pretty heavy relationship."
"Heavy how?" I'm truly interested as I take a sip from my coffee. Truly interested in the life of Tori Vega.
"Well, it was the first time with another girl for us both, so..." I am currently choking on my coffee. Did she just say another girl? As in, Tori with a girl? As in, Tori being gay?
"Jade, are you alright?" She immediately stands up, ready to come by my side and pat my back. I cough two times and wave my hand at her.
"I'm fine." I cough again and as she sits down I regain my breath.
"Too much coffee in one swallow. What were you saying?" I wipe the tears from my eyes. Holy shit, that hurts. Mental note to myself: do not die due to choking.
"Well, we both had never been with a girl before, so everything was a first for both of us and then when you break up, it's just that more difficult." I nod, as if I completely understand her. But I don't, because I am not gay, or maybe I am, because apparently I love her. And is it just me or is she totally open about it? Did I miss some important conversation at lunch, back at Hollywood Arts?
"You can say whatever you're thinking, I've heard it all before." I look at her quizzically, where did that suddenly come from? How long have I been silent for her to say that?
"About my sudden change of heart." Is that hurt I see in her eyes?
"No, no, that wasn't what I was thinking at all. I just never thought you would be, you know..." I gesture something with my hands. How the hell is she supposed to understand what that means when I don't even understand what that means.
"Yeah, neither did I, yet here I am." Oh, she understands. Or are we talking about something completely different now? If we're not, then at least I didn't miss an important conversation. Geez, why am I thinking a million things at a time? I always praised myself for having an organized brain, it's what allowed me to have quick, witty remarks in high school, no trace of that right now.
"But I guess I've always kinda known. You know, little things." We're still talking about the same thing. Good, now what do I say?
"And it didn't scare you?" Why would I ask that? Am I implying to myself that I am scared to love her? God, being 16 and hating her was so much easier. Being cynic Jade West in every scenario was easier. I kind of miss that time, when I hated everything and no one spoke to me or cared.
"Not really. But enough about me. How's your love life going?"
"I haven't really had much time for a love life." She nods before she continues.
"When did you and Beck break up?" Here comes reminiscing.
"Two months after graduation, when he moved back to Canada to go to college."
"Do you still see him? Or anyone from Hollywood Arts?"
"Nope, you're the first I run into. Literally." We laugh again and I look outside, then to my watch. Damn, almost 1 P.M.
"I should get going, I still need to clean up my house and do the laundry." I hate doing the laundry and I hate that word, some things never change. She nods and we both get up. I extend my arm to give her a hand and say goodbye, but she wiggles her eyebrows as she extends both her arms. Here goes.
"C'mon, give Tori a squeeze. You know you want to." Hell yes, I want to, even if she's just repeating six year old words. So neither of us ever forgot that. I move closer and with a smile I hug her. Six years ago it took some pursuing from her – and Beck's – side, now here I am, willingly hugging her, knowing I will probably never do that again. I step back to look at her smiling face one last time and suddenly I am very grateful for the pouring rain that's ruining my August day. Maybe the cold will keep my mind off of Tori, and my new found feelings. I nod and then I step into the rain, looking up and left and then I start my run heading right. I will probably catch an awesome cold in the midst of August, but who cares? World's upside down already. Here I am, bumping into Tori Vega, on a rainy August day, realizing I love her. What's next? UFO's?
I can't catch sleep, it's 3 A.M. and I am still wide awake. I can't blame the coffee, 'cause I know it isn't the coffee. Whenever I close my eyes I am back in the hallways of Hollywood Arts, watching as Tori Vega makes her way to her locker. She'd made me break my favorite pair of scissors when she wore a mini-skirt to school one day. And there I was, thinking I hated her because that mini-skirt made Beck stare. Yeah right, what a joke. If you'd put me in that hallway again tomorrow, I'd recognize that feeling. And I bet I did back then, I just didn't want to admit it. Shit! Talking about tomorrow, I have to go to work tomorrow. Damn it! Who decided a meeting at 8 would do? Not me! As I toss and turn I force my mind onto something else and then I finally feel myself fall asleep.
Five minutes later I hear my alarm-clock beeping me awake. Stupid thing is broken. Again! As I toss the sheets away daylight blinds my eyes and I realize five minutes are four hours. Yay.
"Ah, Jade, nice of you to join us." I hear an all too familiar voice say as I push open the glass door to the boarding room. What a stupid name. What is this? An airport? Just because the people meeting are called 'the board' doesn't mean the room should be called 'the boarding room'. If the person who came up with that wasn't already dead, I'd threaten him. And that person being my father has nothing to do with it.
"Yeah, whatever, Kent. I pay you, I can afford to get late." I walk past Kevin and gently pat him on the shoulders; it raises a few smiles. My jokes grew from witty to considerately funny.
"Continue." I wave my hand at the members of the board – blegh – when I'm all settled. Here comes the most boring hour of my life. Meetings, one of the many things I strongly dislike, I wouldn't say hate, at being the owner of Hollywood's biggest production company: Wild West Entertainment. Established in 1989 by Mr. Thomas Lee West. My father.
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