You'd be crazy if you think I own these characters or the TV show they're based off. Just a quick note, I have always shipped Jori but I could never find a decent fanfic about them so I decided to write my own. It starts out a little slow, but I assure you there will be some serious romance going on between Tori and Jade, shippers prepare your feels because I'm going to mess with them a LOT throughout this story.

Reviews, comments and feedback are all welcome and I thank you from the bottom of my heart whoever you are for taking the time to read the story.

Enjoy!

Chapter 1 – The Feeling

Tori

I sat at my usual table, barely listening to Robbie and Rex argue, with Cat laughing along to anything that was said. I was too busy staring into my salad, feeling a little apprehensive and down today to care about what was going on.

Sikowitz had given me a lower grade on the latest assessment than what I thought I'd get, and I was trying to figure out what I had done wrong.

"Wait!" Said Cat, "Robbie how could you?"

Robbie stopped arguing with Rex and looked at Cat who was sitting beside me. "What did I do, Cat?"

Cat's mouth downturned and she looked as if she was about to cry. "You left me alone in a dark alley to fend for myself while both my arms were broken!"

"Wait, what?" Robbie had his usual dorky confused look on his face. "When did that ever happen?"

"Just now. I was calling for help and you came and I told you to call an ambulance but you said you didn't want to and then you just walked away and left me. I had two broken arms!"

"Cat, you can't just get angry at me for something I did in your imagination."

She glanced down at the table, hands fumbling with her hair and just as she was about to say something Jade smacked her bag into the table angrily and shoved me out of the way.

"Dude?!" I said in annoyance as my salad fell to the ground. "Great, now I have floor salad. Thank you."

"Can it Vega," said Jade furiously, gripping her hands so tightly her knuckles turned white. Which was saying something because Jade was really pale, but in a good way. It seemed to extenuate her beauty in somehow.

Wait, I thought to myself, did I just call Jade beautiful?

"Are you okay, Jade?" Said Robbie.

"I'm fine," she replied through gritted teeth.

"Yeah you are," said Rex waving a hand at her with the help of Robbie, "You're real fine girl."

"Rex!" Robbie slapped a hand over the puppets mouth who grumbled in protest.

If Jade was angry before, she was an inferno now. "You had better shut that goddamn puppet up before I-"

"Hey, Jade." Sinjin said, coming out of nowhere.

"WHAT?!" she screamed and stood up.

Sinjin's eyes widened and he flinched before murmuring something about feet and then he ran off.

"I've had enough," Jade grunted, grabbing her bag and storming off.

"Well, that was unexpected." Andre remarked.

"I should go see what's wrong with her," I said sympathetically.

I always hated seeing someone in distress and all I wanted to do was make Jade feel better. Even if it meant her making me feel bad.

"Well good luck with that." Andre returned to his food and Cat and Robbie went back to arguing like nothing had just happened.

As it was, I found Jade in the janitor's closet. She was sitting on the floor with her legs crossed and she was picking at her fingers with a large pair of silver scissors.

"Hey, Jade." I said gently, shutting the door and sitting down next to her. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but I had a feeling that she would cut me open if I did.

"Vega." She replied in a low tone. The black nail polish on her fingers was fading and there were parts where it was chipped.

"Sooo… did you hear about that new exchange student visiting here? I wonder what they'll be like, I mean if they-"

Jade sighed loudly, cutting me off. "Can you just not talk?"

I shrugged; she wasn't exactly telling me to go away so I moved a little closer to her. When she didn't do anything, I put my arm around her shoulders, giving her a one armed hug. After a few seconds, I went to pull away and go back out to the gang; but Jade closed her eyes and rested her head on my shoulder.

Butterflies swarmed around my stomach as I felt her breath on my neck which gave me goosebumps, her black hair tickled my cheek but for a moment… us sitting here like this; it felt right.

Time seemed to stop briefly, and the butterflies were roaring inside my stomach; the smell of her hair and perfume only made it worse.

It was the bell that rang which broke us out of our moment, Jade tensed and I jumped a little.

"We should get going." I said.

Jade untangled herself from my arm quickly, which didn't seem to want to let her go, and shouldered her bag. "Sikowitz will have a fit if we're late."

"Yeah," I agreed nervously, almost ready to fling myself at Jade and hold her again.

Why was I feeling like this? We were friends, weren't we? I had never really thought about her in that way before, but seeing her and holding her had awoken something inside me I didn't even know I possessed.

"Look," I said, chewing on my lip nervously. I wasn't sure if I should say anything, but I felt like I had to say something. "Whatever it is, Jade. I'm sure it will all work out. I'm here as a friend for you and if you need anything…"

"Shut up, Vega. Don't pretend you know me when you don't. You know nothing."

She stormed out, and guilt washed over me draining out all of the butterflies that filled my stomach.

I wished that I could do just something right today.

"Okay class," Sikowitz said as he clapped his hands together and grinned creepily. "We're going to do an exercise."

"Does it involve pain?" Jade said in her usual bored tone from the back of the room.

She acted like nothing had happened between us not moments before. Though she didn't look at me, I wondered how she felt. Was she as conflicted as I was?

No she wouldn't be. Jade is so strong and sure of herself, I tried to tell myself I was just nervous and upset about my low grade and that's why I felt so confused.

Sikowitz started laughing hysterically, unaware of my conflicted feelings and the turmoil inside my mind. His balding head gleamed off the bright lights in the room as he cackled loudly.

"Oh Jade." He said, pinching the hairs of his beard, still grinning. "You are such a sour delight sometimes." Turning to sit on the stage, he lifted one foot up and started picking at his toes, seemingly oblivious to everyone in the room.

"Um, Sikowitz?" I said, raising my hand slightly.

"What is it, Tori? I'm busy."

"Uh, weren't we going to do an exercise?"

He stopped picking momentarily to stare at the classroom as if it was his first time seeing the room filled with people. "Right. Okay Tori, Jade, Cat. On stage now."

I heard Jade groan in annoyance and Cat squealed with delight, "My brother went on stage once," she said innocently, playing with her flaming velvet hair. "But he did something inappropriate so now he's never allowed on any stages or near them again."

The room was silent for a little while, before Sikowitz clapped his hands together and strolled to the back of the room in his usual bare feet. "Tori and Jade will pretend to be a dating couple who are fighting over Cat, who both of them have suddenly fallen in love with."

I brushed my hair back with one hand and sighed, "What's the point of this?"

"What is the point you ask? Well I'll tell you. Actors need to push themselves beyond their boundaries. In the world of theatre and drama the main thing is that you learn how to constantly change your style of acting; otherwise how can you grow and become a stronger, more believable character?"

Andre shrugged and nodded, "That's understandable."

"I hope to grow into something better one day," said Robbie.

"Yeah, you would," Rex stated in his urban accent, "Except you need to work on the growing part, shortie."

"Shh, Rex!"

Sikowitz suddenly threw a book as hard as he could on stage, barely missing me and almost hitting Cat in the legs. "Enough dibber dabber, action!"

Jade and I shared a glance, as if we were both thinking back to the janitor's closet. I wondered if she was feeling the same things I was feeling, maybe it didn't mean anything. Maybe I was just overthinking it. I just really cared about her that was all.

"I said action!" Sikowitz repeated after a moment of awkwardness.

"I thought you cared about me!" I said, slipping into the role of a male, making my voice a little deeper and crossing my arms.

"I thought you cared about me," Jade replied, also slipping into character making her voice a little higher than usual with a slight accent.

"Well I don't know what came over me, I just suddenly love Cat."

Cat started giggling, "I'm Cat."

Sikowitz groaned from the back of the room, which stopped us form continuing. "That was the worst performance I have seen from you three all year. Sit down before you accidentally poke an eye out."

"My brother did that once," said Cat, skipping to her chair and smiling at nothing in particular. "Now he can't see right out of one eye, he always walks into walls." She paused, "My brother has issues."

Sikowitz walked to the front of the room and waved his hands in the air, ignoring Cat. "As actors, you need to be able to think on the spot. Improvisation is the one key to being a truly successful actor…"

He droned on about improv and acting, but I barely listened. I kept stealing glances at Jade, who didn't seem to notice me at all. I couldn't work out how I was feeling or what I was feeling. I liked Jade, sure. But she suddenly seemed different to me, in a good way.