Jade West and Tori Vega weren't exactly friends. In fact, neither of them really knew what they were to the other, but they couldn't deny that there was a spark, and it wasn't dim.
Throughout their years at Hollywood Arts, Jade was a relentless gank when it came to Tori. Most of the time, it was due to Jade's possessiveness of Beck Oliver, Jade's on-again-off-again boyfriend of three and a half years. Yet, once they'd all graduated, Jade came to some sort of mutual grounds with Tori. She wasn't sure what compelled her to do it, and the minute she saw Tori's bright and giddy smile she immediately wanted to take back her words, but the deed was done and she was ready to move on.
Over the summer the two girls didn't see much of the other, and when they did they kept it cordial, said "hello" and simply moved on. Once the new school year was about to begin, Jade packed her bags and said hello to New York City, where she'd attend NYU for the next four years. Her best friend, Cat Valentine also joined her in New York; Jade soon discovered that she'd be attending Juilliard for vocal arts. Cat always dreamed of one day being on Broadway.
Tori, on the other hand, stayed in California and attended USC on an academic scholarship. About a month into the school year, it wasn't long before she bumped into a familiar face. She was relieved that she didn't spill her coffee all over him, otherwise it would've been major deja vú, minus the raven haired woman being in their presence. The conversation was light and pleasant, until Tori asked about Jade out of itching curiosity. Beck informed her that they split right before Jade had moved to New York, and that he was currently seeing someone new. He hadn't spoken to Jade since, and it made Tori all the more inquisitive.
Through the next years of college, Beck and Tori became good friends. She had also gotten close with Beck's girlfriend, Jessica Harlow. During holiday breaks, Tori attempted to reach out to Jade, but to no avail. She also kept in touch with Cat, who also happened to be Tori's ex-girlfriend. When she asked about Jade's whereabouts, Cat just sighed and simply told her that she hasn't spoken to her since freshman year of college. Eventually, the Latina gave up in her pursuit, and focused on her studies. A year later, Tori graduated in the top 20 of her class, and soon she landed a job as a music teacher at Hollywood Arts.
While in NYU, Jade was so focused on her academics that she unknowingly cut off all contact with her friends. She stayed in a dorm with the most annoying roommate she'd ever met; so annoying, that she was actually wishing Vega was her roommate instead. The thought shocked her, so much so that she ended up in her bed watching "The Scissoring" and drinking the thoughts of Vega away with champagne until dawn. Never did Vega cross her mind throughout college after that... at least, that's what Jade would like to believe.
Jade eventually graduated from NYU with honors and patched her friendship up with Cat. Six months after Cat's graduation, the two besties ended up sharing an apartment together.
One day while making her daily run to Starbucks, Tori collides into André Harris, her absolute best friend since high school, and they happily catch up on each other's lives. Tori tells him about her current job, and André tells her about his booming career as a solo artist and producer in the music industry. Gently, he offers her an opportunity to sing one of his songs to be featured on his next album. At first, Tori hesitates before agreeing wholeheartedly. He says that his studio is in New York, and that she should take off from work since she'd possibly be gone for a few days. So, she does just that.
One day while Jade was peacefully watching her favorite gore movie, Cat skipped gleefully into their apartment and turned off the TV set, causing a spur of obscenities to fall out of Jade's mouth. Quickly, Cat told her best friend that André texted her about a show that he was performing tonight at 8pm, and the redhead really wanted to attend. Jade scoffed and waved her off, turning the TV back on. She attempted to watch more of her movie, but Cat's puppy dog eyes were so intolerable that she gave in and reluctantly agreed to join. It took a whole five minutes to shove Cat's arms off of her, yet seeing her best friend run off so happily made the corner of her mouth quirk upwards, just a little bit.
It was half past nine in New York City, and Tori was terrified. Besides being the last act of the night, she hasn't sung in front of a crowd since high school, and the thought of failing was almost enough for her to want to leave. Almost. She felt a hand take hers and glanced up to see André looking at her with concern. He squeezed her hand delicately and after a hug and a few encouraging words, Tori felt good enough to walk out on the stage to do her performance with André. It reminded her of old times; simpler times.
Jade and Cat found a nice table in the nightclub that wasn't too far from the stage but not too close either. The place looked strangely similar to Karaoke Dokie back in California. To Jade's surprise, the place wasn't very packed. However, the crowd was a decent size. As the curtains on the stage drew back and the music began to play, Jade almost spit out her mango margarita and narrowed her eyes in disbelief as she stared at the brunette gracing the stage. Vega was the one singing?
"I didn't know she'd be here." Cat whispered, voicing Jade's thoughts.
The raven haired beauty couldn't seem to take her eyes off of Vega as she began to sing. Jade hadn't seen her in years, and the sudden nostalgia that rushed over her as she heard the brunette's voice was enough to make her tear her eyes away from the stage to her now empty drink.
"She looks amazing! And her voice is... wow. I can't wait to - Jade? Where are you going?"
"I just... need some air. I'll be back." She muttered, tossing a ten on the table. Jade met Cat's eyes and the redhead only nodded in understanding. Yet, before Jade could wander off, she noticed a familiar face approaching their table.
"...Beck?"
"What, no hug?" He gave Jade a small smile as he extended his arms, quickly retreating them once he noticed her icy glare. He rubbed his neck and cleared his throat, chuckling as his cool exterior returned. "Haven't changed a bit in the last four years, I see."
"Why are you here?" Jade asked in slight annoyance, arms crossed over her chest.
"Just came to support Tori."
"Can't you do that somewhere else?" Jade raised her pierced brow. "Like, I don't know, at least 50 feet away from me?"
"Beck! Hi!" Cat squealed, causing them both to turn towards her voice. The redhead eagerly gestured to the opposite side of the booth. "Come sit!"
If looks could kill, Cat would've went missing as soon as those words tumbled out of her glossed lips. Beck smiled gratefully towards her and slid into the booth, and immediately the two started conversing and laughing as if they were never apart. Cursing under her breath, Jade returned to her seat with her jaw clenched.
The rest of the set seemed to go by in a blur for Tori. Although it's been awhile, she was nothing short of a natural on stage. The crowd was loving the performance, and after the set was over and André and Tori took a bow, the applause was almost deafening.
"Thanks for coming out tonight, everyone!" André spoke into the mic. A series of whoo's and yeah's came from the audience. "I hope y'all enjoyed all of these awesome artists tonight. My new album will be out this fall, so be on the lookout. Hope y'all have an amazing summer!"
As both Tori and André walked off the stage, Jade turned to Cat and Beck, cutting the redhead off in the middle of her sentence. "Cat, you have fun. I'm gonna head home."
"Kay, kay. Thanks for coming out with me when you didn't have to, Jade."
As Cat's best friend and roommate sauntered off, she heard Beck sigh and faced him with a frown. "You know, she still hasn't forgiven you for everything."
"I know," Beck ran a hand through his dark, shoulder length hair. "When I saw her on my way in I was hoping to get the chance to talk to her tonight and patch up old wounds, but I'm not surprised I got the cold shoulder. Jade's still Jade."
"Yeah, she is." Cat smiled softly for a moment, her eyes wandering off before her face grows serious once more. Eventually she looks at the Canadian, reaching over to grasp his hand. "Beck, I may have moments where I space out and I'm in my own world. But, Jade's been hurting for a long time. She's always been a strong woman...but her seeing you today, opened up a can of worms she just doesn't want to delve into right now."
"She's confided in me; I've been the one holding her up all this time, and even though it's been a few years, it doesn't take away what you did and most importantly how you did it. Try to see the situation from her perspective." She smiled gently at him as her manicured hand squeezed his. "You're a great guy, Beck. And we're friends, but please, don't push Jade into talking to you. She'll do it on her own terms."
Beck nodded with a sigh, placing his free hand over hers. "Thank you, Cat."
Their hands untwined just as Tori and André walked over, claiming the free spots in the booth. Cat squealed in glee as she engulfed Tori in a hug. "Tori! It's been so long!"
The brunette laughed as she hugged her with equal enthusiasm. "It's nice to see you too, Cat.." As they pulled away, Tori pushed a strand of Cat's hair behind her ear out of habit.
While Cat greeted André, Tori beamed at Beck. "Hey! I was thinking that you'd flake out on me, Oliver. What'd you think of the performance?"
Beck placed a hand over his heart, feigning hurt. "What, me? Never would I miss an opportunity to see you work your magic on stage, Vega." He smiled. "You were awesome, by the way. The stage is where you belong."
"I second that." André chimed in, putting an arm around Cat's shoulders as she moved from her seat to join him. He pointed to Tori, wagging his finger. "No more stage abandonment, Tor. These people loved you tonight."
The brunette smiled slightly at her friends, and sighed as she shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, guys...music just isn't my passion like it used to be. Not since..." She bit her lip, shaking her head as she looked down.
"Hey, hey.." Beck gathered her in his arms and she clung to him. The tears kept streaming down her face no matter how much she wiped at her eyes.
"Tor?" Cat whispered as her back straightened in alert, eyebrows furrowed in concern at Tori's sudden emotions.
"I'm okay," She said, meekly, leaning away from Beck until he let go. It was silent for a moment before she spoke again, her voice more controlled. "Can we get out of here?"
Cat stood abruptly, walking towards the brunette and holding out her hand. "C'mon, love. I know a place that'll cheer you up." The two smiled at each other and Tori took the redhead's outstretched hand, rising to her feet. Cat looked back and raised an eyebrow at the two men watching them in surprise. "You guys coming?"
As the two women walked out of the restaurant hand in hand, Beck and André trailed behind them.
"Dude, we're literally going to be the third and fourth wheel."
The dread headed African American chuckled. "No surprise there. Cat and Tori have so much history, I'm shocked that they haven't pounced on each other right after reuniting."
Beck groaned. "I didn't need that visual, 'Dré. Let's get this over with." André laughed, slinging his arm around Beck's neck as they caught up to Cat and Tori.
"You wanna talk about it, Tor?"
It was late. How late, Tori wasn't sure. After Cat took her and the guys to get frozen yogurt (it was Tori's favorite, and inside her heart was pounding at how adorable it was that the redhead remembered after all this time), Tori decided to stay the night at Cat and Jade's place after Cat insisted, stating that Jade wouldn't mind. Now, since it's been a few hours since they said goodnight to Beck and André, the two girls settled in comfortable silence and finished the movie that the four of them started.
The brunette gave a small shrug in response, looking over at the redhead who was already staring at her with concern. Tori watched as Cat lowered the volume on the television before fully turning her body towards the other girl.
"Tori. I know it's been a long time since I've seen you, but I know you. You don't bottle up emotions like this unless something's really going on. If you don't want to talk about it, we don't have to. But I want you to know that I'm always here for you, okay?"
A simple nod from the brunette caused Cat to frown slightly. Hesitantly, her palm and thumb began to caress the brunette's cheek and almost instantly Tori's eyes began to glaze over at the contact. She leaned her head against Cat's hand, her eyes locking with the redhead's as her fingers wrapped around Cat's wrist. She hadn't been this close to Cat in a long time, and she missed the comfort the girl always gave her when she was around.
Tori opened her mouth several times, but eventually she gave up with a shaky sigh. "I can't…" The older girl whimpered as she shook her head, tears running down her cheeks.
A broken cry escaped her lips and Cat immediately pulled her into her arms, Tori's arms wrapping around the younger girl's neck like her life depended on it.
Cat was exhausted. It took a few hours to calm Tori down but once she did, the two girls ended up curling up on the couch together and Tori drifted off into dreamland as soon as her head was nestled comfortably into the younger girl's neck. It's how they always slept together... when they were actually together.
Cat was also worried. She never once seen Tori so upset, even when the two of them were dating. The brunette never let anything get to her this badly; Tori always had the most positive outlook on life than anyone Cat had ever met. But now, Cat's realized that things have changed a lot in four years; even their relationship. Cat just hoped that the pain Tori was going through would fade away with the redhead's comfort. She wasn't sure if it would work like it used to, but Cat would do anything to see the old Tori she had fallen in love with again.
"Is she okay?"
A gasp ripped through Cat's lungs before letting out a relieved yet frustrated sigh, seeing Jade leaning against the foot of the sofa in the dim lighting.
"Jesus, Jade. Warn a girl next time." The redhead rolled her eyes at Jade's smug smile before gently worming her way off of the couch, careful not to wake Tori. She pulled the blanket that they both were sharing over the brunette's sleeping form and Cat smiled softly at how peaceful she looked. "She's fine. A lot better than what she was, anyway."
"Great. Come join me, will you?"
Cat settled herself on Jade's bed, pulling her hair up into a lose bun as she bit her lip nervously. "I know what you're going to say, Jade."
The raven haired woman closed the door before joining Cat on the bed, her expression unreadable as she simply gave a shrug in response. "You still love her. It's no surprise to anyone."
"It isn't?"
Jade lifted an eyebrow. "Cat. It's been what, four years? You and Tori were still communicating regardless of how long it's been and you guys have history." Jade's shoulders slackened slightly as she gave Cat a small frown. "Just...don't hurt her again. I've seen how break ups go with you two, and I'm tired of being the mediator."
"But how would I...?"
The look Jade gave the redhead was enough to shut her mouth, and Cat nodded solemnly.
"But aside from you and Tori's relationship issues, I wanted to talk to you about something else."
"What?"
"Us."
"Us? What about us?"
"You know what I'm talking about, Cat."
The redhead was silent for a moment, lightly gnawing on her bottom lip. Jade raised her pierced brow and Cat frowned.
"I'm sorry."
"So, we're never gonna talk about it, then? How I've spent the last two years being your fuck toy?"
"Jade, you're not my-"
"Give me a break, Cat!" Jade hissed, causing the younger girl to jump slightly in surprise. Suddenly, the pale girl stood, pacing around the foot of her bed before stopping and facing the tanned woman. "I'm your best friend. I know you, and you used me. We used each other to get over Beck and Tori. Why is it so hard for you to talk about it?"
"I'd rather let the past be the past." Cat mumbled, refraining from meeting the raven haired woman's piercing gaze and Jade raised her eyebrows in bewilderment.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me."
"I'm not."
"Is that why you lied to Tori and said that we haven't spoken since Freshman year?"
Hazel eyes met stormy blues then, and Cat sucked in a breath. "You weren't supposed to know that."
"Word gets around, love."
Cat squeezed her eyes shut and exhaled gently. "Jade, please. Can we talk about this when Tori isn't in the other room?"
"No."
Jade has her arms crossed as she sits directly in front of the younger girl. The way her shoulders are squared and the icy look in her blue eyes sends shivers down Cat's spine. They may be best friends, but sometimes Cat is still intimidated by Jadelyn West.
"I really am sorry, Jade." Cat whispered, looking into Jade's eyes and hoping that the dark haired woman notices her sincerity. She blinks the tears away hastily and shakes her head. "I never meant for this to happen and I'm sorry."
The laugh that erupts from Jade makes Cat's doe eyes stare at her in surprise, and the pale woman pushes the redhead down until her body meets warm black satin sheets. Cat can feel her heartbeat quicken as Jade leans over her, blood rushing towards her face in the form of a blush.
"It's fun watching you squirm."
"Wh-What're you doing?"
A small smile adorned Jade's features as she leaned down to kiss Cat's neck, and it only widened when the redhead leaned her head back to expose more skin.
"What I've been wanting to do all day."
In the back of their minds, both women knew that what they were doing wasn't the best decision. Once the sex was over, Cat would go back to pretending that nothing happened and Jade would go back to pretending that she wasn't affected by Cat's lack of communication on their relationship. It was a continuous cycle with the two of them that they just couldn't bare to get out of.
After two years of messing around with the redhead, Jade knew how to push Cat's buttons in order to get her to cave in. Clothes were shed quickly, and Cat tried her hardest to keep quiet as Jade wrapped the younger girl's legs around her head. In the back of Cat's mind, she hoped and prayed that Tori was still asleep.
Little did they know, she was listening in the entire time, tears streaming down her cheeks.