Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious.
I sit on the stairs of the Hollywood Arts building, a can of Wahoo Punch in one hand. I'm the only one left in school Everybody else had left, congratulation me before they disappeared.
I chuckle. The Prome was a success!
"Vega!"
And there goes my happiness. Jade walks up to me, obviously fuming. Obviously. She has the tiara in her hand. Broken, of course.
"Oh, hey Ja—I mean, Prome Queen," I tease, flinching as Jade throws the already-broken tiara to a nearby locker with a large crack. Beck's. The transparent locker doesn't even gain a scratch. Either it's made of super-out-of-this-world-glass-slash-steel or the tiara's just that bad.
"How dare you, Vega!" Her face is close to mine, her blue-green eyes boring into mind full-intensity. I mean, sure, I'm used to Jade glaring at me all the time, but there's something… off.
"Hey, don't blame me, Jade. You invited that diaper guy, not me," I answer back bravely, holding her gaze.
"You have no idea how disgusting that was," she growls.
"Oh, but isn't that your thing, Jade? The weird and the disgusting?"
"You're overstepping your limits, Vega," Jade warns, face inching ever closer. I bring my left foot forward, landing between Jade's.
"Step," I snap. Sure, it's a bad idea, but I just can't help it.
Jade grabs my wrist and starts dragging me to the janitor's closet and my mind reels. Oh no, oh no, oh no. The panic rises as I try desperately to pull away. To no avail. Jade's stronger. That's a given.
"Help! He—" Jade covers my mouth and shoves me into the closet, closing the door behind her. She opens the light and I brace myself, pressing my body against the corner like a trapped Tori Vega. I'mgonnadieI'mgonnadieI'mgonnadie!
"Vega." Wait a minute. Is her voice… softer? "Vega, that guy was…"
"Jade?" I draw my eyebrows together.
"I had to stab him with my scissors! He didn't want to let go of me!" Her voice is high-pitched, panicked, something I thought I'd never hear from Jade West. Jade slides down into a sitting position, swaying back and forth slightly, something I thought I'd never see either.
The guild stabs at my chest. Hard.
"He—he was carrying me across the halls and when we passed my locker, I pulled one out and stabbed him on the shoulder. If I hadn't—he would've—I could've been—" Her eyes are clouded with tears, but she lifts her head up, not wanting them to spill. "I could've been—"
I kneel down and gather the girl in my arms. I whisper reassurance in her ears, which she seems to take positively. She hugs back, to my surprise, and I croon softer, stroking her hair, her back, her shoulders, anywhere to make her feel better.
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I didn't think, I didn't know, I'm sorry. It's okay, you're okay, you're safe. I'm here, you're safe now," I murmur over and over again.
Who would've known that Jade, black-wearing, flower-cutting, pink-hating, stab-happy, blood-loving Jade, would get shaken up so much? Then again, who wouldn't. The guy was a major creepster. And it hurts even more because it's my fault. All mine.
I press my lips to the crown of her head and wait until she's calmed down.
She sighs and pulls away with a sad smile.
"Look at me. I'm obsessed with gore and I'm on the verge of tears." She looks at me and smiles. "I don't regret stabbing him, though. When my scissors dug into his flesh, when his blood spilled. It felt awesome."
I chuckle. "There's the Jade we all know and love."
She looks down.
"I'm sorry, about a while ago. I just had to blame someone to get it all out. I guess I was in shock." She frowns. "I'm feeling pretty stupid right now."
Did Jade just… apologize? Did she really apologize? She's probably still in shock.
I pat Jade on the head, half-expecting her to snap at me, but she doesn't. I bite my lower lip.
"You're not stupid," I saw, voice quiet.
Jade looks up at me. Is that a little bit of regret in her eyes? Regret? Why?
"I shouldn't have ruined your stup—Prome. I was just upset. I really wanted to—"
"Don't explain, Jade. You don't have to." I brush a stray lock of raven hair away from her flushed face, heart fluttering when Jade doesn't react violently. The girl even smiles genuinely. Jade smiled. At me. Not a morbid, sadistic, evil smile. A real, grateful smile.
Jade lets out a shaky breath before standing up. I follow her.
"Vega…" She looks at the ground, the ceiling, the janitor's cleaning stuff, anywhere but at me. "Vega, this never—"
"Stop, Jade. How many times do I have to tell you? You don't have to explain." I place a hand on her shoulder. "This never happened."
"Are you sure—"
"Yeah." Even though it hurts, I understand. It's the way it is.
Jade smirks.
"Thanks. Tori. Really. I—I won't forget this. You know I never do."
"I know," I say with a nod. Jade does a small wave and walks away, flashing me a smile before disappearing. I cross my arms and chuckle.
My relationship with Jade is queer. It's definitely not the best, but it's good, in a twisted, strange way. Jade mocks me and antagonizes me to no end, but she trusts me a little bit more than the others, which I've figured out a long time ago but never really brought up to anyone else. She comes to me instead of anyone else when she has a problem, unless the problem is me. Some might say I shouldn't tolerate a frienemy, that it's either a friend or an enemy, but I can't seem to help it. I just can't. My relationship with Jade is complicated, to say the least, but I would never give it up for the world.
I walk to the school parking lot, a dazed smile on my face.
Jade. She's… something. I shake my head, before stopping in my tracks, my smile disappearing. Trina's car isn't here. It's gone. Missing. Kaput. I fumble though my purse, checking my PearPhone. One message from Trina, telling me that she had to go 'kill her date'. Oh great.
I chew the inside of my cheek, anger boiling in my stomach. How could she? She knows I'll be the last one to leave, that I won't have anyone to ride with except her? Why would she do that? Leave me? Hello, earth to Tori! This is Trina we're talking about. She would do anything for herself. I grit my teeth. Great. Just great.
"Need a ride, Vega?"
I turn around and face Jade. She's twirling her keys around her index finger before throwing it in the air and catching it. She nods to the direction of her car, which is already running. "Well, Vega?"
I shrug. "Fine. Just don't kill me, 'kay?"
"Okay," Jade chuckles, eyes sparkling with a warmth I've only seen a few times before.
I sigh. I wish all days are like this.
