I hate Tori Vega. I know what you're thinking. You're not reading this to find out things you already knew. Well, here's a not so known fact to sate your curiosity: Tori Vega likes kissing me. At least, that's how it seems. She has made a fabulous habit out of doing just that whenever she gets the chance. The thing that's driving me nuts is what she does afterwards: she leaves.
Ignoring the fact that it's Tori Vega kissing me, you know, I'm all for kissing. I don't really care if there aren't any strings attached. I'm good at it, it's fun. But you can't just pull someone into a coat closet, press your body all up on them, kiss them, and then leave without a single utterance. I'm losing my mind over here.
Acknowledging the fact that it is Tori Vega, well, I don't really know what to do about that.
Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. It might make more sense to rewind and start from the first time it happened and work our way forward from there. It's probably a futile attempt because I've been living it day by day and still don't get what the hell is going on.
Anyway, here goes nothing.
The first time Vega kissed me was around the time we did that play where Sikowitz made us act as a married couple. We had stayed late after rehearsal one day to run through lines a few more times by ourselves. Since it was my idea, I reluctantly offered to give her a ride home after we were finished.
"Thanks, Jade. I just have to stop at my locker really fast." She said with a smile as we walked down the hall.
"Whatever." I said as I continued to walk by her and make my way to my own locker to gather my things. I was searching for the printed copy of a script I had been working on when I felt a pair of slender hands grip my hips and spin me around. To my bewilderment, it was Vega that was the owner of those hands.
"What are you..." I started to say, though she cut me off with a swift kiss. Her hands felt like ice on my neck, but her lips were igniting a fire inside me. A wet tongue licked at my lower lip asking for entrance, but before I could comply Vega had pulled herself away from me and was already walking towards the door.
"Come on, Jade. I don't wanna spend my entire night in school." She said with an air of nonchalance that astonished me. I followed her out of the school and into my car. Vega sang along with the radio as we drove to her house. Never once mentioning the kiss. Never once bothering to explain why she did it.
"See you tomorrow, Jade." She said once I pulled into her driveway.
"Yeah, get outta my car." I said snidely. She didn't look dejected as she got out and flounced up to her front door. I couldn't help the way my eyes were attracted to the sway of her hips.
Wait, I couldn't?
I peeled out of her driveway, shaking away these thoughts she had begun to elicit in me. I do not like Tori Vega. I don't like anything about her. The fact that she caught me off guard and kissed me means absolutely nothing.
The following morning at school, our lives went on as normal. She laughed with Cat and flirted with Andre as though she hadn't shoved me into my locker and kissed me the night before. I did my best to remain cavalier about what was going on inside my head. Whatever. It was just a fluke. Nothing that needed any more consideration than I had already given in. So I was just going to push it out of my mind and do exactly what Vega was doing: ignore it.
It would have worked wonderfully if I had done the smart thing and neglected the invitation to Nozu with everyone after school two days later. Somehow it turned into me picking Vega up on my way to the restaurant from my house, since everyone else was going in Beck's truck and there wouldn't be enough room. I think this was Beck's ploy. He's been trying to get Vega and I to be friends since she came here. Maybe he even knew about her new habit. I doubted that though. He probably would have tried to sleaze in a three-way if he knew.
I pulled into her driveway and honked twice, indicating my arrival. A few minutes later, she came out the front door and hurried up to my car.
"Sorry, Trina's trying some new beauty remedy. She got mustard everywhere and I had to change." She said apologetically once she buckled herself in.
"Yeah, I don't care." I said dismissively as I pulled out of her driveway and headed towards Nozu.
We drove in silence this time. I didn't even bother putting on the radio. I wanted Vega to feel uncomfortable. Maybe she'd start rambling about why she thought it was a good idea to kiss me.
I didn't get that lucky. Her lips remained sealed as she sat staring out the window. We pulled into the parking lot and I saw the line waiting outside of the restaurant.
"Christ. We're going to be waiting forever." I grumbled once I found a spot.
"No, everyone else is already here with a table." Vega said cheerily as we approached the restaurant.
"Well, I don't want to scramble through that crowd, so let's go to the side door." I said as I pointed at the mass of people in front of us. I began to lead the way to the side of the building. We were walking down the small alley that lead to the entrance when she clasped onto my wrist and pulled me back. A gasp of surprise left my lips as she pressed her body flush against me and attacked my lips with a fervor I didn't know she possessed. This time the kiss lasted long enough for me to respond, my hands clutching at her hips in spite of myself.
She removed herself from my grasp and quickly as she initiated the kiss, heading into the building without me. I stood there for a moment, my fingers gently tracing my lips as I thought about how crazy this girl was being.
"Damn, girl, what happened to your hair?" Andre asked me when I finally composed myself enough to walk inside and join them.
"It's windy." I barked, casting an evil look at Vega. She smiled at me, innocent as ever, as she took a seat next to Andre.
It was progressing. The first kiss, she hardly allowed enough time for me to react, gone before I could assess what was happening. This time, she graciously accepted my action. Where was this going? And why?
We agreed to go to her house afterwards. It was a Friday night, and Vega had informed us during dinner that her parents were gone for the weekend.
"So, it's a party then?" Andre said with a grin.
"Might as well!" Vega laughed.
"I have to go home first." I announced, breaking my silence since I had arrived. Beck casted me a sideways glance, indicating he was catching on to my slightly weird behavior.
"Well, we've probably all got our own thing to do. We'll just meet at Tori's around seven. Sound cool?" Beck instructed, maintaining that cool demeanor of his. Everyone nodded their agreements as we finished our meal. Clearly, I had to take Vega back to her house, which I did so in record time.
When I pulled into her driveway this time, I put my car in park and locked the doors before she could get out. She looked at me with alarm in her eyes and I turned to face her.
"What the fuck is going on, Vega?" I asked, slightly frustrated already.
"What are you talking about?" She asked nervously.
"Why do you keep...you keep kissing me!" I hissed.
She smiled slyly, "You keep kissing back. Now, if you don't mind, I have to get ready for tonight. I'll see you later." She said, throwing in a wink as I reluctantly unlocked the car door.
Jesus Christ, what was going on with the world?
On my way back to my place, Beck called me offering to give me a ride to the party. I accepted. Hey, we may be broken up but we're still friends.
"So what was going on with you at dinner?" He said once I got in the car.
"It's been a weird day." I said simply, buckling myself in.
Beck nodded, accepting that as my answer, "So you are willingly going to this party?" He asked with speculation, "I mean, no one even had to bribe you."
"I've got nothing better to do. Might as well." I said with a shrug.
"I'm sure Tori will love to hear that the only reason you're coming is because you have nothing else going on." Beck said sarcastically.
"We both know that she'll be too smitten with the fact that I'm even there to care about my reasoning." I said with a matter of fact tone to my voice. Beck had no retort, and instead just nodded and shrugged his agreement. If there's another thing Vega likes, it's being in my presence. I couldn't tell you why since all I do is torture that girl and ridicule everything she does.
"You should be nicer to her, Jade." Beck said, breaking the silence again.
I groaned dramatically, "I am nice to her."
"Yesterday at lunch you spit in her coffee when she went to the bathroom." He scolded.
"She left it open." I said nonchalantly.
"Not for someone to spit in it!" He reprimanded me.
"Whatever, Beck." I said, rolling my eyes and crossing my arms, bringing my attention to the scenery we were speeding by. I was getting irritated with the assumptions he was making about the dynamic between Vega and myself. He sure as hell hadn't seen how she was starting to behave when the two of us were alone.
"Did you bring your swimsuit? She has a hot tub." Beck asked, earning another groan of irritation from me.
"Yes, oh great Beck, I brought my suit. I have been in Vega's hot tub before." I said snidely.
"Really? I haven't." He said, shocked.
"Her and Cat roped me into a sleepover a few weeks ago." I grumbled.
"Huh." Beck said, as if I said something profound that deserved further thought.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I barked.
"I didn't even say anything!" He exclaimed defensively.
"You don't have to say anything. All you have to do is make that stupid noise and shrug your shoulders. It was the most irritating thing you ever did when we were dating."
"God, I almost forgot how pleasant you are." He said as we pulled into Vega's driveway.
"Well, that would be a damn shame." I replied as I got out of the car and slammed the door, slinging my bag over my shoulder and walked up to the front door.
We were running late. It was at least nine when we arrived, so when Beck and I entered the house to see Andre slouching on the couch with one arm slung over Vega's shoulders, I wasn't really surprised to see that they had started drinking without us. Though something sparked inside me, something like anger, but I pushed it aside as Cat came bounding up to me, nearly spilling her drink everywhere during the process of giving me a hug. I could practically taste the vodka on her breath as she spoke.
"Jade! You guys finally made it." Cat giggled when she let me go, stumbling slightly.
"Christ, how much have you had already? I asked as I helped her steady herself.
Another giggle, "I haven't been counting. Come on! Let me make you a drink." She cheered as she grabbed me by the hand and dragged me into the kitchen.
I accepted the drink she fixed for me, noting how much vodka started out in the cup. I got the feeling I probably wouldn't remember a lot of what was going to happen tonight. I welcomed the thought as I took a deep drink from the cup and walked back into the living room.
"So what are we going to do, Vega?" I asked, leaning back in the chair I was seated in.
"Well, I figured we could probably go in the hot tub soon. Andre and Cat have been here for a while now. We were just waiting for you guys." She answered, her words slurring slightly.
"Where's Robbie?" Beck asked as he reappeared from the kitchen, a cup in his hand.
"He said he won't be here until later. Something about helping his grandma with her phone." Vega said, and I noticed the pout Cat made at the mention of Robbie's grandma. She was still not on good terms with that woman even after the two years its been since she reprimanded Cat for her hair color choice.
"Well, what are we waiting for then?" I asked, taking another generous drink from my cup, feeling the burn of the vodka as it went down my throat.
Cat and I followed Vega up to her bedroom to change while the boys used the bathroom. When we were dressed and ready, we made our way back downstairs and saw the boys sitting at the kitchen table waiting for us.
"All set?" Beck asked as he ushered us all out the backdoor. I paused, downing the rest of my drink in one gulp, earning raised brows from everyone else. Before we reached the hot tub, Beck had scooped Cat up and jumped into Vega's in ground pool with her still in his arms. She shrieked and laughed when she resurfaced, splashing Beck with water as he swam around her.
"Well, I know I'm not gonna wanna go in there after the hot tub. Might as well." Andre said, rubbing his hands together before doing a cannon ball over where Beck and Cat swam.
"Yeah, fuck that." I said, maintaining my route to the hot tub, not realizing Vega had been following me until I climbed in and turned around.
She had her hair tied up in a bun on the top of her head, and I watched as she eased her slim body into the water. She let out a sigh as she rested her head on the headrest behind where she sat. The water glistened against her tan skin in the lighting.
"Not much of a swimmer?" I asked idly as I swirled water in between my fingers, looking up to see her eyes closed.
"Nah, I just feel like relaxing. Plus, the view's better over here." She finished her sentence, opening one eye slightly to appraise my reaction. I remained stoic as I looked at her blankly. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, most likely due to how much alcohol she probably consumed before I arrived. A small smirk was playing on her pink lips and I caught myself biting down on my own lower lip.
Did Vega just come on to me?
More importantly, am I blushing?
We sat in silence for a few minutes and I just watched her sit there with her eyes closed and her steady breathing. If I couldn't see the way her chest rose and fell, I would have questioned if she was even alive at all. The sound of breaking water caused me to avert my attention from whatever game Vega was trying to play to our other three friends climbing out of the pool and heading back towards the house.
"Where are you going?" I shouted over to them.
"Robbie just got here, and we're going to jump on him when he comes in! He's gonna get all wet. He'll be so mad." Cat said with a laugh.
"Yeah, a half naked girl, soaking wet, and jumping on him. Something tells me mad won't be very high on the list of emotions he'll be feeling." I grumbled, only loud enough for Vega to hear. She smiled.
"Don't get the furniture wet." Vega ordered casually, never moving a muscle.
When the door clicked shut, I decided to follow Vega's lead and do a little relaxing. I sunk deeper into the water and closed my eyes, letting out a deep breath.
The next thing I knew, a pair of legs were straddling me and two wet hands were sliding up my throat. I opened my eyes to see Vega hovering over me. This lasted only a moment or two before she leaned down and captured my lips in a kiss. Like magnets, my hands found her hips and clung to them desperately. Jesus Christ, could this girl not keep her hands to herself?
I barely got to enjoy the utter softness of her lips and the way they moved like liquid against mine before she pulled away from me. When I opened my eyes, I saw her pulling herself out of the hot tub and scampering back into the house. Not before turning her head back to me and casting me a flirtatious wink.
"Vega, what the fuck?" I asked loudly, looking at her, my eyes wide with confusion.
I followed her out of the pool and back into the house, picking a towel off of the rack a I passed it. Walking into the house, I saw a sopping wet Robbie who had a violent blush spreading across his cheeks. The rest of the group were wrapped in towels and sitting in a circle in the living room.
"I...need to change." Robbie stuttered before grabbing his bag off of the floor and making a hasty retreat to the bathroom.
"I bet he'll need to do something else too." I snickered as I sat on the ground in between Cat and Beck. They had moved the coffee table off to the side and Vega was currently chugging the remaining liquid out of a beer bottle, and I suddenly was aware of what they were planning on doing, "Oh come on, you guys. Spin the bottle? We're not in middle school anymore." I groaned.
"I don't know what middle school you went to, girl, but I sure wish I had been there." Andre said with a laugh as Vega took a seat next to him, putting the bottle in the middle of us.
"Me first!" Vega said with a giggle as she leaned forward and rolled the bottle. Some part of me was praying it would land on me, and another part of me was freaking the fuck out that I wanted something like that to happen again. When the bottle came to a halt, it had landed on Andre, and I had to do everything not to grab that bottle and move it so it landed on me. I thought I was going to be sick as I watched him lean in and kiss her. It just looked so wrong.
What the hell is going on with me?
"I'm next." I barked, as I leaned in and spun the bottle. It slowed to a halt as it landed right in front of Cat.
"Yay! It picked me!" She said with a giggle, "It'll be just like that old tmes, Jade, when we would-" She said, though I silenced her with my lips before she could let out any other kind of secrets of the things we used to do. She tasted like cherries and innocence as she kissed me back. Not to be upstaged by Andre, I tried showing Vega what I was capable of. I held Cat by the back of the neck and slid my tongue across her bottom lip, and deepening the kiss.
"Oh, man." I heard Andre say.
When I pulled away, Cat had a blush creeping across her cheeks as she giggled, "Jade's always been the best kisser."
I sat back, rubbing the pad of my thumb across my lip as I looked at Vega. She was blushing fiercely, with her lower lip pulled in between her teeth. She shifted uncomfortably under my gaze until Beck leaned forward, breaking our eye contact.
"Well, I'll go next." He said. When the bottle's movement ceased, it landed on me. I rolled my eyes.
"Jesus Christ." I said as I leaned in, giving him a not-so-chaste kiss, but still nothing compared to what I had just done with Cat. He tasted like whiskey and cigarettes, something I used to find solace in, but I was long past that.
"Are we playing a game where everyone gets to kiss Jade?" Robbie asked as he sat on the other side of Cat in fresh clothes.
"Not even in your dreams, Shapiro." I snapped, sitting back in my seat.
The bottle spun two more times, once for Beck and Cat, and then once for Robbie and Cat. Their kiss barely lasted a second, sending Cat spiraling in a fit of snickering.
"I'm bored." I announced as I stood and went to the kitchen to make myself another drink. My back was to the living room and the group as I rummaged through the Vega's alcohol cabinet. I made myself a drink that just might have been stronger than the one Cat had made me. I had already begun to feel the effects of it, but if I was starting to have urges where I wanted to kiss Vega, I needed at least another two drinks in order to cope with that.
I could be wrong though, I might just want to figure out why she keeps kissing me without any kind of explanation. I stood at the counter, stirring my drink for a while before Beck came up behind me, scaring the crap out of me.
"So, what was Cat talking about?" He asked with that crooked grin of his. I could see that he was already drunk from the way his eyes were slightly glazed over.
"We used to mess around before you and I started dating. And sometimes when we would break up for a night." I shrugged, "It isn't a big deal."
He looked at me with wide eyes. I knew if he wasn't drunk, he would have been pissed, instead he leaned closer and whispered, "You should've told me. We could have..." He trailed off, looking at me suggestively.
"Had a threesome? With Cat? Not a fucking chance. I wouldn't subject her to that." I said with a sense of protectiveness.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Beck asked, clearly offended.
I turned around and leaned against the counter, taking another drink, "She's way too innocent. I'm not going to tarnish that."
"Oh, so fucking her doesn't do that?" Beck asked in an accusatory fashion.
"Two totally different things. And I never fucked Cat. We had sex, but it was never fucking. Christ, Beck." I said crossly. He looked at me like he couldn't possibly fathom the difference between the two. I said nothing, excusing myself from the conversation by rolling my eyes and walking back into the living room.
Andre was making Robbie take a shot for every hour he was late. Given the fact that we were nearing on midnight, he had five shots to take care of. The poor kid didn't realize that Andre was using a double glass, so in reality he was doing about ten. This would be interesting to watch unfold. Cat and Vega were sitting on the floor laughing and talking as they sipped their drinks.
We changed out of our wet swim suits and time passed as we all sat around and shared stories, laughed, and made fun of Robbie. Those shots hit him hard, and he was currently lying on the ground, speaking in a British accent and trying to rub my feet. At some point, Vega had flounced over to me, patting me on the head as she walked into the kitchen. I decided since she was alone, maybe I would try to figure out what was going on, so I followed her.
"Vega," I whispered once I got close to her as she fixed herself another drink, "what the hell are you doing?"
"What are you talking about?" She asked, batting those thick lashes at me innocently.
I took a step closer and pointed at her, "You know what I mean."
Her eyes got wide for a moment, as if a lightbulb just went off, "Oh! You mean this?" She asked as she tugged me closer by the front of my shirt, leaving a sensual kiss on my lips.
"Yeah. That." I said almost breathlessly.
She gave me a smirk and shrugged, "It's nothing." She said as she walked back into the living room, where no one had noticed our disappearance.
This girl was going to drive me crazy.
"I'm going to bed." I stated, walking through the living room and towards her stairs.
"Where are you sleeping?" She asked drunkenly, leaning into Beck for support. God, she was drunk.
"Your bed." I said before snapping my teeth at her in a mock-sexy way.
I had only been in her room, lying on her bed in the dark, for about twenty minutes before the door cracked open and she crept in.
"Jade?" I heard her whisper as she climbed into the bed.
"Expecting someone else?" I asked. I had been lying on my back with my hands tucked under my head, thinking about what this girl was playing at.
I heard her chuckle, "God no." She said, and I felt her cool fingertips slide underneath the fabric of my shirt.
"Vega," I said, and her movements ceased, "I don't like you." I said through clenched teeth.
She giggled, "I don't like you either." I felt her warm breath on my neck.
"You don't?" I asked surprised.
"Nope. Not more than a friend, I mean. And according to you, we're barely that." She said as she rubbed her lips lightly against my neck, "But I like your body," she gave a nip to my ear lobe, "and your lips," another to that spot on my neck right below my ear that made me shiver, "and the noises you make that you think I can't hear."
Vega then positioned herself on top of me, her hands on either side of my face and her thigh in between my legs. Before I could make any sort of protest, her lips were on mine and her tongue made its way into my mouth. We fought for dominance, and I snaked my hands into her hair, tugging her body closer to mine. Her hands were ghosting down my body, pausing as they gently palmed my breasts, and trying to suppress the moan that escaped from my throat was futile.
And just like that, she was lying on the bed next to me, letting out a small sigh before she spoke, "Goodnight Jade."
I let out a disgruntled groan as I rolled over so my back was facing her.
This was absurd. Why was she doing this to me? Why was I letting her?
I know it isn't the greatest. It'll get better I promise! Starting out is always a little messy. Hang in there with me, guys. =) Until next time.
