A/N: Been a while since I did anything Bade. Just kind of warming back up to the fandom after my long absence.
Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own Victorious. But I am victorious.
Why I Hate You
"What did I do to make you hate me so much?" She's standing there, soaked to the bone, in the middle of the class, and it's all my fault. But part of me feels good because she feels bad. The worse I make her look, the better I feel.
"Because you're the only one who's even close to me."
Tori's eyes get a little wider and questioning attributes sprinkle her face. A raised brow here, a little crinkle in her nose. It's obvious. "Wh-What?"
I have to say it. We're in the middle of class and I just sprayed her with a hose because I could. I'm a mean person and I know it, but it's only to defend myself. I just need to keep my position. My place in the high school hierarchy. "You're the only threat to me, the only one who could ever stand in my way. I have to knock you down so you can't threaten me anymore."
"Jade-"
"I need to be number one. I have to be this way. There's no other option! I hate you because you're the only person who has half a brain that isn't terrified of me." Cat wasn't afraid, but she's not exactly the sharpest knife in the drawer either. And Beck... He's too smart to be afraid. "You're the only one who puts me in danger of losing what I have, Tori. I can't lose this."
"You don't have to hose me down in the middle of history class!"
"I have to keep you down."
The truth is, I'm afraid of her. I don't want her to steal my life. She's as tough as I am, as stubborn, as dangerous. Mean, no, but if she wanted to throw a punch, she'd leave a nice mark. We both would. But I needed to be scarier, more aggressive, better. Tori scares me because of what she could do if she put her mind to it.
And I turn the hose back on. It hisses and splutters before releasing a little river of water. I put my finger over the opening and let it spray out around it, in control of how much I want to torture her. She can't beat me. No one can.
I need to be unstoppable.
She cringes and tries to block the jet's powerful stream with her hands to no avail. She's already dripping wet and won't dry out any time soon. Her hair clings to her face, stringy and wet now. Her makeup is smeared across her face and she looks a bit like a hideous clown; I hate clowns.
I want to put her down. I need to put her down. She's the threat, the opponent in an unseen war. Psychological battlefields are the world we live in.
The door opens behind me but I'm not paying much attention. I only notice the voice that follows the click of the lock. "Jade! Stop!" Warm, tanned, calloused hands take my shoulders as someone else is ripping away the hose. I'm pulled into a comforting embrace. I'm not sure if it's to keep me away from the hose or to keep me away from myself.
Tori isn't yelling. Tori's upset, but not mad. And that's what makes us different. It separates the maggots from the big girls. Like me.
Beck draws me closer. "You need to stop, Jade." His fingers run through my hair, separating each individual strand and pulling my hair away from my head before letting it fall back into place. "This is getting out of hand."
I bury my face in his chest, trying to keep myself together. I think I'm falling apart... "She's the only one who could ever take you away from me."
Because she's the final threat. The only one who could ever take Beck. She's the only one standing in my way. I need to be the only one in his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere."
A/N: It feels weak, but I got my point across and that's what I wanted. Reviews are good but not necessary. Sorry that it didn't stand up to my usual standard of work.
~Sky