I. Feel. So. ASHAMED! This is my first attempt at Jori and I tried to make it a little more...dramatic? Is that the word I'm looking for? I tried for something like Floody does and it just didn't come out too great. I work with cute and fluffy, not dramatic and angst. My next Jori story is hopefully better than this.

Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious or any of the characters. That right belongs to Dan Schneider.

Something feels...different today. Vega seems distant; almost as if she's not really here. Nobody else seems to notice, except maybe Cat. That girl's a lot smarter and more observant than most people give her credit for. Anyway, it's like Vega's mind is in a world all her own and her body's here on Earth, just being used to take up space. She's starting to worry me.

As much as it may seem, I don't hate Vega. The way she keeps trying to get me to open up; my instinct is to close her out. I feel bad afterwards and try to make it up to her in as many small ways as I can, but I know it's not enough. Did I just lose my train of thought? God, I must seem as spacey as Vega.

'Right, Jade?' Beck's voice breaks me out of my thoughts.

'Hmmm?' I look at him, confused.

'I was just testing to see if you were listening. Where'd you go just now?' He asks, looking a little concerned.

'None of your business.' I snap halfheartedly, the usual bite in my words sounding diluted.

'It's just that you're not usually this...spacey.' Andre says carefully, sharing a look with Beck.

'Neither is Vega, but I don't see you getting on her case.' I mumble, looking at said girl. She's looking at the table, but I can tell she's not seeing it.

'That's true.' Andre says, then snaps his fingers in front of Vega's face. 'Yo Tori!'

Her head snaps up as her eyes refocus. 'Hmmm?'

She has the same response I did.

'Where'd you go, chica?' Andre asks.

'What do you mean? I was here the whole time, wasn't I?' She retorts, looking confused.

'Now's not the time to be a smart ass, Vega. You were zoned out, what's up?' I say, trying to sound casual instead of concerned.

She looks back at the table and then up at me again. 'Just have a lot on my mind, I guess...'

I give her an indifferent look and go back to my lunch. 'Okay.'

Lunch went on with neither of us making conversation. I was, dare I say, worried about her. At one point, Vega reached for something and her sleeve rode up a bit. What I saw shocked me, for lack of a better word. I play it off and pray no one else saw. They'd just bombard her with questions and she'd eventually just run off. I look over at Cat and can tell she caught it too, but she knows better than to bring it up. I'd been there not too long ago and without Cat, I don't think I'd have made it. Cat's been there for me through everything.

Anyways, after lunch, Cat stops me and we go to the janitor's closet.

'Jade...?' She starts, but can't finish her question. It's a sensitive topic for her.

'Yeah, I saw. What do you think is so horrible, Hollywood Arts' "Princess" resorted to...you know...?' It's a pretty touchy subject for me too.

'I don't know, Jade. But we should talk to her about it. You had me when you started...from how it looks, Tori doesn't have anyone.' Cat says, looking like she's about to cry.

I pull her in for a hug and she cries into my neck, remembering how horrible our lives started out. 'It's okay, Kitty Cat...We'll talk to her about it. No one should have to go through this alone. Not even Vega.'

'Jade, quit the act. I know you like her. You just act like you hate her.' She says sadly, her face still buried in my neck.

I guess I startle her because when she hears me laugh, she jumps back. 'Sorry Cat...when you said it, it made it real. I guess it just feels better to have someone else know.'

She smiles and wipes her eyes. 'So when do you wanna talk to Tori?'

What'd you think? Horrible? There's more than this, but I didn't really get into this one as much as my other fics. The other Jori story I have I really got into. So much so, I would sneak it out in class and pretend I was taking notes. Anyways, off topic. Favorite, Review, Follow, all that good stuff if you'd like. Bye bye my little waffles!