"Where's Tori?" Jade asked Cat, without even so much as a 'hi'.
"I don't know," replied the redhead. "She wasn't in study hall. Why'd you need her?"
"Our theatre history teacher paired us up. I've never once seen her miss a class; but she just has to miss this one!"
"Relax, Jade, I'll see if she's posted anything on the Slap,"
"I've already checked; nothing,"
"Well, let me check again," Cat said. Jade rolled her eyes. Cat looked back up at her.
"You were right,"
"Ugh," Jade groaned. "You're no help! Why does she have to be out, of all days! God, she's so…"
"Jade, don't be mean. She's probably just sick,"
"It's Vega! She has a trophy for perfect attendance!" Jade smirked to herself; she had found it when she was looking through Tori's drawers.
"How do you know that?" Cat asked.
"Doesn't matter," Jade replied. She headed to her locker, putting her folder away and then went to lunch, deciding she would have to speak to Tori tomorrow.
-x-
"Vega, why weren't you in yesterday?"
"Why do you care?" she asked, her tone not even really that annoyed. She just sounded… tired.
"I care because we've been partnered up for theatre history. And…" She trailed off, watching Tori shove her book in her locker and close the door, "You look like shit,"
"Gee, thanks!" Tori said, exasperated. She turned to walk away; not in the mood to deal with Jade. Jade was a little confused. No comment from Tori today. That was unusual.
"Hey, wait, Tori," Jade said, catching up with her. "I'm… sorry, you just… you look terrible!"
"I haven't slept at all for the past couple of nights, okay? I feel like crap,"
"You should take another day off then," Jade said.
"You just complained I was away yesterday," Tori pointed out.
"But you look ill. What's up?"
"I'm just really tired. I might be coming down with something. But my mom won't let me stay at home, so I'm here. Please, just leave me alone today; I'm not in the mood for your teasing,"
"Who, little old me?" Jade said, in her favorite 1940's Tori voice. "Why I would never do such a thing!"
Tori didn't even answer. She just turned and walked away. Jade frowned. This wasn't right.
"Do you think Tori's lost weight?" Cat asked, randomly, as they sat together at lunch. Jade froze. Actually, thinking about Tori, she could have sworn the girl had looked smaller, frailer somehow. And obviously, Cat, with her magic size-guessing ability had worked that out, so maybe Jade wasn't imagining it.
"Well I put it down to her being sick, but yeah," Jade said. "I have noticed her looking thinner."
"I hope she's okay,"
"Yeah, it's probably just a bug or something," Jade said. But inside, she panicked. What if something was wrong with Tori? And why did thinking that affect her so much?
Jade wanted to find Tori and get answers, but she didn't know how. She didn't want to demand as she usually would have done, because something could have seriously been wrong. But she didn't know how to approach her in another way. Being 'nice' or at least 'concerned' wasn't really her thing.
Tori had been avoiding everyone. She sat in class, two seats in front of Jade, looking as if she was trying to get her body to fold into itself and disappear. In Sikowitz' class, she didn't once ask a question, or input in the conversation.
The last straw was in the last quarter of the lesson; Sikowitz had called Andre and Tori to the stage. Tori's hands were shaking slightly.
"Right, Tori, I want you to make up a scene, any scene you want, and I will yell out something that will change the situation of the scene. The aim of this exercise is to identify when to correctly display different types of intensity in scenes. So, Tori, start,"
"Uh, can Andre start?"
"Okay, Andre, you start,"
Andre began a scene, Tori playing along; but she was mumbling. Her face had turned a deep shade of red, and Jade couldn't detect an ounce of confidence in her stage presence. Something was very wrong. Sikowitz yelled out something to Andre - obviously something to do with the exercise, but Jade wasn't listening to him - and he began to shout at Tori. The girl jumped, startled, and her eyes began to well up with tears, before she just took off and ran out of the classroom. Before Jade had registered her legs were moving; she was following her.
She found her sitting in her spot in the janitor's closet, her legs pulled up to her chest, sobbing into her knees. Jade felt a twinge in her chest.
"Tori," Jade said. "What's up?"
"Leave me alone," Tori said.
"No," said Jade. "I won't. I want to know what's wrong,"
"It's stupid," Tori said. "I shouldn't- you know what, let's just go back in there,"
"No," Jade repeated. "I won't let you. You need to talk to someone; something's obviously bothering you. You've been like this for weeks. I… I promise you I won't make comments. Just please, tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help you,"
"Fine," Tori said. She shakily took her phone out of her pocket and flipped through her online messages, before handing the phone to Jade.
Jade's eyes widened as she scrolled through, reading the posts, messages and comments.
"Tori," Jade said.
"Please, please, please don't say anything," Tori pleaded, her eyes filling with tears again. Jade didn't know what to do, so she grabbed the half-Latina, squeezing her into a tight hug. After Tori had composed herself a little, Jade pulled back.
"Listen, Tori," Jade said. "I know I haven't been the nicest person to you, since you came here. But no one deserves people saying things like this about them. This is absolutely disgusting, and you know what? Not a single word of it is true. You are the most beautiful, talented, kind, caring person I have ever met, and you are worth it. Did you ever believe them, even for a second?"
Tori nodded, embarrassed.
"Well don't. None of it is true. None of it. You are pretty, hell, you are gorgeous. You are so amazingly talented and despite what you may think, you're my friend. I know that they may make you feel bad, and I'll do anything to get you to stop believing them. But you're Tori Vega. You're so much stronger than them. Don't let them win," Tori looked up at Jade with wide, watery eyes. Tori didn't want to believe Jade at first, but the sincerity in Jade's voice, and the way she looked at her… she had to.
"So, if I ever see you getting caught up and believing you are any of these things ever again, I swear to god I will take you back out to that desert and leave you there," Jade joked and Tori let out a laugh, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. Jade's voice turned softer again.
"They're just jealous, Vega, 'cause they'll never be as good a person as you are," Tori gave Jade the biggest grin she'd ever seen, and Jade was reminded just how true she was; Tori was beautiful.
"Thanks, Jade,"
"Don't thank me, I just told you what everyone else thinks about you,"
"Is that what you think of me?"
"Yeah, it is,"
"Well then I guess that's all that matters then," Tori said.
"Hey, I hope I made you feel better, Tor," Jade said. "I hate seeing you sad. I miss that smile,"
"You've just basically ruined everything that made me think of you as scary," Tori laughed. "I hope you realise that,"
"Oh god, I do, and I hate it!" Jade said, moaning overdramatically. "But I can't take it back, because I told you nothing but the truth. But no one can know about this,"
"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," Tori chuckled. She already knew that secretly Jade was just a big softy.
"And so is yours," Jade said. "And if you ever feel like this again, come and find me. Now I know, I'll be here. Okay?" Tori didn't say anything; she just smiled.
"What?" Jade asked. Tori's smile, as much as she liked it, was unnerving her.
"You care about me!" Tori said, poking Jade in the arm, that smile turning into a goofy grin.
"So what if I do?" Jade said, deciding to not even try to deny it. Tori had found her out.
"Aww, Jade!" Tori said. "You have to hug me now!"
"…Fine," Jade grumbled, allowing Tori to throw her arms around her.
"Yay," Tori said. Jade just rolled her eyes, but smiled. She would put up with letting Tori hug her if it meant that she could see that smile every day.