A/N update: I just want to clear up the format of this story before you start reading. This story alternates between present Jade and Tori and major flashbacks of how they got where they are right now. The first and third section of each chapter will be the present while the middle chunk will be the flashback. Also, each chapter alternates between Jade and Tori's points of view, starting with Jade here in chapter one.
"You seriously haven't decided yet?" Beck asks yet another time today as I feel his arm wrap around my waist. I let out a low grumble in my throat, telling him to back off.
It's not like I can blame him. Applying for colleges isn't really something anyone should take lightly. Especially the competitive ones like everyone here would be applying to. But honestly? I hadn't even thought about going to college until we had to take the SATs. Everyone was stressing out and checking out campuses while I just let sat back and watched as things roll by. I want to be successful, that much is obvious, but I want my work to be appreciated for being my creations. I don't want my work to be standard, cookie-cutter material. I don't want to be shaped and molded into the everyday writer. I don't want to have to spend thousands of dollars to sit in a classroom and be told that my work is wrong and how to fix it.
That, and right now I have more pressing matters on my mind at the moment.
And she just walked past me.
Without a second look, Tori brushes past the two of us with a placid smile on her face as she makes her way to her locker with a chatty Andre at her side. The way she carries herself with such confidence is so alluring. My eyes are drawn to her smile, focusing on her lips that are in a warming smile. I quickly shift my gaze to her eyes when the grin fades. Her deep, suddenly solemn, brown eyes caught mine in the act. Hostility fills hers and she quickly turns her face away.
"Oh my God, the performan-" I could hear Cat's incessant rambling and I toned it out. It had become second nature to me due to the fact that she had been attached to my side since elementary school. We make an odd pair but somehow find a balance and keep each other in line.
I sipped my coffee and I recalled the unexpected performance at the Moonlight Jam. It had been all that anyone could talk about since the week before. It was impressive, I had to admit, but how could they not get sick of talking about the same thing over and over? "-Vega will be starting today!"
"What did you say?" I snapped my attention back to the conversation when Cat's voice nearly squeaks with excitement.
"I heard that Tori Vega, Trina's sister, is going to come to this school!" Cat squealed and jumped in place a bit. She was always an Eager Ellen when it came to making new friends, even though only a small group of people could actually handle her in large doses.
With all the talk going about the new girl now, I couldn't even begin to fathom how popular this chick was going to be when she actually got here. She wasn't hard on the eyes and had a voice. She was able to carry her strong confidence through her singing and I just knew she wouldn't be anything but trouble for me.
I leaned back in my seat and crossed my arms in front of my chest. Beck's sincere smile irked me and I knew he could tell by the way he pulled me closer by my waist. He placed a kiss on my temple; it seemed to be a thing he did to pacify me. It would remind me that he was mine so I shouldn't worry. I let it slide for now and walked away from the group without another word. The gang headed to class ahead of me as I went to the bathroom before the bell rang. I walked in just in time and I let out an internal growl.
"Dude, why you rubbin' my boyfriend?" I snapped when the new girl nervously tried to clean Beck's shirt from the recently spilt coffee. With way that she looked at him, I could tell she'd already taken a liking. She'd have to learn her place around here.
"I just-" The new girl opened her mouth to speak but nothing else came out. What happened to the confident 'star' that was on stage the other night? I accepted Beck's peck on the cheek but still was not going to let it drop. I had to give it up though when Sikowitz came bursting through the doors.
There was a change in plans when I'm given the chance to choose my actors for an exercise Sikowitz had planned. A smirk grew across my face as I thought of a great way to make her learn her lesson. It was too rich and I couldn't let this opportunity pass me by.
I carefully plotted in my head and chose an appropriate cast. The banter between the experienced actors went by quickly as we all threw out line after line with only slight trouble when the new girl had seeming no idea on what a dog was. She was quickly put back on route and I couldn't help to end it with a grand finale of coffee.
Wimp. Complete pushover. I knew from the moment that I had met her that I would walk all over this girl. It was irritating. It was infuriating. I hated how she has no sense of a backbone; she would never stick up for herself. It was to a twisted and almost pleasant surprise when she turns it around on me a few days later, stealing a stage kiss from Beck.
I realized at that time that she might not be just as pathetic as I thought she was. I had to keep her an eye on her. And maybe Beck as well. He seemed a little too keen on her.
Much to my disdain, the new girl only seemed to get burst of nerve at a time. I had never seen anyone fail so hard at The Bird Scene before. Three tries, seriously? Most of us got it done in one. With each try she had used the more and more elaborate props and, by the end, she looked like she was on the verge of tears when she couldn't get it. That part I liked.
But that conviction in the end. That passion. I was blown away and I couldn't help but applaud it. Even though I pride myself on my acting, I couldn't hide the satisfied grin that spread across my face. It was a hard earned and well deserved sign of my approval.
From that day on, I found every possible way to push her buttons. I did everything I could to annoy her, to piss her off. I said anything I could think of just to get a reaction, the reaction. I knew she could be so much more than she was. She could be amazing but she never spoke up.
"New Girl." I called her from across the hall. I was surprised that she was still here at this time of day; most of the students have already left. "We need to work on our song."
The two of us were assigned to work together. It seemed as if all the teachers in the entire school have conspired against us and collectively decided to pair us up as often as possible. By that, I mean for every single non-solo project, without fail, we were put in the same group. For this particular assignment, each pair had to compose a song completely from scratch from the score to the lyrics. It was a two-week project but since we never said more than two words to each other, it never got anywhere. The three-day countdown had just begun.
I could tell how exhausted the new girl was by the tired look she gave me. The first month had been harsh on her. Anyone could tell that she was not used to the workload, the constant bombardment of projects, or the intense pressure to be more than what you are. Her shoulders were constantly slouched and dark bags were forming under her eyes. She looked like crap. But, being the pushover that she was, she just nodded her head and agreed. She followed me like a puppy that hadn't slept in weeks.
I hated it. It irritated me. She would do anything she was asked or told with not a single complaint. She'd never make it past the first semester at this school, let alone in the entertainment world if she kept this up.
"Move." I pushed her aside, out of the seat from the piano. I tossed her an empty notebook and a pen. "Write everything down, let me know what you think."
I settled on the bench and thought back to her Show Case performance. She did pop well so I decided on chords for an upbeat song, trying to find harmonies. "G7, C, A-minor" I barked out quickly as I try to work out a tempo as well. It had been a while since I last touched a piano, but after a few blunders, I got the hang of it again. The tempo picked up as I started to hum a small tune. After each chord, I changed to the next as quickly as they popped in my head. The new girl sat there and looked at me completely lost and confused.
"What the hell is wrong with you, give it to me." I said angrily and yanked the book from her hands. I was dumbfounded when saw almost nothing written down, just seemingly random letters and scratched out words.
"Oh my god, don't even tell me." I laughed bitterly and covered my face with my hand. "Can you even read music?"
Her eyes fell down to her lap and her hands twiddled nervously. "I-" she tried and failed at forming a sentence.
"What are you even doing here? You clearly don't belong at this school. Most of us have been practicing for years." I started to hound her. I could tell she was trying to find words in her head but I didn't let up. "You might have gotten here by a stroke of chance, but you won't last. You'll be eaten alive if you're not running home with your tail between your legs."
Say it. I pushed hard. Say what you want to say. I recognized that look had become familiar to me. I could tell by the straight look and her gritted teeth that she was at the point when she was pushed just beyond her comfort zone. Finally, she was about to crack.
"Are you listening to me, New Girl?" I snapped my fingers in front of her face, drawing her attention back to me. She looked awkward as she fumbled with her bag. I crossed my legs and rolled my eyes, waiting impatiently for her to say something. Anything.
I heard a faint whisper but I couldn't make anything out. "What? Just. Speak. Up." I demanded loudly with a groan to let her know my irritation.
"I have a name." Her voice suddenly came out as clear as day. Her wide eyes were not teary like I had expected them to be, but instead they were bright and almost on fire.
"Tori Vega. My name is Tori Vega." She stated with her voice filled with conviction. "Stop calling me 'New Girl.'" Her response was firm and she didn't move her gaze from mine. "I've been here for almost a month, you could at least have the decency to learn my name."
Her voice sounded like she was disgusted at me, it was as if I was the pathetic one that needed to be put into place. I admit I was taken slightly aback by her forwardness, but it wasn't completely unexpected. I knew that this strength was lying within her. She had shown it several times before but was always buried again.
"I may not be able to read music, but it does NOT make me any less talented." She declared loudly and stood from hear seat. She looked down at me from her towering position. "I was asked to come to this school. I didn't apply. Your principal personally asked me, along with all of your friends and classmates, that I attend this school. Don't you dare say I don't deserve to be here."
The New Girl's fire burned fiercely and I almost felt intimidated.
"I have every right, if not more, to be here." Each word she said was bold. There it was. In her voice and in her actions. It was everywhere. "Move." She ordered.
I felt a smile building up but I suppressed it as she pushed me away from the keyboard and started to play a tune. I knew that she didn't know the technicalities of music but there was something else there. Pure, unadulterated, raw talent. Something no one could be taught.
By ear, I wrote down the new melody. "Perfect, Vega."
Beck's arm around my shoulder feels like it's burning and started to make me uncomfortable. I push him off and make my way to my next class. Thank god I don't share it with them, I can't take being around either one of them without feeling guilty.
After everything, after two years of this dance that Tori has dragged me into, we find ourselves 50 paces behind point zero. We've both grown as people, as actresses, as artists, and as musicians, together but then apart. The two of us are in worse spot than where we started.
I would never admit it, even to this day. I push her as hard and as roughly as I can because I just want to see her be brave.
A/N: This is my first Jori fanfic and I had this idea floating in my head at work. I thought I would throw it out here and see what you guys thought. I haven't written in a really long time and this is a completely different ship, style, tense, and point of view than what I've done before. This is also the only fic that I have planned out in advance. I usually write one chapter at a time and take it as it goes, but, seeing how my other story has been on a hiatus for about a year and has already taken forever, that doesn't work out too well for me. Please, leave feedback and let me know how it is and what you think of it.