Title: No Take Backs
Rating: PG
Pairing: Jade/Tori
Prompt: Numero Uno - Jealousy
A/N: It's been a very, very long time since I've written anything. So I decided to practice every day with a prompt. Each chapter will be a prompt and will follow the same universe. Just to let you know this jumps to Senior Year for everyone. Anyway, I know my writing is a bit rough around the edges since I'm so rusty, so feel free to give me critiques. ;)
They're at lunch when Beck is the first to see it.
When he looks up from his phone, his eyes meet Jade's from across the table. And in that moment, it's like she knows.
"Give me that," Jade says, taking Robbie's PearPad out of his hands.
"Hey!" Robbie protests, reaching to get it back, but Beck shoves a burrito into his left palm.
"Eat that," Beck says.
"Yeah, eat that!" Rex repeats, leaning against Robbie, motionless.
"Ugh, okay," the curly haired boy replies. He takes a bite of the bean and cheese and leans over to get a view of what Jade's reading. "That's Tori's Slap page."
"Don't talk with your mouth full, fool!" Rex scolds.
"Why are you reading Tori's stat—" Robbie stops, the words he's seeing dawning on him, "—oh."
"Yeah," Beck says, looking at his ex girlfriend still staring at the screen.
And then all of a sudden, Robbie jumps as his PearPad is flung into his arms, his burrito falling to the floor.
"Oh, no! Burrito!" Rex yells.
Jade grabs her bag and swings her legs over the bench, standing up. She takes in a deep breath.
"Calm down," Beck says gently.
"I'm trying!" Jade yells.
Beck raises an eyebrow.
With a "Gah!" and a stomp of a booted foot, Jade walks off.
She stalks the empty main hall with purpose, her strides long yet quick, barely pausing to pull open the double doors to the Black Box. She walks into the theater and over to the stage, passing Cat.
"Hi, Jade!" The red head greets from her seat.
Andre and Tori stop their rehearsing as Jade slams her bag onto the stage. The angry girl points at Tori, but doesn't say a word. She just glares.
"Uh, J-Jade," Andre stutters, shifting his neck to the side—a nervous habit. He moves away from his keyboard, clears his throat, and continues, "We're kind of rehearsing for our Senior Showcase. So if you don't mind—"
"You're dating Sam Hipperhopper?" Jade asks, dropping her hand.
Cat giggles. "Is his last name really Hipperhopper?"
"It's Hiffoffer!" Tori corrects.
"Who cares!" Jade folds her arms against her ribs. Her expression slightly softens. "Are you dating him or not?"
"Tori's Slap page says she is."
"Cat!" Jade whirls around to face the girl. "Why don't you leave?"
"But I was helping Tori and Andre with their act. They wanted to see if it was good—although pretty much everything they do is pretty spectacular and really really—"
"Hey, Cat," Tori calls, and Jade knows she's trying to save her friend from another outburst. "Why don't you and Andre go grab us some drinks? Oh, and cupcakes?"
"Cupcakes are delicious! Though one time, my brother put some mud in the batter my mom was making… and that didn't taste so delicious at all."
"Andre," Tori pleads.
"On it!"
Jade stays still, her eyes on the floor now. She listens as Andre hops off the stage and leads Cat out of the theater.
"Jade."
Her back still to Tori, she replies. "What?"
"Okay, this is stupid. You were the one that said we were over," Tori says. "You can't just come in here and throw some jealous fit because I'm finally moving on. You can't, okay?"
Jade turns around and looks up at the stage—at Tori. She sniffs and clucks her tongue against the roof of her mouth.
"What if I said I wanted to take it back?" Jade asks, her voice low.
"I'm not Beck, Jade. I won't take you back every time you make a mistake."
"You think I made a mistake?" She watches Tori run her hand through her hair. "Do you?"
"Apparently it is if you're here right now."
Jade lifts herself up onto the stage. She takes a step to the brunette. "And you?"
Tori laughs, but Jade hears no amusement. "I cried for two weeks straight, and I didn't sleep for four. Andre had to feed me half the time of all that, and Cat had to drag me to school every day. All the pain and bitterness you made me go through shows that I thought it was a mistake. But Jade?"
"Yeah?" she whispers. She watches as Tori moves closer, an arm stretching out. Jade closes her eyes when she feels Tori's cold touch against her warm cheek. That's when she realizes she's crying.
"You can't take back all the hurt and anger you caused me. You can't try to fix this, because you gave me a truth. A truth that now you realize was wrong, but a truth none the less. We're over. You can't have me, because you told me I couldn't have you anymore, and I was forced to accept that."
The entrance doors open, and Jade knows this is it. So she opens her eyes and nods. Just nods.
"You should get back to the Asphault, Jade. Andre and I need to practice."
And so she does.
It takes Beck only a day to start force feeding her during lunch. And the only reason she even goes to school is because Beck honks his horn like an obnoxious gank outside of her house every morning, while Rex and Robbie bang on the door like banshees. And really she'd go out of her mind if she just kept listening to that racket all day, so she goes.
She appreciates Beck and Robbie—but that's never coming out of her mouth.
Ever.