There was another rumbling crash, followed by a slur of curse words and the sound of shattering glass. Two voices mingled in a deathly dance of anger and self-loathing, the matching silhouettes a monochromatic opera of the most passionate nature. The sudden sound of skin on skin contact was followed shortly by an awkwardly long stretch of silence, the sudden change a deafening roar in the room.
Jade stood perfectly still, a smoky jade fire burning in her emerald eyes, a small trail of blood slipping past her full, black lips. Her eyes narrowed at her would-be attacker before she threw her hand up, violently wiping the blood off her chin. She shook her head in disgust and snarled, her white teeth flashing in the eerie fluorescent light of the room. The raven-haired girl lurched forward before her arm was grabbed, forcing her to turn and stare at the venomous man.
"Where the fuck do you think you're going at this time of night?"
His dark eyes cut through her like hot daggers, but she covered the feeling and leveled him with her own withering focus.
"Fuck off."
The words didn't hold quite the acid she had hoped, but she still poured all of her hate into her icy stare. His hand didn't move, instead growing increasingly tight around her pale, bare arm.
"Watch your fucking mouth, brat."
The insult shot straight through her, igniting an even deeper fury within the girl as she almost growled at the man. The goth girl ripped her arm free and took a few quick steps toward the door, hoping to put space between them so she could slip out the door and into the safety of the outside world. She wasn't fast enough.
He launched himself toward the girl and, grabbing a small statue off the end table, hurled it in her direction. The showpiece connected with the side of her knee, sending her crashing to the floor in a crumpled heap as he charged forward.
Jade attempted to ignore the searing pain in her leg and twist to her feet, but he fell upon her like the Black Death, his angry, glassy eyes coming into her view as his hands went up around her throat, applying intense pressure. The teen gasped and kicked her good leg, attempting to get leverage on the large man currently leaning over her.
He growled at her resistance before shifting, pinning her indefinitely to the hardwood floor of their entryway. The man pulled his arm back, swinging his fist to land solidly into the girl's cheek, sending her skull crashing to the hardwood and into a star-filled daze.
"You're a fucking cunt, how dare you talk to me like I'm some dog?!"
Momentarily distracted at the searing pain pulsing in her skull, Jade failed to notice his hand returning, this time to backhand the other cheek. She squeezed her eyes shut, pulling one of her hands off his wrists to search for the statue that had originally taken her down. He knelt atop her, violently shaking the 'ungrateful cur,' almost completely ignoring the frantically searching hand of his victim.
Jade opened her eyes, her inner fire coming to light as she drew her knee up, attempting to knee his spine from her current angle. The molten emeralds zeroed in on his face before she spit, stunning him enough to find the strength to heft the statue from the floor and toward her attacker.
With a feral scream, she slammed the bronze sculpture into his head, knocking his grip lose and his balance off as she attempted to scurry out from beneath him. With a last burst of energy, she leapt at the door and flung it open, tumbling out onto the damp concrete. She tucked, absorbing the fall and rolled, springing to her feet and hobbling awkwardly down the drive and toward freedom. As she got farther away, she chanced a glance back at the square of lit emanating from the mansion; there was no shadow in the doorway.
Silently thanking whoever was listening, she headed in the only direction she knew.
Between the searing pain in her leg, and the exhaustion of all her energy, it took her almost thirty minutes to arrive at her intended destination. Upon seeing the large, dark house, she hefted her tired form on the porch and collapsed onto the step, stretching herself out as she let out a shaky breath. Fumbling for a moment, she managed to pry her phone from her pocket and dialed a number from memory. After a moment, a familiar voice picked up the other line.
"Hello?"
The voice was more awake than she would have thought, causing a small smile to cross her lips. She didn't answer, instead choosing to sigh deeply and put her head back, closing her eyes against the insane jolts of pain pounding behind her eyeballs.
There was a pause before the voice broke through again. "Jade?"
Jade was still, her half laying, half sitting form slumped awkwardly against the side of the house as foreign emotion bubbled in her chest. The person on the phone hung up, causing Jade to chuckle in spite of herself. Moments passed before a light clicked on in the windows behind her and the large creaky door opened, allowing a soft white shaft of light to fall across the broken girl. A gasp reached Jade's ears.
"Oh my god, Jade."
Suddenly deep brown eyes hovered in front of her as Jade mustered an empty smile.
"Hey, Cat."
After a tense standoff, Jade had eventually given into the ministrations of the pint-sized redhead. The shorter girl busied herself with getting an ice pack for Jade's swollen cheek, Advil for her headache, and to cleaning the small cuts and bruises littering the paler girl's arms and face. Cat had made an obvious display of ignoring the bulging lump on Jade's knee.
Satisfied with her current work, Cat stood up and looked over the quiet girl.
"I'll fix your knee after you shower and climb into bed, kay?"
Jade quietly looked at her, her face showing a tense mask of pain and torment. She shook her head.
"No, thanks."
Cat gave her a look and after the mini stare down, Jade relented. "Fine."
The redhead smiled gently, moving to stand beside the taller girl and help her up.
Annoyed, Jade swatted her away. "I'm fine, quit fussing."
Again, Cat was silent, slowly waiting for Jade to come to reason. After a few failed attempts, Jade offered her arm to Cat. Once more, the redhead smiled brightly as she tucked the raven-haired beauty up against her side and supported as much of Jade as she could.
Carefully they navigated the house and steps, slowly getting Jade up the winding staircase. They stopped in front of the bathroom, the redhead pausing and putting up her finger.
"I'll be back before you can say apple-butter brandy!"
Jade swayed gently as Cat let her go, careful to avoid too much pressure on her painfully swollen knee. A minute later Cat emerged from the shadowy hallway, a pile of black in one hand, and a fluffy orange towel in the other.
"Are you gonna be okay?"
Jade tensed, attempting to bottle her emotions. "Yes."
With that, Jade entered the room and gently closed the door. For a moment Cat stood outside the bathroom door before she sighed, blowing a stray red hair from her face and turning to head toward her bedroom.
Cat sat in silence in her room for an extended period, her stuffed giraffe tucked absently in her arms. Her fingers idly ran over his soft spots as her mind replayed finding Jade slumped on her steps, the image burning painfully into the forefront of her mind. The jostling doorknob refocused her attention, and she was up on her feet and toward the door in an instant.
She opened the door the rest of the way, allowing her light to fall upon Jade's pale shoulders. Carefully, Cat slipped Jade's arm over her shoulders and curled her own around Jade's waist as they hobbled toward the bed. It was silent as Cat slowly lowered the taller girl to the mattress' soft pillow top before she gently urged her to lay back. Without a word, the redhead left the room for the rest of her medical supplies.
Taking a moment in her solitude, Jade closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. Her body ached more than she thought it would, and she was almost positive there was something terribly wrong with her knee. However, she chose to ignore the searing pain and focus on keeping herself in check around the bubbly redhead.
Time edged on slowly before Cat returned, her chocolate eyes wide with worry and uncertainty. Jade's tired eyes fluttered at her presence, a silent permission for the redhead to touch her again. Cat closed the remaining distance between them and placed the medical bag on the pink quilt beside them. The small girl leaned over to the bag, rifling through it and producing a white pouch and a thick roll of gauze. Silently she broke the icepack and placed it tentatively on the pale girl's leg. Jade winced, offering a curt nod to signal the girl to quickly finish her task.
Nodding, Cat gently pressed the pack downward, her free hand moving to grab the gauze. She wrapped the pack securely in place before cutting the soft material and adhering it stiffly together. Happy with her work, Cat stood up, her eyes immediately catching the dark blotches on Jade's porcelain neck, a new bolt of worry shaking through the redhead. Inquisitively, Cat raised her fingers toward the goth girl's pale throat.
Seeing the hand out of the corner of her eye, Jade flinched, unable to stop herself. Cat immediately withdrew, almost as if she had been burned. Her sad eyes lingered over Jade before the raven-haired leveled her with a painful scowl. Cat ducked her head, quickly collecting the supplies and stuffing them into the bag from which they came. She snatched up the bag and made a quick beat to the door, sliding through the crack and disappearing into the darkness of the hallway.
Jade groaned, leaning herself fully into the soft pillows behind her. The plaid three-quarter pajama pants Cat had given her left her with a sudden chill as her green eyes traced the brightly colored room. Absently she reached for the quilt, throwing it over her legs and she attempted to settle more. She slid down beneath the blanket, careful of her bulky knee and turned herself carefully, settling on her side. She curled herself as much as she dared, the agony flowing lazily through her body. With a heaving breath, she relaxed herself completely, sleep gaining on her quickly.
No time later, the dozing goth felt the bed dip gently, the sound of Cat shifting the blankets around wafting gently to her ears. There were few things Jade was grateful for this evening, one of them being Cat's lack of burning questions she was sure the redhead fought against. Jade recalled the several past times this same thing had occurred, and the redhead had never even bothered with the third degree. For that, she was grateful.
As Jade slowly drifted off, Cat lay awake beside her, her chestnut eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, her mind lost completely in thought. Her chest was tight with worry for the taller girl beside her, a worry she dared never breach with the goth. Quickly, her eyes flashed to the back facing her, her inner muses in complete turmoil.
What else wasn't Jade telling her?
It was many hours later when Jade awoke, her body stiff from never moving free of her position. Her eyes fluttered open and quickly shut, a searing headache pummeling her senses. She groaned before forcing her eyes open again, thankful that the normally open curtains were tightly drawn. Green eyes flicked around the room before settling on the bottle of water and pills perched gently on the nightstand. Jade made a great effort to reach them, her body still impressively sore from the night before. The dark beauty swiped the pills off the table and forced herself up gently, her body crying in protest at being moved from its comforting nest. Jade grabbed at the water bottle and popped the pills in her mouth, violently tossing the water back and swallowing quickly. She grimaced at the soreness in her throat and face.
One of her hands gently went up to touch at the tender flesh and she frowned, feeling as though breathing alone would be the death of her. From her upward position, Jade scanned the room, taking note of Cat's uncharacteristic absence. She leaned back, tentatively reflecting on the night before. A chill skittered across her synapses, burning her flesh with goosebumps; she shuttered violently.
In an attempt to get her mind off her father, her inner thoughts turned to the redhead whose care she currently occupied. One of her hands idly slid through her hair as she forced herself to focus on her friend.
What about Cat was so...?
Jade took a swat at the blanket covering her lower half, frustration bubbling in her chest. It was dangerous to think about, her relationship with Cat. They were beyond close, a thought that instantly terrified Jade. A twisting, black fear bubbled up from deep within her, the feeling spreading through her prone form. Cat was too close for her own comfort; the chance for heartbreak had increased tenfold over their decade long friendship, a thought that had been building in the back of her mind. Dark fear crept into her brain as thousands of thoughts jumbled together in her head. She shook her head violently, her right hand going up to press tightly to her forehead.
It was an unspoken realization on Jade's part that her relationship with the smallest Valentine was bordering on severely crippling. The redhead had always been there, had always offered herself to Jade in anyway Jade saw fit. They had endured countless fights, countless laughs, and countless heartache that had woven them into each other, making them an unruly pair. Jade had always bucked against the emotion powering their relationship; she was terrified of what could happen in the event of a split between them. She felt trapped.
On many occasions, Jade had turned on the nastiness, in hopes of driving the redhead away and finally leaving her in solidarity. Nevertheless, Cat had always brushed off the painful words and icy countenance of her 'best' friend, almost causing Jade to give into the other's warmth and be forever stuck in an endless cycle. She wanted to be stone, but Cat had always worked tirelessly at keeping Jade human and binding herself tightly to her. Jade couldn't handle the pressure anymore. Too much of Cat was suffocating for her, too much of her was horrifying. Love was something Jade West had no room for in her life.
As Cat opened the door to her bedroom, as mug of steaming tea accompanying her, she saw Jade was already out of bed and looking around the room, a severely irritated atmosphere suffocating the air around them.
"Jadey, what's-"
Jade was upon her in an instant.
"Where are my clothes?"
Cat frowned, her eyebrows drawing together.
"They're in the dryer, what's wrong?"
Jade half jogged, half hobbled out of the room and toward the stairs. She wavered for a moment at the top before forcing herself downward. Cat was quick on her heels, the black mug still clenched tightly in her hand.
"Jade, where are you going? What's the matter?"
Once at the bottom, the girl in question whirled around to face the smaller girl, a dark look covering her bruised face.
"I'm getting the hell out of here."
Jade again turned, leaving the stunned Cat alone on the steps. Her bulky knee kept her from a smooth gate as she clambered toward the laundry room. With a controlled yell, Jade bent down and ripped at the gauze covering the swollen appendage. Cat entered the room behind her, her free hand going up to cover her mouth in a gasp.
"Jade, stop! What are you doing?"
The fiery emerald eyes focused on her, the raven-haired girl ignoring the questions and turning to search the room for scissors. Seeing a pair of to the side, Jade snatched them up and forced a blade under her bandages. With a few, furiously uneven snips, the bandage fell soundlessly to the floor. Jade then turned and threw the dryer door open, plucking her still tumbling clothes free of the interior before slamming the door. Her heart raced in her ears as again she turned toward the smaller girl. Cat frowned deeply.
"Did something happen? Jade, talk to me."
Jade marched up to the shorter girl and towered over her, her icy eyes staring right through the other girl.
"Move."
Cat gulped but didn't sway, her head shaking quickly from side to side, an unruly fear emerging in her chest.
"No, not... Not until you talk to-"
She gasped as Jade slapped the cup from her grip, sending the boiling liquid down Cat's front and the cup hurtling toward the ground before smashing. The redhead recoiled violently, a hiss escaping her clenched teeth. Seeing an opening, Jade breezed past her and into the downstairs bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
Cat leaned heavily back on the wall behind her, focusing her energy into ignoring the horrible burn on her mostly bare legs. Her confused brown eyes flicked over to the closed door. Moments later, a fully dressed and booted Jade burst from the room, tossing the crumpled pajamas into a heap on the floor. Before she beat a hasty retreat, her emerald eyes quickly glanced up and down at the small girl.
Jade shook her head and snarled, turning her head away, her hair twirling in the air around her. Jade stomped toward the door and threw it open, ignoring the bright sunlight for a moment, then slammed the door as hard as she could. She stalked down the path of Cat's house and stormed off down the street.
Inside, Cat felt the house rattle against the force of the door as it slammed into its frame. The redhead slid down the wall and sat heavily, the burning of the tea still pulsing violently against the flesh on her legs. Tears sprung from her eyes and trickled down her paled cheeks, a hiccupping cry escaping her throat.
A mild wave of guilt passed through the dark-haired girl as she hobbled through the streets. The heartbreaking look on Cat's face, coupled with the raw pain in her eyes, had almost been too much for Jade. She shook off the feeling and crossed her final street, marching up to her intended target. She flung open the door, startling the single occupant of the space.
Beck frowned as he took in the form of his ex-girlfriend.
"Jade?"
He looked her up and down, his eyes growing concerned for her.
"What happened to you?"
The dark-haired musician put down and shut off the iron he had been holding before cautiously approached the heavily breathing Jade. He put his hands on her upper arms. Her eyes were closed tightly, her arms folded and clenched to her chest. Her eyebrows harshly drew together.
"I'm fine."
She opened and focused her orbs on him, daring him to question her. He relented and stepped back, straightening up. He knew better than to question the volatile girl, even after noticing the bruises. He turned to walk back to the ironing board set up near his window. Jade paused for a moment before hobbling to the bed, half-collapsing on the edge.
Turning the switch on the iron, Beck again focused on the RV's other occupant. His dark eyes looked thoughtfully at the seemingly favored knee on the girl and he sighed to himself. She glowered up at him.
"I'll be right back."
He slid his boots on and opened the door, gently closing it behind him. Jade laid herself back against his bed, her eyes staring at the metal ceiling. Cat's hurt face still lingered in her mind as Jade violently tried to shake it free. Seconds passed before Beck kicked the door open, a rolled up ace bandage tucked neatly under his arm, his free hand carrying a blue ice pack. He knelt down at her prone legs and tugged at the laces of the boot on her bad leg.
Without a word, he slid the boot off and rolled the black pant leg up, exposing the discolored soft tissue of her painfully throbbing joint. He knelt down on one knee, putting her leg across his lap to better straighten her knee. His nimble fingers quickly wrapped the darkened knee before reaching behind him to tug at an overturned box, pulling it toward him and placing Jade's foot on top. Lastly, he reached for the blue ice pack, gently placing it on Jade's swollen knee.
Jade had been silent the entire time, her green eyes staring blankly upwards. She heard Beck sigh as he sat down on the edge of the bed beside her.
"Wanna tell me what happened?"
Her eyes lazily slid toward him, her eyebrow spiking up in question. They looked at each other for a long moment before Beck blinked and chuckled, despite the situation.
"All right, then. Stay as long as you want."
He smiled and stood, stepping over her outstretched leg and toward the ironing board. Jade smirked.
"You're such a priss."
Beck glanced back at her and then to the iron in his hand. He smiled.
"One of us has to be."
I do not understand it, but I just have been itching to write a Victorious story. Lesbians! Lesbians, everywhere!
& In case I have people reading this that are also reasing Green Roses: Before you lynch me (How dare you!, You mean you're giving up on GR?, What are you thinking?), let me just say that I wanted a change of scenery. Writing GR takes patience and time, I needed a break. The chapter will be up soon. Thanks.
-Boojangs