Chapter Two

The rain, that seemed so far away this morning, now came down as if the angels were crying floods. My dripping umbrella was leaning against the table's leg, creating a pool of water on the dark wooden floorboards and causing a barely audible splashing sound as Jade was tapping her foot to the music pouring out of the speakers. As a well integrated Londoner you learn to always carry a foldable umbrella in your handbag wherever you go. That, plus hand sanitizer, paper towels, a water bottle and spare change. Basically you carry around everything you need in case of an emergency or just delayed trains, same difference.

Jade was leaning back in the chair, her arms crossed over her chest. She took a deep breath, "so… it wasn't really yesterday. Now was it?"

"No… not really."

We had walked together to the closest pub after my shift ended. She had been the one to ask me if I had time for a catch-up. And even if I hadn't I would never have told her. It had been such a long time since I heard from anyone from my past, that wasn't a part of my family. Jade looked like herself, still dressed in all black, just a bit more refined. Gone where the studs and the aura of a rocker chick. It had been replaced with a more put together young woman that now sat in front of me across the table. The green light from the chandeliers were giving off the feeling of a lower ceiling. Even if we weren't alone it gave a sense of privacy. Pubs in Angel were never empty, even if it was a weekday. And that day was no exception.

Jade took a sip of her ale and placed both elbows on the table as she leaned forward. "What have you been up to Tori Vega? That is still you name, right?" She raised one eyebrow.

I looked at her soft face with a smile. "Yeah, nothing much."

"Shut up. You're in England, London. That must count for something." She bit back with a bit of the attitude that I strongly connected with the Jade I had known.

The slight shame I had tried to bury deep down for the past few years was creeping its way through the cracks. "Well you've seen it all. I work at the café." I looked down at my tall glas with cider. "I actually came here with the dream of getting into the musical industry." A giggle escaped me. "But that was was just young stupidity. Soon to be thirty. And still a nobody." I met Jade's gaze with a beaten down smile.

She responded by firmly kicking me under the table, right at a bruise. "Oh, I'm sorry". The sincere apologize came as soon as she saw my crunched up face. "But no, you're not a nobody. You've managed to stay here for five years, so you must have found a home. That's more than most."

To quickly change the subject I turned the focus to her. "You've gotten nicer", I said playfully. That was my honest opinion, even if I said it with a bit of irony. She seemed much more caring and mature than I remembered her. During our high school years you rarely had the honor to get a glimpse of the vulnerable side of Jade. But she appeared to have flipped a switch.

"Well, you learn with time that you need other people. And they won't stick around if you're horrible and selfish." She looked thoughtfully at her hand as her thumb rubbed the along the brim of the glas. "You remember Beck, right?"

I simply nodded.

"We actually got engaged five years ago…" After a shaky breath she added, "the same year you moved here. But it didn't last, we ended the engagement after a year. And I moved to New York." Even if it had been a few years since then you could hear how fresh the wounds felt to her by the trembles in her voice. "To get far away from my broken life." A self-conscious smile tired to smooth over the severity of what she had just said.

The words I had just heard were still ringing in my ears. "Jade, are you okay?"

A heartfelt smile made her come to life, "me? I'm better than ever."

Her undoubted honesty that came with her last words sent a wave of calm over me. Never could I have guessed that I would have wished that I had been a better friend of Jade's. But at that moment I did. It was unavoidable to wonder if she ever needed a friend back at home, and what happened to Cat. Cat had been Jade's best friend, and her total opposite. Catherine, as her real name was, had been a naive, overly friendly and happy girl with a bright personality. "You still talk to Cat?"

Jade smiled, "sometimes, yeah. She's still in Hollywood… with Robbie." She chuckled into her glas and continued after another sip, "but we all saw that coming, right?"

With a laugh I replied, "yeah, right". "Mm…", I began as I swallowed some of the bitter cider, "… but what are you doing in London?"

A proud but shy smile spread across her face. "I'm… I'm writing a play."

That was probably what she was doing on her laptop at the café. "Oh my god!" If it would have been anyone else the envy would have crushed me right then and there. But I could not feel anything but happiness for her. "Congratulations! But how?"

"The reason I moved to New York. - And why it didn't work out with Beck- ," she added quickly before slowing down her pace again, "I was writing a play back in Hollywood with André that got some recognition. In New York that trend seemed to continue. I'm actually now working on a play with Seth Ashford."

"Seth Ashford?!" I echoed without even thinking. He was one of the new rising stars within the industry and had been featured in the lates edition of Equity, a magazine for actors and actresses in England. In the center spread he was interviewed about the unexpected popularity he gained from his latest play named 'A human's worth'. A play I hadn't actually seen, but if the circumstances had been different I would have.

Jade noticed my shocked state, and incapability to proceed speaking, and picked up the conversation. "Yeah, that Seth. He was in New York and saw the premiere of my play. Afterwards he'd looked me up and asked if I wanted to work together on a new project here in London. So… here I am."

"When did you arrive? And how long are you staying?"

"Two days ago. So I'm still a tourist. The plan is for us to finish writing it and hold auditions before the year's over. Rehearsals will begin next year." She paused for a second. "If you want to, I'll make sure you'll be a shoe in."

I couldn't help but feel honored, and touched. "Woha, really?" But then, like a punch in the stomach, reality caught up with me. It had started to darken outside. I quickly glanced at my phone to check the time before looking up at Jade who, concerned, studied me. "I would have loved that… But I can't, I'm sorry. And it's getting late. I gotta go."

She followed me with her worried gaze as I gathered my things. Now it was her turn to ask me how I was, "Tori, is everything okay?" When I got up to leave she stood up too. "Tori?" Her soft hand stopped me from walking away by gently placing it on my forearm.

Absentmindedly I replied, "I'm fine. Really. I just have to catch the bus." Trying to act close to normal I flashed a smile. The same smile you learn to pull when working within costumer service. It's more of a plastered on, fake smile than anything else.

Jade pulled me into an unexpected hug. She spoke over my shoulder, "It was really nice seeing you today. It's been such a long time." She pushed me back, with her hands still resting on my shoulders, to get a better look at my face. "Feels like another life, right?"

"Definitely. It was nice seeing you too." I gave her another quick hug before heading towards the door. Without thinking I stopped and turned back towards Jade who were buttoning her coat. "Hey, what are you doing tomorrow?"

She looked up at me, a strand of black hair covering her right eye. "Well", she pulled the strand back behind her ear and straightened up, "I have to meet up with Seth at the theatre in the afternoon. But before that I haven't got any plans, why?"

"If you need a tourist guide I'll be happy to. I work the closing shift tomorrow so how about a day-trip to Camden?"

She smirked, "That sounds great. Don't miss your bus."

"Then it's a date." I quickly spun around and headed towards the drenched world outside without a second glance.

Hiding from the rain under the umbrella and attempting to shield myself from the wind by burying my face deeper down into the scarf around my neck. Feeling stressed, I looked up at the digital timetable and unconsciously began tapping my foot against the shiny asphalt. Public transport in London was, in all honesty, nothing to complain about. But you'll be surprised at how quickly you get used to being spoiled with close to regular connections. The two minutes till the bus arrived felt like hours, slower than a sloth crawling across a road. Which, if you look it up on youtube, is painfully slow. Taking the bus across London's inner city was another hurdle. It took longer than an hour to get from Angel down to Herne Hill via bus. You could take the train and underground, but that meant more money being spent only to win about twenty minutes. So in conclusion, not very worth it.

I almost fell asleep, in the completely lit up bus, with my head against the cold window. Being surrounded by light made it almost impossible to distinguish where in London you were, the darkness outside was more like a black blind over the windows. The bus reached Herne Hill and the dread I felt over getting off grew by the millisecond. And that fear kept on growing as I walked along the park and then turned a sharp left. My feet felt heavy like led and I sent a silent pray to any God that was willing to listen. I prayed that it would be alright, at least for tonight.

The attached, two floor house was looking just like the neighboring buildings. Draped in a brick exterior it wasn't much to look at, very ordinary. The only things that clearly marked where one house ended and the other one began were fences that showed which entry belonged to which house. And the different coloured doors gave some sense of individuality. Ours was blue, light blue. In the dark night the neighbors windows lit up like small television screens, displaying tiny parts of other peoples lives. I wondered what they knew about my life…

My hand trembled slightly as I reached for the key and opened the door. It was dark inside and with that came the hope that he had already gone to bed. I took my coat off and placed my handbag on the floor. In Europe you take your shoes off… except for in England… it was just like America on that aspect. But the fact was more disturbing when you mixed it with the British weather and the love for carpet. That thought left a sour aftertaste.

Trying to keep my presence a unnoticed I tip toed towards the bathroom. I passed the living room and caught a glimpse of the coffee table in the light of the lamp on the window sill. On it stood, what looked like, a few empty beer bottles. You know, to take the edge off after a long day of hard work. That wasn't so bad. Right?

But suddenly, from the bedroom upstairs, a deep and slow voice stopped me dead in my tracks. An ice cold chill rushed up along my spine. "You're late."

A/N: Okay. So what we're doing right now is unwrapping the years between their high school years and now. What's happened to them etc. I want this story to be more realistic, remember, they've grown up. For now I'll let the story be from Tori's point of view. But as everything else that might change. And you'll have to excuse me for a late update, but this story is hitting closer to home than I planned…

On another note. I can't believe some of you are still here! I'm so happy too see some familiar names popping up in my review inbox. What do you think about this new approach?