The next time she saw Jade, Monday morning as promised, she didn't expect the look of pure hatred that was directed her way, nor the cruel smirk to complete the pale girl's countenance.

Had Tori done something she was unaware of? She walked over to the guys, puzzlement wrote all over her face.

"Hey, chica, what happened to you Friday?" Her best friend, Andre, asked with a grin.

"Yeah, Tori, everything chill? You left the earliest of us all and you seemed upset, something bothering you?" Beck wondered, his brow furrowed. Beck had a big heart and man, if she was even slightly inclined to date guys, he'd have trouble. As it was, Tori preferred girls. Friday, she discovered one girl, in particular, had caught her attention, and it had seemed mutual at the time, but now she was just confused. Jade West was something of an enigma to her, mysterious and tempting, yet throwing her a shoulder colder than a snowstorm in Antarctica.

She shook her head slightly, coming out of her thoughts with a slight blush and a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, guys, what did you say? I was kinda caught up in my own head." Tori explained with a shrug.

"Andre and I were just wondering how you were doing, we haven't heard from you since Friday and you left there in what looked like a hurry. Did you get home alright? We may have been drunk and acting like idiots but, one, we're your idiots and you know we've got your back, Tor, and two, we'd notice when a beautiful girl leaves upset. Oh, as well, I know Cat was looking for you earlier, she seemed like she had something she wanted to talk to you about." Beck stated, grinning warmly at her.

Tori smiled back, grateful for their concern as to her safety. "I was alright guys, I just needed to head home, Trina texted me and said Mom wanted me back for some family thing, so I had to hightail. I looked upset because I really didn't wanna go, the music was great, I loved the beats of the uh.." She sneaked a glance up at them, seeing that they were throwing disbelieving eyebrow raises at each other. They didn't believe a word she said, and who would, she was a terrible liar. "Alright, alright, so I might have been cornered by this girl and wemighthavekissedandIfreakedoutaftersheleftan-" she rushed out, embarrassed.

Andre interrupted looking shocked "What?! Woah woah, backpedal there, cheekbones, you did what now? Who's the lucky lady? Is she hot? I bet she's hot!" He burst out, while Beck just stood there looking at Tori approvingly.

"Ooh, get you, Vega, scoring a makeout session, who was it?" Beck asked, with a smirk and eyebrow raised in question.

Seeing how the boys were itching to discover the identity of the mysterious person she'd kissed on Friday, she couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head at their antics. Wringing her hands in a sudden bout of nervousness, she fought a blush at the memory of the kiss that had transpired between her and Jade. For some reason, she felt like she had to keep the object of her desires a secret, personal for now.

"Oh, just some girl that I met there, I don't think she goes to school anywhere around here though." Tori explained hurriedly. "Beck, was Cat okay? Was she upset at me leaving her there at the party? Did she get home okay?" the half-Latina asked in a rush. She felt bad that she'd forgotten about her friend in the heat of the moment. How could she be so stupid? Cat could have gotten hurt while Tori was being all gooey eyed over Jade, who was quite the opposite towards her.

"Don't sweat it, Tor, this is Lil' Red we're talking about, she's fine, she always is, Y'all need to stop being so worried." Andre interjected with an easy grin.

"Hii! Ooh, Tori, follow me!" A new, yet familiar voice called.

"Speak of the red velvet haired devil and she will appear!" Beck said, clutching his chest in exaggerated drama and shock.

Cat bounced up to them, all smiles and as energetic as ever, bee-lining for Tori, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to the Janitor's Closet, shutting the door before facing Tori.

"So, hey Toooori, what'cha doiinnn?" the smaller girl inquired in her usual sing-song voice.

Tori couldn't help but smile at Cat, even if being dragged into a closet by the girl was a little odd.

"Well, uh, Cat, at the minute I'm standing in a Janitor's closet for reasons I don't yet know, fancy filling me in? This isn't cause I ditched you on Friday, right? Are you mad at me?" she said, with a quirked brow and an unsure smile.

"No, silly, I just wanted to tell you that that guy I was talking to on Friday, his name's Robbie and he actually goes here I just don't think any of us have noticed him, y'know, cause he has this puppet, but don't call Rex a puppet to Robbie cause he'll get mad. Ooh, Tori, my brother had a puppet once but then he didn't cause the neighbour called the police cause it was one of those ones that had real human hair and-"

"Cat. Robbie. What happened?" Tori asked, knowing the girl could go on forever and she didn't want a weird "one time my brother" story again.

"Oh yeah, haha, Robbie asked me out and he kissed me and I was wondering that since you're going out with Jade that-"

"Cat! I am not- Jade isn't my girlfriend, I'm not like that- She- It. Ugh, you saw us on Friday then?" Tori said, flustered and panicked, a slight blush darkening her cheekbones, wishing Cat would stop talking in case anyone happened to be outside the closet they were stood in.

Tori sighed. Damn it.

"I thought you and Jade we're dating cause I saw the two of you kissing and I was coming in here to ask if you wanted to go on a date with me and Robbie sometime." Cat explained, with an innocent, childlike curiosity that was now slightly confused with Tori saying she and Jade weren't actually an item. They'd sure looked like it.

"Kit Kat, I didn't even know who Jade was until after she kissed me, she only started at HA today and already for some reason seems to hate me, and I don't know what I've done to her, she kissed me, but Cat you gotta promise not to tell anyone about Jade and I kissing okay? Not even Andre or Beck or even Robbie because I don't want Jade to think I'm talking about her cause it'll make things worse between us, and I told the guys that this girl kissed me, but she was just some random chick, and that she doesn't go here. Jade's kinda scary and as good as that kiss was, she probably just kissed me because she was drunk or something. She looked as though she hated me, Cat. I don't get it." Tori explained, unable to ignore a tight clenching feeling in her chest when she said that. She hoped she was more than a drunk conquest for the girl, but it was doubtful with the reception she'd had this morning.

Cat looked up at Tori, seeing the crestfallen look in her eyes, decided then and there what was going to happen.

"I'll find Jade, and talk to her for you, kay kay Tori?" Cat said, a cute smile on her face.

"No, Cat, don't. Honestly, it's okay, you don't have to do anything like that for me because I don't know about you but Jade's kinda intimidating and aside from me, she's the only other person that, as far as she's aware, knows about the kiss. And if you go running to her and talk to her about it, she'll think that I've told you and then she'll come to the conclusion that I've probably told the whole school and then she'll think I'm am major gank."

Tori didn't want Cat getting herself involved because she felt like this was something she had to sort with Jade herself, one way or another if she could get the goth girl to stop glaring at her for five minutes. As well, if Cat got hurt by Jade, Tori would then feel majorly guilty about it because Cat was kinda the baby of the group, she was vulnerable at best and needed looking after.

"I'll talk to Jade myself after second period or at lunch or something, Cat. Thanks for the offer but I'll be okay doing it myself and I wouldn't want you getting hurt or anything cause Jade seems like a pretty angry person pretty much all of the time." Tori explained.

"Oh! Yeah! Tori, I'd totally forgot! Jade asked me to give you her number, cause I spoke to her on Saturday after the party, she told me that you two were probably gonna end up doing a project together sooner or later while she's at HA, and I needed to give you her number so she wouldn't have to run all over school looking for you. Plus, I think she wanted me to give you her number anyway, I think you really caught her eye at her party, Tori!" Cat laughed, nudging the other girl with her elbow playfully.

Tori gave Cat her phone, who quickly stored Jade's number in her phone.

"Kay kay, I'm done. You'd better text her soon so she knows who it is." Cat said, with an obvious stage wink.

'Okay,' Tori admitted, 'This was kinda nerve-wracking. What would she even say to the other girl? She didn't wanna come across as too eager, but she didn't wanna seem disinterested cause then they'd get nowhere. Maybe Tori could try asking Jade if she wanted to go get a Jet Brew after school and then go chill at Tori's for a bit? Would Jade even wanna do that? God, no wonder she probably thought Tori was really lame. She was.' Tori sighed, somehow more conflicted than she had been earlier this morning.

Just then, the bell rang, signaling their next class, and causing Tori to jump out of her skin and clutch Cat's arm. The next class they had just so happened to be Sikowitz. With Jade. Jesus Christ.

"Come on Tor" Cat sang, dragging out her name, "This'll be fun, Jade can be scary but she's kinda cool when she's not angry or anything" Smiling, she opened the closet door and ducked back into the student filled hallway. Spotting Beck and Andre, she dragged a bewildered Tori behind her, stopping before the boys.

"Guys! We gotta go! It's time for Sikowitz!" Cat said in her usual high pitched urgent voice.

"Caaaaat!" Tori whined, "I don't wanna go! What about-"

Beck and Andre glanced at each other, then at Tori, and shrugged. Picking her up under her arms and by her ankles, the two boys carried a squirming, yelling half-Latina with them.

"I never got to finish my sentence, you chizballs!"

Entering SIkowitz's classroom, where the crazy, coconut drinking man had yet to arrive, Tori yelled as she was unceremoniously dumped onto the floor in front of a seat. Scowling at Beck and Andre as they moved to their respective seats, she sat there for a minute. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but Cat was looking behind her with fear in her eyes from where she was sat. Cat was trying to mouth something to her, but she couldn't make out what it was. Turning away and blowing hair out of her eyes and attempting to stand up, she quickly overbalanced, instinctively gripping the leg of the person closest to her. Which just so happened to be Jade. Jade glared at the girl, scathingly, as if she was some sort of bug.

Tori just stared at her, a little shocked at her aggression. 'Jade looks gorgeous today' Tori thought, as she took in her appearance once more. She'd chose to wear a simple but effective black and grey sleeveless long top, leggings and her usual black combat boots. Add in her naturally wavy dark hair with their bright hilights and her usual dark makeup, and Tori was stunned. She reminded herself that Jade's eyes were up in her head and that she, Tori Vega, was absolutely not at all staring at the other girl's chest. Nope.

Shaking her head slightly, she locked eyes with Jade, and noticed how she had been doing the same thing. Both of the girls denying the blushes that spread across their faces, Jade was, of course, the first to shake herself into action.

"Get. Off. Me. Vega." Jade said lowly, eyebrow raised, staring at the slightly smaller girl with eyes that promised death. Tori could have sworn she saw a small bit of shock and appreciation mixed in her two-tone stormy coloured eyes.

Tori felt a hot blush rise to her cheeks and she stammered out a quick apology. Though, she couldn't help but be a little turned on by the tones of anger in Jade's voice, and the feel of her smooth, warm leg under her hand. Unconsciously, her hand tightened a fraction, she sat there digging her nails in slightly as the tan girl tried to stand up. Jade's breath hitched ever so slightly, unnoticed by Tori, and the pale girl quickly prodded Tori in the arm. Hard.

"Ow! What was that f- U-uh, sorry I-" Tori stopped talking and, after realising her hand was still there, promptly removed it and stepped backwards, eyes downcast and face on fire. She turned, and spotted a chair by the window, grabbing her bag and moving there, sitting next to Beck. She smiled quickly at him, letting out a shuddering breath, calming herself somewhat.

Beck turned to her, lazily draped over his chair in a manner that seemed fitting of his easy going personality.

"So. I see you met the new girl then, huh? She's pretty hot. What's her name?" Beck asked, with a glint in his eyes that Tori knew well. Beck liked what he saw.

Tori felt a flash of something in her gut. She didn't know if it was jealousy or possessiveness but she knew that the idea of Beck all over the raven-haired girl was something that made her skin crawl.

"Her name is Jade. She's kinda scary though, so I don't know if I'd call her hot, Beck, plus, is she even really your type? Surely you'd be better going out with someone more...I don't know, normal?" She asked, trying her hardest to keep a neutral, innocently inquisitive expression.

"Yeah, you might be right, something about that girl just screams trouble. I'm not sure yet if that's a good or bad thing yet. I'll let you know. Maybe I'll find myself scoring a hot Northridge girl like you did on Friday. Hey, you ever find out from Cat who's party it was that we all ended up at anyway?"

It took every single ounce, and she meant all of her self control to keep her story up when the girl in question was only a few seats away, and Tori suspected she was listening in. The tanned girl really couldn't believe this, was she really trying to lure Beck away from Jade? She looked at Jade, watching a smirk grow on her lips in her peripheral vision. A sudden feeling of butterflies and arousal emerged in her stomach at the thought of the secret shared between her and Jade, especially knowing now that Jade was aware that she'd kept the experience between the two of them.

Sikowitz chose that exact moment to burst loudly and energetically through the window to the right of Tori, making her jump and squeal a little. She could have sworn she'd heard Jade laugh.

"No, Beck," Tori whispered to the Canadian boy, "I've got no idea at all."