At seven years old, she realized that she had a problem. She and Jade would often engage in conversation, seeing as though Jade was the closest thing she had to a friend. Tori was painfully shy, not to mention people already thought she was weird.
She talked to herself. That is what the other kids saw, the teachers thought it odd and contacted her parents, which all eventually led to Mrs. Vega yelling at her daughter about how she was too old to be talking to imaginary friends.
When Tori stressed that Jade was not imaginary, that she was too real to be fake, her mother gave up. She accepted the fact that her first child, Trina, was to be the favorite and that Tori would be the basket-case.
Unfortunately the way things worked around the Vega household were flawed to say the least.
Tori sat on her bed, messing with the dress of the same Raggedy Ann doll she had received two years prior while Jade played with her hair.
"Jade?" Tori's soft and hesitant voice rang out in the silence.
"What?" the girl answered, stopping her playing and looking at Tori.
"If I wanted you to… could you go away?"
Jade's face scrunched in a frown, "Do you want me to?" she asked, slightly offended.
"No! I just… mommy doesn't like me anymore and daddy's never here. Maybe that's 'cause you're here." She said the last part quietly, looking down at her doll.
Jade dropped her hands and scowled at Tori. "I'm all you have Tori. If I leave, then you're nothing."
She looks away from Jade, flipping the cover over and getting under, turning her back to Jade.
"Goodnight Jade." She whispered and closed her eyes. She thought she had heard Jade apologize, but maybe it was just a dream.
When she was thirteen, Tori realized that to get back into her parents good graces, as well as rebuild her social status, it was best if she lied about her little 'quirk'. So she did. To everyone else, Tori Vega was new and improved.
Gone was her odd habit of talking to air and here was the girl with long, wavy brown hair and gorgeous brown eyes. High cheekbones to die for and tanned skin that girls envied. Jade had grown as well, not that anyone but Tori could see it.
Her auburn hair fell in loose ringlets down her back, her blue eyes suddenly infused with gray and specks of hazel; pale skin that looked as if it belonged to a creature of the night, and the attitude to match.
Jade slowly grew bitter with each passing day, being ignored because Tori thought that if she didn't pay her any attention, then she'd go away.
Unfortunately, that was not the case. Jade was a bit stronger than she was at first.
When she first came into existence –or non existence she was able to physically move objects. Now she could do things that only Tori would feel or see such as little gusts of wind that caught her off-guard.
Anything to get Tori's attention, Jade did it. However this went on for several months before she couldn't take it any longer. Jade yelled and screamed and thrashed around Tori's bedroom all night before school, either Tori acknowledge her, or she didn't get sleep.
Tori chose the latter. Jade kept it up, night after night, quickly growing desperate. She snapped. Tori's room looked as if a tornado had struck when Jade was done. Her dresser flipped over, her sheets tangled and on the floor, her drapes ripped to shreds… and Tori lost it.
She raged at Jade to the silent horror of her parents and sister. To watch ones own child yell so angrily at nothing, made her mother's stomach curl. Maybe this imaginary friend was real if Tori hadn't even been home when this happened.
The girl was afraid. She thought that Jade had to be with her at all times, but now she could go off on her own and still mess with her from there.
Jade cried for the first time that day… and the tears shone on the floor for everyone to see after Jade had disappeared.
Three years had gone by without Jade and Tori was feeling better about it as time went on. At first she resented herself for making the only friend she had disappear then later realized that now she could be best friends with someone real.
At sixteen, Tori was at the top of her game. Most popular, mostly straight A's and her parent's favorite once more. When the new school year started, that was when she saw her.
Jade West walking through the doors of Hollywood Arts high school as if she owned the place.
People parted for her to walk through, combat boots, leather jacket and all. She passed Tori in the hallway without a second glance, flipping her onyx hair over her shoulder and walking to her locker.
"Who is that?" Beck asks from behind her, causing Tori to jump slightly and turn to look at him.
"I… I'm not sure." She mutters nervously, walking around the row of lockers her own was located in and went to the other side.
Jade talks passively with Tori's own friend, Cat Valentine.
"Hey, do you know what happens when you put Skittles in water?" The redhead asks, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"What?" Jade asks in a monotone, grabbing books from her locker.
"I don't know, I was hoping you did!" Cat says loudly and from the sound of it, extremely disappointed. Tori shakes her head slowly, watching like everyone else who buzzed with excitement about the new girl.
"Hollywood Arts: Chicago said she was the best they had!" Gushes a multicolored haired girl behind her to a friend.
"Chicago?" Tori mutters to herself.
André and Robbie walk over to see what the commotion was about.
"Hey, what's all this ruckus for?" Robbie inquires, excited about any form of gossip buzzing through the school.
"Yeah, we could hear people fangirlin' from the end of the hall." André chuckles.
Tori shakes her head again, completely speechless. Her gaze was locked on Jade, positive that it was the same girl from three years ago. That she'd grown up with.
"Jade?" she finally spoke, causing those blue-gray eyes to shoot to her.
"Can I help you?" Jade asks, looking down on Tori with a slight disdainful sneer.
"N-no… I mean, yes. Have you seen me before?" she wonders.
"No." Jade snaps and slams her locker shut, brushing past Tori and leaving Cat in the middle of her sentence.
So it was Jade… and now she hated her.
A/N: Here's the next chapter and the end of Part 1. Comments, suggestions, ideas, opinions are all welcome. Please don't hesitate to let me know because I'll try to incorporate them into the next chapters. Part 2 will consist more of an actual story instead of brief summaries of their lives throughout the years.
Thanks for reading, Loves :)
