Tori's thoughts? Perceptions?


I'll Be Good

The arrival was overly mundane—far too mellow, treated so trivial. The memory was so vivid, is still so distinct; for why, Tori cannot fathom. Or rather the ability to decode the purpose of the girl. She can't form any believable stories that entail what exactly motivates Jade, maybe that's where her interest in the peculiar teen lays. Her entire existence continues to define the riveting appeal. Her impression of Jade relies on many moments, so few encounters, but many moments.

"Andre I'm telling you there's absolutely no way that my mom would—"

It's so sudden. Occurs so obscenely quick, but a little slow. The process; clothed arms encircling her waist, her own thrown into instinct to cling to the only available solid object, and so much raspberries—or maybe that's the scent her nostrils are currently inhaling, but there's also something so untraceable about the scent, a thought she can only momentarily inquire on. Before she can even fathom the occurrence, her body is being righted so effortlessly.

And then her vision is invaded with sorrow, a sorrow with so much depth, and baring a flurry of anger. A series of emotions flutter by carelessly; curiosity, concern, pain, anticipation, recognition, then—everything and nothing are the same, and then she's staring into a sea of indifference. It takes a moment to read. Only a second to make a distinction on the apathetic stare that's eyeing her with expectancy. After someone, or maybe Andre, clears their throat, she's aware of the situation she'd stumbled into.

Tori removes her hands from the strangely defined shoulders, and she becomes vastly aware of the person she's run into. Well still oblivious to who the stranger is, but more mindful. Tori blinks at the precise step back the girl takes once they're no longer entangled.

"Hi," Tori says dumbly. "I'm sorry. I wasn't really looking where I was going. I..."

The same look of indifference.

"It's fine."

The response is curt, nothing too friendly, but neither aloof. Tori chalks it up to the simplicity of the girls voice, soft and a little coarse around the edges.

But that's all she gets.

All before she receives a dutiful incline of the head and she's watching the rather beautiful stranger walk away. Eyeing the brown haired teen, with a pair of captivating eyes, walk away from her without showing any of the interest she felt herself, an interest welling inside. Wrapped in a plain black hoodie, and an equally dark pair of pants to match. The overall apparel is so plain and simple.

Matter of fact the girl seemed so particularly ordinary.

And she begins to believe that the wide range of emotions she's previously seen were a fabrication of her shocked mind.

For as long as her memory precedes her, she's always remembered Jade's eyes. Light in hue, dark in emotion. They were always so, still are, so calculative, and earnest on every aspect she's defended. They also seem to be the one detail that she can never truly distinguish. As one who would pride herself in the ability to naturally socialize, Tori was always proud of her developed sense of decoding people.

It was just odd, peculiar that she couldn't ever really get an honest read on Jade. Jade who was so introverted in such a fine way—never shy, but never really outspoken, but somehow always firm in her own defiance. Reserved, but often hostile. Not distant, but not overly warm either. A chilling demeanor that was very clam in more ways than one.

Tori never understood how to define Jade, but she knew the way that others did were incorrect. She wasn't cold, detached, nor was she unkind. Jade was far from, yet so very in-between. Some could say she was a walking complexity but Tori noticed the way in which Jade took action with nothing but simplicity.

Jade was just a mystery—one that didn't try to be one, she was merely a teen that fell into the untraceable.

That's why Tori always noticed her. Why she wasn't so hard to seek out even if Tori did not try. A feat that would aid Tori in watching the mysterious teen from a distance, not creepily of course, but still. Tori noticed the change before anyone did. Had seen the reserved teen become a master of mischief, an existence of trouble, a girl who fought the anger until there was no more energy to do so. And who then turned that frustration into fist fights with some of the student body who dared to test her that day. Morph into the Jade West that had to aid her in setting up the schools Homecoming dance, because she had been the mastermind behind the well conceived manipulation of a now expelled student, and an enraged vice principal Dickers.

Jade had transformed from an innocent mystery to a dark one—turned into a more darker, and unprecedented story that Tori had watched unfold from afar.

And Tori finally has to opportunity to unravel the various emotions she'd seen that day they met, had the chance to solve her mystery. The one she was inexplicably, sincerely and pathetically drawn to.


Andre had eyed her curiously, an inkling of a smile adorning his lips. Robbie squeaked in surprise, features wide with astonishment, Rex ever sarcastic settled to his left. Cat hadn't really paid the announcement any mind, but the red-head did send her a bubbly grin. Beck simply allowed his shoulders to hike in mild disinterest, but fall honest in understanding. They all eyed her with hitched eyebrows once she defended the teen from their jibes and theories on the rather unknown teen.

"She's not," Tori huffed. "Jade's just—"

"A little cold, distant, odd? Presumably in a cult?" Andre offers jokingly.

Tori scrunches her features into a harsh scowl at the fist bump Beck offers the musician, both of them snickering at the bad joke.

Beck catches her look and offers the brunette a guilty, yet warm smile meant to ease her frustration. He places his hand onto her own, clutching the fork between her fingers viciously; she hates the adoring shimmer within his stare. She does not particularly like the way in which his thumb rubs leisure circles on her hand either. His fondness of her is rather dull as well, but she wouldn't deny him of indulging, only because she loathes the devastation that overcomes the contours of his face. The dim of his eyes whenever she pulls away.

"We're sorry but it's not," He lowers his head conspicuously. "She's just so cut off from the rest of the school. I mean this is a high school of the arts. Expression. And Jade's just a little. Expressionless? Is all we're saying. We can't possibly judge her though. I mean I'm pretty sure her own mother knows nearly nothing about her."

The innocent manner in which he utters the sentence has her stomach trembling offensively. Tori snatches her hand away from his grasp and fiercely coddles it into herself. Her gaze morphs in a cold shamble of her usual warm countenance.

"But you are judging her. With all of the assumptions you guys are clearly making. It's not fair to either of us. Not to her because she's being judged by presumptions and not to any of us, because we have no clue what she's—"

"Why are you defending her so protectively?" Robbie questions curiously.

"Yeah. You know as much as we do about her life. So what's up?" Andre frowns lightly. "Is there some secret relationship you're not telling us about? Or are you secretly in the same cult as she is?"

The howling laughter that the table erupts in has her watching the group in astonishment. Disappointment lurks about her insides, evident hurt leaking into the emotion. And she merely sits there while they continue on, conversation flowing seamlessly between them. It's only when craning her neck to the left does the hurt seep into something much more pure, far more light. A fondness creeps over her at the scene—the hunched over body sleepily probing at the salad in front of her, a wondering floating about her expression. Tori smiles, covertly, and shakes the feeling away with a silent chuckle.

She'll prove to them Jade is much more than any assumption, but the way in which the dark haired teen shoves the lunch tray away and falls into a heap of weariness tells her that maybe she won't have to do that. Maybe Jade could do that on her own.


I wonder if there's something deeper here? You'll get a couple of Tori chapters, but more than likely they won't all end up like this one. There's another update coming tomorrow as well. This was far too short in my opinion, so...

Write Ya Later ;)