Okay, for those of you who might have been a little disappointed that there was no romance, here's a little peek into the future…
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Six weeks later...
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"Do you want me to talk to him?"
"No, I don't want you to talk to him."
"I don't mind."
"No."
"I could always-"
"No!"
"I'm just asking."
"Look, Tori, I appreciate the offer, but I don't want him back. Not now, not ever. It's over."
"Okay."
"And why the heck are you so interested in me and Beck, anyway?"
"Because I'm the one who usually has to put you back together."
"True. Well, not this time. I'm done."
"You said that last time."
"Last time I was angry. This time... I'm bored, Tori. I never realized it before, but Beck's probably the most boring person in the world."
"I thought I was the most boring person in the world?"
"Who said that?"
"You did."
"Oh. Well, okay then, he's the second most boring person in the world."
"Thanks. You know, that would have been a great time to deny that."
"I'm sorry. You know I'm only kidding. I don't think you're boring."
"That's better."
"You just exude a boring facade."
"Right. In the same way you're not really a gank."
"Touché."
"So it's really over?"
"It's really over. I'm not interested in him."
"So are you interested in someone else?"
"...Maybe."
"Well that's great, isn't it? Have you told them?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because... they don't feel the same way."
"How do you know?"
"I just do."
"But how?"
"Could we talk about something else?"
"Nope."
"Okay, fine. They don't see me like that."
"Like what?"
"You know. Romantically."
"Why? Is there something wrong with them?"
"What do you mean?"
"Most guys would explode at the thought of... you know. With you."
"Gross. No, there's nothing wrong with them. It's more that we're just friends."
"You don't have any friends."
"Thanks, Tori."
"I mean you don't have any friends apart from me and the guys."
"Hey, for all you know I have a vibrant and hectic social life outside of school."
"Do you?"
"No."
"So it is one of them? Oooooh."
"Please don't do this, Tori."
"What?"
"Start guessing."
"I wasn't going to."
"Good."
"Is it Beck?"
"I just... no, of course it's not Beck, you idiot. Why do you think we're even having this conversation?"
"Oh, okay. Is it... Robbie?"
"No."
"Sinjin?"
"You're doing this on purpose."
"Burf?"
"I'm going to kill you."
"I'm just kidding. I know who it is."
"You really don't."
"Begins with 'A'."
"It's not André."
"I knew it! I... what?"
"It's not André."
"Then who?"
"I'm not going to tell you. You can guess your way through the whole school if you want to, but I'll just deny it."
"Okay. Is it-"
"That wasn't a suggestion, Tori."
"Oh."
"Anyway, why are you so bothered?"
"Because I want to help my good friend Jade achieve her heart's desire. And also, I'm kind of nosy."
"Yes, you are. And trust me, you can't help, not with this. I'm busted. It's not a goer."
"Ahhh. Is it Cat?"
"What? No, it's not Cat."
"Trina?"
"You're going to be wearing that burrito in a minute."
"I just thought that maybe-"
"I know what you thought."
"Well?"
"Don't you have someone else to annoy?"
"Okay, okay. I get it. If you don't want to tell me, that's your business. I'll respect your decision."
"Good. Thank you."
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"Please tell me! Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease-"
"No! Look, all it will do is make life unbearably awkward for everyone concerned, and I don't want that."
"I won't tell anyone."
"That's not the problem, believe me."
"Fine. If that's the way you want it. But if you don't tell me, I'll never speak to you again."
"That's sounding pretty good right now."
"Urrrgh. Is it that weird kid with the trombone?"
"No."
"Ryder?"
"You're not going to stop with this, are you?"
"No."
"Jeez. Fine. But if I tell you, you have to promise me that you won't make a big deal of it."
"I promise."
"And you have to promise that whatever happens, you won't think badly of me."
"Why would I… Oh, my God."
"What?"
"Is it Sikowitz?"
"No. Okay, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to write it on this napkin, and I'm going to fold it up. And you don't look at it until I'm gone. Got it?"
"Got it."
"No peeking."
"No peeking."
"Right, here we go."
Tori waited until Jade rounded the corner and disappeared from view. She stared at the napkin for a moment. Finally, fingers trembling with giddy anticipation, she reached for the little white square and unfolded it.
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Two years later…
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She unfolded it once again, as she had so many times, and read the two words written there. It hadn't been what she'd expected, and Jade had been right. The next few days had been desperately, painfully awkward, and her heart had gone out to the poor girl, trapped in a situation that Tori had all but forced on her. But she knew she'd had to say something. She couldn't keep silent, not about this. She folded it back up again, and held it quietly. She'd made the right decision in the end, but it didn't make her feel any less guilty.
There was a rattle of keys, and her partner came crashing through the door carrying the groceries. "Hey."
"Hey."
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing. Just thinking."
"About me?"
"About school."
"What about it?"
"Just... memories."
She felt a hand on her shoulder, brushing her skin. "Good ones?"
"I don't know."
"Regrets?"
"Maybe."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Yes. No. I don't know. It's just I sometimes wish..."
"What?"
She uncurled her hand to reveal the napkin. Fingers plucked it carefully from her palm and opened it up to read the words, faded and blurred with the years.
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It's you.
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Tori sighed. "I sometimes wish I hadn't made you wait so long," she said. "I'm so sorry. It must have been horrible for you."
Jade leaned down and planted a kiss on her neck. "It was," she said. "But it was worth it in the end. And I can't believe how close I came to not telling you at all. You've no idea how relieved I was when I found that in my locker."
Tori smiled, and tilted her head against her girlfriend's. She took the napkin back, and turned it over in her hand, to reveal the single word written on the other side, still smudged with tears she hadn't been there to see.
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Yes.
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She turned, and found Jade's lips with her own, napkin slipping from her hands, groceries forgotten.
Because now they had a new thing. And it was the best thing in the world.
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Well, there you go. All's well that ends well.
Let me know what you think, good or bad, I always appreciate your comments.