Jade's POV
At work that night I just couldn't think straight. How could anything possibly think when they'd just had all that thrown onto them? That is so typical of Tori. To just rush back into my life and throw everything upside down again like she did so many years ago. She didn't care back then and she still didn't now. Fuck her. I'd given her everything. I was willing to loose it all to be with her, the girl I loved. And she threw it all away without a care in the world.
….
"Beck answer your fucking phone." I cursed down my cell phone on my break at work. It was gone midnight but he was working on a show and would still be awake.
"Hello?" A croaky voice sighed.
I'd forgotten about the time difference. "Shit, did I wake you?" I tried to sound like I cared.
"Yes." He said bluntly. "What's wrong?"
"You need to send Blade home on the next flight. Okay?" I didn't have time to explain why, even though I knew he'd ask.
"Why?" He questioned. I told you that was coming.
"I don't have time to explain. But I will once he is home. Just do it Beck." My voice started to rise in aggravation. It was never simple between Beck and myself. Once we'd had Blade we stayed together for his sake, yet neither of us parented him until he was five and the minute that happened we fell apart. I'd learnt to love Beck, I didn't love him with passion. I loved him because I had to, not because I wanted to.
"Whatever. I'll take him to the airport tomorrow. He'll be back in LA by tomorrow night. Is that soon enough?" Sarcasm was thick in his voice.
"Perfect. Thanks." I said quickly, hanging up without a goodbye.
I rushed back onto the stage the second I hung up the phone. I'd already missed half of the routine from talking to Beck and my manager was not going to be impressed.
I shimmied my shoulders and swayed my hips wearing next to nothing in front of guys aged between twenty one to over sixty. I'd learnt to look past their disgusting, perverted faces and to just think of performing. I had to be the performer I dreamed and craved being.
"Take it all off!" Some sleaze in the back yelled out at me as I let my bra drop to the ground.
I ignored the comment replying with simply a devious smirk and a wink in his direction. I hated how they treated me like a piece of meat.
As I ended the routine I flashed a cheesy smile and picked my clothes off of the floor.
"Hey sweet cheeks." The same sleaze had followed me to the edge of the stage where I was putting my clothes back on. He had dark brown hair with caramel brown eyes. He was the same height as me but was very musclely. I'm supposed to think guys like him are hot, but I don't.
I forced myself not to groan as I looked up at him. "Hey baby." I flirted immediately.
A smug look appeared on his face. "Do you do after show private parties?" His eyes scattered across my half naked body as I tried to force on my skirt.
"I wish." I lied. It was work policy that we weren't allowed to sleep with the customers. Not like it stopped me before, but I knew when guys were total assholes, and this guy seemed like one. He wasn't getting anywhere near me for all the money in the world.
"Oh come on princess, I'm sure we can arrange something." He moved closer to me, wrapping his hands around my waist.
"I've finished my shift now stud. Or else I totally would." I kissed his stubbly cheek and darted off into the dressing rooms before he could follow me again.
I hated my job, no, I loathed it. I wanted to be on stage as a real performer, not flashing my boobs to a bar of old guys with too much money. I wanted to be respected, not gawped at.
…
"Hey Mom.." Blade greeted me in the airport almost a day later. He was wearing an 'I heart NY' hoodie. He couldn't look anymore like a tourist if he'd tried. "Hey cutie." He bent down to the stroller his sister was fast asleep in.
"We need to talk." I couldn't look him in the eyes, so I half dragged him to my car before saying another word to him.
"How come I had to come home early?" Once we'd started driving he became more inquisitive. "Dad wouldn't tell me what was going on. Am I in trouble?"
"In some sense, yes." I replied, my eyes hard on the road.
I had no idea how to resolve his or how to even go about all of this. It was totally messed up. So I did the only thing I thought was logical at the time.
"Get out the car." I said sternly, un-strapping Lilia and hauling her onto my hip.
Blade looked around cautiously. "Scarlett's house?" His expression said it all. He was mortified I'd brought him here after the last time we had spoken about her.
I nodded as I knocked on the door several times. "I'll explain in a minute." I tried to stay calm at him for Lilia's sake but my anger was slipping through with every word I said.
"He-hello?" Tori opened the door in shock at seeing us three stood in front of her.
"Get me a drink, I need one." I ordered, marching into her house and dragging my kids with me.
She obeyed instantly, rushing into her kitchen and returning with the same bottle of vodka from the other day. She put on the nervous smile she used to do when she was younger.
I placed Lilia down on the sofa next to Blade as I took a deep gulp of my drink. Tori watched still in complete shock that we were in her house. "Is Scarlett in?"
Tori nodded slowly. "Uh huh.. She's grounded though."
"Is that because of me?" Blade interrupted.
I turned around, forcing daggers towards my son. "Yes." I replied.
"What have I done? Can someone please tell me!" He was begging in the most pathetic way possible.
As he raised his voice a few quiet footsteps came pottering down the staircase just outside the living room. Within seconds a petite brunette peered around the door. Her face as pale as a ghost the minute she saw us all stood there. A tiny squeak left her mouth before she hid behind the doorframe again.
"What the hell is this?" She'd walked into the living room with a brave face on and a glowing ring of confidence. I actually admired how confident this young girl was, she was nothing like her mother.
"Language." Tori mumbled to her daughter.
She smirked. "Sorry, what the fuck!" She threw her hands dramatically by her sides as she glanced around at us all.
I sniggered to myself as Tori opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water, neither of us knowing what to say. "Scarlett just tell him." The words came out softer than I had expected.
Blade stood up carefully, making sure Lilia was still propped up okay. "What is it baby?" He moved closer to Scarlett, wrapping his arms around her small body and holding her close.
"Mom?" Scarlett looked to her Mother as Blade hugged her. A few tears dripped down her face. This was more like her mom, scared and weak.
"Honey, you need to tell him." Tori was backing me up for once.
Scarlett wiped her eyes, not smearing any of her heavy make up. Her brown eyes met my son's blue and my heart felt like it was going to explode. This was going to crush him. My son's life was going to change so dramatically because of a few words. He was just like me now.
"I'm pregnant." She spluttered, rushing into her Mom's arms.
Tori comforted her daughter as Blade stood completely frozen in time. I hesitated before moving towards him and placing my hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" I whispered.
He turned on his heel to face me, his eyes full of sorrow. "I'm fine." He nodded. He'd walked over to Scarlett and peeled her away from her Mom, placing his hands around her wet face. "Whatever you want to do, I will support you one hundred percent. I love you so much Scarlett Jade Daniels." He kissed her tenderly on the lips before Scarlett burst into tears again.
If I wasn't such a bitch most of the time, my heart would of exploded from how proud I was of my son. That was the most mature thing he could of said or done in this situation. My eyes diverted over to Tori's for the first time, she had the same look on her face as mine, proud.
"Scarlett Jade?" I cocked my eyebrow up at her as I moved closer. Deep down I was beyond touched, but I wasn't going to let Vega know that.
She blushed. "I told you I loved you." She whispered softly.
My heart pulsed hard. Tori had named her daughter after me, she had no idea that her middle name meant so much. Something as simple as four letters meant a million things more. Something inside of my broke. I missed Tori. I missed how sweet she was and how she'd cry at everything. I missed how she smelt, and tasted and felt against me. I missed just being with her. She was the ying to my yang. She'd been my everything and I wanted her back. Even though I knew I couldn't have her.
"Blade, I know we've had our differences, but whatever Scarlett decides I want you to be involved." Tori smiled genuinely towards my son and her daughter.
They both grinned back at the brunette. "Thank you Mommy." Scarlett sobbed in between kisses.
Tori was doing what we wanted from our parents, acceptance. She was taking the stand and being there for her kid. She wanted her daughter to be happy, like she'd wanted us to be happy.
"Scarlett, you are welcome at my house whenever you like." I smirked at the brunette as she flashed a devious grin back at me.
Scarlett and Blade wandered off into the backyard after a few more tears, leaving myself, Lilia and Tori.
"Who's this little one then?" Tori sat down beside Lilia. She picked her up and placed her gently onto her lap. "You are so gorgeous!" She let Lilia squeeze her hand as she giggled.
"This is Lilia. She's one next month. Her Dad left the minute he found out I was pregnant and I haven't heard from him since." I shrugged my shoulders as I sat down beside them. I'd never seen Tori with a baby before and of course, she was a complete natural. My heart swelled as I watched her interact with my daughter. It was a perfect moment,
"Who wouldn't want to be part of this beauty's life?" Tori cooed.
"Her Father obviously." I rolled my eyes at her.
"I was talking about you." Her eyes shied away from mine as she spoke.
"I told you not to do this Tori."
"Jade we have to talk about this, we are going to be in one another's lives from now on whether you like it or not." Tori was bouncing Lilia up and down on her knee as she spoke.
"Ugh." I groaned. I always pretended to be so angry at Tori and I never knew why. Play mean keep em' keen is what my Dad used to say. That obviously didn't work though, did it? "Fine." I turned to face her properly. "Talk."
"I found out I was pregnant before the wedding."
I'd guessed that was coming but I didn't think it would hurt that much. I bit my lip anxiously.
Tori and I had been secretly dating for a year and both of us had fake boyfriends to hide our relationship. I had Beck and she had Ryder. We started dating after I had Blade and she was none the wiser, so I didn't tell as I couldn't risk loosing her. No one guessed because I was always so mean to her in school. People wouldn't have believed we were friends if we'd told them, let alone madly in love. We'd go on dates to the movies and normal stuff. We were totally normal. Just Tori and Jade. Just us. I proposed on her fifteenth birthday, just after her quinceanera. I took her just above the Hollywood sign, it was dark and the night sky was lit by a thousand lights shining from the city we loved so much. I was nervous so I did what I knew best and sang to her. I wrote her a whole song telling her how much she meant to me and the last line consisted of "Will you marry me." I'd saved up all my money from my part time job and I'd bought her the most expensive ring I could afford. It was a blue diamond and it matched my eyes perfectly. The eyes that she said she loved looking into. I'll never forget the look on her face when she saw the ring, it was like she was about to explode. Tears shot down her face as she smiled and nodded, letting me put the ring on her finger.
"I love you so much Jade. I cannot wait to be your wife and spend the rest of my life with you." She sobbed as she crashed her lips onto mine.
I'd tried hard not to cry, but seeing her say yes to me made my eyes sting and water. She'd said yes. "I love you forever and always." I replied as we held one another under the stars.
"I didn't believe in abortion and I knew you'd hate me if I told you the truth. I couldn't hurt you. I couldn't bare to see you like that. I just couldn't do it." Tori started to sob again, her voice cracked as she tried to speak.
"You could of fucking told me Tori. It hurt a whole fucking lot more when you just ran away totally without a reason why or even a goodbye. Do you know how much that hurt?" The pain had built up in me long enough. I needed her to know how much she'd damaged me.
"I know that now. But I was young and scared. I was terrified of everything. So I did what I thought was best. I ran." She cuddled into Lilia as she cried.
"Do you know what it felt like, being at the aisle and having to walk back down it totally crushed because your fiancée has ran off. If it hadn't of been for Blade, I would have killed myself that night."
Tori's face crumpled, her eyes heavy with regret. "Don't ever say that." She choked. "I'm so sorry. Please understand that I am. I regretted not telling you the minute I knew I'd lost you."
"But even now Tori, once you'd had your kid and moved on, you still didn't think to call me, or write me, or anything just to explain. I waited over ten years for an explanation from you and if it hadn't of been for our kids, I would probably of never known."
"That's not true Jade!" Tori wiped her eyes on her tanned hands. "I wanted to tell you so badly. I wrote thousands of letters and emails and I picked up the phone most days wishing I could talk to you. But I couldn't."
"Why the hell not? You had my number, you had my address, you had every opportunity to Tori." My words hit her like a ton of bricks. Her tears stopped and her breathing slowed to an abnormal pace.
"You don't understand Jade." Was all she replied.
"Jesus Christ, don't give me that bull shit Tori. I waited for you, but now I'm done waiting. You've been running through life without looking back, you've been racing past opportunities to make you happy and not once have you stood still to just look around and to think. You're so set on pleasing everyone else that you forget to make yourself happy." I could practically hear her heart breaking. "I don't know what you expect from me? I can't forgive you that easily. No matter how much I want to, I just can't."
A sigh fell from Tori's lips. "It's Ryder.." She glanced over at the front door and then towards the back door. Her body started to shake as a few more tears erupted from her eyes.
"I know, he's your husband and the father of your baby and all that crap." I ignored the terror hiding behind her eyes.
"It's much more complicated than that Jade. He half knows about us. I didn't tell him but he found one of the letters I wrote one day. I've never seen him so angry in my whole life. He tore it up and screamed at me for hours about it. I told him that I had some silly girl crush on you and that was it. But he didn't believe me. So he took my phone and deleted your number and then he burnt our address book with your address in it. I'm so sorry. I wanted to explain before, I wanted you back but I couldn't-"
Before Tori could explain anymore, the front door swung open; making Tori freeze on the spot. Our eyes flew around the room to see who had just entered. It was a tall man, with large muscles, brown hair and brown eyes. He was in a cops uniform and he looked like someone I knew. My eyes squinted as I looked at him properly, I'm sure I had seen him before, I recognised him, there was just something about him. Obviously it was someone I knew, it was Ryder.
"Hey babe." His smiled dropped as he entered the living room to find me and my daughter sat on his sofa. "Jade?"
"Ryder, hi." I stalled for Tori as she wiped her eyes and calmed down. "How are you?"
"Fine." He said through gritted teeth. "Who's this?" He pointed to the baby sat calmly on his wife's lap.
"This is my daughter, Lilia." I took her off of Tori instantly, letting her grip to my top as she fell against my hip. "I should probably get going, she needs a nap."
Tori's eyes fell against the floor as I stood up. She didn't even move as I edged towards the back door. "Blade, we're going." I shouted into the back yard.
He started walking back into the house, his hand linked with Scarlett's. "I'll call you tonight, okay princess?" He kissed her lips before they got in sight of Ryder.
When I re-entered the living room, Ryder had his arms gripped tightly around Tori's shoulders, to the point where her skin was turning paler around his palms. He had a huge, fake smile stuck to his face as he saw my son.
"It was nice to see you all. Send my love to Beck now, won't you?" Ryder grinned at us.
Blade's brows crossed as he headed for the door, he was as confused as I was. On the stair banister was my leather jacket I wore religiously. My eyes scanned over it a few times before I opened the front door, leaving it behind.
"I'll see you soon Tori.." I yelled into the house. "Take care Scarlett."
A small noise came from the living room as I pulled the door to. "Bye Jade." Tori squeaked. The door shut with a click and a loud crash sounded through the heavy door. Ignoring it, I sat in my car, my eyes glued on the living room window. Just as I was about to drive off, Tori's face appeared; her eyes were heavy and wet. "I love you. Come back." She mouthed as I drove away, helplessly.
A/N - I hope this clears any confusion about Tori and Jade's past relationship! What do you guys think of this story? Reviews? Thanks for all the alerts, favs and reviews already! Xo