Tori reluctantly sips the piping hot black beverage. She makes a sour face.
"Too strong?" Jade asks.
"No," Tori setting down her cup. "Needs some cream and sugar…and foam."
Jade narrows her gaze. "Do I look like a barista?"
Tori shrugs and resumes nursing her cup of Joe. "Do I have to…"
"Yes. Why do you think they serve it at AA? It helps. That and time."
"Time?"
"Well, yeah, it's a good waiting game to get clean and sober. And some don't make it." That last thought made Jade sad.
"What's wrong?"
Jade snaps out of her thoughts. "Nothing. Finish your coffee. We got a whole pot to ourselves." Jade smiles. "Wish when I got sick the medicine was coffee."
"Jade," Tori's tone was bereft of any emotion or inflection. This was her way of trying to be serious. "Why did you come back? I kicked you out."
The raven-haired girl puts down her mug for the first time since they sat down.
"You don't tell me what to do." She gives a devilish grin. "So there." Jade thinks for a minute. "I am sorry, by the way. I didn't mean to…when I said that…I wasn't trying to use that against you. I just…got the impression that you weren't taking this seriously."
"So you decided to piss me off?"
Jade takes a heroic sip of her warm heaven in a cup. "Beats feeling sorry for yourself!"
Tori gives a shocked look. "I was not!"
"Spare me, Vega. This is one thing you can't bullshit me about!"
Tori's eyes squint suspicious, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Why am I the one getting all the questions? You're this close to getting an intervention and I'm the one being given the third degree?" Jade exhales heavily to enhance her irritated vibe. Old habits die hard.
The sun has set and darkness consumes the spacious suite. The only light is the blue glow of Tori's laptop. She searches through the usual stops in her daily surfing when the book closes on her hands.
"Ow! What the hell?"
Jade stands behind the computer. "No Internet."
"Oh, come on."
"No! I know what you're doing. Probably been doing this off and on every day for the last four months." Jade picks up the laptop and walks away with it.
"Hey! Give that back!"
"Can't. Enables you."
Tori folds her arms "I don't believe this!"
Jade pokes her head back in the room, "One more whine, and I take the Pearphone."
Tori pouts and lays down on the couch, arms still crossed.
The next morning, Tori walks in on the monster breakfast that has taken over the dining room. Jade ordered up pancakes, bacon, French toast, home fries, and a bowl of fresh fruit.
Jade stands in front of the table, arms stretched outward like a show was about to begin. "Well?"
"Hungry?"
"Well, yeah since yesterday. You know, having a monkey on your back is no excuse to be a bad hostess."
"Who's a bad hostess?"
"Need I remind you of me knocking on your door and you hiding?"
Tori rolls her eyes. "You kicked the door and I thought you were going to kill me!"
"And this morning I ordered a grand slam on steroids and you give me the same reaction."
Tori smiles and touches Jade's arm.
"It was sweet of you, thanks."
"Yeah, well, you can't expect to get clean on an empty stomach."
They sit down at the table. "Isn't this a bit much, though?"
"Easy, slim. You can afford to put on half a pound. Worse things have happened."
Tori and Jade spent the better part of the day mostly reminiscing about Hollywood Arts and everything that's happened since then. Apparently Cat and Robbie are engaged. They bought a place in Malibu. Andre sold some of his original songs to a real hit list of artists and has become one of the industry's most sought-after songwriters. In fact, last time Jade and him spoke he accepted a personal invitation by Stephen Sondheim to his academy of music. Beck landed a lead role in that new AMC series about tracking serial killers. The best part for him is that filming is divided between L.A. and Vancouver, his two favorite places. Jade said she sincerely wished him the best and even though they're no longer together, they valued their friendship a great deal.
"Is that why you moved?," Tori asked.
Jade was put off by the question. "What?"
"You and Beck splitting up…again. Was that why you moved to…Norway?"
"Norfolk!"
Tori makes an apologetic face.
"It's a nice place. Granted, the east coast is not my forte but I dunno, it really grew on me."
"And you're a reporter?"
Jade sighs "Yup. Different for me, huh? I just sort of fell into it, you know. Little did I know that I actually liked it and other people told me I was good at it…"
"And you don't want to disappoint your adoring public."
"Well, yeah. Are you crazy? The people have spoken."
The two laugh, finding comfort in each other which is something neither one of them would have predicted would happen ten years ago.
"I bet you got some awards," Tori smiles.
"Yeah, I got a few. But the big one, though: the Pulitzer. Keeps getting away from me."
"I know the feeling. Two years ago, last Grammy's. My whole album got only one nomination."
Jade stares at her. "Somehow, that's not quite the same thing."
Tori eats her Caesar salad, sprinkling a loud crunch over the gaps in conversation. "Jade, you didn't tell me why you moved."
"Yeah, I did."
"No, you didn't. I asked if it was because of Beck and we just trailed off into something else. You didn't really answer my question."
Jade stiffens in her posture. "I just had to get away."
"From what?"
"Not from what, from who."
Tori leans in concerned.
Jade looks down as the words come out, "My mom."
