Alice: New chapter!
Emily: Thanks for reading. I can't believe I have over a hundred reviews!
Alice: I love you guys. I seriously do.
Emily: Speaking of, this story only has 11 chapters, so we're half way through, in a way.
Alice: If you break that into a decimal, then we are practically half way done. Crazy, right?
Emily: This chapter is another Jori friendship chapter, but I already warned you that they will have a lot of that. Major Bade too. So enjoy!
Jade's Scars
Jade West's father was always a touchy subject. Beck openly disliked the man, a fact she only learned recently, and Cat always glared at the ground whenever he was mentioned. And Cat never glares at anyone or anything. Andre and Robbie stated they have no opinion of Jade's father which made Tori think about just how secretive those three are. Yes, they were all a particularly close group of friends but Cat, Jade, and Beck seemed to have an even deeper bond that they didn't share with the rest of them. Tori wondered if Andre and Robbie felt excluded like she did. But that didn't matter too much anyway. Tori eventually realized that trust and bond was built on years of hard work for all three of them.
It didn't extinguish her curiosity on the topic of Jade's father. She met him once, and he was so cold and scary. He told Jade he liked her play without expression, pride, or love. And that was the happiest Jade had seen him in a long time. At that moment, Tori realized why Jade was so cold and cruel; it was passed down from her father. Thank goodness not all of his cruelness was passed down. But maybe that was just Beck and Cat helping her to not become someone like her father. It was working, no matter how unbelievable it seemed.
Jade could have turned out a lot worse without Beck and Cat.
Beck arrived at the table with a bright grin, waving his phone around like he just won a prize. Jade and Cat were still ordering their food, but the rest of the normal table was there. Tori just hoped Jade would want to sit with the rest of them today. She needed to ask her about the worksheet from class. "Guess what?" Beck plopped down, already digging into his salad.
"I give up," Andre replied instantly, a teasing smile on his face. "What?"
"My parents said I could go to Canada to meet up with my childhood friend Moose!" Beck said excitedly. Tori blinked, furrowing her eyebrows at the strange name. Moose? She pictured a scrawny Canadian boy with big glasses and high pants. Yeah, not the best image in her head. Well, Beck looked happy enough to see him so he was probably a little cool. "Drop that look, Tori. Moose is a really good guy. We email each other every once and a while."
"Have fun with your Moose then," Tori teased.
"Moose? Who's Moose? Is she ugly? I bet she's ugly," Jade sneered, clearly taken aback by the strange name much like Tori. She sat down next to Beck and ate her fries. Cat squeezed between Robbie and Beck, smiling and waving at the rest of the table. Robbie blushed from the closeness with his crush, but she didn't seem to notice.
Beck snorted. "My friend from Canada? I mentioned him to you a couple times, remember? I'm visiting him in Canada soon."
"Oh yeah," Jade absently mumbled, shrugging and going back to her food. Nothing odd about that. Actually, the only odd thing was Cat, who frowned deeply with an almost serious look in her eyes. She's never seen that in Cat's eyes. Ever. Cat was never serious.
"When?" Cat demanded, all bubbliness gone from her voice. It was rather cold actually.
"This weekend?" Beck raised an eyebrow, also confused by the harsh demeanor.
"No!" Cat shouted, slamming her fists on the table and bolting upwards. Robbie and Andre jumped back, unaware of what caused the transition from funny and friendly to cold and scary. Even Tori's heart skipped a beat at the sudden exclamation. Beck just frowned, and a silent conversation started between Beck and Cat. It wasn't as easy as the unspoken communication between Beck and Jade, Tori could tell. Cat and Beck were clearly trying to read each other but barely understood the message the other was trying to convey. With Beck and Jade, the whole message was passed in less than a second.
"Cat?" Jade's voice changed. No longer guarded, her voice expressed concern and an almost motherly love shined for the girl. "What's wrong?"
The redhead looked close to tears. "I'm visiting my brother this weekend."
Beck abruptly shot up. "Dammit!"
"I can't cancel. I already made the call," Cat cried out in distress.
"My parents already bought the tickets," Beck whispered, running his hand through his hair. "I thought that was next week!"
"The appointment changed." Both turned to Jade, who silently ate with a scowl. From what Tori could catch, Beck and Cat would be gone on the same weekend. So what? Jade would be lonely? That wasn't such a big deal. But, now that she thought about it, Beck and Cat have never left at the same time. It was probably more than Jade being lonely. One of the secrets kept between the three friends. Andre and Robbie glanced at each other with concern but otherwise stayed out of it. Why though? Weren't they curious? Didn't they want to be included in that bond? She did.
"I'll be fine," Jade rolled her eyes. "Guys, it's one weekend. Calm down."
"Calm down?" Beck hissed.
"How can you expect us to calm down?" Cat agreed with equal disbelief and anger at the situation. Jade just sighed and picked up her tray, sending a meaningful look at both of them before exiting the lunchroom. Cat just collapsed back onto her chair with the saddest eyes Tori has ever seen her wear. Beck didn't look much better. In fact, his hands were clenched in anger. "What do we do?" Cat whispered desperately. Beck shook his head hopelessly.
"Tori," Andre whispered to the girl. "Let's go to your locker."
"What?" Tori whispered back. "Why?"
"Just… please?"
"…Okay."
Robbie, Andre, and Tori walked down the halls of the school, leaving behind Cat and Beck at the lunch table. Jade left without a word, and Tori would be lying if she said she wasn't worried. The walk was silent and ominous. When they reached her locker, they stood there for a few frustrating seconds. Tori broke the silence first. "I don't get it! Why don't you guys want to know what's going on with those three? I mean, I get that Beck and Jade are a couple, but Cat isn't! She's just Jade's best friend. Andre, you're Beck's best friend and you're not in on this. Why just those three?"
"That took years for that to develop," Robbie contradicted. "And we weren't there for most of it. Remember the story of how we all met? Cat initially taught Jade how to trust. That took her almost a year, and it took a lot of hard word for both Cat and Jade. Cat was emotionally hurt many times because of her, and Jade was so guarded and paranoid that was terrified of making new friends."
"The only reason it took Beck less time with Jade's trust was because Cat helped out. Even so, it took a lot of work on Beck's part to break down her walls and for Jade to learn to trust him," Andre cut in. "Don't even get me started on how long it took for Beck and Cat to trust each other. Beck was always jealous of that girl, and Cat would get so frustrated with the tug-of-war with Jade between them. That sort of bond with those sorts of personalities takes so much time. We can't get in because we were too late."
"What about me?" Tori shyly asked. "Do you think I can form that bond with them?"
That's when Tori realized how jealous she was of that friendship and love swirling between the three. She's never had any friends back at home that put that kind of dedication and love to her. Yes, Andre and Robbie loved her. Cat, Beck, and maybe Jade loved her too. But not to that level.
"Maybe," Andre shrugged. "If you dig deep enough."
"It'll take a lot of work though," Robbie warned. "It's going to come with a lot of hurt before the rewards come in."
"I'm going to try anyway," Tori decided. Robbie shrugged but gasped at the sound of the bell. He ran off quickly, shouting a quick goodbye at them. That left Andre and Tori alone. "Why does he always rush in the halls?" Tori joked in an attempt to clear the tension.
"No idea," Andre grinned, somehow making Tori's heart skip a beat. "I have to get to class. Is this your free period?" At her nod, he waved goodbye and walked to class at a normal pace. Tori smiled brightly, eyes lingering in his direction. What was she feeling right now? Because she hasn't felt this way about anyone else before.
"Tori!" two voices shouted out. Tori jumped in surprise but smiled at the sight of Cat and Beck. Before she could even speak, both of them dragged her to the janitor's closet, Jade's favorite place in the whole school. Why, Tori wasn't sure. But part of her decided that she didn't want to know. "Okay good, you're here," Cat grinned happily.
"You dragged me here!" Tori exclaimed. "Why are we in a closet?"
"We need your help," Beck confessed. "And… I think you're the only one we can trust with this."
The only one they could trust? Did this mean that she was slowly becoming a part of their little friendship thing? She hoped so. "What about Andre or Robbie? I thought they were your friends too," Tori frowned, remembering their other two good friends. They knew them for much longer, so why was this task entrusted with her?
"It's not a task for them. It involves Jade," Beck explained. "See, Jade only tolerates Robbie because Cat has a crush on him." Cat let out a small squeal, blushing a bit. "Wait I shouldn't say that. Jade acts like she tolerates Robbie. I'm sure she thinks he's a friend at least. But we can't trust him anyway because he's scared of Jade. I doubt that will work."
"And Andre used to be in love with Jade, so we can't trust him. He might fall for her again!" Cat exclaimed, making Beck and Tori's mouths drop open.
"H-how did you know that?" Tori squeaked, a flare of jealousy towards Jade rising up again. But those weird feelings didn't matter at the moment. Andre only told her, and she never told anyone. How the heck did Cat find out? Did Andre tell her? Did Andre tell Jade, who told her?
"It was obvious," Cat giggled. "I mean, he wrote that song 365 Days for her and everything!" Tori's gaze shifted to Beck, who was seething. His eyes hardened with pure anger. Was this what he looked like when he saw Daniel flirting with Jade? When Sinjin confessed to his girlfriend? She backed up slowly and gulped. She even feared him right now. Was all that anger directed on Andre now?
"He's over it!" Tori shouted directly at Beck, terrified of him. "It didn't last long, I promise. She was really nice to him that one night and sang, and he fell for her. It lasted a couple days but he didn't say anything because your friendship with him meant more. He sang the song to help get over Jade, not to confess to her!"
"Whatever," Beck grumbled, crossing his arms. Oh God, why did Cat have to say that? Beck breathed in slowly and his expression of anger and hatred vanished. Just like that. How was that possible? He was still serious but not angry and jealous. Did that mean it was gone or was he hiding it? Either way, that seriousness was about the matter before. "Point is Jade has started trusting you more than before. We just want you to look after her this weekend. Check up on her hourly?"
"Hourly?" Tori's mouth dropped open. "Why?"
"Oh, you can check in every two hours at night in case you get sleepy," Cat beamed. "But we still suggest hourly even at night. Okay?"
"Why?" Tori repeated.
"Just… please?" Beck and Cat pulled out the softest, cutest eyes she's ever seen. Tori couldn't help but nod at the desperation making Beck and Cat actually hug in relief. They gave her more specific rules about letting Jade in her house no matter what time or what day. How she had to drop all her plans if Jade needed her. And, strangely enough, a threat from Cat that Tori would regret it if she let them down. Beck nodded in agreement with that last threat. Tori exited the closet with complete shock at the whole situation.
Could Jade really not be left alone?
Yeah, Jade really couldn't be left alone. On Saturday, Jade refused to answer any of her texts, calls, and Slap posts. Beck and Cat checked in with her ever two or three hours asking if Jade responded and Tori blatantly lied to them, insisting Jade texted her back that she was fine and that nothing was wrong. Fearing for her life due to Cat's threats, Tori decided to walk over to Jade's house and personally ask her if everything was alright. Stepping in front of the large house during the day was actually even more frightening than running to it at night. This time she was thinking clearly.
It took a solid minute for Jade to answer the door. And when she did, Tori literally flinched at the sight of the girl. She had a black eye and a slight limp. It reminded Tori of the time she faked a black eye so Tori would get in trouble. "Oh my," Tori couldn't even finish as a scream was heard from the background.
"Shit," Jade cursed, stepping outside and slamming the door. "What do you want, Tori?"
"What happened?" Tori cried out. "Why are you limping? What's going on?"
"Nothing," she lied fluently. Tori's eyes dashed from the door to Jade. Within those seconds, she made up her mind. Grasping Jade's wrist, she pulled her away from that place and dragged her down the street. She probably would have fought back if she wasn't already weak and with a limp. Only her verbal protests were heard, but Tori refused to listen. This is what Beck and Cat were talking about, right?
Well now she was protecting her because she wanted to.
"I'm fine," Jade insisted, only in a tank top and some black shorts. Tori practically forced her to change into something where she could see the injuries and, to her relief, there were only a few bruises scattered around her pale skin. Luckily the limp was from a twisted ankle, so nothing was broken.
"What happened?" Tori exclaimed, sitting next to Jade on the couch. Luckily her parents had to take Trina to a show, so they were home alone. "How… did your dad do this?"
"No." Jade's expressions didn't waver.
"You're lying," Tori rubbed her forehead. "You can trust me, you know."
The girl snorted in amusement. "Trust you? In the first week I met you, you kissed my boyfriend."
"And you dumped coffee on me," Tori scowled. "So we're even."
"Whatever…"
Tori's eyebrows furrowed as she searched deep in her mind, trying to think of ways to make Jade tell her the truth. Her eyes widened slightly. "You owe me."
"What?"
"I got you and Beck back together," Tori pointed an almost accusing finger at Jade. "When you were jealous of Alyssa? And you broke up with him? I got you two back together. You said that you owed me, but you never did anything to make it up to me. I had to walk home at night while you two made out!"
Jade's grip tightened on the pillows beneath her. Tori smirked, knowing she broke though. "Fine," Jade snarled. "My dad did this."
And the smirk was instantly wiped off. Yes, she guessed it but that didn't mean she wanted it to be true. "Does he do it often?" Tori was surprised at how strong and stable her voice sounded.
"No," Jade refused to meet her eyes. "The hitting started after I enrolled in a creative arts school. It doesn't happen too often and if it does, I usually sneak out and go to Beck or Cat's house. That's why they didn't want to leave me alone. Without them, I have nowhere else to go."
"That's not true!" Tori argued, a fire in her eyes. "You can come to me!"
"Tori, it's fine-"
"I want you to come to me!" Tears shined in Tori's eyes. "If Beck and Cat are away or they can't help, just come to me. I'd feel much better if you do. Just promise me you will?"
Jade pursed her lips together, thinking it over. "I promise."
Neither girl expected the hug. Tori practically launched herself at Jade, again, and wrapped her arms around her. Surprisingly enough Jade hugged back, clutching her like a life line. She ended up sleeping over that weekend, and it was hard. Sometimes Tori frustrated Jade and other times Jade snapped at Tori. But it worked, and Tori felt one step closer to breaking down her walls.
When Beck and Jade walked into school the next Monday, he didn't leave her side. At all. In the classes they didn't share, Beck would openly skip them and just sit with her. The teachers questioned him, but he refused to move, holding his girlfriend close to him. Cat, in the classes they shared, sat with them and talked happily to the couple. Tori was shoved out of that group but she didn't mind as much. She knew why they needed each other, and she understood it wouldn't be easy to just waltz into their circle. "Tori!" Andre cried out in distress during break.
Tori turned to him and burst out laughing. Andre's hair was blue and his clothes looked like they belonged in an old woman's wardrobe. Did someone pull a prank on him? Boys were mocking him by cat calling and the girls took pictures, giggling. "What happened?" Tori got out in between giggles.
"I… I don't…" Andre stammered only for a cough to interrupt. Beck and Jade stood there, smirking at him. Beck's smile was sympathetic but Jade's expressions told a completely different story.
"What the heck?" Jade laughed. "Andre what are you wearing? Why is your hair like that?"
Beck's smile was unchanging. "You must have been pranked. What with your hair, clothes, your sheet music burning…"
"My what!" Andre exclaimed loudly.
Jade nodded. "You didn't know? Outside Beck saw someone taking some of your new songs and burning them."
"But those are due today!" Andre whispered in shock. "They're small projects but they're still projects. My straight A's in that class will be dropped to a B."
"Well maybe you should turn in 365 Days," Beck's tone changed, only very slightly. "That was a really good song, wasn't it?"
"Yeah I liked that one," Jade agreed only to feel her waist squeezed tighter. Andre paled at Beck's innocent smile and Tori took a step back in shock. This was his revenge. Was it going to get worse like it did with the other boys? Tori hoped not. She wouldn't want anything like that to happen to Andre. She liked him too much for—
It hit Tori right in the face. She liked Andre! Like a boyfriend. She's had boyfriends before but she never felt anything this deep towards them. She couldn't date Andre if he was expelled though.
"You're lucky you're my best friend," Beck smirked. "I managed to stop that guy from doing something worse."
"Uh huh." Andre gulped. "Look man, I'm sorry."
"No apologies needed," Beck nonchalantly waved. "It's not your fault you were pranked."
Jade sent him a questioning look as Beck walked with her past the halls. Although Tori noticed Jade glanced at her and sent a small smirk before completely following Beck. Did that mean they were friends? Now that she thought about it, Jade didn't insult her at all in that conversation. It wasn't exactly how friends acted but they were being civil to each other. That meant something, right?
"How did he figure it out?" Andre whispered in shock.
Tori feigned innocence. "I have no clue."
Alice: Next chapter has a lot more Beck and Jade.
Emily: This chapter and last chapter were focused a lot on the developing friendship between Beck and Jade, so the next chapter will be mainly Beck and Jade.
Alice: So thanks for reading!
Emily: Love you guys!