Chapter Nine: Trigger Warning: Self Harm

The next week Jade gathered her few belongings and looked around the room she had been in for so long. Part of her felt sad that she was leaving, since she fell into a routine. But she knew she had the chance to fix her life and get back on track. She hadn't heard from Tori in a week, and it made her extremely uneasy.

She took one last look at the room and walked out with a smile, saying goodbye to the people who helped her get better.

"Good luck Jade, call me if you ever need help." Dr. Riley said, patting the pale girl's shoulder.

"Thank you...for everything." Jade replied, glancing around before going outside. It felt surreal to be outside again, not confined to four white walls. She breathed in the fresh air and met her father in the parking lot. He had an unreadable expression, and Jade simply slid into the passenger seat.

"I'm glad you're back, kid." He said, turning on the car.

"Me too."

After the weekend, Jade returned to school once she got settled at home. She grabbed her usual large black coffee at Jet Brew and walked into school. As she proceeded to her locker, a few hushed whispers were heard throughout the hallway. Jade rolled her eyes, ignoring the gossip as she took out what she needed for first period. Within a few minutes Cat came running over, eyes wide with excitement as she crushed Jade with a hug.

"Cat...1...2..." Jade groaned, but kind of enjoyed the familiar embrace.

Cat jumped back before three and grinned. "We missed you so much Jadey! Sikowitz is so happy to have you back in class! We all are!"

"Thanks Cat. Hey, where's Vega?"

Cat shrugged, "She hasn't shown up in two days. We're all worried."

Jade nodded as the bell rang, "Come on, let's get to class."

The day went by pretty quickly, most of her teachers welcomed her back, especially Sikowitz, who actually had tears in his eyes. Others didn't even acknowledge her presence, which was fine with Jade because she preferred to be as low key as possible.

She talked to everyone in the group at lunch, and actually thanked them for writing to her during the last few weeks of her time in the hospital. It felt normal again, a feeling Jade yearned for the past couple of months. But Tori kept popping up in her brain, and she met up with Andre at the end of the day to get some answers.

"Harris." She said, approaching the musician at his locker.

"Yo, what's up Jade?" He asked.

"What's the deal with Vega? I heard people are messing with her because she came out. I haven't heard from her in over a week."

"I don't know Jade, she says she's fine, but she's not. There's something wrong, yet she won't tell us. I've tried numerous times to get her to talk, and I told Lane about the hate comments on the slap. He's trying to get it to stop."

"I need to know how she is."

Andre raises an eyebrow, "Since when are you and Tori friends?"

"Long story. See ya tomorrow, Harris."

"Later Jade."

Jade headed off to her car, getting in and deciding to pay Tori a visit. She pulled up in front of the Vega's house, and no cars were parked there. Jade got out and knocked on the door, and no one came. She sighed, lifting up the plant by the door and pulling out the spare key. She noticed Tori get it out from under there when Jade came over one time to hang out with the group.

After she unlocked the door, she went inside. There was no one around, and the house was dimly lit. It kind of reminded Jade of one her favorite horror movies. "Vega! Where are you?" She called, and received no answer.

Deciding to investigate a little, she went upstairs to the youngest Vega's room. There was no one in there either, but the bathroom light was on. "Hello? Anyone in here-" Pushing the door open, Jade's stomach dropped at what she saw.

Tori sat on the floor, legs pulled up to her chest with glossy, tearful eyes. Aside of her was her razor and her arm was bleeding pretty hard. Deep, straight cuts lined her tan skin, leaving Jade speechless. She grabbed a towel from the rack and rinsed it with water and quickly started cleaning Tori's cuts.

"Stop Jade, I want to bleed."

"Tori? Why are you doing this?! Don't listen to those bastards, they don't matter!" Jade said.

"I deserve it. I'm a fucking dyke."

Jade's eyes widened, she never heard Tori curse before or act this way.

"No. No you're not. Listen to me Tori Vega, you are a wonderful, beautiful and talented girl. Your sexuality does not define you. Please, stop hurting yourself. We need you. I need you. I've been through this, and it fucking sucks. Sure, it makes you feel better at the time, but it gets old. Do you really want scars like this?" Jade said, showing her own scars to Tori.

With that, Tori broke down completely, sobbing and clinging to Jade. Jade took the girl in her arms, rubbing her back and trying to calm her down.

"It's gonna be okay. I promise." Jade murmured, rocking the helpless Latina in her arms. She saw how much this was affecting Tori, and it broke her heart to see her this upset.

The sobbing eventually subsided, and Jade gently finished cleaning up the fresh cuts. She rummaged through the cabinet and found some band-aids and gauze, and wrapped up the wounds. She helped Tori up and took her into her bedroom.

"Will you stay with me Jade?" Tori said quietly as Jade was heading towards the door. She stopped and turned around.

"Alright."

Jade crawled into bed beside Tori, who immediately snuggled up to her and cried. Jade held her close as Tori's body wracked with sobs, until she fell asleep. Jade's mind wandered, and she realized if she hadn't shown up, Tori might've died.

That thought made her feel like she was punched in the stomach, and also made her realize one more thing about Tori.

Jade loved her.


Hello friends! Sorry for the long wait, but I've decided I'm going to update every Friday from now on. It'll be Fanfiction Friday. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Sorry for the sadness, I promise it will get better!