So, I know I said I wasn't going to update frequently, but my circumstances have changed and so I should be able to keep updating on a regular basis. Yay!
Enjoy the chapter = )
Chapter Nine: The Frustration
Jade
"All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them." ~ Galileo Galilei
I think she's pregnant. Or schizophrenic. Or…something.
For a few weeks now, something's been going on with her. She hardly talks at lunch anymore; that usual irritating, happy attitude strained. She seems withdrawn, distracted, and it all points to one thing.
Tori Vega is acting like a person with something to hide.
I try to confirm my suspicions with Beck and Andre at school that morning, but for some reason they're not buying it.
"Yeah, so she's been acting a little strange." Andre shrugged.
"A little strange? She fainted in class the other day."
"Yeah, but wasn't that just due to dehydration or something?" Beck says from the ground, where he's scrounging through his locker for his workbook.
"You're not the least bit curious?" I argue, warming up my hands with my coffee. I can see it in their faces; they're intrigued, even if they won't say so.
"She was just sitting there staring at the wall at rehearsal the other day too," Andre offers after a short pause, "I even dropped all my books accidentally and she didn't move."
Beck laughs unexpectedly, straightening up. "Maybe she's actually narcoleptic? Like in the astronaut play?"
Andre chuckles along with him, while I just glower at the both of them.
"Oh come on Jade, why do you even care?" Beck asks, looking at my pointedly.
I didn't have an answer straight away. Honestly, I don't think I actually did care, about Tori's wellbeing anyway, I was always happy when she was sick.
I think I just wondered why nobody else did.
I repeated this answer to the guys. They both just exchange a look.
"Well we can't make her talk about it when she clearly doesn't want to." Beck says. "So if she says she's fine, she's fine."
My next words are cut short by the bell.
"See you after class."
"Yeah, see ya."
The boys walk off up the stairs.
"Yeah sure." I mumble, stalking over to my locker. I spin the combo and open the door, resting my coffee on shelf. I jam some books from my bag inside, looking to see if I've missed anything. I'm supposed to be leaving my favourite pair of scissors in there as well, seeing as last time I brought them to class I may have threatened Jason Garrow with them. I hadn't even been serious, and he had tried to get to close to me, but Mrs Ferrer freaked out anyway, suspended me, and made me promise in front of Lane not to bring my scissors back.
Did they really think I'd listen?
I take back my coffee and slam my locker shut. But as I'm taking a sip, a freshman walks by me and trips, bumping me and spilling coffee all down my top and skirt.
"HEY!" I screech furiously, "Look what you did!" The girl's petrified; staring wide-eyed like a deer caught in headlights.
"Leave! Now!"
She scurries away, still visually shaking. I don't care; not only do I now feel gross, but I've also got no coffee left and I'm going to be late for class.
I hurry off to the bathroom, chucking my cup out on the way. As I pull open the door, however, I'm stopped in my tracks by what I see at the sinks.
Tori's just standing there, in front of the bench, water running from the tap; staring into the mirror.
Just like Andre said he'd seen her. And it's kinda creepy. Her eyes are even slightly glassed over.
"Vega?" She doesn't move. I poke her arm. Again, no movement, not even a blink.
This is all just getting a bit surreal. And I'm already late to class; I don't have time for this. Tori can just stand there in whatever weird trance she's in. I grab some paper towel, scrub it on my clothes, though the coffees mostly dried now anyway, and throw it away, when suddenly Tori grabs my arm and says, desperation in her voice, "Jade, please, don't leave."
I wrench my arm away from her with lightning speed.
"Don't ever grab me again." I snarl.
For a split second, her eyes stay glazed over, and then it's like she snaps back into reality. Her cheeks turn beetroot red, and she scrambles to turns off the tap and snatch up her bag from the ground. But I block the door, arms crossed over my chest.
"Okay Vega, wanna tell me what that was all about?"
"I need to get to class…" She tries to squeeze past me, but I'm not giving in that easily.
"So do I. Now, what the hell were you just doing?"
She purses her lips, unwilling to answer, but when I take a threatening step towards her it seems to loosen her tongue.
"Nothing, I wasn't doing anything, I was…uh…thinking. I was just thinking. You know how it can be. Sometimes daydreams can get away with you." She jokes. I don't smile.
"We all know you're hiding something." I say, "and the quicker you tell me what it is, the quicker I can get back to not caring."
She suddenly gets a confident look in her eye. "And why is it that you care so much, Jade? You've never wanted to help me before, and I certainly don't need any help from you now." She pushes past me and out the door. I glare after her. How dare she question me? I was actually trying to be nice and she was just throwing it back at me! I would stop right now, if I wasn't dying to know what her secret was.
But for that, I needed some backup.
Instead of heading to class, I walked down to Beck's class, Direction in Film and Television. Once I get there, I slowly push open the door, and spot Beck at the back of the room, lounging in his chair. The teacher, Mr Bough, has his back to me and he's scrawling something on the whiteboard. Perfect.
"Beck." I whisper. He doesn't seem to hear me.
"Hey, Beck." I try again louder. Beck turns around in his seat, along with quite a few people next to him. He looks confused, and his eyes are silently telling me to go away, but I just jerk my head towards the hallway and mouth, 'outside'. Mr Bough finishes writing and I quickly step back against the wall, not wanting to be caught.
I hear Beck speak up, "Can I go to bathroom?" and then a chair scrapes across the floor. He quietly appears beside me, pushing me along the corridor.
"Hey, hands off." I scowl, shoving him back.
"Jade, what's going on?" He sounds annoyed. I don't really care.
"It's about Tori."
"Really Jade, this again?" He groans.
"I just caught her in the bathroom staring into the mirror. It was like she was in some sort of trance. I even poked her and she didn't react. And then she grabbed me and was all desperate for me not to leave and it was all very weird. We need to do something."
"And what do you propose we do?"
"We need to back her into a corner, and not let her out until we have answers."
"That seems a bit extreme," Beck says hesitantly, "she is allowed to keep things to herself. She does have that right, as a person."
"I need to know her secret." I hiss. "And you are all going to help me get it." Beck just sighs, but I know I have him defeated.
"Okay, but I'm only doing this to help Tori."
"Fine, whatever. I propose we all go to her house this weekend and refuse to leave until she's told us what's going on. I'll text the others."
It's nice being in control.
I like the power.
