"One, two, three…"
"Sikowtiz!" Tori shouted. The man jumped. "You've counted us over three times now!" The group was gathered at the airport, ready to board their plane to Yerba. It was 6 in the morning and everyone was grumbling and walking around like the zombie plague had just become a problem.
"Why did I decide to come to this again?" Jade groaned as they lined up to security.
"You didn't bring your scissors did you?" Andre asked eyeing the metal detector worriedly.
"Do you think I'm stupid?" Jade growled. Andre put his hands up in surrender.
"Someone's in a bad mood," he muttered to Cat who just giggled and twirled her hair around her finger. Tori was at the back of the line and she cast her mind to last night after the phone call from Festus's brother. She almost laughed at how panicked she was and the complete blur after; packing luggage and calling up her friends.
"There better be hot chicks at this place," the annoying voice of Rex brought her out of her reverie and she looked up just in time to see Jade grab Rex off of Robbie's hand and throw him somewhere into the airport. Robbie shrieked.
"Rex!" he jumped over the rope barrier and ran faster than Tori had ever seen him move to retrieve his puppet.
"Why did you do that?" Tori asked Jade who glared at her.
"Because he was annoying, that's why." Tori sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Now, now children," Sikowitz scolded, stroking his beard. Robbie managed to get Rex back and tried to cut the queue much to the annoyance of other people in the line. They passed through security successfully and boarded the plane. Tori was looking at the seat number on her ticket and when she finally found it she mentally groaned. Jade was sitting in the window seat. The minute their eyes met Tori's heart beat wildly and her stomach turned to knots. There was no way she was sitting next to Jade for ten hours straight.
"Vega-" Jade began but Tori just dropped her carry-on bag and rushed over to where Andre was sitting two rows back.
"What's wrong?" he asked seeing the terrified look on the brunette's face.
"I have to sit next to Jade for the next ten hours."
"Crap," Andre said. "Do you want to swap seats?" Tori bit her lip and glanced over at Jade who had put her earphones in. She looked vaguely sad.
"No," Tori decided. "I've got to get over this." Andre smiled.
"There's the Tori I know."
"Please be seated," the voice of the pilot came over the speakers. "We will be taking off in five minutes." Tori turned to Andre and was about to say something when Cat came bounding out of the toilets and sat herself down next to Andre. Tori smirked.
"Hey little red," Andre said. He didn't sound at all happy to be sitting next to the hyper girl for ten hours.
"Have fun you two!" Tori said laughing to herself and made her way back to Jade. The fact that Andre had to sit next to Cat made her feel slightly better knowing that she wouldn't be the only one suffering. Cat is a lovely girl, but to sit next to her for ten hours? No thank you. When Tori approached the seats, Jade didn't even acknowledge her presence, just looked out the small window with both earphones in her ears. Tori was both relieved and offended by the action but she took a seat down gingerly and faced forward, letting out a long breath.
The plane started its run down the runway and before she knew it, they were in the air and on their way to Yerba. When the 'no seatbelt' sign came on, she took the chance to glance at Jade. She was still staring out of the window but her hand was tapping against her leg, almost like a nervous twitch. Tori wandered if she was afraid of flying.
It was hot in the airplane so Tori turned the air conditioner on above her head. She then noticed that Jade was wearing long sleeves and jeans where as everyone else was in shorts and t-shirts. She found this weird but casting her mind back, she realized Jade has always been like that. Tori couldn't remember ever seeing Jade in anything that revealed her arms.
"Are you finished staring?" Jade's voice made Tori jump and her eyes widened as she found herself shaking her head profusely.
"I-I wasn't staring!" Tori said almost desperately. That stupid, attractive, heart attack inducing smirk appeared on the Goth's face and Tori wanted to cry. She was so unbelievably head over heels for this girl and she'd ruined it all.
"Sure you weren't," Jade turned back to the window and tears actually brimmed in Tori's eyes. She wiped them angrily and told herself to get a grip. It wasn't like her to get this love sick over someone. Be it boy or girl.
Four hours into the flight and Tori's suspicions about Jade being afraid of flying came true. The plane had hit a particularly bad spot of turbulence and Jade had clutched the arm rest tightly, her eyes closed. She's been in the same spot for the past half an hour.
"Jade, are you alright?" Tori asked timidly.
"Does it look like I'm fucking alright?" she hissed as the plane jumped again. Tori could hear Jade's teeth grinding together.
"I didn't know you were afraid of flying." Jade opened her eyes just to glare at the brunette.
"God! Have they got a monkey flying this thing?" the raven haired beauty growled. Tori had to hold back a grin. She wouldn't say this out loud, but seeing Jade like this amused her.
"Maybe, do you want me to check?" Tori said innocently. She made to get up but Jade surprised her by grabbing her arm.
"Don't you dare leave me alone," she hissed. Jade's nails dug into Tori's skin and she sat back down, slightly bewildered.
"Jade, your nails," Tori pointed.
"You're going to have to deal with it," Jade groaned as the plane jumped again. Tori bit her lip as she watched the beautiful girl beside her scrunch her face up in fear. It was starting to affect Tori now, knowing that the girl she liked was uncomfortable. Tori just wanted to comfort her. She put her hand on top of Jade's which caused Jade to stiffen but as soon as the plane jumped, she grabbed Tori's hand tightly. Tori looked down and saw that they were holding hands and her cheeks were suddenly on fire and her palms grew sweaty. She hoped Jade wouldn't notice.
"Here," Tori reached into her bag and pulled out her Pear Pod. Jade's had run out of batteries. "This should help." Jade put the ear buds in her ears and swiped through Tori's music. Tori watched Jade's face and was slightly self-conscious when she saw the girl sigh and shake her head.
"What-"
"You have good taste in music," was all Jade said. Tori narrowed her eyes in confusion; why would that cause a negative reaction? Jade looked… sad again. It was killing Tori. The urge to cry hadn't gone away and it was threatening to become a problem.
"Do you hate me now?" Tori suddenly blurted. Jade looked up, frowning. She opened her mouth to say something but thought the better of it.
"Not any more than I've always done," she answered, smiling slightly. Tori smiled and shook her head.
"Liar," she muttered.
"Hmm?" Jade asked absentmindedly.
"You're a liar," Tori said louder. Jade looked at her intently and Tori couldn't figure out the expression on her face.
"How?"
"We were friends before I… before I stuffed it up," Tori said refusing to look at Jade now. Tori heard the girl sigh quietly but Tori's already fragile heart broke further when the raven haired beauty didn't respond. Tori didn't know what she was expecting, maybe a reassurance or something along those lines, but she got nothing. That hurt her more than anything else. "I-I'm going to go to the bathroom." Tori got up and went to the tiny toilets, this time unable to hold back her tears.
Jade watched Tori leave, wanting to call her back but coming up short. Seeing the brunette's retreating back stung and anger rose inside her.
"Damn it!" she cursed, causing stares from people in other rows. "Mind your own goddamn business!" The turbulence of the plane wasn't bothering her anymore. She had more things to worry about. Because right now, the idea of the plane going down and killing her didn't seem like such a bad thing. It's been three days after the breakup and Jade felt completely empty. She wanted to reach out to Tori but it wasn't in her nature. She didn't know how to. To be honest, she didn't know how to reconcile things after Tori's… revelation.
Jade scrolled down Tori's music and came across a familiar title. It seemed that Tori had recorded herself singing… that song. Jade's song. Jade put the earphones in and pressed play, her ears suddenly filled with Tori's sweet voice, singing about herself no less. An unfamiliar bubble of emotion rose in Jade's chest and she wanted nothing more than to destroy the Pear Pod in her hands, but she couldn't bring herself to move.
What the hell am I supposed to do?
Tori came out of the toilets having cried herself out and fixing herself up but there was no way she was going to sit back down with Jade. She found Andre and Cat. Andre looked relieved to see her and Cat squealed at Tori.
"Tori, Tori! The plane food is so weird it-"
"Hey Tori, how's it going?" Andre interrupted looking at her with concern. Tori crouched down next to his chair and sighed.
"She's killing me," Tori announced.
"Who? Who?" Cat bounced up and down.
"Cat, I'm going to go sit with Jade for a bit okay?" Cat pouted.
"Okay can you tell Jade about the plane food-"
"Sit here and try to get your mind off everything, okay?" Andre said. Tori reluctantly agreed and they swapped places, Tori next to a redheaded girl who seems like she's constantly had too much caffeine, and Andre next to Jade West, the girl who, at the moment, was breaking Tori's heart. When Andre left, Tori sighed into her seat and closed her eyes, hoping for some peace.
"How come Andre is sitting next to Jade now?" Cat asked, poking Tori in the shoulder.
"Because Jade doesn't like me remember?" Tori responded, rubbing her temple.
"That's not true," Cat frowned and Tori looked at Cat in surprise. "She does like you, she just doesn't know how to show it."
"How do you know-"
"Tori!" Tori looked at Robbie who was approaching her row.
What now?
"Swap places with me!" Tori sighed but got up, letting Robbie and Rex sit next to Cat where they started chattering immediately, as if Tori wasn't even there. Wow, thank you, Tori thought to herself but hauled down the aisle to where Beck was sitting.
"Hey," Tori said.
"Hi," Beck responded. He was looking out of the window. Tori sighed once again and glanced over to where Andre and Jade were sitting. Jade, like Beck, was staring out of the window. She had Tori's Pear Pod on her hand. Tori had never seen her look so depressed. Andre caught Tori's eye and shrugged.
This was going to be a long flight.