Chapter Eleven
Jade In The Middle
Tori silently sipped her tea and swung her legs back and forth as she looked around Jade's living room. Jade was sitting on the opposite couch, filing her nails and glaring at the girl across from her. Tori focused her attention on the furniture and the picture frames on the walls. The largest frame was over the fireplace, containing a black and white picture of an old woman with a thick unibrow and a frown.
Tori cleared her throat.
"That's a nice picture", she said uncomfortably, pointing at the woman.
Jade stopped filing her nails to see what Tori was showing her.
"That's my great-aunt Ethel."
"She's really … pretty", Tori said with a half-smile.
"She's dead", Jade replied in a monotone.
"Oh." Tori took another sip of tea.
"Look, Vega", Jade started, putting the nail file down on the coffee table. "I know Beck sent you over here for something, so why don't you just get to the point so you can leave?"
"What about the tea your mom made us?" Tori asked, holding up her mug.
"Finish it and talk."
"Well Beck just wanted me to give you these", Tori explained. She put the mug down on the table and took the schoolwork out of her bag. "And also Sikowitz wants you to perform a monologue when you come back to make up for the scene assignment you missed."
"I know, I spoke to Sikowitz already", Jade replied. "Is that all?"
"Pretty much."
"Ok thanks. Bye!" Jade stood up to show Tori to the door.
"You're kicking me out?" Tori asked in fake offense.
"Yeah", Jade answered simply. "I want to go back to sleep."
"It's almost four in the afternoon."
"Exactly, so the quicker you leave, the more sleep I can get."
"Is that all you've been doing?" Tori asked in surprise. "Sleeping?"
"Yup. And it feels great to sleep all day. Being suspended is actually pretty relaxing."
"It's supposed to be a punishment", Tori said. "Isn't it?"
"Eh." Jade shrugged. "Oh, so how's that kid who killed the cat? Do you see him around school?"
"He's still very bald", Tori answered. "And every time he sees me or Cat he screams and runs in the opposite direction." Tori's heart started thumping when she said Cat's name.
"Good, he deserves it." Jade nodded approvingly. "He wouldn't have had a problem if he had just admitted what he did in the first place. You're welcome by the way."
"I'm welcome? What am I thanking you for?"
"For solving yours and Cat's mystery."
Tori's fist began to clench.
"You know, I could have gotten him to admit what he did without all the violence."
"Well the violence got us our answer quicker, didn't it?"
"Don't you feel bad at all?" Tori asked, frowning.
"Why would I?"
"Because he didn't … I mean …", Tori promptly cut herself off, realizing what she was about to admit.
"He didn't what?" Jade stared at Tori, waiting for a response.
"Nothing", Tori replied nervously. Her legs started trembling.
"He didn't what?" Jade took a step towards Tori, who quickly took one step back. "Vega, don't make me hurt you in my own house."
"Nothing", Tori said, gulping. "I just feel bad."
"Why?"
"Because maybe he didn't have as much to do with killing Mr. Snickerdoodle as we think."
"He admitted to doing it, didn't he?" Jade responded.
"Well, he was under a lot of pressure at the time", Tori explained. "I don't know, maybe there's more to the story."
Jade eyed Tori suspiciously.
"You're hiding something, Vega, aren't you? And it's got something to do with that cat."
"C-Cat?" Tori stammered. "Cat and I didn't do anything."
Jade raised an eyebrow.
"I said the cat, not Cat. What are you talking about?"
"N-nothing", Tori felt her whole body begin to quiver. "The cat and I didn't do anything either."
"What did you and Cat do?" Jade asked, crossing her arms.
"Not Cat, the cat."
"Which cat?"
"Cat's cat."
"VEGA!"
"Trina killed Mr. Snickerdoodle!" Tori blurted out. Immediately she gasped and covered her mouth in shock.
Jade's face started twitching.
"What did you just say?" she growled.
For a second, Tori froze in place and time seemed to stop. Then instantly she sprinted to the front door. But Jade was faster and got there first. She grabbed Tori's arm and pulled her back into the living room.
"Say that again, Vega. What did your sister do?"
"Nothing", Tori squeaked fearfully.
"VEGA!"
"She killed Mr. Snickerdoodle!"
"And how do you know that?"
"…I was there when she did it."
"So you're telling me", Jade began to advance towards Tori. "That I got myself suspended for attacking some kid who didn't even do what you said he did? And that your sister did it? And you were there with her? So you knew this whole time! I've been stuck alone in this disgusting house doing absolutely nothing all week and it's all because of YOU?"
"You – you said you liked being suspended", Tori said quickly, looking around for a way to escape. "That it was relaxing."
"I HATE IT!" Jade screamed, making Tori wince. "I swear I'm going to hurt you! Why didn't you tell Cat that your stupid sister killed Mr. Snickerdoodle?"
"Well, I didn't know right away!" Tori protested in an unnaturally high voice. "I realized it after the funeral and everything."
"Why didn't you tell Cat?" Jade gritted her teeth.
"I- I didn't want to upset her!" Tori exclaimed. "She really loved Mr. Snickerdoodle!"
"Vega." Jade got right in Tori's face. "All you had to do was buy the girl an ice cream cone and she would have completely forgotten that the cat even existed."
"She really wanted to solve the mystery", Tori said sadly. "I just wanted to help her. I'm sorry."
"Oh you will be", Jade growled.
"Please don't tell Cat", Tori begged. "It's over now."
"Oh no, it's far from over, Vega", Jade said. "You better find a way to get me back into school."
"I can try to talk to Helen, I guess", Tori suggested. "But you did bad things with scissors. I don't think I could change her mind."
"No, you know what? Forget it. I only have a couple more days of suspension left. And I have a lot of work to make up."
Tori exhaled heavily and didn't respond.
"Wait there", Jade demanded firmly.
She left the living room and disappeared up the stairs. Tori debated whether or not to run out of the house. However her legs were frozen so she couldn't move at all. Jade returned about a minute later, holding a stack of textbooks and papers.
"Hold your arms out", Jade said. Tori did and Jade proceeded to drop the stack of books and papers into Tori's arms, making her almost lose her balance.
"So let's see. I've got a history paper due, five drawings of makeup designs, ten pages of math problems, two chapters of this book to read, and a monologue to write for Sikowitz. Looks like your weekend just filled up, Vega. Hope you didn't have any plans."
"Uh, nope, none", Tori admitted, putting the stuff down on the couch. "So does this mean you're not going to tell Cat?"
"No, this means that you're going to do all of my homework."
"Right", Tori agreed fearfully. "Maybe you could think about not telling Cat. Please?"
"So what made Cat think that that boy was the one who killed Mr. Snickerdoodle", Jade asked, ignoring Tori's request. "Did you put that idea in her head?"
"No, Cat saw him and thought he looked suspicious", Tori replied. "So I guess she made herself believe that he's the one who did it."
"And you were planning on keeping this a secret forever, weren't you?"
"I didn't really think it was a big deal."
"Obviously you did. Or else you wouldn't have gone to all this trouble to lie to Cat, would you?"
"I guess not."
"Though I should have known something was going on. You've been acting weird for a while now."
"I have not!" Tori declared.
"You decided to go along with Cat's little giraffe and tree idea for the scene. Beck told me with freaky costumes and everything. And it wasn't like Beck had a say in it. He couldn't go against two of you. Not once did you object. If that's not weird, I don't know what is."
"The script was good. The scene actually went well. Except towards the end."
"What was wrong with the end?" Jade asked.
"The kiss kind of came out of nowhere", Tori said. Once again she gasped and covered her mouth.
"The what?" Jade's face started to morph into anger.
"It was a stage kiss, I swear!" Tori insisted. "It was one, two seconds tops. Beck didn't even kiss me back."
"You kissed my boyfriend!" Jade screeched. "Again?"
"It wasn't in the script!" Tori exclaimed.
"So you wanted to kiss my boyfriend?"
"No, no, I didn't want to kiss anyone!" Tori wanted to smack herself across the face and staple her mouth shut.
"Come here Vega."
Jade beckoned Tori closer to her.
"Why?" Tori asked delicately.
"Get over here now."
Tori slowly moved over to Jade who was breathing deeply. She looked angrier than Tori had ever seen her. Her face was beet red and there was an evil glint in her eye. Without warning, Jade suddenly grabbed Tori by the collar and threw her onto the floor. Tori moaned in pain and Jade stood over her with a satisfied smile.
"Ok yeah, I definitely deserved that", Tori admitted with a groan.
"I suggest you leave now before you admit to anything else that will get you hurt." Jade stomped over to the front door and opened it.
"I'm going." Tori hastily picked up all of Jade's schoolwork and went over to the door. "Please don't be mad at Beck. He had no idea I was going to kiss him."
"OUT!" Jade demanded. She shoved Tori's back and pushed her out the door. Jade watched Tori scurry down the block, and then slammed her front door shut. She looked around the living room for her cell phone. It was stuffed between two cushions on the couch. She wasn't sure whether to call Beck first to yell at him, or Cat to tell her everything she just found out. Jade grabbed her phone and walked up the stairs to her room, locking the door behind her.
Jade's cell phone started ringing, and she looked down to see that it was Cat calling. Quickly, Jade answered.
"Hello Cat."
"Hi Jade!" Cat said happily. "I'm on my way to your house now. My dad's driving me over"
"That's fabulous", Jade replied sarcastically.
"Beck told you I was coming right?" Cat asked uncertainly.
"Beck told me a lot of things today, I didn't really listen."
"So can I come in?"
"Just ring the bell when you get here."
Jade heard the doorbell ring downstairs.
"You're here already?" Jade asked confusedly. "You said you were on your way."
"I wanted to make sure you wouldn't get mad first", Cat answered. "I've been in your backyard."
"Doing what?"
"Chasing butterflies."
Jade smacked her forehead and sighed.
"Come inside, Cat, let's get this over with."
Jade hung up the phone and walked out of her room, down the stairs back into the living room. Cat was standing by the couch with an extra big smile, holding a thick folder filled with papers.
"Why didn't Beck just send one of you over here today?" Jade asked.
"What do you mean? There's only one of me", Cat replied confusedly.
"Never mind", Jade gritted her teeth. "Just give me the stuff."
Cat happily handed the folder to Jade.
"And you need to find a model to do your makeup designs on", Cat explained. "You have to take pictures of them from all angles. Want to see mine?"
"Whatever."
Cat reached into her bag and pulled out a bunch of photographs.
"See these are the pictures, and here are my actual designs." Cat put the photos back into her bag and pulled out a handful of notepads.
"How many of those do you have?" Jade asked in astonishment.
"Seven", Cat answered. She flipped through one of them, frowned and went to put it back in her bag. Something caught Jade's eye and she grabbed the notepad away from Cat. Jade flipped to the last page and stared at the large black ink spot.
"Hey, wasn't this your sketch of Vega?"
Cat shifted uncomfortably and squeaked.
"Why did you ruin it?"
Cat covered her face with her hands, hoping Jade would stop asking questions.
"Are you mad at Tori?" Jade asked as gently as she could.
"Not really." Cat admitted from behind her hands.
"Well, I couldn't blame you if you were", Jade said. "I'm pretty ticked off at her myself right now. So what happened? She spray you with more hot cheese?"
"No."
"Don't make me guess."
"I don't think I should tell you", Cat said timidly.
"Trust me, Cat, I probably already know", Jade said assuringly. "If this is about that kiss, then yeah, that's why I'm mad at Vega too."
"Tori told you about the kiss?" Cat asked in shock. "When?"
"A little while ago. She was just here dropping off more homework."
"Tori was here?" Cat said nervously. "What did she say about the kiss?"
"She claims that it wasn't supposed to happen."
Cat's face fell.
"So she really does think that it was a mistake?"
"What are you so upset about it for?" Jade asked in confusion. "She did it to me not you."
"Tori kissed you too?" Cat asked. Her mouth dropped open in shock.
"What? No – what are you talking about?"
"What are you talking about?" Cat echoed back.
"I'm talking about how Vega kissed my boyfriend on stage in front of Sikowitz's class for your scene!" Jade exclaimed.
"Oh, that kiss", Cat said and looked away shyly.
"What kiss are you talking about?" Jade asked curiously. "She didn't kiss Andre or Robbie did she?"
Cat fretfully shook her head.
"Come on, tell me", Jade demanded.
"I really shouldn't tell you", Cat replied. "But it might have been me." She bit her lip as she spoke.
Jade's eyed widened.
"Vega kissed you?"
"I didn't say that!" Cat protested.
"Uh, you kinda did."
"Tori didn't kiss me. I kissed her. Well actually, that was the second time. The first time Tori did kiss me."
Jade stared, completely dumbfounded.
"Since when do you and Vega kiss each other?"
Cat backed up and sat down on the couch.
"When you kiss Beck, can you tell whether or not he's enjoying it?" the redhead asked.
"Don't answer my question with a question", Jade commanded. "You really kissed Vega?"
"I know she liked it", Cat said determinedly. "There's no way that was fake. You can't fake passion like that. I'd know!"
"Ok fine", Jade rolled her eyes. "Let's just have two separate conversations then."
"Jade I don't know what to do!" Cat cried out. "Can you help me?"
"I don't even know what's going on!"
A few tears fell down Cat's face.
"Neither do I."
"Well, why don't you just tell me what happened?" Jade suggested.
"She's just scared, that's probably it."
"Cat, just tell me what's going on!"
"I've gotta go talk to Tori." Cat suddenly stood up.
"Wait – Cat!" Jade called out but the other girl was out the door and gone. She stared at the door, her jaw felt like it had fallen to the floor.
"I've been home suspended from school for a few days and THIS is what I miss?" Jade said out loudly to herself. "What is going on with everyone?" She flopped down onto the couch and stared up at the portrait of her great-aunt Ethel.
"Do you know what's going on?" she asked the picture, knowing fully well she'd get no response. "Ok, I'm officially losing my mind here. I need to cut some paper or something. Where did Dad hide those scissors?"
Cat sighed sadly as she hung up from her father. He had to do some errands so he couldn't drive her over to Tori's house. Her mom was with her brother at the doctor's getting his weekly checkup, so she was unavailable also. Cat looked around. She didn't know this part of Jade's neighborhood too well. She wondered if she should go back to Jade's house but she didn't want to answer any more uncomfortable questions.
Cat typed in Tori's name on her pear phone. Her finger hovered over the call button but she could not bring herself to press it. Cat ran to the nearest stoop and sat down. She wondered exactly when things got so complicated. It shouldn't be. She liked Tori and she was positive Tori liked her back. So why was Tori trying to hard to avoid it? Was it because Cat was a girl? Cat didn't mind that Tori was a girl. It didn't make a difference in Cat's mind.
Tori was being so nice to her recently. Going along with her script idea, helping her solve Mr. Snickerdoodle's murder mystery, and just constantly being there. Cat shrugged. Just because someone acts nice towards you doesn't mean that they like you. Cat didn't like every person that was ever nice to her. She wondered if maybe she was making up feelings that weren't really there. But they had to be there. Cat was known for wearing her feelings on her sleeve and being open with them. If she felt something, it was definitely legitimate.
Cat flipped through her phone until she came to a picture of herself and Tori taken at school.
"Tori's so pretty", she thought. "But Jade's pretty also. But I didn't want to kiss Jade, I wanted to kiss Tori. And ponies are really pretty but I don't want to kiss them either. I wish I had a pony. If a pony had wings I wonder if it could fly?"
Cat contemplated this for a few minutes before her mind flew back to Tori Vega.
"Tori's my best friend", Cat thought to herself sternly. "And if I want to keep it that way then I need to pretend like we're back to normal and neither of those kisses ever happened. I never had any feelings for her. If Tori doesn't like me, then I don't like her."
Wiping tears from her face with the sleeve of her shirt, Cat stood up and began her long walk back home.
Author's Note: Eleven chapters in and we're nowhere near the end of this thing! Well hey, relationships aren't easy you know. Especially when people start denying their feelings. So it's a good thing Jade knows about it now (well, kind of). Otherwise we'd get absolutely nowhere! So let's see what Jade chooses to do with her newly acquired information. I'm sure excited to see what happens!
… Oh right, that's my job isn't it?
On another note, thank you to all the reviewers! It's great that people are actually enjoying this! Until next time!
