Fresh Start at Life

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious

A/N:

Chapter 11 (Dangerous Distraction)

Tuesday was a bitter and cold day, and it was supposed to start raining, so the group meeting was held at the gym. She was the first to arrive, so she opted to start her studying.

The gym was large and had two basketball courts inside. There were a couple tables scattered about, and a large mat in the center. She pulled up a chair at one of the tables and grabbed her history textbook. Crossing her left leg over her right, she propped the book open in her lap and leaned back. "Okay, so starting out after Lincoln's assassination…" She flipped through the pages and pressed her lips together as she found the first chapter Dr. Lindemann wanted them to read.

She read for about ten minutes before someone else entered the gym and turned on a television nearby, to her agitation and dismay. Lifting her head, she saw someone standing by a metal frame with a television inside. "Who puts a TV in a gym?" What was worse was they put it on a channel with a music countdown, and the song playing was by the pop band Cascada. The song itself was Dangerous. She huffed and turned her eyes back to the book. "I've only heard that about a million times."

While reading, her foot began to tap with the beat. Her heart moved in sync with the tune and her eyes darted up in time to see Jason walking in with another club member. The two were talking about current events and what was going to be discussed, but she could hardly pay attention.

Jason looked over to the television, raising his eyebrow and shaking his head. The words played now in Trina's head and she felt the urge to get up and move over to him. What was this? No, she already knew.

"Turn it off," Jason demanded. "I can't think with that song playing." The person at the stand nodded and quickly shut off the television, but the lyrics remained in Trina's head as she studied this man. "Thank you."

Laughing to herself, she glanced back to the book. Jason hated pop type music, just as she did. It wasn't so much the genre as it was practically all she ever heard her sister sing. Most pop songs made her want to vomit for that reason.

"Maybe you could just move," Lindsay entered the room, muttering at him. Jason scoffed and returned to his conversation. Lindsay sat on the corner of the table beside Trina and folded her legs over. "It's better than Bad Boy by Cascada." Trina's face went sour and she quickly shook her head.

"I never thought so many pop songs could fit my life, it's disturbing."

Lindsay shrugged and planed her palms on the table behind her back. "Pop, country, rock, even rap…it doesn't matter what genre it is. Music is a door to the heart for a reason. If you can relate, then it's good music. If it pulls at your emotions, you're good."

"Yeah, but I hate pop almost as much as Jason. When you've heard your stepsister sing it to death, it gets old."

"What music does he like?"

"Rock, I think, maybe country." Reading the textbook was beginning to become a struggle now that she had distractions, but of course this wasn't the place to be studying. "I like any genre myself besides Pop. Which, is ironic considering I actually like Shakira and Christina Aguilera."

Those two were her favorite singers of all time because their songs were what spoke most of all to her. Loca, Addicted to You, and She Wolf by Shakira or Fighter by Christina Aguilera were among the best. "Seriously, those two artists make up the majority of my playlists."

"Shakira's the only good pop artist, Aguilera is awesome though."

"Basically." She turned a page in her book, sighing heavily as a couple of black belts walked up to her table. She shut the book and looked up to the two men. In the corner of her eyes, she saw Jason glancing over. A smirk curled at her lips and she rolled her eyes back to the men. "Hello boys. Can I help you?"

"We were just wondering if you'd be interested in sparring," said the brunette on the right. "You're new so we wanted to see what you've got."

"I suppose I can. I'm just a little rusty."

"Well today's a good day to get back in, Jason's having a mock tourney today."

"Really?"

"Yep. Everyone's already been placed for today's meeting, but you can still participate." When else would she get an opportunity to one up Jason in front of everyone? For once she could wipe off that cocky grin he's had for the last few days. "It's between ranks, so all the black belts against each other, the white belts against each other and so on."

"I got it, that makes sense."

"Anyway, I'm Roger, and this is Andrew." He turned and pointed to a woman in the corner practicing a formation. "That's Christy, and the other black belt is Tomas. If you can beat Tomas, since he's the one that's the lowest placing at our belt level, you can get into the tournament."

"You should come up with a nickname," Andrew laughed, "All of us black belts have them." Her eyebrows rose as Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Lindsay's the Chameleon, Roger here's the dragon and I'm-"

"So animal names?" She wondered about the significance. She couldn't picture Lindsay as a chameleon, but then the girl did always like camouflage. Her eyes drifted to Jason and her lip curved up once more. "What's Jason? 'puppy'?" Lindsay covered her mouth and Andrew laughed.

"He's the Wolf."

"Then I'll be the Lioness if it isn't taken." The Lion versus the Wolf, what a clash it would be. Determination brimmed in her eyes as her hands slowly closed together. "What's Jason's placement?"

"He placed top," Lindsay muttered. "If you manage to get through all the rest, you'd go against him last."

"Then I'll do it. We have a rematch to settle." She walked towards Jason, sensually turning her hips as she did so and catching his attention. He faced her and crossed his arms. "Hey Jason." She lifted her hand up and slid her index finger down the center of his chest, stopping in the middle and poking forward while glaring fiercely into his eyes. "Count me in on the mock tournament. I'm taking you out, right here, right now."

"Yeah, I don't think so." Jason circled his hand around her wrist and smirked back while pushing her arm down. "You think you can just waltz in here, challenge me, and win?"

"How good do you think I am?"

"Driven." His eyes slanted and his lips turned to a frown. "I told you, my uncle and my father don't want distractions. I've practiced continually, nonstop for years. You come in saying you're a tad rusty. I'm going to enjoy this challenge."

"I'm not that rusty, Jason." She turned around and moved her hands to her hips, deepening her smirk as everyone in the room watched the exchange with silence. "If anyone's cutting your arrogant ass to size, it may as well be me. I'm just surprised Lindsay isn't better than you…"

"Who says she isn't? She didn't participate in the tournament placing." She paused and looked towards Lindsay with a gasp. Her friend smiled at her and shrugged. "She's the only one better than me around here."

"Damn. Well, I'm not trying to show her up." She felt him step up behind her. His breath fell onto her bare neck and sent curls of chills throughout her body.

"Good luck, Vega." She closed her eyes and tilted her head upwards, sighing heavily as his hot breath softened her rigid muscles.

"Try and keep up, Jason." Thinking she had him beat and off guard, she instantly twisted around and attempted to bring a back-fist towards him. His hand flew up and caught hers. Her eyes widened and her lips parted as his smirk increased.

"You'll get your chance to hit me."

"Asshole." She pulled her fist back, growling vehemently as Jason moved his wrists behind his back.

"Let's see if you can remember my weaknesses. Just know I've been working on those."

"Well…" She took a step back and spread her arms out, bowing slightly. "Until then."

"Later." He reached out, curling his fingers beneath her chin and pulling her inwards. She tore herself away and shot a glare into his eyes. "Unless you're wanting to go now."

"You know, I'm realizing something. You've never talked much about your uncle or your father. From what I've heard of my sister's teacher, he's no asshole."

"I don't talk about my shit, you know that. I'm here for the same reason you are, forging my own path in life away from them-but at the very least I'm bearing in mind that they are still family."

"Is that supposed to imply something?"

"You figure it out." Jason looked to the doorway as a short man with a blonde buzz cut stepped in. "Tomas is here now, so if you want to get to me in the tournament, now's your opportunity. Though, it'll have to wait until after the meeting-I still have to go over details and events."

"Whatever." She walked past him and stepped beside Tomas, turning a sharp glare on the man. He backed away, yelping at her. "You're going down first. Your chance to run starts now and ends when we meet." Jason chuckled and began his move to the center of the room. Nothing was stopping her from meeting him in battle.

The meeting itself was about an hour lengthwise, the tournaments lasted a while. When the blackbelts started, the matches were somewhat long. Lindsay had to leave halfway through. Eventually Trina succeeded in reaching Jason.

Their match lasted an incredibly long time, and nearly everyone was gone. They squared off, both sweaty and panting heavily. During the match somewhere Jason had removed his shirt as it was getting too heavy from the sweat.

His hair hung in front of his eyes and his nostrils were opening and closing like that of a bull. He stood with his legs spread, knees bent. She was mimicking his pose and watching closely whenever he moved.

Her eyes shot down to his feet as he moved his right over his left, then swept his left beneath and out to the side. His feet, she knew that's where he had to be struck. He never left his feet unguarded though, if she could get close enough she could sweep him onto his back.

"I know what you're thinking," Jason tucked his elbows back and Trina's eyes darted up to his. "Analyzing my every move, checking old weaknesses. I can still come crashing down if you go after my ankles, sure, but that being said I've worked on keeping people at a distance. Much like you, I assume?"

"Don't assume, it makes you look like an ass."

"I have no trouble admitting that I am."

"I have my reasons for keeping people at a distance!" He cracked his neck to the right and scoffed at her. "And you're still slower than I am!" She charged him, screaming in fury.

He sidestepped out of the way and brought his hand down in a knife-hand strike to her lower back. She lurched forward, then kicked back, striking him in the chest. His hand reached over and grabbed her ankle, holding her in place. Her breath caught in her throat as her eyebrows shot up and her teeth clenched.

"Don't fight angry, Trina. It leaves you open and becomes the most glaring weakness that your opponent can take advantage of." She pulled her foot away and moved backwards, bending as if she were about to pounce. "You remember those scars you always asked about at camp?"

"What?"

He pointed to the pinkish circles just beneath his right chest, the slashes on his abs, then turned around to show the familiar swirls on his back. Jason turned his head over his shoulder, glancing back at her with a hardened expression. "My uncle made those."

Her heart stalled and her body numbed as she hesitated to reach out. At camp, whenever they would cuddle after their time together, she'd trace those marks with her finger and whenever she'd ask about them he would clam up.

In her mind, she pictured Mr. Sikowitz, but how could he have ever done that? He wasn't a violent man. "He's not my grandfather….he's not violent."

"I didn't say he was." Jason turned around and flexed his muscles and exhaled slowly. "He's not abusive. Neither is my dad."

"Then what's the reason for the scars?"

"Martial Arts, fighting, boxing…it's been my entire life. It's in my blood. I told you at that camp I've been training all my life, it's true. Uncle Erwin and my dad were sibling karate experts, so was my grandfather and his father before him."

"Why tell me this?"

"Because it's who I am, what I come from. I've accepted it, I'm trying to get away from that sure but I've accepted it." He circled her and she started to sneer. "Hiding it isn't going to make the marks go away. By the way, those marks are from Uncle Erwin's cane."

"Why was he so hard on you?"

"Because he failed. He went into a karate tournament and lost, as a result my grandfather busted his leg up. So he had to become a teacher. He and Dad have pushed me so hard throughout my life because they wanted me to succeed where they failed-they were trying to live their lives through me. I don't agree with them on that part. I am my own person, I don't have to satisfy them, but I'm not going to run away and abandon them."

"Are you trying to say something?"

"Lindsay might have mentioned that you wanted nothing to do with them." She rolled her eyes and scowled. He likely asked and Lindsay told him in annoyance. "I won't say anything about it, especially since I know how much stress you went through with them."

"Shut up and fight me."

"How long have you been a martial artist?"

"Since I was thirteen. You know that."

"Okay." Jason crouched and extended his arm, curling his fingers inwards. "Since you're so determined. Bring it. I'm telling you, fighting with anger and because you want to get the better of me is not going to work."

"Fuck you." She charged him once more and threw a punch towards his jaw, grinning as her fist came within inches of his face. His eyes widened and he snapped his head out of the way. Her arm shot past him and his hand reached up, grabbing her elbow.

He moved it behind her back and moved her forward, pressing her up against the wall. "First rule in sparring, you don't go after the person's face. You know that, they said that all the time at the camp." He released her and she spun around, slamming her back against the wall and flattening her palms onto it.

She looked up at him, her chest heaving as adrenaline coursed through her. Their faces were inches apart, his arm was folded above her head and his eyes were narrow.

The air around them grew dense and their breaths turned shallow. Trina pressed her lips tight together and swallowed the lump forming in her throat. She watched his eyes move to her lips and his head tilted gently to the right. Her heartbeat generated the only sound in the room.

They were alone.

"You called me a distraction," Trina whispered, "But you're a big one."

"Comes with territory." His free hand moved up and the back of his fingers moved down the side of her face. She closed her eyes and slipped her fingers into her palms, holding her breath as his hand moved along her neck and brushed down her arm. "What are you doing here, Trina? Who are you trying to fool? Who are you trying to impress?"

"Oh god, just shut up."

"You don't need to change yourself." His voice softened and Trina's eyelids opened partially. A deep yearning tore through her, breaking through what she was fighting against.

"What. What is the point of all this, Jason? You don't love me, how could you?" He frowned as she tucked her lip into a smirk. "Who I am? I don't know. I know what I want."

"Maybe you think you know. You don't want to abandon them, you still need them. Maybe not your stepfamily, maybe not your grandfather, but you don't get to choose family usually. As for loving you, I've never stopped. Why are you so against believing that?"

"I have my reasons."

"You don't trust me?"

"No I trust you. That's a different thing."

"Not much."

She lifted her arms and curled them around his neck. His eyebrows rose as she tangled her fingers into his hair. "You think you know me, show me."

"I feel the tension too." His lips clamped and his chest expanded, brushing up against hers. She closed her eyes and breathed in as he moved closer to her. "You are tempting. I won't take advantage of you, no matter how much I want you."

"I know you won't. That's the problem." She lifted her leg up and curled it around his waist. He let out a grunt as she pulled his hips against hers. She wanted to feel him, she wanted to remember for once how it felt to have someone who could make her feel so empowered. "Just this once, I'll let you do what you want."

Jason looked over his shoulders, his jaw locked up and he returned his gaze to hers. She lifted her eyebrows and he smiled softly. "I'm an asshole, but I'm not going to hurt you."

"You're not hurting me." What was hurting was how she felt whenever she was around him. Maybe if she got this out of the way, she wouldn't feel this way anymore. "It's just sex, it's just a little harmless sex. With you, I don't think it can be harmful." One of two things could happen if she went through with this. Her urges would die down and the tension would go away, or they'd get worse.

She was aiming for the first. Hopefully, she wouldn't be so confused anymore.

"Just this once then." Jason lifted her other leg and locked it around her waist. Feeling gravity's pull, she gasped out and clung tightly to his neck as he pressed her up against the wall. Their lips crashed together and her hands grasped once more for his hair. His hands moved up along her back a moan rose up in her throat at the familiar feeling of his body against hers.

Just this once, she would let her defenses down for him. She promised herself that once past this beautiful distraction she would focus on what was important. Though seemingly a contradiction, as what was important was what she wanted, and what she wanted right now was the very man holding his arms tight around her.

It was driving her mad, driving her wild, but those cravings would go away. They had to, because he was just a constant reminder of the person she'd pushed away for so long and the person she was scared to let out because nobody cared about that person.

Nobody loved that person except Jason, by his own admittance. She didn't want to believe him, she wanted to believe that by giving him herself once more he'd be done with her and she, him.

Ah Trina, I don't think that's going to make things any better for you.