Tori dresses herself appropriately, using the guidelines Jade had given her… him. That pronoun thing was still an issue. She put on a pair of nice dark wash jeans and a black button up shirt. They were going somewhere discrete but semi formal, so Tori picked the one outfit she knew guys could pull of anywhere. It was so much easier to be a boy, she thought as she applied her side burns to her made up face.
Even if it were easier, she didn't want to be one forever. Tori applied some yucky smelling after shave and some musky cologne to hide whatever feminine smell she might produce. She even made sure to pack some breath spray in case Jade wanted to kiss Toren. Ugh, this date was so complicated. Tori was determined to tell Jade somewhere along the way.
A ring at the doorbell distracted her from her routine. Tori struggled into her shoes then rushed down to answer the door. Meeting her was a beautifully dressed Jade West. Her hair was in messy curls with a mermaid tail braid, and she was wearing a gorgeous dark green dress. Her make up was stunning, and Tori found herself staring deep into those familiar green-blue eyes. Jade gave him a smirk. "Like what you see?" She twirled in the doorway showing of the butterfly lace on her dress.
Tori grinned and closed the door. "You look amazing, Jade," she said in her man voice.
Jade grabbed Tori's hand and tugged him along the sidewalk. "Come on, let's walk. It's not that far away." Tori obliged and swung their arms as they went along.
"Where are we going?" he asked the obvious question.
Jade rolled her eyes at the question. "You'll see, pretty boy." It was amazing. After their phone call, Jade seemed so much more at ease. There were no weird mood swings or attempts to push Tori away. She seemed so open, and yet this date was still showing a different side of her. Tori loved it. "I'm not going as big as Shakespeare in the Park, you romantic piece of shit, but I do think you'll like where we go," Jade said with confidence.
"Can I at least have a hint?" Tori said with a pleading voice.
Jade shook her head at him and ran her free hand through her hair. "So what's your family like?" Her voice sounded nervous as she said it, as if she expected something much worse than what Tori said.
"They're pretty ordinary, I guess. My parents are a little strict on me, but I guess it's because they love me. My sister's really annoying."
Jade exhaled as if his answer gave her some sort of relief. "Does your sister go to Hollywood Arts?"
"Yeah," Tori said with an eye roll, "her name's Trina." Jade almost tripped. So he was Tori Vega, huh? That name sounded so familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. "What about yours? Andre says he thinks your dad's a zombie."
"Practically," Jade gave off an uninterested huff. "My parents are divorced. I'm an only child." Jade felt Tori grip her hand tighter, and that made her smile. She had never known a boy so empathetic. "It's not so bad as long as I avoid them."
"Well, if things get too weird, you can come hang out with me. I can't guarantee I won't just run away with you though."
Jade gave a mock-offended look. "You'd rather run away than introduce me to your family?"
"You have no idea!" Tori replied honestly. Tori did not want to have her double lives meet up. It was bad enough having a double life, but keeping it a secret was a top priority. Jade laughed and looked up at the dark sky. Tori couldn't get over the colour of her eyes. They were so gorgeous, but something about them struck a chord with Tori. They made her feel sad, and she hadn't noticed it before that night.
"What are you staring at?" Jade asked shyly, using her free hand to brush a curl out her face.
"Your eyes," Tori admitted without thinking, thanking God for all the bronze make up that was covering her red cheeks, "I know I know you, but I'm feeling so much déjà vu seeing you in that dress."
"That doesn't sound celibate, bud," Jade joked, eyes sparkling. "I haven't worn this dress since… well, since I broke up with my last boyfriend." Tori squeezed her hand as if sensing something was wrong.
Tori shook his head, adorable bangs flopping in his face. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
Jade sighed and hung her head, "He tried to have sex with me then told me I was asking for it."
"That was you?" Tori whispered without thinking. Suddenly everything clicked - the dress, the girl crying, the eyes. The boy stopped Jade and grabbed her shoulder. "Jade, I have to tell you something very important."
Jade was confused with the outburst and thus raised a pierced eyebrow. "That sounds absolutely no fun," she grinned flirtatiously, "It couldn't possibly wait until the end of the night?"
The pleading was almost enough to make Tori break on the spot, but the boy sighed and smiled, "Man, I'm so whipped."
The goth couldn't help beaming as Tori squeezed her hand tighter. She had never been so giddy about a first date with any boy, and she'd certainly never known one so intimately beforehand. As she listened to Tori whistle to the tune of "Your Eyes" from RENT she felt a pang in her chest that never occurred before. She gasped in a breath as they reached the location - an empty art studio. Tori eyed the place suspiciously. "This is my favourite place to go when I can't go home," Jade said, dropping Tori's hand and walking to a pile of boxes in the corner. "It's nothing special; it's abandoned. I found it a few weeks ago, just after the Hollywood Arts showcase, and I've been hanging out like a creeper."
Tori went over to open a box and saw easels and art supplies that should have been donated but were abandoned. He smiled as he grabbed a pencil and paper. "I'm going to draw you."
Jade raised her eyebrows and swallowed down a blush. "You are not even serious right now, Jack," she alluded of course to the Titanic, the corniest love story ever. She remembered seeing it with Beck and wanting to leave the entire time. She remembered when he made out with her in the theatre, and she had to hold his hands so they wouldn't wander.
"Gross," Tori stuck out his tongue, "I don't have any French girls, so I'm going to draw you."
Jade bit her bottom lip and focused her energy on not letting her hands play with her hair. "Do I need to pose or?"
Tori shrugged, "I dunno, I'm not actually an artist." Jade rolled her eyes and watched in amusement as the boy scribbled and doodled on a piece of paper, his tongue cutely sticking out to the left of his mouth. His eyes flickered over her every now and then, the brown eyes shining when they met hers. His left hand swept through his bangs and he let out a huff of breath.
She wanted to kiss him. Jade tried but could not imagine anything but her lips on his - his plump pink lips. She met his eyes again, and this time he paused. Jade walked right up to him and put her hands on his shoulders. He looked confused but wrapped his arms around her waist; his hands felt so delicate. "Hey," she whispered.
"Yeah?" he whispered back, a grin appearing on those lips that she couldn't stop staring at.
"Can I kiss you?" she blurted before the proper beat was even taken. His eyes smiled at her question, and he nodded sternly. The last thing Jade remembered doing was grabbing those adorable bobbing bangs with her fingers and slamming her lips against his. She had no idea what she was doing and was overwhelmed by all that he seemed to be doing to her. Three of his fingers were scrunched in her dark hair massaging her scalp in a rhythmic pattern. His other hand took one of hers and squeezed, and every time he squeezed she felt like she was floating.
A crumbling of paper distracted the two and eventually tore them apart. Jade picked up the paper and saw a horrendous drawing of something that didn't appear to be human. She giggled as she realized it was supposed to be herself, and Tori moved the bangs out of her face before saying softly, "I told you I wasn't an artist."
xx
The couple walked down the street hand in hand eating gluten-free ice cream. Tori kept shoving some into her mouth and kissing what was leftover away. Jade felt like she was floating, and she had never felt like this before. They sat on a park bench to rest - Jade questioned how they walked so far in what seemed like such a short time. She could faintly hear Tori humming and asked, "Once Upon a Dream?"
Tori smiled and nodded, his hair bobbing as usual. "It's stuck in my head for some reason." They sat in content silence for a minute until Tori tensed beside her. They were at Griffith Park. Jade have him a confused look, and he moved back from her. They were on the same park bench. "Jade, there's something I have to tell you."
xx
Guess who's back? Back again. Jori's back. Tell a friend. Jori's back. Jori's back. Jori's back. Ooooh. I bet your lives felt empty without me. Okay, enough Eminem references, here's the first part of the date (FINALLY!) I know I said it was dying, but, here it is! In case anyone remembers the A/N before the hiatus, I lost someone very dear to me, and it's been hard to deal with. But now here's what you've been waiting for! I know it's short, but bear with me. I wanted to put something out there before I went on vacation because I knew I wouldn't be very productive at the beach. Sorry it took so long, but I hope you guys stuck around! Love you guys!