A/N: Hi everyone, I think this is a really good chapter so I'm going to let you guys get to it :)
It was almost the end of school day when Tori saw Jade throwing books inside her locker, she had been playing cool all day, but she couldn't do it anymore, she was just too curious about the Goth girl´s next move and, quite frankly, a little worried too.
She finished with her own locker before walking over to Jade´s. The door full of scissors blocking the view of the other girl´s face. Tori casually leaned next to Robbie´s locker as she greeted Jade. "Hi." She said shyly.
"Hey." Jade said, looking at Tori's face as she slammed her locker closed. Adjusting her backpack on her shoulder before continuing. "What's up?" She said still holding the backpack in place.
"Nothing much." Tori stumbled a little. "I was actually wondering if you're going to start looking today." She said after making sure no one was hearing them.
Jade stared at Tori, not knowing if she still wanted her to know all the details of her little quest, her life wasn´t not a damn movie that Tori needed to know step by step. On the other hand, the closest she was to Tori, the farther Tori is from Tara and that's always a plus. "Yes, going right now."
"And you sure you don't want me to tag along?" Tori said, trying to ignore the talk that her father had with her the night before.
"I thought you said at lunch you had plans with Tara after school." Jade said raising an eyebrow, trying not to sound jealous.
"Yes, but it´s only shopping. I can cancel." Tori shrugged.
Jade couldn't prevent her heart from jumping at the fact that Tori would cancel her plans with Tara to help her fix her messed up life. She once had to beg Beck to cancel a videogame date with Andre to be with her when she was sick last summer and that wasn't a dangerous search on the bad part of town. But that was the point, it is dangerous, Jade couldn't do that to Tori. "No, it's ok. Go on your shopping date. I'll be fine."
"Ok, but let me know if you're ok, please." Tori begged.
"Will do." Jade said, walking to the school exit.
"Jade, where you going?" Cat popped up out of nowhere yelling cheerfully at Jade.
"Going to kick puppies." Jade screamed back with a grin on her face as she reached the door.
Cat put her hands over her open mouth, expression of shock taking over her.
"She's just kidding, Cat." Tori said, going over to the red headed girl and putting an arm around her shoulders.
"R-really?" Cat asked still a little scared.
"Really." Tori said but that didn't work to get the shock out of Cat's face, she needed a plan B. "Wanna go shopping with Tara and me?" She said smiling.
"Yay, shopping." Cat screamed happily once again and hugged Tori.
Tori hugged Cat back, praying on her mind that Tara wouldn't mind that Cat was going with them.
When Jade got to the address, she couldn't recognize anything on the neighborhood. It wasn't as bad as she thought. It had a few small and simple houses and some giant building with the appearance of something you see on a documentary about poverty on a third world country, but it didn't smell like urine or garbage and that's always a good thing.
After parking a few blocks away, she walked to one of the buildings. It was one of the smallest she saw and with the most horrible color. If someone asked her to name that color, she would have to go with smoker's teeth yellow.
The entrance was small and didn't have any kind of doorbell, so Jade just walked in and got up two flights of stairs. Of course a building like this wouldn't have a working elevator. Searching for the right door she went down the hallway, stopping once she found it. Breathing a few times to calm herself down before knocking.
"Tori, can we get ice cream? Please, pleaseeeee?" Cat moaned.
"Sure Cat, go ahead, I will pay for this shirt and we will meet you there." Tori said and watched as the red haired girl disappeared in the crowd.
"Not that I don't like Cat, because I do." Tara said as they were leaving the store. "But I thought it was going to be just us today."
"I know T." Tori stopped walking and turned to Tara. "But Cat was upset and this was the only way I could think of to cheer her up."
"I understand." Tara said kissing Tori chastely on her lips. "Why she was upset?" She asked once they were walking again holding hands.
"Jade said something mean as a joke but Cat doesn't always get jokes." Tori explained.
"I can't say I'm surprised." Tara said rolling her eyes.
"Come on T, don't be like that. Jade isn't that bad."
"Why are you defending her?" Tara said, starting to get on the defensive.
"I'm not. I'm just stating a fact." Tori said. "Now let's go find Cat before she starts wondering through the mall." She said kissing Tara's hand.
"I'm just saying that Jade didn't seem like the sunshine in person, I'm sure her jokes match her personality." Tara said trying to explain herself.
"I know you don't like Jade and I get why you don't feel comfortable about us hanging out outside school but you don't need to say mean things about her. You don't know why she is like that." Tori said getting a little annoyed by Tara's words.
"You're right. I just know she wants my girl and that makes my blood boil." Tara said staring at the crowded mall.
"How many times do I have to tell you that she doesn't want me? And even if she did, I'm with you and you have to trust me." Tori said.
"I trust you. I don´t trust her."
Tori stopped walking again, staring at Tara. "I'm serious T, this isn't gonna work if you don't trust me."
"I trust you V." Tara said smiling a little.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Jade knocked on the door three times before changing her mind, she considered making a run for it but it was too late. She could hear someone on the other side turning the key.
"Who are you?" The person who opened the door asked.
It was a mildly attractive woman with brown eyes and hair, if Jade should guess she was about 25 years old. "Hi, I'm looking for Thomas West." Jade said, trying to swallow her fear.
"Are you a cop?" The girl asked, closing the door a little.
"I'm his sister." Jade answered think in what universe she looked like a cop.
"Well, it's been over a year since I saw Thomas." The woman spoke opening the door again.
"Do you know where I might find him?" Jade asked.
"Do you have fifty bucks?" The woman reply raising an eyebrow.
"What?" Jade asked don't believing her ears.
"You want something I have, fifty bucks and the information is yours."
"Fine." Jade sighted, grabbing the money from her purse and handing to the girl.
"That's more like it." The woman said, making a gesture to Jade to come in.
The place was incredibly small, with a kitchen/bedroom/living room kind of deal, Jade sat in a stool and stared at the woman.
"Thomas worked as a bartender in the club that I used to dance a year ago, we were dating until the police caught him with drugs. I kicked him out and changed clubs, never saw him again." The woman finished, lighting a cigarette.
"Can I have the address of the club?" Jade asked.
"I think I still have a flyer for the place." The woman said and got up, returning a few seconds later with a paper on her hand and some letters on the other. "Here is the address and he left this letters here, it came when we first moved here for him but he never opened it."
Jade got all of the stuff and walked to the door. "Thank you for your time." She said and walked away and to her car, stuffing all the papers on her purse.
Once she got home, she went straight to her bedroom, she putted her purse on her bed and grabbed her phone, sending her promised text to Tori, letting her know she was ok, which Tori replied with a good and a smiley face.
Jade removed the papers from her purse and looked at them, there were credit card bills and some unimportant stuff. But there was one letter that caught Jade´s attention, it had her address on it and it never was opened.
Right on the right superior corner of the paper was the date, only a few months after Tommy left and for the handwriting, she knew it was from her father.
"Thomas,
I'm sorry about what I did to you. I shouldn't have lied but you need to understand that I was only trying to protect you kids. Believe me, I thought a lot about what to do and that seemed like the right choice, I guess I was wrong. I don't know how you found out but we can work it out as a family. You don't need that stuff. Clean up and come home.
Love, Dad."
A/N: So, I was right? It's a good one? Unfortunally the 22 is going to take awhile but please don't hate me and reviews are my inspiration :)