Author's Note: Ok guys, this chapter is gonna be a little…different. So…erm…enjoy? Rather than a song breaking this chapter apart, we will feature snippets of Trina Vega's hit telenovela: Negociaciones de Amor! And with this, we will finally wrap up this mess of a fic!
Chapter 21: Negociaciones de Amor
JUNE 27
Tori spent the next couple weeks trying to track Trina down, only to finally receive a DM on The Slap telling her that her sister was OK and loving Mexico City and how she was on a quality show with top-notch acting. Of course, Tori had heard that before… but this time, Trina told Tori where to watch the show, which meant Trina was actually proud of it, so maybe it actually was good.
So she invited everyone over to watch the premier, even Jade, though she didn't expect her to come. Everything had gotten so screwed up, between her and Jade, between Beck and Robbie…to be honest, she still wasn't certain of everything that had happened there and had the distinct feeling that Cat was withholding some information. She didn't push it though- which was strange for her. Staying out of her friends' business was not a strong suit of hers at all. It didn't matter, whatever it was. Beck and Robbie weren't really speaking and Trina was in Mexico.
She just wanted everything to go back to the way it was, even if it hurt.
There was a knock at the door.
"Come in, come in," Tori called as she took a seat on the red sofa and turned on the TV.
Andre, Cat, and Robbie all entered, joining her on the couch easily enough and helping themselves to popcorn.
"Do you know if Beck or Jade will be coming?" she asked Andre.
"I'd go ahead and start it, never heard back from either of them," he shrugged.
But just before she pushed play, Beck and Jade turned up after all.
It was entirely possible that they had just arrived at the same time and come up the driveway together, but Tori's mind immediately jumped to assuming they came together and then she found herself wondering if they were back together…and even if she wanted everything to be the way it was, she didn't really want it to be set that far back, but it wasn't really her place to…
Beck sat next to Andre on the same sofa as Tori, nearest to the door, and Jade took a seat next to Cat on the other sofa, just across the gap from Tori. Just an arm's length away.
"Well, turn it on!" she snapped after several moments of awkward silence as everyone settled in.
"I know how to do it," Tori replied, hitting the play button.
The camera pans over the bustling streets of a big city before settling on the door of a taxi cab. The door opens and out steps a woman with huge sunglasses and ten-inch heels.
"Yay! Trina!" Cat clapped.
A small man hurriedly hauls her luggage from the trunk and hands it to her. She tosses a few dollars his way and grabs her things, making her way through great glass doors.
Inside, there is another woman, less extravagant than the first, but similar in appearance. She is leaning over a desk discussing something with an employee. In the background, indistinct shouting can be heard. The woman glances back at another pair of doors, but seems to be trying her best to ignore it.
"Victoria!" the woman in the sunglasses calls out.
"Hey, that's your name," Cat laughed, pointing at Tori.
Andre poked Tori in the shoulder. "She even looks a little like you."
"Yeah, but way prettier," Robbie noted.
Jade promptly elbowed him in the ribcage.
Tori tried to hide her smile as she took a drink of her soda.
The woman at the desk looks up, her eyes widening as she recognizes the other. "Estrella!" She hurries from behind the desk and envelopes the other in a hug. "Oh my God, it's been years! Where have you been?" she turns and calls back toward the other doors, the ones that seem to be hiding some sort of argument. "Mom, Dad, get out here. Estrella is home!"
They all watch in rapt attention as Trina's character, Estrella, reunites with her family, which, of course, is falling apart at the seams. Her mother, Evangeline, has been cheating on her father, Raul, with a shareholder, Glaudio. The parents are fighting constantly about ownership stakes in the company. Victoria seems happy to have Estrella back in town as her sister, but she is not too keen on her sister being involved in the family business—which is apparently something to do with skin care products.
In true soap opera fashion, Estrella signs some papers and is immediately a co-owner of the company with her sister. Victoria is trying to be happy about it, but isn't doing a great job. She even offers to take her sister out for a celebratory lunch, where they meet up with another woman.
"This is my girlfriend, Esmerelda," Victoria introduces her, moving to take her hand.
Esmerelda tanks her hand away, looking around the restaurant. "We're in public!" she snaps.
Victoria rolls her eyes, somewhat playfully, somewhat annoyed.
"Estrella, fancy seeing you here," a tall, but bland looking man appears at the side of their table.
"Glaudio," she nods a curt greeting.
"Wait Glaudio? As in, this is the dude sleeping with her mother?"
"Shh, Beck!"
"Does she realize that, though? I mean, Victoria told her their Mom cheated, but she didn't say who…"
"SHHH!"
The scene cuts away and returns to the office, where Raul and Evangeline are arguing more.
"I can't do this anymore, Evangeline," Raul is pacing back and forth in his office. "Now that Estrella's back, she can help Victoria with the company. They don't need me. You don't need me."
"God, this guy's a whiner…" Jade's head rolls back against the couch and she stares at the ceiling.
"He feels betrayed and used by everyone." Robbie explained, eyes downcast.
The scene cuts back to the restaurant, where the sisters and Esmerelda are speaking with Glaudio.
"Ah, and Victoria's friend…Esmerelda, is it?" Glaudio looks Esmerelda over strangely.
"Excuse me, I need to, uh, go freshen up," Esmerelda excuses herself abruptly.
"I'm sorry about…her," Victoria says. "It was nice to see you Glaudio, disculpa." She excuses herself and hurries after Esmeralda.
Esmerelda is splashing cool water on her face in the restroom. The blue tiled walls give the whole room a cold feeling and yet she feels like she's burning up.
Victoria comes in after her. "Hey, are you OK?"
"OK? He knows. You heard the way he said friend? Did you tell him?"
"No, but Glaudio is around a lot, he might have noticed something. He doesn't care. Neither do my parents. They all know about me and they know you are my roommate of four years, so they might have figured it out. It's all OK."
"Oh my God they were roommates!" Tori gasped.
Jade rolled her eyes.
Cat laughed far too hard.
"It's not OK at all," Esmerelda snaps back.
"Calm down, mi amor," Victoria says, her voice low. She steps forward and takes both of Esmerelda's hands in hers.
"Aww, they're cute!" Cat swoons.
The scene cuts back to Estrella and Glaudio at the table.
"What brings you back?" Glaudio asks, taking a seat at the table now.
"Just needed to sort some things out," Estrella shrugs.
"You came back at a convenient time."
"How so? Does it interfere with your efforts at breaking up my parents? Or should I say reuniting my parents?"
"What?"
"You know what I'm talking about…Dad."
"This is such trash," Jade scoffed as the end credits rolled.
"I kind of like it," Tori shrugged. "I mean, it's insane, but that's kind of the whole thing with telenovelas."
"Trina is kinda perfect for it, actually," Andre laughed.
"I don't understand," Robbie chimed in. "Even if Evangeline is sleeping with Glaudio, why would she sell her shares in the company to him?"
"I don't think she did," Tori suggested. "Raul just thinks it was her."
"This really isn't worth discussing," Jade replied, getting to her feet. "Good for Trina, I guess. Apparently there was a spot in showbiz for her after all. Come on, Beck," she started toward the door.
Tori winced. So they had come together after all…
JULY 3
"I think Jade really likes Trina's show," Cat said, sipping on a can of Wahoo Punch.
"What? The telenovela?" Tori laughed. "There's no way…"
"She's watched like every episode as soon as it comes out," Cat explained. "She has a reminder in her phone even."
"Seriously?" Tori couldn't help but laugh.
"She makes me watch it with her so she can pretend she's just watching it with me, but I don't even know what's going on."
"That sounds about right. God forbid anyone knows Jade West has feelings or interests in things that aren't gruesome and awful."
"She is interested in you. You aren't gruesome or awful. Except that one time when I made that mask with the Grizzly Glue," Cat giggled at the memory.
Tori had a less pleasant memory of that ordeal. "Yeah, well, she had enough of me pretty quick."
"I don't think so. She just can't ever make things easy," Cat explained. "Anyway, I have to go meet Jade and watch some more of Trina's show. She gets mad if I'm late. She's not very patient. And is very bossy."
JULY 12
Estrella is hooking up with Benicio in the supply closet at work, again.
The scenes are intercut with constant fighting between Victoria and Esmerelda.
"Nothing is ever enough for you!" Esmerelda yells.
"For me? Are you kidding me? We've been together 4 years and you're still ashamed of me."
"I'm not ashamed! I just can't...it's not as easy for me as it is for you."
"Lay off, Victoria, Jesus!" Jade snapped at the screen.
She was at Cat's house and they were knee-deep in the series' eighteenth episode.
"They've been together for a long time," Cat shrugged, gesturing at the screen. "Of course she wants to get married and start a family."
"Esmerelda clearly has some issues that she needs to sort out and if Victoria really loved her, she'd be patient."
"She has been patient. She can't wait forever."
"What makes you the expert?"
"I didn't mean... I just don't think you're being fair to Victoria. She has a lot going on with her sister and her parents and Glaudio…"
"Estrella's a nutjob. I mean, why is she even torn between Roberto and Benicio? Benicio is way hotter and Roberto is kind of a creep. Dude's been stalking her for years."
"I think he's kind of sweet. Benicio is boring."
Roberto is looking at the tiny window to the supply room, fogged up as it is. He swallows loudly and continues to stare at the door where he'd watched Benicio and Estrella enter some time before.
The scene cuts to Victoria, in tears at the foot of her bed, looking at a photo of Esmerelda.
Esmerelda is angrily walking down the street, arms crossed, brow furrowed.
"Did they break up?" Jade asked. "After 4 years, Victoria is just going to give up like that?"
"I don't think they broke up-"
"SHHH."
Estrella comes out of the supply closet first, trying to fix her hair as she does and promptly answers her phone. "Victoria, what is it?"
Benicio follows a few moments later, locking eyes with Roberto and flashing a self-satisfied grin.
"Ok, maybe Benicio is kind of a dick, but Roberto is still a creep. Estrella could do better than both of them," she leaned back into the couch cushions.
"It's so fun that you love this show so much!" Cat squealed.
"What? I don't 'love this show'" Jade scoffed. "I just wanted to see if Victoria and Esmerelda got their shit sorted out. Looks like they didn't."
"There's still time," Cat added hopefully. "Anyway, I am going to visit my uncle and uncle in San Francisco for the next week, so I can't watch with you. Maybe Beck will watch?"
"What? Why would I watch this with Beck?"
Cat shrugged. "Well, you guys are working together all summer. I just thought maybe you guys were getting back together again."
"No, we're not."
"Does that mean you'll get back together with Tori instead?"
"Cat…"
The redhead sighed and changed the subject, sort of. "Beck said the job is actually cool."
Jade shrugged. "I mean, it's kind of boring but not as bad as I thought it would be. So I guess Vega was right about it being a good experience and all that chiz."
"You should watch this show with Tori," Cat suggested then. "I bet she's watching it anyway since Trina's in it and…"
"I can't hang out with Vega," Jade scoffed bitterly.
"You could if you got back together with her."
AUGUST 5
"NOOOOO!" Evangeline screams, falling to her knees on the hospital floor.
Victoria and Estrella are both in tears as well.
In a blue-tinged glass cylinder, Raul looks at peace, frozen in time.
Evangeline runs to the cylinder and throws her arms around it. "Freeze me too! Porfavor! Freeze me too!"
"What even is this?" Jade snapped. "He's being cryogenically frozen?"
Her mother shrugged. "He got the pamphlet for the experimental procedure a couple episodes ago…"
"Yeah, but I didn't think they were serious. This is ridiculous."
"Ok, let's watch something else then."
"NO!" Jade snatched the remote back from her mother. "If Raul and Evangeline are both frozen, Glaudio might take over the whole company and kick Estrella and Victoria out on their asses."
"So?"
"So if Victoria is too busy dealing with that, she won't get things fixed with Esmerelda."
"I thought you thought Victoria was too demanding anyway?"
"I mean, she isn't that pushy. Esmerelda can just be…it's complicated, OK?"
"OK…?" Her mother was playing CandyCrush on her phone more than actually paying attention to her daughter.
"And it's bad enough that Esmerelda moved out. But I thought maybe after that walk in the park thing they were maybe going to fix things, you know?"
"I mean, they aren't broken up," her mom offered. "Just sort of...separated? But not seeing other people, so...what do you want?"
"They lived together for four years. And then as soon as Victoria gets the slightest...Esmerelda just runs away like...it's just...look, they obviously love each other and so they're going to work this out because that's how these things work in TV shows, I just...want to know how they do it."
"How Esmerelda stops being afraid and self-sabotaging her own happiness, you mean?"
Jade glared at her mother.
"I don't think their parents' nonsense has a lot of bearing on it, to be honest."
Jade sighed, but considered that. "Glaudio is their real father, so maybe he won't snatch the company from them? I mean, Raul is clearly the better Dad. Or was…until this freezing nonsense."
Estrella and Victoria try to persuade their mother not to be frozen too, but it's no use and soon, she is in a cylinder beside Raul.
"I can't believe this," Estrella cries as she stomps out of the facility.
Victoria is more subdued, pulling her phone out and calling Esmerelda.
"We have to make sure Glaudio doesn't know about this. He will assume full control of the company if he does," Estrella exclaims.
Victoria isn't paying attention to her though, as she chatters away into her phone.
The scene cuts to her showing up at Esmerelda's apartment, in tears. Esmerelda pulls her into a tight hug and closes the door.
"Well, that's a good sign then?"
Her mother shrugged. "It seems like Victoria is still the one doing all the work. She has to come to Esmerelda, she has to make compromises constantly. I think Esmerelda has to make an effort, for a change. If she doesn't, then things aren't going to improve for them."
Jade shrugged. "I mean, maybe."
AUGUST 13
"Have you been watching? It's amazing, Tori!" Trina exclaimed.
Tori was talking with her over PearTime and trying to be as supportive as she could as Trina ecstatically took her phone around set and showed Tori things. Tori smiled and laughed where she was supposed to and kept the fact that she felt betrayed and abandoned to herself. After all, this was Trina's big break. What could she expect?
But still.
Trina yammered on for the better part of an hour before finally asking how things were for Tori.
"Did Demonica quit being so emo?"
"What?"
"Jade. She was all waah waah I can't be happy because then I'm happy or something. Did she sort that out? Are you two good again?"
"No, we're...I haven't really talked to her all summer. Not since...the premiere of your show, actually. I invited everyone over, so that included her. But we haven't talked since."
"Look, Tori, I'm just gonna say, you can obviously do better than her, but I know you really like her and, honestly, I think she really likes you too. She's just being an idiot. So you should just go over there and tell her to knock it off and get it together and then go...do whatever it is you two do. I mean, I have a vague idea of, like, lesbian stuff, but-"
"OK, Trina, I get it," Tori cut her off, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "I already said that, basically, and she didn't...I can't be the one doing all the work, OK? She has to meet me halfway."
"Whatever you say, baby sis, but maybe she can only meet you like a third of the way, is all I'm saying."
"Says the girl who left Beck hanging in the middle of nowhere. And cheated on him with Robbie. And ditched me to deal with Mom and Dad and their twisted sex life."
"Yeah, well, it's a hit show, Tori, what did you expect?" Trina scoffed.
"You're right. My whole life I should just expect to be the one doing all the work and everyone else can just...not be bothered. Got it. Good talking to you, Trina."
"Tori, wait-"
But Tori hung up and didn't answer when Trina called back.
AUGUST 14
"Who is this?" Jade rasped into the phone, barely awake.
"Trina Vega, star of Negociaciones de Amor!" Trina announced.
"And you're calling me because…?"
"Why are you being such a bitch to Tori? Make up already. She's lonely. Now that I'm not there to entertain her, she just...sits around pining over you."
"Vega isn't sitting around pining over me. She went to the beach with Cat just the other day."
"She's pining. She can pine in public too. She's not a complete hermit. Yet."
"Trina, fuck off."
"Fix it. This is just dumb. You're an idiot. I already knew that, but Tori is attracted to stupid, so...fix it. Or I fix you."
Jade glared at the phone after Trina hung up.
AUGUST 29
Victoria enters her apartment and hears a too-familiar moan from the bedroom. She moves through the kitchen, gently pushing the door open and gasps.
"Oh hell no…" Jade mutters, shoving a handful of popcorn into her mouth. "Things were just starting to be OK between you again. Esmerelda you better not have…"
But before she can find out what Victoria has seen, the scene cuts to Estrella, on the phone with an unfamiliar man. "Oh for fuck's sake…"
"Pedro, it's too soon. I haven't had time to explain everything yet," Estrella says.
"She misses you, Estrella," the man, Pedro, says. "Te extraño mucho, mi amor."
"The fuck is this guy?" Jade asks no one in particular.
"I need to at least explain it to my sister. I am on my way over to her apartment right now and then I'll call you back and we can figure this out."
The scene cuts back to Esmerelda's bedroom, where Benicio is lying in the bed, looking annoyed at having been interrupted.
"How could you?!" Victoria screams at Esmerelda, who, for once, has no snarky retort. She just stands there, clutching the sheets close and staring at the ground.
"I'm with Victoria on this one," Jade says, brows furrowed as she clutched a pillow to her stomach. "This was just...dumb."
Victoria whirls around and rushes from the apartment.
Esmerelda is finally spurred into action by her rapid departure and frantically pulls on jeans and a t-shirt and runs after Victoria.
"Good, you can still fix this."
"Victoria, espera!" Esmerelda calls, desperately.
Victoria turns back and their eyes meet, briefly.
Estrella comes racing around the corner in her convertible, slamming on her brakes far too late.
The focus shifts to Esmerelda's horrified face as the tires screech off-screen and then she's running as fast as she can.
Estrella is hysterical as she jumps out of the car.
And tears stream down Esmerelda's face as she holds Victoria's lifeless body in the street. The screen goes black.
"WHAT THE FUCK?" Jade hurled her remote at the TV. "Benicio? She sleeps with fucking Benicio and now Victoria is dead?! What the actual fuck?"
"Jade, honey, keep it down in there," her mother called down the hall.
Jade frantically wiped her eyes. She was not crying over this garbage show.
SEPTEMBER 4
Estrella approaches the open casket where her sister's body lay. Glancing over her shoulder she sees Glaudio, tight-lipped and glassy-eyed, watching from the back of the room, and Esmerelda, who looks like she hasn't slept at all since the day Victoria died.
Pedro is standing in the back, near Glaudio, eyeing him strangely.
Estrella looks back to her sister's lifeless body. "I'm so sorry," she whispers.
A little girl races up from the crowd and grabs Estrella's hand. "Mami!"
Estrella smiles down at the child. "Como va todo, Victoria."
Jade felt goosebumps run up her arms.
"Jade!" her little brother called out, distracting her momentarily.
"Not now, Jasper!"
He disregarded her orders and bounded into the room. "I want lunch. Mom said you'd make me one."
Jade groaned and rolled her eyes.
"Is this the Spanish show you love?"
"I don't 'love' this show!" she snapped.
"You watch it every day," he replied matter-of-factly, entirely unfazed by his sister's aggressive tone.
"Just go upstairs and I'll be up in a minute to make you a sandwich," she grumbled.
"OK!" he ran to the door.
Jade turned her attention back to the show, where Estrella is explaining to little Victoria the woman that she was named after.
"Hola, what's your name?" Glaudio kneels by the little girl.
"Get away you skeevy douchebag," Jade grumbled.
"Glaudio, can you just...not hover around today? I already have to deal with Pedro."
Glaudio looks back at the sea of mourners, Pedro among them. "He is your husband, yes?"
"Pedro is my Papi!" Victoria chimes in.
"Is he?" Glaudio asks, looking at Estrella, who gives him a withering look. "Have you met...Uncle Roberto, yet?"
Victoria shook her head. "I don't have any uncles."
"Mi vida, go to your Papi, please. I will come over in a minute," Estrella releases her hand and watches her daughter bounce across the room to Pedro. She glares at Glaudio. "What are you trying to do?"
"Does Roberto even know?"
"Shh!" she hissed. "This is not the place for any of this!"
"Maybe you can visit the set of this show?" her brother asked.
Jade whirled around. "Go upstairs."
"You said it was Tori's sister. Tori would probably take you to the set."
"GO UPSTAIRS."
"Fine, but Tori would. She's nicer than you. Or Beck."
Jade glared at him, but he was unmoved by it. He happily trotted up the stairs finally, though.
SEPTEMBER 12
Jade made herself comfortable on her couch, flipping through to the Spanish language channel.
"Fucking Estrella better not abandon her fucking kid...I swear to God…"
Just then, the whole house went dark.
"What? No!" she jumped up and ran to the window, looking outside to see her whole street was dark.
She waited impatiently for several seconds, but the power didn't kick back on.
She grabbed her car keys and her phone, calling Cat as she was heading out the door.
"Cat? I'm picking you up. We're going to Vega's… I don't care if you're finger painting with your brother, be ready in fifteen minutes...because you want to watch the next episode of Negociaciones de Amor...yes, you do. I know you do...No, I don't. Why would I want to watch Trina's terrible show? Just shut up and get ready!" She tossed her phone on the passenger seat and started her car.
Tori settled down on her sofa and turned on the TV, flipping through a few channels until the familiar dun-dun of the beginning of Law and Order: SVU comes on. "Ooh, yep, here we go."
Forty five minutes later, she's on the edge of her seat, watching Detective Benson chase the perp through the streets when she's startled by a loud bang on her door.
"VEGA! OPEN UP!"
She heads to the door quickly, worried, if Jade was coming around, it probably meant something wrong…
She pulled the door open to find Jade and Cat standing on the other side.
"Hiiii Toriii!" Cat bounced past her.
"Cat wants to watch the next episode of Trina's garbage show. I told her you probably never missed an episode," Jade let herself in, making herself comfortable on the couch.
"Um, actually I…"
"I told Cat to call ahead, but she said you didn't answer."
Tori nods. "My phone is charging in the kitchen. I didn't have it next to me."
"Right, well, I wasn't watching…"
"Cat is freaking out about Glaudio and Estrella and Tori…"
"I haven't actually watched it since June. I mean, I've got it all saved, but just haven't had time."
"But you have time to watch a rerun of SVU on one of the eighteen channels that airs daily marathons of it?"
Tori faltered in her response and Jade just cut her off. "Ok, great, put it on."
Tori frowned, but obeyed. "Can you at least get me caught up?"
Jade sighed in exasperation. "Ok, so years ago Glaudio paid for Estrella to leave town after she got pregnant with Roberto's baby. Now she's come back because she missed her family and wants in on the company. Victoria was running things, but her parents were fighting constantly and Evangeline was having an affair with Glaudio, who is Estrella and Victoria's real father. Raul is sterile, apparently. And Raul is so devastated by...his whole life, I guess, that he gets cryogenically frozen. Evangeline feels guilty and gets frozen too. And then...um...Estrella is having an affair with Benecio, who is the top salesman, but she's got this weird thing with Roberto, because she's her baby daddy, although he doesn't know he'd gotten her pregnant years before. And then Victoria and Esmerelda kept fighting because Esmerelda is just...she doesn't know how to be happy and Victoria was getting fed up with doing all the work and so they kind of broke up, but then they sort of still were seeing each other, and then they were getting back together, but then Esmerelda fucking slept with Benicio and Victoria walked in on them and she ran away and into the street and Estrella fucking ran her down with her car. And then this Pedro dude showed up with Estrella's child and it turns out he's some idiot she seduced and married immediately after running away pregnant in the first place and he thinks the kid is his. And after the funeral he learns he's not the Dad, so he's pissed and he leaves. And Estrella is trying to figure out what to do now and Esmerelda has finally come out to her parents and is a better parent to Victoria- the kid's name is Victoria, after the sister- than Estrella, but Estrella is trying, I guess. Kind of. She's still fucking nuts. And the last episode had Benicio getting pissed because Estrella fired him after everything that happened and he's probably going to pull some shit. Estrella is going to finally tell Roberto that Victoria is his child."
"Ok...um...that's a lot to take in," Tori nodded as she scrolled to the most recent episode. "So you're like...really into this show, then?"
"What? No, of course not."
"Right, clearly," Tori pressed play, smirking to herself.
Roberto is ecstatic that Estrella agreed to have lunch with him and is making sure everything is as perfect as can be when Estrella arrives.
"Hey, Berto," she greets him, clearly not as enthused as he is.
"Estrella, sit, sit!" he says, jumping up and pulling her chair out for her.
"Listen, I have something to say and it's best if I just get it out, OK?" Estrella says, not taking her seat.
"Is everything OK?" Roberto asked, waving the waiter away.
"I- remember when I left? Six years ago?"
"Of course, I remember. It was the worst day of my life!"
"Um, yeah...OK….well, I was pregnant."
Roberto doesn't reply.
"And she is yours. My husband...soon-to-be ex-husband… thought she was his and he has raised her, but she's…she's yours and I just...thought you should know now."
Roberto still says nothing. He does not even blink.
"That's a...I feel like she shouldn't have had this conversation in public?" Tori observed.
"Shh!" Jade is hyper-focused on the screen.
"You know, this is my house, right?"
"She's always like this when we watch," Cat smiled.
The scene cuts away to Benicio at a police station.
"God, this fucking show and it's fucking scene changes every fucking five seconds!" Jade growled, throwing a pillow at the TV.
"Well, they want to keep things suspenseful and keep your interest so-" Tori is interrupted when Jade hurls a pillow at her face as well.
"She planned to run her down, I know she did. She wanted to own the whole company herself," Benecio is explaining to the detectives. "She murdered her own sister! She can't just go free for that. Victoria was such a good, kind soul…"
"This fucking dickweed I can't even...he can't be serious. Hasn't he already ruined enough lives?" Jade turned to Tori.
"I don't know. Has he? Which one is this again?"
Jade rolled her eyes. "This is Benicio. He was banging Estrella and then he banged Esmerelda and that's why Victoria ran into the street. It's his fault."
"Sounds like it was just a terrible accident, Jade."
"No, someone should be held accountable."
"Well, Estrella was driving the car, wasn't she?"
Jade glared at her.
"I'm gonna go," Cat spoke up suddenly. "My brother is being held by mall security for doing bad things in Build-A-Bra again. I have to go get him. Byyyee!"
Cat gives Tori a quick hug and skips out the door.
"Wonder what her brother was doing at Build-A-Bra."
"Shhh!"
"Well, if Cat's gone we don't have to keep watching then, do we?" Tori asked.
"Well, we might as well finish the episode," Jade grumbled. "Cat will want to know what happened."
"Not into this show, huh," Tori mumbled.
"Shut up," Jade quips.
Roberto flips out and leaves the restaurant and Estrella doesn't seem terribly concerned. She heads straight to Esmerelda's apartment, where the other woman is babysitting Victoria.
"You're really good with her," Estrella says to Esmerelda.
Esmerelda scoffs. "Whatever. She's not awful."
Estrella laughs. "Victoria always wanted to be a Mom. I never did. I mean, I love her, don't get me wrong, but...Victoria would have been a great Mom."
Esmerelda nods, looking like she might burst into tears, but holding it in. "I just...I feel like my whole life has been...just...everything I want ends badly. So it's better not to want anything. It's better to just expect the worst."
"You will never be happy living like that," Estrella shrugged.
Esmerelda nodded. "Yeah, that's...that's what Victoria would always say. I didn't listen though."
Estrella is about to respond when there is a knock at the door. "Policia, abre la puerta!"
The two women look at each other, perplexed, and Esmerelda goes to open the door.
The police push inside with little preamble. "Estrella Castillo, you are under arrest for the murder of Victoria Castillo."
"What? Murder? It was an accident! I would never-" she cries out as the officers cuff her.
Victoria starts crying, calling out to her mami, and Estrella tries to comfort her daughter but the officers do not let her.
"Oh come on!" Jade yells at the screen.
"Esmeralda, please take care of her!" Estrella sobs at the other woman, who is holding Victoria tightly, nodding.
"Poor thing," Tori said.
"Her dad just bailed on her and now her mom is getting arrested in front of her!" Jade exclaims.
"Oh, yeah, poor her too. I was talking about you though."
"What? I'm FINE."
"Uh huh," Tori nods, reaching over and patting Jade on the shoulder. "Sure you are."
"What? I am fine," Jade repeats, angrily.
"Do you want some Italian cocoa? Always helps Andre when he's feeling wonky."
"I am NOT feeling wonky."
"I'll make some. There's a dark chocolate one."
"Vega, I don't want cocoa!"
But Tori doesn't listen, heading to the kitchen to make some anyway.
Estrella is in prison, gripping the steel bars and looking straight into the camera. "I will have my revenge on you, Benicio. Just you wait."
The scene shifts to a beautiful park. Esmerelda is pushing Victoria on a swing.
The little girl looks heartbroken. "I want my mami and my papi!" she cries out suddenly.
Esmerelda stops the swing and Victoria hops off, running a few feet away before dropping down in the grass and crying.
Esmerelda sits down beside her. "I know you do," she rubs little circles on Victoria's tiny back.
"Why did they leave?"
"They...your Mami didn't leave forever. She just has to...work for awhile. She will be back. She loves you very much. And you are going to stay with me for awhile. I know you don't know me that well yet, but I was very good friends with your Mami's sister, your Tía. I loved her. We were going to get married. Your Mami named you after her sister, you know? You would have loved your Tía Victoria too."
"Can you tell me about her?"
The camera pans away from the two of them, sitting on the grass in the park.
Tori came back into the room, two mugs of cocoa in hand, to find Jade in tears on the sofa. "Jade…"
"I'm fine. I don't even care!" Jade snapped, furiously wiping her eyes.
"It's OK," Tori replied, sitting down beside her. "I mean, I was hysterical when I was watching the last iCarly webcast…"
"Tori, it's not about the damn show. Even though Benicio is a dick and Roberto is a pussy and the cops are awful and their parents are still fucking frozen and Victoria is just...dead. She's dead. And Esmerelda is never going to be happy because she was happy with Victoria and she fucked it up!"
Tori wasn't really sure how to respond, so she just set Jade's mug on the coffee table and sipped her own.
"I don't even care about any of this," Jade repeated.
"The mug with your cocoa in it has scissors on it. I bought it before you dumped me, but you can still have it," Tori moved for a subject change.
Jade frowned and looked at the mug on the coffee table. "What, was that some anniversary gift? A mug?"
"No," Tori scoffed. "It was not an anniversary. It was just a gift. It made me think of you. Because...you know...scissors. Coffee. Jade. Makes sense."
"And you think that I care about a mug right now?"
"I'm just trying to take your mind off whatever is upsetting you," Tori sighed.
"What makes you think I'm upset?"
"You are crying over a telenovela…"
Jade scowled at her.
"Do you want a hug?"
"NO!" Jade barked, crossing her arms.
Tori scooted a little closer and hugged her anyway.
Jade kept her arms crossed, but leaned into Tori despite herself.
They stayed that way for what seemed like a very long time, Tori only letting go when the front door opened and her mother, father, and Gary entered.
Tori stood up, alarmed at seeing his father's former partner there.
"Toro, hey there," Gary greeted her with a smarmy grin.
"Fuck off, Glaudio," Jade snapped.
"Uh," Tori looked at Jade, her brow knit with confusion.
"What are you doing here?" Holly grumbled.
"Nothing, just leaving," Jade got up and hurried past them.
"Wait, Jade," Tori called after her, but was intercepted by her parents when she made to follow.
"Tori, we need to have a family talk. I know Trina isn't here anymore and that makes it a little tough on you, but…"
"No, no, no," Tori shook her head. "I don't care what mess you've made and what you're...I don't need to know about any of it."
She pushed through them and out the still-open door, hoping to reach Jade before she leaves.
To her surprise, Jade is sitting on the curb. She walks down the driveway and sits beside her. "Where's your car?"
"Cat must have taken it."
"Does...does Cat have her license?"
"No."
"Well, that's not good…"
"I'm sorry," Jade blurted. "I shouldn't have dumped you. It was stupid and I...I miss you."
Tori smiled. "I've missed you too."
Jade turned to look at Tori, and reached out and grasped her hand, squeezing it tight. "Can we try again, then?"
"I'd like that," Tori nodded. "But I can't be doing all the work. You need to meet me part of the way. You can't spend all your time trying to set me up to fail."
Jade shook her head. "I know."
Tori still seemed a bit hesitant. "I don't understand why you've changed your mind."
"Trina's stupid show."
"What?"
"I love that garbage show, OK? And I don't want to be like fucking Esmerelda."
"Which one is Esmerelda, again?"
"Damn it, Tori."
"Sorry, I've only seen the first episode and the one we just watched! And I was watching you more than the show both times…"
Jade rolled her eyes.
"Well, I was."
"You can't tell Trina that I like her show."
"Love. You said you love the show."
"Whatever. Never speak of it. That's the rule. Or we'll have to break up again."
Tori leaned over and kissed her. "Not a word."
END NOTE: And that's a wrap. I know it's a mess and I know this chapter especially took a weird turn, but whatever. It's done. The story is complete and I can wash my hands of it at last. Hope some of you got a laugh out of the craziness at least!
