General A/N: I don't own Victorious, though that's probably obvious. This is just an idea that came to mind while binging the show during quarantine. Happy reading!

Chapter 7: I want to be with you everywhere

Chapter Summary: Jade and Tori take an impromptu trip to the beach, where feelings begin to bubble up.

Chapter A/N: Chapter title is lyrics from Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac.

After an hour or so of driving around the area near the café, listening to the radio while going back and forth on ideas of what to do with the rest of their spontaneous ditch day, Jade and Tori finally came to a consensus—the beach. It was Tori's suggestion, which Jade eventually conceded to—not without much deliberation—in part because she liked the beach, and in part because she couldn't take another minute of their indecision.

Before their excursion began, they made a couple stops at their respective houses to swap their school clothes for something more beach-appropriate. Jade changed into black denim shorts and a black bikini top with a dark gray vintage Joan Jett and the Blackhearts t-shirt on top, while Tori settled for cut-offs, a blue bikini top with a black "A Woman's Place is in the House and the Senate" t-shirt over it, and a worn out Dodgers hat.

The best part of an impromptu trip to the beach on a weekday morning in mid-April, was that it was practically deserted, and unlike normally, Jade managed to find a parking spot with ease. Once parked, they gathered their things—a couple beach towels, water, sunblock for when the sun intensified—and made their way over to a semi-secluded spot, just far enough away from the few groups that had gathered near the shoreline.

After laying out their towels, Tori sat down, legs tucked under her thighs, and checked her phone. It was the first time she even looked at it since Jade picked her up, nearly three hours before, and much to her surprise, she was inundated with notifications from the 'Breakfast Club' group chat—along with a couple direct messages from André—wondering where they were.

"Have you looked at your phone recently?" she asked, flashing her screen at Jade who had settled onto her towel, her legs stretched out in front of her.

"Not since I picked you up," Jade replied. Instead of looking at Tori's phone, she pulled out her own, glanced at the group chat—which she normally kept muted—and immediately closed out of it. "I guess you better let them know I haven't killed you… yet."

Tori scrolled through the conversation, half-reading, half-listening to Jade. Without as much of a glance in her direction, she retorted, "You're not funny."

"Who said I was trying to be?"

At that, Tori looked up, brow raised in curiosity. "So, you did bring me out here to kill me?"

"Oh no, this isn't where I'd do it. Too many witnesses," Jade said, speaking in a feigned impassive tone as she nodded her head toward the section of the beach that was occupied by other people. "It would have to be somewhere more private."

"You say that like you've thought about it."

"I won't confirm nor deny."

"Sometimes I wonder if you're actually joking."

Jade smirked. "I am… mostly."

Tori rolled her eyes and redirected her attention to the group chat. She finished catching up on the countless missed messages, sent off a quick response to let everyone know they were okay—that Jade hadn't kidnapped her—and closed out of her phone.

Soon after getting situated, they fell quiet. Their morning had been filled with conversation—far more than usual for them—but now, as they sat looking out onto the shore, the quietude was welcomed. There was just something so serene about being near the water; the faint sounds of waves colliding in the distance, the cool ocean breeze that gently cascaded over them, the feel of the sand beneath their feet.

They stayed like that for a while, neither willing to disturb the comfortable silence that had settled between them. But that tranquility, as peaceful as it was, could not contain their racing minds, nothing really could. All Jade could think about was Tori, and all Tori could think about was Jade.

"Would you say we're friends?" Tori randomly asked, no longer able to bear the fleet of thoughts in her head.

The question caught Jade by surprise, but she was grateful for the break in silence. She was sure if she spent even one more second sitting with her thoughts, she was going to combust.

"I wouldn't exactly call it that, but I guess if someone held a gun to my head and asked—"

"I'm serious, Jade," Tori interrupted, holding her hand up to stop her from continuing. "Are we friends?"

Jade waited a beat—she wanted the dramatic effect—and said, "Yes, Vega, we're friends."

Hearing those words come out of Jade's mouth made Tori perk up with joy, but she did her best to contain herself, worried Jade would retreat at the slightest hint of enthusiasm.

"Would you say friends know things about each other?" she asked, repositioning herself so she sat crossed-legged facing Jade, her hands loosely resting in her lap.

Jade glanced at her, a puzzled look on her face. "I guess, yeah."

"Well, as your friend, I feel like I don't really know you," Tori admitted, voicing the thought that had been ruminating in her mind since she put her phone away. There was nothing she wanted more than to get to know Jade better; the Jade she'd seen glimpses of, not the one around their friends.

Somewhat startled by the disclosure, Jade looked away from her and back at the water. "You know enough."

Tori wasn't an expert on Jade West—nobody was—but she knew nothing came easy with her, especially not opening up. It was going to take a lot, that much she knew, but she was willing to try.

"What's your favorite color?" she asked in an attempt to get her talking.

"That's what you're starting with?" Jade asked, glancing back at her. "My favorite color?"

Tori nodded. She was sure in her bones it was black, but she wanted to hear Jade answer it.

"Black," Jade finally answered.

"Okay, now ask me something."

"Why are we doing this?"

"Ask me something about me," Tori corrected, pointing to herself.

"Why are you making me do this?"

"I'm not making you do anything. I just want to know more about you other than your obsession with that scissor movie and—"

"I know you did not just call it that scissor movie," Jade cut her off, shaking her head in clear disapproval. "The Scissoring is the best movie that has ever been created and for you to just disrespect it like that…" she drew in a deep breath before continuing, "I don't think we can be friends anymore."

"Oh come on, I didn't mean it."

Feigning heartache, Jade clutched her heart and looked away, letting her eyes fill with forced tears. Who said she couldn't cry on command?

"Nothing you say will ever fix this," she said through a shaky voice.

"What if I promise to watch it?" Tori asked, unfazed by Jade's performance. It was almost believable, she'd give her that, but no amount of acting could ever convince her that Jade would cry over a movie, even if it was The Scissoring.

Keeping up her act, Jade wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "I'm listening."

"I will, I'll watch it," Tori assured her. There was a hint of excitement in her voice, not because she was eager to watch the movie—inside she was already dying of fear—but because in some weird, strange way it meant they were connecting.

"I guess I'll be your friend again," Jade said hesitantly, her voice and demeanor back to her better-known persona. "But you can't watch it without me."

"You think I'd watch a horror movie by myself?"

Jade offered a half-shrug before responding, "Why not? I do."

"Well, yeah, but you're…" Tori paused, searching for the right word.

With a quirked brow and her trademark smirk, Jade cast her an inquisitive look. "I'm what?"

"Not a wuss like me."

Jade chuckled. "Nice save."

"I hope you don't think I forgot about our previous conversation," Tori said, picking up a handful of sand and letting it slip slowly through her fingers.

"Oh, you mean before you insulted my favorite movie of all time?"

"Let it go," Tori said, stopping after every word for emphasis.

"You wanna know more about me? Okay," Jade began, sitting up and shifting her body so they were facing each other on their own towels, "Jade West 101. I'm very good at holding grudges."

"Don't I know it," Tori muttered under her breath, but it didn't go unheard by Jade.

"You wanna repeat that?"

"Anyway…" Tori said quickly, trying to change the subject. She shook the sand off of her hands and looked at Jade. "I have an idea, but before you go get your scissors from the car, just hear me out."

"This can't be good," Jade groaned. She crossed her legs and leaned forward, resting her elbow on her leg and her chin on her fist.

"Let's play a game."

"What kind of game are we talking about here?"

"Well, there's…" Tori began, voice trailing off as she mused over options. "Twenty one questions?"

Jade feigned a yawn and said, "Boring."

"Truth or dare?"

That one Jade considered for a brief moment, but then shook her head. "Also boring. Pick something that's not so vanilla."

Tori took a second to think about it then offered, "Never have I ever?"

"No."

"Why not? That's not boring!" Tori argued.

"Just no."

Tori let out a long, exasperated sigh as she dropped her head into her hands. She was silent for a minute or so, mentally searching for an option to suggest, and then, it hit her.

"F, marry, kill?" she asked, picking her head up from between her hands and looking at Jade.

"F, marry, kill?" Jade repeated questioningly.

"You've never played it? I give you three people and you choose who to marry, who to kill, and who to… have sex with."

"Fuck. The f stands for fuck."

There was a slight pink tint to Tori's cheeks, but she gathered herself and nodded. "So, you have played it?"

"Yeah, I've played fuck, marry, kill before, not some G rated f, marry, kill."

"They're the same thing!"

"No they're not, Prudence."

"I am not a prude!" Tori defended. "I've done… things."

Jade half-smiled, half-smirked, her chin still resting on her fist. "Things, huh? Definitely not proving my point at all."

"Do you want to play or not?" Tori asked, flustered by the way the conversation was going.

"Sure, I guess," Jade said with an uninterested shrug. "I've got nothing better to do."

With a full-toothed grin and a celebratory clap of her hands, Tori sat up and pondered her first question.

"Okay, f, marry, kill—"

"I'm gonna stop you right there," Jade interrupted, "if we're playing this stupid game, you have to say the actual word."

Tori scowled. "You don't have to be such a gank."

"You don't have to be such a prude," Jade retorted, mimicking her glare.

They silently stared at each other for a brief moment, tension radiating between them like a force field, until Tori broke the contact, eyes looking anywhere but at Jade. Instead, her focus fell onto Jade's shirt, sparking an idea.

"Fuck, marry, kill…" Tori began, a strong emphasis on the word "fuck." "Joan Jett, Mick Jagger, and Steven Tyler."

"Marry Joan, fuck Mick, and kill Steven," Jade replied as soon as the names left Tori's lips.

"You didn't even think about it."

"I didn't have to, that was easy."

"Whatever. Your turn!"

"Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and that God-awful one with the red hair."

"Ed Sheeran?"

"Sure, yeah."

"Hm, let's see," Tori said, weighing her options as if her life depended on it. "I guess I'll marry Taylor, I bet she'd be a great wife. I'll fuck Katy, she seems nice. And kill Ed."

"You take this game way too seriously."

"Robbie, André, and Beck," Tori said, ignoring Jade's remark and continuing with the game. She knew that if she gave in to every one of her comments, they'd be playing until the sun set.

"No."

"You have to answer it."

"I'm not doing people we know, that's just gross."

"Where's the fun in that?" Tori questioned.

"Fine, kill, kill, and... kill."

"That's not how you play."

"It is now."

"Alright, new rule," Tori said, placing her hands firmly on her knees. "If you refuse to answer an FMK, then I get to ask you a personal question."

"I don't have to answer any questions, how about that?" Jade quipped.

"It ups the stakes! You're the one who said you didn't want to play anything boring."

Jade was quiet, mulling over the idea. She didn't like the thought of Tori prying into her personal life, giving her the ability to know things about her that no one else knew, but something deep inside was telling her to let it go, to trust her for once.

"Fine, whatever. Let's play," she said.

"Not until you shake on it."

"Shake on it? Seriously? Is this summer camp?"

Tori didn't reply, just stuck out her hand in front of her, waiting for Jade to take it.

With an over-the-top eye roll, Jade reached out to clasp her hand, but halted before they made contact and stated, "The rule works both ways. If you plead the fifth on an FMK, you're getting a question too."

On the outside, Tori was composed, playing it cool as she grasped Jade's hand and gave one firm shake to seal the deal. But inside, as she relished the semi-familiar feel of that soft hand in hers, she was a ball of nerves. "Why does she make me feel like this?" she asked herself.

She didn't dwell on it too long, pulling her hand back and nervously adjusting her cap.

"Robbie, André, and Beck," she repeated her previous suggestion.

"So, right off the bat I'm gonna kill Robbie," Jade answered in a sure tone, "then I guess I'd marry Beck and fuck André."

Tori stifled a laugh, remembering the time André thought he was in love with her. He'd really get a kick outta that answer.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, nothing. Your turn."

Jade eyed her suspiciously, but didn't press on.

"Cat, André, and—" she started to say then stopped, cocked her head, and narrowed her eyes at her before adding, "Beck."

"I'll pass," Tori answered immediately, flashing a nervous—almost terrified—grin. She was sure she set that up on purpose, but there was no way she was going to answer it, not for Jade. "What's your question?"

Jade's lips pulled into a devilish smirk. She wanted to make Tori feel it for adding the new rule.

"So when you say you've done… things," she began, using air quotes around the word "things." "What does that mean exactly?"

Tori bashfully looked away in an attempt to hide her crimson-colored cheeks. She definitely regretted adding that rule.

"Nothing past second base," she mumbled.

"That's so vague."

"Should I draw you a diagram of how far I went with Ryder, then?" Tori questioned.

"No, that's vile. I'm just saying, bases mean different things to different people."

"Well, we didn't get too far, okay? A lot of making out and a lot of touching, but I never… and he never…" Tori shyly admitted, "though not for a lack of trying on his part. He always wanted more."

"Fuck that guy," Jade said nonchalantly. Realizing she voiced her thought aloud, she cleared her throat and sat up straight. "Your turn. Go!"

It took Tori a second to think through a new selection of people—somewhat taken aback by Jade's comment—but eventually she offered, "SinJin, Burf, and Trina."

"Hard pass."

"Then I get to ask you a question."

"Oh, goody..."

"What's your guilty pleasure tv show, movie, or music that no one else knows about?"

"Of all the possible things you can ask me, you choose guilty pleasure? Really?"

"Do you want me to change it? I can come up with something more personal if you prefer like—"

"No, no," Jade said, holding a hand up to stop her from saying any more, "you don't get to just change your question."

"Well, go on then, answer it," Tori challenged.

"You better not tell anyone this, but I may… sometimes… when I'm bored, watch The Vampire Diaries," Jade reluctantly admitted through gritted teeth, then swiftly added, "I like the gore."

While Jade did enjoy the gory parts of the show—though not as gruesome as she'd want it to be—she also had another reason for watching it: Nina Dobrev. She had developed something akin to a crush on her, although you'd never hear her utter that word.

"You'll be surprised to know I've never actually watched it," Tori revealed, "though everyone always tells me I look like the main girl."

"You look nothing like Nina," Jade lied. Of course she could see it, she had seen it since the day she first laid eyes on her.

"It's what I've been told."

"I just don't see it," Jade defended.

They spent a few more rounds playing, until it was finally warm enough to tan and Jade promptly ended the game.

Neither Jade nor Tori had anticipated being at the beach for a long period of time—Jade was certain she could only handle an hour with just Tori—but between getting to know each other better and taking full advantage of the sun as it beamed down on them, neither one paid much attention to the clock. The time seemed to pass quickly though, and before they knew it they had been laid out on their respective towels for over an hour.

Their conversation had dwindled down to companionable silence after a while of basking in the sun, until Tori decided to fill it with Fleetwood Mac's discography, which she played from her phone's Spotify app. Surprisingly, Jade didn't mind it, though that may have been because she actually liked the artist. Every now and then as they laid listening, Tori would catch her with her eyes closed, fingers tapping along to the beat on her bare stomach, as she mouthed along to the lyrics. As rare as a moment like that was, it was nice to see her so comfortable and so at ease.

Eventually, Tori got restless, tired of lying around for so long. She stood up, took a few steps away from their stuff, and started stretching. First her neck, then her shoulders, then her arms, and finished by shaking out her legs.

At first, Jade paid her no mind, far too uninterested to care what she was doing. But as Dreams neared its chorus and Tori's stretching turned into dancing, she couldn't help but to silently look on.

Tori had no idea she was being watched, until she heard a faint chuckle over the music. She turned to find Jade, propped up on her elbows, brows furrowed in curiosity.

"Enjoying the view, West?" she asked, swaying from side to side as she looked at Jade. She wasn't sure what had her in such a playful mood, but she didn't dwell on it.

"No," Jade answered dryly, but made no attempt to reposition herself or look away. She was kind of entertained by Tori's dorky antics.

Unfazed, Tori shrugged and continued swaying through the song's chorus. Audience or not, she was happy to keep dancing.

When the song ended and transitioned into the next, she finally stopped, but only to channel her energy into something different—cartwheels.

"What are you doing?" Jade asked after Tori's first failed attempt left her kneeling in the sand.

"I was trying to do a cartwheel."

"That was embarrassing. Do it again."

Tori stood up, wiped the sand off of her legs—and the little that had landed on her stomach in the aftermath—and tried again. This time, she gave herself a bit of a running start before lunging forward, placing her hands in the sand, and kicking her feet off the ground.

When she actually landed it, she threw her hands up in the air and posed with an ear-to-ear smile, like an Olympic gymnast who nailed their dismount.

"Judges?" she asked, looking over at Jade for an answer. She brushed the sand off of her hands, stooped down to pick up her hat, which had fallen when she was mid-cartwheel, and skipped back over to her towel.

A pregnant pause lingered in the air as Jade mulled over a score—and tried to avoid the wave of thoughts that flooded her mind.

"Uh… six point eight," she said, voice softer than usual. She cleared her throat and laid back flat on her towel. "No, six."

"Damn, tough crowd," Tori said as she sat down to catch her breath.

"It takes a lot to impress me."

Silence fell over them once more as the intro to Fleetwood Mac's Everywhere played on. Tori grabbed her phone from where she set it before, and opened The Slap app to peruse through it. As it loaded, she glanced over at Jade, who laid quietly beside her. She had her hands clasped, resting on her stomach, and her eyes closed to block out the sun rays that danced on her pale skin. She looked peaceful, almost harmless.

But Tori had no clue that inside Jade, a full-fledged storm was brewing. One full of confusion, panic, shock, and even… desire.

"Something's happening, happening to me. My friends say I'm acting peculiarly," the lyrics rang out from the phone's speaker and piercingly echoed in Jade's mind.

Something was, in fact, happening to her. Over the last twelve days—ever since she pulled away from Tori's lips at the conclusion of their first rehearsal—she had been battling with herself, trying to avoid the feelings that bubbled up inside of her at the mere thought, mention, or sight of Tori.

At first she chalked it all up to their scene, that what she felt was just acting and absolutely nothing more. But it was more. Every time she was near her, every time she stole a glance at her from her locker and caught her smiling to herself, or every time she waited around anxiously for her to text back, it all stirred the same feeling inside.

Jade West was as smart as she was a good actress, and even though she fought hard to keep from admitting it, she was undeniably sure that what she felt wasn't acting. It was clear to her now, more than ever, that she was genuinely attracted to the annoyingly cute, irritatingly adorable, Tori Vega. And as soon as the thought set in, it was the only thing that ran through her mind.

While Jade was seconds away from bursting at the seams, Tori sat scrolling through The Slap app, oblivious to everything. At some point she got bored of her feed—not a lot going on when everyone was at school—and closed out of it, switching to look through her Spotify music instead. She was contemplating what song to change to next, when she was struck with a daring idea.

"I have a song for you," she said, unknowingly interrupting Jade's mini crisis.

Jade—grateful to be focused on something else—opened her eyes and tilted her head to look at her with piqued curiosity, pulling a blank expression to mask her turmoil.

With Jade's attention on her, Tori pressed play, causing the opening bars of Justin Bieber's Boyfriend to boom from her phone's speaker. As the song began, she watched Jade, awaiting her reaction with eager anticipation and a smirk that could only be described as mischievous.

"I don't know what this is," Jade admitted as she propped up on her elbows to take a closer listen, as if that would jog her memory.

The music continued, but the second Justin's sing-whispering began, her face went from confused to disgusted.

"What the hell is this?" she asked.

But Tori didn't answer, doing her best to stifle a fit of laughter with her right fist. It was all going as she imagined it would, until Jade finally figured it out halfway through the first verse and shot up into a sitting position.

"Is this Justin Bieber? Are you kidding me?" she questioned, exasperation clear in her voice and face.

What happened next was like a scene right out of a cheesy, early-2000s rom-com. Without hesitating, Jade lunged forward to snatch the phone from Tori's hands, but Tori was quick to evade her, springing to her feet in one fluid motion and taking off across the sand.

"You're dead, Vega!" Jade called out as she stood up and chased after her.

"If I was your boyfriend, I'd never let you go," Tori breathlessly sang along to the chorus as she sprinted away.

The song selection was meant as a joke—a hilarious nod to their morning altercation—but Jade was having none of it.

"Turn that shit off!" she demanded sternly.

Though Tori was fast, Jade was surprisingly quicker, and it didn't take long for her to catch up. When she reached her, she wrapped her arms around her from behind—bear-hug style—to keep her from running away again. Despite her overt vexation—or how bad it looked—the action was more playful than aggressive, and Tori burst into laughter.

"Give me that," Jade ordered, trying to grab the phone, which still blared music.

Tori tried her best to fend her off, squirming in her embrace, but each movement tickled her, and her laugh turned into an outright giggling fit.

"Stop! Stop!" she begged though her laughter. "Please, I'll give it to you."

True to her word, she released the strong grip she had on her phone and offered it to Jade.

"I hope you know you're going to pay for this," Jade said as she took the phone and paused the music.

"Oh yeah? How so?" Tori asked, turning her head to look back at her.

It was in that moment that they both realized how close they were again, how Jade's arms were still wrapped around Tori, how they were both nearly shirtless—in only their bikini tops—and how the feel of the other's skin against their own lit fires within them. They pulled apart simultaneously, neither addressing the issue.

"With your life," Jade answered, a little delayed. It was clear in her voice that she was trying to stay cool.

"There we go again with the death threats," Tori joked. She didn't know what to make of what had just happened.

They walked back to their spot quietly, neither one had much to say, but then Tori broke the silence. "You're so fast."

Jade shrugged. "I run."

"You run?"

"What? I don't look like I run?" Jade asked, stopping in place and gesturing to her body.

Tori glanced at her, looked her over from head to toe, and bashfully answered, "You do."

Hours later, around the time they would've been getting out from school, Jade pulled into the Vega driveway and parked her car.

"Do you want to come in?" Tori asked, mentally hoping she'd say yes.

"I think we've done enough bonding for a day, don't you think?" Jade replied, though internally she was kicking herself for not just agreeing to stay.

"Suit yourself," Tori said, opening the passenger door. She was disappointed in her answer, but she didn't outwardly show it. "I'll see you Monday, I guess."

"See you Monday."

Tori exited the car and trudged along the driveway and onto the pathway that led to her house. As she rounded the corner, she paused, turned slowly, and waved goodbye, and almost immediately, Jade waved back.

The second Tori was out of view, Jade let out a big, much-needed sigh of relief, one that she had been carrying with her for hours.

"I'm so fucked," she muttered to herself, leaning forward and resting her forehead against the steering wheel.

General A/N: I hope you enjoyed. Drop your thoughts in the comments, if you'd like. I welcome all feedback! 🙂