Nicole stretched her hand out over the table, fingers beckoning. "Pay up, West!"

Jade rolled her eyes and shifted so that she could reach into her back pocket for the ten dollar bill that Tori had seen her slip there before dinner. "Geez, you can't even give a girl a minute to enjoy her food before you bleed her dry?"

"Absolutely not." Nicole replied, flexing her fingers. Jade rolled her eyes again but placed the money into Nicole's waiting hand.

"Greedy little gank, aren't you?"

Nicole turned to Tori and jutted out her lip in an exaggerated pout. "Tor, your...girlfriend?" She paused and waited for Tori to nod affirmatively. "You girlfriend is being mean to me!"

Tori stabbed a piece of broccoli onto her fork (at least she hoped it was broccoli- it was green, at least) and shot her roommate an unamused look. "Good."

"Hey!"

She popped the broccoli into her mouth and chewed slowly, arching a brow at Nicole's indignation. "Deal with it," she said after she swallowed. "She's mean to everyone."

"Yeah, but I'm your best friend! You're supposed to be on my side!"

Tori's eyes narrowed. "You made a bet about whether or not she had feelings for me...and never told me that you even thought that it was a possibility. Like, ever. Best friends tell each other those things."

She heard Jade let out a low whistle as Nicole's face paled. "I..."

"We'll talk about it later," Tori said, piercing another piece of broccoli.

"You're in trouble," Jade sang, causing Tori to turn and shoot her a look, too.

"If you don't knock it off, you'll also be in trouble."

Jade grinned and waggled her eyebrows. "Promise?"

"Gross," Nicole muttered. She stabbed at her own dinner, chewing thoughtfully for a moment before leveling a serious look towards Jade. "Hey, Jade?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't you dare hurt her."

Tori felt her heart lift at Nicole's words, but she also couldn't help but laugh because seriously? But, Jade just nodded.

""Wouldn't dream of it." She paused and glanced over at Tori with a familiar gleam in her eyes. "Well, not unless she asks me to."

"Jade!" Tori exclaimed, but her girlfriend was laughing and her roommate was groaning and for the first time in a while, things felt almost normal.

"Oh my god, you two are going to be absolutely insufferable aren't you," Nicole asked after a moment, and even though Tori tried to keep her expression stern, the combination of Nicole's words and Jade's growing smirk had a smile pulling at her own lips.

Jade leaned over and wrapped an arm around Tori's shoulders, pulling her flush against her side. She rested her head on her shoulder, nuzzling into Tori's neck. "Abso-fucking-lutely!"

Tori's couldn't do anything but groan.

She hadn't been joking, though, when she told Nicole that they would be talking about things later; something that her roommate quickly realized after Jade had left them and Tori turned to give her an unamused look while Nicole tried to open up the door to their dorm.

"What?" Nicole asked, and Tori shook her head.

"You knew she liked me?" It wasn't a question, really, more a statement, and it caused Nicole to wince.

"I mean...kinda?" Nicole pushed their door open and walked inside, Tori close behind.

"And you never thought to, oh, I don't know...tell me?"

Nicole sank down into her chair with a sigh. "Tor, what was I supposed to tell you? 'Oh, hey, I know you're dating this super awesome guy but I think your friend might be crushing on you?'"

"Yes!" Tori shut the door and walked over to her bed, leaning against the frame. "Literally, yes!"

"That would have been a terrible idea!" Nicole leaned forward and propped her elbows up on the desk, steepling her fingers in front of her. "I didn't want to make you and Jake break-up! And I wasn't completely sure that I was right, and-"

Tori's fingers curled beneath the metal frame of the bed, sending an ache through her right hand. "You literally made a bet with her about it!"

Nicole glanced over at her with guilt written across her face. "Yeah, I did. But it started because I asked if she liked you, and she said no, and...look, I didn't think anything would actually come out of it! I figured the year would end, and she'd show up demanding her ten bucks, and that's all that would happen!" She sighed and closed her eyes, resting her forehead against her hands. "I'm sorry. I never thought that things would happen like this."

"Yeah, well..." Tori relaxed her hands just a little. "It was still kinda shitty, Nic."

"I know."

Tori began to shake her head, then paused, a new thought rising to the surface. "You literally told me that you were worried that we'd end up killing each other over Spring Break! How does that make any sense if you thought that she-" She stopped mid-sentence, the realization washing over her. "Oh my god, did you think that we were going to hook up or something?"

"No!" she exclaimed. Tori shot her a withering look and she winced again. "Well..."

"Are you fucking kidding me, Nic?"

"Look, what do you want me to say? There was at least a thirty percent chance that you two would kill each other- don't give me that look, you know that I'm right- and I actually was worried about leaving you alone, just, like, in general! You kept up a good act for months, but you obviously weren't in the best place mentally, and I just...I really was worried about you." She shook her head. "I didn't think you guys would hook up, but I was worried that something might happen, and that I wouldn't be here to help you through it if it went...well, badly."

"Why didn't you just..." Tori paused, Nicole's words sinking in. "I...I wasn't acting."

"Tori, I sleep in the same room as you."

"So?"

"So I know that you haven't slept properly since like, November. All you do is toss and turn and I should have said something before, and I know that and I'm sorry but girl, you might be a good actress but you obviously weren't doing all that hot."

"So why didn't you say anything?"

"I tried! But you had started to shut me out, and then we had that fight, and I just...I didn't want to lose you as a friend completely." She sighed and looked away. "I'm really sorry. I fucked up."

They were quiet for a few seconds and Tori tried to focus on something other than the tension that was in the air.

"Did you think I liked her, too?" she eventually asked.

Nicole looked up at her over her fingertips, her expression growing even guiltier. "I...had my suspicions, yeah."

"Jesus Christ." Tori let go of the bedframe completely and reached for her chair so that she could pull it closer and sink down into it. "How?"

"I mean...you spent most of your free time with her."

"That doesn't mean..."

"You talked about her all the time."

"Okay, but..."

"I also caught you staring at her ass more than once."

Tori felt the tips of her ears begin to burn. "You did not."

Nicole shrugged. "Whatever you say. But uh...you definitely did. And also there was that whole thing where you made out with her and then broke up with your boyfriend and honestly it wasn't hard to figure out after that."

"We didn't!...we didn't make out," Tori protested lamely. Nicole gave her an incredulous look. "We didn't! It wasn't like that."

"Alright. But still." Nicole dropped her hands and leaned back in her chair. "You weren't exactly the most discrete."

Tori blushed harder. "Yeah, well...shut up. I didn't know."

"Yeah, I...kinda get that now."

Tori leaned back and crossed her arms. "I get why you didn't tell me that you thought she liked me, and I sorta get why you never mentioned the whole "oh hey, Tori might be into Jade" thing to me, but...why didn't you at least tell me that she gave you the flyer for the Hamlet audition?"

"She told you about that?" Nicole waited for Tori to nod before continuing. "Ah. Well, she...she asked me not to."

Tori felt something in her chest tighten and she cast her eyes down. "Oh."

Nicole shook her head. "You two are the most oblivious people in the world, you know that?"

"That's becoming increasingly clear, yeah."

They were quiet again for another moment. But then Tori heard Nicole clear her throat and she looked back up to see her roommate holding up the ten dollar bill that Jade had handed her earlier.

"I'll split my winnings with you."

They ended up using the money to buy a bottle of cheap-ass rum off of a senior that Nicole knew. They turned that cheap-ass bottle of rum into some terribly-strong mixed drinks that they drank over the course of the night, singing along with a playlist that Tori had made in high school and trading stories about everything they hadn't known about the other.

("So how is she in bed?" Nicole asked. Tori's response was to toss a pillow at her head)

("Really fucking amazing," she would answer a moment later)

And by the end of the night, when they were good and properly sloshed, Nicole pulled her into a tight embrace and whispered apologies into her ear and Tori decided to forgive her.

Dating Jade West was something that Tori knew was going to be an adventure. After all, she had spent years watching her date someone else and she knew just how much of a handful she could be.

But even all her years of watching couldn't prepare her for the sheer thrill that she felt every single time Jade so much as glanced her way. It certainly didn't prepare her for how even though she tried to pretend like it was annoying when Jade would squeeze her hand a little tighter and shoot a nasty glare at every guy who dared let their gaze linger on Tori a little too long, it secretly made her feel wanted in a way that had her itching for more. And it definitely didn't prepare her for just how often she would find herself pressed up against a wall with lips on her neck and a hand between her legs.

Not that she was complaining, of course. Though she could do with a few less hickies, especially considering the fact that their show was coming up all too quickly and she'd soon have hundreds of theater-goers staring at her.

("West, I swear to god, if I find another fucking hickey on my neck, I will end you," she had hissed earlier that day, her back against the door of the empty classroom that Jade had pulled her into.

"I'd love to see you try," Jade replied, and before Tori could do more than glare at her, there were teeth grazing against her pulse point and she couldn't bring herself to keep caring about fucking hickies when she could be gripping her girlfriend's ass instead)

It wasn't all easy, though. They were, at the end of day, still Tori Vega and Jade West, after all. Just because they were dating-

(which was something Tori still couldn't believe was actually happening)

-didn't mean that they didn't find something to fight about constantly. Their latest argument, which had ended with Tori lying on her bed and close to tears while Jade sat fuming in her desk chair, had been about a homework assignment, for fuck's sake. But, like every other time before it (and there had been more than a few), they moved forward. A whispered apology, a kiss, and all was well.

All things considered, things were good. Things were really, really good.

It was after their first official date- a candlelit picnic-blanket dinner in the middle of Reede's stage the night before tech week began- that Tori decided to finally address one of the things that had been bothering her.

"You changed your hair."

"Hmm?"

Tori twirled a strand of scarlet around her finger. "Your hair. It's red, now."

"Astute observation as always, Vega," Jade replied dryly.

Tori shot her a look, but it was difficult to look irritated when Jade's hand was rubbing circles into her hip. "Don't be a gank."

"It's my natural state, you can't ask me to be something I'm not." Jade smirked at Tori's eye-roll. "Don't you like the red?"

"No, I do. It's just..." Tori gave a little half-shrug, choosing a different strand to wrap around her finger. "Why'd you change it?"

Jade's hand stilled for a moment and her brow furrowed just enough to make Tori nervous. "Felt like the right time."

Her thumb began rubbing circles again, but it didn't do much to help Tori's nerves because even though the candles that Jade had set up around them barely offered up enough light to see each other, Tori could still see the way that Jade's eyes had darted away from her face.

"Was it because of me?" Tori asked, the words leaving her even though she was scared of the answer.

"What?" Jade's gaze rose, meeting hers again. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, you changed it right after the party, and...I don't know. Red is the color of anger, and I know that you were angry because I was ignoring you, and..." Tori trailed off as Jade began to laugh, and she felt her face flush. "What's so funny?"

"You," Jade answered simply. Her hand left Tori's hip so that she could cup the side of her face, thumb brushing against her cheek as she leaned forward and kissed her gently. Tori felt her eyes slide shut, tasted the deep fruitiness of the Cabernet that they had been drinking earlier, and the knot that had twisted in her stomach only seconds before turned to butterflies as she threaded her fingers through Jade's hair.

Jade pulled back a few moments later, lips brushing against Tori's cheek. "Red is also the color of passion, Vega," she murmured, her breath hot against Tori's skin.

Tori opened her eyes, meeting Jade's gaze. She felt a surge of heat in her veins when she saw the longing behind blue-green eyes that burned brighter when Jade shifted so that she was straddling her hips. The flickering of the candles around them caught the scarlet in her hair in such a way that made it look like the flames were a part of her, and by the time Tori realized that she had been staring, Jade had already started trying to take off the jacket that Tori had haphazardly thrown on before leaving for the theater.

"Is this mine?"

"What?"

Jade tugged on the lapels, urging Tori to sit up just enough for her to slide the leather off of her shoulders. "This jacket. I think it's mine, right?"

"Oh." Tori watched her hold the jacket up in front of her, and she was thankful that it was (hopefully) dark enough to hide the way that her cheeks had begun to burn. "I, uh...kinda forgot to give it back to you after the party. Sorry."

Jade looked at the jacket for another moment before she set it aside, careful to keep it away from the flames. "Don't be." She turned back to Tori with a sly grin. "It looks better on you, anyway."

"Liar," Tori said, but Jade just shrugged before she lowered her head back down, claiming Tori's lips again.

"I don't lie," Jade murmured a few seconds later. Tori thought about disagreeing, but Jade's mouth had moved to her the underside of her jaw and her hand had started to slip beneath her shirt, and it was all she could do to keep her eyes open when Jade's tongue darted out against her skin.

"Don't start something that you don't intend to finish," Tori muttered huskily, and she could have sworn that she felt Jade smile against her neck as her knees tightened around her hips and her hand cupped her breast through the thin fabric of her bra.

"Oh, I intend to finish," Jade replied coyly before her hand slipped beneath her bra and her tongue darted against her pulse.

(It wasn't until most of their clothes had been discarded and Jade's lips were pressed against the inside of her thigh that Tori wondered about whether or not they had locked the theater doors. But then Jade kissed a little higher and she decided that it didn't matter.)

Her first appointment with the school therapist was hard.

Really, really fucking hard.

Jade had made sure that she actually called and made an appointment, and even though she had done so almost willingly-

(more willingly than Jade had when Tori had made her make an appointment)

-she still absolutely did not want to be there.

The therapist was nice enough, she supposed; all smiles and understanding nods and pleasant words and in any other situation she knew that they would have gotten along great.

But once the small talk had ended, she had asked why Tori had come in to see her and Tori could practically feel the walls closing in around her.

(Dragging dragging dragging)

"My friend was almost assaulted," she had answered, and it was such a simple way of putting it that she felt like it didn't do justice to the horror that almost had been. But the therapist was nodding and so she continued. "And I guess that I...I think I might have almost been, too."

She had kept it mostly together for that first visit, but when she left the office she could still feel the phantom of hands on her arm and could still see glazed over eyes in her mind and she knew that she was going to lose it if she didn't-

"Tori?"

Tori looked up to see Jade sitting in the waiting room, decked out in all black and leather and the sight of her made her chest ache and her eyes sting with tears.

"Tor?" Jade asked again, rising to her feet and moving towards her quickly. "You okay?"

Her arms were around Tori before she even had the chance to respond, and she let herself sink into her embrace.

"I'm okay," she whispered, tucking her head against her neck. "I'm okay, now."

"Liar," Jade whispered back, and Tori laughed humorlessly in agreement.

"What are you doing here?"

"I knew your appointment was today. Wanted to be here to walk you home and make sure you were okay and stuff." Jade pulled away just enough to look at Tori's face, eyes searching her gaze. "You okay to go?"

Tori nodded. "Please."

"Okay." Jade dropped her arms, but immediately reached for Tori's left hand, intertwining their fingers. Tori gripped her hand like a lifeline, reassured when Jade squeezed back just as hard.

"You're safe," Jade whispered, and Tori nodded.

"I know."

Jade's own appointment went about as well as could have been expected.

Tori waited for her, too, in that too-bright waiting room; waited for what felt like forever as the hour ticked by. The receptionist kept glancing up at her and she kept smiling back politely and eventually the door opened and Jade walked out.

It only took Tori one glance at her face to know that she was pissed.

"Jade?"

"I don't want to talk about it," her girlfriend said, barely glancing at her as she strode towards the door.

"Okay," Tori replied, scrambling to her feet. She followed Jade out of the building, making sure to keep a bit of distance between them.

It was a quiet journey back to Baker. Jade didn't bother to look back at her, but Tori knew that she knew that she was still there because when they reached the dorm, Jade held the door just long enough for her to slip through. But she didn't say anything, and she didn't look at her, and by the time they had reached Jade's room, Tori was genuinely worried.

"Jade-"

"I said I don't want to talk about it, Vega!" Jade pushed the door open and stormed inside, throwing her bag onto her bed. Tori followed, relieved to find that Jessica wasn't home because, even as irritating as Jade's roommate could be, she wouldn't wish Jade's ire on anyone.

"That's fine," Tori said, closing the door behind her. "But I'm here if you do."

"You've made that abundantly clear by the fact that you followed me home," Jade snapped. She shrugged off her jacket and threw it over the back of her chair. "Which, by the way, you definitely didn't need to fucking do."

"You were there for me." She walked over to Jade's bed and leaned against the frame with her arms crossed protectively across her chest. "I wasn't going to leave you alone."

"It's different."

"No, it's not."

Jade turned to her, eyes wild. "The fuck it isn't! You were on the verge of a panic attack after your appointment, and I knew that you would be, so of course I made sure to be there! I'm not you, Vega! I'm not about to break, and I don't need you here!"

Tori kept her eyes trained on Jade and tried to ignore how much her words had hurt; tried to ignore how it felt, for a moment, just like it used to when Jade had pushed her away. "Just because you're not having a panic attack doesn't mean that you're okay."

"Goddammit, Vega, I-"

"If you really don't want me here, I'll leave." Tori stood a little straighter and tilted her head towards the door. "All you have to do is say the word and I'm gone."

Jade stared at her and her eyes were still burning but Tori could see doubt in them, too, and she hoped that she wouldn't tell her to leave because she really wasn't sure what would happen if she did.

"I..." Jade paused and finally looked away. "I'm so sick of this."

Tori tried to think of something to say to that, but then Jade sank down into her chair and dropped her head into her hands. "I hate feeling like this. I hate having to even think about it, and I sure as fuck hate having to fucking talk about it with some random lady with a bullshit degree that makes her think that she can psychoanalyze my "trauma" even though she has no fucking idea what I'm feeling or what I experienced and I...I fucking hate this." She took a deep, shuddering breath and lifted her head just enough for Tori to see that her eyes were rimmed with red. "Fuck."

Tori approached her slowly, not quite sure of whether or not Jade would lash out at her again. She knelt in front of her and began to reach out to lay a hand on her knee before she decided to not press her luck. "I get it, you know," she said, and Jade let out a bitter laugh.

"Trust me, I know. I am very aware of how much you get it."

Tori flinched at her words, even though she knew she shouldn't take it personally; she knew Jade was just lashing out again. She started to stand. "Sorry. I'll leave you alone."

A hand darted out and closed around her wrist before she could straighten up all the way. Tori glanced down at the fingers on her wrist before her eyes rose to Jade's face. Jade refused to meet her eye, but Tori saw that a tear had started to crawl its way down her cheek.

"I need you," Jade whispered.

Tori swallowed past the lump in her own throat and nodded. "Okay."

They both made follow-up appointments for the following week. And despite the protestations and the tears and the hurt, they both went.

Tech week was just about as stressful as Tori expected it to be. They had rehearsals every night that stretched on for hours and hours and even though she didn't have nearly as much to memorize or as many scenes to worry about as some of the other actors, she went home every night absolutely exhausted.

She honestly had no idea how Jade was doing it, given her titular role. She knew that she was tired; she could see it in her eyes at the end of night and could feel it in the lazy way she kissed her goodbye, but all things considered, Jade was thriving. Her performance improved with every take, her line deliveries becoming somehow even more convincing with every new recitation, and Tori knew that she wasn't the only one who was in awe.

But even though her girlfriend was kicking ass, Tori was just barely functioning. Between the rehearsals and classes and assignments, she barely had time to rest.

Her sleep-deprivation was what led her to almost miss the fact that, when she showed up to biology on Wednesday, the seat next to Jake was empty.

As it was, she stopped dead and stared at the empty chair, blinking hard and slow just in case her eyes were deceiving her. But even though everything was a little fuzzy around the edges, the seat was still empty.

She looked up and allowed herself to look at him for what felt like the first time in forever. To her surprise, he was looking back.

"Good morning," he said, and she felt her chest ache because god she hadn't realized how much she had missed hearing his voice.

"Morning."

He looked at her for a second longer before nodding towards the seat. "You look like you're about to fall asleep standing up. Why don't you sit down before that happens?"

Tori nodded slowly, blinking once more before she looked away from his face. "Are you sure?"

"I am." He reached over and pulled the chair out, patting the armrest. "Seriously, Tor, sit down before you pass out."

She shrugged her backpack off and sat down, her muscles relaxing as she sank into the chair. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." He waited for her to pull out her notebook before speaking again. "So why do you look like death warmed over?"

She shot him a look, but there was genuine concern in his expression and so she softened her glare before looking down at her notes. "It's tech week, so I haven't really...slept."

"At all?"

She shook her head. "Not unless you count the time this morning where I shut my eyes for a second and when I opened them it was two hours later and Nicole was yelling at me to get up."

"Yeah, that...that probably shouldn't count."

"Probably not."

Silence fell between them for a long moment. Tori wanted to look at him, wanted to tell him that she was sorry, so incredibly sorry, but when she finally gathered the courage to turn her head to face him, he had already started to speak.

"So, you and West, huh?"

His tone was light but he wouldn't meet her eye and she wished that he would just yell at her, or tell her to leave, because then at least she wouldn't feel as bad as she did when she nodded. "Yeah."

"Is she...does she make you happy?"

"Jake, I-"

"Does she?" He looked at her and she couldn't read his expression.

"She does."

His eyes burned into hers and she could see a glimmer of pain in his gaze, but his expression remained mostly blank. Then, he let out a small sigh and nodded, turning back to his notes. "Good. You deserve to be happy."

"Jake-"

"It's okay," he said, picking up his pencil. "Seriously."

Tori was going to say more but just as she opened her mouth to speak, the door opened and Professor Rodriguez sauntered in.

"Good morning, class! Who's ready to learn about protozoa?" she greeted, her smile growing wider as the class responded with varying degrees of groans.

She'd be lying if it wasn't awkward to spend fifty minutes sitting in relative silence next to her ex-boyfriend. It was incredibly awkward, especially when they accidentally bumped elbows during a particularly furious note-scribbling session.

But it was also nice. It was nice when, after they bumped into each other, she caught him smile at her whispered apology. It was nice when he leaned over and muttered a joke about single-celled organisms under his breath. And it was nice when, after class ended and Professor Rodriguez had dismissed them, he didn't immediately get up to leave.

"Hey, Tor?"

"Yeah?" she replied, closing her notebook and stuffing it into her backpack. When he didn't reply, she looked at him, moderately concerned. "What's up?"

"There's uh...there's something you should know." He paused and waited for the rest of the students to file out of their row, wincing when a backpack knocked into the back of his chair. Tori tried not to laugh, which wasn't that hard considering his words had sent a chill down her spine.

"And what would that be?" she asked once the rest of their class had moved out of earshot.

"Pat's been expelled."

(greasy hair greasy smile dark eyes dark so dark and)

"What?"she whispered, her voice so quiet that she wasn't even sure that she had spoken at all. But the world was spinning around her and she was thankful that she was already sitting down because she wasn't sure that she could have stood and-

"Are you okay?" she heard Jake ask, and she blinked, bringing his concerned gaze back into focus.

"Yeah, I just..." She shook her head. "Did you just say Pat was expelled?"

He kept his gaze on her for another moment before he nodded and turned back to his notebook. "Yeah, I did."

She watched as he put his notebook away and reached down to pinch her wrist just to convince herself that she wasn't dreaming. "Why?"

Jake finished zipping up his backpack and began to stand. "Well, you see, Hearst doesn't tend to look kindly on students who sling cocaine."

She stood, following his lead as he swung his backpack over his shoulder. "I'm sorry, did you say cocaine?"

"Yeah. Turns out that Pat was dealing to half of the fraternities on campus. A few of the sororities, too. Who knew, right?"

Tori stared at him, still processing his words in her mind as he turned to look back at her. "Tor?"

"How did they find out?"

"Hmm?"

"How did they find out that he was dealing?"

"Oh." Jake turned back around and started walking down the stairs. "Anonymous report, I guess. Didn't help that they found a bag of the stuff under his mattress when they searched his room, either."

Tori followed him, staying a few steps behind. "That's...awfully convenient."

"It is, isn't it." Jake reached the door and pushed it open, holding it open for Tori to step through. She ducked past him and turned to give him a curious look.

"Did you..." She trailed off when she saw the way his brow arched and his eyes glinted.

"Did I what?"

She considered him for a few seconds, then shook her head. "Nothing. Nevermind."

He gave her a small half-crooked smile before glancing over her shoulder. "Hey, West."

"Freeman," came the reply, and Tori turned quickly to see her girlfriend leaning against the wall with crossed arms and a expression that looked bored. Tori could tell that it was an act, though, from the distrustful way her eyes were narrowed slightly towards them.

"I've missed our movie nights," Jake said, and Jade's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Oh?"

He nodded. "Maybe we could have another one, sometime. I picked up a copy of Slumber Party Massacre the other week, and I'm dying to have someone to watch it with."

Tori watched as her girlfriend considered his offer, her brows knitting in thought. Then she tilted her head and shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Why not."

"Great! Looking forward to it, then." He smiled at her, and to Tori's surprise, the corner of Jade's mouth twitched up.

"Yeah, yeah." She pushed away from the wall, dropping her arms so that she could reach out for Tori's hand. "Me too."

Jake's eyes flitted down to their hands for a moment before darting to the watch on his wrist. "Oh, shit, I'm gonna be late for my next class!" He looked up at them and Tori found herself believing the apologetic look on his face. "I'll text you about the movie later, alright?"

Jade nodded, and his grin grew a little wider. "Cool." He turned his attention to Tori. "Uh, Tor-"

Tori pulled her hand out of Jade's grasp and, before she could stop herself, she threw her arms around him.

"Thank you," she whispered into his shoulder.

She felt his arms rise to loosely return her embrace. "Didn't do anything," he whispered back. "But you're welcome."

She could feel Jade's gaze burning into her back so she pulled away a moment later, trying to wipe at her eyes discreetly. "See you in class?"

He nodded. "Bright and early." Another glance at his watch. "Shit, I really do have to go. Get some sleep, alright?"

"Will do." She nodded her head towards the end of the hallway. "Now get outta here before you're late!"

That same half-crooked smile re-appeared before he started to walk away. "Later, gators."

And then he was gone and Jade was turning towards her.

"What the hell was all that about? And also, should I be jealous of tall, pale, and scrawny, or...?"

Tori wiped her eyes again and laughed. "First off, no, you shouldn't be jealous, you ass. And second...Pat's gone."

"What?" Jade stared at her, and Tori started to laugh.

"He's gone." She slipped her arms underneath Jade's, wrapping them around her torso as tightly as she possibly could. Waves of relief washed over her as she pressed her face to her chest, the thudding of Jade's heartbeat against her cheek. "He's expelled, and he's gone, Jade, he's gone."

Jade's arms slowly rose and wrapped around her, hands hot against her shoulders. "Wait, expelled? How did he-"

"Cocaine!"

"What?"

Tori just laughed again and hugged her closer.

She filled Jade in later, after they had returned to Baker. Jade had cocked a brow when she told her about the anonymous report, but she didn't ask any questions and Tori didn't bring it up again.

She had better things to do than question it, anyway, especially when the reality finally sunk in for them both and Jade had her pressed against the mattress as she kissed her and kissed her and kissed her again.

(And when she tasted salt on her lips she only needed to hear Jade's laugh to know that it was from tears of relief)