If you asked them when exactly it was that they fell in love, neither girl could produce a straight forward answer for you but they could tell you the exact moment they started down the path towards their entwined fates.
It was a Monday, the sky drab and grey which was unusual for the time of year in Los Angeles, the students of Hollywood Arts bleary eyed and bad tempered but none more so than Jade. She had had an awful morning; her brother had used all the hot water for the shower, her mother had launched into yet another tirade about her piercings and, to cap it off, she was currently sitting in the back of Sikowitz' class watching Beck and Tori exchanging whispers and conspiratorial smiles. She couldn't quite hear what they were saying but she had a good idea. She had known when she and Beck had broken up last month, agreeing that it would be permanent this time, that she would soon be watching as he moved on to the next girl who caught his eye. Jade wasn't surprised that girl happened to be Tori, she just wasn't happy about it and she certainly wasn't willing to put up with such a display until she'd ingested at least two more cups of coffee. She sighed, dipping her finger in her current cup, before leaning forward and flicking it at the offending pair.
"Hey, lovebirds, some of us are trying to learn!"
Tori and Beck shot up, hands simultaneously flying to the backs of their necks as tepid droplets speckled their skin. Jade found their shared glance of confusion almost comical, as if they really thought she didn't know exactly what they were up too. They were smart about it, sure, but she was smarter; she'd seen them sitting side by side at lunch every day last week, Tori batting her eyes and Beck doing that stupid hair ruffle of his that had always worked on Jade while they'd been dating. No, Jade was in no doubt whatsoever that there was something going on between those two and she was going to get to the bottom of it.
"Tori, Beck, Jade! Care to tell me what it was I just said?" Sikowitz asked, raising his eyebrows at the distracted trio. "I take it by your blank stares that you can't so I'm going to suggest you save your Young Adult Dystopian love triangle for after my class. As I was saying, method acting can take many forms: it can be Jared Leto sending his Suicide Squad castmates rather disturbing gifts in preparation for his role as the Joker, not that I condone that of course! It can be enemies preparing to play a married couple by going on a date" At this, he shot a pointed glance at Tori and Jade "or it can be experimentation with newfound responsibilities that have possibly not been tackled by the individual, or cast as a whole, previous to taking on a role. This brings me to my point, I'm sure you've all been wondering what your final semester project will be now you're all seniors, preparing to journey out into the real world in hot pursuit of fame and fortune" He paused, listening to the class' collective mumbled assent, his expression strangely sombre in comparison to his usually childlike enthusiasm. He took a sip from his coconut before continuing.
"Unfortunately stardom is incredibly rare and, while I have complete faith in each and every one of you, it is also my duty as an educator to prepare you for the real world. Some of you may even find yourselves in unforeseen situations that demand your attention and carry you away from the dreams currently filling your little heads. Which is why..." he paused again, glancing around at the expectant faces in front of him, knowing he now had their rapt attention. He sidled over to the large crate he had deposited on the low stage before class had started, and lifted the lid, pulling out one of the items within. He looked around again, gauging the expressions on his students' faces as ranging from disgust (Jade) to confusion (Cat, Robbie, Tori and Andre) to concern (Beck).
He cleared his throat and continued "I can see that a couple of you may have figured out where I am going with this. Reality has a nasty habit of throwing you curve balls that you aren't expecting, whether it's a minor thing like a bad coconut giving you such a trip that you black out and wake up three days later in a mall fountain, or something major...like an unplanned pregnancy. Now, I know you are all 17 and 18 and that you are most likely no strangers to the, er, practice, so to speak, for making babies but the consequences of such can be quite a problem for budding stars. It is hard enough to succeed in this business without having to juggle the responsibilities of parenthood when you're barely out of high school. That is why Principal Duwall has asked your Health Class teacher, Miss Simmons, to loan me these creepy things so I can teach you a lesson in both method acting and responsibility."
He collected his trusty box of names from beside the crate, offering it to half the class, Jade included, before taking his place once again at the front of the room.
"These dolls are actually robots, they will act like real babies so when they cry you will be responsible for figuring out why and catering to their every need much as a real parent would. The recording device inside them will allow us to grade how you cope with the assignment, including how long it takes you to react, if you mishandle it, etcetera. You will play the ever doting parents that I wish I had had. You will also not be alone in this endeavour, children are never easy and sometimes having someone by your side can be a blessing or a curse depending on your ability to cooperate. Those of you who have chosen a slip of paper from my box, the paper you were given bears the name of your partner throughout this project. You will each keep a daily diary of how you are finding the assignment, both positive and negative experiences. You will be graded on each of the aspects I have mentioned so give it your all, I will even award extra credit if you provide me with a compelling backstory for your new family. Now find your partner and come and collection your bundle of joy!"
Jade had a bad feeling about this, a very bad feeling indeed. She hated children, her segment for The Slap, 'Jade With Tots', had been a complete disaster by all accounts, some parents had even complained to the school about her quote-unquote 'abducting and traumatising their children' and it had taken a team of her father's lawyers and a considerable pay-out from him to settle the issue out of court.
She had never really thought of herself as a maternal figure, she'd discussed children with Beck as an abstract concept when they had been together but they had both come to the conclusion that the lifestyles they envisioned for themselves in the future would leave very little room for a goldfish, never mind a child and neither wanted to make the same mistakes their own parents had made so the issue was quickly laid to rest. She supposed that now they were definitely over that she may need to have a similar conversation with a new partner one day but she highly doubted the outcome would differ in anyway, she simply wasn't cut out for motherhood and she was okay with that.
She was roused from her musings by the scraping of chairs as her classmates slowly filtered throughout the room in search of their new 'spouses'. She sighed, clutching her paper tightly, hoping against hope that it bore the name of someone she could at least stand, one of The Shruggers might be okay or maybe Andre. Cat could be a little (okay, a lot) overwhelming at times but she was also Jade's best friend and with her babysitting experience with Sam, they were bound to make it work for an easy A. She slowly unfurled the slip, reading the name scribbled in Sikowitz' messy scrawl. Fuck.
Tori rose with the rest of the class, scanning the room for anyone moving in her direction. Beck was called over by Andre with Robbie bounding over to claim Cat as his new "missus", if Tori hadn't been so anxious about who her partner was, she'd have found their antics somewhat adorable but for now she continued to focus elsewhere. She watched as The Shruggers all paired off and finally there was only one person left standing. Cold blue eyes met her own and she froze as if the icy glare was somehow contagious. Oh God, yeah, this isn't good. Abort. Abort. Abort. Jade plopped down next to her, an annoyed huff as her only greeting, making it abundantly clear she would not be the one to go to the front to collect their new child.
How the hell was she going to survive the rest of the semester co-parenting with Jade of all people?! She'd kind of liked the sound of the assignment when Sikowitz had set it out, of course she didn't want a real child right now but it would be interesting to experience such a prolonged period of method acting. The longest she'd managed previously was Officer Pedesko at Sikowitz' sleepover and she was interested in testing her limits, though this was now shaping up to be one challenge she would not be able to overcome. Tori walked to the front and took a doll, looking up to see Sikowitz eying her with surprising mirth, almost as if he was especially happy to see her paired with Jade... she shook it off and returned to her seat, sinking heavily into it.
"Alright, each couple has a baby now, correct?" Sikowitz asked, taking their silence as confirmation "Good! In that case, the time is now 8:58am on Monday January 5th, your assignment begins now and ends with the final bell on Friday May 23rd. Remember that life is never as straightforward as it seems, there may be some...unexpected twists along the way" With that ominous statement hanging over their heads, the class began to disperse as the bell rang to signify the end of the period.
Tori grabbed her bag, careful not to jostle the doll nestled in the crook of her arm as she did so, and started heading for the door until a hand curled around her free arm, yanking her aside.
"Meet me in the library at lunch so we can figure out what we're doing with this thing" Jade said simply, before swiftly releasing Tori and leaving with the rest of the class. Yup, Tori thought, this is gonna be a looooong semester.
As noon drew nearer, Tori found herself feeling more and more apprehensive. She knew Jade threw herself into all of the work she produced at Hollywood Arts, her desire to succeed in a field she was so passionate about spurring her to open herself up to any project sent her way, even if she didn't agree with it. Tori also knew, however, that while Jade may be compliant with the assignment, she would in no means make it easy for her partner, especially when that partner happened to be her favourite victim of all; Tori herself.
With the chiming of the lunch bell, Tori dutifully, if also a little hesitantly, trotted towards the library. She entered, dropping her bag on the nearest empty table, and took a seat. She checked her phone, finding a message from Trina.
Trina Ballerina: Hey, I can't tape you homo 2naght, I hav reheasherals 4 the bank
Tori sighed. Despite her sister's many spelling mistakes, doesn't she even have autocorrect? Jeez, she got the point. It was bad enough that her sister had been held back a year but ever since Trina had formed her new 'band' (not that you could really call it that) with the only two people at Hollywood Arts she could scare into joining, Sinjin and Burf, she had become even more flaky. Trina's absence was usually somewhat of a gift to Tori. It meant she'd had the house to herself more and she didn't have to put up with Trina's screeched singing as much as she was supposedly "saving her voice for rehearsals" but now Tori was stranded. She really didn't want to have to get the bus home, carrying a doll that could start screaming at any second. She had been so lost in thought that she hadn't even noticed Jade slide into the seat next to her until the other girl had grown impatient, snapping her fingers in front of Tori's face to get her attention.
"Vega! Come on, I don't have all day to sit around, waiting for you to stop fantasising about your latest crush"
"That is not what I was thinking about!"
"Fine, whatever, I don't care. Can we just get on with this so I can leave?" Jade snapped, settling back in her chair and propping her feet up on the table. She smirked at the disapproving look Tori shot her.
"Okay, well first things first I guess, what should we name it?"
"I don't know...what even is it?"
Tori didn't understand the question. "What's what?"
Jade rolled her eyes then suddenly lurched forward. Tori yelped in surprise and promptly blushed at the annoyed stares of the library's other patrons. Jade took the doll with unexpected care and took a quick peak in its diaper.
"It's a girl"
Tori frowned. She hadn't even thought to check but something about Jade's smug expression irked her. She seriously just wanted to get this over with and put as much distance as she could between her and the girl that had been a constant thorn in her side since she'd arrived at the school.
"Fine. What about Dorothy?"
"What is she? Ninety? You can't give a baby an old lady name"
"Hey! My grandma was named Dorothy, I just thought it might be nice to honour her"
"See, I rest my case, it's an old lady name! I think we should call her Tawny"
"Jade, we are not naming our baby after the killer in The Scissoring"
"Why not?"
"Because it's creepy and weird and I'm not subjecting my child to that"
"You do know it's not real, right?"
Tori blushed. She realised she'd taken the discussion a little too far and she didn't know quite why she'd gotten so defensive. She had gotten so carried away with the idea of her and Jade settling on a name they could both agree on for their child that she'd completely forgotten they were discussing a doll for a minute. Their child. The thought of that made her feel slightly odd, like a nervous electricity was coursing through her, making her feel tingly and maybe even a little nauseous. She had no idea why she felt that way but she brushed it off, scrambling to cover her mistake.
"Of course I know, I'm just saying that if we're going to do this and make it work, then we need to take these things seriously. What about Elizabeth?"
"No way. I knew this kid called Elizabeth once, used to pick her nose and wipe the boogers on whatever was closest...including other people. It was fucking disgusting and I don't have time to relive that trauma this semester" Jade shook her head. At this rate, they were going to be here all lunch.
"I-I guess when I was younger and actually believed in all this happy families bullshit, I always thought I'd name my kid Rachel" she said, hesitantly. Jade didn't like divulging any kind of personal information, especially to Tory, and for it to be something she'd dreamed about as a child, it made her feel exposed. She cleared her throat, trying to clear the lump that formed there "so what do you think?"
Tori thought about it for a second before replying "I guess I like Rachel"
"Good. At least that's one thing settled then. Now we just need to figure out a backstory for our fucked up little family"
"Jade, we're not effed up! Lots of same sex couples become parents"
"Fuck, Vega, the word you're looking for is fuck" Jade grunted with annoyance "and that's not what I'm talking about, I just mean that even with the multiverse theory, I can't imagine there's a single universe out there where we'd end up having a kid together"
Tori tried not to react to that, knowing that if she allowed Jade to see just how much that comment stung, she would definitely never hear the end of it.
"Whatever. What did you have in mind?"
"Well you had a drunken one night stand at a party, got yourself knocked up and I'm the friend that so graciously stepped up to be your knight in shining Docs to help you raise it"
"I am not getting pregnant by a one night stand! What else have you got?"
"Fiiiiiiine. What about we're a lesbian couple that had IVF? You carried it, using my egg because you wanted to have my baby and so I'd feel more included, and we got an anonymous sperm donor"
"Why am I always the one getting pregnant?"
"Because you are"
"Give me one good reason"
"I'll give you three" Jade held up the index finger of her right hand "One: My reputation relies on my ability to follow through with the threats I make which would be much more difficult to do looking like a beached whale" She raised her middle finger to join the first "Two: The whole concept of birth and pregnancy really freak me out. It's the only gore I can't stand, I don't know why, it's just another thing I hate so I decided I wouldn't do it and nobody can make me, even hypothetically." Her ring finger accompanied her final point "and finally Three: I don't like being touched. I'm not having a load of random doctors and nurses prod and poke me during all of those examinations, it won't end well for anyone. Not for the doctor who got too handsy and met the pointy end of their own scalpel, not for me in prison again, and especially not for you having to raise a new-born on your own"
When Tori would reflect on this discussion later that evening, from the comfort of her own bedroom, she would come to realise just how brutally honest and open Jade had actually been with her about her insecurities here, even if she had hidden it under several layers of snarky rhetoric. For now though, all Tori could think was:
"You let me touch you all the time" she said, thoughtfully tapping her chin.
Jade's eyes shot to meet hers, anger simmering within.
"I do not!"
"You do though, you never complain when I grab your hand or wrist, or even really when I hug you. You're the one who always says she can't be forced to do anything she doesn't want to do but I can think of several times now when I've asked for a hug and you've obliged with next to no resistance. I think Beck is the only other person I've seen touch you without retaliation"
For Tori, these thoughts were just innocent musings of a strange yet inconsequential aspect of Jade's behaviour. For Jade, they were like a freight train barrelling towards her as she struggled in vain to untie herself from the tracks. Tori had to be wrong, right? There was no way she had been so lenient about contact from someone she didn't even classify as a friend but the more Jade thought about it she realised Tori was correct. She couldn't deal with this anymore.
She rose from her chair so quickly that it tipped dangerously on its back legs before settling on all four again. She grabbed her bag and stalked off without another word. If she heard Tori calling after her, she certainly didn't acknowledge it.