Disclaimer: Same old story. Don't own nothin'.
"Your blocking is all over the map! The only thing your scene will accomplish is making your fellow classmates dizzy." Sikowitz started shoving chairs out of the way, Jade casually moving her knees as he almost threw the one in front of her. "Make some room and run through it properly."
"I think Robbie just peed his pants?" Tori mused as the boy in question slowly lowered Rex to cover the front of his jeans.
"Rob," the puppet said slowly, "why is my butt wet?"
Jade's shoulders jerked, eyes quickly glancing up. "That kid's got a hard life in front of him. I'd almost feel bad if it wasn't so funny."
"And you two!" Sikowitz rounded, a finger thrust at Tori. "Why are you just sitting there? Performances are tomorrow and I haven't seen you do anything yet."
"We're still finalizing the script," Jade drawled, tilting the notebook in her lap slightly. It was a lie, and Tori glanced nervously at their teacher.
He looked at Tori. "But you'll be prepared?"
"Yes," Jade answered. Sikowitz glanced at her and then turned back to Tori, who nodded quickly. With a jerk of his head, he left to help another group.
Tori leaned closer to Jade, her eyes following their teacher as he wandered around the class. They were sitting by themselves in the corner, removed from the other students. "What cracked his coconut? He's being so serious."
"Who knows," Jade shrugged. "You excited for your new class?"
"I think I'm more nervous than excited," Tori replied. "Andre made it sound like it's a big deal to be in that class."
"That's because it is a big deal." Tori paled, like Jade's comment did nothing to calm her. So Jade bumped her knee against Tori's, a flash of concern in her eyes. "Seriously, you'll do great," she said gently. "Just doodle your little heart out and you'll be fine, baby."
Tori's eyes lit up as a blush brought some color back to her cheeks. Jade's heart skipped a beat when she realized that she had let the 'baby' slip without even the slightest trace of humor. It was so easy. For teasing to turn into sincerity. It was becoming a problem, because Jade was having a hard time reeling herself in. Words just kept slipping past her lips and Tori just kept smiling and Jade had no idea how to take it slow when Tori was looking at her the way that she was. All bright-eyed with her lips curved up in a hopeful smile like that. She didn't know how to handle it, because it was too easy.
"You think I'll do okay?" Tori asked quietly.
"Yeah," Jade smirked, quickly recovering, giving a small nod, "just keep drawing my beautiful face and there's no way you won't ace that class."
Tori chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "If I'd known that you were that easy, I would've shown you those doodles a long time ago. So what are you writing anyway?" She moved to take Jade's notebook, but Jade jerked it away.
"Like I said, I'm revising a script."
"But we're performing tomorrow!" Tori balked. "I already learned my lines!"
"Different script, Vega." Jade's pen drew a bracket around a chunk of dialogue. "Tomorrow will be fine as long as you don't mess it up." She made a note next to it, tilting the notebook away as Tori tried to peek at the words on the paper.
"Is that for a play?"
Jade looked at the page, clearly formatted for a movie, and sighed. "Maybe you are hopeless."
Tori folded her arms and sank in her seat as Jade smiled to herself. She really was cute when she got all huffy.
When the bell rang, Jade quickly packed her things up, keeping an eye on the other students. When no one was looking, she pressed a very quick kiss against Tori's cheek. "You'll do great," she whispered before pushing to her feet. She could feel Tori's eyes on her as she headed for the door.
She wanted to murder Andre during second period. He kept staring at her, blatantly, like she was some abstract painting that he just couldn't wrap his head around. Jade knew why. She knew that Tori would go and blab to him the first chance she got. And it wasn't that she minded, because she knew that eventually, if things progressed between them, their friends would have to find out. But she still wanted to take her pencil and jab it, pointy-end-first, into his eyeball. Just to stop the staring.
He finally looked away, only to slide his notebook across the table to her. Jade rolled her eyes as she looked at the paper.
Tori told me. You cool?
She pushed the notebook back, her eyebrows rising in a way that clearly told him to mind his own damn business, and he just shrugged and turned his attention back to their teacher. But when they were standing up at the end of class, he gently grabbed her elbow and said, "I'm your friend, too, if you ever need to talk." And before Jade could break his fingers for grabbing her, he let go and left.
Robbie walked into math wearing a different pair of pants, and Jade only made one comment about him wazzing himself. Rex actually defended Robbie, firing back about anyone peeing their pants out of fear when they saw Jade, and for once she didn't feel the need to mutilate the puppet. She just laughed. What kind of softie was she turning into?
Jade took a detour on the way to fourth period. It was totally out of the way, but she felt like she had to do it. And once she reached the corridor that housed the art studios, she was glad she did. Because Tori was walking down the hallway looking like she was headed to her own execution. So Jade caught her eye and shot her a wink, and the beaming, relieved smile she received in return totally made up for the fact that she was two minutes late for class.
Sinjin leaned across his desk as she took her seat in theater history, and before he could say something creepy, she just snapped, "I will throw you off the roof." He slunk away and Jade smirked. Maybe she hadn't totally lost her edge.
Before Jade could actually make it out to the table for lunch, she was grabbed by the wrist and dragged off to the janitor's closet. "Okay," she said as Tori closed the door behind them. "Why are we in here this time?"
"So I could do this." Tori threw her arms around Jade's neck and pulled her in close. The force of the hug threw their balance, and Tori ended up slammed against the wall, Jade's hands braced against the cool cement blocks next to her sides. Jade blinked as Tori just tightened her grip, her nose buried in Jade's hair.
"Okay." Jade took a deep breath, inhaling more of Tori's scent than actual air. The way that Tori was hanging off her… The way their bodies were pressed together… It was making Jade dizzy. "And what's this for?" She still hadn't returned the hug. Her palms were pressed against the wall and she was trying, desperately, to retain control of herself.
Tori was making it difficult.
"I realized I didn't say 'thank you'. About the class thing." Tori's arms loosened, but didn't really move. If anything, the way her body eased down just made it worse, because Tori's hips were pressing into Jade's. Her fingers started playing with Jade's hair.
"I take it you liked the new class?" Jade's voice came out a little huskier than she wanted it to. She could feel her control slipping away. It was like jumping off a swing. Just flinging yourself into the sky and hoping you didn't break anything when you landed.
Tori turned her face into Jade's neck, her nose grazing just below her ear as her warm breath feathered across Jade's skin. "I loved it."
"Fuck," Jade breathed, her eyes sliding closed.
"Thank you," Tori said softly. She pressed a light kiss to Jade's neck. Then her jaw. Then her cheek.
Jade turned her head, just barely, but that was all it took. It was an invitation, and Tori took it. Jade's fingers curled against the wall, needing something to hold on to, as Tori's lips pressed gently against hers, and all Jade could think was fucking finally.
The kiss was slow, and soft, and Jade couldn't actually bring herself to touch Tori, because if she did all her control would fly right out the door. But Tori's lips were so soft, and her fingers were rooted in Jade's hair, and every time their lips moved gently together the glow, the hum, between them grew and deepened and Jade's hands slid down the wall, fingertips pressing hard next to Tori's hips. Part of her was terrified that Tori would pull away, that it would all turn out to be a dream. That this moment she had been waiting for, for longer than she'd even realized, would be ripped away. Because they fit, in a way that Jade had never imagined anyone being able to. And it was so easy to lose herself in Tori.
In the way Tori's hands slowly drifted, her fingertips leaving an electric wake as they trailed down her throat. Tori's hips pressing forward as she caught Jade's bottom lip between hers, drawing out a low moan. Tori's fingers brushing against Jade's cheek, soft and tender and caring. Tori's hands never left Jade's face, her neck, her hair. The contact was constant and Jade's head was swimming because she was so close to losing control.
"Fuck" she breathed, finally pulling away. And Tori's hands wrapped around the back of her neck, keeping their foreheads pressed together and gently stroking hair and skin at the nape of her neck. Jade's hands curled into fists, her knuckles scraping against the concrete wall. She could feel Tori's deep, gasping breaths against her skin, her own chest rising and falling heavier than normal, and wondered just how long they'd stayed like that. Just sharing gentle, languid kisses. Tori didn't say anything. She licked her lips and her nose brushed against Jade's cheek. "Fuck, Tori."
It was overwhelming. She'd made a wish once, on a shooting star, and that wish was so close to coming true. But everything that she'd experienced in her life told her that wishes didn't come true. That it was stupid to hope for something, because even if she got it, it would just fall apart. She pushed away from the wall, breaking Tori's embrace around her neck. "You can't just-" Jade's hands balled into fists and slowly uncurled at her side. "You can't-" She wanted to kiss Tori. She wanted to run. She wanted to lose control and just feel Tori, but she wanted to never see her again.
Tori's hands were everywhere. Her fingers were touching Jade's arm. Grazing her cheek. Running through her hair. Turning her head to meet her gaze. "Jade, talk to me."
"You can't just make it so easy." Jade tried to look away, but Tori's head dipped, keeping their eyes locked.
"Make what easy? I don't understand."
Tori's hands were soft, but forceful, cupping her cheeks, and Jade couldn't actually look away. "It's so easy with you. But it was work with Beck. And it was work with them. It's supposed to be hard but you make it so easy." She didn't even know what she was saying. Her heart was racing and her head was swimming and she was so fucking confused.
Understanding widened Tori's eyes, and something akin to pain flashed in them. If Jade hadn't been quite so emotional, she would have recognized it as heartbreak. "That's because I'm not Beck. And you aren't them." She pulled Jade into another hug, one hand resting on the back of her head while the other wrapped around her shoulders. Jade's hands hesitantly hovered over Tori's hips. She was expecting to fall apart. To lose all control of herself. With how cloudy Tori made her mind, it was the only outcome she could see. But Tori's chin settled on her shoulder, and her voice was strong, and sure of itself, when she said, "You aren't your parents, Jade. We aren't anything like them."
And Jade believed her. She always believed her. Jade's arms slid around Tori's waist and she let Tori hold her.
They stayed like that for way too long. An inappropriate amount of time, really, considering that neither of them said another word, and the only movement was Tori's hand gently rubbing Jade's back. But Jade kind of needed it. It was like it had been in Tori's backyard after they went to the beach. Another thing inside of Jade had cracked, and she needed Tori to hold the pieces together. She was trusting Tori, blindly and completely, to not let those pieces fall apart. To not let Jade fall apart. Her arms tightened around Tori's waist.
The warning bell rang and Tori still didn't move away. She just sighed and pulled Jade a little closer, like she was trying to force her own heart, which was pounding steadily, into the chasm of Jade's chest. And Jade couldn't help but think that maybe she needed it. Maybe she needed someone else's heart to beat in place of her own ruined one.
She had never felt so broken in her entire life. She hadn't realized the effect her parents had on her. Sure, she knew that she was a little fucked up because of it, that much was obvious, but she didn't comprehend the extent of it. It wasn't just breaches in her trust, or fissures in her heart. If Jade had been made of glass, she would have been a shattered pile of shards. For years.
She was clinging to Tori, desperately, and she hated it. The only saving grace was that she hadn't cried yet. It almost seemed like whatever was happening inside of her was so far outside her scope of emotions that she just couldn't cry. Couldn't deal with it. So she clung even tighter, and forced herself to say, "I love you so much I don't know how to handle it."
Tori drew her in, impossibly closer, and whispered, "You've got all the time in the world to figure it out, because I'm not going anywhere."
And Jade believed her, because it was Tori. Tori who hadn't stopped calling, even when Jade stopped answering the phone. Tori who sat with her at lunch, even when Jade refused to acknowledge her existence. Tori who held all the broken pieces of Jade in her hands, and just waited, patiently, for Jade to put them back together. She didn't try to 'fix' Jade, but she'd occasionally pick a piece out of the pile and offer it up, as if she was saying, "Is this the one you're looking for? It looks like a good piece to me." And Jade loved her so much for that.
It didn't even matter that Tori didn't say she loved her back. Because it probably would have been too much, and Jade probably would have cried, and then they probably would have spent the entire day in the closet, trying to separate the pieces of Jade from the pieces of Tori because Jade would have ripped her to shreds. But Jade knew that Tori understood. And when Tori believed that Jade was ready to hear it, she would tell her how much she loved her, too.
And Jade couldn't wait until she finally heard it.
"Your drawing class was good?" She mumbled.
"Yeah," Tori sniffed, and Jade wondered if she was crying. "It was awesome."
"Did you draw me again?"
"Yeah. Only I drew you as a bowl of fruit, so no one except me would know it was you."
Jade let out a broken chuckle. "What does that even mean?"
"I don't know," Tori laughed. It was wet and Jade cringed. Tori's heart was beating because Jade's couldn't do it properly, and Tori was now crying because Jade couldn't.
"I'm sorry about this," Jade murmured.
"Never apologize for your emotions, okay, Jade?"
"Okay."
"Okay." Tori nuzzled into her neck, and they didn't separate until their next class was almost over.
Jade wiped the tears from Tori's cheeks, cupping her face as she pressed a soft kiss against her lips. Tori wrapped her fingers around Jade's wrists, holding her hands in place, and smiled. "How bad do I look right now? From the crying?"
Jade shook her head, her gaze holding Tori's steadily. "You look beautiful. You are beautiful."
Tori's smile grew a little wider. Her right hand slid up to Jade's left, taking her fingers between her own. "Ya big softie."
Jade rolled her eyes, letting their hands fall between them. "You're ruining my reputation, Vega."
"Okay, Jade." Tori's free hand wiped at her cheeks again. "We should get to class."
"There's probably like five minutes left."
"Then we should get to our next class."
With a reluctant nod, Jade reached for the door, Tori's hand still held loosely in her own. They walked into the hallway, and Jade sent a smile at Tori. Which promptly fell as soon as she actually saw her in the harsh fluorescent lights. Because Tori was usually quite easy on the eyes, but she had been crying.
"Oh man," Tori chuckled at the look on Jade's face. Her free hand lifted, her fingertips grazing just below her eyes. "How bad is it?"
"Well." A contemplative look settled across Jade's features. "Do you remember when Trina started middle school?"
"Uh-huh."
"And she met her hot, young, science teacher and decided she wanted to impress him?"
"Uh-huh," Tori said a little slower, her eyes widening.
"Yeah, you look like Trina when she tried to do her own make-up for the first time."
"Oh god!" Tori's laughter was borderline hysterical, and she squeezed Jade's hand. "Don't look at me. I'll see you in screenwriting!"
Jade chuckled as Tori took off down the empty corridor towards the bathroom. She thought, briefly, about following, but decided against it. She could handle five minutes alone without Tori. Jade hung out at her locker, waiting for the bell to ring. She'd run out of books to absently move around when it finally did. And she was earlier than she'd ever been to her screenwriting class.
Tori strolled in a minute later and took her seat. The dripping mascara had been washed away, and some of the puffiness in her eyes had gone down. "Better?" She asked with a small smile.
And Jade couldn't stop herself from returning it. "Perfect. Now pay attention for once because I will not allow my tutoree to fail."
Tori rolled her eyes, her elbow settling on the edge of her desk with her chin in her palm. "Yes, baby."
It was a joke. Totally. But it still sparked a white hot flame deep in Jade that had her fidgeting in her seat for the entire class.
Jade was gathering her homework at the end of the day, her head practically buried in her locker, when a hand settled on the small of her back. "You're okay, right?" Tori asked softly. "About before?"
"Yeah," Jade leaned back, Tori's arm settling around her waist. "It's no big deal."
"Okay, because if you need to talk about it more-" Tori's fingers grazed her hip as she pulled her arm back.
"I'm fine," Jade cut her off gently. "Really."
"Alright. But I'm here for you."
Every inch of Tori was earnest, and Jade's lips curved into a sincere smile. "I know." Tori's face lit up, and she looked like she was about to throw herself on top of Jade in another ridiculous hug. So Jade lifted a hand in warning. "No hugging. There's been too much of it already today."
Tori rolled her eyes, but let out a light chuckle. "Fine, I'll try to contain myself."
"Good luck with that," Jade muttered, closing her locker.
"Do you maybe wanna hang out for a bit?" When Jade just raised a questioning brow, Tori quickly clarified. "My parents are working late and Trina's got an audition for some game show in San Diego."
"So," Jade adjusted the strap of her bag, "you want me to come over. To your empty house."
"Yeah?" Tori's eyebrows twisted in confusion. The girl really didn't get it.
"Where we will be alone. For several hours? You really suck at following your own 'hands off' rule," Jade smirked as it finally clicked and Tori started sputtering.
"I just meant that we could work on Sikowitz's scene," she insisted, "since it's tomorrow and we haven't run through it even once."
"I don't think we should rehearse it," Jade sighed. "It'll be better if it's a little awkward, a little improvised. Our reactions will be more believable that way."
"Oh," Tori's face fell, and the blush that had been creeping up her cheeks faded in disappointment. "Okay. Well-"
"But we can hang out." Jade shrugged and started walking towards the door, not bothering to check if Tori was following her, because Jade knew she would be. "You can show me that picture of me as a fruit bowl."
Tori didn't stop smiling the entire drive to her house. It was light, and peaceful, like she didn't even realize it was there. Like it was just a natural reaction whenever she was in Jade's presence. It compounded with the memory of Tori's arms around her earlier that day, and a strange tension spread through Jade. "I didn't realize," she said quietly, "just how fucked up they'd made me. How much they broke me."
Tori's head turned slightly, her eyes settling on the dashboard. "You aren't broken, though."
"No," a dry, humorless laugh escaped Jade, "I'm broken."
"Okay, and so what if you are?" Tori's held her hand out in the space between them and Jade instinctively reached to take it. "Let's say that you're broken," Jade didn't take her eyes off the road, but she could hear Tori's eyes roll in disbelief, "that just means that you can put yourself back together again. You can take all your broken pieces and fit them together how you want them to be. How you want yourself to be. So maybe it's not a bad thing, if you're broken, which you're totally not."
"Reassuring," Jade chuckled.
"No. Okay." Tori pulled her leg up on the seat, turning to face Jade. "Mosaics are these beautiful pieces of art, right?"
Jade shrugged. "They're alright."
"And what are they made up of?" Tori plowed on. "Pieces of glass. Or tile or stone or whatever. The point is," she drew Jade's hand into her lap as they stopped at a red light, "that an artist took broken pieces, looked at them, and saw something else. Something new. And you're an artist, Jade." Jade's gaze flickered between the road and Tori's eyes. "So if you really think that you're broken, then make yourself new."
Jade had a lot of doubts. About herself, and her control, and her ability to actually end up as anything other than the miserable woman her mother had turned out to be. But she really wanted to be the person that Tori believed she was. "What if I can't?"
"You can." Tori wrapped her other hand around the back of Jade's. "You've already started." They just looked at each other for a long moment, some unknown emotion dancing in Tori's eyes, like she knew what thoughts were passing through Jade's mind. "You might get knocked on your ass, but I'll always help you back up. As long as you let me. As long as you need me."
"I'll always need you."
"I'll always be here."
The car behind them honked and Jade's foot lurched off the brake pedal. She shouted some obscenities at the window, yanking her hand away from Tori to throw up her middle finger. Tori pawed at the air, trying to calm Jade down as she continued driving down the street. And then she took Jade's hand again.
And Jade thought that, yeah, she could be a mosaic. She didn't need to be the person she'd been with Beck. Because that person was a closed-off bitch. But maybe she could be the person that Tori saw her as. She could still be made up of all the same pieces that she always had been, they would just form a different picture. That thought, and Tori's satisfied smile, alleviated her tension. Jade could be her own artist.
They arrived at Tori's house and went straight up to her room, like they'd always done. Jade reclined against Tori's headboard, digging through her messenger bag for her homework before dropping it on the floor. Tori plopped her sketchbook and pencils down by Jade's feet before lying down next to her. "My homework," Tori said excitedly, flipping it open, "is to draw. How cool is that?" Jade just smiled at the giddy look on her face as Tori turned to a blank page. "Mr. Macey wants me to do a bunch of stuff, just to catch up on what I've missed so far. He says my shading needs some work."
"Mr. Macey's fucking blind," Jade grumbled immediately.
Tori glanced over her shoulder and grinned. "You upset that he didn't take one look at the pictures of you and say they were the greatest things he'd ever seen?"
"Well he'd be an idiot not to think that. A blind idiot."
Tori just chuckled, shaking her head. "So modest." She picked a pencil up and turned her attention back to the paper.
They worked in silence for a while, the only sound being Jade turning a page in her math book, or Tori's pencil scratching across the thick paper. Tori tapped Jade's leg, turning her sketchbook at an angle so Jade could see what she was doing. "Does that look like a tree?"
"No, it looks like a motorcycle," Jade deadpanned. "Is that the big tree in the park that you were always too scared to climb?" Tori just nodded, her lower lip caught between her teeth. "It's good."
"You don't think it-"
"Tori, if I could tell exactly what tree it was, it's fucking good."
Tori smiled and returned to sketching, and Jade turned back to her math work. Almost an hour had passed, and Jade had moved on to her reading for theater history, when Tori sighed and shuffled around, lying on her back, with her head in Jade's lap.
"Hey, Jade?" Tori's hand snaked up, gently prying one of Jade's hands from the textbook.
Jade adjusted her grip on the book so it didn't fall on Tori's face, and then let her lace their fingers together. She took a deep breath as their joined hands settled on Tori's stomach. "Yeah?"
"We're… I mean…" Tori released Jade's hand and slowly eased her fingers open, until they were splayed across her stomach. Jade's breath hitched and she placed her book down on Tori's bedside table. "I…" Tori licked her lips, staring down at her fingers tracing across Jade's skin.
Jade's other hand wove into Tori's hair, and she smiled when she realized that Tori would, in fact, fucking melt every time she did that. "You what, baby?"
A smile twitched across Tori's lips. "I was wondering if… I mean, we're… like… cool… right?"
Jade didn't even bother to answer that question, because she knew it wasn't the question Tori really wanted to ask. "What's wrong?"
Tori sighed. "It feels like we're doing stuff all out of order."
Jade's fingers twitched on Tori's stomach, and the muscles tensed underneath her hand as Tori inhaled sharply. "That's because we are."
"Yeah. We haven't even done level one stuff, and we're already at like level seven."
An amused smirk tugged at Jade's lips. "You have levels?"
Tori's eyes met Jade's, embarrassment staining her cheeks. "No?"
"That was convincing."
Tori rolled her eyes, her fingertips sliding up and down Jade's hand on her stomach. "I mean, I might have, when I was younger, and had my first boyfriend, maybe, developed a system."
"Uh-huh," Jade turned her hand over, capturing one of Tori's with her own. "And what's level one?"
"Y'know," Tori's eyes slid closed as Jade's right hand continued to play with her hair, "the flirting and stuff."
"Well, I think we've accomplished level one, baby."
Tori let out a light chuckle. "Okay, but level two, then. We've got our first date tomorrow."
It seemed like Tori wanted Jade to answer, or acknowledge it in some way, so she nodded. "Yes, we do."
"But earlier, in the janitor's closet," Tori's eyes slowly opened, her gaze questioning as she looked up at Jade, "that was like level five stuff."
Tori considered that level five, but thought they were at seven? Jade swallowed thickly. "So what's level seven, then?"
Jade's hand stilled in Tori's hair. Tori's gaze never broke as she took Jade's left hand from her stomach and slowly trailed it up her torso, bringing it to rest on her chest. Right above where her heart was. "It just feels strange. That we're here already, and like… going back to try and make up for all the stuff we skipped. I just want to know how you feel about it all."
"Honestly? Terrified."
"Do you," Tori flattened her hand over Jade's, "do you think it'll feel different once we do? More real?"
Jade blinked slowly. She could feel Tori's heart pounding under her hand and it was distracting. But using Tori's ridiculous system, they had gone from zero to seven in a very short period of time. Like it was just a video game that they'd plugged a cheat code into. They'd skipped ahead in the game and were a little lost, like they'd missed important parts of the exposition and were suddenly faced with a boss fight. They were just fumbling at the controls and trying not to do anything that resulted in a screen that read 'Game Over'. "Maybe?"
"Does it feel real to you?"
Jade paled, because she realized what Tori was actually saying, even though she wasn't voicing it. It didn't feel real to her. Was that why she wanted to go slow? In case it turned out that… God, Jade couldn't even think of that possibility.
Tori's hand lifted, her fingertips brushing across Jade's cheek. They moved to Jade's forehead and she sat up a little, smoothing out the crease in Jade's brow. "This feels like the best dream I've ever had, and I'm scared to wake up in case that's all it is."
"It's not a dream." Jade shook her head. She remembered being a kid, Tori holding onto her arm as a shooting star raced across the sky. No, it wasn't a dream. It was a wish coming true. Finally.
She hadn't meant to say it out loud. She didn't even realize that she had until she felt the breath leaving her lungs, carrying the confession past her lips and out into the open.
Tori shifted. She was on her knees, her hands cupping Jade's face, her eyes searching Jade for something, although she didn't know what. Jade held her gaze, and then Tori closed the space between them.
Tori's entire body sank into the kiss. She melted against Jade, and Jade could only wrap her arms around Tori's waist, hoping to god that neither of them actually turned to liquid before she got the chance to really enjoy it. Tori's fingers tangled in the soft hair at the back of Jade's neck as she pushed forward, a small, humming moan in Tori's throat igniting something inside of Jade.
Electricity sparked the air between them. It burned across Jade's neck, leaving a glowing trail under the skin as Tori's fingers dragged slowly down her throat. Jade's hands slid down Tori's sides, settling on her hips as her lips moved more fervently against the brunette's. It felt so fucking right. They felt so fucking right, and Jade's head swam with the realization that it came so naturally. Touching Tori, kissing Tori, was like instinct. Like they were always meant to be doing what they were doing. It made sense. And as Tori surged forward, swinging her left leg across Jade's lap, it made perfect sense. They fit. Tori was kissing her like it was the only thing she had ever known, and Jade's hands were exploring the body beneath them like they'd memorized the motions years ago.
"Jesus," Jade breathed as Tori's mouth drifted, her lips following the trail of her fingers down the expanse of Jade's throat. "Fucking," Jade hissed as Tori brought her lips to Jade's ear. Tori captured Jade's earlobe between her teeth and gave a sharp tug. "Christ."
"Too much?" Tori's lips brushed against the curl of Jade's ear.
"Not enough," She growled, turning her head to reclaim Tori's mouth. Tori's lips stretched into a smile beneath Jade's.
The room was quiet except for the soft sound their lips made as they moved against each other, and the small gasp that escaped Tori when Jade's hands slid down, giving her ass a firm squeeze. Tori's hips rolled, her core pressing down against Jade's lap, and the movement seemed to surprise both of them as they broke apart.
"Too much," Tori breathed, placing her hands on Jade's shoulders.
"Yeah." Jade didn't particularly want to break contact, so she slid her hands down Tori's thighs, letting them rest there as Tori's eyelids fluttered.
Tori's fingers dug into Jade's shoulders, scrunching up the fabric of her shirt. "Fuck."
"Watch your fucking language." Jade nipped at Tori's lower lip.
Tori's mouth pulled into a lazy grin, her hands smoothing Jade's shirt against her collarbone. "Look who's talking."
Jade's hands were gliding up and down Tori's thighs. "Does it feel real yet?"
Tori's grin settled into a genuine smile, her eyes lit up as they traced the features of Jade's face. "Yeah." She cupped Jade's head in her hands, letting her thumbs brush along Jade's jaw. "Dream come true."
Jade could feel the blood pounding in her veins. It was a frantic beat, like the drums in one of the songs on her 'Murder Time' playlist. But Tori's hand curled against her jugular, like she could feel it, too, and her fingertips traced along the line, stroking it and gently bringing it down to something calmer. It made sense that Tori would be the reason for Jade's heart to pound. And it was fitting that Tori was the one to tame it, the wild fluttering in her chest slowly steadying out.
Jade had to wonder if every kiss was going to feel different. Because this one was a little more tentative. She forced her hands to stay still against Tori's thighs, fingers digging into the denim of her jeans from the effort, as Tori's lips pulled across her own. Jade could take this slow. She could let Tori be the pace car, and just follow her lead. She could. She could keep this at like, a level three, maybe four. She didn't know how Tori's system worked, but she knew that more was probably at like six. And she could control herself. She could jump up and down from level to level like a champ, because she knew that they'd get there in time.
She had no idea how long they stayed like that, Tori straddling Jade's hips as they just shared gentle, languid kisses. Tori's hands seemed to have permanently rooted themselves in Jade's hair, tugging occasionally, and Jade didn't mind in the slightest. It felt right, and ridiculously fucking good, and she never wanted to stop.
But an annoyingly loud, excruciatingly upbeat song started blaring from somewhere and Tori pulled away. "That's my phone," she said as she started to climb off Jade.
"Fuck it." Jade grabbed Tori's waist and held her in place.
Tori rolled her eyes with a smile and placed a quick, far too chaste kiss against Jade's lips. "It might be my parents."
Jade's eyes narrowed but she let Tori get up. Tori bent down to grab her bag, and Jade just kind of watched, smirking as Tori dug around in it. She paused, like she could feel Jade's eyes on her. She glanced over her shoulder, not bothering to straighten up. "Enjoying the view?"
"Maybe. A little," Jade grinned.
Tori chuckled as she pulled her phone out, finally straightening up and ruining Jade's fun. Without looking at it, she swiped her thumb across the screen and held it up to her ear. "Hello?" She broke into a grin. "Oh, hey, Andre, what's up?"
"I'm gonna kill that boy," Jade grumbled, moving to stand up like she planned on hunting him down right then and there.
Tori swiftly stepped forward, placing her hand on Jade's shoulder and shoving her back against the headboard. "No, I'm not busy." Jade's eyes widened and she mouthed 'Seriously?' Tori wrapped her free arm around Jade's neck and eased down, sitting on her lap. Jade huffed, but her arms snaked around Tori's waist instinctively. Dammit. "Well, what movie does Cat want to see?" Jade rolled her eyes and let her forehead slam against Tori's shoulder. Tori's hand buried itself in Jade's hair, cradling her head in the crook of her arm. Seriously? It was bad enough that Tori took a call in the middle of their… activities, but was she seriously considering going out to see a movie instead of spending time with just Jade? "Really?" Tori sat up excitedly. "Oh, I wanna see that one so bad!"
That was it. Final straw. Jade grabbed the phone from Tori, who squeaked out a protest, and shoved it against her own ear. "'Dre, I am going to skin you alive with a cheese grater, bake you into a lasagna, and feed you to your grandmother."
"J-Jade?"
Jade couldn't even revel in the joy of how scared he sounded. She just hit the 'End Call' button and threw the stupid phone onto the bed. "Jade!" Tori leaned away, reaching for her phone.
"Relax," Jade tightened her hold. "It's fine. Think about our scene for Sikowitz."
Tori froze, one hand trying to push at Jade's shoulder while the other stretched out for her phone. "Our…"
"Scene for Sikowitz," Jade finished, her mouth tilting into a smirk.
Tori's eyes slowly pulled to Jade's, who just nodded as Tori grinned. "Oh, that's a genius idea."
"I do have them from time to time." Jade shrugged, like it was no big deal as Tori eased back against her. "Besides, would you really rather spend the evening listening to Cat squeal at some stupid movie than hang out here with me?" Tori's gaze drifted to the ceiling, her lips pursed in a contemplative pout. "It was a rhetorical question, Vega."
"I was just messin' with ya." Tori broke into a smile and leaned over to grab Jade's theater history book off her table. "What did you guys cover this morning? I missed my class when…" She paused, glancing nervously at Jade.
"Yeah." Jade cleared her throat. They may have taken the class at different periods, but they covered the same material. And then the kissing and Jade's little break-down in the janitor's closet had made Tori miss hers. "Page seventy-three. We started the segment on performance art."
Tori cracked the book open and started flipping through the pages. When she found the right chapter, she scooted off Jade's legs and curled into her side instead. She placed the book on Jade's lap and tapped the page. "Read." Jade rolled her eyes, bent one knee up and adjusted the book so she could actually see the words on the page. And then she started reading it aloud as she wrapped her arm around Tori's shoulders.
It had grown dark outside by the time they finished the rest of their homework. A quick glance at the clock told Tori that either Trina or her parents would be getting back soon, and Jade took it as her cue to leave. "You ready for tomorrow?" Jade asked as they drew to a stop by Tori's front door.
"As ready as I'll ever be, I guess."
"Just remember your lines and you'll be fine."
Tori smiled, taking a small step closer. "Are you ready for tomorrow?" She questioned.
Jade knew that Tori was talking about their date, trying to make sure they were still on the same page. The idea that they wouldn't be, especially after everything that happened earlier, was ridiculous, and the slight glimmer of nervousness in Tori's eyes set Jade's heart racing. "Yeah. Totally," she murmured.
Tori leaned in, capturing Jade's lips in a sweet, slow kiss that ended before Jade could even wrap her head around the fact that she had kissed Tori. A lot. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah." She cleared her throat with a nod. "See ya."
It wasn't unusual for Jade to return to an empty house. More often than not, she was alone there. So it wasn't strange that she pulled up to a dark house and an empty driveway. There was something taped to the inside of the front door, the ghostly white envelope standing out starkly in the darkness, and Jade plucked it off without a second glance. She took the money from her dad and went up to her room, not even bothering to turn on any lights until she got to her room, and then it was just her small desk lamp. The house should be dark. No one really lived there. Her mom passed through, occasionally towing some stranger in her wake, and Jade didn't consider it her home. It was just a house. A building. A place for Jade to rest her head at night, and nothing more. A temporary living space until she found somewhere permanent to call home.
She lied down on her bed, grazing her thumb absently across her bottom lip. She could still feel Tori's lips. Still taste the sweetness in her kiss. Jade remembered the sincerity, the force, in Tori's words when she told her that she wasn't her parents. That she and Tori were nothing like them. Jade licked her lips, settling her hand on the flat plane of her stomach. They could be different. They were different. Jade didn't have to end up bitter and broken and alone like her mother. She didn't have to end up distant and heartless and cruel like her father. She could be the Jade that Tori believed her to be, simply because she wanted to. She wanted to be good enough for Tori because… because Tori was safe. Tori was permanent. Tori felt like a home.
When she fell asleep, Jade dreamed of a blanket made of stars, and when she woke up in the morning, she glowed with the hum of fireflies coming to life.
She strutted into school like she owned the damn place, because she felt like she could conquer the world. Andre was standing next to Tori's locker while Tori got her books out, and Jade shot him the most dangerous look she could muster. He visibly shrank, tugging on Tori's arm and Jade smirked at the fear in his eyes as she marched over to her own locker.
She spun her combination, eyebrow arched at the sound of approaching footsteps. "Hey, Jade," Tori hesitantly greeted, her hand rising slightly. Jade screwed a scowl on her face. Showtime.
"Vega, I know you don't think you can actually talk to me right now."
A heavy sigh. "Please, can't we just-"
"No!" Jade rounded, catching a glimpse of Andre and Cat staring at them from across the hall. "We can't anything!"
"Why are you being like this?" Tori squared her shoulders, her voice growing in strength and Jade was aware of several classmates slowing down to watch their argument. "You won't even give me a chance to explain!"
"There's nothing to explain! You go ahead and do whatever the fuck it is you want, Vega, because I," she took a step forward, "don't," she leaned into Tori's face, and to her credit she didn't even flinch, "care!"
By now students were stopped, openly staring at the two of them. Tori's eyes narrowed. "Oh, you care. You wouldn't be so pissed off if you didn't care!"
Jade snapped her attention to a random kid gaping at them. "Hey, you! Do I look like I fucking care what she does?"
His eyes darted nervously between Jade and Tori, before settling on the former. "No?"
"See! Even that twerp knows I don't give a shit!"
"Ah, Jade," Sikowitz rounded the corner, "I thought I heard your melodic voice. Why are you torturing Tori so early in the morning?"
Jade rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her stomach as Tori took a small step away. "Because she's being a gank."
"I'm being a gank?" Tori screeched. "You're the gankiest gank this side of Northridge!"
"Oh yeah?!" Jade's arms slammed to her sides.
"Yeah!"
"Show's over!" Sikowitz announced, shooing the spectators away. "Hurry along to your respective rooms of education and get your knowledge on." The crowd that had formed around them slowly started to disperse, students trying to catch one last glimpse of the fight before heading off. Sikowitz turned back to the fuming girls and clicked his fingers to get their attention. "Do I need to get Lane involved in this, or can you two be civil?"
"Oh, I'll be civil," Tori seethed. "I'll be so civil she'll-"
"Ah! Tori," He said warningly. "Go to class."
Tori shot Jade one last look of loathing before stomping off down the corridor, Andre and Cat running after her.
"Jade," Sikowitz said slowly, only for Jade to huff and interrupt.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. 'Be professional'."
"That's right. Personal prejudices go out the window as soon as a job starts. Now," he motioned for her to follow him, "to class."
Jade shadowed him to the classroom, making sure to grumble unintelligibly the entire way. She flopped into her usual seat, shooting daggers at the back of Tori's head. Andre cast a nervous glance over his shoulder before leaning over and whispering something to Tori, who spun in her seat. "What?"
"Children!" Sikowitz clapped his hands once, loudly. "Be professional!" Tori turned back to the front of the class as Sikowitz pointed to a random boy. "Eli, Mark, you're up."
A few students performed their scenes, while Jade sat with her arms folded, daring anyone to so much as look at her. The few who did immediately shrank away in fear at the glares they received. Half the class had passed before Sikowitz made eye contact with Jade.
"Jade, Tori," He jerked a thumb towards the stage, "you're up. No murder."
Both girls stood up, but Tori grabbed Jade's arm as she passed and whispered something in her ear.
"What?" Jade's eyes grew wide as she spun around. "You can't switch characters at the last minute! We're supposed to be performing right now."
"Well, why can't I be your character? You have all the best lines!"
"Seriously?" Jade's eyes were wild and Tori shrugged in response. "Unbelievable. You're ridiculous. Just," Jade turned back towards the front of the class and waved Tori away, "shut up and let's get started."
"Oh, keep telling me to shut up and I will ruin you," Tori muttered darkly, eyes narrowing as she headed to the stage.
"I hate you so much," Jade growled, stomping up the steps of the stage. "I hate you and if you make me fail this assignment-"
"Oh, you hate me? You hate me? Well I hate you more!" Tori thrust a finger in Jade's chest.
Jade's head recoiled, her face screwing up in disgust. "Never touch me." She glanced at Sikowitz, who was just watching them intently. "Just play your part, like the good girl you are, so we can be finished with this stupid assignment and go back to not speaking."
"Yo, Jade," Andre started to stand up.
"No!" Tori screamed, jabbing a finger in his direction, causing him to sit back down quickly. "I don't need your help!" She wheeled back to Jade and shook her head. "I don't even know why I agreed to do this assignment with you in the first place. You are so… so…" She threw her hands up and just screamed.
Jade shrugged and folded her arms. "Feeling's mutual," she mumbled, looking completely indifferent, like the argument wasn't even the slightest bit upsetting.
Tori shot her an annoyed look, mimicking her stance. "Whatever. You wanna do the scene so bad, just start the scene already."
Jade unfolded her arms and took a deep breath. She tossed her hair over her shoulder as a smug grin crept onto her lips. Tori just continued to glare, eyebrows drawn and eyes narrowed, like Jade was the most frustrating thing she'd ever encountered in her life and she couldn't wait to get away from her.
And then Sikowitz erupted in applause.
Jade relaxed as Tori started jumping up and down next to her. "I can't believe he got it!" She must have known she looked like Cat, but she really didn't seem to care. She threw her arms around Jade, who just pushed her off with a slightly annoyed chuckle.
"I told you he would."
"Oh, that was a surprise indeed!" Their teacher continued to clap, and a few students slowly joined in, but most of them just looked totally lost.
"Wait," Andre spun in his seat, desperately trying to find someone who knew what the hell was going on, "what just happened?"
Sikowitz threw a hand out, indicating the girls still standing at the front of the class. "They performed their scene!"
"What?" Cat's head tilted.
"I don't get it," Beck shrugged.
"Tori and Jade," Sikowitz stood up and slowly walked to the stage, "picked Anger and Loathing. What you just saw was their non-murdery interpretation of those emotions. Good job on not killing your partner this time, by the way," Sikowitz threw over his shoulder. Jade just nodded as he continued. "It was certainly a bit different from how most of you have interpreted the assignment. And I rather enjoyed it!"
"So," Andre said slowly, "your scene was just an argument about your scene?"
"Yep!" Tori clasped her hands together.
"And, that fight in the hallway this morning…?" Beck ventured.
"Was set-up for the scene." Jade spread her arms, indicating the stage.
Cat shook her head slowly. "I don't get it."
"Well I did," Sikowitz announced, hopping up next to Jade, "and that's what matters. Good job, both of you. Back to your seats."
Jade and Tori walked and skipped, respectively, back to their seats. Tori was giddy for the rest of class, and Jade kept rolling her eyes. Every so often, Tori would spin in her chair, just to shoot a gleeful smile at Jade. And Jade just raised a hand, her finger pointing at the ground as she rotated it slowly, silently telling Tori to turn around and pay attention. Which she would, with an ear-to-ear grin splitting her face.
"Man," Andre sighed as he walked with Jade to second period, "I really thought that y'all had a fight or somethin' last night after, well," he glanced at her nervously, "y'know. The lasagna thing."
"It's called acting," Jade supplied with a smirk.
Andre's mouth fell open in shock. "You planned that, too? Threatening me with a cheese grater?"
"Oh, no," Jade's head pulled back, a serious look settling on her features as they walked into their songwriting class. "If you ever interrupt us again, I will murder you in a hundred different, very creative, ways."
Andre paused next to their table, his mouth in a tight line. "Right. Okay." And Jade could tell, from the look in his eyes, that he was torn between imaging what kind of torture Jade would inflict, and what, exactly, he had 'interrupted'.
"Don't be gross," Jade said with a smirk, "Tori's your friend and I could hurt you."
"Yeah." He nodded, slipping into his seat. "Totally. It's gross." He cleared his throat. "Disgusting."
"Seriously, 'Dre." An almost sympathetic smile settled on Jade's lips as she rested her hand on his shoulder. "I'll fucking murder you."
When lunch rolled around, Jade was the first one outside. She grabbed some fries from the Grub Truck and claimed the gang's usual table, dropping her messenger bag by her feet. Cat was next, bouncing up to the table and plopping down next to Jade.
"So are you not mad at Tori anymore?"
"I wasn't mad at her to begin with," Jade explained. "It was all for the scene, kitten."
She nodded slowly, her fingers playing with the ends of her hair. "So you like Tori?"
"Yeah," Jade said slowly, eyeing her suspiciously, "why?"
"Like…" Cat's eyebrows lifted. "You like like Tori?"
Jade's eyes narrowed. "I'll ask again. Why?"
"Well yesterday Tori had that smile like my brother gets-"
"The one when he sets fires?" Jade questioned.
"Mmhmm. And she said it wasn't 'cause of a boy, and I thought that maybe it was 'cause of a girl." She poked Jade's side. "'Cause of a you."
"And why would you think that?" Jade turned slightly in her seat. Cat was ditzy, but she wasn't really as dumb as she acted sometimes. It still caught Jade by surprise, though, when she was actually observant.
"Well, you're nice to her."
"Who's Jade nice to?" Tori walked up to the table, placing a can of Wahoo punch down in front of Jade as she sat on her other side.
Cat's eyes widened. "It is 'cause of a you!" She squealed, clapping her hands together in excitement. "Yay! I knew it!"
Tori turned confused eyes on Jade, who sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I guess it's too late to deny anything now. Thanks, Vega." Jade pointedly grabbed the can and opened it rather aggressively.
"Uh…" Tori glanced at Cat, who was somehow managing to sway in her seat. "You're welcome?"
"I was being sarcastic," Jade grumbled.
"Then you are not welcome?" Tori ventured instead.
"What are you ladies talkin' about?" Andre set his food down next to Tori and threw a leg over the bench.
"I have no idea," Tori answered honestly.
Cat giggled and leaned across Jade, whispering to Andre even though everyone could hear her. "Jade's got a crush."
"It is not a crush," Jade snapped. "And what the hell, Cat?!"
"Oh," Tori breathed slowly. "Cat figured it out?"
"Well apparently you grinning like an idiot is kind of a dead giveaway."
"I don't grin like an idiot," Tori protested.
"Yeah, you do," Andre said.
"Totally," Cat agreed, quickly turning shocked eyes onto Andre. "Wait, you know?"
"Yeah, I know. I was the first to know."
"Well," Tori held a finger up to stop him, "not the first." She gestured between herself and Jade.
"Okay, well, third then."
"Um," Tori's face scrunched up.
"Tor!" Andre's hand flew to his chest. "I thought we were bros! Amigos! Compadres! How was I not the first to find out?"
"I live with Trina," Tori whined. "She sees stuff."
Andre shook his head slowly, looking offended. "Well," he huffed, "I never."
Jade threw her hands in the air, seeing Robbie and Beck approaching. "Can this insanity circus pack up and leave town, please?"
"Oh, my brother went to the circus one time, but he's not allowed back after what happened to the lion tamer."
Beck hesitated, casting a strange glance around the table while Robbie just eased down next to Cat. "What lion tamer?" Beck asked.
Cat immediately burst into the story, and Jade was glad for the distraction. She didn't really want to try and explain to Beck the conversation that had been taking place moments before he sat down. Because she wouldn't even know how to explain it. She didn't know how to tell him that she and Tori were… at Level Seven. She mused over not telling him at all, ever, but knew that would never work. He was bound to find out eventually. Especially if Tori continued to steal fries from Jade's tray like it wasn't normally a murderable offence. Jade swatted her hand away, causing Tori to gasp. Jade just slowly pulled her fries closer, never breaking eye contact with Tori. "Mine."
Tori's mouth fell open. "Well." She reached over and grabbed the punch, pulling it close to her chest. "Mine."
Jade's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Vega."
"West," Tori mocked.
Cat continued to prattle on, seeming oblivious to the silent showdown happening next to her. Jade could feel the other occupants of the table's eyes on them, but she'd be damned if she was going to back down first. Tori's eyebrow arched, and Jade saw it. The first crack. The muscles in Tori's neck twitched, like she was fighting laughter. Jade turned to her fries, leaned over them, and stuck her tongue out to blow a raspberry, spit flying all over her food.
Tori's lips twitched, and she stuck her own tongue out, running it all over the opening of the can. Jade cocked a brow and pushed the fries in front of Tori at the same moment Tori set the can back down on the table.
"Totally disgusting," Andre mumbled to himself, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
"Seriously, dude?" Jade barked. There was no way he thought that exchange was in any way sexual.
"I'm just a man!" He screamed defensively, jumping out of his seat to run off.
"What…" Beck stared at them as Cat finally stopped talking, "what the hell was that?"
Tori picked a fry off the tray and pointed at what remained of Andre's lunch. "Bad burrito?" She popped the fry into her mouth as Jade took a sip of punch. Beck turned to Robbie for some sort of answer, but the curly-haired boy just shrugged.
"My brother thought he ate a bad burrito once," Cat said seriously, casting a dark look around the table, "but it turned out that it wasn't a burrito."
Jade's head landed on the table with a resounding thump.
She'd just sat down in screenwriting when a note appeared on the edge of her desk. Jade slid her bag off her shoulder, taking her time with getting her notebook and pencil out before unfolding the note from Tori.
Your presence is kindly requested
Oh god. Jade rolled her eyes. She could hear the giggles in the feminine slant of Tori's writing.
kindly requested at Casa de Vega at promptly seven o'clock this evening. All you have to bring is comfortable shoes and your beautiful face.
Jade glanced at Tori out of the corner of her eye as attendance was taken. She wrote a response.
Seriously? Casa de Vega? And why the shoes?
Romance, remember, Jade? Just be there. I've got a plan.
It better involve a shovel, abandoned woods, and Trina's unconscious body.
Please. I don't let anyone bury my sister alive until the third date.
Third date? Jeeze, have a little self-respect. I wouldn't do it until at least the fourth. Actually, scratch that. I would bury Trina alive on the first date. Now fucking pay attention so you don't fail.
You could always tutor me some more.
Jade refused to answer her, a satisfied smirk tilting her lips as Tori actually managed to pay attention for once.
In the parking lot after school, Tori shot Jade the biggest, goofiest grin she'd ever seen in her life. Jade returned it with a small smile and shake of her head, and Tori climbed into her sister's car with a laugh. That girl was ridiculous.
Jade didn't have much homework for the weekend, so she tore through it relatively quickly once she got back to her once-again-empty house, pausing only to glance at the clock every so often. At five-thirty she jumped in the shower. She took a little longer than normal to do her hair afterwards, because it was a first date, and even if she had to wear 'comfortable' shoes, she could still look good. So she put a little more effort into her make-up, as well.
She slipped her phone and some money into the pocket of her jeans and put her combat boots on, because they had the lowest heels and if Tori was taking her on some weird, stupid nature hike they'd be her best bet. Either for hiking or for kicking Tori's ass for bringing her on some weird, stupid nature hike. She pulled on her leather jacket and headed downstairs, jumped the last step and landed with a heavy thud. She took a moment, a quick minute, to collect herself.
It was okay if things with Tori were easy, because they'd always been easy. And maybe the fact that it had been hard with Beck, that it had been hard for her parents, just meant that she and Tori would be okay. Because hard didn't work out. And maybe easy would. Maybe Tori would.
They'd been friends. They'd been acquaintances. They'd been strangers, briefly. They could be whatever they were going to be next, and as Jade rolled her shoulders and opened her front door, she had a fair idea of what that was. What she wanted that to be.
AN: Hey, sorry about the delay in updating this. I really planned on getting it out sooner, but Real Life got in the way a lil bit. But I hope the Jori Action in this chapter made up for the wait :)
As always, thank you for the reviews and favorites and such, because they are totally amazeballs, and y'all are so awesome I can't even handle it. Feel free to let me know what you thought of this one and I'll see ya on the flip side!