Jealous Minds Think Alike[prt. 1]
Tuesday, February 7th, 2010
Tori laid awake, staring up at her beige-colored ceiling at one-thirty in the morning. Junior Doctor was playing in her earbuds while she contemplated the day's events.
She wished she could just reflect on the exciting movie she and her friends had seen a couple hours ago, but there was simply too much already on her mind for her to focus on such trivial things.
Like two of her friends that were absent during the movies tonight; Beck and Jade. The couple seemed to be on their last legs recently, and Tori was worried. If they broke up, then everybody would have to choose sides and Tori feared that Jade would be left all alone.
Beck and Jade had their arguments every once and awhile but they always made up and were all over each other shortly afterwards. Lately though, they both appeared to be more miserable and tired than anything. Beck kept throwing Tori these sullen looks during class, that she assumed were his way of asking her to fix things. Jade just looked listless all the time. Whenever anybody would try to get her attention they only recieved a stiff glare or a halfhearted grumble in return.
Tori kind of knew what was bothering Jade though. Well, she could take a guess.
The abrasive girl had shown up on her doorstep on New Year's Eve with tears streaming down her face. She hadn't even said anything at first, just threw her arms around Tori and buried her head in the Latina's neck. Tori could do nothing but hold her through the night, whispering words of comfort and reassurance as she pulled her fingers through Jade's hair. When Jade finally calmed down, she told her what happened. James West had kicked his eldest son out, after discovering that Jude was a "pill popping drug dealer turned klepto that tried turning the West Residence into a trap house."
Tori actually understood why Mr. West kicked the rebellious teen out but she hadn't expressed that to Jade, only offered comfort in the form of cuddling and fresh-brewed coffee. Jade and Jude weren't extremely close, but they used to be when they were younger. He was her brother, after all, they grew up together.
When Tori woke up on New Year's Day, Jade was gone. No thank you note or text explaining why she left, the other girl was just gone. And even worse, when she got to school she'd waited for Jade by her locker to see how she was holding up. But Jade vehemently denied being anywhere near Tori's "talentless house and the saps that lived there."
It had been a great way to start off her birthday...
Not.
Things between the two of them hadn't been the same since, with Tori resolving to just ignore Jade after the other girl's dig resulted in the two of them having a screaming match with each other in the middle of the hallway on her birthday.
Tori's resolution for the new year didn't hold up for very long however, as it was actually extremely hard to ignore somebody when you had a crush on them and they were a huge part of your friend group.
The Latina simply just gave Jade the cold shoulder or a bit of attitude regularly.
She eventually decided that she couldn't just keep sitting around praying that Beck and Jade would break up, and that Jade would magically confess her unwavering love for the Latina. Then the ever-present guilt that came with those feelings. Besides, her family would never approve of them being together, she and Jade would have to fly completely under the radar if the other girl ever returned her feelings.
Speaking of Jade, Tori hoped she wouldn't hold their spat at lunch against her, Tori hadn't gotten any sleep the night before and as a result her mood had been sour all day. The Latina now felt that she may have went too far with her name calling and hurt Jade's feelings.
Tori recalled the regret she felt in her heart as she watched Jade avert her eyes into her phone whenever they'd lock with each other's.
Tori's mother, Holly Vega, was largely to blame for her daughter's bad attitude as well.
Tori hadn't been the biggest fan of her mother's lately, last night being the third night in a row that Tori had to eat dinner with her abuelita alone. She knew her father had to work, but suspected that her mother was most likely off somewhere with Gary. Tori swore that man was a snake, there was just something icky about him. And whatever was going on between him and her mother couldn't be platonic. Not with how often they texted each other.
Suddenly, Tori's phoned buzzed, interupting her musings. She opened it and immediately sat up straight as her eyes scanned the notifactions displayed across her screen.
The Slap: Jade West changed her relationship status to single
The Slap: Beck Oliver changed his relationship status to single
Her mouth fell open as she read the two alerts over and over again in disbelief.
"No way..." The Latina mumbled to herself, momentarily wondering if she had inadvertently caused this by praying for it. Her heart stopped and she quickly murmured a prayer to atone.
And while Tori wanted Beck and Jade to be happy together, a small part of her found a bit of joy at the news of their breakup. She was only human after all, and had been heavily crushing on the raven-haired girl for nearly two and half years.
She sent a text to each of them, checking in and letting them both know that she was there for them if they needed her.
Beck responded almost immediately.
Becky With The Good Hair: If you could find a way to come to the RV, that'd be great. Really need to see you tonight
Tori blinked at the text, unsure how to respond to that. Why did he need to see her? Beck was her friend, yes, but they weren't "Here, cry on my shoulder." friends. Jade also wouldn't be too happy if she found out Tori went to go comfort her ex-boyfriend. The abrasive girl ex-seemed to be under the impression that Tori was in love with Beck and determined to steal him from her. Jade made sure to express her jealousy on the daily, very loudly.
So, it wouldn't exactly be a good look for her to go comfort Beck after his and Jade's breakup.
Tori's about to text him if it would be okay if they talk at school tomorrow, knowing he'll be more forthcoming with the details on what happened between him and Jade. But just as she's about to hit send, she gets another text.
This time from Jade.
Wicked Witch: I'm fine, can't say the same for Beck's truck though.
Tori: Oh, god. Jade, what happened?
Wicked Witch: We got into a fight, things were said, tires were slashed
Tori: ...Are you okay though? Seriously.
Wicked Witch: Really, I'm fine, see you tomorrow. Thanks, Tori.
Tori: Always, Jade.
Tori closed her phone then held it to her chest, dragging her bottom lip in between her teeth to try and conceal her smile.
It wasn't much, but Jade wasn't being a complete asshole so it was something. And Tori would take what she could get.
She'd laid there for maybe ten minutes, dozing off with butterflies incessantly flapping their wings in her stomach, when an unexpected tap at her balcony window scared the chiz out of her and made her throw her phone.
She flailed off of her bed and landed with a hard thud, sprawling out on the floor while whining in pain.
Not even five seconds after her fall, her phone rang with André's ringtone. She had to push herself to her feet and crawl over to the other side of her bed just to get it.
"Dré, do you have any idea how late it is? What could you possibly-"
"Open your window and let me in, you dork." Her best friend interrupted, barely holding back his laughter. Tori guessed he'd seen her fall.
Frowning, Tori hung up and went to her window, lifting the aperture so he could put his legs through and climb in.
"Sup, chica?" The dreadhead greeted, grinning at Tori like this was just a casual thing to do on a Tuesday night.
"Hey, what're you doing here?" Tori asked, brows furrowed and her arms crossed over her chest self-consciously. She was in her pjs and didn't have on a bra.
"You see The Slap yet?" He asked, instead of answering.
"Beck and Jade broke up... again." Tori stated the obvious, shrugging her shoulders impatiently.
"So, yeah, you saw it. Crazy, right? What you think it was over this time? More importantly, how long do you think it'll last?" He grinned impishly, plopping down and making himself right at home on her bed.
Tori shrugged again, annoyed, "Who knows? Everything sets Jade off. Did you really come over here at," she paused to check the time on her phone, "Two in morning just to talk about this? It couldn't have waited until we saw each other at school tomorrow?"
Andre looked at her, a bit of hurt reflecting on his features.
"What's wrong? Why're you being all snappy?" He asked with a frown.
Tori sighed heavily and thumped onto the bed beside him.
"Sorry, I just haven't been sleeping well the last couple nights." She explained, eyes falling down to her hands.
She can feel her best friend's concerned gaze on her and knew that she'll break down and confide in him if he asked. She was so tired of keeping everything bottled up.
So, she grabbed a hoodie off the back of desk chair and pulled it over herself to cover her modesty.
"Come on, let's go for a walk and I'll tell you about it because I can practically hear your thoughts." Tori suggested, putting her hands in her kangaroo pocket and nodding toward her door.
"I was hoping you'd say that," Andre commented, producing a joint from his jacket pocket with a grin.
Minutes later, they were both highly sated and walking in thoughtful silence down Lamar Road; the street Tori lived on, when André bumped her shoulder lightly with his own.
"You gonna tell me what's bothering you?" He asked, smiling at her patiently.
The Latina sighed heavily and looked off into the distance, studying a flickering street light to avoid her best friend's gaze.
"I think my mom's cheating on my dad." Tori finally said, rushing the words out in one quick breath.
"What? Nah, no way. She loves your dad!" Andrè replied immediately, jumping the Vega mother's defense.
"Then why is she always sneaking out? And she's always on her phone. That's kind of suspicious, Drè." Tori said with a nervous bite to her lip and a shake of her head.
"Okay, yeah, that sounds bad. But you never know, maybe she's got a surprise for y'all."
Tori rose an eyebrow at him as if to say, 'Really? That's the best you could come up with?'
"I know, it's a stretch... Maybe you should ask her what's going on."
"Oh, yeah, that's a great idea, Andre. "Hey, mom, I was just wondering if you were stepping out on dad. Can you pass the tostones?"
"Okay, sassy, what're you planning on doing then?"
Tori shrugged, feeling hopeless, "What can I do?"
"Tell your dad?" Andrè suggested casually, like that was the most obvious solution.
Tori vehemently shook her head, panic seizing her chest at just the thought, "I couldn't break his heart like that. She should be the one to tell him."
"If she is cheating." Andrè pointed out.
"Right..." Tori replied, unconvinced.
They resumed their silent stroll down the street for a bit, until Tori suddenly groaned then face palmed herself.
"Sorry, Drè, I didn't mean to be a bad friend. Did come over here to tell me something other than Beck and Jade breaking up?"
"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot..." He mumbled, his voice getting a bit unsure.
He went quiet again so Tori nudged him with her shoulder much like he did to her earlier, "What did you want to tell me?" She prompted.
Andrè took a deep before he asked, "Okay, you remember last semester when I had that crush on Jade?"
The question caught Tori completely off guard, so much so that she almost trips over her feet but Andre's there to steady her.
"What? I mean, yeah, but why are you asking?" Tori squeaked, after recovering.
Andre shrugged, "I was thinking about asking her out now that she's single again."
Tori blinked, her heart slamming against her ribcage so fast she thought she feared she'd have a heart attack.
"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean they literally just broke up and Beck is your best-"
"Beck is going to Canada for like two weeks, so we can worry about him later." Andrè hurriedly interrupted.
Tori made a mental note to ask him how he knew that later, she hadn't seen anything about it on social media yet at all.
"What happened to not wanting to move in on a friend's girl?" Tori reminded, repeating the words the boy told her last semester when he told her had a crush on Jade. She so did not want to go through that nightmare again.
"They're broken up, she's not his anymore. I really like her, I thought go away if I met other girls and put myself out there, but it didn't. I don't think it's ever gonna go away until I do something about it. I can't just sit on the sidelines anymore. It's fuckin' painful, Tori." Andrè lamented.
Tori didn't respond, thinking to herself as they continue to walk down Lamar Road.
'No, no, no, no. This couldn't be happening.' Tori thought in despair.
Not now, not when she'd finally summoned the courage to possibly act on her own feelings for Jade.
Andre nudged her eventually, "Where'd you go? I need advice, chica."
Tori took a deep breath, feeling like she hadn't properly done so since Andrè's confession.
"I like Jade." The Latina spoke up, trying to be brave.
Andre stopped dead in his tracks and gaped at Tori.
"What?! What do you mean you like Jade?! Since when!?" He exclaimed, clearly caught off guard.
Tori ducked her head sheepishly, "You remember when I tried so hard to help you get over your crush on her?"
"Then?! Why... Why didn't you say-"
"Longer."
"...How much longer?"
"Since you guys got banned from Karaoke Dokie that one time, and I sang for Cat and Jade."
"Dude... That was freshmen year."
Tori closed her eyes, "I know."
"You've been harboring feelings for her for two years..."
"I know."
"You never... Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because, Drè, it's not... it's not an easy thing to talk about. I didn't want to feel this way for her, I prayed it would go away so I could be normal for so long."
"Tori..." He said her name with so much anguish, sounding genuinely heartbroken for her. He pulled her into a tight hug and rested his chin on top of her head as he held her.
She clung to him tightly, thankful to finally tell someone.
"Are you... y'know?" Andrè trailed off, not sure how to ask.
"No!" Tori jumped back out of his arms with a horrified screech.
"But... Tori, you just said-"
"I know, but I'm not... whatever it is that you're thinking!"
Andrè merely moved closer and drew Tori into another hug, "Lesbian isn't a bad word, Tori. It's perfectly fine if you are, I won't love you any less."
Only for Tori to push out of his hold again, "I'm not a lesbian, you frickin' weirdo! I just like Jade, it's only her."
Andrè stared at her, a sympathetic expression on his face as he looked. It must've clicked that Tori wasn't going to change her stance on being "not gay", because his expression of pity soon turned into giddiness.
"Aww, someone's got a crush on their nemesis." He cooed with a grin, trying to pinch at Tori's cheeks. She glared and swatted his hands away.
"She's not my enemy, she never was. She just likes to bug me." Tori mumbled.
"So, it'd be cool if I make a move on her then? 'Cause, I mean, not to be an ass or anything but she kinda hates you."
Tori's brow furrowed and she frowned, "I...I don't know."
"Come on, Tori. Please? Are you honestly saying there's a possibility of you asking Jade out?"
Tori's shoulders slumped and her face fell even more, if Andre didn't think she had a chance, maybe she really didn't.
"I guess you're right." She conceded dejectedly.
Though, if she's being honest, Tori doesn't really think Jade's going to entertain him either. And also, if they did end up hooking up, Andrè was the smash and dash type. So, Tori figures it wouldn't last very long.
"You're the best, Tori!" Andre exclaimed excitedly, grabbing her in his arms and pressing a kiss to her cheek.
She laughed but her heart wasn't in it and her smile didn't reach her eyes.
They're walking back towards her house when suddenly a police siren chirped, causing them both to jump a foot in the air.
"VICTORIA SOLA VEGA!" The familiar voice of David Vega shouted through his cop speaker.
Tori winced as if she were in physical pain at the usage of her full name, especially in front of company. But Andrè wasn't in any condition to tease her, he looked three seconds away from a hysterical panic attack.
"What the hell are you doing out of the house this late, on a school night?! Who is that with you?! Is that a boy, it better not be a boy!" Her dad demanded.
"Run." Tori whispered to Andrè.
Her best friend wasted no time in bolting through a neighbor's yard and away to safety.
"Nothing, nobody! Love you!" Tori rushed out, smiling at her father innocently.
"Get in the house right now! Your abuelita better be well fed and in bed when I come in!" David warned.
Tori nodded vigorously, sprinting toward the house and up to her room, hoping to avoid getting a lecture about being out so late. She flopped onto the bed and buried her head into her pillow, wanting to scream but not willing to risk waking her abuela. Their rooms were right next to each other.
She heard the front door open and shut, as well as her dad putting his gun and keys on the table near the door.
"Tori, I know you're still up! Come down here!" He called to her.
Her life kept getting worse and worse.
Tori wondered if she could suffocate herself if she pressed her face into the cloth of her pillow hard enough.
"Victoria!" David yelled impatiently.
"Coming!" She called back, lamenting an aggravated, "Ay bendito..." under her breath as she flung herself off of her bed and dramatically stomped out of her room.
When she got downstairs, her father had a black tank top on in place of his uniform shirt and was getting some milk out of the fridge.
"Why were you out at three in the morning?" He asked calmly, nodding with his head for her to take a seat on one of the couches.
She sat on the one furthest from the door and put her hands in her lap.
"Andrè needed somebody to talk to." She answered with a shrug.
"So, that's who that was? He didn't have to run, I would've given him a ride home." David said, shaking his head as he took a seat next to his daughter.
"Cops scare him, dad. His parents were murdered by the police, you know?" She reminded him gently.
David nodded solemnly, bowing his head slightly to say a quick prayer for the deceased.
"So, is he okay then?" Her father asked, bringing them back on topic.
"Yeah, he just wanted dating advice." Tori replied with a roll of her eyes at the word "dating".
Jade and Andrè would never date, er, she hoped they wouldn't. Just the thought of it made her stomach turn.
David opened his mouth to add more to the conversation when lock to the front door turned, and in stepped Holly Vega.
"What are you doing out so late? Dios mio, does nobody in this house actual stay in the house when they're supposed to?!" The Vega father exclaimed.
Holly's eyes slid over to Tori with a raised eyebrow, silently asking what the man was on about. Tori glared back and crossed her arms over her chest, knowing damn well where her mother just came from.
The out of nowhere hostility from her daughter took Holly aback, a look of consternation on her face as she studied her.
David sighed heavily and set his glass of milk on the coffee table.
"Mi hija, go up to bed. We'll talk tomorrow." He commanded, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
Tori's heart broke for him over and over again, she didn't understand why her mother would seek out another man's arms when the one she had was so great.
One day, her dad would learn what her mother had done and it would destroy him.
And with that knowledge, Tori cried herself to sleep.
Wednesday, Feb 8th 2010
Tori practically skipped into school that morning, bubbly thoughts of the day before at the forefront of her mind. Although she had been grounded for skipping school, it was worth it to have spent almost the entire day with Jade. They'd gone up to the roof of the school and talked, she'd found out that Jade cheated on Beck. She could barely believe it when Jade had told her.
Her reaction at first had been poor, she supposed. But the situation hit a little too close to home, resulting in her projecting some of the irritated feelings she felt towards her mom onto Jade. Though, she hadn't really understood why exactly Jade had cheated, she couldn't help but feel... hopeful?
Jade had cheated on Beck with a girl, that meant that Jade was into girls. And she'd been nice to Tori all day, even offered to buy her extremely expensive jewelry. To which, Tori vehemently turned down because there was no way she could let somebody spend that much money on her. No matter if they'd made her life a living hell for the past two years.
So, maybe Andrè had been wrong? Maybe Tori really did have a chance with Jade. She'd have to talk to him after class one-on-one about this whole "making a move on Jade" thing.
Tori hummed jovially to herself as she opened her locker, only to find a black matte gift bag with two velvet boxes inside with a note sitting on top of them. The Latina delicately reached into the bag and plucked the note up, giddily reading the perfect penmanship that was written on it.
'Consider it a late birthday present. These'll look better on you than sitting on display anyway. - JW'
Tori couldn't even hide her grin, it was huge.
She opened the box with the beautiful bracelet from yesterday and carefully clasped it around her wrist, staring in slight awe at the diamonds sparkling against her skin. In the second box, was a pair of elegant earrings that matched the bracelet. Jade quite literally must've spent a fortune on all of these, literally just to make up for the way she'd treated Tori over the years.
Tori has never been so touched and grateful in her entire life than in that moment.
She turned toward Jade's locker, intent on thanking her, only to have her heart jump to her throat at the sight of Andrè leaning against the lockers near Jade's. He seemed to just be talking to her, but from the bustle of noise from the other students around her, Tori couldn't hear what they were saying.
But Jade was smirking, so whatever they were talking about must've put her in a good mood.
Tori's shoulders drooped slightly, she turned around and started heading to Sikowitz's class, seeing Pepper already waiting for her by the vending machines.
They exchanged light greetings, and after Tori asked the other girl how her first couple days went.
"It was alright, the kids here are kind of assholes though." Pepper said with a half-hearted shrug as they started toward Sikowitz's class together.
Tori liked Pepper, she seemed very down to Earth and chill. Plus, she could finally have another girl in the group to have sleepovers and gossip with.
"Yeah, you get used to it. At least no one's poured iced coffee on your head yet." Tori replied with a light laugh.
"Did that happen to you? That's horrible." Pepper commented, eyes bulging out of her head in disbelief.
Tori shrugged with a soft smile, "It was awhile ago, Jade and I are-"
"Jade poured coffee on your head?!" Pepper exclaimed loudly, looking completely alarmed to Tori's utter confusion.
"Why does that surprise you? Have you met Jade? She's like the scariest person I've ever met." The Latina pointed out.
"At lunch on Monday, she was staring at you. Like, she didn't take her eyes off of you until she left. This entire time, I thought she was in love with you." Pepper mumbled, wholeheartedly dumbfounded.
Tori barked out a laugh that was somewhere between nervous and doubtful.
"Jade? In love with me? Yeah, right. I mean, we're on better terms now sure, but that girl is not in love with me. I called her a troll-goblin, that's probably why she was staring." Tori reasoned.
"Sure, but you guys skipped pretty much the whole day to spend time with each other yesterday."
"We're friends, we hangout."
"And do friends get each other expensive jewelry for no reason?" Pepper continued non-perturbed, her hand going to Tori's wrist with the bracelet in question and holding it up with annoyingly smug look.
"It was a late birthday gift. ...Are you stalking me?" Tori justified, pulling her wrist back and putting her hand in her pocket to hide the bracelet.
"I saw you put it and those earrings on at your locker, then you started walking toward Jade with this huge smile on your face-"
"Yeah, that seems like a totally normal, and not at all creepy, thing to say to someone." Tori deadpanned, staring at the other girl as if she had lost her mind.
"I like to people watch, it's not creepy. Shouldn't you be excited that she likes you back?"
Tori froze, no one but Andrè knew that she liked Jade.
"Okay, now, you're just talking crazy! I don't like Jade like that, I'm not gay. And I don't know what you think you're seeing, but just keep it to yourself, okay?" With that, Tori walked ahead of Pepper, now in a bad mood.
She couldn't even bring herself to feel embarrassed at the look of comical shock that had encompassed Pepper's face after her outburst.
Tori plopped down into a free seat in Sikowitz's class with a little more force than necessary, hurting her tush in the process. Cat and Robbie were already in the classroom, sitting in the front row together, giggling quietly and sharing candy. They seemed to pick up on Tori's angry vibes because they wisely chose not to acknowledge her as she sat behind them.
Pepper slinked into the classroom shortly after her, avoiding her glare and sitting in the row behind her.
Jade arrived a few minutes later, sliding into the seat behind Tori and smirking when she saw the jewelry she'd brought her yesterday on proud display. Her blue eyes were engulfed in red and she definitely smelled... like she wasn't sober, to put it lightly. Though the term, skunk definitely came to mind.
"I was right, they do look better on you." The raven-haired girl quipped, raising her brows in a way that showed she was clearly pleased with herself.
"I can't believe you went back and bought these. Jade, how am I ever going to pay you back?" Tori lamented.
"You don't have to, it's a gift, Vega."
"I don't know, it's a really expensive gift..."
Jade gave her a dull look then set her attention on Cat, who was sitting in the row in front of them.
"Hey, Cat, you got a mirror in your bag?" Jade called to her, easily earning the redhead's eye-contact.
"No, but I have candy!" Cat chirped excitedly, pulling out a bag of licorice and some skittles.
"Wow, that's really unhelpful. Thanks, Cat..." Jade snarked with a roll of her eyes.
"You're welcome! Have some licorice." She handed Jade a couple strawberry flavored strings, which the other girl begrudgingly took and gnawed on aggressively.
"I'll take some Skittles." Tori said with a shrug.
Cat happily dumped the skittles into Tori's hand but catches the other girl's wrist before she can fully pull away.
"Oh, shiny! Where'd you get it?" The redhead exclaimed, eyeing the bracelet with child-like wonder.
Tori sent a panicked glance at Jade, who merely raised a curious eyebrow in response.
Tori wasn't entirely sure if Jade wanted everyone to know that she had been the one to buy Tori her new accessories.
"Oh, I was just in the mall yesterday and-"
"I got it for her, the earrings too. Don't they look great on her, Cat? Tell her they look great on her." Jade suddenly interrupted, receiving four looks of equal surprise.
And Tori just knew that if she were to glance over at Pepper, the girl would be wearing a shit-eating, I-told-you-so, grin.
"Uhm... The diamonds look beautiful on you, Tori. But, Jade, don't you hate Tori? Why would you buy her jewelry?" Cat asked, her brow adorably furrowed in confusion.
"When have I ever said that?" Jade huffed with an aggravated roll of her eyes.
"Multiple times, on a daily basis. Nice bling, Tori." Andrè chimed in, catching the tail end of the conversation. He finally joined the group, sliding into the free seat next to Tori, and smelling exactly like Jade's weed.
But Tori didn't want to think about that.
"That's fourteen karat white gold, it's more than just nice!" Jade snapped, crossing her arms over her chest and slumping in her seat.
"Here's a mirror, Jade. That's so sweet of you to spend that much money on Tori, you must really care about her, huh?" Pepper chimes in from her seat beside Jade, pointedly making eye-contact with Tori as she said this.
Both Jade and Tori froze, and twin glares were aimed at Pepper.
"Just wanted to do something nice for a friend." Jade grumbled.
"Well, in that case, there's this sword that I've been-"
"No." Jade barked, cutting off Robbie immediately as she handed the mirror to Tori, who rolled her eyes in response but smiled as she took a look at her reflection.
Their friends' attention was taken by Sikowitz who climbed in through the window wearing a Roman gladiator costume, prattling on excitedly about how he and the history teacher got caught up in talking about how lovely Rome is.
But neither Tori nor Jade were paying attention.
The earrings sparkled against the light on Tori earlobes, she touched the side of her face in awe.
The diamonds did look gorgeous against her olive skin.
Jade leaned forward, resting her chin lightly on Tori's shoulder with a smug smile on her face and whispered, "They were worth every penny, so stop fussing and just enjoy your gift."
A shiver ran down Tori's spine and her hips twitched involuntarily from the sensation of Jade's voice caressing her ear.
Then Jade was looking at her softly, and for the first time that day, Tori was starting to think that maybe Pepper was right about Jade having a thing for her.
Later, when Tori was walking to class by herself, she'd had her nose stuck in her phone and wasn't paying attention to her surroundings.
Someone had left their skateboard in the middle of the hallway, and when Tori, unaware of the potential safety hazard, took another step balance was ripped from her and she was sent hurling forward. The skateboard banged against some nearby lockers with a loud clatter. Tori couldn't even hear her own thoughts over how loud her heart was pounding in her chest, but distantly she swore she heard someone panically shout, "Oh my god, Veronica, watch out!"
Tori's body roughly collided with somebody else's, knocking the breath out of both of them. The other person responded immediately by not-too-kindly shoving Tori off of them and onto the hard floor.
Barks of laughter could be heard throughout the foyer, and it was all at Tori's expense.
The chestnut-haired girl's face flushed with embarrassment. Ducking her head, she began to quickly gather up her things she'd dropped. She was vividly thinking about fleeing the hallway and hiding out in the restrooms to avoid being harassed about this incident for the rest of the day.
"Hey," Veronica Sanchez snapped at her, glaring venomously, "Watch where you're going!"
Tori glanced up at her for a moment, blinking at the hostility in the other girl's tone. And the cliche, because really? Who even talked like that in real life?
It was just her luck too, to fall face first into Hollywood Arts' rising Next Top Model.
Seriously, the girl never shut up about being signed to M Model Management.
'So sorry about that,' Tori responded with a roll of her eyes, distracted as she scanned the floor for her missing phone, 'I, uh, didn't see the skateboard.'
Veronica stood in front of Tori with a hand on her hip and her lips pursed, gazing down at her with a bored expression. Her Saint Laurent clothes were a little rumpled, but the other girl was otherwise no worse for ware from the brief run-in.
The bell rung and Veronica's friends— as well as other straggling students— dispersed and went to class. A few only sticking around to see how things played out between two of the most popular girls at the school. Veronica remained where she was, a now sour look on her face.
"Aren't you Tori Vega?" The other Latina practically demanded.
"Uhm, yeah?" Tori replied warily, her eyebrows pinched together in confusion and slight curiosity.
"You doing anything this Saturday?" Veronica asked, her tone deadpan almost as if she weren't actually interested in whether or not Tori had plans for the weekend.
"Uh, no?" Tori responded, even more confused.
"I'm having a birthday party on Saturday, you should come. It's at 4081 West Roundup, in Beverly Hills. Seven o'clock, bring something, and don't be late." Veronica said, not even waiting for Tori's reply before she turned on her heel and went to class.
Tori was left staring after confused beyond all belief by what just transpired.
"Aw, man. I am sooo sorry, I didn't mean to leave my board out. Are you okay? You need anything?" A boy with spiky black hair, dawned in all leather, apologized profusely as he came up to Tori with the offending object in his hand.
He quickly bent down to help her gather the rest of her things, handing her phone back to her with a bashful smile.
"I, uh, I'm Fred by the way. Fred Burnstein." He introduced as they got to their feet, rearranging his skateboard so that he could hold his hand out for a shake.
"It's nice to meet you, Fred, I'm Tori Vega. Thanks for helping me with this." Tori thanked, smiling dazzlingly at him.
Fred blushed and stuttered out, "No-Not a problem. It's the least I could do after almost killing you with my board."
Tori laughed softly and nodded her head in agreement.
"I gotta go meet some friends, but I, uh, hope to see you around... Tori Vega." He started to back away, grinning at Tori as he went only fall full-body into a trashcan while trying to be smooth.
Tori giggled behind her hand then waved goodbye to him as she left for lunch.
"So, something super weird just happened to me." Tori said to her friends in lieu of greeting as she sat down at their usual lunch table.
"What?" Andrè asked, trying to balance a pencil between his upper lip and nose like a mustache. Tori wasn't sure why, that was just what she walked into when she got to the table.
"Veronica Sanchez just invited me to her birthday party on Saturday because I ran into her in the hallway. Literally." Tori elaborated, expecting everyone to share a laugh at the ridiculousness of it.
"Saturday? What? But I thought- Jade, isn't her birthday in March?" Robbie voiced, turning to Jade with bewildered expression. Only to squeak in fear when Jade responded with a wide-eyed glare that said she didn't want to talk about it.
"So, are you gonna go?" Pepper asked beside Tori.
"Uhm, I don't think so. I don't really know her, so it'd probably be awkward-"
"Woah, woah, woah. Hold on, pause. One of the most popular girls in school invited us to a party, and you don't want to go?" Andrè chimed in, pencil falling from his face as he stared at his best friend in disbelief.
"Well, technically I was the only one invited. She didn't say anything about you guys." Tori pointed out.
"I don't want to go either, Tori. One time, Jade and I went to one of Veronica's parties and we saw her with-"
"That's enough, Cat! Nobody needs to hear about your weird experiences." Jade quickly interrupted the redhead, glaring at her sternly like a mother would a stubborn child.
"You're going, dude. When was the last time you had some serious fun? C'mon with everything going on at home-"
"Andrè!" Tori hissed, wondering why he thought it was a good idea to bring that up.
"I'm just saying, a night out might be good for you." The dark-skinned boy replied, holding his hands up in surrender.
"You should go, it could be fun." Jade chimed in, finally adding her two sense into the conversation and capturing Tori's attention.
"See? Even Jade wants you to go. You're going, end of discussion." Andrè decided, stealing a grape off of Pepper's tray and popping it into his mouth with a grin.
"Wow, nothing like peer pressure to really get you in the partying mood." Robbie deadpanned.
"Shut up, Robbie." Andrè and Jade both stated, smirking at each other afterward.
Saturday, February 11th, 2010
Tori Vega and Veronica Sanchez made weirdly intense eye contact with each other from across the room as the Vega girl weaved her way in between the crowded foyer to the kitchen, Andrè and Pepper leading the way ahead of her.
"Is it weird that I think Veronica kinda hates me?" Tori called to Andrè over the loud teenagers that were belting out the lyrics to a popular RB song in the next room.
"Why would she invite you to this party if she hates you?" Andrè reasoned, shaking his head with a grin as he poured three shots of tequila for the group. And Tori supposed he had a point, but she was still confused by her entire interaction she'd shared with the other girl on Tuesday.
For one, Veronica didn't seem particularly interested in Tori's reaction to being invited or her answer. In fact, it almost seemed like the other Latina didn't even want Tori to come to her party in the first place. Which made Tori wonder why she even bothered to invite her at all. But Tori eventually just chalked it up to Veronica feeling bad for snapping at Tori, and let the matter rest.
Tori didn't mind however, the party was pretty fun so far even though they had just arrived there.
She picked up the shot Andrè poured for her, clinked glasses with the other two, and then downed it in one go. Hissing as the tequila burned her throat, Tori slammed her empty glass on the island counter triumphantly. She was the first one to finish.
This sparked a new sense of competition in the other two, and soon all three friends found themselves in the midst of a drinking contest.
Four shots of Hennessy later, Tori grunted in disappointment as Andrè was named champion after downing a womping eight shots.
He and Pepper had disappeared into the dining room a little bit ago, for a celebration dance.
Feeling pleasantly buzzed, Tori found herself dancing by her lonesome in the Sanchez's spacious dining room as well. She was surrounded by a bunch of other Hollywood Arts students, as well as people from around the area.
There were also a mixture of kids from Brentwood, Westwood, and Northridge attending the party. And Tori briefly wondered how the hell she knew so many people.
The song switched and Tori beamed excitedly when she recognized the tune that began to play next. Her hips moved sultrily along to the electronic beat of Blackout. An oldie but a goodie, the song was one of her favorites.
Abruptly, Tori felt someone's hands grabbing her hips and a body pressing into her back. The songstress paused, turning her head to glare at the idiot who decided to just put their hands on her body without asking first. But when she looked she realized it was only Jade, and suddenly she no longer had a problem with the unexpected advance. Tori relaxed against her then started her dance back up again, comfortable now that she knew it wasn't some creepy boy groping all over her.
Jade's movements were slow and her grip on the Latina's hips was too tight, it was like she was clinging onto Tori for dear life. But Tori knew her awkward behavior was only a side effect from whatever drug she'd taken before coming in.
Jade was a natural dancer when sober.
"Can you keep up the pace like you're dying for this?
And when you say
'I'm not okay,
I left my phone in the cab.
Now you can't get me.'
I'm only getting started,
I won't Blackout."
Tori reached her free arm behind herself to tangle her fingers in Jade's hair and bump their heads together gently. Their noses brushed for a moment, Jade softly nuzzling Tori's with her own before dropping her head into the crook of Tori's neck. Tori grinned as she felt a bunch of kisses being pressed softly against her skin.
"Where'd you learn to move like this?" Jade resurfaced to murmur in the other girl's ear.
"Signed up for belly-dancing last semester." Tori answered back, the hand that was tangled in Jade's hair sliding down to her hip where it rested on top of the other girl's. Her other hand held her drink, trying to be mindful not to spill it as they swayed together for a moment.
"It paid off." Jade hummed her approval into chestnut-colored hair. Tori beamed at the compliment, shivering slightly as she felt Jade part her hair behind her head and press a kiss to the nape of her neck. They were dancing way off beat but neither of them could bring themselves to care in that moment.
"Mind if I cut in, ladies?" Andrè greeted suddenly, with a smooth smile as he slid into the free space behind Jade.
Tori met his eyes over Jade's shoulder, her sunny smile now aimed at her best friend. Her grin slipped as she felt Andrè's arms snake around Jade's hips— she was still pressed up against Jade's front— and the boy pull Jade flush against him. Now feeling like a third wheel, Tori slid out of Jade's hold, and started swaying to the music by herself in front of the pair.
"Hey, Drè." Tori returned his greeting finally, an easy-going smile on her face to cover up her weird feelings.
She shouldn't feel weird, she didn't have the right to feel weird. Jade wasn't hers to feel weird over.
Jade didn't answer Andrè, or acknowledge him at all, her eyes too busy boring into the side of Tori's face as the other girl tried her best to look anywhere but at Jade. She watched Tori with a somewhat annoyed but mostly dazed expression, and Tori just knew that Jade took the Latina pulling away from her the wrong way. Tori wanted to say something… Explain why she pulled away. But Andrè was standing right there, and he was the entire reason why she did.
"Either of you interested in popping some Molly with me?" Andrè asked, looking proud of himself as he danced with Jade. Tori knew it must have taken a lot of self-encouragement for him to approach Jade and hold her the way he was.
"Sure." Jade answered with an all too eager smirk, bringing her eyes away from Tori to focus on her new dance partner behind her. Andrè brightened as Jade turned in his embrace and looped her arms around his neck, much like Tori had done just moments ago with her.
Tori glanced between the two of them with a churning feeling in her stomach. If she were still a freshman, she'd brush it off as the alcohol, but she was older and knew better now.
"I need another drink." Tori blurted, quickly excusing herself then disappearing into the crowd of dancing bodies. Though she doubted they'd even notice her absence, being so wrapped up in each other and their ideas of getting higher than Mountain Everest.
She paused in the doorway, watching the two of them dance together as the song switched to something slower.
"They are so lucky Beck is in Canada right now. He'd throw a fit if he saw them dancing together like that." Robbie spoke up suddenly, scaring the living hell out of Tori as he came to stand beside her in the doorway. He was watching Jade and Andrè, a judgmental look in his eyes. After her heartbeat returned to normal, Tori shrugged and opened her mouth to respond, only to snap it shut and abruptly turn away when she saw Andrè start to incline his head toward Jade.
"Beck and Jade broke up, that's part of why he went to Canada in the first place. She can dance with whoever she wants." She reminded both Robbie and herself, gritting her teeth as she scurried off toward the kitchen.
The ventriloquist blinked in confusion, fully expecting Tori to agree with him.
"You're only saying that because you were just dancing with her." Robbie argued, following her into the room. Tori stopped as she reached for the top-grade whiskey in the Sanchez's liquor cabinet, turning her head to narrow her eyes at him over her shoulder as she does so. She didn't like his accusatory tone, he'd made it sound like she should feel guilty about dancing with her friend.
"It's just dancing, Robbie." She supplied, hoping he'd leave it alone.
"Hmm, so, when she was kissing your neck, that was just dancing too?" The ventriloquist countered.
Tori froze, silently panicking and wondering if anybody else saw Jade kissing her. She didn't need those type of rumors floating around school.
"And what about that expensive bracelet and those earrings she got you? Are those just objects that hold no meaning?" Robbie pointed out.
Tori's hand subconsciously fell to the bracelet that Jade had given her earlier in the week, covering it as if to hide it away from Robbie's judgement.
"It was a late birthday gift." The Latina pouted.
"Last time I checked, Jade didn't buy birthday gifts for anyone, not even Beck." The ventriloquist argued.
"Where are you going with this, Robbie?"
"You have feelings for her." Robbie pointed out.
Tori's heartbeat quickened and she felt herself shift into panic-mode. She coughed out a high-pitched laugh, and started to fill her cup as if what Robbie just said was nonsense.
"Oh my god, that's-", Her voice cracked, "that's hilarious! I don't have feelings for Jade. We were just dancing as friends." Tori hurriedly explained, heading for the fridge to get a chaser.
"Right…" Robbie mumbled, eyeing Tori's back like he didn't believe a word she was saying.
Tori, thinking she was off the hook, let her shoulders sag with relief.
"It's just that-"
The Latina groaned in exasperation as she leaned into the fridge to avoid having to look Robbie in the eyes. Robbie glared daggers into her back, affronted at being interrupted.
"I know what pining looks like, Tori. I've experienced it many times." Robbie continued with a roll of his eyes, mostly in disbelief that Tori was going to such lengths to deny what he clearly already knew was true. Only to feel a stab of guilt at not realizing that it was entirely possible that Tori wasn't quite ready to admit her true feelings to herself just yet.
'She could be in denial about being gay...' Robbie thought to himself as he studied his friend.
"Even if I did have feelings for Jade, which I don't, I honestly don't see how it's such a big deal. Jade and I are both single." Tori countered, unaware of Robbie's inner turmoil and finally getting tired of the scrutiny.
"It's a big deal because if you're interested in her, and Andrè is interested in her—" Robbie flung his arm in the general direction of the living room where Andrè and Jade had been— "when Beck comes back from Canada ,likely still in love with her, it could disrupt the entire group's dynamic. Which will make things awkward, and then I'll have to eat lunch with Sinjin in the bathroom, for the rest of high school."
"This isn't the 1800's, Beck doesn't own her. What Jade does, whether she's with Beck or not, is her business, Robbie. Don't worry yourself over it." Tori said, as she started for the door.
And Robbie supposed she had a point but he thought had one as well.
"I can't eat lunch in the bathroom, Tori, I just can't. It's too unsanitary and Sinjin's weird. Please just leave her alone. You guys are the only friends I have." He begged.
Tori hesitated at the kitchen's entrance, then turned to her friend with a forced smile and played it off as a joke, "It won't be that bad, Burf will be there too."
"Tori, this is serious! Everybody doesn't always get together with their crush, can't you just go screw somebody else like a normal teenager? You have that option, you are a normal teenager!" " Robbie cried.
Tori's eyes rolled back into her head, she was getting really tired of the lecture.
"Nothing's going to happen to our group, Rob. You guys practically live at my house. We're friends for life. You should really take a chill pill, y'know? Why don't you ask Jade to hook you up? I'm sure she knows a guy."
He sighed, a tired-sounding puff of air leaving his lungs as his body deflated. Tori was just too damn stubborn and clueless sometimes. Once she wanted something, there was no convincing her not to have it. No matter how bad for her it was.
"I'm not a delinquent, Tori. I don't do drugs. Anyway, I think I saw Laura from my Ballet class out back. I'm gonna try and talk to her tonight." He mumbled half-heartedly, not really wanting to change the subject but knowing that it was probably best to let this go for now.
He wasn't getting anywhere.
Tori let out a gentle sigh of relief, thankful to be given an out.
"See, there's the spirit! You got this, Robbie." She patted his shoulder encouragingly, easily stepping in to be the supportive friend she wished he would be for her. She left him then, making a beeline for the hallway, desperate to put some distance between them.
Tori ended up just walking around Veronica's house for a bit, exploring the large rooms and finishing off her drink to keep her mind from straying. Her lips tingled from the alcohol and her body felt warm all over.
Veronica's family had a lot of nice things.
But for rich people, the Sanchez's didn't buy a lot of actual furniture. So, Tori had found the nearest bathroom and made herself comfortable.
The porcelain dog-thing that Tori was currently leaning against was beautifully crafted and looked extremely expensive. Though, she couldn't figure out why you would want one of those in your bathroom, it did make a nice place to rest and get her bearings. It felt cool against her skin, which grounded her to reality.
Tori jumped suddenly as the door opened, and Veronica walked in.
Immediately, the newcomer's face scrunched up in annoyance before it melted away into curiosity.
"Have you seen Jade? Is she here yet?" The other girl demanded excitedly.
"Go ask Andrè." Tori mumbled bitterly, resting her head back against the porcelain dog.
"Ugh, why is she with him?" Veronica whined, stomping her foot like a child.
Tori winced at the sensory overload from Veronica's high-pitched voice, as well as the loud clack of the spoiled girl's heel making contact with the marble bathroom floor.
"Low attention span? ...Oh, god," Tori moaned, trying to look like she was about to be sick so that the other girl would leave her alone.
"...You better not throw up in my bathroom, otherwise you're going to clean it." Veronica sneered venomously, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring. Only to sigh very loudly and impatiently, as she walked over to the very drunk girl and drug Tori over to the toilet.
Unfortunately for Tori, she hadn't actually been faking her upset stomach. So, when Veronica bent down and gently held Tori's hair back, the other Latina emptied the contents of her stomach into the toilet.
Tori was genuinely surprised by the other girl's kindness, considering the way Veronica had been so cold to her the past week. But now, here she was, picking Tori up off the floor and giving her mouth wash and a spare tooth brush to get the lingering taste of bile of out her mouth.
"C'mon, let's get you to the living room where your friends can find you." Veronica mumbled after Tori was done, guiding Tori to the door and out of the bathroom.
Veronica had unceremoniously dumped her onto a seat on a black, leather, couch in the living and then abruptly left to go search for Jade.
The living room, as it turned out, was the room where all the potheads had decided to congregate. But Tori would much rather stay there with them than go find her friends, she needed some time to herself to think.
Mostly about Jade and how the other girl had easily brushed her off for Andre. She really could have sworn that Jade was into her. If she wasn't, then what was with all the flirting and touching?
The Latina jumped in surprise as some random stoner plopped down on the couch right beside her. He was sitting so close to her he was practically in her lap, she wanted to scoot away but didn't want to offend him by doing so. The boy gave her a dopey smile and offered her his half-smoked blunt. Tori gratefully accepted it, scooting out from underneath him as she took a hit.
She closed her eyes and reveled at the feeling of the weed burning her lungs, blowing it back out towards the ceiling after holding it in became harder. God, she'd needed this. Her nerves were killing her.
"Sup." The boy purred flirtatiously, his voice raspy with a thick Hispanic accent. His eyebrows wiggled to add emphasis to his words.
"...Hey?" Tori returned awkwardly, not entirely sure how to respond.
"You don't know me, but I been trying to get your attention for awhile. Even asked some of your friends to hook us up. Any reason why you ain't texted me yet?" He asked, long hair spilling into his face slightly as he cocked his head to the side with a curious grin.
While he stared at her in contemplation, she took the time to study this generous stranger as well. Now that he mentioned it, Tori did kind of recognize him. His skin was a beautiful mocha color, and he had dark brown eyes that she found a little captivating. His voluminous hair was jet-black with blonde highlights all throughout, the top was long while the sides were shaved with a crisp taper fade on his hairline. He had the beginnings of a thin mustache on his upper lip and a slight stubble on his chin. His nose was a little wide but in an adorable way, and his lips were pink and full.
All around, she supposed he was an attractive boy.
"Sorry, I didn't know anything about that. Plus, this last week has been kind of busy for me. We have this super important play that we're performing at the end of the year, so I've been studying information on it this whole week." Tori finally answered him, looking a little apologetic.
"Well, then I suppose we could exchange numbers now. No time like the present, right? I like the way you sing by the way...very pretty." He mumbled as he leaned back against the couch and fished his phone out of his pocket. She smiled at him while she took another hit and added her contact into his phone.
"Thanks...?" She trailed off, blowing out the smoke and hoping that he'd give her his name.
"Jaime Herrera." He provided, throwing her a quick wink.
They smoked the rest of the blunt together in companionable silence, both enjoying the other's company. As Tori relaxed back against the couch, savoring her high and feeling like her problems were a thing of the past, Jaime fidgeted restlessly beside her.
Upon deeper inspection, Tori realized he was actually searching his pockets for something.
"Lose your lighter?" Tori smirked, eyes glinting in mirth. Jaime stopped patting himself down when his search turned up fruitless and slumped in defeat. He didn't respond to Tori as his eyes bounced desperately around the room until they found their apparent target.
"Be right back." He mumbled, getting up and leaving a very confused Tori behind on the couch. Tori watched her new friend cross the room and search the pockets of some guy that was passed out on floor. When Jaime returned to her he was wearing his hugest grin yet.
"Why'd you-"
"One blunt wasn't enough," Jaime interrupted, his smile never wavering as he brandished a bag of weed and a blue lighter. Tori glanced back and forth between Jaime and the boy on the floor repeatedly, jaw-dropped in astonishment.
"You just took his stuff." Tori stated in incredulous, nodding toward the passed out teen.
"Matt won't mind, he owe me. 'Fronted him two g's last week and he still hasn't paid me back. Pinche madre." Jaime cursed with a shake of his head, dashing away Tori's sympathy for Matt. She watched silently as Jaime grabbed the coffee table across from her and dragged it over in front of him.
"Still, it's pretty rude for you to take it from him while he's sleeping. What kind of a friend does that?" Tori inquired, watching with slight interest as he pulled a grinder out from his pocket and ground up the weed.
"That prick ain't my friend, alright? He's just a customer, a bad customer at that. Never pays me back on time, the least he can do is let me borrow a blunt." He spread the green out expertly on the broken down swisher he'd also pickpocketed from Matt. Jaime rolled it up with ease then turned to her and grinned. Tori only stared back at him blankly.
"Don't be so uppity about it, mami. If it makes you happy, I'll smoke it with you." He singsonged, bumping her shoulder playfully with his own.
"Mami?" Tori questioned, fixing him with a look that said 'Seriously?'.
"Felt right." Jaime shrugged.
"I guess, just don't expect me to start calling you 'Papi'." Tori hummed, dropping her head back against the couch to stare up at the ceiling in thought.
"Fair enough. So..." Jaime started, laying his freshly rolled blunt down on the table and wiping his palms nervously on his designer jeans.
"So...?" Tori echoed, turning her head so that she could properly look at Jaime. Some of her chestnut hair fell into her face at the action, her cheek resting comfortably against the couch.
Jaime's heartbeat quickened at the sight. He was utterly transfixed by the way her eyes shone, and the soft look her face had adopted.
"I, uh, go to a lot of Veronica's parties, haven't ever seen you at any of 'em before. I mean, her crowd ain't really your crowd. What made you come to this one?" Jaime wondered.
"Well, Veronica personally invited me for one, though I'm not really sure why. We haven't even spoken three words to each other and I've gone to this school for three years. But, I dunno, I just really needed to escape my house for a night-"
"Lemme guess, Trina?" Jaime guessed, interrupting her with a knowing look. It seemed her sister's annoying reputation preceded her.
Tori shook her head then slammed her eyes shut, realizing what an incredibly bad idea that is to do when you're uncomfortably high and a little drunk.
"My mom." She corrected, after recovering from her dizzy spell, a forlorn look engulfing her face.
"Want to talk about it?" Jaime offered, picking up on the tension there from her tone.
"I'd actually rather not think about it at all." Tori responded. She didn't want to get into her family drama with some guy she'd just met.
Who does that?
"That's okay, you don't have to share if you don't feel like it. That's what drugs are for, right? Forgetting shit you don't want to think about." He said, offering her a warm smile and a comforting hand on her own. She returned the smile and gave his hand a quick squeeze before letting go. Jaime stared at her for a moment, taking in her gorgeous features again, before quickly shaking his head and returning his attention to his blunt. Putting it between his lips and lighting it, he took a couple hits to start it off before passing it to Tori.
Tori giggled melodiously along with Jaime as she ran her hands through his hair, her legs strewn comfortably across his lap. She didn't know how much time had passed since she first got to the living room, she didn't even think time was real at this point. She was so far gone.
"What's so interesting about my hair?" Jaime asked, a euphoric smile on his face as he watched her.
"It's so...long and blonde. How did you ever convince your parents to let you dye it?" Tori grinned back at him with a child-like playfulness. He chuckled and traced patterns on the knees of her jeans with his fingertips.
"You're so high, mami. Two blunts and you're already faded." Jaime teased, his hand slowly traveling from her knee to her thigh.
"I don't smoke often." Tori offered with a shrug, too busy musing up Jaime's hair to pay attention to his hands. He wasn't up to anything too inappropriate anyway, he'd just gone from tracing patterns on her knee to her thigh.
"You couldn't smoke with me then. My weed would have you smacked, and I just be domin' them." Jaime returned with a grin, eyes moving around the room to see if there was anything in rotation. A freshly rolled extendo was being passed to a timid looking boy that had been sitting quietly on his phone in the corner most of the night. The boy looked up and locked eyes with Jaime accidentally, and when they did the boy froze.
A silent, seemingly-tense conversation passed briefly between the two boys with a look.
A few moments passed, then Tori watched in bewilderment as the timid looking boy shyly approached them and offered Jaime the extendo. He hadn't even hit it himself yet.
"Appreciate it, dude," Jaime nodded back his thanks and took the blunt, lips curled in a grateful smile. The boy ducked his head before hurriedly shuffling back to his corner.
"What was that about?" Tori asked curiously, eyes narrowed as she looked from Jaime to the boy who pointedly didn't look in their direction. Jaime's smile dropped for a moment, his free hand stilling on her thigh. A disconnected look crossed his face but before Tori could ask if she said something wrong, he was back to his chipper self as if nothing had happened.
Wiggling his eyebrows he said, "Not everyone has the pleasure of seeing your beautiful face everyday. You're pretty popular around school, maybe he was just starstruck."
Tori gave him a look that said she didn't believe him but didn't bother to question him any further, quietly resuming running her hands through his hair.
"Want to try a shotgun?" He asked, trying to ease the awkwardness he'd created. Tori shrugged and started to nod as if to say "why not?"
But something across the room caught her eye, disrupting her train of thought and holding her complete attention.
Jade was in the doorway, head swiveling from side-to-side as if she were looking for something. Tori watched her silently, her new companion momentarily forgotten. She was casually leaning against the door's frame, dressed in the same clothes as earlier— only her Gunz N Roses crop-top was on inside out and backwards. But Tori was trying really hard not to focus too much on that minor detail.
Jade's eyes scanned the room until they found Tori, smirking when she recognized her and starting toward the Latina. She crossed the room in a couple quick strides.
"Vega, I've been looking everywhere for you. You just disappeared earlier." Jade said, her voice full of relief as she stood in front of Tori.
Stopping short as she took in Tori sitting in Jaime's lap with her hands in his hair, and him tracing patterns on Tori's thighs.
The two of them looked quite comfortable and intimate, you never would've guessed that they'd just met an hour ago.
The raven-haired girl set her jaw and furrowed her brow, the Latina only smiled goofily up at her, oblivious to Jade's brewing anger.
"Well, I've been here just talking to... uh... Jaime." Tori stammered, ruffling his hair to try and cover up her almost forgetting the boy's name. Jade's eyes cut to Jaime, hostile and icy.
"Jaime, this is Jade." Tori introduced, when Jade didn't say anything. There was a longing look in her eyes as she stared at the darker-haired girl.
"Oh, we know each other. Jade is starting to become a regular. You need a re-up already, bruja?" Jaime spoke, giving Jade a friendly salute.
Jade sneered at him for a moment before quickly turning her attention back to Tori.
"I still owe you a dance, ours was interrupted." Jade stated, holding her hand out to Tori expectantly. Desperate to get the other girl out of her drug dealer's lap.
"I'm too tired to dance." Tori whined, laying flat out on the couch. Jade gave an irritated huff before shaking her head and moving to grab the stoned Latina.
Jaime jokingly threw his arm over Tori's legs, and drew her closer to himself.
"I believe the señorita said she didn't want to go." He teased, a boysterious grin on his lips.
"Get your fucking hands off of her before I rip them off of your wrists!" Jade snarled viciously, snapping her head to glare at him with murder in her eyes. Jaime swallowed thickly, his smiling dropping immediately into a cold glare, but he slowly moved his arm back. Tori lifted herself to her elbows and gave Jade a dry look.
"We were gonna do a shotgun, you party pooper."
Jaime warily locked eyes with Jade before pulling Tori up back into his lap. Jade was practically breathing fire.
"Tori, don't-"
"You don't have to watch, Jade. I'm sure Andrè wouldn't mind some company." Tori interrupted Jade's fiery protest snidely.
Jade snapped her mouth shut with aggravated indi, crossing her arms tightly over her chest and glaring pointedly at the wall on the other side of the room. Jaime's eyes flicked between the two of them briefly, then he mentally shrugged and re-sparked the blunt. He took one long drag and curled his fingers underneath Tori's chin. Gently, he pulled her face so that it was inches away from his own. His thumb traced softly down her bottom lip, silently telling Tori to open her mouth and to which she complied. Jaime smiled as he leaned in, a small upturn of his lips, and breathed the smoke from the hit into Tori's mouth as she inhaled it. The smoke burned the back of her throat as it made its way down her windpipe and into her lungs. But soon Josh's lips were on her's and she forgot all about the burning.
Tori jerked away from him in surprise, almost tumbling off of his lap onto the floor. Jaime quickly caught her, pulling her back up to sit next to him.
"I'm pretty sure shotgunning doesn't involve kissing." She blinked a couple of times, slightly dazed and disoriented from the weed.
"You've been doing shotguns with the wrong types of people then, mami." Jaime remarked smugly, leaning back against the couch. They'd both almost completely forgotten about Jade until she spoke up.
"You call that a shotgun?" Jade hissed, still standing in front of them and looking absolutely livid. Her knuckles were white and the skin around her biceps were red from the tight grip of her fingers. But Jaime merely shrugged in the face of her anger then sent her a mischievous grin, as a dastardly idea sprung to his mind.
"Think you could do better, huh?" He challenged with a playful wiggle of his brows, and Tori was slightly afraid for his life because no one challenged Jade and got away with it. The raven-haired girl's nostrils flared sharply before she snatched the blunt from him.
"This is my lucky day! Two kisses from two pretty girls!" He chirped, sitting up eagerly. Tori suddenly wished she hadn't finished her drink, desperately needing something to distract herself. She definitely did not want to see Jaime and Jade do a shotgun, especially if they were doing it by Jaime's so called rules.
Jade rolled her eyes, scoffing at the boy as she pulled Tori's legs from his lap and wedged herself in between the two of them. Ignoring the look of surprise on both their faces, she took a long drag then cupped Tori's face in her hands. Tori blinked her irritated eyes when the smoke rose into them.
Jade pulled Tori's face close to her own, and Tori opened her mouth for her immediately. Jade's pierced eyebrow twitched as if she wanted to smile, but instead her eyes fell to the other girl's lips and she breathed the smoke into the her mouth. Again, Tori felt the burning in the back of her throat as she inhaled, but she braved through it like a champ. Her eyes staring into Jade's, suddenly noticing how blown her pupils were.
Tori blew the smoke back in Jade's face, then leaned in and pressed her lips against Jade's. Jade smiled into the kiss and responded for a moment before pulling back a ways.
"What happened to "shotgunning doesn't involve kissing"?" Jade mumbled huskily, eyes half-lidded and clouded over with lust.
"I like his way better," Tori shrugged, capturing Jade's lips in another kiss.
Jade inhaled sharply before deepening the kiss by sucking Tori's bottom lip in-between her teeth and softly nibbling it. A small noise left Tori's throat at the action. She felt Jade's hands fall from her face to grab her hips and pull her closer, Tori's arms automatically encircling the raven-haired girl's neck. Her head was starting to spin and her heart thumped rapidly in her chest, like it was trying to burst through.
Subconsciously, Tori knew that this was a sign that she was running out of air but she didn't care if she suffocated. She never wanted Jade's lips to leave hers. She'd waited so long for Jade to kiss her, it was like a dream come true.
Tori pulled away reluctantly, her head had started to throb from the lack of oxygen.
She noisily sucked in a huge gulp of much needed air, her chest heaving painfully as she blinked dizzily at Jade's eyelids. Jade chased after her lips, and Tori couldn't suppress her smile when the other girl whimpered in disappointment. But the Latina still needed to catch her breath.
She made the mistake of glancing at the rest of the room, only to find their eyes already on her, equal looks of surprise and shock on their faces. She cringed, blushing bashfully at the position she'd found herself in. Tori was in Jade's lap, her legs straddling the other girl's waist while Jade's hands squeezed her ass.
The Latina chanced a glance at Jaime to find him also staring at her with a slacked jaw and a pitched tent, which disturbed her a bit. She turned her attention back to Jade, who was fixing her with a look that made something much lower than Tori's stomach clench.
An "I want to tear all your clothes off and take you right here on this couch." kind of look.
Tori barely had time to blink before Jade thrusted the blunt in her face; it had gone out sometime during their kiss, silently requesting that she hold it. Jade stood and lifted Tori with her, only to set her down on the floor once they were upright and take the blunt back.
"We're keeping this." Jade informed Jaime, not even bothering to give him a courtesy glance before wrapping her fingers around Tori's wrist, and leading her out of the living room.
He stared after them with a confused frown.
It doesn't take them long to find a bedroom and the whole way there Tori was nervous.
She was drunk and high, and had never been with a girl before, it was scary. But Tori was also extremely excited, she's wanted Jade for so long and she couldn't believe this was happening.
Jade was the first one in the room, she set her stolen treasure on the night stand then sidled up to Tori with a playful smirk.
"Hey." Jade whispered.
"Hi..." Tori softly returned, breath caught in her chest by how truly beautiful Jade looked.
Jade leaned in to kiss her again and Tori relaxed, getting lost in responding to Jade's lips. Jade looped her fingers through Tori's belt loops and pulled her back with her until Jade was sitting back on the bed and looking up at Tori with a hopeful expression. Tori settled into Jade's lap on the bed, taking face in her hands and kissing her again, wrapping her legs around Jade's middle.
Jade moved her hands to Tori's hips, her thumbs rubbing soft circles on her pelvic bones. The darker-haired girl laid back on the bed, letting Tori take control as the Latina put more and more force into their kiss.
But Tori froze and pulled back, looking at Jade with a confused and terrified expression.
"Jade, I... I don't know what I'm doing. I've never..." She trailed off, immediately unsure of herself.
Jade looked at her with a soft expression then guided Tori's face back down to hers, and kisses her gently.
"It's okay, I've done this before." Jade reassured, then smoothly switched their positions so that she was on top.
Tori let her, eyes rolling into the back of her head when she felt Jade's hand press against her through her underwear.
Tori pulled her mouth away from Jade's to shudder and softly moan, "Oh, god."
Jade smiled proudly then leaned down to suck on Tori's neck while massaging her clit.
Tori was honestly in heaven at the moment. Being groped by the girl she's been dreaming about for two years? She never in a million years thought this would ever happen. And yet, she wasn't sure she wanted it to happen like this.
"Ja-ah! Jade, wait. Can we, ugh, can we pause for a moment?" Tori somehow managed to get that out between whimpers.
Jade stopped and blinked several times before she pulled back, "What? What's wrong?"
Tori caught her breath and tried to calm herself down.
"I just... I don't think I'm ready to go all the way yet."
Jade took this in and digested it, her shoulders slump in disappointment.
"Would it... Is it okay if we continued this when we're a little more sober and clear-headed?" Tori timidly suggested.
Jade appeared to think this over then slid off of Tori. Tori feared that Jade was going to leave, and that she just blew her chance with her forever.
But Jade doesn't go far, choosing to lay next Tori with her arm folded underneath her head. Jade stared at her for a bit, the moonlight casting a soft glow on her eyes from the window.
"That's okay." Jade whispered, her other hand brushes some of Tori's hair behind her ear, then she leans over and presses one last kiss against Tori's lips.
They fell asleep soon after that.
Oof, sorry this is so long. I don't have time right now to edit it so lmk if there's any mistakes.
Translations(I'm going to be using a lot of these bc Tori's abuela only speaks Spanish. And also, it's not gon kill y'all to read a little Española.
Ay bendito - Oh my god. You know like you're complaining/exasperated. It's literal translation is Oh blessed but the way Tori uses is "Ugggh, oh my god."
Dios Mio - My god. Different from Ay bendito.
Tori's Middle Name*
I know Victoria's middle name is Dawn so I kinda tried to incorporate that into Tori's name. Sol means Sun in Spanish, I just added an "A" at the end to make it sound more feminine.
One last thing, Jade's flings are going to pop up a lot in this fic. It's angst, y'all, gotta keep the drama flowing. That being said, it's not supposed to take away from Jori's relationship. In the previous two chapters, she slept around with different girls but the important takeaway from that is she was imagining she was with Tori each time. Sorry, if that wasn't clear. Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed it. See ya next week hopefully.
