June 10th, 2018

Hope you enjoy!

:)

No One's Perspective-

She didn't know how long she laid there, staring at the ceiling. All she knew was that she could feel it - in her bones - that the day would be awful. And perhaps the next day...and the day after that...and then so on. Tori didn't exactly know why, but she could just feel it. Doe eyes crept towards the alarm clock beside her: 6:14. She really should get in the shower, and then get ready for school that was only an hour-and-a-half away.

But then again, she just wanted to lay there, staring at the ceiling.

Rat had given up trying to move her, hopping down the stairs. That was, what, ten minutes ago? It seemed that time had moved so-damn-slowly.

Tori frowned, sitting up for the first time that morning. And then she groaned: It was Tuesday. Not that Mondays weren't generally bad - since they were - but it was Tuesday. The day before was bad, though that was because it was - indeed - Monday. That day, however, was a Tuesday. With every time that her brain had her think of what day it was (Tuesday), she wanted to vomit, right there, on the bed. Not because she felt sick, no, but because she wanted to watch Jade clean up every last drop. All because it was Tuesday - because only a week had passed when she was dumped into this room without warning.

It felt like a month had passed. Isn't a week enough? her thoughts hammered as she groggily got out of bed. The wood floors were cold, icy, to her bare feet. Tori glowered. She walked across, picking up her towel that was still damp from the night prior. Tori inhaled - sharply. The shower blitzed on, the water thundering against the bottom of the tub before she stepped in; the water was frigid. Tori scowled. So, she sat in the tub, the shower over her, sulking to herself. If she felt irritated then, when she barely was awake, Tori didn't know what she'd do later on.

Maybe it was just because she was tired. After all, from what she remembered, staying up all night watching videos did make her agitated in the morning.

But, she went to bed early, right after the shower. Her computer wasn't even turned on at all - nor her phone. Tori only grunted, shutting off the water once her hair was cleansed of soap. A minute later, she was back in the bedroom, and then down the stairs minutes thereafter. Once she was at the kitchen, the half-Latina could hear Rat at his dish, having already been fed. At the very least, as Tori thought grudgingly, Jade didn't keep her promise regarding the rat-dog. With her cereal, Tori began eating quietly, partially listening to Jade's voice at the other room.

There was a simple explanation: phone call, or Skype.

After a few moments, and the pitter-patter of small feet towards Tori, Jade shuffled into the kitchen, phone to her ear. "Uh huh...yeah, that makes sense," she mumbled, her mug placed in the sink. She rolled her eyes before glancing down at Rat, who had made his way to her. Tori felt herself growl internally, staring at the dog who barely let her pet his tiny head. "Today?" The word was abrupt, bringing both of the girls' attention. Pale eyes met dark ones, as if she'd just noticed Tori sitting at the table. "Sure, we can go out for lunch," she answered, her voice almost terse as Tori competed with her gaze. "Right, okay. Yeah...love you too."

The phone call was ended with a punch of a screen, Jade then storming off, out of the kitchen. Tori looked down towards her cereal, her bites there after more forceful. Of course Beck had to be called at six-thirty in the morning... She stabbed at the leftover milk, gingerly petting the dog as he raced back towards her. It's not like he was going to see her in an hour.

She huffed, dumping the bowl - with the milk - in the sink.

. . .

Beck lingered near the vending machines, watching the door carefully, before marching towards Jade. He had been thinking - as any boy would do when their teacher asks them a strange task - about the girls, wondering with his brain hammering. Though he was disappointed that neither of the girls spoke to one another as they strode through the doors, the observation still remained: They didn't hold hands. Not that they ever did, as he reminded himself constantly, though the girls didn't tug at each other's wrists to go somewhere. So they don't hold wrists, he corrected himself.

His eyes briefly flashed towards Tori. She looked pissed. Not simply tired, but flat out pissed. Beck knew the look all too well, and assumed that she didn't even want to be at school that day. Jade still was shuffling through her locker when he halted mid-way through the hall. On second thought, he'd check on Tori before going to Jade, feeling it wise not to bring the girls close together at the moment. Beck strolled carefully towards the half-Latina, chirping a mellow, "Hey!"

She didn't even pause, or look up. "What?"

It might as well not have been a question. "Uh... Hey? I'm your friend seeing if you're alright?" Dark eyes flashed towards him from her mirror, her gaze a warning. Beck only shuffled, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Are you alright? Is it Jade-"

"Of course it's fucking Jade," she snapped violently. Her grip around her books became iron, nails digging into the covers. "She barely lifts a finger, and the dog loves her with all his heart. I'm left alone to do the damn project we have for first period while she goes and gets coffee. And then she's-the-fucking-bitch-who-" Her sentence was cut off with a growl, Rat perking his ears from his bag, which was left on the floor. "Didn't even pay for anything the dog needed," Tori appeared to have finished her rant. She turned towards Beck who was stiff from utter shock with a tight smile. He flinched when she asked, acidly, "So how was your morning?"

He coughed, mumbling, "Uh..." His eyes shifted towards Andre - who was equally disturbed, even if he had only heard the rant in passing - for help. None was given since none was available. "Uh...I talked to Jade...and we planned to go out to eat."

"I know that."

Beck swallowed. "Chica?" Dark eyes switched towards her best friend. Andre raised his hands, her glare holding him at gun point. "I'm your friend," he reminded. She weakly relaxed, giving a sigh of defeat. "So what's wrong? You're not usually like this..."

"Like what?"

"Uh," he blinked towards Beck, "like Jade?"

There were steps behind them. "What do you want?"

Tori scowled - Jade.

Jade sneered - Tori.

Beck's eyebrows lifted in surprise, barely able to utter a word before lips meshed with his own. Andre gave a little chuckle before playfully covering his own eyes. While Beck moved back with the kiss, pale eyes watched Tori's scowl crease into a scorned glare. The locker was slammed shut before Tori practically vanished, not to be seen by the other three - except for Jade who watched her turn the corner faster than a bullet.

She tore herself away from Beck, who looked dazzled. "Um, good morning."

"Morning," she grumbled.

Andre - missing everything - grinned with his hand over his eyes, asking, "Can I look now?"

. . .

Rat chirped quietly throughout the room, his tail wagging excitedly within Sikowitz's soft grip. The teacher continued to read off of a script, giving several different voices as he did so. The class watched him carefully, their eyes drifting towards the dog every-so-often. They wore small smiles on their faces, giving soft waves once Rat had blinked towards them. "'And now, what do you mean I can't have this frog with me?'" Sikowitz read in a shrilly voice, holding up the pouch who gave a guttural bark. Once settled back comfortably in the man's arms, he licked his fingers. "'Well, Babes,'" Sikowitz continued, "'you can't be stealing them in the first place!'"

However, while eyes were focused on the dog in particular, one pair didn't even stray towards Rat. Jade sat, with Beck's hand over her shoulders, staring blankly across the room. She watched Tori, who too wasn't looking at Rat with the rest of the class. While her eyes were towards the stage, they were to the cluttered pages of the script left forgotten. The goth continued to stare, unresponsive to the circling thumb at her shoulder.

Jade found herself desperately wanting to know what was going through her mind - it wasn't the first time either.

Mind, it was the first time in a long while, but with Tori's new aggressive lashes, something deep inside her chest irked uncomfortably. Jade shifted, crossing her legs. There was a time that she would find herself pleasantly surprised by the different layers that made up Tori, she could verbally admit, but that was a long time ago. Now, she didn't want those layers to be unfolded, bearing down at her.

There's no point thinking about her now, her thoughts gathered, shifting her eyes to the back of the chair in front of her.

Yet she did, and her mind wondered continuously.

She wanted this strange hell to end. Why had Sikowitz pinned them together anyway? Jade didn't like Tori, and everybody knew that.

"Jade..."

So what if they were on somewhat good terms before? There was no turning back. Nothing would bring them to do...to be somewhat-friends again.

It was a groan against her lips, the buckle slipping simultaneously. She felt herself crawl over the only barrier that separated the sheets. Her lips pressed against soft ones once more, hands gripping smooth, tan skin.

Nothing would bring them back. Nothing ever will, Jade internally managed with force.

There was a hiccup, a soft, surprised mewl against her mouth as firm hands clutched her hips. In retort, she rolled them - hard - against the stupid belt she verbally detested barely an hour prior. As her lips trailed down bronze skin, she found herself not complaining about the belt any longer, her hips still moving rhythmically.

The dog wouldn't help them. Living in her house wouldn't help them. Nothing. Ever. Will.

"Jade..." was breathed against her neck. She enjoyed hearing the breaths against her ear. "Jade, m- what if my parents come out a-"

"Jade?"

She nearly jerked out of her chair, finding that Beck wasn't there to support her. He was on the stage - calling for her. Tori stood beside him, arms crossed and expression hard. Sikowitz glanced towards Tori. "So you pick Beck and...?"

The half-Latina pursed her lips, eyes not moving from Jade. There was a moment of complete silence, goosebumps forming on several pairs of arms due to the scorching tension. "Actually, I pick Cat." Jade didn't expect that to sting, not at all. So she sat there, dumbly watching the same sketch that Sikowitz had just read aloud. Tori actually had picked her, but she was too busy in her own thoughts. The goth found herself seething, mind whirling at some plan, some scheme that would slap the stony expression right off of Tori's face.

And so, Jade went back to her thoughts, more irritated and agitated than ever. Her blood was boiling, teeth chipping.

Tori was going to see what real fury meant.

. . .

If Jade thought her blood was boiling then, it was evaporating an hour later. She glared at Tori across the stage, her jaw so terse that she couldn't open her mouth to snap back. Not that it was a part of the script.

Mr. Mason and Sikowitz were still in their seats, watching the girls. Neither of them knew what to do, not with the two girls practically battling one another without even speaking. The ginger opened his mouth to say something when he felt his lungs deflate. He tried again, and had more success: "Sikowitz, what...how do we- Why is she so mad?" It was barely a whisper, one that the girls didn't hear.

"Tori, Jade, come here." He motioned for them, momentarily pausing the nonverbal duel. They came, begrudgingly. "Okay, so Jade, you can sit and calm down... And Tori?" As Jade sunk into a seat in another row, Tori only folded her arms. "Tori...you kind of replaced Cassy with 'bitch, asshole' and 'fucker' multiple times."

She looked at him, her expression less tense though uninterested all the same. "Did I now?"

He paused, blinking at the question. "Uh...yes, you did - just now."

"I thought the script needed some adjustments."

"Tori," Clark gasped exasperatedly. "Imagine you're about to spend a wonderful day with somebody. You don't cuss them out!" She didn't answer him with anything but a blank look. "Look, Tori," he sighed, his fedora in his hands, "I know you can do this. And I know Jade is-"

"Right over here."

"-difficult." He casted a glare to his side, silencing the other teen. "But, why are you verbally abusing her? You two are supposed to be two people reconnecting and going to a park."

The half-Latina looked at him, shifting her scowl from Jade. "Isn't it supposed to be blown up right when we get there?"

"Well...that's not the point." He turned towards Sikowitz who stood, his arms crossed.

"Look. From where I stand - barefoot, I might add," Tori blinked down towards his feet which were, indeed, bare, "you are the pansy trying to fight with the other pansy over there. What has gotten into you? A lobster up your-"

Tori shook her head. "Ask Jade."

"Why? I've done nothing to you today! Barely even talked to you!"

"Exactly! You were supposed to help me with the freaking project today! Instead you were probably sucking on Beck's face at a restaurant!" Clark wheezed beside the other man, discreetly whispering something about wanting to go back to couching boys' football. Jade stood from her seat, which toppled over behind her with a clack!

She sneered savagely, her tone guttural, "Oh." Jade whirled around the front row, then spitting, "We went out to lunch. That is what couples do. It's not my fault that you haven't scored a measly date for months!" As soon as the words left her mouth - especially the last line - Jade wanted to shove them down her throat again and choke on it if she had to. The seething, livid gaze was more than a glare - at least, she thought so. It was another layer peeled back, one that she found herself unsure of. Not that it was unfamiliar, though it looked crooked plastered on Tori's face, and such a face should be smiling, not scowling. At least, she thought so.

"I fucking hate you."

Jade's chest constricted, forcing her to swallow the bile that had then accumulated in her throat. It coated her words with acid: "What are you going to do about it?"

The tension in the air held the men in place, and Tori's tone deathly even once she had stood, toe to toe, with Jade. There was a nasty fire burning in her eyes, unceasing. "You take Rat home," she stated in a monotone voice.

Jade worked her jaw, unwilling to let her eyes drop from the opposing pair. She found her voice and used her guts: "I'm only doing it because-"

"No, you're not taking him home because you want to. You're taking him home because I said so."

And she lost her voice again. Her body seemed to grow numb as Tori stormed for her bag, then towards the double doors. "Tori, stop!" she managed to snap.

There was an arch of a brow before, "He likes you better anyway. Take him with you." Her voice cracked. Jade paused, her breaths halted as her lungs seemed to deflate. There were small pitter-patters that echoed in the room, the small pooch standing in the middle of the lane separating the two sets of chairs. Jade stood near the stage, in shock, while Tori at the door. His black, watery eyes blinked back and forth, his ears flopping as he looked at the two girls. He whined softly.

"Now Tori," Sikowitz intervened. "Tori, this is the second time- Hey, we can talk this out. Just, if you walk out that door, this is the second time - in a row - where you walk out." He didn't find himself surprised when she stared at him - dead in the eyes - before slipping through the doors. He weakly sighed, looking over his shoulder. "Next time we're locking the doors with chains. Jade, go do that scene you did yesterday." When there was no sound other than Mr. Mason placing on his fedora, he turned to find Rat sitting before Jade's feet, looking up at her with glassy eyes. She eyed him back in thought, her brows creasing in concentration. "Jade?"

"Right."

. . .

The keyboard clicked and clacked as she searched through TheSlap, finding anything that could distract her from...whatever was lurking unpleasantly in her chest. At that point, ducks, puppies and a basket full of kittens helped. A tutorial from Andre on playing the saxophone was entertaining, just like Cat's recipe for pink cupcake-goo. Then there was Robbie's sketch with Rex on cops and robbers; it was a distraction. Tori groaned, shifting the blankets to her shoulder. The room was too cold.

Her mouse hovered over updates, hand itching to click on Cool Doggo, posted by Beck.

The video was displayed across her screen not a second later. There was inside of his RV, Beck sitting on the floor with Jade, Rat squirming between them. Tori chewed the inside of her cheek. There were already comments, all of which asking about the dog. Once the video loaded, her attention was brought back to his voice. "There's a lot of chill dudes in the world. This guy's one of them... Right Jade?"

She looked tired - worn. Tori's frown didn't twitch when she grumbled, "Yeah..."

"Anyway, we came up with a little sketch. Rat and I are going to be boxing and Jade here," Beck glanced towards his girlfriend, "will be the referee." There was a whistle around Jade's neck, her fingers pinching the shiny piece before blowing into it unenthusiastically. Rat chirped, his ears flopping as he focused on Jade. She smiled softly, her lips barely curling. Beck lightly tapped the dog's cheek, murmuring a small, "Pow!"

Immediately the dog sprung to life, dancing in front of the screen, attempting to topple over the opponent who was at least fifty-times bigger. Even so, Beck flopped to the ground, chuckling as he continued to lightly bat the dog. Jade sat, staring at the same spot on the floor.

Tori slammed her laptop before shoving it to the side. She didn't care to see the end of the video.

So, Tori flopped to her pillow, staring at the ceiling. Her eyes closed not moments before her phone buzzed for the umpteenth time that hour. Her hand snatched it from her side, not able to ignore it any longer. "What is it?" she snapped.

"...well okay, Jesus." Trina scoffed from the other end of the line. "Did you not see the forty-three texts I sent you and the three calls?"

Tori chose the simplest, easiest answer: "No."

"Liar."

The younger sister rolled her eyes. "Okay, whatever. What do you want?"

"Uh...some explanation? Tori, Mom and Dad are pissed. The school called today."

Tori remained unconvinced. "Really? Because I remember we put our house phone for the only contact information."

There was a pause and Tori knew she caught her sister. "Okay, fine, they don't know about it. But Sikowitz told me that you walked out of rehearsal today - and yesterday's!"

"It's not like he gave me detention," she grumbled into her sleeve.

"I wouldn't say that," Trina warned, "he said he'll talk to you tomorrow before school. Anyway, what's going on?"

Tori snorted. "Nothing."

"Tori..."

"Nothing! Why would I tell you anyway?"

"Because you're my sister. And I called you, three times." Tori sighed, shuffling further in her sheets, eyes blinking in the dark room. "Is it Jade? Do you...do you want to come back home?"

Tori felt her eyes burn. "Of course!" she whined. "I just... I can't. If I do, I'll get an F, Trina! I'd have to retake senior year! I can't fucking deal with-"

"Whoa, hold on. Now on know there is something wrong. Really? Is she that bad?"

She shook her head wearily, grumbling, "I have to go Trina. It's already ten-thirty."

"I- Oh, okay. Erm, will you talk tomorrow?"

Probably not - "Maybe, if I have time," she answered.

"So that's a no... Anyway, I'm calling tomorrow and you better not get me pissed. I have a facial at three."

She rolled her eyes, wiping them with her sleeve. "Good night Trina."

"Good night..." The call was ended before Trina could add in anything more. The half-Latina felt her brain working angrily, drumming against her skull. She snuggled into her pillow, closing her eyes tightly. Sleep would let her get away, surely.

But then the next day would be Wednesday.

She didn't want that.

. . .

There wasn't any light all around besides the street light bleeding through the trees secluding the area, and the dim porch light some yards away. Beck's truck hummed as they sat there, his radio illuminating a pale blue. "So, are you going to go sleep here, or do you want to sleep over in the RV?" Jade shook her head at Beck's offer. He tapped his fingers around the rim of the steering wheel. "Are you two okay?"

"What does it look like, Beck?"

"Well, she got out of the theatre twenty minutes early and passed me," he recounted, adding, "and she looked like she was going to...cry."

Shit... Jade growled to herself, folding her arms. She itched her skin against the sleeve, Rat giving a small yip from her lap. Beck cleared his throat, eyes wandering towards the trees. He distinctively recalled playing a long game of hide-and-seek within them, laughs and smiles haunting his day dreams.

He turned towards Jade, wishing that she'd be like that once again. "Babe?" She barely responded, only giving a small sigh. "So I'll see you tomorrow then... Did anything happen?"

"I need to go in," she bluntly stated, her hand at the handle of the door. Beck nodded before mumbling quietly. Jade paused, turned towards him as he leaned forward. He missed his target, only pecking her cheek. Even so, he didn't probe.

"Alright, see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," she echoed, shutting the door seconds later. Jade watched as he rolled away, not stepping towards her porch until he had turned around the trees. With her keys in one hand, Rat's bag in the other, her eyes drifted to the shadows beside the house. Perched on the gravel was a car growing familiar to her - familiar to the house, anyway. It took her a moment before a long, weary groan escaped her lips.

She left her car at school.

Stupid, the thespian internally chided herself. Her key was raised to the door as she worked through the next morning. After her coffee, she'd ask her to drive. And then Tori would accept, they would be at school.

"I fucking hate you."

With the key in the doorknob, Jade halted. Rat whined, wanting to just lay his head on a nice blanket. She shook her head. In the morning, that's when she'd ask. But before then, Jade could sleep, and rest. The door crept open, the same moment rewinding constantly as it had done since the rehearsal. She knew there would be no rest in her sleep that night, only uneasiness.

I will say, I do feel bad for Beck. He's just caught in the middle without actually knowing what's going on. XD But damn, was this chapter fun to write. Tori mad is fun to write, just sayin'. Can't lie, I was laughing the whole time I was writing each of her lines.

Hope you enjoyed!

:)