CW: cw: homophobia, d-slur (it's mentioned through the telling of a story that doesn't involve any of the main characters, don't worry!)
Tori comes out to her parents. Happy motherfucking pride month you beautiful people. 3
Tori's teeth tugged at her thumbnail as the phone rang. With how many rings had already passed, Tori grew anxious as she didn't have much time to get through everything she wanted to say, as Holly would be back in less than twenty minutes with groceries to cook dinner.
"Hello?"
"Oh, thank God," Tori exhaled, placing a cold palm to her forehead. She felt her skin burning up as her nervousness persisted.
"Hey munchkin, what's wrong?"
"Nothing! Things are actually… incredible," the young girl chuckled through labored breathing. "Last weekend was insane."
"Oh yeah, you sang the song at prom! How did it go?"
"Jade knew it was about her, and well-"
"Oh, my God!"
"Yeah, we um… we kissed," Tori was cut off instantly by a deafening screech on the other line. She ripped the phone away from her ear and waited for the screaming to stop.
"That's the cutest thing I ever heard! And I am so proud of you for facing your fears and performing!
"Thanks," Tori sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "But now what do I tell my mom?"
"Oh honey, you don't need to tell her anything until you're ready."
"Well, I know but I'm not one to keep secrets. I really don't want something bad to happen and for her to believe that I shouldn't be with Jade!"
"If it's hard for her to understand, she can talk to me. I have your back, and I would think that she will most likely value my opinion on this subject."
Tori licked her lips and looked toward her bedroom door, focusing her ears on any potential noises indicating her mom had come home sooner than she expected. "I hope so. I hope it just works out perfectly but I'd be very shocked."
"I mean… Tori, I want you to remember this when you decide to talk to her," her aunt began cautiously. "If your mom has some questions and seems apprehensive about you entering a relationship, it definitely wouldn't be because it's with a girl."
"Well, she probably hates Jade so there's already a bad start."
"Jade has plenty of time to prove herself to your mom. Holly has high standards, which obviously you know now."
"Yeah," Tori scratched the back of her head and paced her floor. "I mean, I totally get if she thinks it might be too early to date someone, but it's not someone new, it's Jade and I know now that I've felt this way for her for a long time. It just makes so much sense. She feels like a home to me. A different kind of home than a family home, obviously, but I just feel like I belong with her."
"You're such a little romantic! I had no idea!"
"Well, it might be because I was trying to date the wrong category of human," Tori laughed, though it was only until after she completed her thought that she remembered she had labeled herself as bi. So, perhaps none of the guys she had dated so far were as special as Jade was, but she was still bi.
"Maybe! I'm just glad you're happy now. Your mom isn't going to do anything drastic. I can't really speak for your dad, but he loves you and Holly isn't going to let him treat you poorly whatsoever over this. She's going to need some time to deal with it in her own way, too, but please don't feel like the worst is going to happen. Maybe they will surprise you."
"Yeah," Tori sighed, realizing there was not much else to talk about on the matter. "Thank you so much for being really cool and talking to me about all this."
"Of course, Tori. Any time. When can I officially meet Jade?"
The brunette blushed at the thought of Jade being around a family member as a newly introduced girlfriend. "Well, we're not officially dating or 'girlfriends' yet, but when we talk about it, you'll be the first to know."
"Of course! Hang in there, munchkin, it's gonna be alright. You've got a loving family, trust in them and be patient with them. They will have a lot to learn and the best thing to have for them and yourself is patience."
Tori nodded and locked her aunt's words into her memory. "I will. Thank you, aunt Mallory."
"I'll talk to you soon," the voice on the other line said softly before the tone.
"Bye," Tori exhaled and threw her phone onto the bed. "Okay, it'll be okay. It'll be okay."
"Hey, mom."
"Hi, Jade! What's up?"
"You're not going to believe this," Jade smirked while gazed in admiration at a picture of Tori on her phone screen.
"What is it?" Dani waved at the man she had been seeing, walking away from their table at a restaurant to find a quieter place to talk.
"Well, Tori has apparently been into me since before her accident," Jade began, a sharp gasp on the other line interrupting her. "At the prom, she sang a song about me that she wrote!"
"God, all the men I've dated and not one of them has written a song for me! That's so fucking cute, Jade!"
"Ughhhh, I know," Jade leaned back in the chair and sighed.
"So you're dating now?"
"Well, not quite."
Dani threw a hand in the air in confusion. "Not quite?"
"It's complicated," the daughter sighed.
"It's complicated," Dani mocked back. "You've wanted this for a long time! Ask her out!"
"I don't want to fuck it up," Jade replied abruptly. "I ruin things. It's what I do, and now that I finally know that she's into me, I'm scared out of my mind."
"Jade, you don't ruin things. You had a rocky first relationship with a boy who didn't listen to your needs. You're a good person," Dani insisted.
Jade didn't receive compliments from her mom often, but some feeling grew inside her that indicated she should trust her. "I am?"
"Would goody two shoes Tori Vega like you if you weren't?"
"Oh, I'm not sure she's as goody two shoes as you think," Jade chuckled, blushing as she remembered kissing Tori backstage in the Black Box. "But you're right, good people don't like bad people."
"Exactly. Don't worry about ruining something, or else you probably will without even realizing it. Fear is never a good thing to have in love."
"Oh God, don't use that word yet, please," Jade urged. "Too far, too soon."
"Well, you know what I mean. No need to rush the official status, you'll know when it's time."
"Yeah," Jade trailed off, forgetting the question she had intended on asking. "Oh, you're not going to be home on Friday night, right?"
"Shouldn't be, I have a date," Dani smiled and turned around to glance at the man she had left behind at the table.
"Oh," Jade raised her eyebrows. "Someone I will actually like this time, I hope."
"He's a writer, you'll love him," her mom winked back at him.
"Ooo, what does he write for?"
"Not important. Why are you asking about my plans on Friday?"
Jade paused for a moment, nervous to reply with the simple answer. "I wanted to have Tori over, for like, a date thing."
"Of course, of course!"
"Thank you so much, mom."
"I'd say use protection but I guess you can't get pregnant-"
"MOM," Jade barked. "Don't be gross!"
"Well, protection is always important anyway. Let me know if you need me to pick up some-"
"Nope! No need! Don't worry! Bye!" Jade pressed the red circle before Dani could step any further into the uncomfortable territory. She was still scarred by her mom's initial "talk" when she started dating Beck. She didn't need to hear it again.
Lane sat eerily still once Tori opened the door to his office. She felt his stare on her as she crept to the center of the room and slumped on the couch.
"Hey, Tori."
"Hi... Why'd you call me down?" She asked with suspicion.
Lane immediately took into account the guard that Tori had put up. It concerned him if anything negative was happening in Tori's life, he wanted her to be able to trust him. "Just to check in, make sure everything is going well."
"Oh. Yeah, things are good," she said simply, only then a small smile appeared on her face.
"How about the anxiety thing, I know you've been-"
"Lane, have I come out to you yet?"
For the first time, Lane felt as though he could see all of Tori. She had always been a bold individual with her heart on her sleeve, but this unexpected question only confirmed his suspicion for years about a significant part of her identity.
"No, you haven't," he cleared his throat, straining every muscle in his face just to not smile uncontrollably.
"Oh, I thought you might have known. Since, you know," Tori gestured to him directly, not realizing that Lane had never officially or publicly stated to the student body that he was gay. Instead of focusing on himself and correcting her, he continued with her statement.
"So, you're…"
"I'm bi, I think? Well, I know I'm bi. But like, what if I'm wrong and I only like girls-"
"But you like girls. That's what you're saying?"
"Yeah," Tori deflated. "I like Jade."
Lane had to bring a hand up to his mouth just to hide his excitement. "Oh. That's… interesting."
"We're like, together now-"
"Oh, you are?" He finally let his guard down and placed his hands on the armrests of his chair.
The brunette's eyes widened. "Yes, yes we are… is that bad?"
"I'm sorry, no. No, no, no. I know I reacted strongly. I'm just, wow. Wow!" Something about his energy was extremely off-putting, like he had known this for much longer than she did. That was beginning to become a regular trend in her life, and it was anything but comfortable to live with.
"Okay, so you knew something before. What, were you like 'in on this' with Sikowitz? He set Jade and me up on a date for a show, or apparently just for a show but like. Why are you teachers so obsessed with our dating lives?" Tori was almost annoyed now and figured it was at least a good sign that Lane appeared happy about it. She figured teachers typically cared to a degree who was dating who, but then again, for him to jump out of his seat was bizarre.
"We might have been rooting for you," Lane shrugged his shoulders. "We know teenagers begin dating in high school and we care about who they're confiding in. That's all."
"Okay, well it's all fun and games until I'm terrified to tell my parents," Tori scowled and crossed her arms. "I'm glad at least one of us is happy about the news."
"Oh, Tori… I'm so sorry you're afraid," Lane's hands went back to rest on his knees. "There's nothing to be ashamed of."
Tori's voice began to quaver. "Well, I just don't want them to think I'm messed up from the accident and that I'm confused, because I'm not confused. I wrote this song about her before the accident it was true before the accident-"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. The one you performed at the prom?" Lane remembered how incredible Tori was performing, how the entire student body was captivated by the scene.
"Yeah, that was Jade's song. Andre knew before the accident, I talked to him about it. Hell, it didn't take me too long to piece it back together because of how obvious it was. I mean, I had pictures of her on my phone and every time she was around me she was so kind and I like, couldn't even breathe near her," tears finally began to run down Tori's cheeks, but she wiped them away quickly and continued. "She's so special and I don't even understand it yet. I just feel that way, and that feeling should be enough. I can't stand the fact that I'm going to have to justify all these feelings because of this stupid memory loss, like, in every story I've heard about my time at Hollywood Arts, Jade is there. And there are definitely some ugly stories, but there was definitely something there. And now we're here."
"What makes you think your parents are going to blame the accident on your feelings?" Lane asked softly.
Tori blinked away the build-up of tears in her eyes. "Um, I don't know. I just feel like that's something they would say."
"Well, in your defense, you have all this evidence from your history with Jade, and it makes complete sense to me that you would figure it out. I mean, Jade was cold and mean to you before, most of the time at least, and with the way she cared and talked about you after the accident, it's no wonder you would see some great things in her-"
"Wait, wait," the brunette interrupted. "How she talked about me?"
Lane cleared his throat and clasped his hands together tightly. "Oh, well. Umm… oops."
"You did know," Tori shook her head, finally laughing a bit. "Okay, well if you had that much inside information then I guess I understand why you reacted so strongly."
"She cares about you a lot, Tori. That's all your parents want to see in whoever you date. If the fact that your partner is a girl is what bothers them, that's their issue to solve and not yours. My opinion is that neither of them are going to react nearly as horribly as you're afraid they might." Lane had spoken with Holly several times, but never connected closely with David. Holly is a level-headed, fair and considerate person just like her daughter. David, along with many fathers, was more reserved and independent. He definitely had the emotional capability, but with a topic like coming out, Lane had no idea how he might react.
"My aunt said that to me too, that they wouldn't absolutely freak out. It's just horrifying, I don't want it to cause problems for Jade and me. I want to date her, but what if they refuse?"
"They cannot control who you love. And they won't if you don't let them. So you've told your aunt about this situation?"
Tori nodded her head and brushed her hands down her arms. "Yeah, my mom's sister. She's gay, and she really doesn't think it'll be an issue."
Lane stood from his chair to retrieve lotion from his desk. "Okay, so what's stopping you from telling your mom today?"
"Today?" Tori echoed. "Um, I mean I guess it doesn't really make a difference when she finds out."
"And would you tell her today?"
Tori thought for a moment, only to scowl at the counselor's suggestion. "Why are you rushing this?"
"Because you want to know what happens in the future. Instead of holding it off and giving yourself more anxiety, you could always just decide to do it and find out. I'm not trying to push you to do that, but it's something to think about. I know you're not very good at hiding things."
The girl laughed nervously, clenching her teeth and taking a sharp inhale. "Nooo, I'm not."
"When do you think you'll be ready to tell her?" He asked calmly.
Yesterday, but I got too scared. "I wanted to yesterday."
"Maybe it would be nice to rip the band-aid off. The outcome of the conversation likely won't change the longer you wait, especially if it's only a matter of a few days. Plus, it will probably go better than you expect," Lane smiled, though it made Tori feel a little bit awkward when the silence after his question was filled with the squeamish sound of lotion being massaged into his hands.
Today, 3:48 PM
I'm gonna tell her…
Omg… really? Are you sure and ready?
yeah, I think so. what difference is it going to make, they'll react how they'll react. my dad's not home though, so it has to be two separate occasions which sucks
I hope it goes well. Call or text if you need anything, please
I will :)
Tori and her mom were sitting quietly, both with work to do at the dinner table. Holly had a cup of green tea, and Tori had made her own cup of peppermint tea to try and calm her nerves.
"Mom, I need to talk to you about something."
Holly lowered her glasses on the bridge of her nose and glanced at Tori. "Hmm?"
Her daughter slumped in her chair, looking downward and closing in on herself. I can't do this, I can't. I don't want to be yelled at or accused or hurt. I don't want to hurt her. I don't want to be even more of a burden than I already am.
"Tori, what's going on?" Holly's voice grew with suspicion and urgency.
"Okay, okay," Tori sighed, lifting her head back up to look at the ceiling while she took a deep breath. "I don't know how to say it."
"Just tell me, you can tell me a-"
"Anything, I know. I'm just scared how you're going to react," Tori laughed to mask the fear clouding her mind.
Holly believed with every fiber of her being that she knew where this was going, but braced herself just in case her suspicion was incorrect. "Please don't be scared. Tell me the best way you can."
Tori nodded and sniffled, even before any tears had actually run down her face. "Before the accident, I was talking to Andre about something. Something about me." Her eyes flickered up back to her mom, who was motionless and scowling back at her. She was hoping her mom would continue the conversation or respond in any way until she realized she didn't actually confess to anything significant yet.
"And I say this because, when I tell you what it is, you might not be so confused and suspicious about it, like it was already a thing before the accident that I had figured out and really knew since middle school but didn't realize it then-"
"Tori, please just tell me."
The daughter let out a shaky exhale through trembling lips. "I like girls, and I think I'm bi."
Holly paused, her eyes darting around the outside of the table. Tori's leg began bouncing as she finally let herself cry. At first, her mom's tone was unsettling, a hushed but sincere tone. It wasn't until she was complete with her sentence that Tori relaxed. "Am I supposed to be surprised by this?"
The ringing in Tori's ears died out as she laughed off her initial anxiety. "Seriously? You knew?"
"Jade's been coming over a lot," Holly smirked. "She's the one, isn't she?"
Tori was dazed by her mom's reaction and immediate accusation. "Oh, um... Yeah, she is."
"Not surprised," Holly muttered before returning her eyes to the papers in front of her. Tori scoffed and leaned back in her chair with folded arms.
"What? That's it? Days of me going through emotional hell just for you to be all chill?! Can't we talk about it more?"
"Tori," Holly began, finally taking her readers off and folding them before setting them on the table. "I've been watching all of your friendships throughout high school. You don't expect me to know when my daughter has feelings for someone when they're around the house all the time?"
Tori blinked and slid her hands underneath her thighs in her chair. "Well, when you put it that way-"
"Beck tries to kiss you and you tell him you can't 'because of Jade', and you expect me to still believe you're straight after that?"
The daughter was genuinely laughing now. "Okay, okay, I get it-"
"Listen, I read it all over her, too. How she was talking to you and looking at you at the hospital? God, it was like watching a romance movie or something!"
"Okay, got it," Tori squinted and nodded her head, suddenly creeped out with how observant her mom had been all this time. "So, you're just. Fine with it?"
Holly shrugged simply. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know… Because now you have to worry about what the rest of the family will think, and-"
"No, I don't care what they think. You're my baby. No one's going to hurt you, I won't let them," she narrowed her eyes and pointed at her youngest daughter, who smiled warmly back at her.
"What about dad?"
Holly grimaced and leaned her head forward in a dramatic gesture, immediately putting Tori off of her comfort streak. "I'm joking. You've never heard him yelling at his brother for making fun of my sister?"
"No?"
"Oh, God. He went so far out of his way just to protect my sibling. I had accidentally mentioned Mallory and her wife years ago to dad's brother, Steve. He said some really horrible things about her for being gay, and your father nearly knocked him out."
Tori gasped. "Did he hurt him?!"
"No, just a stern slapping across the face at the word 'dyke.'"
"Oh God," Tori muttered. "That's awful. I didn't know Uncle Steve was like that."
"He's always an idiot," Holly shrugged. "Anyway, what you need to know is dad would do anything if it meant protecting his family and who he loves. No matter what you are or who you love yourself."
Tori sighed, feeling that this was all too good to be true when other kids had it way worse when coming out to their parents. "I'm so lucky, I was so scared to tell you."
"Oh, come here Tori," Holly stood from her table, holding her arms out for her daughter to fall into. Tori leaned her head on her mom's chest which drew an odd feeling in her. It wasn't often that they hugged sincerely for more than just a second or two. Hugs had been sparse since Tori became a teenager. She wanted to cry, but with the amount of relief and happiness, it was impossible.
"I love you, mom."
"I love you too, baby," Holly whispered while patting Tori's back. She suddenly broke away, still holding her daughter's shoulders to keep her close and stare intensely into her eyes. "Now, we need to talk about if you're ready to jump into a relationship right away with everything going on."
Tori's heart began racing as she sighed and sat back down. "There's the catch."
"I'm not saying you're not," Holly's tone rose in pitch. "But we need to seriously consider the positives and negatives of committing to a relationship at this point in your life."
"Sounds fun," Tori muttered sarcastically.
Holly sat with proper posture, her hands clasped together and resting on the table. "What are some positives about dating Jade? Wow, that's surreal to say out loud."
Tori giggled, taking a moment to think sincerely. What isn't a positive about dating Jade? "She has been nothing but kind to me. Well, you know, more recently. She makes me feel special and like I deserve the world. She's extremely talented and inspires me to constantly be improving myself and-"
"Oh my God," Holly's face collapsed into her palms, sending Tori into a panic.
"What, what? What's wrong?"
Her mom started to sob, fanning her face as she looked back up. "When did you become an adult?" She choked out through her cries.
"Oh my God, mom. I'm almost 18," Tori whispered to remind her mom she'd be a legal adult soon, something she loved to throw in her parent's faces from time to time. Holly cried even harder at the realization, her forehead hitting the table concerningly hard.
"Wow," Tori stared in confusion when the front door opened.
David walked in, showing concern immediately for his wife that was falling apart. "What's going on?"
"We were just talking and she started sobbing because she realized I'm turning eighteen soon," Tori's eyes followed her father as he entered the house. She was hoping to have this conversation with him separately, but maybe this would be a better time now that her mom has been extremely supportive.
Another procession of sobs from Holly occurred. David came running to hold her, turning to glare at Tori with a sarcastic expression. Tori chuckled once David rolled his eyes at Holly's hysterics, but at least his arms wrapped around her seemed to be calming her down. This definitely wasn't the first time Holly had cried dramatically over her children growing old.
"Dave, I'm glad you're home early. You're actually just in time."
"Oh no," Tori's voice shook again. "I wasn't ready for this I thought I had time to prepare-"
"What is it, honey?" The sound of his voice made Tori's tremble even more.
"Uhhh… I'm kind of... seeing someone," her voice rose in pitch throughout her response.
Not a single muscle moved in David's face as his hand brushed over Holly's back. "Who?"
Tori's shoulders inched up to her ears. "Jade."
Her father let go of Holly and sighed as he turned his back to his daughter. "Really?"
"I know it sounds super weird, but-"
"Don't you guys hate each other?"
Tori's heart shattered as it was obvious that he was not fond of this news. "Oh, well it probably seemed that way for a long time, didn't it."
"Honey, let her talk," Holly urged, suddenly regaining composure. David stood next to the chair Holly sat in, his hand propping him up while he leaned over his wife. Tori constantly felt judged by her dad, not because he's judgemental, but they have incredibly contrasting personalities and interests in life. He was all about his stereotypically masculine artifacts while Tori just wanted to make art. And though he would go to the ends of the Earth to make sure she was successful, he didn't understand her world the same way she didn't understand his.
"It took me a while to figure it out. Andre knew I liked Jade before the accident. Weeks, months before the accident. This isn't a new feeling. I was supposed to tell her how I felt, but I was too scared to, and then… well, you know what happened."
David blinked profusely as he came up with what he believed to be a carefully constructed response. "You're sure this isn't just some weird psychological mishap?"
"David, don't talk to her like that. She just told you the most frightening thing a kid could tell their parents, and you said that?" Holly was practically shouting, causing Tori's heart to hammer in her chest. It wasn't often that her mom would talk to her dad like that, but when he deserved it she certainly did not hold back.
"No, no," Tori held out a hand to extinguish her mom's fire. Holly glanced back with fury in her eyes. "It's okay, dad. I was wondering that too. A lot, actually."
"And?"
"It's not, it's just who I am," Tori shook her head, feeling tears begin to form again. "I've spent hours and days piecing this all together. And I've contemplated whether I truly still feel the same way now. I had feelings for Jade before when she was an absolute jerkface to me, and I still have them because as I learned about my history with her, she talked through every situation with me and made sure that I knew how much she cared about me. Yes, we've had our fights and everything, but I know that she is the person I trust most."
"I can't, I can't wrap my head around this. I'm sorry," his voice was broken, almost reminiscent of having a croaky voice while fighting a cold. He could hardly make eye contact with Tori, and she feared the worst would happen to her and Jade because of it.
Tori's hands waved in the air again. "Well, is it the liking girls part or the liking Jade part of it?"
"Oh, I don't care who you love. That's your business," David shrugged, finally a sign of neutrality on his face. Tori smiled and felt a wave of hope rush through her until David spoke again. "Unless it's Jade West."
The daughter's hand smacked her forehead. Of course. "Okay."
"Dave, when Tori's friends visited the hospital, I knew Jade saw something in Tori. It shocked me too, but I believe her." Holly looked up to him and squeezed his hand that had been resting on her chair.
He finally took his burning stare off of Tori and glanced to the side while he sparked his own memory. "Yeah, I remember you mentioning that."
"I know you want to be protective of our daughter, and you have personal reasons to have a grudge against Jade which I get, but you need to forgive her. She was a different person back then."
"People don't change," David snapped, his gaze returning back to Tori. "I don't want Tori to get hurt by that."
"People absolutely change!" Holly groaned. "People change their entire lives. People are assholes, they learn, they change."
"I talked to Jade about her stealing your hockey trophy," Tori entered the conversation quietly.
David's eyes widened as he scuffed his foot on the floor. "She told you?"
"Well no, Trina did. She reacted similarly to how you are right now. But I didn't even tell her about the being 'together' thing yet, just that we're good friends."
"Of course Trina and your dad are reacting the same," Holly rolled her eyes.
"Alright, alright," David reacted offensively, being compared side by side with Trina. It was a truth that was difficult for him to swallow, that Trina picked up several of David's more independent characteristics. "What did Jade tell you?"
Tori held her arm for a sense of security. "She told her dad that she wasn't straight, and he kicked her out. Her mom's like never home, and Jade didn't have any money to eat."
Holly gasped and placed a hand over her heart. David bowed his head and took a few steps out of the kitchen while Tori waited for a change of mind from him.
"That's horrible, why didn't she tell us that in the first place?"
"Probably didn't want to tell you why she got kicked out," Tori placed a hand on her hip and noticed her patience running thin. She remembered what her aunt Mallory said on the phone.
Holly scoffed and narrowed her eyes on her husband. "You threatened to take legal action against her before I convinced you that your middle school hockey trophy was not worth ruining a teenager's life over."
Tori couldn't help but snort at the embarrassing revelation. "Wait, middle school trophy?"
"She stole from me! It's theft!" His voice rose in agitation again. "But, I didn't know she was going through that. It makes more sense now. And there was plenty more damage she could have done if she truly meant harm."
"Yeah, and she was actually pretty smart for taking one of those. The amount you have is absurd," Holly complained teasingly.
David sat down at the head of the table, leaving Tori and Holly standing behind their chairs. He was silent, deep in thought as he pressed his lips to his knuckles. Tori took a moment to let the air settle but spoke up again once David didn't show any signs of replying.
"She would do anything to earn your trust," Tori spoke softly as she sat down. "She's been earning my trust every single day, and I don't think I trusted her when I first met her either."
Tori's mom chuckled softly before turning her eyes back to her husband. David's head was nodding slightly, his face finally showing some vulnerability rather than a front.
"I want her here tomorrow for dinner. 6:30 sharp. Got it?"
Holly and Tori exchanged a look of hope, grins glowing across their faces. "Sure!"
David stood silently from the table, finally offering a smile to his daughter. "I love you, and I just want to make sure you're making a good choice.
Tori sighed into her dad's large embrace, hugs that were even rarer than hugs from her mom. "I know, I love you, too."
"Well, what are they making for dinner?" Jade asked as she opened her locker.
Tori wished she could have focused more on the conversation, but Jade was wearing an especially low-cut shirt today. "Um, I don't know. Hopefully not something awkward to eat in front of people, like spaghetti. I think I might already die of awkwardness."
"What do you mean?" Jade turned to Tori with a soft scowl. She smirked upon seeing where Tori's eyes had fallen to and turned her shoulder to catch Tori's attention again. "You need an eye exam, they can't seem to focus on anything but my b-"
"No, my eyes are fine, thank you," Tori clutched her bag tighter, suddenly offended by being called out for something she was very obviously doing. "I'm just nervous, I feel like he's going to interview you like an adult or something. I kind of remember when he did this with Danny."
Jade cackled and placed another textbook in her locker. "Danny, Danny, Danny. How'd he do with Dave?"
Brown eyes widened at the well-dressed girl. "Don't call him Dave! Mr. Vega, please."
"Okay, how many times did Danny kiss Mr. Vega's ass?"
"Uh, I don't know."
"Should I dress like a good Christian school girl?" Jade taunted further.
Tori could immediately feel her reddening face in reaction to the visual of a schoolgirl Jade in her head. Get a fucking grip, it's like 8 AM. "No, just be you."
"He doesn't like me, but I guess he already knows how I look, so wearing something different might not be effective. But who knows, maybe I'll tone it down a bit and wear a turtleneck," it was only at the last word of Jade's sentence that brought Tori's eyes back up to her favorite pair of blue eyes.
"Sorry. I-I'm sorry. I just-"
"Should we be relieving some feelings before class?" Jade stepped closer to Tori and rested her hands on Tori's shoulders.
The brunette stammered as her eyes locked on tempting Jade's lips. "U-Um… maybe?"
Jade's eyes glowed once Tori bit her lip slightly. The moment was ruined by the bell ringing as both girls groaned and broke away from each other. "God, I didn't realize how late it was," Tori muttered while brushing her fingers through her hair.
"Time flies when you're having fun. Or staring at my boobs."
Tori forced her fists to her sides and darted down the hall. "Leave me alone!"
Tori's phone rang during lunch, interrupting a conversation about Kelly Clarkson's National Anthem performance at the Superbowl last year. Jade's shoulder's caved at the sight of Trina's name on her phone. The brunette squeezed Jade's shoulder before walking away from the lunch table.
"Hey, Trina. What's up?"
"YOU'RE DATING JADE?!"
Tori grunted and stomped her foot on the pavement. "We're not dating yet. Who told you?"
"Uhhhh…"
"Mom? Or dad? Probably mom," Tori pressed her hand to her forehead.
"No. Ummm... Beck did," Trina hesitated.
Tori glanced at Beck at the lunch table, who hadn't said a word to Tori or Jade all day. "Why would Beck tell you?"
"We're friends," Trina shot back with an incredibly guilt-stricken voice.
"Trina, please don't tell me you like Beck."
Tori heard city traffic and Trina's heels clicking on a sidewalk instead of a reply, but the silence was an answer enough.
"If you're getting with Beck, you have absolutely no place to say anything about Jade and me."
"But she's evil!"
"She's not, but you might be," Tori mumbled sarcastically. "Look, we can talk more later. We're all at lunch and Jade is having dinner with mom and dad tonight. They were more chill about it than you're being, so maybe you should talk to them."
"It's weird that we'll be dating people who used to date each other?"
"You won't be dating Beck once I tell you what I know about him. Goodbye, Trina."
"Ew, I don't want to date him. He's just my sidepiece."
Tori cackled so loud that her entire friend group turned back to her and her large hand gestures while on the phone. "Sidepiece? Who's the lucky number one?"
"Goodbye, Tori!" The phone finally hung up and Tori took a deep breath before returning to the table. Jade was unaffected, Beck was pathetically acting apathetic, but the other three exploded with questions.
"How is Trina doing?" Robbie started.
"Fine," Tori shot back, aggressively digging her fork into her salad.
"Why did you sound so upset?" Cat asked before sipping a smoothie.
Tori raised her eyebrows as her tongue grazed across her molars. "Because someone can't keep their mouth shut or their nose out of business that isn't their own."
It wasn't until then that Jade snapped her head up to Tori. "What are you talking about?"
Tori glared at Beck who continued to play dumb, his eyes mindlessly darting around to each individual at the table.
"Why did you tell her? That's something you don't do for someone else, you know? Like that's my sister and that's me coming out," Tori's voice crackled with anger.
Beck shrugged and finally locked eyes with the brunette. "Oh, I don't know. It slipped, I'm sorry."
"No, it didn't," Jade hissed. "You're pathetic, you know that?"
"Yeah, dude. Something like that doesn't just slip, especially when it's Tori's sister," Andre joined in.
"It's not like we didn't all see this coming!" Beck raised his voice with defense. "Right?"
Robbie shook his head. "I didn't."
"Well, Robbie... You're kind of useless," Jade glared in the boy's direction.
He collapsed his shoulders and looked down. "I know."
"You're not useless," Andre began, shooting a glare at Jade for her rude comment. "It's just a very new thing for us. And Beck, until you clear up your shit with Jade and Tori, this friend group just isn't going to be the same. I mean, you're going behind Tori's back to her sister!"
"I didn't mean anything bad by it," Beck pressed.
"How can you say that?!" Tori screamed, making even Jade flinch in her seat. "This is my story to tell and it's not my fault that you lost someone incredible because you are an inconsiderate jerk!"
"Look, I'm sorry, alright? If you're so upset, then I'm sorry."
"No, you can't just say sorry 'because I'm upset' and act like it's a sincere confession to doing something extremely fucked up. Please, just leave me alone," Tori stood from the table with her bag and ran off into the school. Jade stayed behind, gnawing at her tongue and shooting daggers through her ex-boyfriend.
Andre sighed and shook his head. "I can't sit here anymore."
Cat's eyes watched as Andre walked off, soon followed by Robbie. "You really shouldn't have done that," the redhead whispered before walking off.
He laughed with frustration, bouncing his leg and stretching his arms behind his head. "Alright, fire away."
"I don't need to. I just think you need some serious help if you're struggling this much with the fact that Tori and I are together."
"I'm not struggling-"
"Then why bring it up to Trina?"
"Because Tori isn't well, Jade! She's got wicked anxiety and doesn't love the same things she used to."
Jade felt pain strike throughout her lungs at his words. "You absolute fucking asshole."
"Beck scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm so terrible for going to Trina with concern about Tori and her future. She doesn't want to go on into a singing career or do anything she originally wanted to!"
Jade tilted her head and folded her arms. "Yeah, that tends to happen when you forget who you are and get years of your memory wiped out of you."
"She needs stability and to focus on herself," Beck argued, his tone growing increasingly aggressive.
"You're not her dad," Jade's voice still aired on the side of calm, but she could snap at any moment.
"No, I just have common sense."
The dark-haired girl pressed her lips together and nodded. He's not worth crying. "And what if I told you that her parents invited me over for dinner tonight? Her actual father wants to clear the air with me because they want Tori to be happy. Not for her to stress about the future and her occupation, they want her to be happy and feel supported. You should want that for her too, and I know deep down you do want that for her. You should seriously consider what that might look like for her for a few years until she's back on her feet and comfortable in her own skin again."
Jade's last words seemed to hit Beck; he leaned back and placed his hands on the table. She watched as he sighed a few times, each time bringing him more composure.
"She doesn't see me how you did, you know," Jade's voice cracked when she began. "Unmanageable. Intolerable. Jealous and crazy. I haven't been perfect to her, everyone knows, but I sure as hell picked up my own pieces and have shown her nothing but… but love since the accident."
Beck was clearly defeated as he chuckled quietly to himself while picking at the label on his water bottle. "Love, really?"
"Yeah. Love." Jade let the word linger in the air, its meaning resonating comfortably in her mind before she shook off her frustration and walked back into school.
Thanks for reading! Yes I hate Beck Oliver :)