I apologize for what you are about to read.

"It's kind of weird to be attending this, she's not even in it," Trina groaned in the passenger's seat.

Holly squeezed her eyes shut and reminded herself to reply without instant aggression. "I told you, she's helping with the set, or whatever it's called. Did you really expect her to get back on stage right away?"

The daughter sighed and checked her phone for any new messages. "I mean, clearly she went back to singing pretty quickly."

"Yeah, but that's always been her thing. Acting hasn't always been her thing," Holly was speaking defensively now. "Why can't you just go and be proud of her?"

Trina finally snapped. "Because I don't want to watch Jade and Beck act together on stage for two hours!"

Holly's grip on the wheel tightened, though she was suddenly immensely confused given the fact that Trina had never given two shits about any of Tori's friends or what they did. "Why not?"

As she tensed up in her seat, Trina cursed herself for blurting out. "I don't like Jade."

"Well, you're going to need to get over that one pretty quick-"

"Yeah, I know, I know. They're dating, or whatever."

"You're acting so sour, Trina! What has gotten into you?!"

Here goes nothing. "Beck and I have been… talking, okay?!"

Holly gasped and waited until she had fully stopped at the red light to snap her head to her daughter. "Why?!"

"I've always had a crush on him!"

"Trina, that's so awkward!"

The daughter rolled her eyes. "You don't think I don't know that?! I didn't know my sister was going to come out of the closet, let alone to date her!"

Holly grimaced at the realization that Trina's obliviousness was for once understandable. "Well, yeah…"

Trina suddenly deflated. "I don't even know if it's going anywhere. It's just… a thing."

The mother cringed at what "a thing" could entail between two young people at this day in age. "How is it even a thing when you're in New York and he's here?"

"Like I said, we're just talking. "

"Well, Trina. People can talk to each other all the time-"

"Oh my God, you are so relentless! He came over for my birthday a few weeks ago. It's… more than just talking."

Holly rolled her eyes before pressing the gas at the next green light. "You just said it was 'just talking' so I don't know what you mean-"

"I'm done with this conversation," Trina snapped before propping her elbow just below the window and leaning against her hand.

"Well, does your sister know about this?"

"Yes, she does. Wait, she didn't tell you?"

Holly wasn't expecting that answer, and couldn't imagine how horribly the conversation between her two daughters went. Meanwhile, Trina was feeling terrible at the realization that she outed her sister to Beck, and Tori didn't even rat her out about "talking" with Beck.

"Nope, not a word."

Trina sat in silence and brewed in her own guilt for the remainder of the car ride. She would have to think of an apology to Tori, she already knew she had to bring up the way Beck outed her before she could even speak for herself. This will be the first time Trina has seen Tori since that mess happened, and it definitely deserved an in-person conversation.

Holly's stomach was in knots only ten minutes into the play.

She had known the premise of the play for months but had no idea just how gruesome it really was. And it was Tori's new girlfriend describing the ways in which a real-life teenager was murdered in 1998 that made it most uncomfortable. Holly had to remove herself from the story several times to remember it was all an act, and it only proved the point that Jade really was incredibly talented at her craft.

The thought of Jade's father kicking her out wouldn't leave her mind. She couldn't imagine refusing her own daughter's company over something so innocent. What kind of parent decides to have a child, knowing anything in the world can happen to them, knowing they can choose to be whoever they want to be and rejects them because they can't love unconditionally?

The story made Trina uncomfortable in her own skin as well. She truly didn't mean any harm by letting her sister's new relationship slip to Beck, and she did innocently assume that the entire school would have known since everyone has been trying to get into Tori's business constantly since the accident.

After deciding she would start crying if she spent another minute focusing on the tragic storyline, Trina shifted her mind elsewhere. The first time she had ever met Jade was before Tori had even gotten into Hollywood Arts. She looked different during Trina's first year, before all the dyed hair and piercings and jewelry. Sure, her wardrobe was still rather dark, but she seemed happier. Trina hadn't really heard of Jade being the big bully that she was in her sophomore year, Jade was just a quiet, talented, standoff-ish type girl who definitely was no ray of sunshine, but who wasn't yet scaring the living daylight out of most people around her.

So the first time Trina ever spoke to Jade, if she remembers correctly, was in a keyboard class. Trina had actually learned a little bit of piano growing up when Holly made her take lessons in elementary school, but Jade struggled with reading the music.

"Every Good Boy Does Fine," Trina had whispered to Jade between statements spoken by the teacher.

Jade's eyes had been welling with tears. "I know that, I just can't do the chord changes."

Trina scowled while looking at Jade's hand before realizing her ring finger was where her middle finger should be. "Oh, check your middle finger, it should be moving from E to F instead of your ring finger."

The other girl then laughed in frustration. "Oh, duh."

"Once you get used to seeing the patterns between line and space notes in the music, your fingers will know where to go. And pretty much every key has those same fingerings from the chord progressions. You'll get it."

Jade nodded without making eye contact with the girl who had helped her. "Thanks. You're more helpful than Mrs. McBride."

Trina shrugged and turned back to her own music. "You're welcome."

And since that day, Trina hadn't once recalled a time where Jade asked anyone for help with anything, except for Tori.

Tori and Jade emerged from the hallway leading backstage. To both of their surprise, their moms had been talking before they noticed the two girls approaching. Holly reached out her arms immediately and hugged Tori tight, but Jade approached Dani slowly and hesitantly.

Her mother's eyes glistened with tears as she looked over Jade. "You were fantastic, what a heavy show. I love you so much," Dani wept, soon pulling Jade in for a full embrace.

Jade's heart pounded in her chest at the contact as her hands slowly came up to her mom's back. I don't remember the last time she's told me that before hugging me.

Tori saw Jade and her mom over her own mom's shoulder and smiled contently. Holly pulled away but kept a hold on Tori's shoulders. "You didn't tell me to bring any tissues, really?"

The daughter laughed and looked at her feet. Trina approached her sister as Tori defended herself. "I wasn't even really in it, I didn't know how much it would affect you."

As soon as Tori's brown eyes met Trina's, the older sister stiffened. "Hey, it's good to see you."

Tori's lips pressed together, but she hoped her anger wasn't noticeable. She didn't like prolonging 'bad terms' with anybody. "You, too."

"I know this isn't the greatest place to talk about it, but I just…" Trina paused, realizing she would have to use a careful word choice with their mom listening. "I was wrong to talk about your relationship with Beck. I didn't do it specifically to out you, I just wanted to talk to someone about it and I ran to him without thinking."

You picked the worst person possible to talk to about it. "It's okay, I appreciate you saying that."

Trina attempted a friendly smile and held her hands out. "Hugs?"

Tori's front diminished as it was nearly impossible for her to deny a hug.

"Jade and I were going to grab a bite, do you girls want to join us?" Dani offered, offering a warm smile to Holly.

Tori watched as her mom's face lit up. It wasn't often she was invited out on a whim. "Oh, sure! Sure!"

Trina grimaced and stepped back. "I'm gonna head home, I've already had a pretty big dinner."

"No problem!"

"You sure, miss antisocial?" Holly frowned, and Trina vigorously nodded. "Okay, you can take my car home."

Tori rolled her eyes as Trina happily took the keys from Holly and headed toward the exit. "See ya!"

Jade leaned into Tori to whisper, "Thank God."

"Oh my God, look at them," Dani swirled the wine in her glass while her daughter and Holly's looked through the new digital jukebox.

Holly was too busy slamming a shot of tequila to notice. "I know, they're fools in love."

"In love?!" the other shrieked. "Don't you think that's an overstatement?"

As she pushed her shot glass toward the bartender, Holly sighed. "If my daughter is anything like me, she falls hard and fast."

Dani grimaced. "Well, if mine is anything like me, it's quite the opposite story."

Holly shrugged. "That's not a bad thing. Do you believe this? I mean, that we're here and our daughters are…"

"Honestly, it takes effort to believe every day. Not that I think they don't know who they are, it's just… new for me, I guess."

You can open up about this, it actually might help her cause. Holly locked eyes with the bartender to get his attention before ordering a vodka soda and beginning her story. "I think I have a story that might help you."

"I hope it's not alcohol-related because your vodka soda is taking me back to some pretty dark college days."

"No," Holly scoffed. "My sister is gay, and my parents really weren't accepting at first. It took them years to get used to it. And if it takes you that long, that's okay too."

"Oh, no, no. I'm not unaccepting."

Holly raised an eyebrow, considering the man she used to be married to and his extreme conservative personality. Dani blushed. "Okay, I've quickly changed views somewhat recently. It's fine, I just want her to be happy. She needs someone good, I don't care who it is."

The other chuckled while noticing how Dani's eyes really were identical to Jade's. "As long as you don't mind that it's Tori," Holly spoke hesitantly.

"I was thrilled when I learned it was Tori. You know, Jade's been onto her for quite some time," Dani smirked before sipping her wine.

Holly's jaw fell as she leaned back in her seat. "No way!"

"Oh, yeah. She opened up to me right after the accident, and it had been going for quite some time even before then. I had no idea, she hid it so well."

"Well, can you tell your daughter to never do the same fucked up shit she used to do to her?!" Holly laughed, hoping Dani could take the criticism that was mostly pointed as a joke. Luckily, she seemed receptive.

"Most of those things were just her messed up way to show affection. Believe it or not, it's true. But yeah, I think she's past that. I mean look at them."

The two women turned on their stools to find the two girls in a booth, sharing a drink with two straws like dorks and giggling every five seconds. What really was causing all of the laughter was Jade's kicking feet under the table.

"Ow! I told you to stop!"

"No, we need to make it look like we don't hate each other," Jade spoke through her teeth with a teasing smile on her face before lightly kicking Tori's foot again.

"I don't hate you!"

"I know you don't," Jade replied simply before tapping her toes on Tori's shin. The brunette sighed while closing her eyes. After opening them again, Jade was glancing over to her mom. "What do you think they're talking about?"

"Probably something about their days in their youth or something, I don't know. And hey, say you don't hate me too!"

Jade sighed and rolled her eyes. As her arms crossed, Tori's eyes were drawn to the other's chest. "I don't hate you. I tolerate you."

Tori scowled, pressed her lips together, and kicked Jade in the shin with no mercy. She hardly felt guilty as Jade gasped and squeezed her eyes shut. "Okay! I don't hate you! God!"

"Don't mess with me, West."

"Don't call me that unless you want me to call you East."

Tori blinked. "What does that even mean?"

Jade's eyes drifted down to her plate. "I don't know. Just don't call me that."

"Okay, darling," Tori offered teasingly, but truly was testing the waters with deliberate use of an endearment. Jade's eyebrows furrowed together at first, but as soon as her lips curled into a smirk, she couldn't resist blushing and turning her head downward and away from Tori.

The brunette's heart fluttered as she watched Jade cower away from the moment. "Do you like being called that?"

Jade exhaled through a nervous giggle. "Um, yeah. Apparently. You keep doing that and it catches me so off guard. I'm not used to it."

The brunette's expression flattened. Your shitty ex-boyfriend was unfulfilling in yet another way? I'll try to act surprised. "Is that a reference to…"

"Yes. He never called me any of those things."

Tori rolled her eyes and leaned back in the booth while folding her arms. "What a coward."

Jade cackled. "Tell me how you really feel."

"No, we shouldn't even go there right now," Tori leaned forward again. She looked down at Jade's hands that had been nervously toying with her napkin. Her eyes softened as her girlfriend looked up with a timid smile.

"What?" Jade asked, her voice full of insecurity. Though she had no reason to worry, Tori was just thinking that much too soon thought again. Those dreaded three words.

Tori shook her head lightly and exhaled. "Nothing."

And while Jade knew that answer wasn't true, she didn't insist on getting a stronger answer. Tori's eyes were mesmerizing enough for the moment, allowing Jade's worry to seemingly melt away the longer she gazed.

Holly gasped at the tender glance being shared between the girls, definitely feeling the tequila shot she had taken a little while ago. "Wow, I haven't seen that. "

Dani was guzzling down the last of her second glass of wine when she caught the end of the glance between the girls. "Oh, yeah. I saw that the other day."

Holly paused for a few seconds, after turning around as to not stare at her daughter having a moment. Her eyes began to blur as she zoned out while studying a stack of empty glasses on the counter behind the bar. "So when Tori and Cat slept over the other night… Cat wasn't really there, was she?"

Dani nearly choked on her water, which gave Holly her answer. She wanted to be upset, but she'd be a hypocrite if she pretended she was pure and perfect in high school. Instead, she groaned and tilted her head back so she was staring at the dimmed hanging lamps. "I should have known."

"Well, did you enjoy the wine?"

The other laughed. "I did, thank you. Now I get it…" she trailed off. "Do you think it's bad of me to, you know, not allow Jade to sleep over?" Holly asked as Dani requested another glass of wine.

"Well, what's your reason?"

Holly blinked, stammering to not come across as a witch. "I just, I don't know. I wouldn't live with myself if I just let her do that, especially under my roof? God, I can't even think about 'it' because it freaks me out!"

Dani cackled. "Well, that's your problem. What, were you a goody two shoes in high school and that's where Tori gets it from?"

"No! Not at all!"

"So why restrain her from doing what she's going to do in another location anyway?"

"I don't care what she does, I just don't want to know about it!"

"It's a little too late for that now, isn't it?"

Holly groaned again, but Dani was booming with laughter. "You're right."

Dani leaned in and whispered. "It gets better once you just admit to yourself that teenagers are horny and you can't do anything about it."

Why is this entire conversation taking place? How did we even get to this moment? "So, what. You just have this mutual agreement with Jade where she knows that you know that she's about to have someone over, and… you know?"

"Yup. You only have to actually discuss it once. You have the safety talk, which we both don't have to worry about anymore, actually. That's quite nice."

"Tell me about it," Holly bellowed as her eyes bulged out of her head. "Okay. I understand, I think it's a good idea, but I can't help that it makes me so uncomfortable."

"Well, didn't you ever get around the uncomfortableness of having sex with your kids in the house growing up? Same idea here, it's just the circle of life."

That crossed a line for Holly. Dani was friendly and very open and honest, but Holly held her hands up in surrender to drop the topic. "Okay, okay. Got it, you're right."

Dani shrugged and sipped her new glass of wine. "Just saying," she trailed off, noticing a scowl grow upon Holly's face as she zoned out again. She couldn't imagine the number of fears Holly has developed since Tori's accident. "So, how is David doing with all of this?"

Sure, trade an uncomfortable conversation topic for another. "Um, he's getting better. He had some negative initial feelings toward it-" Holly cut herself off there, as the reason Jade felt the need to do that was to support herself because Dani wasn't around at the time. "... But he'll be okay."

"Yeah, I hear ya," Dani mumbled uncomfortably before sipping her wine again. She knew exactly what Holly was referring to, Jade had confessed her theft to her mother shortly after the event happened. It was during a fight in which Jade was trying to prove she needed Dani around more often.

Holly folded her arms on top of the counter. "Does Jade's dad know yet?"

Dani let out a sharp "HA!" and cleared her throat. "No way."

"Oh, duh. He kicked her out."

"Yeah…" Dani trailed off again. "I'm a huge idiot, you know."

Holly frowned. "Why do you say that?"

"I know I was an absent parent for a long time. I couldn't help but see Jade's father in her eyes every time I looked at her. I just couldn't take it anymore. I just wanted to run away from it all, and now it's my fault that she had so many problems over the last few years. She's my kid, I couldn't even face my own kid."

Yeah, I really don't understand how one could possibly stomach doing that. "Hey, it's okay. You're here now, and you can't change what's done."

"I fucking hate myself," Dani's voice croaked as she held back a sob.

So this is where Jade gets it from. "Don't, you went through something traumatic and wanted to escape. I don't think you're so bad for that."

The other woman had never heard anyone say anything that understanding in several years. She slowly turned to Holly as her heart hammered away. She couldn't tell if it was from all the negative emotion or the alcohol. "You don't?"

I mean, I do, but I have to be nice to your depressed drunk ass. "No, I think the most important thing to do now is to maintain a balance between work and family. She needs you."

Dani scoffed and rubbed her palm into her forehead. "No, she doesn't."

Holly was borderline offended that the other turned so quickly on her. "Yes, she does. All daughters need their mother."

"No, I'm just terrible! She needs better than me," her voice was beginning to falter, her words slightly slurred together.

Tori happened to catch an alarmed glance from her mom, whose chin was peeking over her shoulder. She knew that raised eyebrow signal all too well, it was etched in her mind across several years of memory.

The brunette turned to Jade who was melting her consciousness away in the bruschetta appetizer. "My mom just eyed me, I gotta go distract them. Wanna come with?"

Jade shook her head with her chin practically submerged in her food. "Nope."

Tori sighed, though it was impossible to be upset with Jade when she was truly enjoying food and eating well. It was a rare occurrence, Tori had come to learn. Her feet dragged as she reluctantly arrived at the bar. Holly threw her arm around her daughter and pulled her in.

"Hi, Tori! How are you?"

The daughter blinked as her spine stiffened. "Fine. Why did you want me to come ov-"

Holly cut her off as Dani finally looked at Tori who was still in her mother's hold. "I just wanted to tell you how wonderful Jade's mom is and how much she appreciates you."

Danis' eyes widened at Mrs. Vega's words but still could not respond verbally. Tori was incredibly uncomfortable with the lack of sobriety from both parties, but she nodded and offered a small smile. "I know she's wonderful. And I appreciate you, too, Ms… I don't know your last name-"

"Just call me Dani, I don't want to feel old," her words even more slurred now.

Tori's eyes widened as she shimmied out of her mom's hold. In the background, a classic 80's song started to play on the speakers in the bar. "Okay, mom. I'm gonna go back to Jade. Bye."

Holly grunted and tried to catch Tori's hand as she turned and walked away, but her daughter yanked it out of her mom's grasp before she could tighten her grip.

Jade was licking her lips when her girlfriend sat back down. "So?"

"They're drunk. Your mom looked like she had been crying, and I really hope they don't talk to us the rest of the night."

Jade's mouth hung open. "Huh. I didn't think I'd come to see the day when our moms would get wasted together."

Tori reached for a piece of bread with a foul look on her face. "Well, unfortunately, here we are."

"Every now and then I get a little bit nervous that the best of all our years have gone by…"

"Tuuurn aroooound…"

Jade pressed her palms into her eyes and lowered her head. "Oh my God," her voice was muffled.

" Every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never coming 'round…"

"Turn arooound…"

"No, no no no. No. They're cut off," Jade hissed through her teeth before standing from the booth. Tori knew that the sight of their mothers swaying at the bar drunk off their asses was a bad thing, that her dad wouldn't let Holly live it down for at least three years, but she couldn't help but laugh. She pulled out her phone to take a picture of Jade storming toward the two middle-aged women making absolute fools of themselves.

Dani threw one of her arms around her daughter as Jade pushed their glasses over the ledge of the counter. The women did not stop singing, they probably hadn't even noticed with their eyes closed and their heads thrown back. The bartender snapped his head around at the sound of the glass clinking against the sink below, but his eyes met Jade's and he immediately smiled.

"Good idea, they're obnoxious!"

Jade smiled and bit her tongue as she leaned in to whisper in her mother's ear. "Alright, come on. You can't do this–"

Tori watched as Jade was startled by Holly's loud voice booming at the chorus. " And I need you now tonight, and I need you more than ever!"

" Respectfully, Mrs. Vega, you're out of control right now."

"Oh, come on! You can't tell me you don't love this song!" Holly answered the girl's request and lifted her hands, but Jade could smell the liquor on her breath from where she was standing.

"Of course I do, but this isn't even a rowdy bar and it's 9 PM on a Wednesday!"

Dani groaned and sat upright before shooing her daughter away. "Oh, we old ladies can have fun every once in a while, too!"

Jade rolled her eyes so hard it hurt before turning and walking back to Tori. The brunette was hunched over with laughter, causing Jade's embarrassment to subside a bit.

"Come on, Jade. They're both stressed out of their minds over us, the least we can let them do is get disgracefully drunk together this one time."

"I guess," the other groaned before sipping her sprite. "We could sing this so much better."

Tori's eyes widened with excitement. "Do you want to?"

"NO! I'm just saying we could!"

"Well, why not?!"

"Absolutely not!"

Tori's text alert went off as the two women at the bar were still wailing along to Bonnie Tyler. People were leaving the bar, Jade noticed, but she kept her mouth shut and her head down.

Today 9:37 PM

Where are you and mom? Dad just came home and he's not happy…

"Uh oh," Tori began out loud. "I knew my dad would be upset to find out my mom was out getting drunk."

Jade scowled. "Why would he be mad? Doesn't he go out with guy friends?"

The light from Tori's phone screen made her eyes shimmer in the low restaurant lighting. "Oh yeah, it's just that he doesn't like how whiny she gets the morning after. She's the worst with hangovers. She always says she won't get as drunk the next time but by the looks of this, he's in for it."

still at dinner. I'll tell her we need to leave.

"Alright, let's round 'em up."

Jade chuckled before following Tori's lead. "Yeehaw."

"You made Jade drop you off?!"

"Well, Tori wasn't going to drive!"

"Holly, you went to a play about homophobes and couldn't come home sober after it?!"

"Alright, alright, this is too much yelling already. What's the problem, why are you home so early?"

David's head snapped around and Tori's heart jolted. "You need to go to your room right now."

"What?! What did I do!"

He caught a breath and held his head down for a moment. "Nothing, sweetheart. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Then why can't I know why you're home so early in a fit of rage?!"

"Because I said so, it's for your own good!"

"Oh, so you get to decide what's good for me now?"

"YES! You're my daughter and I said go to your room!"

Tori couldn't believe his words, but rather than question him any longer, she did as she was told and waited until she was in her room and the door was closed before she burst out sobbing.

"Whatever is going on, please control your emotions."

David shook his head while he attempted to regulate his breathing. Even taking a breath in was painful. "I don't even know how to tell you this."

"Then take your time," she whispered while tapping her fingers on the table. You're scaring me, Dave."

There was a knock on Tori's door, which she reluctantly approached and rested her forehead against. "Beck isn't with you, is he?"

On the other side of the door, Trina sighed a long exhale. "No, let me in."

Tori accepted and held the door open while Trina silently entered the room. "I have no clue what's going on."

"Are they like, not getting along?" Tori asked breathlessly. "It's all my fault, I knew this would be too hard on them!"

"No, no. Tori, I really don't think that's it," Trina spoke softly as she sat on the edge of her sister's bed. She had been trying to come up with a reasonable prediction since texting Tori, knowing she would put all the blame on herself.

Tori was visibly shaking. "I hate not knowing things when something is wrong, I can't stand this."

"We just have to wait. When they want to tell us, they will. I'm sure it's for a good reason, you know? Dad's a cop, he might have gotten threatened or something and wants us to be safe and protected."

"Then why wouldn't he keep us in his sight at all times?"

Trina's back fell onto Tori's mattress in frustration. "Ugh, I don't know, Tori!"

David wiped his lips with the palm of his hand and immediately broke into silent tears before Holly ran to him and held his arms. "Honey, please. Let me help. Did you see something bad at work? I know the house fire a few years ago really got to you–"

"No! I didn't see anything except a note on my desk telling me to go talk to the chief," his voice was settling now."

Holly's eyes blinked rapidly as she miserably attempted to sober up. "Okay, and?"

"The person we've been trying to catch admitted himself."

"WHAT?!" Holly yelled. "Well, that's… that's great! Isn't it? Why isn't that great?"

"We know him."

I am never drinking again. "Oh…"

"Just promise me that when I tell you, we're not going to react extremely and impulsively, okay? Because I'm not even sure his family knows yet."

"Of course, of course. Just spit it out for fuck's sake, David!"

He held his breath for a moment before releasing it. As he replied, he couldn't bring himself to look his wife in the eyes. "It's Steve, Holly. Steve West."

"No, no. It's not. He's… no."

David nodded and held back tears. "He's always been a drunk, Hol. He hit a new bottom, and with that bottom came confessing what he did to the cops in an extremely incoherent phone call. They're investigating him now."

What the fuck do I do with this now? "Great. This is great."

"It's not," David laughed. "It's fucked, but at least he admitted it and I know it was him so I can know his ass will be rotting in prison for life and then his ass will burn for eternity in hell!"

His voice rose to a scream, and Tori caught the last few words with her ear pressed against the door. "He's saying someone's going to burn for eternity in hell…"

Trina huffed. "Sounds like dad could be talking about any given person."

"Clearly we're in a more specific situation than that, Trina. What do I do? Are they just going to keep us locked in here all night?"

"Probably not. Just relax and distract yourself or something, they'll have to tell us eventually."

The younger sister nodded and grabbed her phone out of her back pocket.

Today 10:24 PM

i'm freaking out, my parents forced Trina and I to our rooms and my dad is yelling downstairs. they aren't arguing with each other, but something is clearly wrong.

When Jade arrived home and made sure her mother was in bed and taken care of, she checked her phone to see a missed call with a new voicemail from her father. With shaking hands, she clicked the play button and held the speaker to her ear.

"Jade… I don't think you'll ever see me again… I'm sorry… I'm not dying, um… I did something very bad… extremely bad… I'm going to jail… so… I just wanted to tell you so it wasn't a surprise… I'm sorry…"

While Jade's heart raced and her mind clouded with anger, she marched back upstairs to check if her mother was asleep yet to ask her what the hell was wrong with him.

Well, my dad is wasted or tripping on something, I don't know which.

When Jade carefully opened the door to find her mother already passed out, Tori had already texted back.

what happened?

He left me a voicemail saying he did something very bad and he's going to jail. Honestly, if that were true, I'd be very happy.

Tori scowled at the harsh reality of Jade's feelings toward her father. It was nothing new to know Jade hated him, but that seemed a bit extreme.

weird… is he like an alcoholic?

Big time. That's why it bothered me seeing my mom like that tonight. And I just had to basically carry her up the stairs.

Tori wished Jade was here right now so she could hold on to her. She wished she could go back in time to three years ago, before Hollywood Arts, before all of this bullshit that she now called her life. Why can't a single day just be normal, happy, problem-free?

oh, I'm sorry

David's knock on the door made Tori jump out of her skin. Her head turned to find her father in the doorway. "Come downstairs. Together."

Every step brought more dread as Tori followed him downstairs. Holly was as pale as a ghost at the table, almost like she was about to vomit. Tori was hoping it wasn't from the alcohol, and hoping that whatever was going on wasn't as detrimental as everyone was making it out to be.

"Give me your phones."

Tori reached hers out into his hand, but Trina wouldn't budge. "No."

"What we are about to tell you does not leave the walls of this house until more action is taken. Give me your phone," David repeated with a sharp tone.

Trina obliged and sat down. You could hear a pin drop for a few moments before David finally broke the silence. "We found out who hit Tori."

Tori's mind immediately detected a lie somewhere. "You already did, I thought?"

"Well, your mother and I told you that we did. But we didn't. We lied."

As Tori's heart ripped in half, Trina took the words out of Tori's mouth. "You lied to her and me?! And what good did that do you?"

"We didn't want to put any more stress on you in this situation. If Tori believed the person who hit her was taken care of and didn't need to be a topic of conversation, it was one less dreadful thing off her mind."

Trina scoffed. "Okay, fair. But now you have to deal with the guilt of lying. That's seriously messed up."

"We're not perfect," Holly chimed in with a weak voice.

Tori finally spoke up. "Okay, so… then who was it?"

At the end of Tori's sentence, Holly gagged and ran for the kitchen sink. Over the sound of her hurling into the sink, Tori's chest ached with every rapid heartbeat.

"Before I tell you, promise me when I say that however we move on from this, we will all be safe and not put anyone else in danger, okay?"

" Dad," Trina's voice spoke sharply. "Get it over with!"

"I promise," Tori answered. "Please."

He forced himself to lock eyes with Tori as he finally spoke. "Jade's father."

"W-what? No."

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. His apology secured the cruel truth in Tori's mind. Don't cry. Don't cry.

Trina couldn't even speak. She stood from her chair and walked over to the sliding door to look outside and ground herself. David noticed Tori crumpling like tissue paper in front of him. He surrounded her, held her tight in his arms as her breathing was shallow. Small gasps escaped her lips every now and then, but he continued to hug her so tight that her muscles could barely move.

"You have to be wrong. It can't be right," her voice could only manage a whisper. Why? Why can't everything just stop? Why can't the universe just stop?

"I'm so, so sorry, baby," David's voice cracked as he held her even tighter.

"What is Jade going to do?"

Trina yelled from across the room, "Would you worry about your own damn self before somebody else for ONCE, Tori?! Your girlfriend's dad ruined your life and you're worried about her?!"

David hesitantly let Tori go once she began squirming out of his hold. "DON'T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!"

Holly cursed herself over and over again in her head for not being able to be more present and useful in the most stressful situation this family would ever see. She continued to lean against the sink, sipping water from a glass and praying that her mind fog would clear up soon.

"Trina, this isn't going to help right now," David attempted to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"So, what? You're just going to let them stay together?!"

"I'm not even TALKING about that yet! David yelled back.

"But wait, you will, right?" Tori's voice trembled.

His head turned back around to his younger daughter, who was now as pale as her mother. "Oh, God. I don't… I don't even know."

"We can't decide that for her or for them," Holly finally spoke up. "Only they can decide what this will mean for them. It's their relationship, not ours."

David's eyes stayed locked on Tori's, who instantly relaxed at her mother's words. He wondered where in her mind she would even consider staying with someone she had hardly begun dating upon learning her father had almost killed her.

"This is insane," Trina hissed. "Mom, how can you even say that?"

"Jade couldn't control this happening, Tori couldn't control it, nobody could control it."

"But now every time Tori sees Jade she's going to think of–"

"Stop, Trina, just stop," Tori spoke through her teeth, but wouldn't be able to look her sister in the eyes for a very long time. "Please tell me I can talk to Jade now," she pleaded desperately.

David shook his head. "He's at the station now, and until this is all confirmed I don't want it being discussed. Not until the news hits the outside world. And I'm sorry, kid, but it will. Everyone is going to know about this."

Great. Awesome. "So, what do you expect me to do now?"

"I think we should all go to family therapy over this because I can't believe either of you would condone her relationship after this."

"Maybe you should rethink your own relationship too then, Trina," Holly spoke, her voice sounding stronger than before.

Trina's eyes bulged out of her head as she turned her shoulder again to face away from Tori.

This doesn't make me love Jade any less. Her dad should rot in jail anyway. This is just finally karma playing out. And at least the person who did this to me isn't going to see the light of day.

"I'm surprised you're this calm, kid."

"Oh, I'm not," Tori shook her head. "I'm worried for her."

David turned his back to Tori and rolled his eyes as Holly approached the young girl with open arms. "Well, we are worried for you. What do you need from us?"

Her mom's gentle hands on her arms allowed Tori to take a deep breath for the first time since coming downstairs. It had been nearly a hundred days since the accident and she still didn't know the answer to that question.

Again, I'm so sorry 😭