Tori came home from school tired and not looking forward to all the end of school exams plus the final projects. She dragged herself into the house, Trina darting in ahead of her and racing up the stairs. She was on her phone, yelling at someone. That wasn't knew. She rolled her eyes and set her bag down, plopping on the couch. She slumped into the couch until she was almost falling off the bottom. She closed her eyes and took a breath then opened them tiredly.

Instantly, she zeroed in on an overturned cup sitting in the middle of the coffee table. She recognized it as one of the paper cups from the new water cooler they had gotten. When the gang came over, they each had one, eager to try out the new appliance. Tori slowly sat back up and stood to retrieve it, planning to take it to the trash. She halted in her tracks when she got closer and saw something scribbled on it in sharpie.

Do not open unless you plan to kill it

Tori stared at the unique scrawl, knowing who had written it. She crossed her arms, frowning. Either Jade did something nice and caught some kind of bug but left it for Tori to deal with, or she was just pranking her and nothing was there. Tori leaned heavily toward the latter. She reached out to pick it up, but right as her fingers hovered over it, she stopped. Or, what if there really was something under there.

After all, this was Jade. She would probably catch something gruesome that was guaranteed to freak Tori out. That would definitely win out over a simple prank. Tori quickly pulled off her shoe and held it at the ready before reaching out for the cup again. She was just about to touch it when her phone went off, vibrating in her pocket. She jumped, letting out a yelp. She glared as she fished the device out of her pocket. She grumbled under her breath when she saw who had texted her.

Out of curiosity, have you seen what I left you?

I'm looking at it now.

Really? What a coincidence.

Is it really?

A smirking emoji with devil horns was the only reply. Tori fumed.

What the chiz, Jade?!

What?

Is there something in there or not?

I'll answer that when you lift the cup.

Tori stared at her phone then looked at the cup. She shook her head.

No. You're going to tell me before I lift that cup and die from a heart attack.

Fine, I'll tell you.

Tori let out a relieved sigh.

Although, I could be lying.

Jade!

Don't be a wuss, Vega. I promise that it won't be anything ugly, gross, or dangerous.

Any kind of bug is gross.

But not ugly?

Well, butterflies are pretty but they're a bug, so they still gross me out.

Then I promise it isn't dangerous.

Tori huffed in frustration, thumbs tapping a bit harder as she responded.

So there is something in there.

Sure, let's go with that.

Why the heck did you even do this?

To test you.

For what?

To see if you could make this entertaining. I'm happy to report that you succeeded.

Tori refrained from texting some choice words but merely squeezed her phone until her agitation abated. For now.

Did you open it yet?

No.

Well?

Tori dropped her phone on the couch and turned to face the ominous cup again. She readied her shoe, stepped forward, and snatched the cup. It took her a whole second to realize that there was nothing there. But Jade had said there was. Which meant it must have gotten out! With a squeal, Tori dropped the cup and jumped on the couch. She grabbed her phone before it could slide off on the floor.

Jade, I think it got out! There was nothing there when I lifted the cup! What do I do?!

…

Tori stared desperately at the bouncing dots, shaking her phone as if it would speed up Jade's response.

I couldn't answer right away. I laughed so hard I almost wazzed myself.

An emoji that was laughing so hard it was crying accompanied the text, confusing Tori. At first, she thought Jade was just being plain mean for laughing at her distress, but then it hit her.

There wasn't anything under it in the first place, was there?!

Nope.

Tori let out a loud cry of exasperation, phone clenched tightly in her hand.

I'm so gonna get you, Jade West.

Ooh, so scary.

I will!

I'd like to see you try.

Oh, Tori was going to try all right. She started typing quickly, rescinding cuddles, hugs, running her hands through Jade's hair, singing to her, nose brushes, and forehead kisses until she apologized for scaring the fudge out of her. She hit send and waited, a hand on her hip.

"Tori, why are you standing on the couch?" Trina asked, stopping at the foot of the stairs when she saw her sister.

"Jade let a gross bug loose in the house," she answered evenly. Trina visibly shuddered, eyes darting around, before running back up the stairs. As mad as she was at Jade's latest prank, it seemed she had learned a bit from her too. Her phone brought her attention back to the situation at hand. She smirked at the reply.

How about I admit that you were right, and I was less right, and call it done?

No, you need to apologize.

Tori!

Jade!

Fine! I'm sorry.

Tori could practically hear her grumbling and smiled.

Next time I'll be sure to actually have something in there, though. Fair warning.

Tori wasn't impressed with the threat. She knew Jade was only saying that because she had to apologize.

Sure you will.

I will.

Okay, going to do homework now. Love you, bye.

Tori pocketed her phone and gathered her things to go up to her room. She dropped her shoes by her bed and set her bag by her desk. She changed into something more comfortable then sat down at her desk to get out her homework. Roughly twenty minutes in she heard the door open and close downstairs. She didn't bother moving, recognizing the familiar heavy slam and stomping steps. Jade appeared at her door seconds later.

"I don't have time-" Tori began to say, but stopped when she glanced at Jade. She held her hands in front of her, cupped in a dome as if holding something.

"Guess what I have?" Jade taunted, smiling innocently. Tori jumped from her seat and stepped back.

"You better not," Tori warned, fighting at keeping her voice stern.

"What? I might not have anything, right?"

"Jade…"

"Or, maybe I do," Jade continued, advancing. Tori screamed and scrambled over her bed to the other side when Jade opened her hands to reveal something big and hairy.

"It's just Henry. I wanted a dorky name because he reminds me of you. He's a messy eater and is pretty clumsy for a spider. I would have named him Harry but it was a little on the nose," Jade explained fondly, letting the terrifying creature scuttle over her hands. Tori had heard of Jade's new pet, Henry. The way Jade spoke of him she never would have guessed that he was a tarantula.

"Ew, Jade, don't even think about coming near me! Get that out of here! And wash your hands! You can't touch me until you wash your hands!" Tori demanded, careful to keep the bed between them. Jade chuckled.

"He won't bite," she said, as if that was enough to change Tori's mind.

"That's not why I don't like him," Tori said with a shake of her head. She was looking rather pale. Jade stroked the creature and it shot forward so suddenly Tori jumped, startled. Jade caught him before he could escape. The thought alone caused Tori to tremble in fear of it getting loose in her room.

"Come on, Vega. Hold him and I won't involve another bug, imaginary or otherwise, in a prank again," Jade compromised. Tori stared at her like she was crazy, finally taking her eyes off the eight-legged menace in her hands since it showed up.

"You promise?" Tori muttered after a long silence full of contemplation. She was weighing the pros and cons, deciding that brief torture now meant no more bugs forever in the future.

"Promise."

Tori took a moment to steady herself then slowly moved around the bed. She was halfway there when Henry moved. She froze in place.

"Can you cover him until I get over there?"

"Sure," Jade agreed, tucking him away between her hands. Tori started moving forward again and stopped in front of Jade a safe distance away.

"Okay, I'll hold your gross insect and then I never want to again."

"Arachnid," Jade corrected.

"What?"

"He's classified as an arachnid. You know, two body segments, eight legs, and no wings or antennae," Jade explained.

"I don't care what he is! He's a creepy crawly bug and I just want to get this over with!" Tori exclaimed, throwing up her hands then bringing them down to mimic the way Jade had held hers.

"Just, don't drop him," Jade told her, removing her top hand. Tori shuddered at the sight of eight legs spreading out now that they had room again. Jade stepped closer and bridged the gap between their hands. She then gently tipped up. Henry skittered forward onto Tori's hands. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open as if she would scream. Instead, she went rigid and stared at the hairy monstrosity idly resting in her hands. As long as he didn't move, she would be okay. She could do this.

"Can you believe he's one of the smaller species? Some can get as big as dinner plates," Jade commented, fascinated as ever. Tori grimaced.

"Please don't say those things right now. I don't think any bug should be this big. Especially spiders," she said, still as a statue. Even her voice was forced.

"He's harmless."

"Those fangs say otherwise."

Jade rolled her eyes and reached to take him back. Her sudden movement caused him to bolt, right up Tori's arm. She squealed but fought the urge to throw him off. She didn't have to though, because he charged right off the side of her arm. Reflexively, she caught him, caging him in her hands the way Jade had. Everything happened so quick. Jade had been in mid panic as soon as she saw that he had fallen, but relief flooded her when Tori caught him. Even Tori looked relieved, despite gritting her teeth against the movement of legs against her skin. A grateful smile pulled at Jade's lips, admiration in her eyes. She stepped close and leaned in to press a kiss to Tori's cheek.

"Thanks, Tori. I'll take him back now."

Tori nodded and opened her hand. Once again, she copied Jade. Henry moved over to his owner and settled in her palm as if he knew he was in familiar territory. Jade held him close.

"Gee, for hating him so much you didn't hesitate to save him," Jade lightly teased.

"Well, he may be gross, but you like him and he's a living creature. I couldn't let him fall to his death," Tori reasoned with a shrug. This time when Jade leaned in, she gave her a proper kiss. They pulled away with mirrored smiles.

"Walk me out to my car so I can put him away."

Tori nodded and together they headed downstairs. Luckily, they didn't encounter Trina. Even though Jade would have found it hilarious to scare her. She hated bugs more than Tori, but the youngest Vega's kind heart wouldn't allow them to be killed despite her fear of them. Trina held no such care. Which was why it was best to give Henry a break. Tori opened the car door and Jade set the large arachnid in his travel cage. He immediately ran under the piece of wood for shelter. Tori watched him, strangely not as bothered as before. Jade watched her watch him and smiled knowingly.

"Not so bad, right?"

Tori pulled her eyes away from Henry to look at Jade.

"I guess not," she admitted grudgingly. Jade's smile grew as she shut the door.

"Yeah, yeah," Tori dismissed, waving her away before she could rub it in her face. Jade laughed and caught her in an embrace, holding her close.

"I told you that you had to wash your hands first," Tori reminded her.

"You held him, too," Jade pointed out. Tori realized this and groaned.

"You win this round," she conceded, grumpy.

"I usually do," Jade remarked, breaking into another round of laughter at the look on Tori's face. She wrapped her arms around her waist and kissed her until she relaxed. She pulled back to see Tori smiling again, a light blush on her cheeks.

"I came here to prove a point but ended up making it harder for me to scare you," Jade said with an exaggerated sigh and a roll of her eyes. It was Tori's turn to laugh.

"I am not friends with bugs, but it will probably take more than seeing them to freak me out now," Tori agreed.

"Then I'll just have to come up with something else," Jade said with a sly smirk.

"I'd like to see you try," Tori challenged. No matter what Jade hid up her sleeve, competing with her never got old.