It only took about 15 minutes to get from the coffee shop to Jade's house, yet Tori had almost fallen asleep against the window during the ride. Jade parked the car in her usual spot and gently shook Tori to wake her up. Tori felt the warm, pale-skinned hand touch her knee, and electricity shot through her her body, causing her to sit up straight immediately.
"Sorry, did I scare you?"
"No, its fine, I didn't mean to nod off like that."
"You seem worn out, Vega. Let's get you inside."
"Thanks" Tori muttered, struggling to gather enough energy to get out of her seat.
Tori couldn't see much of the house or anything around it because it was dark, but from what she could see in outlines, the West house looked just as nice as the Valentine residence. A tall brick structure, vines growing up the walls in every direction. Jade led Tori around the front and singled her house key out on the keyring, opening the door quietly even though the house was empty.
They stepped inside and slipped their shoes off by the door, and Jade led Tori through the living room into the kitchen. The living room looked really spacious, with a sectional sofa on one wall and 2 recliners on the other, with a flatscreen TV opposite. Tori saw what looked like maybe white carpet, and a glass table in front of the sectional with some magazines scattered on it.
The kitchen looked like the room where people spent most of their time in the house. Hardwood floors with dark granite countertops, matching cupboards with marble handles and a big island in the center of the room. Big spoons and whisks hung from the island top, as well as the smaller pots. There was a bowl of fresh fruit on the edge of the counter, and Jade crossed over to it, plucking a banana from the bunch and handing it to Tori.
"Here, eat this to settle your stomach a bit, then we'll head upstairs and change, maybe put on a movie or something."
"Why are you doing this for me Jade?"
Jade slowed almost to a stop and kind of stutter stepped. While she was expecting this kind of reaction from Tori, the question still kind of startled her. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and sat on a stool opposite of Tori.
"Like I said, I know what the whole parents fighting thing is all about, and I always appreciate it when I can get out of the house during. It's no big deal."
"I know it's probably killing you to have me here right now, so I appreciate it."
"Ugh, you're so dramatic. Finish that and let's go."
Jade grabbed her water and stormed out the other exit of the kitchen leaving Tori behind. Tori panicked a little since she hadn't ever been to Jade's house and didn't know her way around, so she took her last bite and scanned the room quickly for the trash can, tossing the peel in it as she passed. The side exit from the kitchen led down a long hallway with dark wallpaper and fluffy carpet, eventually leading to a staircase that went down. She caught the tail end of Jade's foot as she turned to head down the stairs, so she jogged hastily after her.
As she entered Jade's room, Tori was pleasantly surprised to find a pretty normal setup. A queen-sized bed in the middle of the wall on the far left with tables on each side, each with a small lamp. A flatscreen TV mounted on the far-right side of the room sat above a wall to wall shelving unit that played host to tons of little things. Records, DVDs, CDs, Books, knickknacks, you name it. On the wall facing the door was a long solid oak desk, complete with a laptop, reading lamp and few notebooks and pens. Across from the desk was a large walk-in closet and her own bathroom.
"Here" Jade tossed some clothes on the edge of her bed for Tori. "You can change into those and look through the DVD rack to see if there's anything you want to watch."
"Thanks Jade."
"Don't mention it. Seriously. If you tell anyone about this, I'll tie your hair to the back bumper of my car."
"I got it, I got it, geez."
Tori grabbed the Pjs and headed for the bathroom to change. She closed the door over and looked in the mirror. She really did look a little rundown, like some sleep would do her good. Tori slipped not-so-elegantly out of her yoga pants and into the pajama bottoms that Jade had given her. They were a straight black fleece material, which felt nice and warm. She slipped her shirt off much easier and set it aside, grabbing one of Jade's brushes to run through her hair to get the tangles from running out. As she was brushing, Jade pushed the door open, walking in with her eyes on her phone.
"Uh...Jade?"
"Oh, shit, sorry Vega." Jade looked up and saw that Tori was standing in her bathroom in just a bra and pajama bottoms. Both girls turned a little red and Jade hurried out of the room, shutting the door tight. Tori grabbed the PJ top Jade gave her and pulled her hoodie back on, running her fingers through her hair quickly then heading back into the room.
"You shoulda closed the damn door all the way" Jade said, turning the bed sheets down.
"I didn't think you forgot that I was here within 5 minutes" Tori stated plainly, grabbing the other side to help. "You saw me go in there. Were you trying to sneak a peek or something, Jade?" Tori shook her hips a bit as she pulled the sheet down, looking Jade square in the face with an eyebrow cocked.
"I want to hurt you right now."
Tori giggled a little hysterically to herself as she walked over to the DVD collection in the shelving unit under the TV, not knowing where the joke came from, and wondering if Jade would do something to her in her sleep. After squashing the idea and quickly realizing that Jade's collection was mostly Horror movies, she resolved to finding the one that had the least amount of blood on the cover, hoping it wouldn't be that bad.
"Not a bad choice Vega, I didn't take you for the mindfuck type."
"It was the case with the least amount of blood, I figured it might not be as bad as the rest of them. I'm not really a horror fan."
"Well golly gee, I never woulda guessed perfect Tori Vega didn't like blood and violence!" Jade practically yelled out, using her special Tori-mocking voice.
"I don't talk like that!" Tori yelled back, crossing her arms with a pout on her lips.
Jade smiled at the look on Tori's face, popping the movie into the DVD player and returning to the bed. Each girl slid into their own side, fluffing some pillows up behind their backs to sit up and watch the movie.
About 45 minutes later, 2 people had died and the main character was slowly unraveling minute by minute. Tori had slid down so the covers were partially covering her face, a little freaked out at the guy's instability. Jade on the other hand, was rapt with attention, staring at the screen hungrily. Tori couldn't help but think Jade looked kind of beautiful when she was happy and interested in something, for real, and caught herself staring a bit. Jade looked over and saw her, raising an eyebrow when Tori snapped her eyes back to the screen as soon as they made contact with her own.
"How's the movie, Vega? Ready to go home yet?"
"That guy is creepy" Tori said, pointing a finger at the screen.
"You're such a wuss. He didn't even kill them violently, just some sedatives and poison. He's pretty low on my list of favorite killers."
"You have a list of favorite killers? Why does that not surprise me?"
"Everyone has their thing Tori, mine happens to be death."
Jade looked Tori square in the face, a smile shining from ear to ear at the horrified and disgusted look Tori was sporting at that moment. Tori just shook her head and rolled away from the screen, cracking a smile of her own when she knew Jade couldn't see.
What seemed like a few minutes later, Tori woke to the sound of Jade's alarm clock. Jade was already up, stepping out of the bathroom as Tori sat up on the edge of the bed.
"Mornin'"
"Don't even start, Vega."
Clearly, Jade was not a morning person.
"Hurry up and do what you need to do in the bathroom, then I'll drop you off at home so you can get a change of clothes."
"Alright, shouldn't take long."
"Whatever."
Tori brushed her teeth quickly with one of those mini hotel toothbrushes, discarding it in the trash when she was done. Her hair was a mess, so she ran Jade's brush through it a few times to try and tame the beast, then changed back into the clothes she was wearing the night before. As she walked out of the bathroom, Tori saw Jade blow her last bit of smoke out and shut the window.
"Jade, you smoke?"
"Yes, miss priss, I do."
"Why? It's bad for you, and it stinks."
"If you don't stop talking right now, I'm going to punch you."
Tori decided it would be best to leave it alone, at least until Jade had her first cup of coffee. After Jade brushed her teeth, the girls headed out to Jade's car and strapped in, and after an awkwardly silent twenty-minute drive they were arriving at Tori's house.
"Thanks for letting me stay, and the ride."
"Yeah yeah, get out of my car."
"Whatever, Jade."
Tori scoffed at Jade and slammed her door, walking around to the side door she snuck out the night before and quietly making her way up to her room. It was early, 6am, so Tori's parents were just about to get around. Tori slipped into her room just as she heard her parent's door open and close, huffing out a breath. She wasn't particularly worried about getting caught, and although she hadn't really snuck out, it still felt like a bad thing. Overall, she just didn't want to have to confront her parents about the household problems so early in the morning. Besides, if they had noticed she was even gone, she was sure they'd know why.
Tori planned on having to fight her sister for the bathroom, before remembering that her sister wasn't even home. Pleasantly surprised, she stripped down, throwing the layers into the laundry basket, and walked nude into the bathroom. She turned the water on really hot, hoping to flush out all of the bad vibes over the past 24 hours, and start her Friday fresh.
After stepping out of the shower, Tori wrapped herself in a towel and headed to her room to change. She chose some skinny jeans with a jeweled belt, brown boots and a layered top consisting of a white tank top with a yellow one shoulder over it. She straightened her hair quickly before she got dressed, put on a light layer of foundation, some mascara and a light purple eyeshadow, then headed downstairs to grab a small breakfast before heading to school.
Jade took off to the coffee shop she had run into Tori at the night before to grab her morning fix. With liquid caffeine safely in hand, she headed over to Beck's house to see if he wanted to ride with her to school. When she pulled up to his house however, there was another car blocking the driveway. Jade parked on the side of the road and walked past the house to Beck's RV, where he was standing outside chatting up a blonde-haired woman Jade didn't know.
"Leave, slut" Jade commanded, and with a 'who do you think you are' look, the blonde turned back to Beck and started talking again. "I said," Jade put emphasis on it this time, "leave. Now."
"Lay off Jade, we're just talking."
"Oh really? Then I suppose you'll be taking her to school as well?"
"I don't go to school, honey" the blonde shot back, a mildly amused look on her face.
"I see," Jade shook her head sarcastically, "what exactly do you do then?"
"I'm the fashion editor at Teen Vogue."
"Hunting season doesn't start for another few weeks Beck, better watch how you trap those Cougars."
"Jade..."
"No really Beck, I can see you're busy. I'll see you at school."
"No need to run off Wednesday," the still unnamed blonde poked, "I have to go to work. I'll talk to you later then, Beck?"
"Sure."
The blonde turned hip and walked past Jade, making sure to look right into her still sleep-dulled blue eyes and smile as bright as she could. Jade looked pointedly at Beck.
"Really?"
"Come on Jade, she wants to interview me for her piece on upcoming Hollywood talent" Beck explained, trying to show softened features to disarm Jade's anger.
"I'm sure she really wants to interview you, because she's so interested in what you have to say."
"What's that supposed to mean, Jade? Just because some girls find me attractive doesn't mean I rely on it. I'm as smart and capable as you are." Beck looked stung by Jade's assumption, running his hand through his hair and walking back to the RV.
"You know I wasn't implying that on purpose" Jade jabbed sardonically.
"Yeah well that's the thing Jade. You do a lot of things not on purpose, but the fact is they still happen. Even if you don't mean to come off snappy, or you're just trying to 'protect me from predatory animals,'" Beck air quoted the last part of the line, "you come off as a jealous girlfriend that wants to keep her boyfriend under wraps, because that's what you are. Frankly, I'm tired of it. I want to be able to have girl friends without having to constantly watch my back to see if you're coming when I talk to them. I want to be able to tell a girl when something she's wearing complements her figure. Not every comment has to be flirtatious, but you seem to think that I'm after everyone but you. It's exhausting. Even when I do choose to spend my time with you, half of it you look like you're so bored you're gonna fall asleep, even when we're doing something you decided on, and the other half you're complaining about my choice of a date being something you hate. A relationship isn't supposed to be laborious. Sure, it requires a little work to flourish, but it shouldn't be a full-time job, Jade"
Beck grabbed the handle of the RV door and shook his head slightly at Jade, wondering if she was going to come back with some half-assed apology like usual. Jade wasn't sure what to say. She stood staring blankly at the handsome, chiseled face in front of her. There was pain in his eyes, and Jade felt slathered in guilt. After a few moments of just staring, Beck opened the door, walked in and shut it behind him. Jade felt confused, like she just came to offer her boyfriend a ride to school, and ended up setting him off on her like she was the worst person in the world. Not knowing what exactly to do, Jade turned and walked to her car, getting in and sitting in the driver's seat. Deciding she didn't want to take the scene with her to school, Jade tried to bury it back, sipping her coffee and starting the engine.
When Jade finally arrived at Hollywood Arts, she parked her dark purple Spyder and headed toward the front doors. Robbie walked up with Rex in hand, but Jade put up one of her own in a 'stay out of my way' statement. Robbie hung his head while Rex laughed at his humiliation. The path to Jade's locker was clear, so she made her way over to get her bag situated for the day.
Tori stood at her locker across the main entrance, closing it and looking up as Jade walked in. She noticed Jade's skirt was a little ruffled, and Jade herself seemed to be in a worse mood than normal. Tori walked over to Jade's locker, swinging her legs playfully and smiling at her. Her smile faltered as soon as Jade turned around and looked her full in the face. She noticed Jade's eyes were a dull red, and stress lines were forming around the edges. Jade looked at Tori in an almost quizzical way, before hiking up one of her eyebrows and cocking her hip.
"Are you going to stare all day or do you want something?"
"Are you okay, Jade? You seemed fine when you dropped me off this morning."
"Yes Vega, I'm fine. Is there anything else?"
"Um, well I guess...text me if you want to talk about it."
"Hold your breath until I do."
Jade stalked off to her first class, which was Playwriting, and Tori sauntered off to R&B Vocals without running into any of her other friends. It was amazing how Jade seemed to yo-yo with her, wanting to help one second and wanting to bash her head against the wall another. Tori remembered what Cat had told her about Jade being that way with everyone sometimes, so she put it aside and walked into her classroom.
A quick lesson on Harmonies left Tori working with Andre in a corner of the classroom. The pair sang a couple songs by Boyz 2 Men and Mariah Carey before the bell signaled class change. Tori picked up her bag and said bye to Andre who nodded his head with a smile, then headed towards her Pop Music class, which was right down the hall.
As soon as she walked out of her first class, she walked right into the side of Beck.
"Oh god I'm sorry! Oh, hey Beck."
"Hey Tor."
"Why the long face?"
"This stuff with Jade's got me down. She's always on my case about me, what I'm doing, but she doesn't ever take any time to look at herself."
"Oh...what happened?"
Beck looked Tori in the eye and changed his demeanor immediately. "Oh, uh, nothing really. She just kind of went off at me this morning when I didn't even do anything. Almost ruined my chance at a magazine interview."
"I'm sorry. Did you fix it, the interview?"
"Yeah it's still on, but the fact that she could have ruined it with her jealousy over nothing just makes me..."
Beck trailed off and ran his fingers through his hair. Tori watched as the exhausted boy blinked slowly, then tried to return a polite smile to face, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Sorry to put that on you there, Tor, I'll figure it out. Thanks for listening,"
"Anytime."
So that's what Jade was upset about. She was jealous about Beck talking to someone about an interview. Jade wasn't the kind of person to measure fame, though, so Tori figured it must have been a girl. A pretty girl. With no real evidence for her theory and no real drive to ask questions, Tori figured it would be a better idea to let it go for now, and deal with it when, and if, Jade decided she wanted to talk about it.
Tori's next two classes flew by. Pop Music, then a core Science class. The bell rang after her third class, signaling lunch time. Tori walked into the main entrance area where her locker sat and opened it, fitting her bag into the bottom and grabbing some money out of her wallet before shutting the door. When she turned to head out to the Asphalt Cafe, Andre and Cat bobbed up to her amidst a seemingly awkward conversation.
"Cat, I'm telling you girl, no one wants to watch a silent movie about plant growth."
"Sure they do. I went to a film festival once with my parents that had a silent movie where a tumbleweed blew through the desert for fifteen minutes. Everyone at the festival clapped really loudly and said what a genius the director was."
"If you say so, Cat. I'm just lookin' out for you."
"Hey guys" Tori interjected, stuffing her money into her pocket with a bit of a struggle.
"Hey hey chica, we're goin' to grab some lunch, you comin' with?"
"Sure."
The three of them walked out the doors to the cafe, stopping at the Grub Truck to get some food. Tori grabbed a chicken caesar salad, Andre grabbed a turkey and cheese sub and Cat grabbed a slice of cheese pizza. They sat at their normal table and started eating, having a casual conversation about maybe seeing Kanye West live in a few months. Robbie strode over casually with Rex and sat down at the table, finishing up the last bit of a hot dog. Tori looked around slowly, but Beck nor Jade were within eyesight. She wondered where the two might have gone, knowing about their little skirmish that morning.
"Hey Robbie, how are you and Cat doing in that Special Effects class?" Andre asked casually.
"I think we're doing well" Robbie answered, looking towards Cat who nodded in approval as she chewed. "We're learning about green screen effects right now, and after this week we start on practical effects, which is like sparks and smoke and stuff."
"Cool, let me know how it goes. I always wanted to know how they did that scene in Rager where the guy made sparks fly from his feet as he chased the killer."
"Tori!" Trina yelled, walking over to her table. "Tell mom and dad that I'll be gone for the weekend, I'm going to San Diego with Melanie. I tried to call them but neither one of them answered their phone."
"Okay." Trina stalked off without another word.
"What was that about?" Andre asked, turning in his seat to face his best friend.
"There was a bit of a scene in my kitchen last night. Trina stormed out with a bag, and now I guess she plans on staying away for a while. No skin off my back."
"You alright? Need to talk about it or anything?" Andre could see a hint of upset behind the animated exterior.
"I think I'm okay for now, but I'll let you know if I do." Tori smiled at Andre and he returned it, and they finished their lunches quietly after that.
The group exchanged smiles and 'see you laters' on their way to their lockers. Before Andre headed out, he stopped Tori with a hand on her shoulder. "Hey Tor, I have an assignment due for Music Theory next Monday, and I figured we could kill two birds with one stone. If you want to sing my new song with me, we can get practice for R&B Vocals, and I can perfect my project."
"Sure Andre, sounds fun."
"Alright then. How about an hour after school? I'll text you my address."
"I'll be there" Tori said excitedly, and Andre waved as he headed in the other direction.
As Tori was getting ready for her next class, she remembered that she had Screenwriting next with Jade. When she entered the room, Jade was already sitting in her desk, head leaned against her fist and eyes closed. Tori walked by quietly and sat down in her own desk, slowly grabbing her notebook and a pen.
Jade peeked ever so slightly when Tori walked by, noticing the vanilla perfume. She also noticed the effort to which the tan girl made to be quiet and not disturb her, which made her smile. Jade grabbed her PearPhone and opened up a new text message, typed it up quickly before the bell rang and sent it.
The teacher continued their lesson on prose and how it can make or break a script. Tori paid as much attention as she could, but the morning hump was getting the best of her. She kept slipping in and out, missing a few sentences at a time, which ended up making her lose her concentration completely. While their teacher wrote on the white board, Tori pulled out her PearPhone and checked her messages. She saw the new message from Jade waiting in her inbox, and looked up at the raven-haired girl. She was sitting cross-legged, swirling her left foot around in circles, twirling a pen around her thumb. Tori looked back down to her phone and selected the message.
Hey so, my parents are still gone if you want to come over after school. -Jade
Tori read the message again. And again. She looked back up at Jade, who by this time had seemed to become just as bored as Tori was moments ago, slouching generously to the side, most likely with her eyes closed. Tori sent back a reply :
I'm meeting up with Andre after school to work on some music projects. But maybe after that? I'll text you when I'm leaving his place. -Tori
Jade's phone buzzed in her pocket, so she reached down to grab it while the teacher was distracted at her desk. She read Tori's message, turning around in her seat briefly to nod an okay. Tori smiled and continued with her writing assignment until the bell rang.
Sikowitz' class and study hall went by quickly for the group as well, and before Tori knew it the final bell was ringing. She stopped to tell Andre she would be at his place in about an hour and a half, and he responded with a high five. Tori caught Jade's eyes as she passed on her way to the door. She flashed Jade a kind smile, which Jade sort of accepted, but walked out of the room before Tori could say anything.
Tori headed out to her car and plugged her PearPhone into the stereo, turning on some Ronald Jenkees to keep her mood up. The drive home was especially quick for a Friday, so Tori decided to have some hot chocolate and catch up on a little bit of TV before she texted Andre that she was on the move. After an intense episode of Homeland, Tori pulled her shoes back on and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, expecting it to hit room temperature by the time she reached Andre's place.
Andre grabbed his keyboards and set them up in the living room. Technically on paper it was his grandma's place, but Andre was paying for it with money he'd made selling hip-hop beats to local up and comers. Soon after he'd plugged everything in, Tori knocked gingerly at the front door.
"Hey hey" Andre called as he opened the door, letting Tori inside.
"Hey Andre, nice setup."
"Thanks, it does the job."
It was an open floor plan condo with large bay windows and old wood flooring. The walls were brick and the ceilings were high, and with lots of draft room the place felt a little chilly. The living room, kitchen and dining room were all situated in one large room. A black leather couch with a solid oak table sat in front of a flatscreen with a PS3 plugged into it. The kitchen had a small island with a cutting board and some spices, and the dining room held a modest two person table. To the side of the kitchen was a short hallway with a door on each side for their bedrooms, and a door at the end for the bathroom.
Tori walked over and took a seat on one of the stools in front of the dual keyboard setup. Andre queued up a few tracks for them to work with on his laptop plugged into the left side keyboard, then hit play on a stereo remote to start a vocal exercise CD. About a minute into the first exercise, Andre's grandma flew out of her room in a panic.
"ANDRE! WHAT'S ALL THAT NOISE?"
"Calm down grandma, it's just me and Tori warming up our voices."
"WELL IT'S CREEPIN' ME OUT ANDRE. THERE WAS SOMEONE IN MY ROOM LAST NIGHT."
"That was me grandma, you asked me to bring you some tea but you fell asleep before I got it to you."
"OKAY." Andre's grandma turned around and walked back into her room quickly without saying anything else. Tori and Andre exchanged worried glances, then Andre unpaused the CD so they could continue.
While they sang, Andre looked over at Tori, amazed at the power of her voice from such a petite body. She closed her eyes and swayed side to side, singing effortlessly. Andre couldn't help but take the opportunity to look her over. His eyes traced from her lips to her neck, past her breasts and smooth midriff, stopping at her curvy hips and toned thighs. When the song ended, Tori opened her eyes and looked at Andre, who was practically almost drooling over her figure. She gave him a confused look, and he quickly sucked his tongue back into his mouth and sat up straight.
"That was great Tori."
"Thanks Andre" she replied, eyeing him sideways as he hit a series of buttons on the keyboard and laptop. It seemed like he was checking her out, she thought, which seemed odd to Tori, because their friendship had always been so strong, and so platonic.
Shortly after that they decided to wrap it up. Andre was really excited about the recordings he had gotten of the two of them together, and Tori told him she was happy to help. She grabbed her purse and keys and headed out the front door to her car. She got in the driver's seat and clicked her seatbelt into place, then took out her phone and sent a text to Jade.
Hey Jade, I'm leaving Andre's house now. Still want to hang out? -Tori
She started the car and plugged her PearPhone into the stereo once more, looking for something to listen to. Shortly after her text message tone sounded through the car speakers, and she stopped to read the message.
Sure, I'll meet you at my place in 15. -Jade
Tori put the car in drive and pulled off the curb in the direction of Jade's house.
Jade hit traffic on the way to her house as it was rounding five in the afternoon. She ended up getting stuck on the express way between her favorite coffee shop and her exit. About twenty-five minutes later she was finally hitting the road she lived on, where she noticed Tori's car was already in her driveway.
"Sorry I got caught in traffic."
"Its fine, I've only been here for ten minutes or so."
"Wanna go for a walk? There's a nice park down the road from here."
"Sure."
Tori dropped her bag into her car and locked the door, taking her phone and keys with her. Jade locked her car as well, grabbing her coffee off of the roof and stuffing her keys in her pocket. There was a steady breeze that bit a little, so Tori slid her hands inside her hoodie sleeves and breathed warm air into them. The two girls walked side by side for about ten minutes before cutting down an overgrown path between two houses. About two hundred feet in, the path opened back up to a wide field with freshly manicured grass and a quaint playground that looked very old.
Jade walked up to the swings and sat down on the first one, kicking back softly and swaying. Tori took the swing next to hers and did the same so the two were swinging in unison.
"Hey look, we're married!"
"You wish, Vega. Does that remark have anything to do with the way you tried to seduce me last night?" Jade smiled a little as she kicked her legs.
"I did not try to seduce you, it was a joke!" Tori blushed hard, and Jade laughed audibly. As soon as the laughter had come however, it faded to a somber look.
"What's the matter Jade? What happened between you and Beck this morning?"
Jade snapped upright and looked at Tori. "How did you know something happened with Beck? Did he tell you?"
"I bumped into him in the hallway. He told me there was an 'incident,' something about an interview. He didn't give me any details though."
"He was flirting with some college slut who was using the pretense of an interview to get him alone."
"Do you really believe that, Jade? Beck is a good guy, I don't think he would let anything like that happen even if that was actually her intention."
"I don't know. I have to deal with his little fan club 24/7. There's always some skank trying to steal him from me. They see that he's so gorgeous and perfect, and they see him with me and come to the conclusion that I'm obviously forcing him to be with me for some reason, because he wouldn't be any other way."
"Truth is though, he hasn't gone anywhere has he?"
"No, but it's not the same as it was two years ago. When we first got together everything was great. He seemed really into me, and I was really into him you know. We hung out all the time, shared everything, and just genuinely enjoyed each other. Nowadays its just like he doesn't want to hang out with me anymore, and if I finally get him to, it's like a chore or something."
"Have you told him any of this? Asked him why things have changed?"
"No. I can barely get him alone for ten minutes without him looking like he wants to escape. We've only seen each other twice in the past week."
"Wow."
"Yeah. All good things come to an end I suppose."
"You think its gonna end?"
"Yeah well, can't go on like this forever. He's a catch, if we're not working, I gotta let him go."
"You're a catch too, Jade. Don't sell yourself short."
"Heh, thanks Vega."
"I'm serious Jade. You don't give yourself any credit. Just because your dad doesn't think much of what you do doesn't mean others don't."
"What did you say?"
"Oh...um, I just mean your dad is wrong for-"
"You listen to me, Vega. My life is none of your business, no matter what Cat told you. She needs to keep her mouth shut, and so do you." Jade got off the swing and grabbed her coffee, walking back in the direction of her house.
"Jade wait!" Tori ran after the pale beauty, desperate for a chance to smooth things over before they got any worse. The wind was blowing hard now, kicking up leaves in mini tornadoes in the open field. Tori tried to yell for Jade to slow down, but the howl of the wind drowned her voice out. Tori finally jogged and caught up with Jade, grabbing her shoulder lightly to stop her.
"Jade, I'm sorry. I talked to Cat yesterday when I was at her house. I just wanted to know why you hate me so much more than everyone else. Cat gave me a little bit of insight to see where you come from, so hopefully I would be able to shrug it off when you got on my case."
"Just because you heard some things about my life from someone else doesn't mean you get to bring it up in conversation. If I want to acknowledge those things with you and talk about them, I will." Jade wouldn't make direct eye contact with Tori, and Tori felt an uneasy squirming in her gut.
Jade's hair blew furiously around her face in the wind. Her eyes were narrow against the burn, black and blue slits in an ivory backdrop. Tori couldn't help but stare, Jade was miraculously beautiful at that moment. Tori stepped forward and grabbed the zipper of Jade's jacket with her free hand, and looked straight into the deep pools of blue.
"I know Jade, I'm sorry. I just wanted to let you know in some way that I understand the struggles you go through. At least a little bit. We kind of have some things in common. They may not be good things, but at least can we learn to help each other out."
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Jade looked back into the caramel irises of the thin but sometimes forceful girl in front of her. She didn't understand why this person was fighting so hard to be her friend, when all she had done is be mean to her and push her away like everyone else. It was true that they shared some unfortunate circumstances, and Jade saw how having someone close that really understands could be beneficial.
"Alright Vega, let's go. It's getting cold out here."
Jade turned around and started walking back up the path towards her house. Tori caught up next to her and looped her arm through Jades, keeping pace and looking at her out of the corners of her eyes. Jade smiled and leaned her head on Tori's shoulder, feeling the pressure of all the stress she'd put aside building up. She knew it was about to spill over, and she never let anyone see her get that way. Showing weakness was not a West family trait. But if Jade and Tori were going to have something real, something they could both truly benefit from, it had to be legit. As soon as they got back to Jade's house and down into her room, Jade shut the door quietly and kicked off her shoes. Tori sat in the spot of Jade's bed she slept in the night before, and Jade crawled in next to her, laid her head on Tori's lap, and started crying.