The voices got louder, and soon they stopped at Tori's door. A soft knock, and Cat and Andre were walking in side by side. Tori sat up on her bed, trying to take deep breaths to calm herself quickly.
"Hey Tori!"
"Hey girl, what's good?" Andre added through bites of a cookie.
"Hey guys. Jade just left, we were practicing for our skit on Friday for Screenwriting class."
"Oh really? How'd that go?" Andre walked the rest of the way in and sat on the bed.
"It was good." Tori stood up and paced around a little, senses heightened and breath shallow. "We did a run through of the skit and then she went home."
"Sounds like you guys are on the right track" Cat added, suddenly making a straight shot to Tori's desk to grab something shiny.
"Well not to be rude or anything, but why are you guys here?"
"Oh, we're hittin' a matinee at Royal's in about thirty, wanted to see if you were busy."
Tori really wanted some personal time to deal with her buildup. She'd never been as anxious to find some relief as she was right then, all of the buildup with Jade was killing her. The thought of succumbing to carnal desires brought about by Jade made her even hotter, and it was getting harder and harder to hold her composure. As good as it sounded to give in, she knew that if she did, she wouldn't be able to keep standing up to Jade in person until the situation had changed for the better, and that was something she couldn't afford to have happen.
"Yeah, sure I'll go with you guys. Just, uh, give me a few minutes to get ready. I'll meet you downstairs in five. Go have some more sweets."
"I love sweets, your mom's got a gift." Andre saluted with the last piece of cookie and popped it in his mouth, leading Cat back downstairs.
Tori fanned her face for a second, then hurried to her dresser to grab fresh underwear. She cleaned up quickly in the bathroom and changed her bottoms, throwing the wet ones in the laundry basket, then grabbed her jacket on the way out. Her mom was sitting on the couch watching an afternoon talk show and Cat and Andre were in the kitchen pigging out, trying one of everything they could get their hands on.
"Cat, you know sugar isn't good for you."
"I know, isn't it great? Ahahaha."
Andre raised an eyebrow at Cat but laughed all the same.
"Okay mom, we're going to the movies."
"Alright baby, what are you gonna see?"
"Um...I don't even know."
"They're playing The Maltese Falcon at Royal's."
"That's a good one. Have fun kids."
"You gonna be okay just hanging around here, mom? I feel like I leave you alone too much."
Tori's mom laughed and turned around in her seat to face her. "I'll be just fine, boo. Go have fun with your friends."
"Okay, love you."
"Love you too, kiddo."
Jade took the long way home, listening to a calming playlist to try to relax herself. She had gotten so worked up with Tori that her whole body was buzzing, a heightened sense of touch gave her goosebumps at every move. Every red light she hit she would close her eyes and tip her head back, retracing the curves of Tori's legs as they walked up the stairs. Catching Tori stealing glances at her when she was preparing for the scene. The growing need to have Tori underneath her was getting unbearable, Jade needed a way to get her mind off things.
When she pulled into the driveway at home, both of her parent's cars were there. It was four thirty, so Jade guessed her parents were both in the kitchen, her mom preparing something for dinner and her dad sitting at the island watching the news on the small TV that hung from the overhang. The house smelled like chicken, and when she walked into the kitchen, she saw her mom was making chicken penne with alfredo sauce, which used to be Jade's favorite meal as a kid.
"Hey kid."
"Hi mom, dad. What are you guys doing?"
"You're lookin' at it." Jade's dad flicked through a magazine on the table, eyes going back and forth from the pages to the TV screen.
"I figured I would make something we haven't had in a while" her mom added, stirring the complete sauce before taking it to the dining room table.
Jade grabbed the basket of garlic bread and took it into the dining room as well, sitting it on the table next to the sauce. Her mom smiled at her as she passed on her way back to the kitchen, and Jade was starting to get suspicious of her mom's behavior. Her family was never like this, but it was a great escape from the ordinary, so she would take it as long as it was this easy.
Minutes later her parents both came to the table and sat down, her mom bringing out a bowl of green beans to complete the meal. Each dish was passed around as Jade and her parents took what they wanted and started eating. A pleasant meal, one of her favorites no less, with no bickering and no disappointed stares. Jade wasn't sure if maybe someone in the family had died or if one of her parents was going to announce they were sending her to boarding school in France, but the circumstances were definitely strange.
"So, what's going on at school, Jade?" her mom asked, taking a bite of bread.
"Well, my cores are good. I got an A on my last English paper."
"That's good, you always did like to write" her dad added between bites of chicken.
"Yeah. And this Friday I have a skit with Tori, who you met recently," Jade pointed to her mom with her fork, "for Screenwriting class."
"In front of the class, or is it a big production thing?"
"No uh, we, Tori and I, will meet up with the teacher and the kid who's script we're working from after school and it'll just be the four of us."
"Aha." Jade's mom took a long drink from her glass of wine.
"I was kind of wondering," Jade toyed with the food on her plate a little, "if you guys wanted to meet me there? See what I can do, you know." She figured the mood was right, her parents seemed to be in good spirits. She might as well try to get them to see reason, and this was as good a shot as any.
Jade's dad nodded his head as he chewed, setting down his fork and checking his watch. He wiped his mouth and picked picked something out of his teeth, clearing his throat to speak. "Well, I have a lot going on, Fridays are usually pretty busy for me."
"I can probably make it." Jade looked over at her mom with an air of surprise. "The other partners agreed on an early day on Friday so we can loosen up over the weekend before we start loan season next week. Make it out, Frank. We should at least go see one of these things that cost so damn much." She looked over at Jade and smiled, and Jade felt like she had no idea who these people at the table were.
"I can probably swing it, so you can expect us both. If something happens, I'll get you a message to let you know."
"Wow, thanks guys. I didn't expect you to actually go along with it."
"We just may not be the scary monsters you think we are after all."
Jade felt better than she had in a long time with her family, and the sudden change peaked her appetite. The rest of the dinner was light conversation about work and school, some stories in the news. Jade's dad was an investment banker, so a lot of his job was underwriting, aka math and logistics. Her mom was a corporate accountant, which meant her job was pretty much all math with a little bit of human resources on the side. Their attention to detail and ability to crunch numbers was the leading reason why Jade was usually on the chopping block for Hollywood Arts, as the probability of striking it rich in the industry was considerably lower than that of acquiring and maintaining a real-world career.
Once Jade finished eating, she volunteered to clear the table, so her parents retired to the living room while she moved the plates to the kitchen. Any kind of work was always easier with music, so she pulled the PearPod out of her bag on the island and placed it on top of the portable dock system that was plugged in near the sink. Her Homework playlist started and she figured that was good, rinsing off the plates and putting them in the dishwasher.
The cleanup was pretty quick and easy, and before she knew it, Jade was sitting around idly. There was no homework to be done, and she didn't really watch much TV, so she just laid back on her bed and cycled through some of the things that had been on her mind. School, Tori, her parents, Tori, Beck and his new girlfriend, Tori. Jade closed her eyes and squeezed them tight, but all she could see was the curvy Latina on the inside of her eyelids. Deciding it would be better to get up and do something, she grabbed her phone and put on some walking shoes, intent on just going for a walk.
It was pretty cold outside, but the sky was clear and the sun was going down, splashing color along the horizon. Jade put her hands in her hoodie pockets and headed towards the coffee shop between her and Tori's houses. Traffic was waning from rush hour, and about half way to the coffee shop most of it was gone. The neighborhood was quiet, giving a feeling of serenity. Jade looked in people's windows as she passed some houses. Families were watching TV together or parents were helping their kids with homework. Brothers and sisters chasing each other around with toys, pretending to be some kind of outlandish monster or superhero. Jade thought back to when she was young, and remembered a very different scenario.
She usually liked to stay inside, listening to music or taking in some other form of media. She liked to watch movies and pretend she was the character she liked the best, running around her room and shouting lines. Her parents would laugh and play along with her, until she got a little older. The acting thing started to bother her dad. He always told her she needed to get out and get a new hobby, make new friends. Her mom was okay with it for a little longer, until she got the brochure for Hollywood Arts from one of Jade's middle school teachers.
The price of tuition was one thing, but her mom also didn't feel like she would be getting the proper education in core classes, like HA would be nothing but fun and games and Hollywood stuff, with no solid backing to fall back on. Jade tried to explain to her parents that she was taking all the same classes she would in a normal school, since by state law you have to have a certain amount of credits in core classes to graduate, but her parents didn't buy that the quality level was the same, since the teacher that taught Math also taught Camera Techniques.
The arguments continued over the years, but Jade stayed at Hollywood Arts. Her parents seemed to drop the day by day nagging and go with the flow, but any time there was a serious moment, it would get brought up again like clockwork. Jade was pretty confident in her talents, so the thought of having to fall back on her cores wasn't really big in her mind, despite how hard her parents tried to engrave it in her mind. She figured that if acting didn't work out, she could write, or at least direct or something. Going to Hollywood Arts had its advantages, since casting directors and all sorts of other Hollywood types were always recruiting students right out of school.
Jade reached the coffee shop and got a large white chocolate caramel cappuccino, then headed to one of the tables out front and sat down with it. The sun was just level with the house line so she was temporarily blinded, but it didn't take long for the sun to sink the rest of the way behind the hills. The sky popped a brilliant purple and orange, with the night's first stars shining through. Couples walked by bundled in their stylish sport coats, handling leashes for pint sized excuses for dogs. They yapped in that high-pitched screech that Jade hated so much whenever they passed, which caused her to hiss at them like a cat, making the owners shuffle off quicker.
As the sun disappeared the night got colder, causing Jade to shiver even with the warm liquid running through her. She got up and headed back for the house, eyeing a same sex couple who were walking hand in hand across the street. The two boys looked happy as could be, smiling and laughing about something Jade couldn't hear. Their happiness made her smile, and she wondered if that's what her and Tori would look like walking together. Tori was perfect in every way possible, and Jade figured she wasn't bad herself, so the two of them would probably look pretty good side by side.
By the time she got back to her house, Jade's mind was full up on Tori. All the thoughts and images she'd suppressed over the last couple of days were knocking on the door again, and it was hard to even concentrate on putting on foot in front of the other. It was going on seven o'clock, so Jade figured she would check The Slap since she hadn't done that in a while, then probably throw in a movie and head to bed.
Tori rode in the back seat on the way to the theater, listening half-heartedly as Cat and Andre rambled on about something they'd heard in school. Tori watched out the window, examining buildings as they passed, discovering new things she hadn't noticed before or rediscovering some of her favorite places. Families walked together down the sidewalks, usually coming from a shop or a restaurant. Everyone in a constant state of change, flowing from one destination to the next.
They arrived at the theater and found a place to park, getting tickets and snacks before sitting down. Tori got a Dr. Pepper, Andre got a Barq's, and Cat got a lemonade, and they got a large bucket of popcorn to share. There was about ten minutes of previews in which Tori thought more people would show up, but no one did. It was rather early, and the movie was from 1941. Andre said it was one of his favorites, and Cat added that it was on about every classic movie list there ever was.
The lights dimmed down and the picture started, and words filled the screen.
In 1539, the Knight Templars of Malta, paid tribute to Charles V of Spain, by sending him a Golden Falcon encrusted from beak to jaw with rarest jewels-but pirates seized the galley carrying this priceless token and the fate of the Maltese Falcon remains a mystery to this day-
Tori recognized Humphrey Bogart when he came on screen, and sometime later she realized she'd become captivated in the old film. By the time Detective Spade had returned to the dock to find the burning ship, she caught a glimpse of Andre and Cat both smiling at her.
"What?"
"You should see how rapt with attention you are, it's pretty amazing."
"Yeah, it's like you've never seen a movie before, ahaha."
"Hey! It's really good, leave me alone." She turned back to the screen and delved in once more, eager to find out more about the mystery.
Once the movie had finished and the credits began to roll, Tori was sitting with one foot on her seat, her arms wrapped around her leg with her teeth dug into her knee in anticipation. She slowly unfurled, and Cat and Andre had the same smile as before. Tori got up and led them back into the lobby, heading for the car.
"That was incredible."
"Now you see why it's on so many lists of incredible movies."
"Yeah, I can definitely see how it's one of your favorites, Andre."
"I'll have to get you out here again sometime to catch up on some of the other classics." Andre winked and put his arm around Tori's shoulders as they walked through the front doors of the theater.
On the way back to Tori's house her phone rang. It was her dad, so Andre turned the music down so she could answer it.
"Hey kiddo."
"Hey dad, what's up?"
"Oh not much, just had a quiet moment at work for a change. Just wanted to check in with you and see how you're doing."
"I'm okay, not much has changed in the actual routine."
"That's good. Well listen, I want to get together sometime, go out for dinner or something so we can talk about what's going on."
"Just us? What about Trina?"
Her dad laughed. "Well, let's just say I'll deal with her on my own time so you don't have to."
"Take one for the team, huh? Okay, well I have a skit with Jade after school on Friday, I can go after that."
"What time is your skit?"
"Not sure, probably something around three o'clock."
"I'll see if I can get out early and come see it."
"Aww dad you don't have to do that, I know you're busy and everything."
"Well sweetheart part of the reason our family is in this mess is because I'm always busy, that's gonna have to change."
"Okay. I'd like for you to make it if you can, but don't like rearrange things or do anything crazy just to be there."
"I'll always do crazy things to be there for you, kid. I gotta go, I'll call you tomorrow night to double check on everything. I love you."
"Love you too, dad."
Tori hung up the phone and smiled. She was glad to hear from her dad finally. All the uncertainty around the house was kind of building up, even though there wasn't any actual tension with her mom. Andre looked in the rear-view mirror and winked, turning the music back up for the rest of the ride. They reached Tori's house in a few minutes after the call and she got out, walking over to the driver's side window.
"Thanks for taking me guys, I had fun."
"You got it, girl. Anytime."
"Thanks for coming Tori!" Cat waved and giggled in her signature style.
"Bye guys. Drive safe."
She backpedaled towards the front door and watched as the car crept out of the driveway and sped off. Inside, her mom wasn't downstairs, so Tori assumed she was up in her room going through case files for work. Stomach growling, Tori hit the kitchen, looking for something small to eat before heading upstairs. She decided on fruit, grabbing a knife and a melon baller to prepare a small dish.
Once she had everything, she headed upstairs, stopping by her mom's room before heading into her own, knocking on the door softly. Her mom answered with a soft "come in" and continued to flip through pages, scribbling notes on several different notepads.
"Hey mom, I'm home."
"Yes you are. How was the movie?"
"I really liked it actually, I hope to go back and catch some of the other classics they show."
Her mom smiled. "That's good, I'm glad you had a good time."
"Dad called me on the way home."
"Did he? What did he have to say?"
"He said he wanted to have dinner and talk, catch up on stuff."
Tori's mom set her pen down, taking her glasses off and folding them. "Well that's good, I'm glad he's making an effort to see you. Did you guys come up with a plan?"
"Yeah. I have a skit with Jade on Friday afternoon after school, and he said he would try to make it in to see it, but if he couldn't he would at least be there to pick me up when it was over."
"I wish I could be there kiddo, but I have a deposition to attend for a big case and I can't miss it."
"It's okay mom, it's not anything huge like a production. We're just doing a scene in front of the teacher and another student."
"Okay, well let me know how it goes when I get home."
"I will. I'm gonna head in and eat this then probably go to bed early."
"Okay sweetie, love you."
"Love you too."
Tori learned forward and kissed her mom on top of the head, and her mom laughed sweetly. She grabbed her glasses and put them on, picking up the pen once more to continue writing notes on her case. Tori headed back to her room, turning on the light and closing her door once she got in. It was a little chilly, so she set her fruit down on the desk and adjusted the thermostat, hearing the heater kick on when she turned the dial.
She put her PearPod on the dock that sat next to her computer, starting a slow playlist while she ate her fruit. The days were starting to get shorter, and it was getting dark earlier. It was only six forty-five and it was already dark outside, the streetlight visible from her window shining brightly. It was pretty calm, no pedestrians and little traffic, no wind to speak of. Tori thought about the next day at school. What projects she had for different classes, who she needed to speak with about certain assignments and whether or not she had enough money left in her locker for lunch for the next two days.
Thinking of school eventually led to thinking of the skit on Friday, and thinking of the skit on Friday eventually led to thinking about Jade. The sweetness of the melon reminded Tori of the sweetness of Jade's lip gloss, and before she knew it she was breathing shallow again. Determined to keep control, she grabbed her DVD case and put in a random disc for something to watch. It turned out to be the old comedy Heavyweights, one of her favorite movies with Ben Stiller. She climbed up into her bed and hunkered down, throwing herself into another movie for distraction purposes.
The next morning Jade got up at the usual time to get ready for school. She turned the TV on before rolling out of bed, wanting to get the weather report before heading to her closet. The ticker at the bottom of the screen had school closings, and Jade noticed an 'arts', but it scrolled past before she could see what was in front of it. She sat up in bed and watched the ticker start over, hearing some news story about a local man who had thwarted an attack at an ATM overnight. It came back through, and Jade read 'Hollywood Arts – Closed (Teacher Work Day).' Gleeful with the news of no school, Jade slid back down in her bed and got comfortable again, thinking of getting a couple more hours of sleep.
Her bed was warm and soft, two thousand thread count sheets and a silk comforter. The newscaster rifled through stories with admirable accuracy, able to fit everything she wanted to say in the allotted time without eating any of her words. A story about a woman who was let go from a private law firm when she came out as gay caught her interest, and she perked up to listen to the woman speak.
"I announced my coming out about three weeks ago. I told my family and friends first of course, and word spread a little after that. It eventually got back to my bosses, who questioned me about the rumors they'd heard. I told them it was true, that I'd finally come to terms with who I am as a person and I was ready to live my life for real."
"What did they say to you?" the reporter asked, adjusting the microphone.
"They said "congrats" and that was pretty much it. Some of the people around the office were a little warmer than others. I got a few cards and some baked goods, but some people wouldn't even look at me anymore."
"How did that make you feel?"
"Well obviously I didn't feel great about it, but your job is your job, you aren't necessarily there to make friends, so you go back and do what you gotta do each day no matter what."
"Of course. So what happened just recently? You went back to work and everything was fine for a while, correct?"
"Yeah. I mean, everything pretty much went back to normal until a few days ago. I got called up to the top office at the end of my shift, so I went up to see what was going on. They told me to sit down, and I did. My boss looked me right in the eye and said 'We don't feel you've been performing up to standards lately, and quite frankly we're not very impressed with your demeanor.'"
"And what did you take that to mean?"
"I thought it was pretty obvious given the recent happenings in my life that they were trying to force me out because of my sexuality. By the way they treated me when they heard the news, it was no question to me that that was their motive."
"If that is the case, it's a tough break. What do you plan to do now?"
"I suppose I'll do what anyone else in my situation would, which is start looking for new employment and try to put this mess behind me. I don't really want to fight for a job in a place where I'm not respected."
"That makes perfect sense to me. Thank you for taking the time to speak with us. I'm Annelise Brock, reporting live from downtown Hollywood for News 13 KSBW."
The story left Jade with a sour taste in her mouth. The pettiness of people had really gotten to an all-time low, and with Jade's recent development with Tori, the woman's story really left her feeling upset. It was two thousand and twelve, she figured people would have gotten over their differences by now and just let each other be who they are, but apparently that wasn't the case.
The upset feeling turned to anger, and the anger turned to a sense of purpose. Jade grabbed her phone from her bedside table and texted Tori, letting her know about the school cancellation. She planned on feeling her out, seeing if she was in an okay mood to ask her if she wanted to do something.
Hey Tor, there's no school today since it's a teacher work day, got any plans?
She laid back on her pillow and waited for Tori to text back, flipping the channel from the news to the Classic Rock music channel. Foghat played 'Slow Ride' in the background, and finally Jade's phone buzzed with the reply from Tori.
Thanks for the notice, I just got out of the shower. Uh, no, I don't really have anything planned since I was planning on going to school. Did you have something in mind?
Jade smiled from ear to ear at the prospect of having a whole day with Tori again. She planned her words carefully, sending back another message as quick as possible.
Well, I saw a news story about a woman that got fired for coming out as gay, and it just kind of fired me up a little. I feel like going out and living, being happy with my life since I'm lucky to not have to deal with stuff like that right now. What do you say?
It was only a minute before Tori responded.
Well, this should be interesting. Count me in. Do you want me to come over or do you want to pick me up?
Jade smiled hugely and got out of bed, grabbing clothes together so she could shower quick and get ready. She grabbed a bra and underwear and headed to the bathroom with her phone, texting as she walked.
I'll come get you. Let me shower real quick and I'll be there.
Jade showered as fast as she could, dressing so quickly she almost fell over putting her jeans on. On the way out, she had a stroke of genius, reaching under the bed and grabbing the shoebox full of memories. She scooped everything out of it and headed upstairs, stopping in the kitchen to grab a gallon freezer bag from a drawer in the kitchen. She deposited all of the photos and letters into the bag and sealed it, putting the bag in hers and heading for the door.
She practically sped the entire way to Tori's house, even running a red light around the corner. She parked in the driveway and got out her phone, calling Tori to tell her she was there. Tori appeared minutes later, and all of a sudden Jade couldn't breathe. Tori swung her hips from side to side as she walked, skinny jeans so tight they looked like they were painted on. Boots that rose almost to her knees, and a dark blue fleece hoodie that zipped up the middle. When she got in the car the familiar smell of vanilla and strawberries hit Jade's nose, and she noticed Tori was wearing a light blue eyeshadow and some blue feather earrings.
"Geez Vega, I asked if you wanted to hang out, I didn't say it was a date."
"What makes you think I would have said yes if you did call it a date?" Tori retorted with a wide smile that reached her sparkling eyes.
Jade laughed with tongue in cheek, backing out of the driveway. She headed for the coast, a certain spot she used to hang out at when she was a kid. Jade was fine with the silence, but she figured she would be polite and offer some music. She reached back to the floor behind her seat and grabbed the PearPod out of her bag, hanging it to Tori.
"You can find something to listen to if you're bored."
"Cool, thanks. Anything in particular you want? I'm open to whatever."
Jade smiled to herself at the last part of the comment, taking a right turn. "Something chill, whatever works for you."
The sky was a light shade of gray, but it didn't look in danger of spilling over. The drive to Jade's spot normally would have taken close to an hour, but since it was a weekday the traffic was really minimal, and they ended up reaching their destination in about forty minutes. Jade parked at the very edge of the parking lot, unbuckling her seatbelt and turning to Tori.
"I used to come here all the time when I was young. My cousin lived in that house right over there." Jade pointed to a small but nice looking white house right along the edge of the beach. "But they moved away about four years ago."
"Where'd they go?"
"My Uncle got a job in Switzerland. Some research grants and other science things I'm not really sure about."
"That sucks. Were you and your cousin close? What's their name?"
"Her name is Kait. And yeah, if my parents ever got into it, I'd ask to come stay the weekend over here. I spent a lot of time walking around the little pools in the rocks right over there."
Tori opened the door and got out of the car, walking in the direction of the pools Jade had pointed out. It was windy down by the water which made it pretty cold, so Tori zipped her hoodie up the rest of the way and put the hood up. She stopped and turned around, waiting for Jade to lock the car and catch up. They walked side by side to the area Jade mentioned, seeing tons of little pools separated by the rocks.
"My Uncle used to teach me about all of the little ecosystems in these pools. All the little fish and other creatures that thrive in this one little area."
"That's so cool, look at em all."
Tori's eyes lit up as she looked around, and Jade felt her heart flutter every time she would look over at her. Tori looked up at Jade and caught her off guard, watching Jade's eyes look her over. Tori blushed a hard red and tucked her hair behind her ear, clearing her throat. Jade snapped back to attention and pointed out an area over to the left of where they were standing.
"I used to dig for Clams right over here. Whenever I came to stay we'd do a big surf n turf thing, it was pretty cool. I learned how to shuck Oysters and all of that."
"Sounds like you had a lot of fun over here."
"Yeah, this place was like, somewhere I could be a different person than I was at home. I was growing into myself, learning what I wanted to be, stuff like that. My parents didn't really take to it, so I was kind of forced to be a shut in at home. I didn't really hang out for family activities or watch TV with them. I usually ate dinner, helped clean up when I was asked and then went back to my room."
"I can't really say I hear you, since my family was pretty close when we were young. The whole family night with board games and all that, but I can sympathize."
"I didn't really take it personally. I mean I did at first, but then I figured hey, if my parents come around they come around, and if they don't, then I guess I have to work even harder."
Tori looked at Jade and, in that moment, she saw so many things. A mixture of pain and pride, perseverance and humility. Tori used to look at Jade as a one-sided downer that was just out to ruin everyone's fun because she hated herself or something, but it had never been clearer to her than in that moment that the beautiful, pale skinned woman next to her was anything but one-sided.
Jade walked to the water's edge and looked out, covering her eyes with her hand to see if she could spot anything. Tori followed her with her eyes, taking in everything she'd heard so far. It wasn't that Jade was selfish or hated herself, it wasn't that she wanted to make everyone else as miserable as her. It was that Jade was actually really determined and full of pride, but getting shut down by her top supporters time after time had turned her outlook sour, and she couldn't imagine anyone would know how to deal with that very well.
Jade turned from the water to look at Tori, who was shivering a bit from the gusts of wind. She walked to the trunk of the car and popped it open with the remote on her keyring, grabbing a wool emergency blanket out before shutting it again. She walked up to Tori and placed the blanket over her shoulders, holding up the corners so she could grip the inside and wrap it around herself. The two women stood and looked out at the water for a few minutes, each lost in thought of which the other was unaware. Jade decided to move away from the edge a bit before Tori got too cold, so she put a hand on her shoulder and spun her around, leading her up the beach to a little shack.
Jade pointed to a table in front of the building, silently guiding Tori to sit while she went to the car to grab her bag. She returned with the plastic bag she had filled with the photos and letters that morning on her way out, ready to show Tori everything. Jade hadn't even shown Beck these things in their two-year relationship, but she felt more connected to Tori than she had any other person in her life, and she felt she owed Tori a little bit of her good side after everything she'd done to her over the last 4 months.
"This," Jade pulled out the photo on top, "is Kait. She's two years older than me."
"She's quite the looker, eh?"
"Definitely so. I hear she's got a following in Switzerland."
Tori laughed, eyes flickering from the photo in Jade's hand to the bag on the table. "What's that one?"
Jade pointed. "This one?"
Tori nodded her head.
"This one was taken at the Fairgrounds when I was ten. Kait is there, and the other two are Dennis and Jay, cousins from another Aunt and Uncle."
"That looks like fun, I love hot air balloons."
"Yeah, we got to go up close to them and get inside the baskets and stuff. We didn't go up, though."
"Still, that sounds cool. Where are the other cousins?"
"Dennis was the oldest, and he enlisted when he turned eighteen. Jay was into music, and last I knew he was in a band and going to school."
"Do you ever talk to them?"
"Not really." Jade fidgeted with her fingernails a bit. "When I started to internalize everything, I gave up contact with a lot of my family. Most of them probably think I'm some weird vampire freak that eats raw animals or something by now."
Tori felt guilty that Jade had so much beauty inside of her that she was reluctant to let out. She had so many great memories with her family from when she was young, and Jade only had a bag with some photos and letters. She looked at the woman next to her, her face mostly smiling but with the pained ghost of a time when smiles weren't forced visible behind her eyes.
"Jade..."
"Tori?"
Tori unwrapped the blanket and stretched around Jade's shoulders, wrapping her up in it as well. "Thanks for bringing me here."
Jade smiled for real that time, looking down at the objects strewn across the table top. "You know Beck hasn't even seen this stuff?"
Tori's eyes opened wide. "Seriously? Why not?"
"This stuff is...really private to me. Everyone sees the side of me that's, well, bitchy. The side that's weathered and able to take a beating. But this stuff appeals to a side of me that's still really...raw. I don't think I'd be able to handle it if someone attacked me from this angle."
"Why do you trust me with it?"
"Because...I...We're friends. We share a common bond that the others don't, on a level that's pretty emotional. I figured if anyone would accept it, it would be you. I wanted you to see who I really am. Or at least, who I could be. I don't know."
Tori stood up from the table, folding the blanket over her arm and setting it on the top. She held her hand out to Jade, who reached over and took it. Jade stood up and turned to face Tori, who closed the gap in one big stride, pulling Jade in close and squeezing her tight. Jade instantly teared up, spilling over onto Tori's shoulder, giving in to the impulse to let it all out. She never felt more comfortable than she did in Tori's arms, and that comfort allowed her to really let loose, and it felt good.
After a few minutes Jade stepped back, wiping tears from her eyes and looking at Tori. Tori smiled and swayed back and forth a bit in her spot, a kind smile on her face. She reached forward and moved the hair out of Jade's eyes, tucking it behind her ears, then placed her palms flat on Jade's cheeks and wiped the tears from her eyes with her thumbs.
"I'm glad you showed me all of this, Jade. I never wanted anything more than to be friends with you, but I had to look out for myself too. It really sucked forcing myself to not talk to you and stuff, and waiting for you to do this was such a drag."
Jade smiled so wide her eyes were slits, and Tori giggled.
"I've been trying to figure out the best way to go about it. I realized the straight approach was the best one, get it all out on the table right away and see where the chips land."
Tori smiled and took Jade's hand in hers, locking their fingers together. The two walked towards the car and hopped in, turning the heat on and finding some more driving music. It was lunch time, so Tori called the rest of the group to see where everyone was while Jade drove. She made mental notes of each conversation before turning to Jade after the last one, catching her up on the details.
"Cat and Robbie both said they were open, but Andre is helping his grandma and, uh..."
"Beck is...? You can tell me Tori."
"He's out with Jennifer."
"It's okay, I'm over it. Really. I'm good." She turned and winked at Tori.
"Good, hopefully everything goes back to normal at school tomorrow."
"So what's the idea here? Are we meeting them somewhere?"
"Cat said she wanted Sushi, so I texted Robbie and asked him if that was okay and he said yeah, and I was waiting to ask you if that was alright with you."
"Yeah I'm fine with that."
"Okay, I'll text them both and have them meet us at Nozu in twenty."
Nozu was pretty busy for a weekday lunch time, seeing as a lot of schools were out for teacher workshops. Tori noticed some kids she knew from North Ridge in the corner, noisily laughing and throwing things at the people in the booth behind them. The four of the group sat at the bar up front, ordering drinks first and then sitting back to relax while they went through the menu.
Tori ordered a Kobe Burger with a side of Shishito peppers. Cat got a California Sunset roll with a side of Seafood and Vegetable Tempura. Robbie got a bowl of Chirashi, and Jade got the house smoked Ivory Salmon with a Rainbow roll on the side. They started on their meals, casually imparting their opinions on what they ordered between bites.
Cat managed to fling part of her roll across the bar hit someone in the face on accident, which made Jade laugh and caused the man who was hit to get upset. Cat looked like she was going to cry when the man got angry, so Jade walked over and told him to shut it down because he was scaring her friend. The man let it go, turning back to his lunch date with a sour look on his face, and Jade went back to the bar satisfied. Tori looked at Jade in amazement while she chewed, suddenly even more thankful for the day off from school.
At the end of the meal, Cat and Robbie parted ways with Jade and Tori and headed off to finish out their day off relaxing. Tori and Jade got back in the car and settled in, buckling their seatbelts and checking teeth in their mirrors. Jade started the car but left it in park, glancing over at Tori.
"So what do you want to do from here?"
"I think I should probably head back to my house and clean up a bit. Ever since..." Tori stopped mid-sentence and looked bashful, avoiding eye contact with Jade.
"Ever since what, Tor?"
"Ever since my dad moved out, the house has been kind of in disarray. Trina is never home and my mom has been pulling long hours, and I've been wrapped up in my own stuff and-"
"Wait, your dad left? How come you didn't tell me?"
"I was trying to maintain a separation, remember?"
"Yeah but Tori that's not something you should try to deal with by yourself."
"I know, I just didn't really want to talk about it. You were right when you said I'm a fantastic actress, it hurts way more than I let on, but I try to cover it up the best I can because no one needs to know."
Mentioning her outburst made Jade feel horrible. Memories flooded back of how awful she was, and she instantly wanted to crawl in a hole and die. "Tori, I'm sorry again for all of that. I don't think you'll ever know how sorry I am for doing that in front of everyone, especially your family."
"It's fine Jade, really. You're wasting gas just sitting here you know."
Jade had such a strong urge to kiss Tori at that moment that she had to bite her lip so hard it bled a little in her mouth. She put the car in reverse and backed out of the parking lot in the direction of Tori's place, swallowing blood as she set out. They arrived about fifteen minutes later, and Jade turned the car off in the driveway.
"Don't want to waste any more gas."
"Well aren't we a comedian?" Tori retorted, unbuckling her seatbelt.
"I have my moments I guess."
"Thanks for today. It really meant a lot to me, Jade."
"Well just think of how much it meant to you and it meant twice that to me, I promise."
Tori smiled and leaned over, bringing Jade into another hug. She nudged into her neck a little, feeling at home breathing in Jade's scent. She pulled back just slightly, planting a soft kiss on Jade's cheek. Jade sucked in a deep breath but didn't move, and Tori smiled as she got out of the car. She walked around the driver's side and stuck her head in the window, looking Jade square in the eye.
"Call me, yeah?"
"Y-Yeah" Jade stuttered, fumbling the keys whilst trying to restart the engine.
Tori turned around and giggled to herself as she headed for the front door, shaking her hips very pointedly for the woman she knew was watching.