Tori slept really restlessly. She kicked and turned and rolled over, making it so Jade couldn't sleep. She concentrated on the faint sound of wind whistling through the windowsill, making music out of it. The moon was full and it cast a lot of light. Tori curled up into a ball against Jade's chest, chirping out noises of unrest. Jade stroked her hair softly and a rhythmic motion, hoping it would calm her down. After a few hours she finally lay still, and Jade hoped she would get a little bit of rest before school.
Eventually the sun started rising. Beams of light coated the tree tops and the little pieces of rock in the cement gleaned brightly. Jade wiggled out of bed carefully and grabbed her purse, pulling out a travel tube of headache relief pills. She procured two of them and returned the tube and purse, getting up to fetch some water. Mrs. Vega was already awake and had a pot of coffee brewing.
"Morning Jade."
"Hey Mrs. V. I know I should have asked before I stayed but Tori wouldn't let me get up."
"What happened?" She looked concerned.
"The whole divorce thing shook her really hard. I got a phone call saying she needed me so I dropped everything and ran."
"Oh no." Mrs. Vega put down her coffee and ran her hands over her hair, stopping with them wrapped around the back of her neck.
"I don't understand." Jade said, looking confused.
"I hadn't told her yet. The papers just got signed yesterday, and they were on my bed along with an old box of mementos. She must've seen them."
"Ouch."
"I was really hoping to get David over here and talk to both of them at the same time about it."
"Well that cat's out of the bag I guess. Does Trina know?"
"Not unless Tori told her, which I doubt."
"You could still have the talk. In fact, it would probably be a good idea."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right."
Jade walked to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water out. "I'm taking this up for Tori. She had a rough night and I know she's gonna have a headache from hell."
"Thank you so much Jade. I really appreciate you being here for her."
"Nowhere else I'd rather be." She smiled politely and headed back upstairs.
Tori was still sleeping, breathing deep at regular intervals. Jade placed the pills and water on her table and looked for a piece of paper. She scribbled a quick note saying she'd gone home to shower and change for school, and that she would be back to pick her up. The room was quiet and Jade couldn't help but sit on the edge of the bed and watch Tori sleep. She looked peaceful finally, and the innocence in her face broke Jade's heart a bit. She knew when Tori woke up it would start all over, and wishing it would go away wouldn't help.
Mrs. Vega looked up from the counter when Jade reappeared.
"I'm gonna go home and get ready for school. I left Tori a note saying I'd be back to pick her up if she wants to go."
"Okay. Thanks again."
"Anytime."
The West house was calm and utterly the same. Jade's parents were sleeping so she slipped in quietly and headed for her room. It took about a half hour to get ready with hair and makeup, and afterward she picked up her room a bit. When it was sufficiently clean the thought of Tori waking up consumed her brain and she headed back to the car, stopping for a bagel in the kitchen. She tore the last piece of bagel apart with her teeth as she walked up to the Vega's front door, knocking softly.
Trina answered the door and scoffed at the site of her, stepping back inside without saying anything. Jade smiled and walked in behind her, nodding at Mrs. Vega.
"Has she woken up?"
"I don't think so hon, you can go check."
The door to Tori's room was closed over, and Jade pushed it open slowly to peek inside. The room was still dark so she figured Tori was still sleeping, walking in quietly to her side of the bed. She knelt down next to the table and tucked Tori's hair behind her ear, smiling sweetly when she opened her eyes.
"Hi."
"Hey sleepy. How do you feel?"
"Like I got hit with a baseball bat."
"I have some Aleve and water here for you."
Tori lifted her head and look at the table, spotting the items. "You're the best."
"I try. I came back to see if you wanted to go to school. I'll give you a ride or you can take the day off."
"No it's fine, I'll go."
"Well you better move it along, we only have a half hour until the bell."
Jade sat on the bed while Tori got up and headed for the bathroom. There wasn't enough time to shower so she just splashed some water on her face and got dressed, then put on a little eyeliner and lip gloss. The smells from downstairs made her stomach growl and Jade laughed at the noise, like a newborn puppy trying to growl like its dad.
"You should probably grab some food on the way out."
"Yeah. I'm gonna take these and probably make some toast or something." She grabbed the two pills and swallowed them down with water, finishing the whole bottle in one go.
"Takes a lot out of you, doesn't it?"
"It really does."
They smiled at each other and Tori grabbed her stuff, following Jade through the door and downstairs. Trina had left and Mrs. Vega was in the kitchen cleaning up from breakfast. There were two plates on the table with eggs and bacon, and Jade felt elated at the sight.
"Come eat, girls."
"Thanks Mrs. Vega, I appreciate it." She really did.
"Thanks mom."
"You're welcome."
The food was welcome in both of their stomachs. Tori had a really high-strung night that depleted all of her energy and Jade had eaten a dry bagel with no water that was just kind of sitting there. They finished quickly and slugged orange juice like they hadn't drank in days. Mrs. Vega came over and cleared the plates from the table, promptly getting them into the dishwasher.
"Alright mom, I'm gonna head to school."
"Kay baby, have a good day."
She walked over and wrapped her mom up in a hug, squeezing her tighter than she ever had before. Mrs. West looked over her shoulder at Jade. They made eye contact and Jade smiled weakly, understanding the position she was in.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
School was positively bustling. Dozens of students chatted excitedly about the night's activities. Who was going with whom, who was getting the longest stretch limo to party in. Groups clung to each other in all different parts of the hallways, comparing dress descriptions and suit colors. Tori's eyes flickered from one poster to the next. Multicolored paper with flashy text announcing the time of the dance. There was no king and queen, as most students didn't believe in the popularity contest at Hollywood Arts like they did in public schools. Tori was glad to hear about that. Too many girls had been devastated to lose or done dangerous things to win, and it was a bad thing to perpetuate.
Jade finished up at her locker about the same time Tori did. They walked to each other and Tori wrapped her up in a big hug, feeling the patterns of the last couple of days wash over in a sense of deja vu. Jade hummed softly in Tori's ear, twisting her hips from side to side to make them rock. Tori closed her eyes and escaped for a minute, enjoying the sense of security and warmth. The warning bell rang so they grudgingly separated, kissing slowly before heading off to class.
The hours dragged by painfully slowly. Tori couldn't concentrate on anything, and she constantly caught herself staring out the window. A few times she was scolded by her R&B Vocals teacher for not paying attention, but she couldn't bring herself to get the normal immersion into the lesson. Andre watched her carefully out of the corner of his eye, finally leaning over to whisper.
"What's the matter?"
"Nothing. It's too complicated to talk about in school."
"You and Jade okay?"
"Yeah we're fine, I'll tell you about it when you come over."
"About that. My date's back on, I didn't find out til real late and I didn't want to bug you."
"Oh. Okay, have fun at the dance." She smiled warmly but felt a little betrayed inside. It was childish to be upset since she wanted Andre to be happy, but they had planned on being the dynamic dateless duo, and now she was but one.
"Thanks Tor. We'll hang this weekend for sure."
Time continued to drag. Tori fell asleep for about twenty minutes in her Science class with her head down. She normally did really well in that class so her teacher wasn't very upset about it. The lines on her face from her sleeves itched a little when she woke up and she rubbed her hands on her cheeks gently. The lunch bell finally rang and the other kids sprang up, still full of energy and excitement. Tori got up gradually and slunked her way to the door.
"Miss Vega, can I have a word?"
"Yea. What's up?"
"You tell me. Anything wrong?"
"No, I just didn't get any sleep last night. I kept tossing and turning and it was really frustrating."
"Okay. You've always been a star student and you seem a little down and out today so I just wanted to check and see if there was anything I could help with."
Tori smiled at the sentiment from her teacher. It was nice to know the adults that said they cared actually did. "I appreciate that. I'm fine though, but if there's anything that comes up I'll let you know."
"Alright then. You're dismissed."
Tori headed to Sikowitz' room instead of getting something to eat. She wasn't very hungry, she just wanted Jade. Beck and Cat were there, eating pizza and talking away. Tori took her seat and Andre came in about the same time, but there was no sign of Jade.
"You guys seen Jade?"
"She got a text and said she had to leave. It was odd."
"Did she say she would be back?"
"Nope. It's weird though, she got a text the night we went to the movies and practically jumped out of the car to make a phone call."
"Then yesterday she left from the hot tub with her phone." Tori added, thinking.
"And now this? Something's up." Beck looked at Tori and shrugged his shoulders.
Jade had been ducking out making phone calls and secret texts for the last couple of days. What for? Tori sat back in her seat and chewed on her thumb, thinking about what could possibly be going on. Jade didn't really hang out with anyone other than the group, so she was pretty sure it wasn't her sneaking off with someone. But what else could it be?
"I don't know. I trust her though, so whatever it is it's her business."
"You're a good girlfriend, Tor." Beck smiled at her.
The Slap didn't give up any information when Tori checked it, hoping maybe Jade would have left a clue to what she was doing. But no, nothing was there. She looked at everyone's pages just for something to do, making random comments on stuff to fill up the time. The bell rang and she got up robotically, heading to Screenwriting without Jade.
About ten minutes into class Jade came flying through the door, panting hard.
"Sorry I'm late."
"Thank you for gracing us with your presence, Miss West."
Tori watched as Jade sat down and caught her breath, grabbing a notebook and pen from her bag. She didn't look back or try to signal her in any way, which made Tori kind of suspicious. Class went as usual and Tori took detailed notes to distract herself from her nagging thoughts. Occasionally she would see Jade turn her head just slightly so maybe she could see behind her, but they never made eye contact. They were given an assignment to read a screenplay and fix the mistakes in it that would be catastrophic from a Directorial point of view. Tori wrote down the title and stuffed her books away when the bell rang.
Sikowitz was sitting on the step in his classroom eating a bowl of tomato soup with oyster crackers when everyone filed in. He didn't look up from his bowl when they sat down, or when they started whispering about what he was doing. This went on for about ten minutes until he finished his soup, setting the bowl down next to him and picking up his coconut. He sipped on it gingerly and swayed back and forth, humming a little tune to himself.
"Uh, Sikowitz? What's goin' on?" Beck asked, watching with one eyebrow cocked.
He didn't move or even acknowledge they were there.
"Sikowitz? Are you having an aneurism or something?"
Robbie got up and walked over to him, sticking his face right up to Sikowitz'. Still, nothing, Eventually the other kids in the room just started talking about Prom again. Some took out their phones and texted people, others compared notes for other classes. Everyone got comfortable just hanging out and waiting for the bell, until Sikowitz stood up and faced the class like he was going to speak.
"Now class," he started, "that was a display of what we call 'zoning.'"
"What's that?" Tori asked.
"It's the ability to live in your own world despite what is going on around you. It comes in handy for actors particularly when one or more persons in a scene keep messing up, throwing off the atmosphere. If you aren't learned in zoning, when that happens you'll end up falling out of character and then everyone has to take five while they gather themselves. If you can control your own situation and learn to live in your character's world, you can tune out what happens around you and stick to the scene."
Everyone shook their heads in acceptance of this information.
"I have a behind the scenes video of the filming of an episode of Family Matters where Mr. Reginald VelJohnson shows remarkable zoning techniques. We're going to watch this and that will take the rest of our time for today."
Sikowitz popped the tape in and they watched, laughing at Urkel's hijinks. When the bell rang the scene wasn't quite over and the group stayed to watch the end, soaking up the information about the technique for future use.
Study Hall was the same as ever and it flew by quickly. Jade had snuggled in next to Tori and laid her head on her shoulder for most of the hour. Tori figured now wasn't the best time to inquire about what was going on with the phone calls, especially since Jade had to work right after school and she wouldn't be able to see her until the next afternoon. They instead sat in silence and flipped through a magazine together, laughing at goofy dresses and haircuts.
When it came time for school to end Tori was sad to see Jade go. They hugged for a long moment as they had that morning, and Tori wouldn't let go of Jade's belt loops.
"I'm sorry Tor, you know I'd love to stay with you."
"I know." she drawled. "Well, have a good day. Stay warm. I might come see you or something."
"If you do text me first so I can tell you if it's not too busy."
"Okay. Love you."
"Love you."
Jade headed straight to the stand instead of going home first. She parked and headed across the street to the store and grabbed a premade deli sandwich from the freezer and a bottle of Dr. Pepper. The same man was working from the other morning and he greeted her just as chipper.
"Hello darlin', good to see ya again."
"You too."
"How's it workin' at the coffee stand? You get cold out there?"
"Sometimes. The building blocks the wind though so it's not too bad."
"That's good."
Jade handed over the cash and received her change, stuffing it in her pocket at random. "Thanks, Bobby."
The man looked down at his nametag and smiled. "You got it, miss."
Jade walked in through the side door and saw Jenae playing a game with a little boy.
"Hey Jade, this is Dom."
"Hey Dom, nice sneakers."
"Thanks." He smiled wide and Jade could see he was missing a tooth.
"We're playing War."
"I like that one" Jade said, unwrapping her sandwich and setting it on the back counter. The sandwich had pepperoni, ham and swiss cheese on rye with a little bit of mayo. The energy was welcomed since eating in the morning actually makes you hungrier during the day, and if you don't continue by eating lunch you get tired. Three o'clock hit and the first customers of her shift came not long after, so she put her food down and began working.
"Hey Jade, you get everything set up?"
"Yep. It's all good to go. Just hoping I have enough time."
"I'll try my best, hon."
"Thanks."
A lot of times after she would help someone Jade liked to stand at the counter and watch the people scurrying about their day. You could see a lot of patterns in nature if you really paid attention to what you were looking at. Seeing the same people walk by at the same time on the same days. Dogs that stop and sniff the same trees on their walks. Kids playing the same game at the park day by day. It was both sad and refreshing to know that while people starved and died in wars overseas in the underdeveloped countries, life went by completely oblivious to it here.
Jade wondered occasionally what it would be like to get out. Go to another country. See some real culture, real struggling by people that don't know anything different. It seemed crass to want to go see something like that just to return to her normal life in comfy California, but the urge to do something never really subsided. Maybe she could be some kind of aid worker in the future. Start her career and hopefully make a good salary. Put money away and then sometime take a long vacation and go to a country in need to help build wells or deliver vaccinations.
"Hey Jade, wanna play with me?" Dom asked from behind her, breaking her concentration.
"Sure little man, if your mama wants to take the window."
"No problem."
Jade sat down in her seat and Dom shuffled the cards, dropping a few but picking them back up and trying again. He set them up for a game of Go Fish and Jade smiled at his innocence.
"Do you have...a FOUR?" He yelled out the number.
"Go fish buddy." Jade said.
They went back and forth until Jade only had one card left and Dom had three. Jade played it conservatively, letting him win in the end by fibbing about what card she had. She dropped it face down on the pile Dom threw his arms up in victory, so Jade gathered the cards up quickly before he could discover her indiscretion. She looked over her shoulder at Jenae who was smiling at them, clearly elated that her new favorite employee and her favorite person in the whole world were getting along so well.
"Okay Dom, we gotta be at the school at six and it takes about an hour and half to get there around this time with the traffic, so we need to go."
"Oh man!" he cried, stomping to the bathroom to grab his jacket.
"You'll be okay?" Jenae asked, throwing her own around her shoulders.
"Yeah, I'm all set."
"Okay. You have my number in case you need to get a hold of me, and Paul's number is on the clipboard right there." She pointed to the spot of the wall with the whiteboard and clipboard full of papers and numbers. "If you need something quick it's better to call him since he's closer."
Dom came out and zipped his coat up, looking up at his mom.
"You go make sure you get signed up buddy, I want to come watch one of your games sometime."
"Really? That would be awesome!"
"Thanks Jade, I'll be back as soon as I can to help you out with that thing."
"Drive safe, don't do anything crazy just for me."
Jenae and Dom headed out and Jade kicked back in her chair, putting her arms above her head. It was peaceful and not too cold, so it wasn't really all that bad. She would rather have been with Tori of course. Not necessarily at the dance, since that wasn't Jade's thing, but she could handle pretty much anything with Tori there, especially when she was excited.
The day went on and customers came and went. Coffee here, espresso there. Some candy for the kids. One of Jade's favorite thing about the job was getting to see so many different people throughout the day. Hollywood's proverbial smorgasbord of race and religion, style and flair. Caffeine was truly a universal thing. Tea, cappuccino, espresso, whatever type or flavor you could want, and the selection really brought in a diverse crowd. The location was convenient as well, with the park behind them and the store across the street, as well as the bank right down the road. Jade stepped up to the window again and leaned forward on her arms, watching the people around her continue to live and thrive in their environment.
Tori got in the car and started for home, realizing she had nothing to do. The thought of going home and sitting on the couch by herself wasn't that great, especially since everyone else was going to be having the time of their lives that night with the dance and the parties. She figured if she was going to be a homebody, she might as well have something to do. The public library was really big and had a ton of books, so Tori decided to go there and see if she might be able to find something interesting to keep her occupied for the night.
The large glass doors of the Library led into a wide-open checkout area with multiple lanes and barcode detectors. There were a few older women at the checkout lanes scanning books, and the far lane had a younger woman sorting through returns. The bathrooms and drinking fountains were straight ahead to the right, and past that was a coffee bar and reading area. The other side contained the Fiction section, which was the meat of the Library and where most people congregated. There was a large row of computers against one wall with a large glass window to see outside. The other side was rows of books with sturdy wooden tables at the end for researching and whatnot.
The magazine section was a big glass room with doors located in the middle of the bottom floor. It was a quiet room, meaning you weren't allowed to ask people for recommendations or discuss anything in there. Downstairs was the kids' section. They had a reading room where kids could gather for storytime at a certain time every day, and off of that was a Teen section, complete with bean bags and the like. Upstairs was a lot of reading space. Elegant black leather seats and glass tables spanned from one side to the other. Tori saw the sign for the Microfilm area and made a note to maybe check that out when she was done.
She headed for the Fiction section and started browsing at a random spot. After a few minutes her neck hurt from craning it to the side to check book titles. She rubbed it with her left hand and rolled her head back and forth, hoping to not get a headache. The search went on for about ten minutes until the title of one book caught her eye. 'Tomorrow When The War Began' by John Marsden. Tori picked up the book and read the synopsis. It sounded intriguing. Normally she didn't care for war type stuff, but since the story centered on teenagers it probably wouldn't be that tactically-inclined. She walked away satisfied with her choice and headed up to a counter with no line, smiling at the clerk.
"Good afternoon young lady."
"Hi."
"Just the one for you today?"
"Yes please."
"I'll take your card."
Tori handed her Library card over and the woman scanned it, then handed it back a second later.
"You're all set." She opened the book and stamped it, then slid the receipt into the front. "The book's due back next Saturday by eleven."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, dear."
Tori drove home and headed inside, grabbing some water from the fridge and a bag of Funions to start her reading session. She plopped down on the living room couch and laid back, opening to the first page. Reading about rural life another country made her think about what it would be like to get out of the city. How people raise animals and grow crops. The whole idea of being self-sufficient was foreign to her living in the middle of one of the busiest places in the world. As she read on the idea intrigued her more and more, solidifying her choice in the book.
Each hour ticked by and Tori got more invested the story, constantly wanting to find out what was going to happen to the characters next. She was leaning towards a favorite of the main character since she was a strong woman. A normal girl, just like Tori, that had been thrown into something crazy. She didn't buckle under the pressure though. Instead she rose to the challenge and persevered. But the fact that she also still thought about love and had relationship turmoil in her head showed that she was still a teenager, and the dynamic made Tori like her a lot.
About half way through the book Mrs. Vega came through the front door. She wasn't dressed in her work suit, but in normal clothes. She waved to Tori but didn't stay to talk, seeing that she was reading. Tori waved back and watched her head upstairs. She got back into the book and she was just reading about how the group was planting seeds at their campsite when her phone buzzed. It was a text from Jade.
I want to see you when I get out, so don't fall asleep! Please?
Tori smiled and opened a reply, careful not to lose her spot in the story.
Of course. I'm reading a good book so I'll be awake when you get here.
The story continued and Tori couldn't help but thinking again about what it would be like to actually be one of them. The stress of inner city living replaced with the hard, back-breaking work of farming families. Raising your own meat, harvesting crops. Getting milk straight from the Cow and eggs straight from the Chicken. She was sure that it all sounded good now, but being in the situation would be something totally different. If given the chance she would like to see how it is for a while, but have the option to come back to her normal life.
The hours wore on and her stomach rumbled for food, but the story was too good and Tori ignored it. The sun was still there but low in the sky. Her natural light would be gone soon so she got up and turned the lights on, returning to her spot. There was a new plan in the book that made her excited, and she got a little annoyed when her phone went off again.
Get dressed if you aren't, I'll be there in a few minutes. -Jade
Tori checked the time, it was only...nine fifteen. Time flies when you're invested in something. She got up and ran upstairs to freshen up. While she was brushing her teeth, it occurred to her that Jade wasn't supposed to get out of work until ten, but it was only nine. She figured Jenae had let her off early for being cool about the whole dance thing. The clothes she had on were sort of wrinkled from laying on the couch so she changed shirts, putting on a snug blue Airheads t-shirt with tongues all over it and changed her jeans. She sprayed some fresh perfume on and headed back downstairs to wait for Jade.
The book was calling her name so Tori sat up in the same spot, getting back into it a bit until Jade knocked on the door.
"Come in!" she yelled, not getting up.
Jade walked in and stood by the door. "Get up skinny, we have to be somewhere."
"We do?" Tori asked questioningly, putting the book back down.
"Yes, we do. But we gotta go so let's go."
Tori ran upstairs and told her mom she was heading out and grabbed her jacket. Jade was still waiting by the door, smiling and kissing Tori lightly as she walked past. They got in the car and Jade turned the music back on, eyes on the road.
"Jade where are we-"
"Hush, we'll be there soon."
"If you say so."
Tori watched out the window as the sunset started throwing colors across the sky once more. A few bright pinks and purples towards the top with some burnt oranges and browns towards the bottom. They drove on and on and Tori tried to think of where they could be going, but she was clueless. They passed some familiar places and she kept track of them, trying to make a mental map in her head of what was around. Eventually they came to a light and Tori noticed the boardwalk where they'd had their first electrifying kiss. She thought maybe Jade was taking her there but she turned right, going alongside it instead of to it. They drove for a couple minutes and Jade turned into a driveway, parking the car and turning the key off.
"Where are we?"
"Wait here for two minutes."
Jade got out and ran around the back side of the house. Tori thought hard about the day they had went back down to the boardwalk and Jade showed her pictures. She remembered her talking about her cousin, and then she remembered the house. They were at Kait's house. It made sense since Jade had told her Kait and her parents were coming back for Christmas. But why were they there now? Jade came around the corner and waved for Tori to follow her, so she got out and locked the doors.
She followed Jade around the side and up to a back deck. The stairs creaked slightly and when she reached the back-door area, she was speechless. The view of the ocean not even twenty yards away with birds swooping low and the sun shining brilliantly. The waves lapped at the shore in a continuous pattern, soft and slow.
"Come on." Jade said from behind her.
Tori turned around and headed inside the house after Jade. She immediately smelled something cooking and it made her mouth water. The house was beautiful. High ceilings and an open floor plan with pearl white tile flooring that was seamless. The lights were dimmed and the dining room table was set up for a dinner date. There was an intricate tablecloth draped over the dark mahogany table, hanging elegantly at the sides. Candles flickered and the lights bounced off the china set up in their places.
"Oh, I almost forgot" Jade said, running back outside. She came back a minute later with a brown paper bag and pulled a bottle of wine out of it. She set the wine on the table and headed into the kitchen to check on her meal. "Sit."
Tori sat in a seat and watched Jade work. She pulled a pot out of the oven and shut it off, followed by another pot and set them both on the stove. She closed the door and brought both pots to the table and set them on hot pads. Tori realized she had made spaghetti and meatballs, and it was in the oven staying warm until they got there. She couldn't do anything but stare open-mouthed at her girlfriend as she finished getting everything set up and uncorked the wine bottle. Jade poured out two glasses and then sat down in her own seat finally, smiling over at Tori.
"Jade..."
"Hey now. It's my fault you couldn't go to the dance. I know how much you wanted to go and you're too stubborn to go without me, so I figured I would do something nice for you."
"It's not your fault we couldn't go, it's your parent's fault."
"Well either way, it's because of my life that you were robbed of that experience so I wanted to make it right."
Jade reached across the table with an open hand, and Tori lifted hers up to hold it. "Jade, this is amazing. I can't even imagine how you pulled this off."
"Well, it was a bit of work. I got a message from Kait at the movies with Beck. When I realized they were coming home for Christmas, I figured they must be staying somewhere, so I asked her if they still owned this place. She said they did, and I got this idea. I called my uncle and asked him when they were going to turn the power on, and he said it wouldn't be until they came in December. So I asked if he could turn it on now and I would pay him for it. He asked why and when I told him my idea, he said it was really nice and romantic, so he would cover it."
"So that's what the phone calls and stuff were then." Tori was relieved it all made sense.
"Yeah. When I took my phone away at Cat's house it was my uncle telling me the power was on. When I left school at lunch today and got back late, I was getting stuff from the store and setting up here. I talked to Jenae about it and she said she would try to get back as fast as possible to give me time to cook and go pick you up before it got late and you fell asleep."
Tori sat in amazement. "I can't believe you did all this for me."
"Well you deserve it with everything that's been going on."
"Me? What about you? In the past day alone, you dropped everything to come to me when I said I needed you. Then you stayed the night with me and didn't get a wink of sleep cause I beat the hell of you, then you got up early and grabbed me water and headache medicine, brought me to school, went to work, came here and cooked and then came back to get me?"
"I guess when you put it all together it sounds good but it wasn't that spectacular."
"Well I for one am thoroughly impressed by this. I'm also starving, so let's eat."
They dug in and ate quickly. Tori savored the taste of the sauce. It was rich and full, and it coated her stomach in the best way. The meatballs were perfectly spiced and she speared one with her fork, biting off half of it and moaning her appreciation audibly.
"Do you like it?" Jade asked, looking a little nervous.
Tori couldn't believe she was actually nervous. Jade was one of the most confident people she'd ever known, but right now, in this moment, she was like a scared little kid waiting for praise from a teacher or parent.
"Jade, this is amazing. This food, this plan. You. I still don't even believe I deserve you."
"Well I think we deserve each other." Jade said plainly.
Tori took a drink of her wine. "This is pretty good. Where'd you get it?"
"Baba."
"Baba? Who's that?"
Jade smiled as she twirled some spaghetti around her fork. "Just a guy I know."
"You know some shady back alley guy that buys you alcohol? Why am I not surprised?"
They both laughed and kept eating until they had their fill. Tori finished her glass and Jade stood up to pour them each another.
"You tryin' to get me drunk little lady?"
"Trying? More like succeeding." Jade looked past Tori out the patio door. "Come with me."
They walked out onto the back patio as the stars started coming out across the sky. The purples and pinks from the sunset blended with the night sky and faded like a gradient. Jade walked over to the other side of the porch where her PearPod dock was plugged in. She searched for a song and started it. It was slow and sweet, almost melancholy. The sound of the waves complimented the song perfectly, and Tori felt like she could lose herself out there for hours. Jade checked her watch and stepped forward, holding her arm out to Tori.
"Right about now is the last dance at the Prom. So Tori," Jade bit her lip a little and smiled, "do you wanna dance with me?"
Tori teared up instantly and shook her head yes. Jade stepped forward and they embraced each other, fitting together as well as they always had. The song played and they swayed side to side gently, consuming each other emotionally. Tori spilled tears onto Jade's neck and gripped her tight, thankful for someone that made her feel whole in these times. Jade teared up herself, realizing how much she had grown over the past few weeks alone. She'd gone from the brooding, narcissistic introvert to a slowly blossoming flower, able to care for someone else as much as she had always secretly wanted to.
The nostalgic smell of the salt in the air and the stars shining above reflected the passion in both of them. The push and pull of the tide played to each of them individually, how they pushed and pulled each other to get to where they were in that very moment. Tori lifted her head and opened her wet, shining eyes. She stared right into Jade's electric blue pools, almost able to see the reflection of the tide in them. The energy in that moment could have been enough to power the entire city, and when it spilled over, they embraced. Lips moving, tongues tapping and fingers raking over skin. If the first kiss they had was passionate she wasn't sure how to describe this one. All they both knew in that moment was that the stress of their everyday lives was gone for now, and they were together. The people at the dance could have their fun in their limo rides and their after parties, but Tori and Jade were both exactly where they wanted to be.
"You ready to go inside?"
"Yeah, I think so."
Jade led the way and Tori walked beside her hand in hand.