The wind picked up and bit at Tori's skin. She wrapped her jacket tighter around her shoulders as she crouched behind a low bearing wall, waiting for a car to come by. She had dispensed a homemade version of a spike strip in a quiet neighborhood a couple blocks down from her house. Scrap shingles from a roofing job littered a dumpster behind a construction business and just begged to be put to use. Nails stuck up from a lot of them, and since they were black they blended into the road with the absence of the sun. It was 2033 and even though technology had changed pretty much everything, some things were best done the old-fashioned way. It wasn't too bad, since any car that was damaged in that particular neighborhood would be fixed the next day. Rich people always had the means to stay on top of life, monetarily at least. The house she was waiting in the yard of had three cars in the driveway, and probably more in the garage. Small time damage was all in good fun as long as it was done to people that could afford to take the hit without breaking.
If any of Tori's classmates saw her now, they would probably think she was on drugs. Her normally happy and carefree demeanor in school would lead them to think that any kind of irrational behavior from her could only be brought on by some altered state, and when the moment she was waiting for finally came with a loud pop, she imagined the feeling that washed over her was probably similar. The car skidded to a halt and knicked the stop sign on the corner, knocking it sideways but not completely tipping it. The woman behind the wheel turned the dome light on and immediately pulled out her phone, her hand over her heart. She got out and surveyed the damage of the tires quickly, her eyes narrowing with anger when she spotted the disposed shingles. Tori moved from one side of the wall to the other, scurrying to a tree so she could get a closer look. Three of the four tires were punctured and the hissing sound of air escaping filled the space between them. The woman voiced her acknowledgment that a tow truck was on the way, which meant that it was time to flee the scene.
Not even a block away, the feeling that coursed through Tori's veins disappeared almost as quickly as it came, and she was once again left feeling empty.
A couple days later the usual suspects gathered around Tori's locker before their first class. Andre made his way up first, headphones on as he bobbed and weaved between students in a musical way. Cat was next, nearly running into the row of lockers in front of her since her head was buried in a Sky Mall magazine, and Robbie made his way close behind her as he always did. Last but not least Beck and Jade burst through the front doors in brisk step, clearly annoyed with one another. Jade leaned up against her own locker and watched people walk by for a few minutes, then took off to class without saying anything to anyone. Beck shook his head, defeated and looking worse for wear. Tori knew they argued a lot, but she had never seen them split like that without so much as a goodbye.
"What's going on Beck?" asked Tori.
"Ah, it's nothing" said Beck. "Just Jade being Jade I guess." He ran his fingers through his hair and blew out a deep breath.
"Anything I can do to help?" asked Tori.
"I don't think so. I think Jade probably just needs some time to cool off like she usually does. At least I hope so. I don't know."
Beck put a hand on Tori's shoulder and squeezed, then brushed past her without another word on his way to class. Andre and Cat were looking through the magazine, Cat clearly overexcited about some small gadget that Andre didn't look to think was very practical. Robbie was arguing with Rex, as per usual, and it looked like Robbie was losing, which was also to be expected. How someone could lose an argument to their own puppet was something Tori never really understood. She didn't make a thing out of it though, live and let live and all that. The bell rang above head and they headed out to Sikowitz' class together.
In the classroom the first thing Tori noticed was Beck and Jade were sat on opposite sides of the room instead of next to each other like they always were. She wondered if that was a mutual decision or if Jade made Beck move when he sat down. Either way, the tension in the room was palpable and that meant their group was going to be unstable again until they worked whatever issues they were having out. Everyone found their seats and waited for Sikowitz to show up, and when he finally did, he was dressed head to toe in a Shakespearean era costume. Tori couldn't help but shake her head with a smile at how ridiculous he looked, but the smile quickly faded when it dawned on her that he was probably going to announce some kind of project to do with Shakespeare. Probably Romeo & Juliet, that's what everyone ended up doing. Sikowitz sat his coconut on the floor and made his way to the front of the class, clapped his hands loudly and chuckled at the startled eyes of the student in front of him.
"Today children," his voice boomed over them loudly, "we are going to start preparations for the Hollywood Arts production of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Now-"
"Come on old man," Jade interrupted angrily, "it's 2033. Shakespeare is so blasé. Let us do something fun like Blue is the Warmest Color."
Sikowitz looked pensive for a moment and then nodded his head slightly. "All right then Jade, think you can put something together by the end of the week?"
Jade's eyebrows raked her forehead in surprise. "Y-Yeah, I'm sure I could-"
"Doesn't matter, Hamlet it is."
Sikowitz smiled and Jade glared at him with her finest death stare, secretly relieved that no one seemed to take notice of the film she named. Tori stifled a laugh but not well enough, and Jade switched her glare to her. Their eyes met and locked in a fierce embrace, neither of them wavering for want of being the stronger one. Tori raised an eyebrow and Jade scowled even further, the emotion pouring from her electric blue eyes was almost sexual in nature. Tori felt a dull thud between her thighs and broke the stare, flicking her eyes back for just a fraction of a second to the smile spreading over Jade's pouty lips. She felt a burning sensation in her stomach that she wasn't sure came from letting Jade win or from the tingling she was finding increasingly hard to ignore. Sikowitz kept talking in the background but everything other than her own heartbeat and breath was just muffled noise. Andre seemed to have caught on and was watching her out of the corner of his eye so she cleared her throat and sat up a little straighter.
The rest of the class was a blur and Tori didn't catch much of what happened. On the way out she listened in on Cat and Robbie talking about what they were going to do for the show, and she suddenly wondered if Sikowitz had given her a job to do and she just agreed to it on auto pilot.
"So Tori, you just gonna be a stage hand or something?" asked Robbie.
"I, uh, sure" said Tori, scrambling for words. "I guess if I don't have a specific job I can just help out with whatever needs to be done, right?"
"That's the spirit" said Robbie.
"When is the show? I missed the date and I want to write it down." Tori opened her locker and grabbed the marker off the magnetic whiteboard attached to the door.
"Not this Friday but next" said Robbie. "That gives us...eight whole days to prepare."
"Sounds good" said Tori.
The remainder of the school day went pretty quickly. It usually did after getting the first class out of the way, once the sleep was fully rubbed from their eyes. They sat together at lunch as they always did, except this time with Beck next to Andre and Cat and Jade next to Tori and Robbie. It was one thing for Beck and Jade to be separated but it was another entirely for Jade to be next to Tori. Ever since the first incident with Tori and Beck and some spilled beverage, Jade did her best to make Tori's life difficult. The rest of the group didn't really get involved in the weird triangle thing that had developed between the three, but Cat did sometimes mention how the constant fighting and weirdness between them made her feel uncomfortable. Tori felt bad about it but there wasn't really anything she could do, since Jade was the one with all the animosity, and she seemed to make the rules.
Eventually when the final bell rang Tori stuffed her books in her locker since she didn't have any homework and headed for the exit. Trina waited impatiently at the door and looked like it was the biggest inconvenience of her life to have to give her sister a ride home, and the second Tori came into view she pushed the door open and headed for the car. They rode home in silence, the only talking coming from the radio DJ between songs. Tori wondered what it would be like to have someone like Cat as a sister, someone she actually got along with and had something in common with. As it were, she was stuck with Trina, like it or not. The solemn feeling made her frown a little, and upon passing the neighborhood she had stalked the night before and seeing the stop sign still tilted almost to the point of falling, she crossed her arms over her chest and sighed.
Luckily her parents were gone, and as soon as they pulled into the driveway Trina was pushing Tori out of her car so she could leave again.
"Get out spaz, I'm on a schedule" said Trina.
"The more you rush me the slower I'm going to go" said Tori, getting out of the car at the pace of an old injured woman.
"Ugh! Why did I have to be cursed with a sister like you?" asked Trina, reaching over to push her sister the rest of the way out and shut the door herself.
"Oh no Trina, don't go so fast" Tori droned sarcastically, sighing with indifference.
She shook her head and watched as Trina peeled away with her phone glued to her ear. For a split second she wished Trina would just crash her car by trying to talk and drive like a maniac at the same time, but then she remembered that karma would come back to get her and shook the thought from her mind. Inside not a single thing moved or made noise aside from the one wall clock in the living room. Tori tried lying on the couch and closing her eyes but the ticking of the second hand was thunderous in the empty house, reverberating in her head almost enough to cause a headache. After five minutes she gave up and went upstairs and flicked the TV on in her room. What seemed like immediately after she heard a loud bang from downstairs that jarred her, and she realized she'd been asleep for the past two hours. Shortly after the bang a shrill yell carried up the wooden staircase and alerted her to a fresh argument between her parents. Not wanting to get in the middle of it, she got up and found a comfortable pair of boots to put on, deciding on going to the coffee shop down the road. On the way out Mr. Vega stopped her before she could get away clean.
"Tori, have you taken any money from your mothers' purse?" asked Mr. Vega.
"David," started Mrs. Vega, "for God's sake-"
"I know you think I did it, Holly," David interrupted, "but I know that I didn't. Clearly if you really are missing money either one of the girls did it or you just lost it."
"Don't bring me into this" said Tori, an edge of disgust to her voice. "I would never steal from either one of you."
"I know you wouldn't sweetheart" said David.
"Way to butter her up to keep her on your side" said Holly.
"So you take a blind aversion to the kids but you're just so convinced that I'm the bad guy here" said David.
Holly walked briskly from the kitchen to the living room and sat on the couch. David shook his head with his hands on his hips and looked at Tori with a kind of sad desperation.
"I'm going out" said Tori. "I'll be back later."
Jade stalked out of the school and went straight to her car, started it immediately and took off without even setting up any music. The whole day had been a sham from waking to that point, and she would be hard-pressed to take any more shit from anyone without snapping. The last week had been grinding along so slowly that sometimes she wasn't even sure time was still moving forward anymore. There was a day earlier that week where the only indication she had that she hadn't been living in the same moment for over five hours was the feeling of needing to pee. Life was so easy when she was with Beck, and when he was gone it seemed like nothing had order. During those times it was hard to keep a grip on what was real and what wasn't, especially when she wasn't sleeping. Even at sixteen years old, Jade had gotten used to sleeping next to Beck so often that she felt cold without his body heat next to her. With the way things were going, she was going to be cold for a long time.
The driveway at the West house had two cars in it, meaning Jade's parents were already home. Must have been an early day, and she knew how much her parents loved to make the most of an early day. The thought of them cheerily cooking together in the kitchen with the Food Network on in the background about made her gag. She planned on going downstairs to her room as soon as she got in the door, provided her father wasn't watching, waiting to pounce on her as soon as she set foot in the mud room. The sun was a little misleading and when she got out of the car the cool air nipped at her exposed legs all the way to the front entrance. Inside, Mr. West was fully immersed in the chorus of Rocket Man while Mrs. West was chopping something, the sound of the blade hitting the cutting board echoed through the hallway and brought the smell of boiling pasta with it. It was early for dinner so she figured her mother was preparing something, probably her best lasagna dish. Could be worse Jade thought, slipping through the living room to the basement door under cover of her father's vibrato.
Once in the comfort of her room Jade used voice commands to turn her iPod on and play her homework playlist, then changed into something more comfortable. Baggy Adidas sweats and an Under Armor workout shirt that clung to her upper body like a second skin, making her larger-than-normal-for-her-age chest stick out even further. She looked down and smiled to herself, then flopped down on her bed and got started. Her holobook flashed new notifications and a quick check of TheSlap showed that Beck was at Nozu, but it didn't say who with. She was at home sulking about what was going on with them and he was out eating with who knows. Served her right though, knowing that what was happening between them was her fault. A constant nagging suspicion that she was doing something wrong wouldn't leave her alone, and it shone through really strongly whenever she saw a pretty girl. Long hair, slim shoulders, wide hips. Any time a girl smiled at her she secretly wondered if they saw her the way she saw them, and butterflies threatened to eject anything in her stomach into the nearest trash can. She loved Beck, but something about being with him intimately never felt right, and that scared her more than anything.
Two hours later and homework done, the sanctity of Jade's basement hideaway was violated by two smiling adults with platters. Mr. West led the way with Mrs. West close behind, each of them holding trays with assorted finger foods. Jade rolled her eyes and sat up, knowing she would have to oblige them sooner or later or they would never leave.
"What's this?" asked Jade.
"I'm glad you asked" said Mr. West. "I'm inviting my boss over for dinner tonight and your mother and I have put together some appetizers. Try some."
Jade look through the platters until she found pigs in a blanket and grabbed one. A quick bite went down smooth and didn't taste out of the ordinary, so she gave them a thumbs up.
"We'd like for you to join us tonight sweetheart" said Mrs. West.
"Ah, y'know, I'd love to be there, but dinner parties aren't really my thing" said Jade.
Mrs. West smiled kindly. "Well that's all right sweetie, we'll save you a plate in the fridge."
"Thanks mom."
Mr. and Mrs. West filed out with smiles on their faces and Jade rolled her eyes in a mock sense of parental intrusion. With nothing else to do inside the only idea was to get out and get some fresh air, so Jade grabbed a windbreaker and zipped it up to her solar plexus, strapped on some tennis shoes and headed out on foot.
Even though L.A was supposed to be the Shangri-La of the west coast, there really wasn't much to it that you couldn't find elsewhere. The same houses, the same cars, the same sidewalks and roads and trees and parks and restaurants. Of course, some of them were different and a little more upscale than other parts of the country, seeing as Silicon Valley was so close. They got the newest technology first, which meant holoservers and smart taps that would refill your drink at your table. In the beginning the inventors got in a little trouble for leaving some bugs in their code, allowing certain teenagers to trick the taps into giving them alcohol, but they quickly rolled out a fix and killed the wasted dreams of all the rebellious kids in the area. Jade, more often than not, found herself being more interested in the way things were before the internet and robotics. But also more often than not, she seemed to be the only one.
The aimless walk led her to the Bean N Gone she normally stopped at on the way home from school, and she was surprised to find Tori sitting outside by herself. She made her way over to the counter, ordered a large vanilla chai and sat opposite of the brunette beauty.
"Hey Tor" said Jade.
"What?" Tori shot back, arms crossed over her shoulders.
Jade sat back a little. "Something bothering you?"
"Yes Jade," said Tori, speaking like she was phrasing for a toddler, "please tell me how much you care about my personal problems so I'll feel comfortable enough to open up to you. I might even cry a little if you're convincing."
"What crawled up your ass and died?" asked Jade, some of her school personality slipping through.
"Like you care." Tori finished her coffee and threw it in the general direction of the trash can, but it fell short and rolled to the wall. "Why, what's the matter with you? Shouldn't you be killing orphans and drinking goat blood or something?"
"Yeah Tori, I took a break from whipping small children and collecting their tears in vials so I could get a little caffeine boost." Jade shifted in her seat. "Are you like this all the time or have you been saving it all just for me?"
Tori smiled in such a wicked way that it actually set Jade's teeth on edge. "Well look who's full of piss and vinegar. Maybe the school is magic or something and changes us into opposite people while we're there." She wiggled her fingers and made an oooh sound.
"But you're not like this when we hang out as a group" said Jade.
"Neither are you" Tori spat, getting defensive. "Why are you so interested in me all of a sudden? You ignore me the best you can in school and when other people are around because you think I was trying to fuck your boyfriend and you don't want to ruin your image. But now you're here," Tori lifted her arms up and spread them in a wide gesture, "sharing a warm beverage with me on a fine L.A afternoon."
Jade felt her heart rate increase. "You know what, fine. I'm sure we're not going to find any common ground so I won't tell people how horrible you are if you don't tell anyone I tried to be nice to you."
Tori raised one eyebrow and watched Jade get up from the table and disappear. She didn't feel any particular way about the conversation, but she was incredibly aware of the heat growing between her legs as she watched Jade's hips swing back and forth until she was out of sight.
The next day at school Tori noticed that Jade had taken to watching her out of the corner of her eye for most of the day. She caught her a few times and Jade's face turned the slightest shade of pink as she averted her eyes, and Tori couldn't ignore the way her core seemed to tingle every time it happened. Beck seemed to be completely oblivious to the whole thing and basically just kept his eyes on his holophone during the day. Sikowitz entered the room with a piece of pizza hanging from his teeth and both his hands on his holophone, texting rapidly and laughing when he was done. When he looked up and realized the whole class was staring at him, he slowly put his phone in his pocket and took a bite of pizza, standing in front of the class chewing slowly. Andre narrowed his eyes and eventually shook his head.
"What's the deal for today?" asked Robbie.
"Oh right" said Sikowitz. "We're going to break up into teams today and get some work done. Annabelle and Andre you are the leads so I want you together." Sikowitz made a swirl motion with his finger and pointed to the stage. "Robbie you're the coordinator so...coordinate things. Cat, costumes. Sinjin and Burf, A/V. Jade, rehearse your lines as understudy."
He turned to walk away when Tori called out. "What about me?"
"Hmm. Tori Vega. Rehearse lines with Jade. Everyone move out."
Tori and Jade looked at each other nervously, and this time even Cat and Robbie seemed to be watching them. Tori's heart raced and she could tell just by looking at Jade that she was unsure of what was happening. They didn't want to betray each others secret lest their own be cast out, so Jade scowled and Tori smiled as they made their way to the door. Jade pulled the script out of her bag and flipped through a few pages while Tori qiuckly detoured to the front of the room to grab an extra copy, and by the time they were face to face again on the theater stage they both looked a little bit flush. Jade stood up tall and cleared her throat, but the first words that came out were scratchy and she coughed a little. Tori smiled and nodded encouragingly, but that just served to make her even more nervous.
"I'm having a hard time concentrating. Maybe because of all the noise." Jade looked around nervously and swallowed.
"It's okay Jade" said Tori, "we can rehearse after school. Your house?"
Jade looked horrified at the thought of Tori stepping within one hundred feet of her house, but Sikowitz was watching and she figured Jade didn't want him to get involved.
"Sure, that sounds good."
"Okay then" said Tori brightly. "I'll meet you at my locker after school."
Sinjin and Burf were up top working on audio and video while the rest of the team littered the stage. Cat was behind the curtain taking measurements and writing them down while Robbie walked around with a headset and a clipboard, making sure everyone was actively doing something and that no time was wasted. Annabelle and Andre rehearsed lines together on the far side of the stage and Jade was left to fend for herself for the rest of the period while Sikowitz put Tori to work. Her first job was to check all of the stage equipment and make sure it was safe, a job she was okay with doing since she'd done it before and knew what to look for. Everyone scurried around her trying to piece together fabric and shouting out dramatic lines, and it reminded her of why she loved being at a performing arts school. She continued with a smile, until the check of one of the pulley systems revealed a splitting rope. Instead of reporting it, she noted down where it was and made a mental note to think of something she could use it for.
The rest of the day seemed to speed by like a Sunday afternoon with school the following Monday. Before they knew it Tori and Jade were standing face to face again at Tori's locker. Andre and Beck were standing in the middle of the front area by the steps, each with one piece to a set of earphones in, looking down at a sheet of paper. Cat was talking to someone Tori didn't recognize and Robbie sat back watching her. She wondered if Robbie would ever get the courage to actually ask Cat on a date, but that seemed really unlikely. Same could be said for Sinjin and Burf, the two of which barely spoke to anyone but each other and usually stayed home on weekends playing with their holobooks. There seemed to be no more delaying the inevitable so Tori turned to her right and put her game face on.
"So Jade, you ready?" she asked.
"Sure, I'm parked out front" said Jade.
They filed out the front door and into the car wordlessly after that, taking in their surroundings more carefully than they ever would alone or with more people around. Each of them knew they were trying to stay distracted, but neither of them were sure if the other noticed. When they sat next to each other in the car Tori let her arm down on the console, which served as a mutual armrest, and after Jade put the car in drive she did the same, accidentally setting her hand in Tori's.
"I'm sorry" said Jade, blushing very pink very fast.
"It's okay" said Tori, moving her arm excruciatingly slow so her fingers brushed Jade's wrist, "I'll move so you can have it. It's your car."
Jade pursed her lips and tried to concentrate on the road and not on the uncomfortable wetness of her underwear.
When they reached the house there was only one car in the driveway, and Tori saw a little bit of relief flood Jade's face. She wondered what Jade was thinking and why that mattered. Of course, she wouldn't know unless she asked, but the silence was sort of brittle and she didn't want to disturb it at that moment. They pulled up into the empty parking space on the right and as soon as the car shut off, Tori hopped out and sucked in a big breath of fresh air. First thing after opening the front door Jade almost ran face first into her father, jumping backwards and headbutting Tori right in the mouth. Tori felt her lip split open and blood poured into her mouth, so she let it pool up for a second and then opened the door to spit it into the grass.
"Oh my God Tori I'm so sorry" said Jade, holding her hands out but not actually touching her.
"It's okay Jade" said Tori, looking from her to her father. "It was an accident."
"Let me grab you a washcloth" said Mr. West.
They headed inside and Tori went for the bathroom, accepting a dark cloth from Mr. West on the way to help clean herself up. There was a hole in the side of her bottom lip where her tooth had went clean through and blood poured out of it like a tap. She stopped it up with the cloth and held it there for a minute, checking her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were wide and her cheeks were rosy, and she knew that it didn't have anything to do with her injury. A knock on the door startled her back into the present, and she turned around with the cloth still held to her mouth.
"Tori? Are you okay?" asked Jade.
"Yeah, come in" said Tori, a little muffled from the cloth.
Jade walked in slowly and closed the door behind her. "I'm sorry Tor."
"Yeah well, I guess it happens, right?" Tori held the cloth under the faucet of warm water and put it back on her lip. "Besides, it'll heal."
"You don't need stitches or anything do you?" asked Jade.
Tori chuckled. "Nothing that dramatic."
"Okay" said Jade, "well we can head downstairs now if you're still up for it."
"Yeah, let's go."
An hour into rehearsal the girls heard footsteps upstairs and Jade looked up at the ceiling with a bit of a frown. Tori watched her curiously and sat back, wondering what she would do next. Jade seemed to be counting in her head, and finally she held up her right hand and started pulling fingers down until she got to one, and as she looked over at Tori and put the last one down there was a knock at the door. Tori smiled and Jade rolled her eyes in step as she opened it with a distinct lack of grace.
"Yes?" asked Jade.
"I heard you had a friend over" said Mrs. West. "Do you girls need anything? I can make some sandwiches or some mozzarella sticks or something. What about drinks-"
"Mom" Jade interrupted, "we're fine."
"I don't know" said Tori. "Mozzarella sticks sound pretty good."
Jade glared at her and crossed her arms. "Fine, you can bring them down here."
"Good" said Mrs. West, smiling and backing out of the room. "I'll be back down."
Jade huffed out a breath and turned to Tori. "Really?"
"What?" asked Tori. "I'm hungry. And your mom seems nice."
"Well she's not" said Jade. "I mean, she is, but sometimes I wish she would just leave me alone."
Tori felt a flash of heat in her chest, and it wasn't the good kind. "Wow, yeah it must be so terrible having nice parents that check on you and ask you if you need things."
Jade sensed the hostility and got suspicious. "Well what's the matter with your parents? Is your house really that bad?"
"Oh no, it's great" said Tori, getting up off the bed. "I enjoy getting woken up at three in the morning with supposedly grown adults bickering like teenagers."
The atmosphere of the room changed dramatically. Tori wrapped her arms around her midsection and wouldn't make eye contact. Jade felt like she had left the room, at least in her head, and she felt bad for triggering the conversation. The two girls stood in silence for what felt like five minutes, but was probably only thirty seconds. Jade stepped forward and went to put a hand on Tori's shoulder, but Tori turned away and her face looked angry. She didn't look like herself, but sad, and even a little hurt.
"Tori-"
"Stop it Jade" Tori spat, "don't even try to pretend like you know what I'm going through. You're just a wannabe mallgoth with a shitty attitude to show your 'teenage rebellion.' Your house is perfect. Your parents are perfect. You don't have awful siblings to deal with. You have no idea what I go through." She paced back and forth for a second, arms still wrapped around herself. "You're not my friend, so don't act like it. I'm just here to help you rehearse."
"Just because my home life is nice doesn't mean I don't have problems too, Tori" said Jade.
"Yeah I'm sure you do" said Tori. "Must be so psychologically fucking awful having a loving environment."
Jade took a step forward. "I don't know what your house is like, but I can tell you don't like it. Why don't you stay here for a couple days and get away?"
Tori looked angrier than ever. "You don't know anything about me."
"I think you're beautiful." Jade almost shouted it out, her chest heaving from the intensity of the moment.
Tori's face flashed from angry to sad to quizzical back to angry to confused in the space of a second. In the end, it became blank in a way that obviously made Jade uncomfortable by the look on her own face. "Dyke."
Before Jade knew what was happening she cocked back and slapped Tori across the face, hard enough that the thin girl stumbled backwards and caught herself on the wall. The sound echoed in the room and the silence became as thick as cotton. It started getting difficult to breathe. Tori eyed Jade carefully and stepped off the wall, covering the few paces between them in one big step. Jade was breathing hard, her eyes wild and her mouth slightly agape. Her lips quivered, barely enough to be noticeable but enough to drive Tori's senses through the roof. She stepped forward again, putting them so close that their breasts were pressed together, their faces so close their eyes crossed trying to look at each other.
The space between them closed, inch by inch, until their lips pressed together. Once, then again. Tori's heart was pounding so hard she would have sworn Jade's parents could hear it upstairs. Jade put her hands on Tori's hips and Tori put hers on Jade's face, moving her thumbs in a small circular motion over her cheekbones. Jade parted her lips again and Tori took the opportunity to use a little tongue, a move that audibly caught Jade's breath in her throat. After a few seconds they heated up, pressing together more firmly and kissing with fervor, trying to taste each other even more. Jade's legs quivered so much they threatened to buckle and she fought it by taking control, biting Tori's bottom lip. All of a sudden Tori pulled back and Jade tasted blood, remembering the puncture wound she'd sustained earlier.
"I'm so sorry. I just forgot and I didn't mean to hurt you-"
"I've dreamed of kissing you since the day I started Hollywood Arts" Tori interrupted. "I just didn't think it would be like this."
In that moment Jade's mom knocked and came in with a plate of mozzarella sticks, her face changing to worry when she noticed the tension. "What's going on in here?"
Jade thought for a second and after looking between Tori and her mother, she made a decision. "Mom, do you think Tori could stay here? I mean, for a day or two maybe. Her house isn't really-"
"Jade!" Tori shouted, "stop!"
"What about your house sweetheart?" asked Mrs. West. "Is there something you want to tell me? Do I need to call social services?"
"I can't believe you Jade" said Tori, storming out of the basement bedroom. She ran up the stairs and pulled her shoes on as fast as she could, and ducked out the front door before anyone could catch up.
Jade stood on the porch and watched Tori run down the driveway, then disappear around the hedges. She felt terrible since she only wanted to help, but realized after the fact that she shouldn't have said that out loud. She had violated any semblance of trust Tori had in her by saying something, even though she felt it was the right thing to do. It was a tough decision, but Jade stood by telling her mom something was going on. Tori probably wouldn't talk to her anymore and she'd be lucky to not get slapped back when they saw each other again, but at least she would know she tried to help. That wasn't going to help her sleep any better, though.
Four hours had gone by since the scene in Jade's room and Tori still hadn't calmed down. She felt betrayed and angry, not that Jade had said something to her mother, but the fact that her mother seemed so genuinely concerned and loving. Tori was jealous, and the fact that she knew she was jealous made her even more angry. It didn't seem like her life was the way it was supposed to be. She lived in a great neighborhood in a luxurious house, had nice clothes, money to spend and great friends to hang out with. In the movies she would have had awesome parents, ones that didn't fight and that always wanted to talk to her and make sure she was okay and ask about her day. But instead, she had parents that fought constantly and worried more about how they were going to hurt each other rather than how they would help their children. Her father wasn't too bad but her mother made up for both of them, especially when she sucked down a bottle of wine by herself. As the saying goes, looks can be deceiving.
The sun was just starting to fall and the faintest stars shone through the dwindling daylight. There was a chance that one of her parents had left the house but she didn't want to bank on it, since her luck would most likely have her walking into a hornet's nest. Instead she stopped into the 7-11 on the corner a few blocks away from home and decided to make her night more interesting. The clerk smiled as she entered and she smiled back, heading down the home goods isle. She picked up a roll of aluminum foil and circled around the back, grabbing a bottle of cleaner and stuffing it into her jacket. A quick sweep through the beverage isle and then she found her way to the front, sitting a two liter of Coke and the aluminum foil on the counter.
"Would you like any lottery?" asked the clerk.
"No thanks" said Tori, "I'm not old enough."
The woman chuckled and scanned the items. "Could have fooled me."
"I guess I should take that as a compliment at this age." Tori smiled and handed over a ten dollar bill.
The clerk bagged up the items and handed her the bag and her change. "Might as well enjoy it while you can."
Tori waved and headed outside, immediately cutting left to the side of the building. She opened the two liter and took a few drinks, admiring the scenery around her. A dilapidated dumpster that was overflowing like the city forgot to stop there the week before and random milk crates tipped in various positions. After she drank what she wanted Tori poured the rest of the drink out and pulled out the cleaner she had stuffed in her jacket. A few minutes of preparation and she was ready to go. The immediate area was too obvious given her recent purchase on camera, so she walked two blocks west and then one block north, holding the bottle like she had been drinking from it. It was getting darker by the minute and there wasn't much traffic so she wasn't in much danger of getting stopped, but in the off chance that she did there wouldn't be a good way to explain what she was carrying.
Once in a new neighborhood Tori looked around for a target, and eventually spotted a car with its windows down. She looked around the area a bit more and when she was satisfied no one was watching, she scouted an area to hide in for the initial bang. A large hedge grew between two houses a few down from her target, so the idea would be to do a little run-by with her device and then circle back to the hedge, wait it out for a minute and then slip through the backyard undetected. It was dark enough now that movement without being seen was possible so Tori made her way to the car, the final preparations in hand. When she was within spitting distance she completed her design, threw the bottle into the car and ran back to the hedge as fast as she could. The tension in the two minutes it took for the reaction was filled with adrenaline, and her body fed on it like she'd been starving for days. Just as she caught her breath a huge bang sounded, followed by the blaring alarm of the car she'd attacked. The porch light of the house that the car belonged to came on and that was her cue, so with aluminum foil in hand she crouched along the hedge, sneaked through the neighbor's backyard and made her way toward home.
The next several days were tense and especially long, including the weekend. Tori wouldn't even make eye contact with Jade, much less talk to her. Their group dynamic didn't change much since they didn't speak to each other in public anyway, but their masks slipped a little. Tori was increasingly irritable while Jade was nicer than usual, and neither of those things went unnoticed by the others. Andre was watching Tori closely, especially since he was her best friend and knew a bit about what went on at her house. He never said anything of course because he promised her that he wouldn't, but if she was that mean outside of school, how was he even friends with her? There were so many unanswered questions that Jade was dying to know. How bad was it, really? What were her parents like, and what did Trina do to her? It seemed weird that such a pretty girl that was so nice and helpful would really be so bitter on the inside; a product of instability in the home.
Midweek at school meant flyering for the production. Jade and Cat walked up and down the halls plastering flyers on all of the lockers and some on the front doors, since that's where most of the kids hung out between classes. When lunchtime came Jade slapped one on the Grub Truck, and ignored the weird stares from Festus as he sold her a prepackaged ham sandwich. Students started filing out one and made their way to the truck to get food, so she made her way to the table that the group usually sat at. Andre and Robbie were the only ones that were there so she took a seat opposite them and picked at the bread.
"Where is everyone?" asked Jade.
"Cat was putting the rest of her flyers on cars and as far as Beck and Tori go, I'm not sure" said Andre.
"I saw Beck in Sikowitz' class when I passed it from my locker" said Robbie.
Andre finished his first slice of pizza and took a drink. "So what happened with you and Beck anyway? The magic is, uh, gone. At least it seems that way."
"I don't know" said Jade. "I guess people change and you can't really help it."
She took a couple bites of her sandwich while Robbie went on about the production. He kept saying how he wasn't sure he was the right man for the job, running everything. Robbie was always the kind of person to fish for compliments so he could feel validated. Neither Jade nor Andre really paid any attention to it since they were used to his tactics, but instead just let him drone on. Eventually Tori showed up carrying a salad and a bottle of water, and she sat at the table without saying anything. Jade watched her closely without actually watching her, but for a solid five minutes she just ate in silence. Andre's eyebrows perked up from the other side of the table but he didn't say anything either, instead opting to see what would happen naturally. As soon as Tori was done she smiled kindly at Andre and got up, still silent, and disposed of her trash before heading inside.
That afternoon Tori was making some eggs in the kitchen when her mom came home looking upset. She slammed the door and dropped her stuff right next to it without even seeing how it landed, then went straight for the wine rack on the far end of the dining room. Tori sighed and continued cooking, knowing that that night in the Vega household was about to go sideways, like it always did. Holly popped the cork and brought it into the kitchen while she grabbed the biggest wine glass she could find, filled it to the top and drained it in one. Nothing but the sound of sizzling from the pan filled the air until she poured a second glass and drank half of it before Tori decided to say something.
"Come on mom, that's not going to help anything."
"Well it makes me feel better so let me have it" said Holly.
"Why? So you can be loaded when dad gets home and just heighten the argument that much more?" asked Tori.
"You are the child and I am the mother. I will do as I please and you will do as I say" said Holly, grabbing the glass and the bottle before heading to the stairs. "Now, eat your eggs and let me be."
It didn't take long after that for her dad to get home. Tori saw the lights from his car shine into the windows in the living room, and as soon as she saw them, she heard movement upstairs. A minute later Mr. Vega made his way inside and shut the door gently, then took the belt containing his service weapon and cuffs off and hung it on the rack next to the door. After that he made his way to the fridge, smiling at his daughter wordlessly, and grabbed some leftover steak out of the fridge and began to eat it cold.
"Hey kiddo" said David.
"Hey dad" said Tori, eating slowly at the dining room table. "How was work?"
David finished a large bite and shook his head. "Same as always. Job security I guess." They looked at each other and Tori chuckled a little; that was his running joke. He ate the last two pieces in one and threw the container in the trash, then sighed and headed toward the stairs. "Wish me luck."
"Luck" said Tori.
Later, Tori got her next idea. She was watching a movie marathon on TV when Carrie started. Not one for horror movies on her own, she had seen it before with the group on a night that Jade got to pick the title. When she remembered the ending with the pig's blood, her brain fired all at once and the image of the loose rope behind the stage gave her the idea she was looking for. Instead of copying the movie directly, she would rig something to the rope and have it fly across the stage at the final curtain call. Of course, that meant finding a way into the theater while no one else was there. It was around seven o'clock, which would put everyone that worked at the school at home, except for the janitor. He was a pretty cool guy, so Tori figured he wouldn't give her any trouble. She was only part way into the movie when she heard her mother's voice carry through the walls, and knew it was time to go.
On the way, she passed a liquor store with a couple guys walking out with a case in each hand. Tori walked up and smiled her best smile, and they both smiled back instantly. She pointed to one of the cases and raised an eyebrow. "Mind if I have one of those?"
"How old are you?" asked the guy on the right.
"Sixteen."
The guys looked at each other and laughed a little. "I remember getting into dumb shit when I was your age. Here." He looked around to make sure no one was watching, then pulled a bottle out of one of the cases and handed it to her. It was a twist off.
"Thanks" said Tori.
"Don't get caught with that" said the other guy, and Tori walked away with a smile and a sense of accomplishment.
The beer went down smooth and she got to enjoy it without much worry. The area around her house was pretty upscale and they didn't have any crime, aside from the petty things Tori did herself from time to time, so there weren't usually any cops around. The sun was setting, splashing pastel pinks on the horizon. After only ten minutes or so it had gotten considerably darker, the sun sinking quickly and with it her daytime inhibitions. Suddenly she was thinking about Jade. Their kiss. The way she felt electricity between them. It was something she hadn't really explored in her feelings, since there was never any chance for them to experiment anyway with Beck in the mix. Jade had never shown any bisexual tendencies and no one knew that Tori herself was gay, so the opportunity to even talk about it never arose. What did arise, though, was the heat in her chest when she was pressed up against Jade's body. It felt so natural and comforting to be close to another woman, but the feeling was ripped from her almost immediately when Jade betrayed her to her mother. Tori's home life was not a topic for discussion, especially with someone who would try to go through official channels and get the state involved.
Two more turns and Hollywood Arts was in sight. She remembered what she called Jade, and the resulting slap that stung her face. In reality, she was the gay one, but the way Jade reacted gave her a nagging suspicion that maybe Jade wasn't being as honest as she should be. Tori was still really upset about Jade betraying her secret, but she knew she couldn't be mad forever, and the thought that maybe there was the possibility of them exploring each other more made her legs wobbly. Thoughts that didn't normally invade her mind were working hard to tear down her resolve, but she powered on with her target in her crosshairs. Tori cracked her knuckles and made her way to the front door, scanning her school ID at the door with hopes it would open. A small click and the door popped open, meaning Sikowitz had added their barcodes to the afterhours database for the production. The janitor wasn't in the immediate area so she turned down the first hallway to make her way toward the theater and ended up almost running into him.
"Can I help you miss?" asked the janitor.
"I left my script in the auditorium, do you mind if I go grab it?" asked Tori.
The janitor smiled kindly and pointed. "Sure, go ahead. I take it you're in the production?"
"Thank you" said Tori, picking at her fingernails to seem naturally nervous and hoping he wouldn't smell the beer on her breath. "I'm not actually in it, but I'm helping out behind the scenes."
"Kind of like I do" the janitor joked, switching his mop from one hand to the other.
"Definitely" said Tori, smiling big. "I know I appreciate it."
The janitor mocked a punch to her jaw and headed back to work. Tori spun around on her heels and run-walked to the theater doors, knowing she would only have a little bit of time to get the job done.
The day of production meant that there was little schoolwork to do. Most of the kids that were involved just spent the time rehearsing lines or getting better fitted for costume. Tori spent her time on her holophone, watching random videos on the internet since she didn't have any specific tasks to complete. She finally perked up when she heard Jade's voice, then saw her round into the classroom in a black skirt and checkered thigh highs. They made eye contact for a split second and Jade's face was unreadable. I wonder how she would feel about me coming on to her in school Tori thought, and she decided to act on the impulse. No better way to break the ice and get a little dangerous than to do it in front of people right? Jade was headed for the front of the room so she stood up and followed her, intent on teasing her a bit in front of their classmates.
Jade grabbed a copy of the script and turned to find a spot to go over lines when she found herself face to face with the girl she had kissed rather passionately the night before. Tori smiled and traced the curves of Jade's outfit in the most obvious way she could before grabbing her hand.
"I'm sorry about what happened and for ignoring you" said Tori. "I was just upset and I didn't handle it right. Forgive me?" Tori brought Jade into a hug and nuzzled into her neck.
Jade was too shocked to move much, but she managed to get her arms around Tori. She breathed deeply and smelled vanilla and sweet pea, and her eyes drooped as lust crashed through her veins. "It's okay" Jade sputtered, tearing herself away forcefully. "I'm sorry too."
Tori got a better idea and made sure no one was listening. "Come to the bathroom? We need to freshen up." She signaled to Sikowitz and pointed to the door, and he nodded his approval.
Jade was still really confused as to what was going on but she decided to comply with the request. Tori led the way and noticed that Jade was looking all around her, probably checking to see if anyone was watching them. The fact that she was nervous made Tori's thighs tingle even more and her lips curled into a sly smile. When they got to the bathroom she walked to the furthest sink in and washed her hands. Jade stood a few feet away, watching closely with peeled eyes, waiting for something to happen. Neither of them spoke for the first minute until Tori turned and leaned against the wall. She held up a finger and beckoned Jade forward wordlessly, pushing her hips out in as sexy of a way as she could. Jade took a few steps forward and stopped, looking down at her feet. Tori wondered if she was going to back out, but before she could open her mouth to speak Jade closed the rest of the space in a lunge and smashed their lips together.
A furious attack of teeth and tongues rose heartbeats to tachycardic levels. Tori had Jade pinned against the wall so hard she could barely move, and the feeling of restricting someone just served to raise the heat in the pit of her stomach. Jade fought back and she pressed harder, a low growl rumbling from her chest to her throat. The tile of the bathroom only served to echo the sound so it seemed to boom in their oversensitive ears. Jade stopped toward her again, using more tongue and sliding her index fingers into Jade's waistband. They bit at each other's lips hungrily and moans and growls escaped in uneven intervals. Tori stuck her right leg out and put her hands on Jade's hips, repositioning her so she was straddling her knee. Jade hesitated for a second so Tori pushed down on her hips, and as soon as her button grazed Tori's knee she squealed, a noise that caught both of them off guard. Tori laughed and wrapped an arm around her neck, pulling her in for another kiss. She moved her thigh back and forth and Jade bit down on her shoulder, trying to stifle moans. They rocked together in a fluid motion until they heard voices and broke apart quickly, breathless with swollen lips. Both of them jumped in front of a sink, still panting a little but trying to cover it up when two more girls came in. They all smiled at each other, and Tori and Jade slipped out a minute later without a word.
The rest of school day went pretty slow for Tori since there wasn't much to do. Jade continued to practice lines with the lead so she decided to watch some of the A/V stuff Sinjin and Burf were working on. She admired her handiwork as slyly as she could, playing out how her little sabotage would happen in her head. There wasn't really a reason why she did the things she did, other than venting the frustration from her life at home. She didn't particularly dislike anyone or want to hurt them, she just sometimes felt like if she had to have a hard time, other people should too. So every once in a while, she would put nails in the road, light a trash can on fire, set off car alarms or steal candy from the corner store. No one ever got injured so it couldn't be too bad. The way the rope would swing would be clear of anyone on the stage, so her conscience was clear and she returned her attention to the task at hand.
Sikowitz' curtain opened at eight o'clock, which meant that everyone that was involved had to be there by six. When school ended Tori went home and hung out for a while, hoping to maybe get a nap in. Her mother was was home, something that didn't usually happen, so she wondered what kind of situation she would be walking into. The car was parked with the front facing the road, so there was obviously something going on. As soon as she walked through the front door Holly locked eyes with her and spread her arms wide.
"What do you think?" she asked.
The living room was more bare than Tori had ever seen it. The bare essentials were there, including the couch, coffee table and TV, but everything else was gone. The vases and little stands that usually contained flowers of some kind. The green glass flame pieces from whatever expensive department store they originated. Holly had a lazy smile on her face and it was evident that she was drinking again, and a quick scan of the room located a wine glass placed so close to the edge of the kitchen counter it would fall if you breathed on it. Nothing else seemed to be missing, and the stuff that was moved wasn't sitting by the door, so Tori assumed it was in the trunk of the car.
"What happened here?" asked Tori.
"Well," said Holly, "your father is constantly complaining about how many things I own." Her face turned dark. "He says there's 'too much clutter' and that he 'doesn't have any room for his things.'"
Tori ran her fingers through her hair. "Don't you think this is a little extreme?"
Holly smiled, but the anger and the drink that coursed through her veins made it look wicked, almost malicious. "You always were a daddy's girl. Never had time for me."
"That's because you never had time for anything but your wine collection" said Tori, pointing to the glass. "If you decided to stay sober once in a while we could have gone bowling or went to the mall or something, but you always had your own plans. That's not my fault."
"How else do you expect me to survive this suburbanite hellhole?" Holly spat, not making eye contact. "I had dreams, you know. I was going to travel. See the world, make new friends. But then I got pregnant with Trina and then you, and I knew my dreams were gone."
Silence crept over them and Tori felt sick. She rested her hands on top of her head and sucked in deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. It didn't work. "Well, mother," she added some extra spice to the word, "I'm sorry that we inconvenienced you so cruelly. If you want to go so bad, just do it."
"Don't tempt me" said Holly.
"I'm sure as hell not going to beg you to stay."
With that Tori headed upstairs and shut her bedroom door behind her. She wondered if she had done the right thing by not letting her mother talk down to her. No one should have to deal with that, especially from a parent, but in her situation it may not have been a good idea. Fragility was a tough thing to deal with and with the way her parents were going, it was only a matter of time before one of them left. She secretly hoped it would be her mother, since she didn't want to have to move out of her home, but if it came down to it she would follow her father for better stability and an actual loving environment.
The stress of the day caught up with her and Tori fell asleep on top of her covers with all of her clothes on. In her haste to put away the ugliness from the living room scene she forgot to set an alarm, and by the time she woke up it was eight fifteen. The production had already started, and Sikowitz was not going to be happy that his stage jockey was missing. It would be at least another fifteen minutes to get to the school so she got up, threw her shoes on and practically fell down the stairs in her mad dash for the door. By the time she reached the theater they were moving into the second act, so she sneaked in quietly and hugged the wall all the way to the stage. Behind the curtain, she was met immediately by a harried-looking group from the late fifteen hundreds.
"Tori Vega, you're late" said Sikowitz.
"I know, I'm sorry" said Tori. "I had some difficulty at-" she paused and decided not to say what she was going to, "I fell asleep and forgot to set an alarm."
Sikowitz nodded. "Well you're here now, so get crackin'."
Tori ran to the other side of the stage and checked her setup, noticing that it was still good. She turned to head back and find Robbie when she realized Jade was nowhere to be seen, and when she heard the pale beauty's voice, she realized it was because Jade was on stage. Something had happened to Annabelle and Jade had taken her understudy role into the limelight. The right side of the curtain was sagging a little with one of the lights rigged to the corner, waiting for the rope to snap. It swayed slightly, and after a quick peek from the edge of the stage she realized that Jade was directly in the flight path. Tori grabbed the bottom of the rope to try and balance out the weight, but the rope was in a lot worse condition that she had previously thought, and the shifting of the light was the last straw. The rope twang into pieces one by one and with a deep breath she ran out onto the stage, diving into Jade to knock her out of the way. As soon as they hit the floor the rope snapped and the curtain fell, taking the light with it. It flew across the stage and swung back and forth like a pendulum until Andre managed to grab and stop it. The audience shrieked and Sikowitz came out to the front to make sure everyone was okay.
"Are you okay?" Tori asked, brushing Jade's hair out of her eyes.
"Yeah," said Jade, "what happened?"
Tori helped her up off the ground and dusted her shoulders. "One of the ropes broke it looks like. The light must have been Jerry-rigged or something and never properly fixed."
Jade shook her arms out and took a deep breath. "That was close. I'm glad you noticed it." She looked down at her shoes for a second, breathing quickly. "I didn't see you, I thought you weren't going to come."
"Yeah that was close" said Tori, feeling guilt build up in her stomach. "I'm sorry it took me so long to get here, I fell asleep on accident. I'm glad I got here when I did, though. I wouldn't let anything happen to you."
Before Jade could say anything, the others rushed over to make sure they were okay. Andre hugged Tori and everyone was talking at once, and because of the malfunction the production was put off until the next weekend so they could have professionals come in and check out the stage. The group made their way outside after changing and hung out by the Grub Truck, still buzzing from the experience. Beck had another girl with him and Jade just smiled, making Tori think that they had managed to talk at some point and smoothed things over. She couldn't help but be excited about that, the thought of cozying up to Jade in bed made her smile.
"Dang girl, you just had a near-hospital experience and you're smiling" said Andre. "I can't imagine what's going on in your head right now."
Tori and Jade made eye contact for the space of a breath and they both smiled a bit, Jade licking her lips with the memory of their time in the bathroom. Andre just shook his head and laughed, putting his arms around both of them.
"Anyone hungry?" he asked.
"I could go for some Sushi" said Tori.
"Nozu it is" said Beck. "It's on me."