Tone of Deceit

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

Chapter 5 (Downtown Blues)

As they walked downtown, Tori was oddly in front of the group rather than wholly with them. Jade walked alongside Cat while the boys seemed to huddle behind them. "Am I the only one that feels like we're walking in some sort of formation?" Cat whispered. Jade stifled a chuckle and quickly nodded, agreeing that the circumstance was a rare oddity.

"Usually she's walking with us not in front of us," she whispered back. Tori peered over her shoulder at them, her lips stretched thinly across her face while the left corner of her mouth curled up slightly.

"You know I can hear you guys, right? I'm just walking fast, that's all. I want to see the fashion district." A fair sentiment that would make any fashion-minded person want to hurry. "I'm told that I'm not hanging out enough with you guys, so here I am, and yet no one is really talking."

"Sorry, I guess we're all distracted." She shot a glare at the boys, who were currently fixated on their phones. "Guys, what the hell are you doing back there? You're worse than me or Cat on a normal day." Beck raised his head from the phone before quietly pocketing it.

"Sorry," he replied, "Dad's having another mental episode. I think he's calmer now." Jade frowned, understanding more now than before just how bad his father had it. She never quite knew until now, but his dad was always depressive and a heavy drinker. "Kind of sucks."

"You must feel a lot of responsibility," Tori remarked with a softer tone. "Do you have anyone besides Jade or the guys to talk to?"

"I try not to bother anyone with it. He's all I got though, so it wouldn't hurt to have someone else there." Beck looked sideways at Andre and Robbie before clearing his throat. "Guys, the girls would like our attention." Robbie's phone could be heard playing game music, so Cat instantly grabbed it away from him.

"Hey! You're in the presence of friends, no app games." He shrank away with a sigh and quickly pocketed his hands.

"Yeah sorry, I just figured with how quiet everyone was being…"

"Uh-huh." Cat looked to Andre, who was nervously pocketing his cell phone. "What's your excuse?" A sheepish grin spread across his face and he raised his hands up.

"Grandma. It's always her. Beck's not the only one whose got a relative with mental health problems. If it's not pestering me with questions of where I'm at, it's wondering what I'm doing. She thinks I'm either going to join a gang or be abducted by strangers."

"Well let's hope the abduction part doesn't happen," Tori said with a quick chuckle. "It's good you can reassure your grandma, but maybe she needs professional help."

Beck snorted. "Her and my dad both. Honestly. I don't care if my mother never comes back." Tori frowned at him and turned away. Jade reached over and gently wrapped her hand around his. As she set her head upon his shoulder, she saw him smile. "Thanks Jade." He squeezed her hand and looked out in front of them. "Hey, there's a street vendor. Haven't gotten that hot dog you wanted yet."

She perked up and looked across the street with hunger in her eyes. A metal stand with a sign was positioned neatly among a growing crowd. The sign read 'hot dogs and hamburgers, $3'. "Cheap too!"

Her stomach growled, so with that hunger in mind she released Beck's hand and took off running. Tori called out to her, urging her to wait for them. "Sorry guys, I need food." She crossed the street just as the crosswalk sign started to change.

She ran up behind the person taking their order and began to bounce on her heels, licking her lips as she imagined the most delicious of hotdogs and hamburgers.

"Come on hurry up," she muttered absentmindedly. The man in front picked up his meal after a few minutes and turned around. Jade was startled when she saw it was Mr. Sikowitz. "Mr. S, I didn't recognize you." He smiled for a moment.

"Too hungry to pay attention, I see. I'd offer you up my food, but I'm afraid I intend to eat it." She looked to the hotdog in his hand and felt as though she were beginning to drool. It was almost a foot long by her eyes, moist and fresh from the grill, and decorated with the most beautiful onions, relish, and grated cheese. She could smell the ketchup and mustard, her nostrils teasing her taste buds.

"Oh if you were giving that away, I'd take it in a heartbeat."

"You would, would you?" He raised an eyebrow. "Truly? I'd hope you'd be more perceptive than that."

"Oh when I'm hungry, I'll take food from anyone." She laughed airily, a bit surprised in herself. It was true, unfortunately, that food was a vice. When she was hungry enough, just about all judgment was thrown out the window. "But yeah, I'm going to get myself a hotdog and a hamburger. So inexpensive."

"Very true." The teacher turned to the vendor and with a charming smile motioned towards her. "Let me buy her order of a hotdog and hamburger, she's a student of mine. Just ran into her out here."

"Alright," the vendor replied. Jade grinned from ear to ear, a cheap meal was one thing, but a free meal was a whole new ball game. "What would you like?"

"Just simple and classic on both," she replied. The vendor nodded and went to work immediately. She looked across the street to where her friends were still waiting to cross. "What brings you out here, Mr. S?"

"Oh, I was getting some banking done, that's all. What of you? Just walking about?"

"Yeah. We wanted to hang out with Tori for a while." She crossed her arms and started to tap her foot. "You know, we really don't see her as often as people might think. She's not even a full-time student at H.A. but she doesn't tell us."

"I'm sure she has her reasons, Miss West. Don't pry too much, let her tell you about her life as she feels." Jade shrugged as the vendor extended two paper bowls with a hamburger in one and a hot dog in the other. Thanking him, she took the food. "I'll leave you to your meal. Enjoy."

"Thanks."

"Is this what you do in your free time?" Someone inquired. Jade watched her teacher flinch and then turned to see who spoke. It was a familiar face, Mr. Sikowitz's nephew from the sleepover night. He seemed a bit more muscular than she recalled, as though he'd been working out more frequently. His eyes were turned towards his uncle in a sharpened, accusative glare, and his arms were crossed over his chest. "Buying your students food and favors when you're not at school?"

"That isn't how it is at all dear Jason." Jade blinked, remembering his name from Robbie's story. Was this the same Jason that Trina had been speaking to on the phone? It couldn't be. But then, the ire and malice in Jason's eyes seemed to mirror what Robbie said Trina was talking to the man over the phone about. "I merely ran into her here."

"Yeah sure, it's just like you to buy food for the same people you had overnight at your home." Jason scoffed and shook his head. "Teachers aren't supposed to be doing these things, am I right? Makes you look, well, like a fucking creep."

"Come on." Sikowitz spread his arms out here. "I'm trying. Doesn't your girlfriend think you should be a bit nicer to your dear uncle?"

"You know…" Jason cocked his head to the right, his skin tightened around the eyes and mouth. "She does think it would be good to suck up my pride and try to get on decent terms with you. Usually she's right about things, but this is one of those things I heartily disagree with." He turned his head upright and huffed. "And to be perfectly honest, she's not all that sold on you either."

"I haven't done anything wrong, Jason."

"Yet." Jason looked to Jade, who was silently munching on the hotdog. She wanted to take off, but preferred to wait for the others to get across the street. "Word of advice to you, stay the hell away from this guy. Touch him with a ten foot pole and you're bound to get dirt and other disgusting slime all over it."

Sikowitz let out a heavy sigh. "Jason, didn't you have a date with your girlfriend planned?"

"We did, but she got called away on something a bit more important." Jason removed his phone from his pocket. "In fact, she texted me a little bit ago, said I should be downtown watching out for the likes of you."

"I feel like she trusts me more than you do. It hurts, my own nephew wants nothing to do with me."

"Yeah." Jason stepped between Sikowitz and Jade. Jade took a small step backwards, sizing up the man whose back was now turned to her. "Move along, Uncle. Maybe stick with talking to your students while you're at school, instead of looking like a creepy bastard." Sikowitz pressed his lips firmly together and shook his head.

"You should do something about all that anger. I don't understand why you hate me so, but I hope to change that some day."

"Sure." Jason thumbed his nose and looked away. His toughened glare filled with a different emotion, one of pain and one of anguish. Jade was sure something had to have happened to him to cause such hurt, but she didn't want to pry into that drama. "Move along, please Uncle. Just move on along."

With a sigh of defeat, Sikowitz turned around and let his head drop with his shoulders. Jade watched as he moved down the path, vanishing into the crowd. She turned her head over her shoulder to see the others finally making their way across. Tori looked more annoyed than pleased in her, so she prepared to defend herself.

"What were you thinking running off like that?" Tori asked with a low growl. "Why couldn't you wait for us? Do you know what could have happened? We are downtown, after all, and the sun is starting to go down."

"Relax, Vega. I was hungry." Food was indeed her greatest vice. When her stomach started to growl and she became irrational with hunger, judgment was usually thrown out the window. "And nothing happened. Besides, I ran into Mr. Sikowitz, he wouldn't let anything happen to one of his students, right?"

Jason coughed and muttered something under his voice. "Don't be so quick to trust him." As Jason turned around, Cat's eyes grew as wide as saucers. Jason met the girl's gaze and frowned. "Oh…" Cat pointed at him and raised her voice.

"It's you, you ditched me at the movies that day!"

Tori moved forward, giving Cat a quick glance before brushing her off. "Thanks for stopping by, Jason." Cat's jaw dropped and Jade raised an eyebrow at her. Jason shrugged and folded his arms over his chest.

"Trina wanted me to check on you guys for her, she had a hunch. Saw my uncle chatting up Jade over here and buying her food." She heard Tori say her name beneath a growl. Thinking nothing of it, she started to throw up her hands, her mouth still full.

"What? He's our teacher, there's nothing wrong with our teacher." Jade swallowed her bite, took another chomp out of her hotdog and swallowed it near whole. "Besides, Jason, why in the hell do you hate your uncle so much? Don't you stay with him now?"

"Not anymore. Once I turned eighteen and went to college, I grabbed a dorm room. Two years later, doing just fine without living under that guy's roof."

Cat threw up her hand. "Hold up!" The others turned to look at her and Jason shot an exhausted glance with them. "You said 'Trina', what connection do you have with Trina?"

Jason crossed his arms and turned his head away. "First of all, did not ditch you. I told you that I had a girlfriend and needed to swing by her place and couldn't go to the movies with you. You said that was 'okay' and that you only left because you were bored of my uncle's stupid games." He narrowed his eyes and started to growl. "That girlfriend? I think you know the answer."

Cat was shocked into silence. Jade bowed her head slightly, closing her eyes. She'd already put the pieces together when he mentioned Trina by name, having already suspected based off Robbie's tale.

"Okay." Cat shook her head vigorously and cleared her throat. "I can understand that. That's fair."

"Thank you." Jason rolled his eyes and raised a hand to his brow. "The things I do…I'm surprised my uncle's still teaching."

Before much else could happen, Jade saw Trina in the distance with Ian. The pair were walking towards the group, with Trina's car parked alongside a parking meter. She furrowed her brow when she saw the forlorn expressions on their faces.

"Hey, it's Trina." Tori looked up with a gasp and moved away from the group.

"What's going on Sis?" Trina looked to Ian, who was trembling. "Ian? Trina picked you up?"

"Yeah," he whispered, "I-I had to come. It's about Courtney…" Tori's brow furrowed and Jade watched as Trina wrapped an arm around Tori's shoulder. The pair guided her away, out of earshot; and Jason hurried over as well.

A strange sorrow came over her heart and she wished that she could hear the conversation. The others surrounded her, all watching as the noise of the street seemed to fade from her.

Trina was talking now, shaking her head slowly. Tori began to shake like a leaf in the wind. A scream broke from her lips, though it seemed muted. As the girl's knees began to buckle and her hands moved over her mouth, Ian wrapped his arms around her. His left hand rested her back and his right hand stroked the back of her head. His eyes were closed and tears were running down his face.

"I wonder what happened," Andre whispered. Someone shushed him and Cat spoke up.

"I'm not sure we need to ask the question."

Jade had to agree. Every muscle in her body was aching as she was overwhelmed with grief. Her friend clearly suffered a huge and devastating loss; but without knowing well what their relationship was like, she had no idea how to be there for her.

If Courtney had been Tori's best friend, then Jade could only wonder the pain that just crushed the girl's heart. As much, or little, as they knew about Tori, there was no question in her mind that they may need to give the girl some alone time and not pry into this one.

What happened to Courtney, Jade wanted to know. It seemed obvious on one hand, but on the other hand there was so much to ask. Was she killed? How was she killed? Who kidnapped her? Who murdered her?

Considering Trina was a police officer now and her father was in charge-and likely the other officer that so often came around and was part of the homicide division-they'd be working hard on this case.

"Let's just go guys," she said finally, "I think she's going to want to be with them right now instead of us." The others nodded, each agreeing slowly. "But when she's ready for us, we'll be there for her. Okay?"

"Agreed. We're all on the same page there."

I think the police found Courtney. Quite a bit of points and discories here, what thoughts do you have