Once they had finished with Sikowitz's assignment, the group headed out, with Trina and Tori going with Jade. In the event that Ponnie was watching them, it was decided that Andre and Beck would go home with decoy Toris in their cars. Cat would go with Andre and Robbie would go with Beck. Both Cat and Robbie would wear a pair of sunglasses, a brunette wig, and a hat. To keep up the charade, Tori would also wear sunglasses and a hat. In addition to that, Robbie had to put on lipstick. Robbie was initially reluctant to do this, but came around after Andre and Beck talked to him. It was pointed out that an observer could tell which car had the real Tori by seeing which on had Trina in it. As a result, Trina was forced to sit on the floor of the car as they drove to Jade's house.
Tori's first impression of Jade's house was that it was nice. It wasn't as fancy as the Vega residence, but it was still looked like a nice place to live. To Tori's surprise, the house seemed normal. This impression was further supported when she and Trina got inside. Jade didn't say anything or offer an explanation of her home. She just let the Vega sisters take everything in as they followed her. The whole thing looked like your typical Los Angeles home. There was no dilapitated furniture. The wallpaper wasn't peeling away. There weren't any vermin or other pests running about. Really, everything pointed to the possibility that Jade had grown up in a fairly normal house. Jade continued to lead the sisters through her home and up a staircase, eventually bringing them to her room. Jade's room was the lone exception, looking like it'd been decorated by a resurrected Edgar Allen Poe. Jade's room was decorated with dark colors, clashing with the house's lighter coloring. The only other color seemed to be blood red which appeared on Jade's lampshades, scented candles, and a few small tables. There were also the butterflies she kept framed around the room. It seemed as if Jade was deliberately trying to set herself apart from the rest of the house.
Jade turned to the Vega sisters. "Okay, so that was the tour."
"Well, your house is very nice," said Tori.
"I know," said Jade.
"I really like you room," said Tori.
"You do?" said Jade. "What do you like about it?"
"I really like the butterflies," said Tori.
"Moths," said Jade. "They're moths not butterflies. Moths come out at night."
"I did not know that," said Tori. "Are you into bugs or something?"
"Not bugs per say. I just really have a fondness for creatures that live in darkness." Jade spoke like someone out of a horror movie.
"Uh, thanks for letting us stay here," said Tori.
"Don't mention it, what are friends for?" said Jade in a tone that a chill through Tori's spine.
"Right," said Tori. "And you were right. You're house is much better than Beck's. I mean, what would we have done at his place?"
Jade glared at Tori. "I don't know. What would you have done with Beck?"
"I don't know," said Tori. "It'd probably be pretty boring."
"So where do we sleep?" said Trina.
"Good question," said Jade. "Where do you want to sleep?"
"You know, we're fine wherever," said Tori, knowing that Jade had planned on making them sleep somewhere that was extremely uncomfortable. "We're just happy to have somewhere to sleep during this troubling time. Just put us somewhere that's safe from Ponnie and we'll be fine."
"Interesting," said Jade. "Well maybe you can sleep on the floor?"
"What?" said both Vega sisters.
Jade sat on her bed and pointed to the floor adjacent to it. "Right here. That way I can keep an eye on you in case Crazy Ponnie shows up."
"That sounds great," said Tori. "Me and Trina would love to sleep there."
"No," said Trina. "There's not nearly enough room for the both of us to sleep."
"We can make it work," said Tori. "We'll just move things around so we have enough space."
"Trina can have the couch if she doesn't want to sleep on the floor," said Jade. "Tori will still sleep on the floor."
"That also sounds great," said Tori, resisting the urge to grind her teeth. She knew that despite all her smiles and politeness, Jade was enjoying this. She loved that now Tori would have to sleep on the floor while she and Trina got to sleep somewhere comfortable.
"No it doesn't," said Trina. "I don't want to be all by myself if Crazy Ponnie finds us."
"She's after me," said Tori. "She doesn't want anything to do with you."
"Oh right." Trina turned to Jade. "I'm fine with this."
"Great," said Jade, getting off her bed and heading towards the door of her room. "Well I'll leave Tori to set up her things. I'll call you guys when dinner's ready."
"What's for dinner?" said Trina.
"Depends what mom brings home," said Jade as she walked out of her room.
Once Jade had left the room, Trina turned to her sister. "Okay Tori, maybe if we move some of those creepy things around we can clear a space for you to sleep comfortably? What do you think about that? Does that sound nice?"
"Yeah, that's what I'm going to do," said Tori as she started moving a winged-back chair Jade had in her room for some reason.
"Okay, I'll help you," said Trina.
Tori paused. "No, I can do this by myself. Maybe you can set up by the couch?"
"What's there to set up?" said Trina. "You just plop yourself down on the couch and go to sleep. I can help you move that chair."
"No, I've got it," said Tori.
"Okay," said Trina. "Well you still got to set up a place for you to sleep. I'll ask Jade if she's got a sleeping bag for you to sleep in."
"I don't think Jade..." Trina rushed out of the room. Tori shrugged and went back to moving the chair. Once she'd moved the chair and some of the tables out of the way, Tori sat down on Jade's bed. She looked down on the section of the floor she'd just clear. There was more than enough room for her to set up a place for her to sleep comfortably. Tori looked around the room. She never had trouble sleeping in other peoples' houses. She was perfectly fine at sleepovers. Yet, for some reason she was uncomfortable now. Well, Tori had an idea why. She just couldn't decide if it was because of Jade or Ponnie.
In a lot of ways, Jade and Ponnie were very similar. Tori had tried to be nice to the two, but both had felt wronged by her. Well, in Jade's case it was kind of justified. Kissing Beck was a bad idea on Tori's part, even if it felt good in the moment. Still, Tori had tried to make it up to her. She'd even helped Jade get back together with Beck after they broke up. Yet, Jade didn't seem to want to let go of that grudge. Even now, when Jade was offering to let them stay at her home, Tori knew something was up. She suspected that Jade just wanted a chance to torment her, and not just by making her sleep on the floor.
In a weird way, Tori couldn't really blame Ponnie for what she did. Ponnie was much worse, but she couldn't help it. She was sick. Maybe Ponnie really believed she was kicked out of Hollywood arts to make room for Tori. Maybe if she had some therapy and strong medications the two could be friends. Jade on the other hand had complete control of her faculties.
As Tori sat there, she heard Jade's voice ring through the air. "Dinner!"
Tori got off of Jade's bed and left the room. She went down the staircase and headed towards where she'd seen the kitchen. She saw a stack of pizzas on the table. Jade stood over the table, facing Tori. Tori could see Trina sitting at the table. There were three plates set out around the table. "So we're having pizza?"
"Yes, very observant," said Jade.
"And you're a very polite host," said Tori. "So, where's your mom?"
"Probably watching some reality show," said Jade.
"Is she eating with us?" said Tori.
Jade shook her head. "Lately she doesn't eat anything unless it's in smoothie form. Something about proving a point to Dad."
"Well don't you have a brother?" said Tori.
"Yeah," said Jade.
"Does he want to eat?" said Tori.
"Oh right." Jade walked out of the kitchen and over to the staircase. "Lyman! Dinner's ready!"
Jade walked back to the table and opened one of the pizza boxes. Tori raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't we wait for him?"
"He'll come down eventually," said Jade, taking a slice of pizza from the box. "Pepperoni. Yum."
Tori sat down at the table by a plate. "Well, it's a shame your mother couldn't be with us."
"Why?" Jade held a slice of pizza in front of her, ready to take a bite. She glared at Tori, as if she were annoyed that she had to delay taking the first bite.
"Well, I just wanted to thank her for letting us stay here," said Tori.
"She doesn't know you're staying here," said Jade.
"You haven't told her yet?" said Trina as she reached for a slice of pizza.
"Oh she won't mind," said Jade.
"Good to know." Tori picked a slice of pizza and began eating.
"Hey, I found a sleeping bag for you," said Jade.
Tori swallowed a bit of pizza. "Thanks Jade."
"It's a little on the small side," said Jade. "And it's got a few holes in it."
"Of course." Tori nodded her head. She wondered if Jade had put those holes there herself.
"You know, it's a good thing for you that Crazy Ponnie broke out this week," said Jade.
"Why is that Jade?" said Tori.
"My Mom has me for this weekend," said Jade. "Normally I'd be with my Dad, and I don't think he would've let you stay with us."
"That's nice to know," said Tori.
"He's in San Francisco for a job interview," said Jade.
"Oh," said Tori. "So if he gets the job, does that mean we'll be seeing less of you?"
Jade snorted. "Yeah if."
The three continued to eat in relative silence. Jade was more focused on her food than on her friends. Tori would be lying if she said she wanted to continue their chit chat. Trina was instead focused on her phone. She looked up and turned to Jade. "Hey Jade, how's the reception in your house?"
"Pretty good," said Jade. "Why?"
"Oh nothing," said Trina. "I just wanted to check my phone."
"Why?" said Tori.
"I was expecting a text from a cute Senior," said Trina.
"Who?" said Jade.
Trina bit her lip. "His name is-"
"Wait, shouldn't Mom have landed by now?" said Tori.
"No, no," said Trina. "I'm pretty sure she's still in the air."
"Don't lie," said Tori. "You're a terrible actress."
"Maybe to an amateur like you," said Trina.
"Mom was supposed to text us when she landed," said Tori. "Is that why you're checking your phone?"
"No," said Trina. "There's a cute-"
"Did Mom text you?" said Tori. "Yes or no?"
"No," said Trina. "Not yet."
Tori's eyes widened and she started breathing heavily. "Ponnie got her."
"What?" said Trina. "There's no way that happened."
"Then why hasn't Mom texted us, huh?" said Tori. "Ponnie got her."
"Ponnie's in Nevada," said Trina.
"Oh come on," said Tori. "Nothing's that simple with Ponnie. She loves playing games. She probably went to Nevada to throw the police off her scent."
"Oh okay," said Trina. "So Ponnie broke out of prison this morning, right?"
"Yeah," said Tori.
Trina smiled. "Okay, so she breaks out this morning, goes to Nevada, gets on a plane, flies to Ireland, and is somehow able to beat Mom there, even though Mom has a head start on her. Is that what you're saying happened?"
"Well when you say it like that, it sounds dumb." Tori turned her face down to her pizza.
Jade grinned. "So, how's everyone enjoying the pizza?"