Author's note: PLEASE DON"T SKIP!Normally it wouldn't bother me if you skipped the author's note, but for this chapter I'm afraid you might be confused if you do. When Jade is referring to "Tori," she is referring to herself, to the character she has to play, not Tori Vega. It's my way of distinguishing Jade's normal behavior and habits from that of the character she's trying to portray for her assignment. Try to see it as if she's got a multiple personality disorder and the people who live in her head are named Tori and Jade. Whenever she mentions "Vega," however, she's talking about the real Tori Vega.
Also, I do realize Jade curses a lot more in this chapter than before, but it's only because she didn't have any coffee. I figured a cranky Jade would have a horrible mouth.
{~~~~JADE~~~~}
I hate fucking Tori. I really do. Who the hell wants to wake up an hour and a half before they have to be at school? Huh? I sure as hell don't, but Tori just has to be on time for school, whereas I usually don't give two shits. Hell, I barely get up half an hour before school starts, and the drive there is about twenty minutes long!
Yeah, I'm never on time.
Plus, who the hell doesn't drink coffee in the morning!? Tori, that's who! I need my fucking coffee and I can't fucking have it because Tori eats a bowl of cereal or whatever her fucking mommy cooks for her for breakfast instead!
Needless to say, I'm cranky when I don't get my fucking coffee, but it's not like I can express the way I feel because Tori's a fucking cheery little songbird in the morning!
I make up my bed, smiling on the outside, but fuming on the inside. What normal fucking person makes up their bed? Huh? Fucking Tori.
After my bed's made, I clean up my room, putting everything in its correct place. I'm feeling murderous. Really. I just wanna kill, kill, kill, but I keep on fucking smiling. And I hum, and I bop my head, and I do a little dance, all as if I'm so very fucking happy that I woke up this fucking morning!
"Jade, wake up!" Joy yells from downstairs.
I take a deep breath. Normally, I'd ignore her, or curse her out, but stupid Tori wouldn't dare.
"I'm up, Joy!" I call back brightly. Ironically, the sugary response is a bitter taste on my tongue. I think I'm gonna be physically sick by the end of the day. I really do.
Joy doesn't answer me back. There's just a dead silence so I give a little shrug and continue to clean up my room. It's the last fuckin' Vega-like thing I have to do before going downstairs to eat breakfast. I'm already dressed; wearing her clothes from yesterday, cleaned now of course. And I've taken my extensions and piercings out. My holes will probably close and I'll have to get my piercings all over again, but I'll just reward myself with another tattoo so that it won't be a complete waste of time.
Suddenly, my door is opened; and if I were allowed to be Jade today I'd throw the item nearest to me at whoever's standing there in the doorway. Just because locking my door is against the rules doesn't mean people should be allowed to walk in whenever they fucking feel like it.
"Sorry, Jade. Mom said to see if you're okay 'cause you sounded funny."
I soften immediately. Not just because I'm supposed to pretend to be Vega, but because I always soften if it's just me and Amber alone together. She's a sickeningly sweet kid. It's impossible to hate her; but it's not like I'm a complete softie when it comes to her either. For the most part, I treat her the way I treat everyone else. Just a teeny weeny bit gentler.
"You look okay to me." She smiles at me.
I smile back at her. Tori makes me. Jade would've let out a sarcastic, "Thanks, now scram."
I walk up to my sister and put a hand on my doorknob. Obviously, I want to shut my door, but Amber doesn't take the hint, and I can't just shut my door in the kid's face. Tori won't let me.
"Is there something else you need, sissy," I ask with an amused smile on my face.
Sissy? Ugh! Fuckin' Tori dude. Fuck-in' Tori.
Amber's eyes widen and her cheeks turn bright red within seconds. I can't say that I blame her. Not only is this undoubtedly my first time admitting out loud that she's related to me, but, sissy's definitely the nicest thing I've ever called her besides her name.
"You look really pretty today, Jade. I like your shirt." She admits after a long ass beat. She's not looking at me, but down at her shirt, nervously picking at the hem of it.
Ugh. She would like this stupid shirt. It's Vega's. It's got colors, and shapes, and shit on it. Not my style.
Look for something nice on her so you can compliment her back.
What the fuck? Tori has thoughts in my head now?! Really?
But I do as I'm told. I look my little sister up and down, trying to find something nice about her appearance.
It's hard. She's dressed like a kid. Nothing special. Shorts, t-shirt, sneakers. She doesn't wear make-up yet…so nothing special about her face either. Oh, her hair. She's wearing pink streaks today. They suit her better than the yellow from yesterday. But I don't tell her that immediately. I hesitate.
I sigh heavily; greatly disappointed in myself because I'm pretty sure Vega wouldn't hesitate to compliment her sister. I need to do better at this. I need to be Tori. Sikowitz may be a loon, but he's a good teacher, my favorite. He always says that if you're going to act a part, you need to be the part. Ergo, I am Tori.
Here goes nothing.
"I really like the pink streaks, Amber. They look good on you." I grin at her while playfully tugging on her hair.
Her eyes snap up to meet mine and she touches her hair. She wants to say thank you, I can see it, but she clamps her mouth shut; probably too afraid to say the wrong thing. Compliments from me are not a rare occurrence. They're a nonexistent occurrence.
"Did Joy make breakfast?" I ask her when the silence stretches on, and on, and fuckin' on.
Amber nods her head. She's still speechless.
"Tell her to save me a plate, please."
"Okay," she grins. "Mom!" She yells excitedly while running down the hallway, completely forgetting to shut my door back. If she had been Riley, I would've yelled after her for that. Or Jade would've, Tori wouldn't yell at anybody.
So, I shut my door and finish my room. It only takes a few minutes since I was almost done before I was interrupted.
I've got 45 more minutes to get to school when I head downstairs. I have to be early, because I'm Tori, and Vega has a perfect attendance record.
I smile and tell everyone good morning. Amber says good morning back. Riley acknowledges me with a nod of her head before shoving half of a dripping pancake into her mouth. Joy just stares at me.
"Is that for me?" I point to the plate in her hand and she nods her head before handing it over.
"Thank you, Joy," I tell her before taking it from her and sitting down next to Riley.
I use my fork and knife, because I'm Tori. Jade would be eating with her hands the same way Riley is.
Joy sits next to Amber. "So, who are you?" she asks me.
"Tori," I answer promptly.
"Tori from yesterday?"
No stupid. Tori from Tomorrow.
"Yep!" I grin at her.
"For how long?" She asks, not missing a beat. She's used to this kind of thing.
"Just today."
"Damn." She mutters.
I fuckin' hate Tori. She just smiles and shrugs her shoulders at Joy; but Jade would very much like to smash this pancake against Joy's face.
"You're such a nice girl, Tori." Joy announces suddenly with a bright smile on her face.
I want to narrow my eyes at my wicked stepmother, but Tori doesn't. She says, "thank you." 'cause she's a fuckin' idiot.
"You're welcome. Amber, Riley, kiss your sister goodbye. Then get your stuff and head out to the car." Their mother commands.
I'm very careful not to let my jaw twitch, or to clench my teeth, or to do anything to tip off just how fuckin' pissed I am. Kiss me goodbye? We don't do that. We're not that type of family. We don't kiss, and we don't hug. If I'm feeling particularly friendly or affectionate, I'll maybe grab a hand for half a second, but that's it.
Riley ignores Joy and finishes her food. That's my girl. Maybe she irritates me more than her sister, but I respect her as an individual more. I love the rebel in her.
Amber on the other hand, gets up immediately, eagerly. The little weirdo wants to kiss me.
She comes to stand right beside me, then she falters, suddenly losing her nerve.
Tori keeps me from rolling my eyes as I hold my arms out, inviting her into a hug. Amber smiles, gaining a bit of confidence and throws her arms around my neck. She lays her head on my shoulder and holds me tight. I ignore how weird this feels and wrap my arms around her little body. Then I mentally count to five and pull back. There's only so much of this I can take.
"Have a good day at school, booger." I smile before tapping her nose. Okay, booger's weird, but Tori wanted to give the kid a nickname, and the nicest thing Jade could think of on the spot was booger.
Sue me.
"Okay, I will, Jade." Amber promises. She doesn't seem the least bit upset over the gross nickname I'd just given her. She leans in quickly and pecks me on the cheek before bolting upstairs.
Weirdo.
I catch a glimpse of Joy and nearly barf. She's got a hand over her heart, a smile on her lips, and tears in her eyes. Jeez the moment wasn't that moving. She's acting like she's in the middle of a tear-jerking Lifetime movie.
She catches me staring at her and clears her throat before wiping her eyes and giving me a smile. Tori smiles back, but I can only do that for so long. So, I turn quickly and notice Riley's finished with her breakfast. She's getting up and heading towards me.
Oh god, it's part two.
I hold my arms out and to my pleasant surprise she gives me a halfhearted hug. In fact, she pulls back before I do. Sure, her arm's still on my shoulder, but it's more of a casual embrace rather than an intimate one.
I can handle that.
"Have a good day"-
"Don't you call me a booger you nasty piece of snot." Riley scowls at me.
Oh, If I was Jade right now…
"How about bacon?" I chuckle good naturedly, but I just want to pick this kid up by her ears and watch her scream bloody murder.
"I like bacon." She shrugs.
"Bacon it is."
"Cool chiz." She smirks before putting her sticky little lips on mine.
The little shit! She just kissed me! I mean, she was supposed to, Amber just did, but she just kissed me on my mouth! I'm gonna kill her. Fuck Tori!
"So, Tori…" Joy starts off, and as I give her my attention, Riley runs upstairs.
It's just as well. Jade nearly came out. I can't afford that. I need to focus.
"Yes?" I answer my stepmother as sweetly as I can.
Joy sits down beside me and grabs both my hands in hers.
Don't snatch away. Tori coaches and I listen; but judging by the way Joy's acting I automatically know that Jade is not gonna like what comes out of this woman's mouth. However, Tori the fucking idiot, just keeps on smiling and waiting for Joy to say what she's got to say.
"I'm gonna need you to do something for me, sweetheart." She says.
Fuck you! Jade thinks.
"Okay, like what?" Tori smiles.
"I've joined a new club. We meet every Thursday and I'm gonna need you to pick the girls up from school for me."
She's lost her fuckin' mind.
"What time will you be back?" I ask; and you can bet that shit came from Tori because Jade just wants to scream and punch things…and people, mainly people. Vega and Joy the most.
"Oh, around five or six. Do you think you can do that for me, honey?"
I nearly flinch at the word "honey," but again Tori takes over. She agrees to do it, and now I hate her even more. I never take back my word, and now because of Tori I have to pick Thing One and Thing Two up from school on Thursdays.
"Thank you so much, dear." She chuckles before wrapping her arms around me. I try not to stiffen, but I do. Joy's been trying to hug me since I was five, but I never let her. Now she's taking advantage of me, because I'm not Jade. I'm Tori. So I can't push her away.
I feel violated. I feel angry. But those are Jade's emotions and I can't feel them. I'm Tori.
I make a conscience effort to relax. Then I reciprocate the hug. Joy squeezes me tighter before kissing me on my forehead and leaving to gather up her little pre-turds.
"And try to be a good example for my little "impressionable minds." She calls over her shoulder and I understand this is her way of punishing me for having a naked Vega in my bed while her brats were home.
I don't respond to that because it won't benefit me in the least.
Jade has nothing nice to say and Tori just wants me to explain to Joy that me and Vega weren't doing anything.
So I just gather up my shit and go. I get that I'm supposed to be Vega, but as much as Tori wants to set things right with Joy, she also doesn't want to ruin her perfect attendance by showing up late for school.
It's a legit excuse.
{~~~~O~~~~}
Robbie looks ridiculous. But I can't say it out loud because of stupid Tori.
God, I miss Jade. I've missed her all day. I mean, I'm doing better than I was doing this morning. I had a coffee a few hours back, so that cheered me up a little. But not all the way. Being Vega still sucks. Because of Tori, I've been on time to each and every one of my classes. I've been polite, I've been astute, I even helped a girl who dropped her books in front of me.
Jade would've snarled at her, had her trembling so bad that she wouldn't have been able to pick up her books with steady hands. Nope, fucking Tori had to help her pick up the books, smile at her, ask her what her name was, and all that other shit. And then what was worse, I had to sit there and listen as the girl told me her name was Melissa, that she'd just moved here from…wherever, and that it was her first day here.
Then Tori just had to ask her how she got in, and Melissa flipped her very long, and very curly, red hair away from her face before going through the story which Jade promptly tuned out while Tori kept smiling at her.
That's the only way I could make that work. I swear.
God, I don't know how much longer I can take being Tori. I just wanna let Jade say what she has to say. I mean, right now Robbie's hair is in twisties…in twisties for crying out loud! And his pants, they're two sizes too big. He's got a belt on, but it's not helping. They keep falling and I keep getting a very unwanted peak at his Spiderman boxers. He's not pulling André's look off at all.
Not that Andre's doing any better at being Robbie. His pants are entirely too tight. It's quite distracting actually. Robbie may be able to get away with wearing girl pants but André obviously needs more room to breathe. He's constantly shifting from foot to foot and tugging on his jeans.
I shake my head and smile as if I feel sorry for them, when really, this is hilarious. Everyone doing Sikowitz' project just looks stupid. Well, Cat doesn't look that stupid. She looks more or less like a tom boy because she's supposed to be Beck.
Which reminds me….Beck and I are dating, which means Cat and Vega are dating. I can't wait to see that.
I look up and down the hallway, searching for Vega. Now that I think about it, schools halfway over and I haven't seen her today. Not even once. Not that I was looking for her or anything.
"HI, HI, Tori!"
The wind is knocked out of me as a body crashes into me.
Jade nearly comes out, but at the last second I remember that it's Tori's day. So, I frown rather than kill as two arms wrap around me from behind.
Why does everyone think they can hug me today?
Then the arms let me go and I turn around, coming face to face with Beck…as Cat.
My, God. I wasn't expecting this. Beck's wearing a dress, a very short pink dress. His legs are shaved, and he's wearing baby doll flats. I was expecting the flats, and the red wig, but the other stuff…can you say dedicated?
The bell rings, letting us know it's time to get to our next class.
Sikowitz.
"Bell!" Beck squeals before literally skipping off to class.
I laugh at him and follow everyone else to class. I also find myself constantly looking behind me, wondering when, or if, Vega is gonna show up. I don't know why, but I really wanna see what she's done to me.
To my great annoyance, Vega doesn't show up for class. Not that Sikowitz is here either.
Oh wait, here he comes…through the window.
"Jade!" he calls excitedly.
I don't answer. It's obviously a test. I'm Tori.
"What?" A bored voice answers from behind me.
I turn quickly and look. There in the doorway, is Vega.
My mouth falls open and I openly stare at her. Yes, I'm impressed, but it's not even the Jade clothes or the attitude. Which she's pulling off almost as well as I do. It's her eyes and her nose. She's got piercings. Real ones. I can see that from here.
I thought for sure she was going to use some rhinestones.
"Have you ever thought of coming in through the window?" Sikowitz asks, interrupting my thoughts.
Okay, random.
"Have you ever thought about how much I would love to push you out of a window?" She answers before rolling her eyes and taking the seat next to Cat.
Well damn.
My eyes follow her. Not once do I blink. I can't believe this. She's doing good. Really good. I would totally say that to Sikowitz.
Vega turns a little and notices me staring at her. Tori makes me give her a friendly smile, and Vega's response is a harsh glare before she gives Sikowitz her full attention.
My mouth falls open again, one thought running through my mind. Surprisingly, I'm not thinking about how much I want to kill Vega for the harsh looks she's giving me because she's doing what she's supposed to be doing. She's being me.
And I can't help but to think: Damn, I'm a sexy beast.