When Monday came around, I was dreading having to go to school and face Jade and Cat. I honestly considered taking the day off, except that since I never took days off, not even when I was sick, my parents would probably be worried that I was about to die or something.

I barely spoke a word all day. I couldn't look at Jade and Cat, or even at Beck. Every time I even thought about any of them, my mind filled up with images that would make me blush uncontrollably.

I went straight from one class to another, sat by myself, and spent my lunch break in the library.

Tuesday was much the same. I still couldn't talk to or look any of them in the eye. I kept waiting for the whispers and rumours to start. Did the others know what I had done? Had Jade told them yet? Or was she just biding her time? Waiting for the perfect opportunity to humiliate me and tell the world about my drunken lesbian threesome. God, what would my parents say? My teachers? I was Tori Vega! I had a reputation as a nice girl. A good student. I didn't do stuff like that! My Dad was a cop, for chiz' sake!

I spent my lunch break in the library again.

By the time Wednesday came around, I was a nervous wreck. By now, Andre and Beck were starting to notice my strange behaviour and worry about me, and I was running out of excuses as for why I was acting that way. Robbie was as clueless as ever, but Rex occasionally made some smartass comment about 'tension.' Cat had been much quieter than usual, and Jade seemed to be mad all the time. Well, more than usual - I just knew we were getting close to the time when she would publicly humiliate me and destroy me socially. I wondered if it was too late to transfer back to my old school…

I arrived early at Sikowitz's class, and sat right at the back by myself. Andre, Beck and Robbie arrived soon after and sat in their usual spots near the front. Jade and Cat arrived a couple of minutes late, and I suddenly remembered their confession about what they got up to at school sometimes. I wondered if the two of them had been 'getting busy' in the janitor's closet or the girls' toilets. It was a warm day, and Cat was wearing a pair of denim short-shorts that were just barely long enough not to be considered indecent. I suddenly wanted to run my hands along her shapely thighs to see if the skin there was as soft and smooth as I remembered. I wondered what noise she would make if I raked my fingernails along her legs the way I'd seen Jade do…

If Cat's wardrobe choice was having half the effect on Jade as it was on me, I wouldn't blame her for wanting to take the cute little redhead somewhere where she could… um… 'take' her.

But as my gaze lingered on Cat, I noticed something - she actually looked a little sad. In fact, more than a little. She looked really down. Maybe Jade had been too rough with her in this theoretical sexual encounter they may or may not have just had? I'd been concerned about this when I'd first seen them together that night - the night, when this had all began - but Cat really hadn't seemed to mind. And I know I'd let Jade do stuff to me that was rougher and more forceful than I ever would have thought that I liked. But at the time, I had wanted it. And the end result was the best sex I'd ever had.

I would totally let Jade do that to me again.

My gaze flicked past Cat to take in Jade. She was looking right back at me. Glaring, in fact. Did she know what I was thinking?! I quickly looked away, and swallowed nervously as I felt the heat suffuse my cheeks. For the rest of the lesson, I focused on Sikowitz, refusing to look over at Cat or Jade again.

When class finished, I left straight away, planning to head to the library for lunch again. But as I hurried along the corridor, I suddenly heard booted footsteps coming up behind me, and felt a vice-like grip on my wrist. A second later, Jade was dragging me into the janitor's closet and slamming the door shut behind us, standing in front of it to bar my escape, arms crossed, glaring at me. I couldn't tell from her expression whether she was planning on fighting me or fucking me. My mind flashed back to four nights ago (god, had it only been four nights?), when Jade had proven herself stronger than me by effortlessly pinning me to her mattress and having her way with me - though to be honest I hadn't really been fighting back. But the point was, if Jade wanted to do either of those things to me right now, I probably couldn't stop her, short of screaming the place down and hoping someone came to help. I felt both terrified and aroused at the same time, a combination that I hadn't thought possible until I met Jade West. My breathing sped up, and I couldn't stop myself from trembling a little. I felt myself getting wet. I'm sure Jade loved every minute of my discomfort.

Taking in my anxious state, Jade said, "Relax Vega! I only want to talk to you." I wasn't sure whether I was relieved or disappointed.

Jade continued brusquely: "Look, I know you've been avoiding talking to Cat and I since the weekend. Personally I don't care, 'cos it's not like we're friends. But Cat does consider herself your friend, though I don't know why - but it's Cat, so it's not like she thinks logically. Point is, Cat's really upset by the cold shoulder you've been giving her. She thinks she's screwed everything up and lost you as a friend forever. I'd be happy never to have to talk to you again, but Cat wouldn't. And I don't like seeing Cat sad. So even if you don't want to be friends with her anymore because we've offended your delicate prudish sensibilities or something, at least be nice to her and talk to her occasionally, so she doesn't end up crying in the janitor's closet between classes!"

I started to feel bad as soon as I heard this. Of course Cat would have been feeling upset. I'd run out of Jade's house the morning after with hardly a civil word to either of them, then basically ignored them for half a week. I should have realised that Cat might think I didn't want to be friends with her anymore. But I valued her friendship, I really did. I'd just been so confused these last few days. I hadn't heard from her by phone or text, and I'd naively taken that as a sign of her complicity in whatever plot Jade was hatching to destroy me. But if what Jade said was true - if Cat really had been so upset that she'd been 'crying in the janitor's closet' - then she clearly wasn't a part of Jade's scheming, and was probably just trying to give me some space. In light of this new information, I was starting to look like quite the monster. But that still left Jade. I let out a long sigh.

"I'm sorry. I'll talk to Cat. I will. But please just tell me, what's your angle, Jade?" I was sick of waiting for the hammer to fall.

"My angle?" She was doing a good job of acting surprised, but I already knew she was a great actress.

"Yes! Your angle. Your scheme. Your plan. Whatever way you're gonna use what happened against me!"

Jade regarded me for a second with an arched eyebrow, then broke out into a wicked smile. "You think that's what last weekend was about?! Some plot that I'm working on to get you?!"

"Well, aren't you?!"

"Vega, stop and think for five seconds! How can I use what happened against you?! What, you think I'm gonna tell everybody? You think I secretly recorded it, and I'm planning on putting it on the 'net?"

"Oh god! Did you?!"

"Of course not! First of all, that would be really creepy. Like, Robbie-creepy…"

"I know, right! What's up with that guy?" I couldn't help but interrupt, despite my discomfort. That kid really did creep me out sometimes.

"…And secondly, how could I tell or show anyone without also outing Cat and myself? We'd suffer the consequences too. The only thing that would lead to is mutually assured destruction! Gee. And I thought Cat was the one with the faulty logic! Like it or not Vega, that night will always be our dirty little secret."

As soon as Jade said it, I realised she was right, and I started feeling even sillier than I already did. Why had I believed that Jade would tell people? She had kept her affair with Cat a secret all these years - with the exception of her boyfriend at the time, Beck (which actually made her a good girlfriend who kept no secrets from her significant other) - why suddenly change things? She couldn't hurt me without hurting Cat and herself. And she was proving herself a good and protective friend to Cat right now, better than I had been lately. So now I was a monster who had thought the worst of a girl whom I always claimed I was trying to be friends with, and given the cold shoulder to another friend for no good reason. Oh, and I had just gained a dirty little secret, too.

As if I didn't feel bad enough already, Jade's parting remark really got me scared.

"Make Cat cry one more time, and there'll be consequences! Got it, Vega?" And with that, she was through the door and gone, leaving me standing stupidly by myself in the janitor's closet, trying to figure out how to fix things with Cat without upsetting her even more and suffering Jade's wrath.

Nope. No pressure at all. Gulp.