Two updates in under one week?! What is going on! Haha enjoy you guys =)
"Right." I said before dropping the pizza onto a plate and snatching Beck's cigarettes from the table and making a hasty retreat from the group and out of the restaurant. I heard Cat offer an apology on my behalf as I walked out the door. I pulled a cigarette from the pack and slipped it between my lips before realizing that I didn't have a lighter.
"Fuck." I said out loud.
"Need this?" Cat asked as she lit the tip of the cigarette. I took a deep pull and looked at her through steely eyes.
"You didn't tell me she'd be here." I said.
"You wouldn't have come had you known."
"Damn fucking straight I wouldn't have. So instead you thought you should just ambush me?"
Cat let out a sigh, "I'm sorry. None of us expected tonight to happen, Jade. She showed up at my place this afternoon. I guess her semester ended a few days ago and she's home now. She wanted to get the old group back together, and she was pretty insistent that you be present as well."
"Great. So she can tell me she loves me tonight and deny it tomorrow?" I asked sarcastically.
Cat gave me a sad, knowing look before narrowing her eyes and leaning in a bit closer, "Where were you before this?"
I took another drag from the cigarette, "I was out with Leila and her friends." I said.
Cat laughed, "You're loaded already, aren't you?"
"Moderately."
"How is Leila, by the way?" Cat asked with genuine concern.
A smile made its home on my lips as I fixed my eyes on the ground and thought about my girlfriend, "She loves me." I said, finally raising my gaze to meet Cat's.
Excitement overtook Cat's entire demeanor nanoseconds after I told her and she squealed, "Oh my God! That's great!" Her joy faltered for a moment, "What did you say back?"
I cleared my throat and averted my eyes, "Well, technically I said it first. Only because I knew she wanted to say it too."
"You meant it though, right Jade?" She asked with narrowed eyes.
"Course I did. I do. I really do." I said, looking at Cat hopelessly. This was completely new territory for me.
Cat's smile returned as she started singing Usher's You Got it Bad before she pulled me into an abrupt hug. I laughed as I finished my cigarette when she let me go, stubbed it out on the bottom of my shoe, and slipped it into the ashtray on top of the garbage outside of the building.
"Shall we?" I asked as I ushered Cat back into the building.
When we approached the table again, I noticed how it still had the carefree atmosphere from before. Vega even looked like she was having a good time despite the fact that I hadn't even bothered to greet her before storming out.
"Sorry about that." I said with a small cough as I tossed Beck's pack back onto the table. Cat and I grabbed two chairs from a nearby table and set them on the end of the booth.
"Where's Leila?" Beck asked.
"Yeah! I finished that video game she lent me. I wanted to talk her about it." Robbie chimed in excitedly. Since Leila and I got together, she became an unofficial member of our group. She got along spectacularly with Robbie, which never failed to make me laugh. Cat adored her, and Beck admired her ability to handle me and my moods with such ease. Andre hadn't yet met her, and Tori didn't even know she existed.
"I'm not convinced she's real, Jade." Andre joked.
"Fuck off, Andre," I laughed, "she's actually at your club with her friends right now." I said as I sipped the long island iced tea that Beck had got for me while I was gone.
"No shit! Did you say hi to Roger?" He asked.
I rolled my eyes, "Course I did. How do you think we even got in?" I asked with a laugh.
"Who's Leila?" Vega asked in a quiet voice.
"Leila's Jade's new girlfriend." Robbie answered, his voice energetic in the beginning, but quickly petered out once he realized what he had said. Whatever had been going on between Tori and I was hardly a secret with the rest of our friends. Especially after her birthday when we collectively as a group realized she hadn't told a single one of us that she was coming home.
"Oh." Vega said, looking almost crushed as she returned her attention back to her drink.
"Why didn't you invite her?" Cat asked, clearly hoping to get rid of this awkward tension by saying something. Usually that something would have lead us into a different topic altogether, but leave it to Cat.
"I did. She just hasn't seen Emma much lately, plus some of her other friends are back from school now. I figured it wouldn't kill us to spend a night apart." I joked.
"How did you meet her?" Vega asked.
Beck laughed loudly and spoke before I even had a chance, "Jade tried picking her up at the bar one night and Leila shut her down." Andre shared in Beck's raucous laughter.
"Fuck off, Beck! That's not even true." I barked, only slightly irritated.
Beck gave me a pointed look, "Where did you meet her?"
"The bar." I answered simply.
"And did you or did you not ask her to come home with you to which she denied your offer?"
I rolled my eyes, "Sure, but we got coffee instead. I wouldn't have slept with her if she had said yes. Jesus."
Beck laughed again, "Right. Because she's special."
I leaned forward and socked him on his arm, "You're such a cock." I said with a laugh.
Vega took all the information in and nodded slowly, "How long have you two been together?"
Christ, why was she asking these questions? This was practically torture just answering them.
"Don't. Don't start that again." Robbie said in a pleading voice, "Do not start the ever-lasting argument of when they started dating. Jesus Christ, they could go on forever about why one is more right than the other."
I glared at Robbie, "Fine. Let's just say about three and a half months. Is that okay with you, Rob?"
Robbie gave me a cheeky smile, "Sounds perfect to me."
Beck excused himself shortly after to retrieve another round of drinks with Andre's help. Robbie scampered off to the front of the restaurant where a claw machine was located, with Cat hot on his heels begging him to win her a green elephant. So that left Tori and I seated alone.
"I didn't know you were seeing anyone." She commented.
"How could you? The most I've heard form you since your birthday is the occasional drunken voicemail that you so feverishly deny the next morning." I said snidely as I knocked back what was left of my drink.
"Don't do that, Jade." She pleaded.
"No, Tori, you don't do that. All you have done is send me mixed signals and fuck with my mind, so please, excuse me that I've got little to no patience when it comes to dealing with your shit." I said sharply as Beck and Andre arrived with the drinks. Beck scooted back in next to Tori and Andre shuffled in on the other bench. Robbie and Cat returned, with Robbie looking dejected and Cat giggling with the green elephant in her hands.
"What's your deal?" I asked Robbie as he slumped into the booth next to Andre.
"I lost." He said.
"I don't get it." I said as I pointed to the elephant in Cat's hands.
"I won!" She laughed airily as she raised the elephant in her hands victoriously as she took her seat next to me.
I took a sip from my fresh drink as my phone started to buzz on the table. I lifted up the offending item and looked at the screen to see who was calling.
"Hello?" I answered, a smile already finding its home on my face.
"Jadey." Fitz cooed to me from the other end of the line.
"Congratulations. You aren't too drunk to call the right person." I said with a laugh.
"Oh, I accidentally called James four times before I got you." Fitz giggled.
I shook my head, "Your poor brother."
"This is just payback for butt dialing me while he was banging that girl." Fitz said with a loud laugh.
I scrunched my nose in disgust, "I didn't need the mental image, babe."
I tried to ignore the flash of hurt on Vega's face out of my periphery vision when I said the word babe. The rest of the group had a completely different reaction as they simultaneously began shouting their greetings in my face, hoping to reach Leila.
She laughed, "Aw! Everyone's there?"
"Yup. The gang's all here. Even Andre graced us with his presence." I said, shooting him a playful wink. "We're still at Roscoe's. You should come out. Bring Emma."
"I wanna sleep, Jade." She said in a quiet voice. I smiled, remembering that a very drunk Leila Fitzpatrick did not like sleeping alone.
"Okay, babe. I'll come over." I said.
"I'm actually...not at my place." She said with a giggle.
"Where are you then?" I asked.
"I'm outside yours." She said, sounding bashful.
I laughed, "Of course you are. Well, I'll leave now. I'll see you soon, yeah?"
"Yup." She giggled.
I was about to say goodbye before another thought crept into my mind, "What've you been drinking tonight?"
"Tequila." She said with a giggle.
My face blushed at the thought. Leila Fitzpatrick had several drunk personalities. Vodka drunk Fitz wanted to do nothing but dance. Whiskey drunk Fitz had an incredibly short temper and a colorful vocabulary. Beer drunk Fitz wanted to eat everything in sight. Tequila drunk Fitz...couldn't keep her hands or lips to herself.
"I'm on my way." I said in a hushed voice.
"I love you." She said.
Just hearing those words caused a grin to pull on my lips, though I hesitated in my reply. Vega was sitting right there, and hearing me say those words would probably hurt her more than anything that she'd found out that night.
"You too." I resorted to saying before hanging up, "Well, it's been a blast you guys, but I have an intoxicated girlfriend who needs tending to." I said. Beck waggled his eyebrows at me suggestively and I rolled my eyes. I dropped a twenty on the table and flipped Beck the bird when he tried to give me back the bill. I left the restaurant and stood in the cool air, taking a deep breath before successfully flagging down a taxi.
Why had I not just fucking said it? As if Vega hadn't caused me enough pain in the last few months. I shook my head, hating myself for being so stupid. Then again, I had no idea how to react in this situation. What are you supposed to do when the girl of your dreams fucks off on you after telling you she's always had feelings for you, only to drop back into your life at the most inconvenient of times? Like when you're happily in love with someone else.
Leila. Fuck. I'd have to tell her Tori was home. Well, now that I thought about it, I'd probably have to tell her who Tori was to me. Aside from that moment in the restaurant when we'd run into my parents, Tori was never brought up in relation to my love life. And when she was brought up in discussion with our friends, I don't think Leila picked up on the fact that it was the same Tori. If she had, she hadn't asked about it.
Any thoughts of Tori were wiped away when we pulled up to my apartment building and I saw Leila sitting on my steps, smoking a cigarette and looking absolutely stunning despite her disheveled, drunken state. I paid my fare and got out of the car.
"Can I help you?" I asked as I approached her slowly.
She blew smoke out of the side of her smirking mouth, "Well, I was waiting for my girlfriend take me up to her bed, but you might do as a substitute." She said as she wrapped her arms around my waist after flicking the butt of her cigarette off to the side.
"You're completely tanked, aren't you?" I asked as I looked at her glassy eyes.
"You're looking pretty sober yourself." She said sarcastically.
I laughed, "Touché." I said as I ushered her into the building.
Had I not been so drunk myself, I most likely would not have allowed her to pin me to the elevator wall, kissing me roughly as she groped me. Nor would I have let myself be shoved against the hallway wall right next to my door as she attached her lips to my pulse point and began to deftly unbutton my top.
"Fitz. Fuck. Inside." I gasped. She smirked into my neck as she took my keys out of my hand and expertly unlocked the door without breaking the kiss. To say I was impressed would have been an understatement.
She led me backwards into my apartment, shutting and locking the door before continuing our path. Clothes were strewn from the front door to my bed, and it goes without saying that we didn't do that sleeping that Fitz had initially requested for quite a while.
I woke in the morning with a hangover to end all hangovers and Fitz's body draped over mine as she snored lightly. I took a moment to enjoy how peaceful she looked when she slept before doing my best to gently disentangle myself from her without disturbing her. As soon as I was out of her grasp, she snatched my pillow and clung to it desperately, burying her face and letting out a sigh of content. I smiled as I pulled on an oversized sweater and a pair of black girly boxers.
Breakfast sounded like the best idea at the moment, so I padded my way into the kitchen and had made it to the fridge as my phone began ringing loudly from my bag that had been tossed haphazardly onto the couch. I scurried over quickly, silencing the device and answering it.
"What's up, kitty Cat?" I asked as I walked back to the fridge.
Cat groaned dramatically, "I feel like I'm fucking dying."
I laughed, "I take it you guys stayed out for a while."
"We went back to Robbie's once Roscoe closed up. I'm never drinking again."
"If I had a dollar for every time you said that. Why don't you come over? I'm just about to make breakfast and Leila is still dead to the world so you've got time to get here." I said.
"Yes please. I have to talk to you about something, though." Cat said, sounding serious.
I stopped shuffling around in the fridge and stood up straight, "What is it?"
"Tori's going back to New York."
I laughed, "Are you kidding me? Just like that? Home for a day and then gone again."
"I guess so. She won't say why, just that her plans changed and she needs to clear her head. You don't think-"
"It'd be fucking stupid if that was the reason she left." I snapped.
"God, she's such an idiot sometimes. Whatever. I'm on my way." She said and we gave our goodbyes before I hung up the phone and stared blankly into the fridge.
Vega left. Again. Well, I can't say I'm surprised.
Another month went by and I hadn't heard from Vega since that night at Roscoe's. I won't lie and say she hasn't been on my mind, because she has. Quite frequently, too. I was bothered with the fact that she thought she could just come back into my life without any repercussions of the way she had previously treated me. I tried to reason with myself that my unavailability had little to nothing to do with her leaving again. But nothing else really made sense.
One afternoon, Leila and I had been at my apartment, watching some creepy SyFy show. We were lounged on the couch in shorts and tank tops, refusing to put on clothes acceptable to be seen in public. We had just ordered a few pizzas and Cat and Beck were expected to arrive within the hour. Leila's hands were tickling the bare skin of my thigh as she pleaded to me.
"You're so much closer to the fridge." She pouted.
I laughed, "I am maybe six inches closer than you are. You are so fucking lazy."
"Come on, Jade. Please?" She purred into the side of my neck, her hands leaving a trail of goosebumps as the gently raked over my arms.
"You're putting more effort into seducing me. You'd already have your orange soda if you'd get up yourself." I said with a smirk.
"But this is so much more fun." She whispered as she nipped my earlobe. In one quick movement, I had her pushed onto the couch and my body covering hers and I kissed her.
"Hope you aren't going to die of thirst, then." I said before kissing her again and pressing my hips down onto her. She let out a groan as she threaded her hands in my hair.
"Fuck the soda." She breathed before claiming my lips roughly.
A knock on the door disrupted us as I lifted myself up and looked over my shoulder at the door in confusion. The pizza wouldn't be here for another half hour, at least.
"Cat and Beck?" Leila asked as her fingers gently trailed up my arms.
"They must've gotten lucky with traffic if it is them." I answered as I lifted myself off of her and walked over to the door.
"I'm dying over here. Dying of thirst." Leila began to wail dramatically. I laughed as I approached the door.
"Fuck's sake, you sound like a dying rabbit." I laughed over my shoulder when I finally opened the door. I expected to see Cat and Beck standing there, but instead was met with shining caramel eyes I never thought I'd see again.
"Tori." I said, staring at her with wide eyes.
"I'm back." She said sheepishly with a small smile.
"You're back." I stated dumbly.
"Who is it, babe?" Leila shouted, peeking her head up from behind the back of the sofa. I watched as confusion and realization washed over Tori's face as she looked between Leila and I. Leila finally managed to peel herself from the piece of furniture, go fucking figure, and padded up behind me.
"It's Tori. This...is Tori." I said uncomfortably as I introduced her. I could feel Leila's uneasy eyes on me as she looked back to Tori.
Okay, I'm officially awful. I never told Leila about Tori. Once Cat told me she left again, I figured it wouldn't be something that I would have to worry about. Though once Tori left again, she became a hot topic among the group when we would get together. Andre was the only one actively keeping in touch with her. At this point, Cat was irritated with her flakey behavior and didn't see the point if Tori was going to keep fucking off on us. So Leila had a very loose idea of who Tori was. I know, there is no good reason for me to have kept that pertinent piece of information hidden. I just didn't know how to begin to explain whatever it was that Tori and I had been.
Regardless of the obvious tension, Leila put on her brightest smile and stuck her hand out, "Nice to finally meet you. I'm Leila. You're quite the topic of conversation among your friends." She said as she slid her hand underneath the fabric of my tank top and began rubbing soothing circles onto my lower back. I got the feeling she was subtly trying to lay claim to her territory, that she could sense that there had been something going on between the two of us.
Tori smiled uncomfortably and nodded, "I've heard great things about you, too.
"Come in." I said, as if I had been shocked out of my previously stunned demeanor.
"Thanks." Tori said meekly as she walked inside.
Once I closed the door and slipped the lock back into place, I turned to see Leila slipping her shoes on and grabbing her purse. Panic set in almost instantly.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
Leila gave me a comforting smile, "I'm just gonna run down and pick up a case of that hard cider Cat likes. All we've got is beer, and that settles you, Beck, and I, but you know how Cat feels about beer ever since that night she barfed for five solid minutes outside your bar when that guy challenged her to a power hour."
I shuddered at the memory before giving her an appreciative smile, "Well, aren't you thoughtful." I teased.
She shrugged, "Besides, I'm gonna pick me up an orange soda since someone refuses to get one for me."
I rolled my eyes and laughed, "There's a case and a half in my fridge at this exact moment. I don't even drink it! Do not buy any more orange soda." I warned playfully.
"Fine. I'll get something else." She said as she brushed her lips against mine. The first was chaste, barely feathered on my lips. The second was slightly stronger, possessive, even. She pulled back and shouted, "I'll be back!" before exiting my apartment. I stared after her for a moment, appreciating her trust and understanding in this rather inexplicable moment.
Finally, I looked back at Tori who had been seated on the couch, "What are you doing here, Tori?"
She had been twirling around a ring on her middle finger, a nervous tick I had caught on to when we were in high school, "I wanted to see you."
"You left." I stated, "Again."
She sighed, "I know. I don't know why I keep doing this. I just...hearing that you were with someone else hurt so badly, I had to get out of here. Just for a bit. And now seeing you with her..." She trailed off as she stared at the door where Fitz had just left through and I did my best to steel myself for whatever she was going to say. I wasn't going to fall for that bull shit again.
Instead, she surprised me.
"You're really happy." She said sadly.
I nodded, "I am."
"She seems great." Tori said, and I could tell she was being sincere.
"She is." I agreed.
"So I'm happy for you, then." She said firmly. I looked at her confused for a moment and she bit on her lip, "I fucked everything up between us. I know that. But there isn't anything that I can do about it anymore, is there? So..." She stood and took a few steps closer to me and my pulse quickened, "Friends?" She asked, sticking her hand out to me.
I appraised her, more than surprised by what she was saying. I nodded after a moment's hesitation and accepted her outreached hand, "Friends."
"We never really did the whole friendship thing in high school, so this should be interesting." Tori said, trying to lighten the mood.
I chuckled and made my way to the kitchen, "Can I get you something to drink?"
"Sure. What do you have?"
I clicked my tongue as I opened the fridge and examined the contents, "Orange soda, beer and...orange soda." I said with a laugh.
"Orange soda it is." Tori said.
I grabbed two cans and handed one to her. We sat on the couch in slightly awkward silence until the door burst open and Leila came bustling through carrying a large twenty four pack of hard cider. I laughed and stood to help her, though she waved me off, declaring something about her womanhood and independence.
"What was that shit about you not drinking orange soda?" She asked, nodding to the can in my hand.
I rolled my eyes, "This is all that we've got. What happened to picking up something else?"
She shrugged her shoulders, "Changed my mind. Cat called. They're running a bit late, but they'll be here soon." She said, slightly out of breath once she set the case on the kitchen counter, "Are you staying, Tori?" She asked, looking past me to Vega.
"Oh, I don't want to impose, really. I should have called before even coming out tonight." Tori said, shaking her head.
"You should stay. We'll call Andre and Robbie. Order a few more pizzas. Make a night of it." I suggested casually with a shrug. The ball was in her court. I wouldn't blame her if she didn't want to be here. I understood how painful that could be.
"Are you sure?" She asked me with a smile.
I nodded, "Positive, friend." I said with a smirk.
Hours later, the seven of us were loafing around on the couch and floor with demolished pizza boxes and empty beer bottles strewn about. Beck and Andre had gone out to buy another case of that we had already pretty much destroyed in addition to what we already had in the fridge.
Needless to say, none of us planned on moving until morning. Leila and I had passed out on the couch together, Vega had curled up on my armchair while the rest found places on the floor. I didn't even recall falling asleep, though was well aware of the fact when I had been awoken by a rather irritating ringtone I recognized as what Trina had set for herself on Tori's phone.
"Fucking hell, Vega. Turn that shit off." I growled as I nuzzled closer into Leila. When the noise stopped, I opened my eyes to see Leila giving me a strange look. When she saw that I was awake and alert she shook the expression away and smiled.
"Morning." She said before giving me a chaste kiss.
"Mmm," was the only reply I offered.
Once we were all out of our food comas, everyone else slowly trickled out of the apartment and on with their own lives. As I was cleaning up the mess, my phone went off.
1 New Message: Tori Vega
I'm glad we can still be friends. I missed you, Jade.
That message irritated me and frustrated me at the same time. What am I supposed to say to that? How the hell am I supposed to deal with her being so okay with the fact that I'm in a relationship and she missed her chance to be with me?
Leave it to Sweet Sally fucking Peaches to be perfect yet again.
I shook my head, tossing my phone back on the counter as I continued to clean up the empty pizza boxes. I noticed Leila sitting quietly on the couch, looking uncomfortable.
"Babe? What's wrong?" I asked, abandoning the box in my hand on the counter as I walked into the living room and sat next to her on the couch.
She looked worried as she twisted her hands together in her lap and looked at me, "Do you love me?" She asked.
She shocked me by how vulnerable and unsure she sounded. My eyes widened in surprise as I took her hand in mine and squeezed gently, "Of course I do. What's this about?" I asked, trying to search her eyes for answers she might not want to give truthfully.
Leila shook her head and smiled, "It's nothing. I'm being stupid."
I nodded, not really believing her for a second. I stood up, "Come on, then."
"What?" She asked in confusion.
I said nothing, only motioning for her to stand. When she finally did, I bent down and picked her up, thankful that she was so damn petite as I carried her into my room.
She was laughing hysterically as she wrapped her arms around my neck, "What are you doing?"
I set her down on my bed and kissed her fully, "I'm going to show you how much I love you."
All humor had been sucked out of the room as her eyes darkened and her tongue slipped out to wet her lips in anticipation. I kissed her again as I crawled atop her as my mind began to wander back to Tori.
Fucking hell. Friends? Did we even know how to be just friends?