Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious or Oreos. That's right. Oreos.
I
Every Little Thing
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Sincerely, Jade
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If things are observed according to what is shown on the surface, sincerity would most definitely go hand-in-hand with a person's level of expressiveness, but, again, if behavior is only considered at the shallowest levels.
Like Robbie Shapiro.
He is quite the odd ball. Any normal, pop-ridden girl is likely to run away from him the first time he opens his mouth and tries to engage in a conversation. Physically, he isn't problematic; he actually looks like Andy Samberg. But really, even without the Andy Samberg reference, the boy had an appeal of his own. The point is, not every girl understands the boy's depth.
He is nice – or rather, he seems nice.
He would take you to a fancy place for dinner and he would even bring extra company just so you wouldn't feel too awkward staying with him for the rest of the night. It's a shame though that the company being referred to happens to be an annoying puppet. But yeah, he'd do those things for any girl. He can make any girl happy if he could just try – that's if he and his date wouldn't get in a sticky situation.
Well. Robbie has this tendency of throwing others off the pit if a significant percentage of his sanity is consumed by panic. He'd drink the only remaining water for himself and he'd let cannibalistic children feed on a friend if it means getting himself saved.
This is his depth cut down in half.
Other than that, he is very sweet and caring. He just can't be too consistent with his sincerity levels and that just defeats the whole point of being sincere.
Exhibit Jade though is a totally different perspective to sincerity. On the surface, she is nothing like Robbie.
She can cut people's flesh into shreds if her words ever physically sliced through. She is awesomely vengeful and, to top that all off, she is very, very sincere in the weirdest manner – and maybe a little too sincere that she can actually make people cry with her level of straightforwardness.
However, at about the thousandth step she had just made in her own room, she couldn't get herself to say a very, very simple word to a certain someone.
Which is the reason why the same Jade West referred to is currently sending the most surreal spam messages to Tori Vega.
She initially didn't want to send spam really. All she wanted was to find a way to show the Vega household's youngest which parts of their previous relationship she wanted maintained and, most of all…to apologize.
Being Jade West has its downsides even if you had to live talented and hot because you couldn't get yourself to say things like everybody else does – like how Elmo from Sesame Street says "I love you", how Cat says "hi, Tori" or how Tori says "It's going to be okay, Robbie". The equivalents of these, task passed to her mouth, would be "…", "VEGA!" and "It's not going to be okay."
Tori skims through Jade's messages on her phone with a cringe.
'In 20 years, the basement of your house will be infested by rats and termites?' Tori reads, slowing down as she neared the end of probably the fifty-sixth message. 'Wow, that's just very…Jade.'
The shorter girl already tried sending a message back, asking Jade to stop spamming her inbox. Unfortunately though, instead of getting the silence she wanted for her phone's inbox, the messages doubled in number.
Mrs. Vega looks up from her plate.
'Honey, we're eating.'
'Yes, mom,' Tori sighs. 'It's just that Jade's bugging my phone. Literally.'
'Then call her and tell her to bug later,' Trina says helpfully, simultaneously dumping the serving of mashed potato she couldn't finish on her sister's plate.
Tori suddenly finds herself guilty over stupid for not considering Trina's suggestion. She had actually thought about it, she just didn't do it. She wasn't going to lie about liking the attention. After all, she and Jade had just recently "made-up".
With a sigh, Tori throws her phone on the nearest couch. Unbeknownst to her, in the West household, Jade had also just thrown her phone on her bed with a very audible sigh.
The rebellious West paces the floor near her bed, arms folded across her chest and lips pursed. For the fifty-sixth time, instead of saying the apology that she wanted to set free, she delayed things again by sending another spam message.
This is Jade West. She is ostensibly the epitome of tough, but with Tori Vega, things always seem to take an unexpected turn for her and this happens at all possible levels. She inwardly curses at the thought.
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'God, Cat,' Robbie sighs exasperatedly. He runs a hand through his face as he tries one more time to say sorry. Apparently, Cat had again been luncheon meat for hungry dream kids, but this time, she was fooled into bathing in a cauldron. 'I'm sorry, okay?'
Cat drops her spoon on her food tray, looks away rather dramatically and folds her arms across her chest.
'Oh, come on! I said I'm sorry!'
Silence.
'Cat, please don't make me say sorry again-'
'Damn straight you're not saying it 'cause I'm going to shove my sandwich up your throat!' Jade snaps. To her, the situation wasn't the only thing annoying – it was the word involved. It just so happens that until now, she hadn't said it yet. Although Tori never asked for an apology, the Goth could practically feel the little word squirming at the pit of her stomach, wanting to be set free.
Robbie purses his lips in a second and makes a sideways glance at Tori who shrugs her shoulders.
'Somebody's extra cranky today,' Tori says as she returns to skimming through her textbook's pages.
'Yeah, don't push your luck, Vega.'
This part of Jade West is called the reflex. Most of the time, she would take pleasure in its effects and later implications, but it's times like this that she would find herself internally cursing for the nth time this day.
'Wow-' Tori raises her brow and had to dig a nail in her palm to stop herself from asking Jade if it is that time of the month.
'Cat?' Robbie slowly asks, throwing cautious glances at Jade, who snatches Andre's fork from his hand.
'Okay,' Andre says, still looking at his fork. 'Do you know switching, Robbie? Why don't you say – let's see – pineapple instead of the usual "s" word for an apology.'
'Yay! I love switching!' Cat suddenly jumps in her seat as if every hormone pushing her annoyance earlier had shot out of her ears.
'Uh,' Robbie shakes his head lightly as his brain went over the mechanics, 'okay, Cat? Pineapple. Please? Pineapple already!'
'Okay,' Cat purses her lips as she looks up, thinking. 'Okay. Robbie? Cool Whip!'
Tori, Andre, Jade and Robbie (and Rex) throw glances at each other as if whatever Cool Whip was would be clearer if they did. Seeing that either no one had an idea or they just didn't feel like entertaining the thought, they went back to their businesses.
'Aren't you going to answer that, Robbie? I just forgave you!' Cat says excitedly.
'Um, right. Well. Maybe Thanks can be Robot?'
Jade rolls her eyes. 'Pear, Robbie.'
The rest of the gang was actually surprised that Jade decided to take part in Cat and Robbie's attempt to rearrange a dispute. They stare at her, waiting for an explanation.
'Pear?' Tori asks.
'Yes, Pear. Everything about this boy is just Pear.'
'I don't even want to know what Pear is,' Andre mumbles.
'She must have meant, uncool,' Rex says, making Robbie roll his eyes and slump to his seat.
'Hey,' Beck greets with his chummy kid voice as he sets his bag on the seat beside Jade. He offers a cupcake to his girlfriend, who takes it rather nonchalantly. He sighs inwardly at this.
'Beck! Homemade or Grandma Oven-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies!' Cat says – consistently enthusiastic. On every word. Beck blinks then looks at the cupcakes he brought.
'Should I have gotten Jade that?'
'They're playing switching,' Andre clarifies and Robbie mumbles something about a serious apology evolving into a mere plaything.
Beck mouths an "oh" and nods. He sits down and kisses Jade's temple.
Tori suddenly finds herself wanting to be nothing but busy with anything. It's quite puzzling how it made her want to shift to her seat or pretend to read a little more from her books. The couple always kissed and snuggled in public, thus, it's quite a bother to even be slightly bothered about it.
'So,' she chooses to divert her attention into that switching game. 'Cat, what would Homemade or Grandma Oven-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies be?'
Cat giggles. 'Hi.'
'No,' Tori furrows her brow but places a hand on Cat's like it would prevent the redhead from taking her next words as an insult. Jade straightens at the gesture. The space in her brain that was labeled reflex (or at times, stupidity) is suggesting she screams "sorry" right this moment.
'You see, Cat. Do you know those times when we say hi-byes? Like in the hall or down the street? I don't think I can manage, "Homemade or Grandma Oven-Baked Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cat!"' Tori continues with a wide, forced smile.
'Should I have gone for just Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies?'
'Sweet Mother of Kermit,' Rex groans, while Andre, Beck and Robbie decided that it was time to go on with their lives, leaving Tori to handle the situation.
Tori breathes in a little too deeply and answers, 'I guess you can try that and if it doesn't work, you can always say cupcake instead.'
'Oh, I love cupcakes! Red Velvet Cupcakes, Tori!' Tori's smile faded but she pats the top of Cat's head anyway.
If it were a very normal day in Hollywood Arts, Jade would've pushed another coloring book to Cat's space on the table and tell her to color some pretty animal. She may be Jade West, but at this moment, she is Jade West in a sickening predicament and the clueless redhead actually gave her an idea.
She admits, there are times that Cat proves smarter than her and she doesn't even know it. Maybe she just says the most basic things.
'Oreos,' Jade says, looking at Cat with a slight smirk.
'Uh, Cat,' Tori cringes at the sight of that all-too familiar smirk. 'I think Oreos might be warning.'
'Depends,' Jade's smirk disappears, but for the first time this day, she finally feels relaxed.
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It was like a normal Vega household afternoon; Trina, in the kitchen, brewing things that would help her face glow, and, Tori, in the living room, wallowing about her homework but still managing to update her status on The Slap.
Yes. Truly. It was very normal.
But only until three consistently hard knocks (or rams) on their main door was heard throughout the receiving area.
'I thought we had a doorbell,' Trina comments, pausing from mashing another avocado. She signals Tori to grab the door. But really, the youngest Vega would have known that she would be the one getting it. It's part of the normal afternoon.
'Coming!'
Tori fumbles for her reading glasses on their coffee table and wears it to cover the bags under her eyes. She then jogs toward the door and swings it open only to be led to believe that this afternoon will be nothing like normal.
'Pineapple.'
Tori blinks at the figure in front of her that happens to be Jade West calling her a tropical fruit.
'Uh,' Tori opens her mouth to say something. Perhaps, right at this moment, she needs to stand in front of the closest mirror and check if she mutated into a Hawaiian delicacy.
Jade visibly grows impatient and shifts positions. She sighs and repeats the same word she said earlier, only a little flatly, 'Pine. Apple.'
Tori's right eye twitches. She also realized that this eye happens to twitch a lot in Jade's presence. She was confused but as soon as she caught on, Jade rolls her eyes and turns to leave.
'Jade! Wait,' she quickly grabs the other girl's wrist and searches the right code in her brain, panicked. She almost jumps in relief as she vaguely remembers the response Cat used during lunch. 'Whipped Cream!'
There was a second of silence then both their eyes narrowed in confusion.
'Wait-' Tori brings her hand to her chin, looking up as she thought her response over.
Jade shrugs a shoulder and walks into the Vega house, past Tori's shoulder. 'That's new. I expected Cool Whip.'
'Oh,' Tori shakes her head and shuts the door behind her.
Jade slumps into the living room couch not even minding to greet or look at Trina, whose face was now the extension of some sort of Avocado Salad.
'Um, may I know why you're here?' Tori asks, genuinely curious, 'and why say sorry?'
'I said, Pineapple,' Jade corrects her, turning the television on with the remote.
Tori rolls her eyes and sits down beside Jade.
'Oh and,' Jade turns her head to face Tori and pulls the reading glasses off the bridge of the youngest Vega's nose, 'Pear.'
Tori backs a little from the gesture, feeling a shudder coming on.
'Yes, thank you for being nice, Jade, but listen, I'm waiting for Cat, she's supposed to help me with a couple of scenes—which reminds me, It's already five and she's not here yet. I'm quite worried.'
Tori stands up to get her phone when, Jade pulls her back down.
'She sent me; she's at the Freezy Queen.'
Jade's eyes were straight on the television. To Tori, the girl was obviously hiding the hint of the lie she just made. Well, it really was not a total lie. After all, Cat is at a really fancy branch of Freezy Queen, enjoying an all-expense paid trip. But to Jade, she is hiding a hint of something but not the lie. She's a pretty good liar. She simply didn't want Tori to catch even a hint of the unease she was feeling.
'Sent you?' Tori asks skeptically. 'Since when did you take favors? And it has something to do with me.'
'So do you want help or not?' Jade asks, ignoring Tori's question.
Tori shrugs and tentatively stares at the pile of papers and books on the coffee table.
'Um.'
Jade rolls her eyes, grabs a whole pile of papers and skims through the texts.
Tori looks from the now neatly bundled pile of papers to the one holding them. Nothing really sways that stern expression on Jade's face. She always seemed bored or like nothing was ever interesting in the world. But there are those special times (that Tori now finds herself looking forward to) that tells differently than the Goth girl intends to show.
Like right now, Jade seems all grumpy over scanning homework that isn't hers in the first place, but if Tori could just stare a little longer, she'd understand that Grumpy was actually shy.
Tori's slowly smiles, 'Robot.'
If Trina had been with them at a closer proximity and with full focus, she could actually point out that her sister was at the point of giddiness. But yeah, she's in the kitchen with her mashed Avocado army.
Jade doesn't look up or, rather, chose not to. There happens to be a little smile threatening to break her façade that she refused to show Tori.
She responds with a low, 'hm.'
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'So you're trying to tell me that you intend to kill the main character off but you don't know how to make it exciting?'
After over three hours, the two girls actually made progress – well, that is, as regards to the homework and looking into the other's eyes. They had different spans. Tori could manage three seconds but at the third, she starts to fret, while Jade could last eight seconds but would have to make an insult to get to the seventh and eight second.
Jade patiently waited for an answer from Tori. She broke eye contact at the fifth second to make sure she wouldn't have to insult the other girl for about the eighty-eight instance.
'Yes, but not entirely,' Tori answers, handing over a mug of freshly brewed coffee to Jade, who takes it very carefully as not to brush her fingers with Tori's. 'I'm still kind of torn about killing her off.'
'Well, you should,' Jade says nonchalantly. 'She's a real klutz.'
'Well!' Tori says, exasperated.
'I'm not kidding,' Jade deliberately turns about three pages in slight disgust. She then stops at one page and began scribbling on it. 'Maybe you should start character development at this point. I mean, we don't want another Bella in this era.'
Tori thought Jade almost seemed like she was really into what she was doing – sans the insults, that is. She sits back down and throws occasional glances at the (maybe) clueless West. To her misfortune, Jade turns to her, just in time to see her looking in a truly lousy attempt to cover her discreet observations - half Tori's face was behind her coffee mug.
Jade raises eyebrow and smirks. 'Either something's on my face or it's just my face you find nice to look at.'
Tori rolls her eyes, 'Coffee bean.'
'And that would be?' Jade asks, still smirking.
'Conceited.'
'Okaaay,' Jade answers, sounding unconvinced.
Tori averts her attention to the TV. The moment Jade turned on the electronic, it had been running on Crimes TV. The programming was seriously disturbing but she left it there because she thought it would be the least she could do to thank Jade for helping her out.
'Ugh,' Tori says under her breath as the program narrator began babbling about the world's most disturbing crimes.
Noticing the other girl's disgust, Jade sets the papers down. 'Why do you watch this if it disgusts you?'
''Cause you like it,' Tori answers flatly.
Jade furrows her brow but immediately slips back to her default expression. She turns to the Television Program. At this point, she can convince anyone that she was engrossed by Jack the Ripper's story on the TV.
Yes, she can convince anyone – but not herself. It was strange and by it, her head meant Tori. The girl didn't need to try so hard to show that she considered the feelings of others – more so, the feelings of a person who had been nothing but mean to her.
Maybe at this point too, she could have concluded concretely that there really isn't a need to be too extravagant with words or actions to express sincerity; there isn't a need to be like everybody else and level expressiveness with sincerity. But then, the doorbell suddenly rings like the Fire Department's main alarm.
'I'll get it,' Tori walks to the main door and lazily yanks it open.
'HEY!' Cat says cheerily – as usual. She lifts a paper bag with the red Freezy Queen label on it to Tori's face. 'Jade told me not to come but I felt like bringing you something to relieve your stress.'
'Thaaaanks, Cat.'
Freezy Queen can relieve anyone's stress, but really, "Jade told me not to come" is a truly interesting phrase. It was Tori's turn to smirk. She slowly turns to Jade, who was trying her best not to scream "Oreos" at Cat.
Jade's gaze darts from Cat's cheery face to Tori's ego-inflated one. She grits her teeth and hisses at Tori, 'Coffee bean.'
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End of Part One
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A/N: And so, before I say anything else, I would like to say that yes, Part One is complete and so the next time I update, it will be under Part Two. That's why I changed the Chapter naming. Phew. I'm beat but I absolutely had fun with this chapter. I really, really hope you guys did too.
DramaHunny101 For a second I was imagining Jade with the, "You're ever so welcome" line. haha. Thanks again for the review and thinking this story even deserves to be called awesome. That's right. She did throw the food Beck ordered for her in the video. So wasteful these people are. I hope you liked this chapter as much.
MusicNinja1010Yay I'm glad you like it. I hope I met your expectations with this chapter.
AlphaTeam101 Thanks for the review, Alpha. You are among those who remind me of the essence of the story. I hope you had like this chapter too. I gave it my everything, since it's the last entry to Part One. I'll try my very, very best to make the attraction plausible on my next update (Pilot for Part Two).
And yeah, I like their relationship the way it is in the series and I don't want to deviate from it. Rather, I want this story to illustrate "growth" from that relationship we both have come to love.
Again, thank you, thank you, thaaank you.
ChaseLehrmanIt truly is tempting to just throw them at each other, they're just soooooooo, soooo hot but cute together. Really. I hope I didn't disappoint you with the turn of events in this chapter.
Black-Love-With-M.MWhy, thank you dear I hope you love this update as much.
Dani2606Glad you liked that little moment. Sorry this took longer to write, I just didn't want this chapter to go by without those cute moments we love.
And you know, the previous episode really brightened my day. It cracked me up how they argue and throw hate glances at each other in that episode. I don't know if it's just me or maybe those antics are really just so cute.
Little Miss Charlie AThank you, ma'am (Beck Style) you make me happy.
Project HeeeeThank you, thank you, really. And hey, I totally understand. We Jori fans have a connection, you know? I just hope I don't make you feel like I rushed things with this chapter. Jori is nothing short of a challenge, every nook and cranny of their interaction mustn't be disregarded. Thank you again and I hope you had fun with this chapter.
femslash-addictHaha, yeah, I think I missed that out but thank you, thank you for the review dear There isn't much dialogue here relative to other stories but I hope I have provided dialogue enough. Thanks so much again.
BabyDavidGlad I could make you fall in love with the story. I do hope you are still in love with it after this chapter. I had to spend more than five minutes to think over their lines for this one so I'm quite worried someone might've jumped out of character. But bah! Regardless, you made me happy
AliasSpyCrazyI'm glad you thought it was awesome. And really, thanks for being sharp about the gist of the chapters. You keep me reminded that I should be very careful with my writing and that I should keep fillers in check. It would be an honor to get you to keep reading. Thanks so much again.