A/N So I think this one was out a little quicker? Wasn't it? I can't remember.. Oh well, it's here now 3

Jade's POV

The walk to the smoothie bar was short, but it still took the two another fifteen minutes. The day was hot, and not even accompanied by a breeze, making the journey relatively uncomfortable. By the time Jade and Tori arrived, the gang was sprawled over the sofas at the back of the restaurant, making the most of the air conditioning. By the looks of it, they were half way through their second round of drinks and listening intently to an animated discussion between Robbie and Rex.

"Hey Tori, hey Jade," Andre called. "its about time, we were about to come looking for you."

Jade gestured towards their smoothies, still half full. "Yeah, I can see that."

Ca glance up with a smile, "How was that, uh, homework Jade?"

Jade gave her a look that threatened strangulation, but replied

"It was fine, thank you Caterina."

"Ya got it.. Sorted out then?"

Jade grit her teeth "Yes, thank you."

Cat giggled "Kay kay!"

Tori smiled.

Jade sat down facing the rest of the shop and as far away from Beck as possible. Tori decided to take the seat next to her. She wasn't in the mood to care if everyone else got suspicious. Their smoothies arrived a few minutes after ordering them, and they were quickly drawn into the conversation.

"I just don't see why you'd want to." Andre said, confused.

"There gonna be some Northridge girls." Rex said smugly.

"You want a little puppet STD?" Jade drawled and she stabbed a blackberry from the bowl in the middle of the table. Rex looked as offended as Robbie could make him.

"I'm gonna be sat next to 'em. Not in their laps. More than could be said for you two." Rex muttered, sweeping a hand in Tori and Jade's direction.

Stupid damned puppet.

Jade flicked the blackberry as hard as she could from the end of her fork and watched uncaringly as it splattered Rex in the eye. "Fuck off."

"Argh! Man down! It burrnns!" Rex cried, retreating behind Beck as Robbie desperately wiped at Rex's face with a serviette. "Stop moving!" He hissed at him.

"I'm melting!" Rex continued hysterically.

"Make it stop." Jade said bluntly.

"You're not the one with berry gunk in your eye!" Rex defended.

Jade stabbed and flicked another mushy blackberry, which flew and struck Rex in the other eye.

Rex shrieked "I'M BLIIINND! Avenge me!"

Cat coughed. "Guys, the waiter is staring at us."

Everyone but Jade, who didn't particularly care, looked up to where the waiter was stood. She quickly went back to clearing her table.

"Anyway." Tori said. "What're we doing for the rest of the day?"

Andre shrugged. "Not decided yet."

"What about the cinema? It's too hot out there to be outside."

"I'm out." Jade hated the cinema. She didn't see the point. She wondered if Tori would go. She couldn't change her mind now without looking weird but she didn't want to go home by herself.

"Yeah, I told mom I'd be back by 2:00. Trina's due home tomorrow and that takes preparation, believe me."

Liar Jade thought, not unhappily.

Beck spoke, for the first time. "Well I'll come."

Robbie nodded "Yeah, there's gotta be something on."

Andre looked over to cat, who was finishing her bright pink smoothie. "How 'bout you, little red?"

Cat beamed. "Aha, okay.." She giggled shyly.

Why aren't they together yet?

Robbie got out his pear pad from his bag and began tapping at it. "That new film Sikowitz recommended is on in half an hour- we could make it of we left now?"

"Andre nodded "Sounds good." He stood, drinking the last few drops of his smoothie and the others followed suit. Beck ambled over to pay the bill whilst everyone else headed to the door. Jade stepped outside, cursing the sun and shielding her eyes against it's over-zealous light. "I suppose we're walking again." Jade muttered to Tori.

Tori smiled "Oh well, it's a nice day."

Beck appeared from the shade of the restaurant and into the day with the rest of them. "We'd drop you off, but the cinemas in the other direction and it's gonna be close enough as it is getting there on time." He said apologetically. Jade ignored him and started walking. Tori followed her, glancing over her shoulder to Beck. Jade knew she was about to say sorry, but he would just wave his hand in understanding. She knew him too well. As predicted, the word never left Tori's mouth. Jade waited before they were out of ear shot before saying anything.

"So.. Where are we going?"

Tori looked at her, feeling strangely bad for her. "where do you want to go?"

Jade groaned, squinting. "Inside.. I can't take the sun."

Tori rolled her eyes. "Vampire."

"Uh-huh."

Tori began to play with her hair. "Well we can't go back to Cats."

Jade sighed. "We could go mine if mum's not in. Dad was meant to be fucking off to Paris last night, but hell knows if he actually did or not."

She saw the nerves on Tori's face. "What if your mum comes back whilst we're there?"

"We'll climb out of my bedroom window and into a tree, from there to the ground. It'll be fine, I've been doing it since I was like, 12."

Tori did her best to smile. "Okay.. If you're sure."

Jade smiled and elbowed Tori playfully. "Don't you trust my tree?"

Tori scowled, but smiled too. "I'm not sure the tree trusts me. I have a history with trees. It's not a good history. It involves falling. And breaking. And prolonged pain."

Jade smiled. "I'd catch you if it attacked you. And then i'd attack it."

"Thats not very fair. It's not exactly able to run away." Tori joked.

"You'd be surprised the amount of things which have learned to run away from me."

Tori smiled again. Jade liked that smile. "You know what I mean."

"So does the tree."

They walked for another 15 to 20 minutes before they arrived at Jade's. Jade announced no one was in, and they crunched up the gravel path toward the door.

"How do you know no ones in?" Tori said gingerly.

"There's no screaming." Jade said bluntly.

Tori frowned. "Well there wont be if you'r dads gone to Europe."

Jade raised an eyebrow as she shouldered the door open. "Are you sure about that?"

There was no real answer to that. Tori followed Jade into the house like she was committing a crime being there. Jade could understand, it wasn't a welcoming place. It was always cold, no matter what the temperature was outside, the wall paper was dark, and the pictures on the wall were all out dated, ghosts of what the family used to be and permanent reminders of what it was never going to be again. It was eerily quiet.

"My room's up there," Jade said distractedly, waving her hand towards a door at the end of the hall and disappearing off around a corner into another room. "I'd say go on up, but the both doors are locked."

Tori raised an eyebrow, peeking around the corner to see where Jade had gone. It turned out to be a kitchen, a rather cavernous one at that. Jade was stood at the island counter in the center, pouring a peach coloured drink into two tall glasses.

"You lock the doors inside you'r house?"

Jade looked up at her, seemingly equally confused. "You don't?"

Tori frowned "Cant say as I do, no- what is that?"

"Peach Bellini. Sadly, it doesn't have any alcohol in it." She said, setting the white glass bottle down on the black marble. "Just about the only thing that doesn't.." she muttered.

"Oh, well, I don't mind." Tori looked around slowly as Jade made her way over with the two glasses. "When will your mom be back?"

Jade gave her a wicked grin. "Nervous?"

Strangely, even with the threat of a raving mad woman out for her blood, Tori wasn't. After all, she had Jade to protect her.