Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious

Chapter 7: Are You Ready?

Tori P.O.V.

"What the fuck were you thinking Tori?" An enraged Andre asks as he paces back and forth. His face is scrunched up in a mixture of disappointment and infuriation.

"Andre I didn't even know it was coming!" I counter. I really didn't have any clue, I mean seriously Jade and I, me and Jade, we just don't mix. But that kiss…that kiss was something, dare I say, special. It was light and gentle yet it was much more passionate than anything I had ever felt from any of my ex-boyfriends or ex-girlfriends. "There was no warning it just kinda…happened."

"Did you even try to stop her?" He halts his pacing and turns to look at me. He gives me a strange look then shakes his head.

"It isn't like she tried to rape me Andre, it was just a simple kiss." I defend as my blood pressure rises.

"Oh really? If it was just a simple kiss you wouldn't have told me about it. I know you Tori and I know you felt something so spill it."

"Spill what, Andre? There's nothing to share." I stand, crossing the room and standing toe to toe with him. "It was just one fucked up mistake. Jade was probably just really emotional and she didn't know how to react, no big deal." I state with a stone cold face. His nostrils flare as he's about to spit a retort but instead he lets out a sigh.

"I'm impressed." He says with a smile causing my face to fall. "You were able to lie with only the slightest twitch of your left eye. Listen Tori, I'm not really upset or anything it was just a lot to process. I mean it's you and Jade, not something I would have ever expected."

"Dre I didn't expect it either." I slump back down onto my bed and run a hand through my hazelnut locks. "I don't think it was meant to happen either. There hasn't ever been that type of attraction between Jade and I before." I quietly add looking up at him with pleading eyes.

"I get it Tor." He says in a gentle tone. He sits down next to me and softly rubs my back. "I overreacted but come on Tori, if you and Jade get together that takes the two hottest girls in our school off the market." He teases.

"You pig." I playfully slap his arm and he pushes me with his shoulder in response.

"Hey I'm just calling 'em and I see 'em." He says with a smile. "Have you thought about maybe talking to Jade about this?" He asks with a serious note in his voice.

"Hell no! I don't have a death wish." He lets out an airy chuckle at my half joke but his face still remains serious.

"What are you afraid of, Tor?" He questions and honestly I lack the answer. I don't know exactly what I'm afraid of I just know that the possibility of talking to Jade scares me. "You felt something didn't you?" Andre looks at me with a stunned look. "You felt something!"

"Andre shut up! It was nothing." I wail.

"Liar! You totally felt something."

"Maybe I did, but it doesn't matter." I say weakly averting eye contact.

"Tori you have to talk to her. You can't just pretend it didn't happen if it's gonna torture you. If you felt something she probably did too." He argues. He grips my shoulder and turns me so I have to look at him.

"And what if she didn't? What if it was just me?" I snap pushing myself away from my best friend. "I can't bring it up because I don't want to deal with the fucking humiliation. It was a mistake so just forget it." I shout, tears prickling my eyes just begging to be released. "She ruined everything Dre! I can't even be in the same room as her without freaking out."

"So how are you going to go to the party tonight if you can't even be in the same room as her?" He asks with a stern face. His typically soft features are now sharp and his eyes look duller than usual. "If it was just a fucking mistake like YOU said YOU should be able to just let it go." He points out.

"You're right." I add in a quiet voice. And he is right, completely right. I have no reason to worry because it was just a mistake, nothing more nothing less. "Thanks Dre." I say pulling him into a tight hug. "I can't believe I acted that crazy."

"I can. Remember when I fell for Jade." I laugh thinking about the massive crush the boy had on her. "Man that girl is a heartbreaker." He adds with a sweet smile.

"Whatever."

"Tor?"

"Yea?" I look up at him and he stares back at me with compassionate eyes.

"If you and Jade ever like become something…" He gives a small smile. "…be careful. Jade's been Beck's girl for almost four years off and on, I doubt that he'll take the change in stride."

"Andre I'm not looking for a relationship with Jade. I care about her but…" Yea I care about Jade, a lot. She's just one of those people I feel like I should take care of, cherish, but I don't think it's in a romantic way. "But I don't think we have the right chemistry for a relationship. Plus it would be really hard for us." I add with a sad smile because I know even in our current society Jade and I would be frowned upon.

"What do you mean it would be hard? We live in fucking L.A.! Like one of the gayest cities in the world." He bursts, laughing uncontrollably. I smack his arm with a little more force than necessary and whine as he continues with his bout of laughter. Eventually I can't help but chuckle along with him.

"Andre, be serious for a second." I beg as he wipes a tear from the corner of his eye. With a few more snickers he motions for me to continue while he composes himself. "It's not the fact that we're both girls that would be hard; it's that we are who we are." Andre sends me a questioning look with his chocolate eyes, still glossy from his tears. "Jade and I have been seen as enemies since we met, if we were to start dating do you know the amount of shit we would get."

"I don't think that anyone would really care. People change." Andre answers, trying to sound optimistic.

"Dre we both know Jade would get so much crap from everyone. I love that you're trying to be supportive but come on Andre you know you would want to tell Jade she doesn't deserve me because of all the shit she's put me through." I permit a sad smile to fall on my face and I rest a hand on Andre's broad shoulder.

Andre's a good friend for trying to be supportive of me even though I know he wouldn't want me with Jade. Although none of my friends would openly express it I know most of them think I should probably just stay away from Jade. Even before the drugs, Jade and I had quite a stressed friendship; we never got in physical altercations but there wasn't a day that she and I wouldn't argue about something, even the little things became problems between us. Sure I'll do nice stuff for Jade every so often and she may return the favor but there's always an air of resentment that envelopes us.

"We both know that I should just stay away from her the best I can."

"I guess, but really don't let anything stop you from being her if that's what you want. To hell with what everyone else thinks, it's not important. And I'll admit that Jade doesn't deserve a girl as good as you but whatever makes you happy is what I'll support kiddo." Andre wraps his strong arms around my frame and places a small kiss on the top of my head. "Especially if she means you drop Ryder." He quietly adds like he doesn't want me to her. I let out an audiable groan and push on his chest so I can get out of his embrace.

"I thought we weren't going to talk about him anymore." I whine.

"Yea, yea, but come on Tori he's totally using you."

"Well what if I'm using him too." I counter with a bit of rage lacing my voice. "I have no interest in dating Ryder."

"Well you sure as hell don't act like it when you let him go down on you." Andre retorts his voice gaining intensity. "Like seriously he's not even worth your time Tori. There are guys who would give you the world just to spend five minutes with you, why do you need his ungrateful ass?"

"Who? You?" I accuse raising from my bed.

"Don't go there Tori." Andre's voice is low and dangerous; it almost reminds me of Jade's. "Don't accuse me of that type of shit, you're my best friend nothing more, nothing less." He affirms his voice as rigid as his stone cold face. It's strange for me to not see my best friend smiling. Andre has such a light heart and he's so quick to smile but lately everything seems a little backwards. His smiles are harder to earn and he doesn't seem to have the same loving heart I once remember.

Realizing my mistake I hang my head and mentally batter myself.

"I'm sorry Andre I didn't mean to say that. I'm just so stressed and I figured talking about Jade would help but it didn't. Then you started talking about Ryder and all his bullshit and I got a little carried away and I'm really sorry-"

"TorI?"

"Like I'm so sorry because you're a great guy and I should never bogus to you an-"

"Tori."

"You have such a huge heart to deal with all my bullshit. I know it's wearing on you because you don't smile as much anymore and you have all your own shit to deal with too. It's like an endless cycle of nonsense but I'm super-"

"TORI!" He roars.

"Huh?" His roar derails my train of thought and stops my less than stellar rambling apology. I finally pick up my head and see him giving me a soft expression; not exactly a smile or a frown. I can't tell what he's thinking but I can tell by the glimmer in his eyes it must be something amusing.

"You look so stupid when you're rambling." He finally says much to my relief and dismay.

"Hey that's not nice." I cry.

"It wasn't meant to be." He counters with a coy smile. "Anyway since you apologized I forgive you. How about we just drop this dumb conversation and head out to this party?"

"That sounds like a plan. I'm still sorry Dre."I walk over to my closet.

"I know, all is forgiven though." He says as he pulls out his blue pearphone. "Cat just sent me a message saying she needs a ride to the party." He informs.

"Well Mr. Harris if we are going to pick up Cat and arrive at this party in a timely matter I'm going to need you to get the fuck out of my room." I announce with an innocent smile plastered on my face.

"Oh yea.…s..sorry." Andre sputters as he gets off my door and rushes out of my bedroom door. I let out a hardy laugh and prepare for tonight's festivities.

Jade P.O.V.

"Beck I'm not going to the party. I told you I was grounded." I argue with him over the phone.

"When have you ever been legitimately grounded?" He asks. "And since when have you followed rules? Even if you were grounded, which you're not, you wouldn't give a fuck."

"There's always a first time for everything." I seethe into the phone.

"Don't bullshit me. You better be ready in like twenty minutes, I'm not going to wait for you like last time."

"Great. You know what to just save you some time how about you just go WITHOUT ME!"

"Haha, very funny. Just get ready Jade." He says bitterly before hanging up the phone without so much as a goodbye.

"Asshole." I mutter under my breath. I stride over to my closet and view the array of clothes; Black, black, black, and more black. "I need some fucking color in my wardrobe." I settle with a pair of black skinny jeans, a dark grey v-neck t-shirt, black combat boots, and a black and grey scarf; a very simple, very bland outfit that seems to match my outlook on life. A knock on my door interrupts my thoughts.

"Gem? Can I come in?" It's my mother…great.

"Ah yea…" I breathe out.

"Are you going somewhere?" She questions, cocking her head to the side in a rather Cat-like manner.

"Umm yea…I am." I say trying to sound as uninterested as possible. It's kind of strange having my mother take so much interest into my life. After five years of her being gone I had forgotten what I felt like to have her talk to me, to have her be a part of my life.

"Where?" Her eyes narrow as she looks at me. "You're not going out with that Beck boy are you?" Don't lie, don't lie, don't lie. She doesn't deserve to be lied to, not after all the shit I put her threw this week. She's been my rock throughout it all but she hasn't really pushed anything. She lets me do what I want but at least she acts like a mom and keeps an eye on me. Don't lie, don't lie, don't lie.

"No I'm going to Tori's." Fuck I lied. My mom's face lights up at the mention of Tori's name.

"I like that girl, she's good for you Jade." I raise a studded eyebrow, silently asking her to elaborate. "She's not like any of your other friends; she's nice, smart and caring. You should spend your time with her instead of Beck."

"Ugh mother, just leave it alone." I plead not wanting to hear anymore about Tori. I know that my mother means well but I already hear enough wonderful things about Tori at school I don't need that shit at home too.

"But-"

"Stop. Before you say anything just know that there is nothing, I repeat NOTHING, going on between Tori and I."

"But-"

"Mother, no." I quickly interrupt before she can even say more than a word. "Just leave so I can change." I plead pushing her towards the door of my room.

"Fine, I'll leave." She huffs as she admits defeat and walks out of my room, but pauses in the threshold of my room. "Please be safe tonight."

"Yea, Yea I'll be safe woman." I assure her.

After I'm certain she's gone I quickly strip out of my clothes and dress in my outfit for tonight. After applying a touch of make-up and fixing my hair, I'm ready to go. As I grab my purse I hear the distinct sound of Beck's truck making its way up my driveway. Before my mother can catch a glimpse of Beck, I race out the front door and into his truck, instructing him to drive as soon as I shut the passenger door.

"What the fuck was that all about?" Beck asks me after we've made it out of the driveway and halfway down my street.

"Nothing, just hurry up I want to get to this party as soon as possible."

"Ha you mean you want to get fucked up as soon as possible." He corrects with a dark chuckle. "Don't worry I brought plenty of everything, weed, X, coke, anything I have is yours." He says placing a hand on my jean clad leg. An eerie chill rushes through my body as soon as he makes contact and I squirm to get out of his grasp.

"Beck get your goddamn hands off of me!" I shout ripping his hand away from my thigh.

"What the fuck?" He roars as he throws me a devious glare. "Jade stop being such a fucking bitch."

"I'm being a bitch? Really? Beck we're over, we've been over, I'm not your girlfriend anymore so don't fucking touch me like I am!"

"Who said we were over?" He questions in a dark tone.

"I did. In case you haven't realized it yet I do not want you, so let me say this again so you can get it through your thick skull; we are NOT together."

"Okay." He says in a small voice. He tightens his grip on the steering wheel and he looks dead ahead.

Ugh tonight is going to be a long night.

A/N: Late like usual, but it's the summer! Anyway thanks to everyone who has reviewed, followed, etc. It makes me smile all the time. Again I hate to proof read so I don't so I apologize for any grammatical issues. Till next time-

JKJOKER