Tori Vega is standing face-to-face with you in the janitor's closet. You can't run; she's blocking the door with a crazy forcefulness. "Tell me what you know about the graffiti artist!" You look away, as if it were obvious. Maybe that last painting was a bad idea, the third one.
"What do they mean? Who is he?" Her voice was almost a low growl.
"Who do you think Coda is?" You spat back at her, your voice deepening to match hers.
"What are you saying, Jade?"
"What do you think I'm saying?" You sneer, unable to hold back your frustration. Tori's eyes narrowed darkly. "I'm saying I'm in love with you." You take a tentative step toward her, and her eyes widen.
"How did you find out?" She asks. And for once, you are completely confused. Find out what?
"What are you talking about?"
"Who told you I'm bisexual? I can't think of any other reason you'd mock me like this!"
Woah. Wait. Pause. Is this what her father was trying to tell you?
"You're WHAT?" Your eyes lock for a minute, and then she looks away. Well, the cat's out of the bag now. Actually, she's at her locker, but you get your own drift. Right?
Bisexual.
"Nothing."
"Tori Vega, you will repeat what you just said to me if you ever want to find out who Coda is and why she's spraying your face all over Hollywood."
"I'm bisexual." She pauses for a moment and stares at you. "And I'm furious that you're mocking my sexual orientation like this!" Your anger gets the better of you, and you pin her to the wall. You're putting all your energy into not balling your fists, because you were pinning her wrists down with your hands.
"Mocking you? You think I'm mocking you?" You don't even try to hide the hurt in your voice. "Since WHEN have you ever known me to mock someone on the basis of sexual orientation, Vega?" She sputters a moment, unable to answer. "That's what I thought." Your grip on her begins to weaken; this is taking a serious toll on you.
"Jade, this is me we're talking about. You'd take a pot shot at me over any little thing I give you that isn't normal! I'm going to kill whoever told you!"
"Not normal…?" God, she's such an idiot, and it's making you mad. "Who the hell are you to say being bisexual isn't normal?"
"I'm the bisexual one! You'd think I'd know better than you!" Can she not tell the difference between anger and hurt in your eyes? Is she really that blind?
"Here's a newsflash, Vega… half of Hollywood Arts isn't what you call 'normal.'"
Her eyes narrow to slits. "What are you saying, Jade?"
"I'm saying you aren't the only gay or bi person at this school. Maybe that's how it was at your last school, but this school is accepting of the people that are quote-unquote not normal." You growl your next words. "For that matter, you aren't even the only gay or bi person in this room. I'm saying Coda decided that this was a beautiful way to let you know she loves you, and you're really, really pissing her off right now." You let her go and move to storm out of the closet, wounded, but she catches your wrist with her trembling hand.
"Jade, I need you to be perfectly serious with me right now," she starts, but you cut her off.
"I am, and you still think this is some sort of a sick joke. Leave me alone, Tori." You don't even try to mask the hurt in your voice, or the sob on her name. Wait, why are you still in this closet?
She jerks you back roughly and slams the door. You aren't scared by the bewildered look on her face; you're scared of being made a complete fool of right now. You try to push her away, but she pins you to the door this time and stares into your eyes. "Jade, you are Coda." You nod and try to look away, but she arrests your chin and forces you to look at her. "You're telling me you're bisexual." Another effort at breaking your face free ends with you staring into her eyes, merely nodding. "You're telling me you're in love with me."
"How many times do I have to tell you that? If you want to think it's a sick joke, then by a-"
She's kissing you.
She's kissing you.
She's kissing you.
Somewhere in the back of your head, you hear the lines "warehouses above… all I'm thinking of." And all you can see as the woman you love kisses you is that last mural—a 30 foot portrait of the two of you.
Author's notes: All three chapters were expanded slightly and edited again in June of 2016. At this time, the title was changed from Tag to Coda. The story overall was inspired by Barenaked Ladies' "Every Subway Car."