Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from Victorious, and the title of the story was inspired by Avril Lavigne's song Things I'll Never Say. Also, the play that is mentioned in this chapter is based on the book The Full Catastrophe by David Carkeet.

Hey guys! I'm really sorry for the delayed update. I've just been really busy this past week. But thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews! Enjoy the chapter.

Chapter Eight

Tori Vega: Shopping day with the girls! Did Jade really just compliment me on a dress I picked out? Feeling: flattered.

It was a shopping day that was way overdue by Tori and Cat's calendar and on this particular Saturday, nearly every store in the mall was serendipitously having a sale. Even with Trina's ravenous overexcitement and Jade's revulsion for all things brightly colored and frilly, the girls still enjoyed digging through the treasure-trove of various clothing items, dressing up and exchanging opinions about certain outfits in the fitting rooms.

It already took Tori by surprise when Jade had suddenly asked to join her and Cat on their shopping trip after overhearing their weekend plans at lunch. But the double whammy of surprises was when Jade made a subtle comment about how a dress Tori had tried on really made her eyes pop. Sure, it wasn't a grand gesture of flattery; but for Jade, it was definitely a step up from her usual snide remarks.

In the spirit of fun and amusement, Tori came out of the fitting room dressed in a pair of neon pink skinny jeans and a black and silver leopard-print sequin top. She playfully strutted to the large mirror at the end of the aisle, where Jade sat on a small couch nearby, texting on her phone. Jade looked up and shot her friend a dubious look upon seeing the outrageous outfit.

"Well?" Tori asked, striking a pose. "What do you think?"

"If you're going for the 'Trina's-closet-threw-up-on-me' look, mission accomplished," Jade bluntly replied.

In that instant, Trina burst out of her fitting room in wild enthusiasm and joined Tori and Jade to check herself out in the mirror.

"I look fa-bu-lous!" Trina exclaimed with marked emphasis for each syllable of the word.

Her outfit was basically identical to Tori's; only Trina had completed the ensemble with silver dangling earrings and a pair of ankle-high black boots.

"Sorry sis, but I'm calling dibs on this." Trina looked Tori up and down with a smug expression on her face. "It takes a certain kind of woman to pull this outfit off."

"Yeah, the crazy kind," said Jade with an amused smirk.

"Hey guys," interrupted Cat before Trina could argue. "Which one do you think I should get?"

Cat was holding up two light pink graphic tees with the stylized design of a penguin. The other girls' foreheads wrinkled in confusion as they scrutinized the two shirts.

"Cat," said Tori. "They're the exact same shirt."

"So you see my problem," said Cat with a frown. "I can't decide which penguin looks happier."

Jade groaned and started massaging her temples, feeling a migraine coming on from the mixture of aggravation and pink overload. After one last lap around the store, the girls finally got in line to pay for their things. While they waited, Trina was suddenly struck with the odd sense of being watched. She turned around to see an elderly woman hunched behind her, peering at her with the curiosity of a spectator at the zoo.

"Hey lady," Trina said in an indignant tone. "What are you staring at?"

The old woman, in her wide-rimmed glasses, looked up and innocently asked, "Is everyone else orange where you come from, dear?"

As an offended Trina began yelling at the old woman about her tanning mishap, Tori, Jade, and Cat slowly inched away from the humiliating scene. Once they were out of earshot, Tori turned to her friends with a bright smile.

"So do you guys wanna come over my place after this? We can order pizza and put on a movie."

"Sure, that sounds fun," agreed Cat.

"Can't," replied Jade with an unwavering voice. "I'm meeting up with Beck to run through some lines."

Without intending to do so, Tori raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh..." She smiled hesitantly. "That's cool that you and Beck are hanging out again."

Jade stole a quick glance at Tori and noted the way she bit her lip after making her last comment. Though Tori tried to conceal it, it was obvious to Jade that she felt uneasy as if she had a flashing neon sign declaring it over her head. This was it. This was the moment that Jade needed to stake her claim back on Beck.

With a small smile, Jade said, "Yeah, it almost feels like old times."

"Old times?" Tori asked.

Jade's words struck Tori like a slap in the face.

"You know," Jade said with a casual shrug. "It feels kind of like how it used to when we dated. It's like nothing's changed."

This wasn't entirely true of course. Interactions with Beck were still fairly awkward, even if they had stopped the constant bickering. Regardless, Jade's intent to plant a seed of doubt had apparently worked when Tori sadly looked away without another word.

"One time," Cat started, her lilting voice cutting through the tension like a knife. "I saw my brother and his ex hanging out. She made him wear a collar with a leash like a puppy. I guess they were playing some sort of game."

Cat giggled at her peculiar story, but Tori and Jade had long phased out of the conversation. While Tori was caught in the middle of an emotional tug-of-war between her loyalty to Jade and her growing feelings for Beck, Jade was eagerly awaiting the moment when her foolproof plan to win Beck back would come to fruition.

Beck was laying in bed staring at the ceiling as his mind bounced from one thought about Tori to another. Though he was supposed to be studying his lines for when Jade arrived, the script for The Full Catastrophe had been abandoned at the foot of his bed. He was currently thinking back to the karaoke night at Nozu when he was entranced by the sound of Tori's voice as he watched her onstage, swaying effortlessly to the beat of the music.

Suddenly, Beck heard knocking at his door. He sat up and realized that it was probably Jade. It came as a surprise to him when Jade had even brought up the idea of running through lines together alone. But then again, Jade was full of surprises these days and Beck had decided to take it as an opportunity to further repair their friendship.

"Hey you," he greeted, motioning for Jade to come inside.

"Hey," Jade said nonchalantly as she briskly brushed past him.

This was the first time she had been in Beck's RV since they broke up four months ago. She glanced around the room as a sense of familiarity hit her coupled with a touch of sadness. Though not much had changed, it was quite clear that Beck had done some redecorating; books, posters, paraphernalia she had given him, pictures of them together had all been taken down and hidden away as if they never even existed.

"So," came Beck's voice, breaking her thoughts. "How was shopping with the girls?"

"What do you think?" Jade sarcastically replied, crossing her arms. "My eyes are still bleeding from all the pink I saw today."

Beck grinned in amusement. He had been at the table when Jade had asked Tori and Cat if she could join them on their shopping day. It was unexpected to say the least, especially since he knew that Jade wasn't an idle shopper; when she went out, it was usually because she had something specific in mind to buy. Even when they were dating, shopping was one of the few activities Jade preferred to do alone.

"Well it was cool of you to hang out with them like that," Beck said with a sincere smile.

"Yeah, yeah," said Jade, averting his gaze. "So are we gonna run through these lines or what?"

"Whenever you're ready," said Beck, grabbing the script from his bed.

The next hour was spent memorizing and perfecting the delivery of each line until both teenagers were satisfied with the quality of their performance. Whatever doubts Beck initially had about meeting with Jade had escaped him, and whatever resentment Jade felt towards Beck, for the time being, was forgotten. In fact, they both found themselves enjoying each other's friendly company more than either one of them had anticipated.

By the time, Beck took a seat on his bed for a break they had already gone through almost half of the script. Jade was reluctant to sit down beside him until Beck looked up at her with a warm smile and gestured for her to do so.

"What's wrong with your hand?" she asked, watching Beck wince in pain as he slowly opened and closed his right hand.

"It's stupid," Beck replied, shaking his head. "Robbie accidentally dropped the hood of his car on my hand earlier."

"And what was your hand doing near the hood of Robbie's car?"

"I was helping him fix it...again. But, between you and me, I think he was just looking for an excuse to impress his new neighbors' daughter."

Jade rolled her eyes at the mention of Robbie's failed attempts at wooing other girls. Then, without thinking, she reached over and grabbed Beck's hand.

"Here, let me see it," she said as she started massaging it.

Beck blinked in shock. "Jade, you don't need to–"

"Just shut up and let me do you a favor."

Jade kept her eyes diligently focused on her fingers as they made slow circles over the palm of his hand. She attempted to curtain her face with her dark hair, hoping to hide the blush that was undoubtedly creeping up her cheeks. Why she grabbed Beck's hand, she couldn't say. It felt like the most natural thing to do at the time, though she found herself wondering if it was necessarily the right thing to do.

Beck too fell silent as he watched Jade's soft, nimble fingers move across his hand. He felt as though he was sitting next to a stranger. Who was this girl offering to do him a favor? Was she really the same girl who had once bought him a can of lemonade for his birthday? In spite of himself, Beck started to wonder what it would be like to be in a relationship with Jade in light of her sudden transformation. Before these thoughts overcame him, Beck quickly pushed them aside as Jade let go of his hand.

"There. How does it feel now?"

"A lot better actually." He opened and closed his hand with ease. "Thanks."

For a moment, they gazed into each other's eyes and felt an unsettling lull begin to seep into the room.

"So," Beck started, hoping to break the tension. "Are you hungry? I had my mom pop some cinnamon buns into the oven before you came."

It was Jade's turn to be surprised. "You remember."

"That you love cinnamon buns? Of course," he said with a handsome smile. "Why wouldn't I?"

Feeling touched by Beck's kind gesture, a gentle smile spread over Jade's lips. It was a smile that stunned Beck by the way it nearly pulled on his heartstrings. They both walked out of the RV, and for the first time, felt genuinely at ease in each other's company.

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