A/N: Hey, I just wanted to say, thank you SO much for the reviews, follows, and favourites. You guys are incredible! I'm sorry for not being able to respond to the reviews, as they are kind of broken right now. I'll get back to everyone once the issue is resolved (hopefully soon). Thanks for staying with my story! :)
The sinister Thursday evening before Jade and Tori departed for San Francisco felt hectic for both girls. Tori, slightly nervous, called Jade out of fear, asking her what she was going to wear during the drive. Jade had picked up the phone, shaking her head at Tori's innocence, and responded by saying Tori could "wait and see", whatever that meant. Tori anxiously packed and repacked her small denim backpack a number of times before she could organize it exactly to her liking. It was her favourite bag, she brought it all across the world with her. Even to Yerba, another trip her, Jade, and the rest of the gang took a trip to. On the other hand, Jade was euphoric to meet the cast of The Scissoring. She had loved the gory movie since she was ten, and finally, after almost seven years and hundreds of rewatches, Jade was going to live her biggest dream yet.
When the bell rang at 2 PM the next day, Tori's heart was racing with angst. She pushed through the crowded hallways to get to her locker, nearly being taken out by a pair of dancers, one tuba, and a visual art project. Tori pulled her faux leather bag out of the depository, filling her bag with doodled-on notebooks and crumpled papers. Tori spotted Jade by her own locker across the hall, putting books away before they left for the weekend. Tori, already nervous, tried her best to avoid the fears growing inside her that she felt. Tori didn't have to hurry, as she and Jade had already loaded Jade's car with their luggage before school had begun that morning.
Andre examined a lost in thought Tori for a few moments, before deciding to speak out. "Tori Vega," he called out, slinging his Hollywood Arts backpack over his shoulder. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, one that Tori swore she was going to get him for Christmas the prior year, but settled on a gift card to Inside Out Burger instead.
Tori took a step backward. "Huh?" she asked, breaking her train of thought when he approached her from around the corner. Tori patted her hair down, in fear that it was a mess.
Andre moved up to Tori's locker, looking her up and down, confused. "You look all panicky. Spill, Latina." he instructed, pulling a hand through his chestnut brown braids.
"Oooh," Tori groaned, leaning up against her locker, eying Jade from across the hall. She felt her forehead prickle with sweat. "You know what's wrong," she began, biting her lip. "I have to go to that stupid Scissoring screening with Jade this weekend." Tori complained, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.
Andre sighed, feeling in the pocket of his jeans for his Pear Phone. "I thought you were excited to get away this weekend, from what I remember. Somethin' 'bout not hearing Trina be all like, 'Hey, Tori, I have a hot date and you don't?'" Andre explained, demonstrating his best set of jazz hands whilst quoting Tori.
Tori adjusted the sleeves of her shirt, watching as Andre grew further concerned for herself. "I was. Until last night. I don't know, Andre, I'm kind of buggin' about this whole thing." Tori wailed, still watching Jade.
Andre raised an eyebrow, trying to get a feel of what Tori was going through. "Are you scared of Jade or something? I mean, we're all scared of Jade, but, come on, she ain't really that bad." he comforted.
Tori sighed, kicking the locker slightly. She checked the time on her phone, rubbing away at the annoying crack on the back of her phone from when she dropped it in the toilet that one time. Or was it the second time? She couldn't remember. "No, I mean, I don't know. I guess I'm just so used to Jade arguing with me, it's kinda making me freak that she's being so nice. I mean, she picked me to go, over YOU." Tori pointed out, giving Andre a fearful look.
Andre scratched the top of his head, searching deep inside of him for the proper advice to give. "Look, Tori. I know you're scared, but," he looked discouraged with his own lack of support. "I gotta get going, like, now. Beck is waiting for me in the parking lot. We got ourselves a couple of, uh, North Ridge girls waiting at Nozu." he continued, rubbing his hands together in pleasure. "But, my advice to you is to just try and keep calm. It's just Jade, not the Ghostface you're going with, remember? You're going to have a great weekend with her, honest. And, if she tries to kill you, I'm still on speed dial, right?" Andre enthused, laughing, but bracing himself in fear of Tori hurting him for his teasing choice of words.
Tori playfully hit Andre on the arm, smiling. "Alright, I guess you're right." she approved, giving in. "Enjoy your North Ridge girls." she giggled, waving, as Andre walked towards the exit.
"They will be enjoyed!" he ranted, scurrying for the door.
And Tori felt alone again. She stood quiet for a second before approaching Jade. She contemplated running away, but then remembered she had all her stuff packed in Jade's car. Darn. Next time, she thought. She gave in, sauntering in Jade's direction, stopping a few feet away from her.
"Hey, you ready?" Jade greeted, slamming her locker door shut. She wore a black T-shirt which read, 'The Scissoring' in red, capital letters. A pair of black skinny jeans hugged her thin, lanky legs, and she topped it all off with her cherry red Doc Martens combat boots. Today, she had turquoise blue streaks peaking through her dark hair. She leaned one hand against the wall, and another on her hip. People began to clear out of the school, as the hallways became distantly quieter.
Tori smiled, trying not to seem fearing of what stood ahead. "Yup." she responded, with a twinkle in her eye. "You booked the hotel reservations and everything, right?" she asked, double checking. They embarked for the front doors at the head of the main hallway.
"I'm not an idiot." Jade spat out, crossing her arms. Tori relaxed a little bit, hearing Jade's response. Same old Jade, she thought, as they moved through the parking lot of the school to Jade's black car. I have nothing to worry about.
Jade unlocked her car, and Tori pulled open the surprisingly heavy door, seating herself in one of the dark leather seats. Her car had a faint scent of vanilla bean coffee, reminding Tori of Jade's addiction to coffee. Jade had a strange red stain on the dashboard, and Tori didn't even want to know what it was. Tori, reminded by the stain, craned her neck over her shoulder to the backseat to see if Jade had brought her shovel with her. Thankfully, she didn't, unless she was hiding it in her trunk. Tori hoped she wouldn't have to relive another driving to school incident.
Jade opened the door on the opposite side, seating herself in the drivers seat. She turned the key in the ignition, adjusting the mirror. They both buckled their seatbelts, listening to the chime sound as the engine started. Tori noticed a pair of toy scissors that must have been made for an American Girl doll were turned into a keychain and hung from the mirror, between the two of them. Tori reached into her bag for her Pear Phone, checking her feed on The Slap.
Jade pulled out of the parking lot of the school, onto the main road, trailing behind a blue car. The road was narrow, allowing Tori to safely unwind a little, as they reminded her of the roads near her house. "So, why were you talking to Andre before we left?" Jade asked, keeping her eyes on the road.
"Huh?!" Tori responded, dropping her phone onto the floor of the car in shock. Smooth, she thought to herself, internally cringing.
Jade pursed her lips, fumbling with the radio until she settled on her favourite alternative rock station to play quietly. "I said, why were you talking to Andre before? Don't you listen?" she repeated, rubbing at her nose.
"Oh. Right..." Tori began, looking out the window at the plazas and stores they passed. "Andre," she repeated, tugging at a loose curl caught in her mouth. "He just came to ask me..." her voice trailed off, as she didn't want to tell Jade the truth. Tori looked around, when she saw they were passing the North Ridge high school. Tori smiled. North Ridge, she thought, thanking the universe for the reminder. "He just came to ask me if I was jealous that he had a hot date with some North Ridge girls." Tori responded, pristinely.
"North Ridge girls, huh?" Jade grumbled, taking a sip from the bottle of water in the cup holder. Tori wondered if this was the first time she saw Jade functioning on a liquid that wasn't coffee. "Wait," she paused, looking at Tori.
"What?"
"You said he has a date with a couple of North Ridge girls. Who else is he going with?" Jade questioned, stopping suddenly as a yellow light transitioned to a red light.
"Why does it matter?" Tori countered, looking down to the ground. Great, this is great, Tori thought.
"You said he has a date with a couple of North Ridge girls and I want to know who else he's going with. It's not Robbie, obviously, so who is it?" She rambled, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel.
Ah, that was the Jade Tori knew and loved. Hard-headed and stubborn. "Alright..." Tori responded, rubbing her eye. "Andre and..." she began, frustrated. "Beck...have a double date with some North Ridge girls." she confessed, slowly. But, it was no use approaching it with any ease. Tori swore she could see Jade turn from her natural, pale glow to an embarrassed, steamy red.
Jade, irritated, smiled. "North Ridge, huh?" Jade professed, stepping on the gas with a clunk of her boot. The light Jade had stopped at was still red, but Jade sped through it with full force. Nearly causing a total of five colisions at the intersection, Tori's stomach dropped as Jade continued to floor it. Tori dug her nails into the leather of her seat, feeling the car speed up faster by the milisecond, wondering frivolously, if the weekend could go by any slower.