A/N: I realised that I've been pretty terrible and haven't thanked anyone for the reviews, favourites and alerts this story has been getting. They mean a lot, and I do really appreciate them, so thank you so much to all of you!

Enjoy the chapter!

Jade's POV

I hate Tori Vega. I thought as I jumped into my car, determined to get as far away from aforementioned girl's house as humanly possible. I hate her. I hate being around her, I hate the way everyone thought she was so perfect and I hate the way she got all the good roles over me. I stomped my foot on the gas pedal and rushed out of the Vega's driveway, a small part of my mind remembering I had to take Beck back home. Oh well, he'll find another way. The rest of my mind was consumed with thoughts of the half-Latina girl I'd just left behind, and I hated that. I hate the way she just walked in and took over like she owned the place. I hate how… how she would help me out when I needed it, no matter how horrible I'd been to her in the past and how she'd just brush off my attempts at sabotage like it was nothing. I hate the way her eyes would light up when she was really happy about something and how she looked so fantastic no matter the amount of make up she applied. I hate the way she made me notice these little things about her, and I especially hate the way she was making me feel right now, so confused, so scared and so…so…

I had to jam my foot on the brake to stop myself from crashing into the car in front. I was so lost in my own thoughts that I hadn't even noticed that I'd driven myself pretty much all the way home, and was now only a block away from my house. I tried to rid myself of anything that involved Tori Vega as I swung my car into its parking spot then pushed myself out, slowly making my way to the front door that I slammed loudly behind me as I entered.

"Will you keep the noise down!" My father barked, glancing up from the mountain of paper work that sat before him, looking more than stressed. "Oh, it's you, Jade. I thought you said you wouldn't be home 'til late tonight."

"Changed my mind." I said simply. "I'm going to my room now."

I left my father to do whatever he was doing, something boring to do with work that I couldn't care less about, no doubt, and made my way through the house towards my bedroom, hoping for no more interruptions on the way. Unfortunately, my irritant of a little sister, Isabella, decided to take this moment to come out of her own room, eyes so glued to her PearPhone that if I hadn't of held my hand up to stop her, we would've collided in the middle of the corridor.

"Watch where you're walking, pest." I spat.

"Alright, snappy!" She huffed, still focused on whatever she was typing to one of her annoying little friends. "What's got your knickers in a knot!"

"None of your business!" I growled, taking a step closer to the younger girl, bending down slightly to look at her menacingly. "And if you don't get out of my way, now, then it'll be your knickers in a knot!"

Isabella raised an eyebrow at me in challenge, but stepped aside anyway, continuing her walk to the front room, probably to lounge about in front of some horrible reality tv show for the rest of the night. I was thankful because I really couldn't be bothered to deal with her right now, there was too much on my mind already without having her there too. If only I could put Isabella and Vega in a bag, shake them up and throw them in a river, then all of my problems would be solved.

I finally made it to my room and, with a sigh, threw my bag in one direction while simultaneously falling backwards onto my bed, my head buzzing with so many thoughts and feelings, stuff I didn't want to think about, stuff involving a certain brown eyed brunette. Everything about today was a blur. At school, I had thrown myself all over Beck, trying to concentrate on him and keep things the way they had always been, but something felt off. His arms felt wrong around me, his lips felt strange and rough every time we kissed. As much as I hated to admit it to myself, things between Beck and I had been a bit stale for a while, we'd been together for over 2 years now and things were becoming routine, done because that's what we were used to. He was a great guy, and I did love him, but… something was wrong. I knew it was there, but this was the first time I'd really felt it, the first time I realised that something had completely changed.

And now, now all I could think about was Tori. No matter what I did she crept into my mind, invading my thoughts, taking over just like she had done at school. Like this morning, when I was wondering what to have for breakfast, my mind wandered over to her, wondering what she'd be having for breakfast, debating whether or not she was still at home at that point, or if she'd already had breakfast and had been dragged to school by her own irritant of a sister. It was a stupid thought and I ended up skipping breakfast, I didn't feel like eating.

But it was little things like that, little things I'd never think about before, that kept racing to the forefront of my brain and remained there, no matter how hard I tried to push them away. Right now, all I could think of was her reaction to me leaving so suddenly. She'd tried to stop me, almost sounded desperate to make me stay, but I'd just pushed her off and walked away, too afraid to be around her too long because I didn't want to recognise these feelings for what they truly were.

And there was still the problem of kissing her; I wasn't sure what I'd do if our lips made contact again. I couldn't get away with not doing it because of this stupid project, but I don't think I could without reacting in a way I didn't want to react.

I huffed and got up from my bed, sticking a movie into the dvd player, needing a distraction from everything. I spent the entire night watching movie after movie until I finally nodded off, her face and sweet voice worming its way in and out of my dreams, making me wish I had some sort of control over them just so I didn't have to think about the youngest Vega, because I hated it.

Xxx

We were stuck in the Black Box theatre searching through bins of costumes and props for something to use for this extra credit Sikowitz kept bleating on about. I was at one end, digging through things that had been used for the last play we'd held in here, while Vega was all the way across the room, as far as I could get away from her, that was until she came bounding over to me with a pair of thick, black spectacles perched on her nose and a bag full of clothes. She stopped right beside me, a stupid grin plastered across her face.

"What do you think of these?" She asked, taking off the glasses to inspect them before placing them back on her face. "Do they suit me?" She laughed.

"They make you look like Robbie." I said in a bored tone.

She just shrugged and began rummaging through the plastic bag she was holding until she pulled out a small, blue and white cheerleaders outfit and held it up against me. I raised an eyebrow at her and she put the costume down, turning it around for me to get a better look at.

"I'm not dressing up to take part in one of your sick fantasies, Vega." I spat with a smirk, my mind wandering for a second, imagining what Tori would look like in that outfit- no! No, that's not what I thought; I'd sooner ram that outfit down her throat than see her wearing it.

I gulped and barely noticed her blush, spluttering out something that sounded like 'It's for the play.'

"I don't care what it's for; I wouldn't wear it if it was the last piece of clothing on Earth. Put it back before I choke you with it."

Tori's eyes widened then she scurried off to the clothing bin she'd been looking through and I was following her before I knew it, sneaking up behind the smaller girl and peeking over her shoulder to look at the many different outfits shoved into the plastic container in front of her.

"I hate all of them." I hissed in her ear, making the Vega girl jump out of her skin and drop the small, pink shirt she was holding. I laughed and took a step back, not wanting to be too close to her for too long. "Seriously, Vega. Do you really think I'd be caught dead in any of that?"

"Is there anything you do like, Jade?" She asked, ignoring my last question and turning to face me.

I shrugged. "Scissors, misery, pain, death." I listed, mockingly, finding a pair of scissors on the table and spinning them around my finger. "All four of them together." I pointed the blades towards Vega, smirking as a nervous expression crossed her face, her eyes never leaving the object in my hand. "You could help me out, if you want."

I tried not to think about how suggestive I'd made that sentence, watching as Tori gulped then snatched the scissors from my hand in a swift move that actually surprised me. She threw them back onto the table, glaring at me the whole time.

"Didn't your mommy ever tell you not to play with scissors?" I sneered in the accent I reserved only to mock Tori Vega. And three, two, one…

"I don't talk like that!" She needed to work on her come backs.

I couldn't help but notice how she sounded a little exhausted as she spoke and threw her arms into the air only for them to fall limply at her sides again. She hadn't been sleeping well, I remember Beck mentioning it yesterday when I told him I hadn't slept well either. I wondered what was going on in her head to make the oh-so-perfect Miss Vega restless and worried. Maybe she was just as nervous about this kissing business as she seemed to be and my apprehensions about it probably weren't helping the situation. I didn't get it, she'd happily kissed Beck right in front in just her first week at Hollywood Arts, it was all acting, nothing more.

Nothing more I repeated to myself, glancing around the room to find that only Vega and I remained. I turned back to see she'd noticed the same thing, her eyes set on the front of the theatre as she walked towards it, pushed those dorky glasses back on to her face and picked up a large, heavy book from the prop bin, which she hugged close to her chest. The look was actually kind of cute on her- no, no it wasn't.

"I was thinking pigtails." She said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. My brows furrowed as I tried to remember what she was talking about… oh, right, the play.

"Whatever." I said, hoping to sound uninterested when I was really picturing Vega in pigtails high on her head and not chuckle at the image. I walked forward to stand in front of her. "So, as there's no one around, wanna practice the scene?"

She nodded slowly, her tongue poking out to lick her lips and I tried not to stare as it did so. Oh God, this was going to be harder than I thought. After finding some glittery sequinned handbag and a couple of other accessories that I'd rather puke on than wear again, Vega and I began to work through our play and I had to admit I was pretty impressed with the way the whole thing was going, until it got to that point again. Yesterday I'd used Tori's little mess up as an excuse to not have to kiss her, but I knew she wouldn't make the same mistake twice and as she said her final line, I couldn't think of a way of getting out of it again.

"I want more than that." I said in a whisper, taking my step forward and picking up Vega's hands in my own. I swallowed the lump that had worked its way into my throat and could hardly get out my last words as I looked down into her chocolate brown eyes. "I love you, T-Mary."

She hadn't noticed my slip up. I was about to say her name, Vega's name. It was only because I was looking at her and she doesn't really look like a Mary so- fuck, I was so flustered! That never happened to me. Ever. I felt her squeeze my hands a little and I was reminded that we hadn't quite finished yet; there was still the one part I now dreaded, but couldn't avoid. My breath caught in my throat and I held it, squeezing my eyes shut and closing the distance between us as quickly as I could, while still trying to stay in character. Our lips met, a little clumsy at first, but I soon felt Vega kissing me back quicker than she had the first time we'd done this; obviously her confidence had grown in the short space of time. She was wearing the same lip gloss again, that cherry flavour, and I was tempted to ask if she had any other, but I was so lost in the sweetness and softness of her mouth that any jab I'd usually take at her was washed away in an instant. Without thinking, I pushed forward, a hand slipping from hers to rest on her waist, pulling the shorter girl closer, feeling no resistance to my actions, and I tried not to smile at this.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, or how long we would've if we hadn't been interrupted by the sound of the high pitched squeal I knew all too well. I instantly pushed Vega away from me, she only just caught herself to stop her fall, and, sure enough, the red velvet blur that came rushing towards me showed it was indeed Cat who had walked in on our little… moment.

"That was amazing!" She gushed, jumping up and down on the balls of her feet and clapping her hands together excitedly. "It was such a good stage kiss, it almost looked real!"

"Yeah, well, that's just my amazing acting skills." I said, trying to brush off what had just happened. "Vega needs some work, though." I added, refusing to look at the girl as she made a noise somewhere between offended and strangled.

Cat cocked an eyebrow as she looked between the two of us, and I could see something beneath the confusion that masked her face. What it was, I don't know, but it couldn't be good. "It's lunch time!" She said eventually, her eyes resting on Tori who I knew without looking was visibly just as flustered as I felt. "Are you guys coming?"

"Sure." I heard Tori squeak, then cough to get her voice back to normal. "I'll- I'll be out in a second."

"I'm coming." I stated, reverting back to the bored tone that was standard while I was around others. I didn't even glance back at Cat or Vega as I left the room, quite content in attempting to block anything that had just happened from my mind forever.

Xxx

I got home from school really early that day, and with my parents still at work and Isabella out at the mall with friends, I had the place to myself. Beck had asked if I'd wanted to go to his, or if he could come round mine, but I just didn't feel like having any company right now, even that of my own boyfriend. He'd looked disappointed when I said no, but luckily Andre walked past at that very moment and asked Beck if he'd like to help out with a new song he was working on. He glanced at me first, probably hoping that I'd change my mind, and then nodded, accepting Andre's offer a little reluctantly. I didn't mean to push the guy out, but right now I felt like I needed some time by myself, to figure out everything that needed to be figured out, hopefully get to the bottom of these feelings I had and come out with a satisfying conclusion that wasn't what I feared it would be.

I sat myself on the couch, apple in one hand, remote in the other as I flicked through all of the channels on the tv, skipping past all the trashing programs that idiots called entertainment these days, pausing on one for a second to watch as a big-chested, make up plastered, blond woman ate some huge insect and almost threw it up over the presenter guy. I was about to switch the channel over when I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket. I fumbled around for the pear shaped cell, excepting to find Beck texting to ask if it was alright for him to come over, but was surprised to see Cat's name flashing up on the screen.

"What?" I asked as I answer; I can't remember the last time I used 'hello' as a greeting at the start of a phone call.

"Hi Jade!" Cat's happy voice squealed loudly through the receiver, possibly damaging my ear drum.

"What?" I repeated, in no mood to listen to yet another of the red haired girls' stories about her insane brother.

"I just wanted to see how you were." She said in a sad tone. I knew I'd upset her with my snappy voice and an upset Cat was never a good Cat, so I'd have to humour her so this call didn't end in tears.

"I'm fine, Cat." I sighed, running a hand through my hair. If that was all she wanted to know, maybe she'd hang up now, right? Wrong.

"Are you sure? It looked like something was wrong at school today."

"Yeah, I have to stage kiss Vega, that's very wrong."

"You didn't seem to mind earlier."

That got me interested. I sat up a little straighter on the couch and shut the tv off just as that blond woman from before got a bucket full of slime dumped on her head. Eyebrows raised in a mixture of shock and annoyance, I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from biting Cat's head off.

"And what do you mean by that?" I asked through gritted teeth. What did Cat know? How much of that kiss had she seen before she decided to interrupt us?

"Nothing." She drew the word out and I could almost hear the smirk in her voice. That girl had been hanging around with me for far too long. "Just that you seemed to like kissing Tori when you were in the Black Box theatre."

"That was my character, Cat." I growled at her, trying to convince myself as much as the girl on the other end of the phone. "My character is supposed to want to kiss her character. This has nothing to do with me and Vega."

"Uh huh." She sounded totally unconvinced. I was about to say more when she spoke over the top of me, going back to her usual high, giggling voice. "Oh, I have to go. I'll see you at school, Jade!"

"Bye." I grunted, hanging up and throwing the PearPhone next to me on the sofa, completely frustrated by how that conversation had gone. Cat had been my friend for the longest at Hollywood Arts, and I suppose she knew quite a lot about me, a little more than others did anyway, and it was almost like she'd picked up this sixth sense when it came to knowing how I feel. It was annoying, but I could trust her not to say to anyone about anything she thought she'd figured out, that was the one tiny upside to the situation.

Now I realised that this was something I couldn't deny anymore, and as much as I hated to admit it, there was something going on with my feelings for Tori. Something I didn't want to acknowledge or believe was real, but it was definitely there, not matter how hard I tried to get rid of it. I'd gotten carried away in the Black Box earlier, lost control of what I was doing for that brief moment, and if Cat hadn't appeared, then… I don't know what would've happened. It only made matters worse that Vega hadn't done anything to stop me; she'd pretty much allowed me to pull her body closer to mine and didn't protest when the kiss lasted longer than it should have. I didn't know what was going on anymore and could only wish that once this idiot project was finished with everything would be back to normal.

I was distracted from my thoughts when I felt my phone buzz again and reached across the sofa to find what I had expected before: a text from Beck saying he'd finished working with Andre and asking if I wanted to come round his for a bit. I sighed, knowing I should probably spend this time sorting out the mixed up thoughts in my head, but my automatic response was to type a positive reply to Beck's message saying I'd be there in ten minutes, then lugged myself off the sofa and out of the door, struggling to fix my mind on my boyfriend instead of the girl now haunting my every thought and feeling.