POV: Tori
The low sound of the radio was the only noise that filled the otherwise silent car journey up to my house. Just like before, it wasn't an awkward silence that had settled itself between Jade and I, but more of an understanding, 'this isn't the time to talk' type of stillness, which was surprisingly relaxing, given the amount of questions buzzing around my head, in desperate need of an answer.
I'd tried to keep my attention focused on the scenery drifting past the window as we got stuck in some slow moving traffic, watching the slowly darkening sky that threatened rain, which was never a good sign in my book. But my eyes kept pulling themselves toward Jade as if magnetized to the short-tempered, raven-haired woman beside me, who was busy grinding her teeth at every car that went by. I had a feeling that if I wasn't beside her right now, she'd be yelling in a way that would make Trina's road rage look tame in comparison. This was a contrast to the last car journey we took together where she had been pretty calm, even when my sister had been following us, but something told me it wasn't out of the ordinary for Jade to get easily peeved at the fellow drivers surrounding her.
We pulled into my driveway with a squeak of the breaks and I moved slowly to unbuckle my seatbelt; out of the corner of my eye I could see Jade fiddling with the strap of her own, yet her gaze remained firmly ahead of her.
"Come inside? We have coffee!" I suggested, hoping to ease some of the tension I could practically feel radiating from the girl now we'd stopped. "Think of it as a thanks for the lift home."
Jade made a noise that suggested a 'sure', her hand slipping down the fabric she was clutching to the plastic buckle, which she clicked undone with a push of her thumb.
Again, the short walk up to my house was soundless and soggy from the drizzle in the air, laced with the weight of anxiety brought on by Jade's tense stance. She reached the door first and flung it open, startling Trina, who was collapsed on one of the sofas, her cell phone glued to her ear as she arranged an appointment with the dentist for yet another teeth whitening. She sprang up from where she was slouched, her mouth agape as Jade walked swiftly past her, straight to the kitchen, flicking the switch on the kettle and helping herself to mugs and coffee.
I closed the door behind us and turned to find Trina giving me a look torn between confusion and annoyance, but the person on the other end of the phone must've started talking again because she spoke to them instead. I rolled my eyes as I strolled by to help Jade with the drinks.
Two boiling cups of coffee later: one black, two sugars, one sweetened with plenty of milk, Jade and I ended up going up to my room to get away from my sister who was now arguing with the poor woman on the other end of the line.
"How do you put up with that?" Jade asked, closing my door, yet it failed to drown out the squawk of 'What do you mean you're fully booked!'
"It's not out of choice." I replied, flopping down to sit on my bed whereas Jade remained by the door, leaning against the frame and clutching her coffee in both hands as she took small sips of the dark liquid then smirked at my statement. I was glad to see she seemed much more relaxed now than when we came in. It must be the coffee.
"You know, we could always go through with that plan we came up with." She quipped, lifting her eyebrows suggestively. "I've got rope in the back of my car-"
"I don't think it'll be a good idea to murder my sister, no matter how tempting it is sometimes." I said, cutting her off "And why do you have rope in the back of your car?"
"No reason." Jade said casually, taking another sip of coffee before sauntering over to my desk chair and scooting it closer to me once she was seated.
"So." The paler girl placed her mug on my table then turned to face me, her hands clasped together at her knees as she lent forward a little. "What's your real reason for inviting me in, Vega? To your room, no less."
I felt the heat of a blush spread across my cheeks and I spluttered a little as I tried to come up with an answer, only to have Jade smirk even more, leaning back in the chair, obviously enjoying the effect her words had.
"We're here to get away from Trina." I finally said pointedly, biting my bottom lip. "And, um, I just wanted to spend a bit of time with you" My voice trailed off into a quiet mutter with the last sentence and I turned away from Jade to stare at my floor, but still caught the amused look on her face out of the corner of my eye.
It was true. Jade and I had been spending a lot more time together and it was… nice. At first it was mainly due to working on the stage kissing project, but now, I don't know, but I was really starting to enjoy her company. I barely saw her at school today and, honestly, a little part of her was hoping she'd acknowledge that we were out together last night, but not a word of it was brought up. Although, maybe it was better this way, it was still early on in this new found… whatever it was between us, so keeping it under wraps for now seemed like the best option.
It bothered me that I didn't know what to call this… this thing between us. There was no definite state of what we were. This was no longer hate and, as we had kissed more than once and even gone out on a 'date', I'd definitely say this was more a than friendship, but it couldn't be a relationship, could it?
"Jade?" I murmured. The time I'd been thinking had pasted in silence; Jade had been staring out of my window, watching the now pouring rain trickle down the glass and lost in a world of her own. She snapped out of it at the sound of her name and turned her attention back to me with a hum to show she was listening.
"Uh" I swallowed, tracing my finger around the edge of my mug that I'd lodged between my legs to keep safe. The question I intended on asking stuck in my throat as my eyes travelled up from the cup to meet the intense green of hers.
"Cat got your tongue, Vega?" She asked; that pierced eyebrow quirked in amusement.
She got up, stretched a little, then kicking the chair behind her away so the wheels rolled across my floor as far as it could go. Before I could protest this action, Jade grabbed the cup from between my legs, placing it next to hers and plopped herself on the bed beside me. I gulped.
"I'm bored, Vega." She drawled. She propped up the pillows up against the headboard of my bed and lent back against them, shifting so her legs lay across my lap, then crossed them at the ankle. My stomach flipped at the action and I watched every movement intently, trailing my eyes from her boots back up to her face to see her examining her fingernails in the same uninterested look she would wear at school.
"If you don't find some way of entertaining me soon, I may just have to leave." Jade said with a shrug, her lips twitching as a smirk threatened to break across her put on, bored expression.
I rolled my eyes, trying to keep my head even as my heart thumped hard against my rib cage and my breathing quickened at the mere proximity and the contact of her thighs on top of mine. I wasn't sure if I loved or hated the effect she had on me, how she could make all my thoughts and feelings tailspin with a brush of her arm on mine, or how I'd lose myself in the middle of a lesson just because of a simple look. It was exhilarating, a rush, something I've never really felt before with anyone. The butterflies I'd get around the boys I'd dated were nothing compared to the tornado she created in my belly.
"Tori?" I watched her lips draw out my name in a hushed tone and I realised I'd been staring at her mouth this whole time.
My cheeks coloured in yet another blush and I went to turn my head away, but her fingers drifted over the bottom of my chin, pulling me back around so our lips met in a gentle kiss. I instantly kissed her back, the nerves, confusion and everything else blown away as if they were never there to begin with. I could feel her grinning; her fingers that weren't softly tickling my chin were absently tracing circles on my leg, causing me to involuntarily shudder.
The kiss became more heated and I lost myself in sensation. Her teeth nipped lightly at my bottom lip, making me give a squeak of a gasp which she instantly took advantage of, her tongue dipping between my parted lips to hungrily meet mine. Adrenaline and hormones pumping, I lent myself forward, one hand supporting me on the bed while the other wound it's way into Jade's raven hair, bringing her closer, further deepening the kiss.
Her circling fingers wandered teasingly up the denim of my jeans, leaving a burning trail on the skin beneath until they reached my waistband and slipped under my shirt, her fingers caressing my hip, causing my breath catch in my throat. I whimpered at the touch, the heat of desire building up in me, making it impossible to think straight; just her fingertips ghosting over my skin made my brain turn fuzzy and left a tingling sensation in their wake.
I almost growled in frustration as she pulled away for air, that infamous smirk present on her lips and a spark twinkling in her eyes. I took in a sharp, much needed breath as everything came flooding back in one huge wave, knocking my already off balance mind from its axis.
"You alright there, Vega?" Jade said, looking pretty pleased with herself. "You look like you've never been kissed before."
Not quite like that my mind said, whereas my mouth defensively spluttered "I- shut up!"
Jade just laughed and threw herself back against my pillows, still wearing her smug smile, like the cat that got the cream. Well, if this is what being with Jade was like, I could definitely get used to it. Except, we weren't really together, at least, not officially… what even were we?
"Jade?" I said quietly, the question I'd wanted to ask earlier coming back to me. "Are we, like, together now?"
Okay, that sounded really pathetic, but Jade stiffened at the question, the grin sliding off her face faster than it had come. Well, if that didn't worry me enough…
"I've got to go." Jade said quickly, swinging her legs off mine and she hopped from the bed quickly.
I frowned. "Wait, Jade-"
"I'll see you at school" She interrupted, almost running from my room.
I sat stunned for a moment before stumbling to my feet to follow, but by the time I got downstairs, Jade had gone. I stood in the middle of the room, gawping at the front door as I heard the faint sound of a car pulling away and the patter of the rain still falling.
What the hell just happened?
I wandered over to the sofa, thankful that Trina had vanished, and slumped against the cushions, my mind racing over the events of the past few minutes. Judging by Jade's reaction, I can guess the answer to my question was a resounding 'no'. I should've expected that really, but it didn't stop it hurting. Maybe I'm hoping for more out of this than Jade was, but she'd been so nice to me at the restaurant and, although she was still being the Jade I knew well, she was a bit more pleasant in general too.
I sighed, my head falling back against the back of the couch as I tried to sort out the crazy pile of mixed messages being sent my way, the ones giving me the huge, pounding headache that came too often for my liking.
Xxx
"Good mornin', sista!" Trina called as she skipped down to breakfast the next morning.
I watched her from my seat in front of the tv, my legs stuck up on the table in front of me as I hunched over my cereal bowl, in no mood for my sisters sudden cheeriness this early in the morning. I had once again had trouble sleeping last night. I'd tired getting in contact with Jade after her sudden exit, but any phone call I made went straight to voice mail and the texts I sent got no response. Maybe I was coming off as pushy, or needy, but I just wanted to know what had happened.
"Hey, what's up?" Trina asked as she scooted up beside me on the couch, taking a huge bite of the apple in her hand.
"Nothin'."
"Yeah, right!" Trina dismissed with a snort, spraying me with apple spit which I promptly wiped from my face. "Is it Jade?"
I pursed my lips, not wanting to answer, but she placed a hand on my knee, leaning forward to give me a pitying smile. "Come on, I can tell something happened between you two yesterday. Wanna talk to your big sister about it?" She patted my knee then pulled back a little. "But, I don't want to know all the details, I mean, what happens in the bedroom stays in the bedroom-"
"TRINA!" I yelled over her, almost spilling my cereal as she nudged my arm and waggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Nothing like that happened!"
"Uh huh" She patted my knee again as she got up and moved towards the kitchen.
"It didn't!" I defended.
"Okay, okay, I believe you!" Trina called over, now rooting through the cupboards. "So, you really like her, huh?"
I hung my head, yes.
"Do we have to talk about this?"
"Yup." She said, now hopping back next to me with her own bowl of cereal after quickly finishing the apple.
I rolled my eyes and tapped my spoon against my bowl, wanting to avoid saying anything for as long as possible. Trina fell back against the cushions, watching me closely as she waited for me to talk, then she too rolled her eyes and punched me lightly in the arm.
"Come on!" She said, poking me where she'd punched. "Spill! It's obviously bugging you!"
"Fine!" I huffed in defeat. I knew she wouldn't leave me alone, and I still had a whole car journey to school to endure after this. "Jade ran out on me yesterday."
"Were you that bad?"
"TRINA!"
"Alright, alright, I was kidding!" She raised her hands defensively.
"I'm not talking to you if you're going to be like that." I said grumpily.
"Okay, I'll behave." Trina grinned, spooning milk and cornflakes into her mouth "So, why'd she run out on you?"
I shrugged and muttered in a rush. "I kinda asked if we were together now and she just left."
"So that would be a no, then?"
I glared at her.
"Well, she probably would've stayed if it was a yes!"
"Thanks, Trina, this is making me feel a lot better." I said sarcastically, getting up to put my bowl in the dishwasher.
I heard her sigh, then follow me, placing her hand on my shoulder. "Look, I'm sorry. This is just a weird situation, you know?"
I nodded. "Tell me about it."
"Well." She said, walking around me to lean against the counter top. "If you two really like each other, then I'm sure you'll work things out. Maybe she's just, I dunno, scared by it all. I mean, she was dating Beck for years, who is a boy, by the way, so moving on to a girl, who she is meant to hate, is kinda strange."
"But I've dated guys too, never a girl" I pointed out.
"Yeah, but you weren't dating anyone when this all started, were you?" Trina reasoned. "Look, I know you, Tori. You're accepting of everyone and everything, so, you… liking girls, or at least Jade, is just something you accept about yourself and you go with it to make it work, rather than fighting against it."
She paused to sip the juice she had poured herself during the course of this conversation. Trina's good at multitasking like that, as long as one of the activities she's doing is talking. "Maybe it's not that easy for Jade to come to terms with. In that case, you're going to have to give her some time to figure it all out"
I was surprised by Trina's sudden words of wisdom; it happened sometimes, when she stopped thinking about herself from five minutes. "I guess you're right. Thanks, Trina."
My sister smiled and tapped me on the nose affectionately. "Come on now, let's go to school. Maybe you two can talk things out there."
"Hopefully." I replied, grabbing my school bag then following my older sibling out the door.
Xxx
Three days. Three whole days it has been since Jade had run from my bedroom and things were nowhere near better. She still wouldn't talk to me. She still wouldn't answer my texts or calls, she ignored me at school… she wouldn't even look at me!
On the first day, I tried to brush it off, I tried to talk to her like normal, maybe slipping in a hint here and there that I wanted to talk about what had happened, but she continually gave me the silent treatment, acting like I was the gum on the bottom of her shoe that she was dying to get rid of, but it wouldn't come off.
Day two, I'd used Cat as my go between, begging her to ask Jade what was wrong and help me find a way to get her to talk again, but every time Cat just came back with no answers and, occasionally, some wacky story about her brother. By now, this sudden cold shoulder left me frustrated, and I think the gang were starting to pick up on the more-than-normal tension between the two of us as each of them would throw us both weary looks whenever we were in the same place at the same time.
It was Andre who decided to do something about it first, at break, just before our class with Sikowitz. I'd just finished putting my books away in my locker from the previous lesson when he grabbed my arm and pulled me around, a seriously look on his face,
"What's going on between you and Jade?" He asked in a tone that matched his look.
"W-what do you mean?" I asked, attempting to look puzzled.
He cocked an eyebrow at me. "Come on, Tori." He said gently, his hand still gripping my arm slid down and away from me. "You two aren't acting like you usually do. You're not arguing and Jade's not even looking at you. Has something happened?"
Have I mentioned I'm the worst liar? Especially when it comes to my friends: Andre and Cat in particular. You'd think being an actress improved the ability to lie, but it didn't. But, the truth? What was I supposed to say? 'Oh, you know, we were kissing in my room the other day then, when I asked if we were together, Jade ran for it.'? I couldn't picture that going down well.
As the wheels of my brain ticked away, trying to formulate a response that didn't make me sound insane, the bell rang loudly, signalling the beginning of our next classes. Silently thanking it, I turned my confused look to a grin.
"Oh, look! Time for class! Must dash!" I almost laughed, turning on my heel and striding off in the direction of Sikowitz's classroom.
"Hey, Tori! Wait up!" I heard Andre call out as he followed behind me, but I faked not hearing him and carried on, entering the room before anyone else.
Slowly, the class turned up for the lesson, Andre arriving shortly after me with Robbie, who was apparently arguing with Rex over some Northridge girls the puppet had met the previous night. Andre shot me a meaningful look as he took his seat next to mine, but could say no more on the topic as Jade appeared at that very moment, closely followed by Beck and a bubbly Cat; I couldn't help the stab of jealousy I felt at seeing the gothic girl with her ex-boyfriend, no matter how stupid that was. The latter two waved when they noticed me looking in their direction, but, once again, Jade completely ignored me, her eyes swiftly moving over me as the scanned the classroom.
"THERE'S A WILD BEAR IN THE CORRIDOR!"
I jumped and was broken out of my not-so-subtle staring at the dark haired girl across the room by Sikowitz's scream as he burst through the door with a terrified expression on his face. Every student leapt to his or her feet, each panicking as they scrambled for the exit until our acting teacher gave a shout of laughter, clapping his hands together to grab everyone's attention.
"Fooled ya!" He grinned triumphantly, bouncing up onto the small stage as the class collectively rolled their eyes and settled back down again. Should've known.
"Now that I have you all alert" The acting teacher continued, pacing back and forth on the stage with his bare feet. "I would like to start this lesson with an alphabetical improv challenge!"
This announcement was met with a few groans.
"Well!" Sikowitz threw his head back as if offended before making his way over to me. "Tori, how would you like to start us off?"
"I-uh" I attempted to protest, but was quickly yanked up onto the stage in front of everyone, Sikowitz now stood in front of me as he looked around the rest of the class.
"Cat. Jade. You two as well."
This was greeted by two very different reactions: Cat giggled and clapped before jumping up beside me, whereas Jade groaned very loudly and slouched her way to the front of class, standing on Cat's other side, not even glancing at me.
"Okay!" Sikowitz called "This can be about anything you want! Tori, you start. Eli, would you like to give us a letter?"
"Um" Eli said, looking a little flustered about being called upon. Cat giggled again and gave him a tiny wave. "M"
"M it is! Tori, go!"
Shaking my head to quickly prepare myself, I said the first thing that came to mind, directing it at Jade. "Maybe you would like to explain what happened?"
"No, not really." Came her lightening response, as if she expected me to say that.
"Oh, come on, guys!" Cat said, her bright brown eyes darting between the two of us.
"Perhaps you'd like me to tell the whole class? Then maybe you'll talk" I threatened, gesturing out to everyone as I spoke, receiving very confused looks in return.
Jade growled, turning to face me for the first time in days. "Quiet, you, or I'll-"
"Really, you should calm down." Cat cut in, holding her hands up to push us further apart and looking worried.
"She started it!" I accused, pointing at Jade.
"Take that back!" Jade retaliated.
"U… u… udders!" Cat yelled randomly, leaving everyone, including Jade and I, perplexed. Apparently that was her way of changing subject using the letter u.
"…Very weird." I said, remembering it was my turn in this game.
"When isn't she?" Jade jabbed. She wouldn't usually insult Cat like that, not even in something like this, and I didn't miss the hurt look the little red head gave her.
"Xylophones make me feel better!" Cat cried, skipping off the stage to grab one of the instruments that conveniently lay on the window sill.
"You're being ridiculous! Please explain?" I continued in a plea, getting us back on track to where I was heading with this challenge. If now was the only time I could get Jade talking to me, then this was what I'd have to settle for, and we could pass it off as acting.
"Zero chance of that happening." She responded, turning away again.
"As if I really care." I huffed, hoping this may get something out of her.
"Best not to ask then." Of course, it wouldn't be that easy.
"Can't we work this out?"
I watched Jade grit her teeth at this, quickly thinking over what to say. I could see the conflict etched on her face as she rounded on me, even taking a step closer now Cat had gone.
"Don't you think I'm trying?" She asked quietly, something cracking in wall she'd put up after she left me three nights ago. "It's not easy!"
"Easy! I never said it was!" I shouted back. "It's far from easy!"
"Far from easy is right." Jade agreed in a mutter.
"Guys?" Cat said timidly, making her way back to the centre of the stage, stepping in between us, but we both ignored her.
By now, the class were watching us with rapt attention, some completely enthralled by our performance, while others merely looked baffled, unsure if we were actually acting or not. Maybe this actually wasn't the best time to talk to Jade about our situation, especially not in front of a room full of classmates and close friends, but I'd gone too far to back down now.
"Have you got any idea what you want to do about it?" I asked in a gentler tone.
Jade swallowed. "I- I think I do."
I raised an eyebrow, speaking before Cat got a chance. "Just what would that be?"
Jade took a deep breath, looking up into my eyes for the first time in what felt like forever. My heart skipped a beat at this gesture and Jade blew the breath out after what seemed like an age, about to say her line when-
"Jade! You're out!" Sikowitz hollered, throwing an arm in the air.
"WHAT!" Jade yelled, breaking her gaze set on me to face the acting teacher.
"You hesitated for far too long! Sit down!" He said, unfazed by Jade's anger. "Tori and Cat, you continue from K!."
Jade looked torn between annoyance and relief as she stormed off the stage, leaving me desperate to know what she was going to say. I watched her as she slumped back into her seat beside Beck, crossing her arms and scowling at the back of Sikowitz's head. If looks could kill, then the man would be on fire by now.
"Kick that ball over here." Cat said suddenly from my right.
"What ball?" I asked dumbly, totally forgetting about the improv until Sikowitz imitated a buzzer.
"Tori!" He said, shaking his head with a smile. "Everyone knows L comes after K! You're out!"
"Oh." Was all I managed to say as I took my seat again, glad that I'd messed up and put a stop to the game. Not that I didn't like improv challenges in class, they were certainly fun to play, but now all I wanted to do was have a proper conversation with Jade, so the quicker this class was over, the better.
"Right!" Sikowitz said, nudging Cat back towards her chair, as the red head still stood on stage, obviously unsure if she should continue the challenge somehow. "On with the lesson!"
Xxx
Double lessons seem to drag at the best of times, but this acting class felt like it would last forever! As Sikowitz took us through yet another lesson about hand gestures, I couldn't help my eyes continually drifting over to Jade, even though she sat behind me, me being in my usual seat at the front of class while she was a few rows back, making it difficult to stop my glances from being obvious. For the most part, she ignored me, her attention fixed on the stage ahead where people were being dragged up for demonstrations, although I'm sure she wasn't really paying attention. Once or twice I could feel her eyes on me and, as I faced her, I'd catch her turning away, pretending she hadn't been staring at the back of my head.
During one of my many failed attempts to get Jade's attention, I managed to get Becks instead, who gave me a bemused smile in return before his eyes flicked to the girl on his right then back to me again, his eyebrows furrowed slightly in question. I just shook my head at him, turning back as Sikowitz made a comment on how "a hand on the waist is important to the meaningfulness of a kiss" and that we should think about that next time our characters had to play a love scene. His eyes twinkled over in my direction as he said this, a small smile playing on his lips.
I can't tell you how revealed I was when the bell finally rang for the end of the day. The class immediately got to their feet and began their usual chatter, while the crazy acting teacher dived for the back door, just as eager to leave as his students. I noticed Jade hanging back a little, fiddling with something in her bag while Beck stood beside her, waiting for her to move. I shuffled for the door, keeping half an eye on the two of them, watching as Jade muttered something about her not needing a chaperone wherever she went and Beck coming back with something about being a good friend, but I couldn't hang around for their whole conversation, as I was pushed out of the doorway by the crowd of pupils still behind me, taking me out into the corridors to where our lockers resided.
Realising I'd gotten barely any further with my pursuit for an answer, I sighed as I stuffed my things back in my locker and grabbed the jacket I'd brought with me, tucking my arms into the sleeves as I pulled it on and prepared myself to wait for Trina, who had a lesson all the way on the other side of school, meaning she was always later than usual to the car on Thursdays. I'd lent over to pick my bag up again, tossing it onto my shoulder when I felt my hood being yanked, choking me a little, and I stumbled as I was pulled away from the safety of the corridor then shoved into a small room which, once the door was closed and the light switch was flicked on, I instantly recognised as the janitors closet.
And there, stood in front of me, was Jade, her eyes fixed on the ground, wearing a blank expression, just like the other night.
We stood awkwardly for a few moments in complete silence; I could hear the last remaining students wander away and out of school. Only when the last footsteps died did Jade look up and speak.
"Kiss me."
A/N:
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...Sorry, I may of head butted the keyboard there.
You guys have no idea how much of a struggle it was for me to write this chapter and get it sounding part way decent.
Usually, I will edit a chapter once or twice before I'm happy enough to pos it, but this one's taken me at least six attempts and I'm still not totally pleased.
I blame Tori, I always find it harder to write from her point of view in this, for some reason. Considering I roleplay as Tori, that's kinda weird.
Anyways, you can put the pitch forks down now... or not, depending on how much you hate this chapter.
Review? Possibly? Tell me (that you love me) what you think?
I'm going to shut up now and rest the headache this thing has given me.