Beck drives her home after the late lunch, and she's excited enough about her discovery that she has to tell him. "Tori has another date coming up."
"Oh?" he responds lightly.
"Yeah. Help me think of ways to sabotage it."
"Really?" he asks, sounding disappointed.
"Or at least like…spy on her." She tries to think. She doesn't think she ever took Beck to Shadow Creek Park, because he isn't afraid of anything, so she never really tried to scare him. "Do you think I can go to the same area and somehow seem like it's an accident?" she asks.
"Jade…" Beck says, and she can't quite decipher his tone.
"What?" she responds, "There's something weird going on here. Tori is definitely acting weird."
"Jade," he says again, his voice a little stronger, but still toneless.
"Maybe you guys don't see it, but I do. And I'm gonna find out what's going on. Because I want to."
"Jade," Beck says, "I'm gay."
"You're…what?!"
His eyes are still on the road, but as she stares at him, he blinks several times, the only indication of his emotional state. "I didn't know how to tell you." There's silence, as Jade tries to come up with what to say, but finds herself completely tongue-tied. "But you're my best friend, and I wanted to tell you first."
"I…okay."
"Okay?" he asks.
"Yeah."
"…that's it?"
"Well, what did you want me to say?"
"I don't know, I just thought you'd have more to say than that!"
"Well, I'm sorry, did you think that this might be a little confusing? I mean, when did you know? Were you ever…" Her voice breaks slightly, as she thinks about all the times he told her he loved her.
He shakes his head, "I really only realized around when we broke up, when I was trying to figure out why we didn't feel right anymore." He glances at her, catches her eye for a moment. "I did love you, Jade. Still do. You're the best woman I've ever known, and it's too bad that I can't love you like a boyfriend should, because I want to have you close to me always. But…" he trails off, then shrugs. "I started to wonder, when I was never interested in any other girls but you. And then when I got back together with you, and that sexual spark was gone…" He shakes his head. "But it really wasn't so strong even before, was it? It was mostly us just experimenting."
"Yeah," Jade concedes hollowly. Sex had never been a huge part of their relationship, really. Jade had told herself it was because that degree of intimacy was difficult for her, but Beck had never pushed, and anything they did was because Jade had wanted to. Mostly they just masturbated together, or it was handjobs. They'd done some oral…or, well, she'd done it to him, and he'd never seemed interested in reciprocating. And they'd tried intercourse a few times, but agreed it was not quite as fun or satisfying as other things.
"So…I put some things together. I just had never really thought of it before. I figured the feelings I had for boys in the past was just me being an actor and being able to put myself in other people's shoes and to understand what they'd see as attractive on a man. I disowned my feelings." He glances at her again. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" she asks.
"For not realizing sooner."
"I'm not sorry," she answers. "If we'd never dated, we wouldn't be as close as we are now. So stop apologizing."
"Okay," he cracks a smile. "So…are we cool?"
"Yeah," she side-eyes him. "Don't be afraid to talk to me," she commands.
"I'm not afraid. It's just like I said. Some secrets are hard to tell."
"Hmm," Jade grunts in response, and thinks back to when he said it. Abruptly, the memory comes to her. They had been discussing Tori.
Oh my god, she thinks, just restraining herself from saying anything to Beck. Suddenly, she thinks she understands Tori's secret.
Tori's meeting a woman in Shadow Creek Park.
It's when Beck drops her off that she has a horrifying thought. Tori had said their "schedules" needed to line up and Jade unwilling thinks of menstrual cycles. She shudders, thinks about it again, and realizes no two people could possibly menstruate so much that they could only meet once in a great while.
Then she begins to wonder if Tori is having an orgy with a group of women. She shakes that thought away. She's being ridiculous.
.
If nothing else, the thought of Tori having an orgy with a group of women in the middle of Shadow Creek Park helps crystalize the story concept that had been festering in the back of Jade's head for months. She begins to realize that a key part of the story has to do with a woman trying to summon the devil the way women supposedly did in colonial times.
She has a feeling this is not a piece she'll be allowed to perform at school.
She works on her idea a bit for the next few days, whenever she has a free moment. She's working on it at the beginning of the lunch period, waiting for Cat to bring them both a spaghetti taco. Tori takes the seat across from her with a sigh. "Hey," she greets casually.
"Shut up, I'm working," Jade responds.
"Ooookay, then," Tori says, "I'll just sit here in awkward silence then."
"I said," Jade stops and looks up at Tori. "Why, what did you want to talk about?" she asks with fake sweetness.
"Oh, um, we don't have to talk," Tori looks wary now, "It's fine, really."
"Oh, really? Because I thought I just heard you say, 'I'll just sit here in awkward silence,' like some kind of martyr" Jade mocks Tori in the Sweet Sally Peaches voice she always uses.
"I don't talk like that," Tori snaps back, like always. Jade kind of likes the familiarity in their banter.
"Why don't we talk anymore?" Jade changes tactics, trying to sound sad now. "You know you can tell me anything."
"No, I…really don't know that," Tori answers skeptically, eying her.
"I'm pretty good with secrets, believe it or not," Jade tells her candidly.
"Who says I have a secret?" Tori asks, but it comes out quickly, and high-pitched.
Jade shrugs, and notices Andre approaching from across the Asphalt Café, so she takes a chance. "Listen, your secret…I know. And you can trust me with it because Beck has told me the same thing."
Tori's eyes widen. "Wait, Beck is…like me?"
Andre slides into the seat just next to Tori and greets them both, so all Jade can do is nod very slightly to answer Tori. Tori spends most of lunch in contemplative silence, though Jade catches her surreptitiously watching Beck.
Jade wants to laugh, because of how easy it really is to read Tori, once you start paying attention.
.
For her part, at first Tori isn't quite sure what to do with the information Jade gives her. Though she hasn't exactly admitted anything to Jade, Jade still seems to think she knows Tori's secret. And though Tori isn't sure that Jade had Beck's permission to share his secret, her excitement about knowing it kind of gradually destroys her ability to not talk to him about it.
So about a week later, Tori approaches Beck while he's at his locker. "Hey, Beck!"
"Oh, hey Tori," Beck greets as he digs around in his locker, "What's up?"
"Well, I wanted to talk to you, actually, because…" Tori looks around, then drops her voice, "It's about your secret."
Beck slams his locker, looking angry and slightly panicked, "She told you?"
"Yes," Tori hissed, "Because she was trying to get me to tell my secret. So it's okay, because…" She pauses. It's hard to actually say, so she settles on, "Me, too."
Beck's eyes widen, and his anger seems to evaporate, "You, too?" he asks.
"Yeah," Tori grins, "Surprised?"
"Well, yeah, a little," Beck leans against his locker. Their heads are close together, so they can talk quietly, but not so close that they look suspicious.
"I was a little about you, too," Tori confesses, "I thought I would've been able to sense it somehow, you know? But I have to admit it explains some things. Like your hair."
Beck chuckles a little and runs a hand through his hair. "What can I say?"
"Still, this is cool!" Tori grins.
Beck nods, "Yeah." He looks around. "You'd think there'd be more of us around, huh? I kinda wish there were."
"Eh, I dunno," Tori wrinkles her nose. "It'd get pretty crazy. I mean, with my whole family, I feel like there are enough of us around, you know?"
"I…wait," Beck begins, but he's interrupted by the bell.
Tori grins, "I'd better get to class!" she calls, jogging away, leaving a slightly perplexed looking Beck behind her.
.
Just as Jade is beginning to wonder if she can find a reason to be out at Shadow Creek Park on the night of Tori's date, she finds her opportunity.
"Hey," Tori awkwardly approaches Jade at her locker. Jade just stares at her, enjoying watching her squirm. Tori smiles back, trying to break the tension. "I was wondering if…I could ask you for a favor again."
"Go on," Jade answers after a pause.
"I could…use a ride again on Saturday. To Shadow Creek Park." She pauses. "I could use a ride there and back."
Jade is silent, because she knows that sometimes, if you let Tori stew, she'll end up babbling.
To Tori's credit, she doesn't. "Well? Will you?"
"Sure," Jade says.
"I'll give you…wait. You will?"
"Sure," Jade repeats, "Don't make me say it again, or it'll become a no."
"…Okay," Tori smiles. "Um, thanks."
"Yeah, whatever," Jade slams her locker shut and starts to walk away.
"I'll text you!" Tori calls. Jade just keeps walking, grinning a little. There's going to be a price attached to this ride, but it's not one Tori will know about.
Jade's going to find out who she's been meeting, whether Tori likes it or not.
It's then that she realizes Tori had been about to offer her something in exchange for the ride, and she curses out loud, causing the group of nearby freshmen boys to scatter. Her eagerness had caused a big lapse in judgment. She tries to remind herself not to lose her edge.
.
She comes to get Tori at around the same time as last time, right when the sun is at that annoyingly low position in the sky. Tori is dressed similarly to her last date—t-shirt, jeans, denim jacket, glasses. Jade wonders if Tori is trying to accrue some lesbian street cred by dressing so casual. Not that she knows what lesbians like. But there has to be some reason Tori isn't getting all dolled up for these dates.
Tori's pretty quiet on the way over, and Jade tries not to get too worked up about the sun, although it is annoying her. She notes that Tori is tapping her fingers this time, in what must be another nervous gesture.
"So what are you going to give me for driving you to your date?" Jade asks abruptly, to break the silence.
Tori looks at her sharply, "Nothing? You didn't ask for anything."
"But you offered."
"Yeah, but it wasn't part of the agreement. You agreed to give me a ride before I offered you anything."
"Well, maybe I want something now."
"It wasn't part of the agreement."
"Maybe I'm making it part of my agreement to come get you."
Tori sighs and admits, "I was going to offer to buy you some coffee."
"That's weak," Jade is disappointed it wasn't more interesting.
"Well, what else do you like?" Tori counters.
Jade thinks about it, "Yeah. You're right. Not much else."
Tori leans back, satisfied. "You might want coffee when you come get me. I'll buy one for you then," she offers.
Jade shrugs. They're almost there, and honestly, she is likely to want a cup of coffee in a few hours. Then thinks about it, "Oh yeah, when am I supposed to come get you?" She has another thought, "There isn't any cell service at Shadow Creek Park, so you can't exactly text me when your date is over…"
"Oh, yeah," Tori nods, "We'll just agree on a time. I'll be done by dawn."
Jade's fingers tighten on the steering wheel and she resists braking. "By dawn?!"
"Yeah," Tori responds casually, "I know it's early, and I mean, it's okay if you're a little late, but…dawn, at the earliest."
"Tori…" Jade starts, trying to figure out where to even begin, as she pulls up to the park, "Just…no. This is insane. I'm not leaving you out here all night."
"It's okay!" Tori reassures, "I've done it before. Trina didn't come get me until dawn last time, either."
"Wait, Trina picked you up? Your date couldn't even give you a ride home?" Jade is surprised to feel some pity for Tori, who is clearly so conflicted about meeting a woman that she can't risk anyone she knows seeing them together.
"No, they can't give me a ride," Tori says firmly, and Jade immediately notices the vague pronoun. Jade has stopped the car and as Tori reaches for the handle, she locks it. Tori glares at her. "Let me out."
"No. This is ridiculous, Tori. You can't stay here all night. It isn't safe!"
"I'll be fine," Tori insists, and she pulls the lock herself and steps out. "Thank you for the ride! I'll see you in the morning, and get you that cup of coffee. Sounds good, eh?" She grins a very cheesy grin and begins to walk away.
For her part, Jade doesn't move, just watches Tori walk away. Shadow Creek Park is on the outskirts of LA, where the city gives way to desert. Still, many years ago, some trees and bushes had been planted, which had since become a good-size grove of trees and overgrown shrubbery surrounded by derelict picnic benches, tumbleweeds, Joshua trees and a sad, rusty jungle gym. Jade doesn't know why the park fell into disrepair, but figures it's probably because it is so far from anything else; the sun is setting, and Jade can barely see any city lights from where she's parked. She just watches as the gloaming dimness swallows Tori as she heads right for the grove of deciduous and evergreen trees that look unnatural on the landscape.
Jade sits in her car for several long minutes, wrestling with herself. It feels like a terrible idea to leave Tori alone in the park all night, but she had done it once before, and Tori had been fine…she thinks again, and realizes that Tori had lied to her last time. She hadn't been asleep when Jade texted, she had still been up here, without a cell phone signal. She'd texted back when she'd gotten into cell range again, not when she woke up.
Maybe Tori would be fine. But Jade realizes that if she isn't, she can't have it on her conscience. Maybe she likes Tori to suffer sometimes, but she likes to cause it and witness it. Not passively stand by and let it happen when she isn't there.
So, steeling herself, Jade turns off her car and steps out. The sun has set, and with her headlights now off, Jade has to stand for a moment and let her eyes adjust to the dimness. It doesn't take too long because the sky is well lit. She glances up to take in a cloudless sky full of stars, obscured only by the luminous full moon on the horizon, and thinks for a moment that she can understand why someone would go on a date here. It's gorgeous, quiet and yes, very private. As far down the road that she can see, there are no cars approaching.
She begins marching toward the trees, and as she gets close, she calls, "Tori!" She feels confident that Tori's date isn't here yet, because there are no other cars in sight. Then again, she thinks as she slows, maybe Tori's date was to be dropped off, too. Just how secretive is this relationship? She calls again, "Tori! I'm not leaving you here!"
There's no answer, only silence. Desert silence, tiny little animal sounds, the rustling of the wind in the trees. As Jade gets closer to the trees, she begins to realize how dark it actually is in the grove. She gets out her PearPhone so that she has a source of light and begins to step into the woods.
It isn't long before she realizes she doesn't want to go far in, because it's hard to see and it's so overgrown that it's kind of hard to trek through. Jade isn't exactly a hiker, and she doesn't want to step wrong and twist an ankle or something. She wonders what on earth is appealing about these woods to Tori and her date.
Just as she's about to call to Tori one more time and then turn around, she spots a flash of color on the ground. She shines her phone light on it and approaches. Though she's pretty sure she knows what it is, it's so strange that she has to get close.
It's Tori's clothes, folded clumsily and in a little pile at the base of a tree. All of Tori's clothes, Jade notes as she takes in the pale blue bra and the paisley pair of panties on top of the pile. As Jade stands up, a glint of something catches her eye, and she notices, strangest of all, Tori's glasses, tucked into a little knothole in the tree trunk.
It's so strange that it makes Jade's stomach churn with nervousness for a moment. Especially since, as she looks, she's struck with the creeping feeling of being watched.
She swivels around a few times, shining her phone light, but sees nothing. She shakes off her nerves, and shouts one last time, "I refuse to leave, Tori!" Then she turns and begins walking back out of the grove of trees.
She feels better as soon as she's out of the thick darkness beneath the trees and is striding across open land back to her car. She glances behind her a few more times, but there's no indication that anyone is behind her. She tells herself that maybe Tori was watching her back in the forest, probably with her date, and probably giggling about it. Naked. Jade shakes her head. No matter how she lays it out, it's still freaky and weird.
So she sits in her car, folding her arms. She's going to stay right here, and she'll wait for Tori and her date to emerge.
She entertains herself for awhile with her phone or her car radio, but before too long, she's feeling the need for a cup of coffee. Still, she refuses to leave. Eventually, she tips her head back. She needs to take a nap, then she'll resume her lookout…
.
Jade wakes up yelling, and it takes her a moment to realize that someone has knocked on her window. She takes a deep breath as she looks at Tori in her passenger's side window, feeling that she's blushing and angry about it. She unlocks her car and Tori slides into the seat, looking disheveled, sleepy and happy. "Hey!" she greets happily.
It's already too much cheer for Jade, who is taking in the pink tinges on the edge of the sky. It's dawn. She can't even bring herself to look at the clock in her car. It's probably not that much earlier than when she gets up for school, but it's Saturday, and that makes it worse. "Shut up," she says, sitting up in her seat and running a hand through her hair.
"Looks like you need that coffee," Tori smiles as Jade rubs her eyes, "Sorry you were waiting for so long."
"Like you don't know I've been here all damn night," Jade snaps. "Are we just going to pretend that last night didn't happen?"
Tori looks out the window and says nothing, which is all the answer Jade needs. She rolls her eyes and starts her car. Now that she's awake, she realizes how chilly it is, and she's grateful that her leather jacket kept her warm during the night. Tori stretches out in her seat, looking relaxed and content. Jade notices a stick and some dry leaves in her wild hair and is met with a sudden image of Tori, naked, on her back in the middle of the woods, back arching as a strange woman goes down on her.
She really needs that damn coffee. "Where can I get a coffee around here?" she grumbles.
"I think there's a Jet Brew pretty nearby. I'll check my PearPhone as soon as I have service," Tori offers, turning her phone back on.
Jade grunts her agreement. "This coffee better be worth the night I just spent in my car."
"I told you to go home," Tori says, sounding stubborn.
"Yeah, well, maybe if I'd actually been able to tell that you were alive, I would have. Maybe if you'd introduced me to your 'date,' I would've felt safer leaving you alone with he—with them."
Tori's smiling a little, "You were worried?"
"I was not, I just don't want to be responsible for your death, you freak. God, for someone who doesn't know how to take risks, you're sure acting fucking insane."
"Because I'm not doing anything risky!" Tori snaps.
"It sure as hell doesn't look that way from here! You look like you're being incredibly stupid!"
They're silent for a few minutes, until both their phones chirp with notifications, as they're back in cell phone range. Jade glances as hers, which is almost dead, and turns it off. Tori pulls up directions to Jet Brew and tells Jade where to turn in a few miles. Jade nods, and they're quiet again.
Finally, Tori speaks, "I have a secret," she confesses, "that maybe you should know." She takes a breath.
Jade's ready and ends up speaking over Tori, "I know, you're a lesbian,"
"I'm a werewolf." Tori says at the exact same moment.
"What?!" Jade actually does brake the car without meaning to this time, but gains control quickly.
"Wait, you think I'm a—" Tori begins.
"I'm sorry, did you say werewolf?!" Jade interrupts.
Tori sighs and rubs her forehead, "Turn here," she reminds Jade, "Let's get you that coffee."