"So, how stupid do you still feel about the whole Ryder Daniels thing, Vega?"
"Uuuungh!" The brunette rolled her eyes and slammed the door to her house behind her. "Jade, if you say 'I told you so' one more time, I swear I'll-"
"Relax, Vega." I snickered, dropping my bag beside her couch and pulling out my pencil case and history book. "I like to gloat, but don't feel like wrestling you right now. As much as I know you'd love it."
"If you're implying what I think you're implying-"
"Shhh, Vega, you don't have to fight it." She opened and closed her mouth like a fish. Messing with her was so fun. "Anyways, we have a history project to put together." I tapped my pencil on the paper.
"I think Mrs. Yonders must hate me, to partner me with you."
She was starting to get on my nerves—well, more than her mere existence did anyways. "You think this is a walk in the park for me? Shut up and pull out your notebook so we can get this done! Faster this is over, the less we both have to suffer!"
"All right, all right, you don't have to be so bossy." She slowly sat down on the couch opposite from me and drew her notebook out with her insipid "insulted" look plastered over those absurd cheekbones.

Vega was actually an okay project partner. She wasn't constantly distracted like Cat, or distracting like Beck, or apparently concentrating on making me want to punch them, like Robbie and his doll. We made decent progress, as long as we concentrated on the material and not on insulting each other.
Which was why I was insanely irritated when Vega's mother barged in the door, dragging a guy in by his lapels who was definitely not Vega's father.

Vega and I turned towards the door as we heard it opening. When Tori saw who it was, she groaned and leaned down on her legs with her face in her hands. I sat up a little straighter, intrigued.
"Mmm—ah, Gary, we don't have much time." Mrs. Vega was a little out of breath.
"I know. David's in a meeting, but it only goes for an hour. I have to be back at the station by then." He had apparently also… been for a run… or something… I wasn't stupid.
"Upstairs."
"I know. Um-" The man's eyes widened as he caught sight of me staring at him, a sneer on my face. "Hi, girls. Tori. Your mother and I were just-"
"Gary! Upstairs!" Mrs. Vega shoved at the guy, making him stumble.
"Uh, right. On my way. Bye girls!" I shook my head at him as he gave us an awkward wave.
"Gary's just here to pick up something, Tori, Tori's friend." Mrs. Vega had a strained smile on her face, her tone patronizing.
"I'm not her friend."
"I'm just going to show Gary where it is." And Mrs. Vega disappeared upstairs as well.

I waited twenty seconds for Vega to move, but she didn't. So I slapped the back of her head.
"Hey! What was that for?" She stared at me, a deeply disturbed look on her face, and a glint of desperation in her eye.
"I had to check to see if you were still alive."
"Well, I might as well be dead now. You'll talk about it at school, or tell my dad personally, and then he'll leave Mom. Trina will get even more unbearable, and… just… God! Could it have been anyone but you?"
"Really? You think your life will end because you mother is having an affair?" I snort. "That's one of the most pathetic things I've ever heard."
"Believe it or not, Jade, I care about my family, as messed up as they might be, and I want them to stay together."
"Well, it's stupid to care. You can't do shit about it." I knew, from experience. Not that I was going to say that, though anyone with half a brain could've figured it out from my Slap page.
"Yes, yes, I can! I can deal with Trina, look after her, and keep Mom's—thing—a secret, and keep Dad happy."

I think that was the moment I started to understand Victoria Vega. Why she was such a chronic people-pleaser, helpful and cheery and all that chiz, and sometimes on my level of flipping out and physical violence. She thought everything would work out okay if everyone just liked her enough, if she kept them happy enough. It was her attempt at control.

"Wrong, Vega. Your parents' chiz is their own, and you can't do a thing about it. So don't give a chiz."
"Well, I can't help-" She was getting whiny, and I was getting impatient.
"Shut up about it already. Besides, would it really be so bad? Just you and your mother? Or father, or whatever?"
"Just me and Dad? I… guess… not." At first I thought she was staring at me, but then I realized her thoughts were elsewhere.
"Hello, Earth to Vega." I threw my eraser at her. It only hit her in the shoulder, which disappointed me. I would have liked for it to land in her eye. "History project?"
"Right. Uh, okay, John Whats-his-face Booth-"
"Wilkes."
"What?"
"His name was Wilkes. John Wilkes Booth. Focus!"
"Geez, you don't have to shout."

Both of us groaned slightly as distinct thumping sounds echoed from upstairs. I growled and closed my book. "I'm going somewhere else. I can't work like this."
Vega was still a little slow on the uptake. "We have to finish out project. This is the only time we have to really sit down together before it's due!"
"I know that. I wasn't talking about stopping work, just moving location."
"Well, where would we go?"
"Dozens of places. Library, coffee shop, the school, even..."
"Okay, well, I-"
"Let's go to JetBrew," I interrupted her. "They have free WiFi and I'm gonna need a looot of coffee if you're going to continue being like this."
"Like what?" She sounded vaguely insulted.
"Slow. Distracted. Not keeping up with me."
"You could cut me a little slack here, Jade!"
"Why would I do that?" I slid my book and papers into my bag and stood, shouldering it. "Let's go. I'll drive."

Vega still seemed a little "out of it" on the way there, so I was glad I was the one driving, but she was able to pull herself together a little, which I was grateful for. I got my usual coffee, black with two sugars, and she got a mocha latte. The rest of the project went relatively smoothly, without talk of any subject other than history.

"Guess that's it. See you tomorrow, Vega." I slung my bag over my shoulder and downed the last of my coffee. "This didn't suck as much as it could have."
Tori stood and pushed her chair in, taking a deep breath. "Please don't tell anyone about what you saw. About… my mother and all."
"Why would I?"
"Because you're—you, Jade."Vega helplessly let her hands fall on the back of the chair. "Please."
"I make no promises I'm not sure I intend to keep."
She crossed her arms, moving to stand in my way. "I'm not letting you leave until you do."
"That's stupid." I tossed my coffee cup towards the trash can. It landed right in the middle of the bin, much to my satisfaction. "What's stopping me from saying I won't and then just doing it later? Besides, it's not like you're that hard to walk around."
"I'd tell Beck you broke a promise to me."
"He's not my guardian."
"But he means something to you."
"I am not having this conversation." Brushing past her, I shoved her shoulder with mine on purpose.

She grabbed my wrist, pulling me back towards her.
I turned, my other hand clenched into a fist. "Let go of me."
"Not until you promise me."
Some of the other customers were staring. I glared at them before turning back to Vega. "If you're worried about me using it against you, you're completely justified in that." I grinned mirthlessly, just to scare her. "But in case you haven't noticed, I like to make my revenge fit the crime. And I can't think of a thing you could do for which announcing your family problems would satisfy me. Happy now?"
Yanking my arm away from her, I stalked towards the door, drawing my scissors out of my waistband and angrily snipping at the air with them. A shaggy-haired hipster walking into the cafe skirted me with widened eyes.

I heard Tori's boots clicking on the pavement behind me as I walked across the parking lot. Not in the mood to deal with her any further, I broke into a run.
Sliding into the driver's seat of my car and locking the doors, I tossed my bag onto the passenger seat and took my time getting my keys out as Vega banged on the window with the flat of her hand. Her voice was muffled through the glass.
"Jade, let me in! I need a ride home."
"You can walk," I mouthed at her, starting the engine. She stepped back, a look of disbelief on her face.
It was satisfying to watch her frustrated and helpless in my rear view mirror as I pulled out of the parking lot and merged into traffic.

I got an upset call from Beck later, as he was apparently the one she called to come pick her up.
I got upset right back, because he didn't have to jump to her aid every time she cried or looked at him sideways, and he hadn't been so annoyed I didn't give her a return ride that night his dad got mauled by the Rottweiler we got him. He got really pissed at that, and we were huffy at each other for a few days. I spent most of them with Cat, though I didn't really forget about my conversations with Tori.
I remember thinking two things: that I do know how to keep secrets, and that maybe Vega wasn't such a misfit for our disturbed little group after all.