/TORI/
I hadn't expected Jade to say yes.
I stare at the computer screen for several seconds even after she had signed out, expecting her to come back on saying she was kidding, or she had changed her mind. I had even geared myself up mentally to deal with the crushing insult and disappointment because she never wanted to spend more time with me than necessary. But no, she'd actually said yes this time...and maybe I was a little more excited about it than I should be.
I glance around, suddenly realizing how much of a mess the kitchen and living room was in: discarded pizza boxes, papers, wrappers and various kitchen appliances strewn about since Trina's latest beauty regime. I scramble up from the couch and start cleaning up. I knew I was being stupid but I felt kinda embarrassed about Jade seeing all the mess. Especially since I had a feeling this visit wouldn't be blog related. I quickly shove everything in the cupboards and hastily wipe down the table, my heart pounding hard. I'm just stomping on the empty pizza boxes to cram them into the already over stuffed trash can when I hear Jade's car pull up outside.
Why was I so jittery all of a sudden?
My fingers have just grasped the door handle when the door swings open, Jade casually walking inside without asking. I restrain the eye roll and watch her dump her bag on the couch, a smile twitching her lips as she automatically makes herself at home. She turns to face me and I give her a playful little smirk, reaching behind to pull out a white apron. It was folded neatly with the words "Kiss the Cook" written on it. I didn't anticipate she'd wear it and I was right.
"Don't push it, Vega. I'm surprised I'm over here right now." Jade gives me a hard glare but I keep smiling, pulling on the apron instead. It was weird but I was beginning to become more immune to Jade's infamous death glares and I could sense, with some satisfaction, that she didn't like it. Maybe it was because I had seen her at her most vulnerable but she wasn't that scary to me anymore...
I make my way over to the kitchen, unable to resist sneaking a peek at Jade from the corner of my eye. She was looking at me curiously, almost like she had a question to ask but she couldn't bring herself to voice it out loud. I pull out the electric mixer and mixing bowl, ignoring the urges to keep looking at Jade and focus my attention on the recipe book instead.
"Okay my assistant baker-"
"Don't call me that."
"Fine. Will you pass me the dark chocolate and butter, please?" I hear her loud exaggerated sigh of effort, followed by the two items pushed my way and start snapping the chocolate into pieces. "So are you actually going to help me bake this thing?"
"No. I'm going to stand and watch. Like I said a few nights ago, I love watching you fail." My fingers fumble with breaking up the last bit of chocolate. She hadn't caught her wink but I had, and it made me almost knock the bowl from the counter. I catch it quickly, feeling the dark blush coloring my cheeks.
"I-I'm not going to fail!"
"You almost smashed the bowl."
"Yeah well - I didn't drop it!" I reply slightly flustered, turning back to focus on the recipe. I continue to follow through the instructions carefully, Jade always needing to add in her ever so helpful comments and criticisms with everything I did. I move to grab the electric whisk to start mixing the ingredients together, but Jade pushes me out of the way, grabbing a hold of the handle instead.
"What, you think you're gonna do the best part?" I immediately open my mouth to argue because I always liked doing the whisking, but the small child like excitement in Jade's eyes makes me step back to let her take over. "You know, when I'm mixing things together I like to pretend I'm a whisking God and I've just decided to wreak havoc and destruction on my tiny civilians." She grins to herself and I can't help but match it, amused by Jade's surprise confession.
From being captured and made into human soup, to being a whisking God, she sure had an imagination.
She was such a different person behind that mask.
I wait for the whisking to be done before we pour out the mixture onto the baking tray, the chocolate batter oozing out to fill the mold. I shut the oven door and turn back to Jade, a bubble of laughter slipping from my lips before I could stop it.
"What? What's so funny?" She snaps and I point with a small snigger. Her black clothes were dusted all over with flour.
"Pretty impressive, Jade, but it wouldn't have happened if you had just worn the apron..." She scowls and pats herself down.
"I would rather be slowly roasted alive on a spit and fed to cannibals, than wear that stupid apron."
"Where do you even get those from?" I question her before I could stop myself, seeing Jade's eyebrows knit in confusion.
"Where do I get what from?"
"Those lines. The whole 'I would rather be lines? Do you have a book of them or do you think of them randomly on the spot?" I head over to the fridge and grab two cans of Wahoo punch, handing one over to Jade while she contemplates my question.
"Uh... I usually make them up. I have a few decent ones written down for special occasions though." I nod and crack open my can, settling down on the couch.
It seemed I had managed two solid achievements. The first one being Jade was still engaging in conversation and the second one was that she was still here and not trying to push me away. I take a long gulp of the soda, deciding to stick to Jade related subjects. Mostly to keep her talking but also because a part of me was genuinely interested with her answers. I felt like I was starting to unravel the enigma. I'll admit it was an extremely slow process and it probably wouldn't even last, but it felt like I was in the lead for once, instead of trailing behind and tripping over my own feet.
"Well...um, do you think I could make one up?"
"Oh now this I have to hear." I cringe and instantly regret asking, watching Jade perk up with interest. "Go on, Vega. Give me your most vicious "I would rather line." I take another swig from my soda can, purposefully stalling myself as Jade's blue eyes seem to glint with amusement.
"Okay..." I clear my throat, a little thrilled I had captivated Jade's full attention, and adopt my sternest expression.
"I would rather uh... wear a horrible knitted sweater than go to the movies with you!"
"Oh my God."
"What? I thought that was pretty insulting!" I try and defend myself, watching Jade's lips twitch. "Alright. I would rather lick a hobo's foot-"
"Just stop right there. Stop. Right now."
"I would rather chew on year old moth balls."
"I mean it, Tori..."
"I would rather drink a bucket full of-"
"Quit it!" Jade growls and hurls a pillow, striking me square in the face and I burst out laughing, surprised when she joins in. I push the pillow away and waggle my eyebrows up and down, holding out my hand with a grin.
"I would like to accept my diploma for best insults now."
"You wish."
I pull back with a chuckle, Jade struggling to hide her own snicker behind the soda can. This was pretty much how I'd always wanted it to be between us. Relaxed, easy and comfortable. I wasn't asking for much, but I knew it wouldn't last. It never did. But I was grateful it was happening right now. I always felt closer to Jade in these private moments, when her guard was down and she was joking around and being herself. She wasn't trying to put up a front or shield herself from anyone. I loved being able to see her like this.
No tough exterior just...her.
"I don't think you're capable of being vicious." Jade suddenly muses out loud and I put my can down in protest.
"Hey! I can be vicious! One time, I put plastic insects in Trina's bed. She wouldn't sleep in her room for days afterwards."
"Oh you wild child. I put real insects in my brother's."
"I switched out Trina's hair dye for orange dye and it was school picture day!" I see Jade's eyes flash at the promise of a challenge.
"I hung a skeleton in my step mom's bathroom and it wasn't even Halloween."
"I re-wrapped one of Trina's gifts and gave it back to her!"
"I cut Beck's hair while he was asleep in Freshman year!"
"I smell smoke!"
We both jump violently, startled by the alarming sounds of the smoke detector. I spring up from the couch to see trails of black smoke issuing from the oven and rush over, stumbling in a blind panic. Gloved hands fumble to open the oven door to retrieve the now ruined chocolate lava cake, the thing itself looking more like a cremated lava rock. I drop the tray down on the table, coughing from all the smog, the piercing alarm making my brain rattle in my skull.
"Make it stop!"
"I am trying to, Vega!"
I clap my hands over my ears and watch Jade attempt to silence the ringing, opening up cupboards to drag out mops and brooms to try and use their handles to hit the off button. She growls when it doesn't work and grabs a chair, dragging it over to stand on, a broom in her hand. I use one hand to keep my ears protected and the other to waft away the smoke, hearing Jade smacking the broom repeatedly against the smoke detector with a war cry.
The loud ringing stops, a second of silence before the broom handle snaps in half.
Jade drops back down to the ground and looks from the broken broom handle to me. I couldn't tell if it was from the shared panicked expressions, the ruined broom, or the crispy lava fail now smoldering on the table, but I could feel the laughter rising on my lips. I break, laughing so hard I had to double over because it hurt my sides. Jade follows only seconds after, laughing even harder than as I was, clutching the kitchen table for support.
Tears fill our eyes and we struggle to wipe them away. The situation was so stupidly amusing. We were a helpless mess and to anyone else looking in, it probably wouldn't make much sense. But for some reason, this was the funniest moment in the world to us.
"Why...is your stupid fire alarm so high up?" Jade gasps, her body shaking with uncontrollable fits. She takes one look at the lava cake, collapsing again.
"Y-you broke my broom!" I wheeze back, both of us dissolving into laughter again.
I had to hold my stomach because it was too much, Jade's frantic hiccuping making me laugh even more. This wasn't the usual, awkward, light-hearted laughter we'd shared before. No. This was something deeper, the rumbling laughter which echoed around the house and made memories.
This was the laughter that built bridges and broke barriers.
Or rather, broom handles.
A/N: Yes it's a slow, agonizing process but that's what makes a great story. The build up, the sexual tension and the obvious and painful denial of feelings! Kindly Read & Review Please! Takes a minute, means a lot. :)
in response to allgoodnamesaretaken: I apologize for the confusion, I merely wanted the story to start with a more interesting twist. I needed a catalyst that was strong enough on an emotional scale to bind them together, rather than just have the stage slap and kick off the dating. Basically, I wanted to write that opening scene and it's obviously too late to merge that with the blog, which is why I've said it's 'loosely' based. But I am relieved it hasn't ruined your expectations!