Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious.

A/N: So I guess the inspiration's sticking because I'm writing so many chapters today. Holy chizz. xD But yeah, unfortunately Break will be ending soon.

Enjoy.

Chapter 23

"I'm grounded."

"That's your fault."

There's a huff of annoyance on the other end of the phone and I smirk. Tori's at school, where I would be, had Beck not told me he couldn't find Andre. And since we couldn't be seen together anyway, she was using Beck's phone to call me. "You're part of that blame, Jade. If you hadn't been doing things…" to which I hear a groan from Beck in the background, "…I probably would have remembered when I told my parents I would be home."

"Yes, but it's your fault because you were the one to drag me up to my bedroom and take advantage of me." I can barely say it with a straight face and I can only imagine the look on hers when she hears it.

"Oh, I took advantage of you?" Beck snorts in amusement. "You weren't complaining when I was…" The rest of her sentence is muffled, and I know Beck is covering her mouth. They argue for a moment before Tori finally growls. "Why aren't you here anyway?"

"Oh, you know, I felt sick this morning," I lie easily, but she can see right through it.

"Jade…" I don't know why she has to know me so well that even my acting isn't so great when I'm talking to her. God, am I really that obvious or does she just know that's the lamest excuse I have ever come up with? Yeah, that's probably it.

"What does it matter? We're not together as far as anyone knows at school and I hate not being able to kiss you or hold your hand. So I just didn't go." Even though it's most of the reason, and she knows there's more, she isn't going to pressure me to answer. "Go to class and call me at lunch or something." Before I can say anything else, the line is dead, and I sigh, muttering an "I love you" to myself. I hate being away from Tori, but there isn't much we can do about it, except the obvious.

I have to find Andre.

I hear the front door open and close downstairs, indicating the departure of Mrs. Valentine. Cat's brother and father both left earlier this morning before Cat did, and I honestly don't know if any of them, aside from Cat, know that I didn't go to school. I find my answer when I drag myself to the kitchen and find a note on the counter. Cat's parents will be out tonight instead of coming home from work, so I don't have to worry about them coming home to find me gone.

I roll my eyes as I heat up breakfast that I didn't even know was made. I guess they all assumed that I am actually sick, or they just didn't want to bother me. I've already planned my morning to search for Andre and find his ass so I can kill him for hurting Tori, and Beck had to have known that when he told me that he didn't know where Andre was. He knows why I'm skipping school, and by now I wouldn't be surprised if Tori figured it out.

I grab my keys and head outside to my car, opening my door and sliding into the driver seat. Before I can start the ignition, my phone beeps with a text from Andre. He wants me to meet him somewhere I haven't been in a long time, and that can only mean one thing…This isn't going to end well. I sigh and start my car, back out of the driveway, and drive toward the darker side of town. In the distance I can see the mental hospital, that stupid place that started this. There's a bar, where they don't give a fuck about age, and neither do the cops, and I find Andre easily in the nearly-empty place.

I sit across from him at a table and cross my arms. "You need to stop with this shit, Andre. Tori and I broke up. So why are you still harassing us?"

"I don't believe you two broke up." He takes a drink and stares at me. I wait for him to continue. "I'll leave Tori alone, on one condition. All you have to do is what you were supposed to do in the beginning. Do that and Tori lives her life without any problems and we'll be done with you. Unless you and Tori get back together or stop pretending or whatever the fuck you're doing. It's sick and I'm not going to stand by and watch you corrupt her anymore."

I stand. "Just leave her the fuck alone. She's done nothing wrong, and I'm the one who owes." I glare at him. "Why are you even doing this, Andre? You're supposed to be her best friend, not her enemy." I pause. "It isn't a secret that you hate me because you think I'll hurt Tori after I let Beck get hurt, but honestly, I'm not the one hurting her. You are."

"I'm doing what I'm supposed to, Jade, what's right. I'm keeping you away from Tori."

I turn away from him as the door to the bar opens, and I freeze where I stand. "Sit down, West." I obey and keep my eyes locked with his. "So I heard you left that boy of yours for a girl." I don't say anything. I just want to get this over with and leave. "You're a little demon, aren't you? You can't stop destroying everything around you." I glance at Andre. Either it goes unnoticed or he just doesn't care. "Well, that's fine, it gives us more reason to kill you."

"What if I decided to do what you wanted me to do last time?" He raises a brow and I swallow. "I just want this to end, and if this is the only way Tori can survive, then I'll do it." And I hate the fact that this is the only way to fix everything, destroying everything in the process. "I don't care about me, but please…leave Tori alone. Let her live her life and stay away from her."

He narrows his eyes, and I look at Andre, whose eyes are glued to his glass. "You're either brave or stupid." I turn again, and the gang leader crosses his arms. I choose the latter, of being stupid because having to do something that will ultimately ruin everything is definitely not brave. That's being a fool. "You have twelve hours. When you're ready, notify me."

With that, he leaves me alone with Andre, who, after a few silent minutes, grabs my wrist and slips a pistol into my hand. Without so much as a word, he leaves, and I realize his glass is still half full. Picking it up, I spare a glance toward the bartender and down the rest of the vodka, wincing at the taste.

Tori's life is in my hands and she's not going to want to be with me after this. Hell, she's not even going to want to know me. This is going to kill me. Or worse.

Fuck.

I drive home, ignoring the weird buzzing in my head, and it doesn't even cross my mind that I shouldn't be driving after consuming alcohol. I'm sorry if I have a million other fucking thoughts on my mind to even care about my safety or someone else's right now. The only person I give a damn about right now is Tori and how I'm going to get her out of this mess. That's all that matters to me.

The house is still empty when I open the front door, and I wonder how long Cat's brother is going to be gone. Ignoring everything else, I hurry upstairs and lock myself in my bedroom, setting the pistol on my bed. Staring at it, I try to form a plan, thinking about when to do this. I have to do it while Tori's at school. That way she won't know what happened until after the fact and she'll be safe. I stare at the wall, trying to remember something Tori had told me.

And now I know that I have to do this now.

I pick my phone from my pocket and dial a number I never thought I would have ever dialed again in my life. It rings six times before the other end is picked up. But before they can speak, I say the words I've been dreading. "I'm ready."