"Where's Tori Vega?" Jade charged through the throngs of students milling in the hallways before class. "Has anybody seen Tori Vega?"

Though her methods of searching were harsh, and her voice was loud, nobody was able to give her a positive answer. Every time a frightened "no" reached her ears, she became slightly more frustrated and worried. She pushed onward with her search, interrogating her peers and constantly scanning the crowd for a sign of Tori's face. All her searching did was make the other Hollywood Arts students run in the opposite direction. Cat ran behind her, screaming for her stuffed giraffe, which Jade had crammed into her backpack.

Jade spotted a dark-skinned boy with dreadlocks standing next to a locker with a keyboard on it. "Andre!"

The boy, Andre, jumped up when he heard Jade's voice. "W-what?"

"Have you seen Tori around here?" Jade's eyes darted around.

Andre shook his head, "Sorry, Jade. I haven't seen her since yesterday. I'll let you know if I do."

Jade smiled for a split second before pushing back through the crowds, this time going towards the doors.

Cat ran in front of Jade. "C'mon, gimme back Mr. Purples!"

"I will give him back as long as Tori didn't get that message. Otherwise, I'm keeping him." Jade pushed Cat out of the way.

Every few minutes, the doors would open and more students would pour in. Jade knew Tori would always come in through these doors, so there was a good chance of catching her as she came into the building.

Still, Jade continued to yell her question. "Have any of you seen Tori Vega?"

The double doors swung open. Another crowd of students pushed through those doors. Most of them were unimportant to Jade, but she did recognize a few faces. At the back of the crowd was a face she recognized very well, a face with high cheekbones and brown eyes framed by curly brown hair. Tori.

Jade rushed through the crowds at speeds even greater than before, causing the students to part like waves. Tori froze in the middle of the wave, her eyes fixed on Jade. She smiled as Jade ran up to her.

"There you are!" Jade stopped in front of the girl she had been seeking.

Tori examined Jade's frightened features. "Hey, Jade. Something wrong?"

The crowd around the two girls began to move again.

Jade looked down, hoping her flustered emotions wouldn't show. "Did you get an email from me last night?"

Tori stood in thought for a few seconds. "No..."

A well of relief sprung up inside Jade. "Oh, good, I was hoping you wouldn't-"

"I got it this morning."

"What?" Jade's shocked exclamation sent students running in all directions.

Tori suspected that would be Jade's reaction. Seeing the students run away from them, she became nervous. The four words she wanted to say were caught in her throat. The shock and embarrassment she had felt when she first read the message washed over her again. Her heart pounded in her chest.

Four words managed to escape Tori's throat, but they were not the right words. "I read it all."

Jade stood there, barely breathing. Tori saw the horror in Jade's eyes as Jade attempted to process the information. Jade opened her mouth, but closed it quickly. Jade was fighting with her own mind, just as Tori was. The crowds of students were starting to close in, and Tori became nervous. She knew something had to be done.

Acting on instinct, she grabbed Jade's wrist and pulled her into the janitor's closet. She hoped in the small closet, she could get the real words out of her mouth. Jade snapped out of her shock enough to move without tripping. Tori pulled Jade into the closet and swung the door closed behind her.

Jade examined Tori's face. Tori was smiling, but the smile was fake. Her eyes were constantly shifting, looking at Jade, then looking away. Her cheeks were flushed. Her chest heaved as she tried to form words.

At last, Tori spoke. "I read every single word and... I thought it was really sweet of you."

"Thanks." Jade looked away.

Tori twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "The part about hating me a little bit less was so charming, and I was excited when you said the hate was gone after we played Walter and Nancy. I never thought you would like doing that show, and I know that's so hard for you to say, but now I have something to say. It means a lot to me."

Jade looked back at Tori, eyes wide. She nodded.

The four words Tori had wanted to say finally came out. "I love you too."

"You do?"

"Yea," Tori let the lock of hair fall. "I want to be with you, Jade, and I really hope you'll let me be with you. I want to be like Walter and Nancy, like Jill and Mara, but not just on the stage or on the screen. I want to be a real couple," Tori took Jade's hand. "With you."

Jade sighed. "Why did you think I sent you that message?"

"Because you wanted to be with me?" Tori's confusion came through in her voice.

"I never meant to send the e-mail. It was a mistake." Jade raised her voice. She tightened her grip on her backpack.

Tori's eyes widened. She instinctively raised her hands to cover her face.

Jade looked straight into Tori's eyes. "If I had control over what had happened to that e-mail, you never, ever would have seen it."

Tori slowly lowered her hands, revealing a quiet, deadpan face. The only emotion was in her eyes, which were glistening with shock. She swallowed in an attempt to speak. Her lower lip quivered. She turned her head away from Jade, but her eyes stayed locked on Jade's. They were searching, praying that she had misheard Jade's words, or that it was all a joke, but Jade never faltered.

"How- how could you say that?" Tori's voice was barely above a whisper, but the words hit Jade like a tsunami. "I know you've done things to hurt me before, but this is just low. I trusted you, Jade, but now you've said that, how am I supposed to believe anything you ever told me? I want to trust you. I want to believe in you. And even if it was a mistake, that doesn't mean it's automatically bad. Tons of classic things were discovered because somebody screwed up. But I know one thing for sure. Sending that message may have been a mistake, but writing it was not.

"I know you're don't want to be hurt or made fun of. I think we should just try. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. If it does, then it does. But if you don't even bother trying, you'll never know what could have happened. Please just give it a chance."

Jade sighed. "You're right. It was stupid of me to say that. I'll try."

Tori held her arms out, her fingers outstretched, a giant smile forming on her face. "You know what you have to do now."

Jade shook her head. Then she walked towards Tori, a small smile playing on her lips. She wrapped her arms around Tori, and felt Tori's arms around her neck. Jade relaxed. In this embrace, she felt truly happy, and nothing would change that.

Author's Notes: Well, it's about time!

Writing Tracker:

Chapter Being Written: Chapter 9

Last Chapter Planned Out: Chapter 24