God I'm beginning to love writing this story. I didn't really expect to write all the stuff at the end of the last one but the story wanted it man.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this one!

:)

Tori's Perspective-

The room buzzes with the night's chatter, everybody diving into conversations before the moon falls. We leave tomorrow, after all, so the majority of the conversations are light and political. I don't get much into it, and neither does Trina or Ron. I just stare at my phone, the color in my cheeks draining, my hand shaking. It couldn't be right, what he said. I shake my head, scrolling back through the conversation.

Andre- Hey, how's your holiday so far?

Tori- Good, you?

Andre- We have to talk.

Tori- About what?

Andre- It's really important, just call me.

Tori- Wait, what's going on?

Andre- We were attacked.

Andre- Jade's in the hospital.

My eyes blink over and over the words, picturing Jade's squirming body wrapped with snakes as they had in my dream. It's really there; they're really there. I pick up the phone quickly, my thumbs dialing over numbers in my haste. I growl quietly, hanging up on a pizza place that I didn't mean to call. I try again, pressing the phone to my ear. "Tori, we're here to talk with-" my mom starts, her brow raising at my rude behavior.

"What the hell do you mean you were attacked?" I spit in a rush, cutting off my mom as my voice shakes, "What happened to Jade?"

Everybody in the room is silent as I pick myself up. Trina and my dad stare with their brows furrowed, Ron with wide eyes and my uncle and aunt are just frozen. My mom remains standing, her mouth slightly open, eyes staring with concern. "Do you want me to explain everything?" Andre asks slowly, his voice following me as I dart from the room towards an empty one. I shut the door, twisting around to find myself in front of an empty fireplace.

"Please," I nod, even if he can't see the gesture.

"You've seen my post about Jade's car running out of gas right?"

"Yeah?"

"Well," he sighs, "We were near the street we took the parade float on, the cupcake, since the way back home was blocked off. So we took that road to quickly pass and then Jade accidentally passed the road we were getting to. So we had to go the long way around by the parks, the ones with the woods."

My eyes flick around, mentally mapping out the area before I bob my head, sitting cautiously in the red velvet couch in front of the cold logs. "Yeah, I see..."

"Well we were walking to get some oil for the car since it ran out of gas." I can practically feel him move his hands around, some voices in the background behind him. They're muffled through the conversation, but it's enough to make me doubt he's at his house. "And so then Jade sees this guy who was probably high as fuck with some other stuff," he explains, my expression contorting weakly, "And we run to hop over a fence lining the other side. He had a leg brace which Jade broke... Anyway, so we make to hop the fence and he punched my nose before I could get to it. Jade gets him distracted as I bolt away, not really wanting her scissors to be used on me. The dude certainly didn't love it.

"Well," he continues the story, his breath flowing, "Apparently that road drives right beside the Catholic school - you know the one I'm talking about. The one that has the statue of Mary and baby Jesus in the front of it."

"Oh baby Jesus," I recall our past conversations when driving along the front road, chortling at the statue. I vaguely remember trees surrounding the place, giving it a more mid-western feel than the rest of the schools, even with the California flag raised in front of the buildings beside it. "But yeah, I know what you're talking about."

"Right, so we're in the field beside it and Marcus ends up carrying her. She was stabbed right as she was hopping over the fence." I gasp slightly, giving Andre the time to catch his breath. Clearing his throat he continues. "And so we go into the school and get help. Jade found the nurse's office and when I got there - shit Tori - I never expected her to be in a mess..."

"But she's fine now, right?" I hastily ask, leaning forward.

I feel him nod through the phone, despite the long distance between us. "Uh, yeah," he responds hesitantly, "I mean, I think she'll be fine. She doesn't go down easily... Anyway, she's a bit hysterical right now with all of the medication and with her leg. That, and the fact that she nearly lost three pints of blood-"

"Puto infierno," I hiss, slipping into my other language.

"Yeah... The doctors say she shouldn't walk on it since it's in such a weird spot. They want to check to see if there was anything else but, for what it's worth, it was actually kind of minor."

"Where was she stabbed?" I frown. I know that the legs are a really dangerous spot for a human to be hurt in any way with the larger arteries and such. I would have to thank Jade for that insightful knowledge. I shudder, however, briefly thinking about the other details she described about her favorite scene from the scissoring.

He takes a breath before answering, "Uh, it's kind of difficult to describe actually. So the man couldn't really walk well without the brace and she was moving up over the fence, which might have been lucky for her honestly. Anyway, instead of going directly into her ankle, the knife went up into her leg just above it. Miraculously, it nearly avoided a tendon but she had moved around a little bit so the muscle is a torn a bit. The doctors told her she needs to walk with crutches until sometime in February. It's pretty shallow, but it just covers a lot, you know?"

"I suppose," I nod. A shaky chuckle leave my lips. It's not as bad as I thought it would be, in all honesty. "So anything else? Was the guy caught?"

"Oh yeah, definitely. The crackhead was still laying down, singing 'Chandelier' after Dennis had thrown a rock at him. He'll be in jail for a while no doubt. As for the car, it's kind of in bad shape. Two of the wheels were stolen and Jade's phone and Marcus' wallet too. And then somebody keyed the side of her car as well." I sigh, my heart beating for Jade's situation. I shake my head in pity; I don't suppose life is done giving her shit, is it? The musician clears his throat after a while before chuckling slightly.

"What?"

"It's not important but that school used to be the one Jade went to," he grins - I'm assuming - from his voice.

"That doesn't really surprise me... She told me a funny story about cutting a pony tail off of a girl she didn't like there at our little 'date' Sikowitz set up for us actually," I drawl, going back to my fist impression of Jade's tall, well dressed and stern-faced father then to Nozu.

"Oh but there's more," he mutters, "We learned her full name."

"Huh?"

"Guess her two middle names."

I furrow my brows, nothing coming to mind. Now that I think about it, she hasn't really said much about her name. "Uh... Mary Anne?"

"That's actually close," Andre says, "But no. It's Jade Mary."

"Jade Ma- What's here first name then?" I leave my mouth open.

"At the moment, Elizabeth. Though as she's told us several times, she's going to change that as soon as she gets the chance..." And so our conversation spirals down to chuckling, Jade - or Elizabeth - mentally slugging us across the face as we continue to laugh. The thing is though it's kind of hard to think of her as anything other than Jade. I mean, she's beautiful like one but also very strong and not one to necessarily bitch with. That, and I'm not sure I would call her modest.

I mean, don't get me wrong, it's a nice name. But Jade...it's the one I've grown accustomed to. I can't see her without it. It's like shoving her in some of Cat's clothes. She could pull it off but not like how she does in her own clothes.

"Tori? You still there?"

I snap from my thoughts, nodding briefly. "Oh yeah, I'm here."

"Alright...I'll actually have to go to let the rest of the group know. I've already told Cat since she called me but I need to tell the rest," he explains.

"So just us and you guys 'ill know?"

"And probably Marcus; sister," he sighs briefly, digesting the whole situation, "Anyway, I'll have to go. See you."

"Okay, bye." The line is hung up, leaving me to drop the phone on the couch.

My gut wrenches horribly as I recall the details of it, my mind flashing immediately to Jade. Of course I worry about Andre, Marcus and Dennis - as they were in the same situation - but that's it. I don't as much because they were in the same situation, getting out of it relatively unharmed. For Dennis it was only him being scared shitless. For Marcus it was a stolen wallet. For Andre a broken nose. As for Jade, well, her car is damaged, phone's gone and she has injuries that landed herself in the hospital.

"God," I growl to myself quietly. I just need to talk to her and now I have to do it in person.

-(:)-

"So did you have a good time?" Beck asks as I slide into the car, his lips quickly pressing against my own.

"Yeah," I nod, my eyes furrowing as he begins to drive from the curb in front of my house. "So where are we going?"

"I'll tell you later," he grins, the secret giving him a small grin. Silence stretches along us I the car as he turns the corner, the question leaving our minds.

I shift, looking out of the window before I turn around. "Did you hear about Jade?" My voice comes out soft, his dark eyes flickering towards mine before they settle back onto the road. He nods briefly, exhaling slowly.

"It explains why she didn't answer my text a few days ago," he murmurs, "Andre told me about it. I might've texted her to share a video she might've liked and it was received but not read." Using the mirror I analyze his eyes, looking along the dark, chocolate sea. He really does still care for her, even if he hasn't been talking much. Perhaps the silence has been more out of the situation of "friends" dating the same person in a span of months than anything.

I feel like I'm in a haze. The cheery atmosphere of the holiday's cloud my thoughts, not accepting the ongoing battle that continues to rage through my mind. It annoys me, really, that I can't just have one day surrounded by lights without it. The truck eventually turns, both of us unbuckling ourselves and slipping out of the car. I grin a bit, my eyes following about the place; I can feel a bit of nostalgia rush through my veins.

"Do you like it?" he asks, eyes shifting towards me, "I figured we could ice skate a bit." I nod, taking his arm as we stride into the small building. Usually this is a roller skating rink though when the holiday's come, they spread ice along the floors and have it there to skate across with thin blades. I wasn't sure as of how they would do it, my dad suggesting the idea that they may lay down another lay to avoid the ice damaging the floor below.

And so I assume, naturally, that that would be the answer. Once we get in, we found that there was a relatively long line of people gathering in a - I wouldn't call it a line - group filing in and out with skates and some burgers... I don't know about the second, people can be idiots. The little café or whatever is on the opposite side. "D'you want to go and get a table by the food?" I gesture towards the benches along the wall with small tables in front.

"Sure," he nods. We stride over before he excuses himself to quickly use the restroom, giving me the chance to get us some drinks. After a few minutes, I'm in line for the two sodas as Beck comes up, pressing his lips against the top of my head. "You want me to wait by the table or..."

"Which ever," I shrug, already knowing what he would want.

"Alright, I'll go sit down and see how the line carries through for the skates." He leaves my side as I step forward, waiting for another minute or so for a lady to order her food. And by the sounds of it, she has a whole family to feed. I bite my tongue as another swarm of battles kick in, dropping my gaze to the ground. I take another step forward, my attention momentarily gliding behind me as I watch a blonde stride past.

"What can I get you today miss?"

I turn around to see kind blue eyes staring back at me, his grin forming. I can tell this is the face he makes to lure customers in to never give him bullshit. He still get's it, I'm sure, but not from me today. "Yes, uh, a Dr. Pepper and a root beer please," I murmur, having already looked at the fountain drinks. He nods and quickly gets my order, receiving the dollars that I handed him. With both in my hands, I go to the table, halting once I frown.

The blonde that had walked past was laughing with Beck, with him, as I continue to stride towards them. "Oh, thanks babe," he mutters, the Dr. Pepper in his hands. The blonde gives a short 'hmph' before darting off, leaving us together. He grins before pulling me into a long kiss, one that my body just goes with.

'We should dump our drink on her later,' the voice sitting on my right shoulder seethes.

'No,' my thoughts intervene, 'She didn't know you were his girlfriend. Leave her alone.'

I go with my thoughts, pushing the girl out of my mind as I detach myself from Beck's grip, going to my drink. "Who was she?" I ask, still a bit roughly.

"She just came up and started to talk. She had a few jokes which were pretty good. You wanna hear them?"

"No," I snap, sipping on my straw.

He shifts a bit awkwardly before asking softly, "Are you a bit jealous?"

My voice nods as my thoughts shake their head no, and yet both agree this didn't sit well with me. Still, I answer a short 'yes,' his arms soon wrapping around mine before we head off to our skates, the line shorter.

-(:)-

With my locker closed, I breathe happily, my eyes flashing towards Jade's locker. It still remains Jade-less, even though I suppose I've been here a bit early, Trina having to study for some test. Steps pad their way towards me and I turn, smiling at both Andre and Marcus, Ashely by his side. I furrow my brows slightly, pursing my lips into a polite smile; I've seen her around before like in Jade's writing class and a few of the others. "I'm Marcus' sister. He said that he wants to show me somethin'."

I nod at her explanation, "Ah."

"Yeah, anyway," Andre grins as the bigger blonde merely shrugs, "Just wanted to pop on by quickly. Jade's not going to be here today."

"How come?"

"Leg," he answer, agreeing with my prediction, "That, and she needs some rest, honestly. She hasn't been sleeping well for a while now, and it only got worse with the injury. Anyway, see you later."

"Bye," I say as the trio excuse themselves from the conversation, going down the hall. Even with his statement, I can't help but linger my gaze over at the stabbed locker. I shake my head, driving my attention over towards the vending machines. It's interesting when you see your friends hang out with others often as well. It just makes people think I suppose. Laughter coming from the main hall doors catches my attention, bringing it to Beck and Jessica towards the door.

Immediately my face contorts into a scowl as I watch her fake-ass, blonde hair drop to her shoulders with the tan that I bet she tried so hard to manage. I growl to myself, sending my steps over towards the vending machine. That girl just gives me a bad taste in my mouth. I stand, looking over the choices of flavors before my hand absentmindedly takes a dollar bill, shoving it in. A Wahoo Punch rolls out and I'm not even thirsty.

Still, I take a swig of it, steps padding their way behind me. I turn around crossly, looking at him with a stern expression. "Hey To-" he glances up, from his phone, "Whoa, what's with-"

"Why were you talking with Jessica?" I snap, glancing over towards the girl as she stares at her own phone.

"Relax," he says quietly, "I accidentally knocked over her bag and we ended up just talking on the way here."

"I don't like her," I mutter, glancing at his pleading eyes. I have a feeling his words are honest, but that bitch... God; she's the one that normally starts up fights and gossip. He nods slowly, digesting the information as he's never been one to listen to gossip anyway. Not without firm evidence I suppose.

"Alright, I won't," he bobs his head. I nod quietly, hearing the bell ring, notifying us for class.

-(:)-

"So did you have a good day at school?" my mom seats herself on the other couch, propping her feet up with a mug of coffee in her hands.

I nod slowly, murmuring, "Yeah," hesitantly.

She takes a moment, watching me carefully before snipping in with, "Liar." I cross my arms, sending a quick pout to her as she chuckles. "It doesn't matter how long you're going to be in that school for, you will never be a good liar. And that's a good thing too honey," she adds briefly, setting down her mug on the table. As I let the fact sink in - as it is one after all - shuffling quietly. "Now what's bothering you?"

'I don't know. Should I start with October for her? Wait- never mind...she still wants me to be a virgin,' my thoughts snap tersely.

"It's just that Jade's leg made her not be at school," I start, concern flicking through my mom's eyes.

"You really do care for her don't you?" she asks quietly, "Even with all the things she has done?"

"Yes," I answer softly. I want to add how I need to talk to her, to get everything sorted. I want to add how I just need her back in my life, whether it be a friend or an acquaintance. I just want so many things but all of the reasons that come to mind don't fit well with me. My mom shifts slowly, her mind processing the words. I know she doesn't get it, and maybe she won't. I don't get it either, honestly. Our relationship is a strange one with no clear line of where it starts or what the rules are.

"Is there anything else?" my mom mutters softly.

I breathe out slowly, "Beck and I had a little fight..."

"It's okay," she grins, "Couples do that..."

As she dives into her story, my mind filtering through it, thoughts clash together effortlessly, my internal dam breaking once again. Beck and Jade fought - as any other couple did - and so does my dad and mom. 'Exactly, you're only just doing couple things,' the voice intervenes, nodding my head. 'He still likes you and you like him back. Right? You'll be with him for a long time. He treats you very well.'

And so they banter, blowing over my mom's story. I make sure that I look attentive, which does kind of make her comment about lying before completely false.

I can lie, I suppose.

Alright, another one done! So I'm going to be working on the next few because there's going to be a lot happening.

So I hope you enjoyed and you like this story so far. I'm honestly surprised by the stats and reviews for this one. So thanks for that.

:)