Disclaimer. I don't own.
:}
Jade was walking towards lunch, thinking about that nights class. Jade had been toying with the idea of having Andy come in early for some extra training, but she could also use that time to help Trina. Caught up in her thoughts, and anticipating whatever Tori would do to distract her as they ate, she almost didn't notice Trina approaching.
"Almost there." The black belt said. "I still saw you coming, but you did a good job of approaching from my flank, through a group of students, and staying out of direct sight lines."
"We need to talk." Trina said. "Can we meet up at the community Center a little early?"
"Sure." Jade wasn't sure what was up, but this was as serious as she'd seen Trina in a while. "Is something wrong?"
"Kinda. Nothing to do with the classes." The older girl assured her. "We'll talk about it later." with that, Trina was off to have lunch with her boyfriend. Jade just shrugged and went to see what the gang was up to.
She found Tori and Beck talking about something, but both of them went silent the moment she arrived. "Okay you two, spill. What've you been up to that I'm not allowed to hear about?" Jade asked. She trusted both of them, but this was a bit creepy.
Tori motioned for her to come closer and then whispered in her ear. "I was just asking Beck a question."
Jade glared at her girlfriend. "I could guess that much. What were you asking?" Jade watched Tori for a second more, as the Latina gently grabbed her head and turned her so that Tori had direct access to her ear. Instead of saying anything, Tori blew.
Jade felt the shiver make it's way down her spine, and her body reacted to the unexpected action. Tori kept one hand on Jade's head, holding her in position, while the other started tracing patterns on the goths arm. The fighters heartbeat was becoming erratic at Tori's actions. The singer switched tactics, and started nibbling at the bottom of her girlfriends ear.
Unable to contain herself any more, Jade moaned. Tori reacted to the noise by licking her neck, and slowly kissing up to her ear and back, paying close attention to her pulse point. At the same time, Tori was also caressing her stomach through her blouse. Jade was making a lot of soft, involuntary noised, and Robbie was becoming visibly uncomfortable.
Tori whispered "Oh Chiz, we're in public, aren't we." then pulled back and admired the state Jade was left in. The goth, for her part, let out a frustrated groan and glared at her girlfriend. Tori's smile broadened at that sight. "And that's what we were talking about."
"What?" Jade breathed out, trying to regain some control.
"I'd asked Beck where you were, you know, sensitive?" Tori smiled as her voice got husky, just for the last word.
"In my defense, it was for a good cause." Beck said quickly.
"What cause?" Jade asked, trying to sound dangerous. Considering the state she had been in less than a minute ago, she was doing a good job of it.
"Helping a friend." Beck said.
"Not to mention the free show." Rex chimed in. Robbie hid his puppet, least he find out how much damage Jade could do to it.
"Calm down." Tori said. "I just wanted to let you know how serious I am about us. You've been put on notice, this relationship won't be 'G' rated forever."
"Fare enough, but when it shifts, it won't be on display either." Jade declared. "Now whats up with Trina?"
"Don't know, why?" The Latina asked.
"She said she needed to talk to me about something." The goth took a deep breath. "Is there anything going on at home I should be aware of?"
"Not that I'm aware of." Tori said. "Why don't you meet up with her, and you know, maybe ask? I hear talking is a very effective way of getting information."
"Careful." Jade warned.
"Or what?" Tori challenged her. "I won't be getting my snuggle time? You need it more than I do."
"That's A Lie!" Jade shot back, then glared at the nodding Beck.
"What? You can kill everyone at the table with just one finger, why are you afraid of your friends knowing you like to cuddle?" The Canadian asked. "Cat knows."
"Where is she anyways?" Robbie asked.
"Probably trying to avoid me, now that my bag isn't being tracked." Jade said.
"So you found the one in your boot?" Robbie asked.
"What?" Jade snapped her attention to the nerdy boy.
"It's new. We only got it in there this morning." He said quickly.
Tori's hand was on her arm in a second, and the black belt calmed down. "Let it go." Then she looked at Robbie. "This game ends NOW."
"It's not a game." Robbie said. "Not to Cat. Not anymore. She's obsessed with finding out everything you've been hiding from her. Come on Jade, talk to her, let her in. She's your oldest friend. Let her know you can trust her."
"But she spills every secret I ever tell her." Jade said. "Remember the whole Pearmaps incident?"
"Where you were picking..." Robbie started.
"ROBBIE!" Jade and Tori echoed each other as they shut down the puppeteer.
"So maybe this whole secret agent thing is her attempt to show you she can keep a secret?" Beck tried, anxious for a distraction.
"Or maybe it's something you and Cat should talk out?" Tori suggested.
"Big on talking, aren't you?" Jade told Tori before addressing the group. "Okay, I'll see if I can talk to her today, after school. You know, before rehearsals. Robbie, tell her I want to talk." Jade said, then turned back to her girlfriend. "And Tori, you'd better believe we will be talking about your little stunt."
"Are you going to punish me?" Tori said in a little girl voice.
"Not the way you think." Jade said. "Robbie.."
"Cat'll meet you in her dressing room immediately after school." He said. "I mean, I'll tell her, and that'll be the best place for you two to meet."
In his ear, Robbie heard Sinjin's voice. "Real smooth Robbie."
After school, Jade rushed to get her talk in with Cat before she had to go home, race through her homework, then rush to the center to meet up with Trina and talk about whatever was bugging the older Latina, and somehow have time left over to go over their plans for that nights class. "Cat, you'd better be here." Jade said.
"And why wouldn't I?" Cat said. "I'm busy, with my babysitting gig, this play, multiple groups of friends, and whatever crazy adventures my roommate decided we should be having. But somehow, I always manage to make time for you."
"So you have the Tweedle twins spying on me?" Jade asked.
"No, they were doing that on their own." Cat sad. "I just organized everything, in return for some of the info. That's short for information." She laughed for a second. "But that's not why you're here. You're here cause talking to Robbie didn't stop our little game."
"First, I have to kill some people. Second, this isn't a game." Jade said, trying to control her anger.
"Your right, it's not." Cat said. "It's just the first time in my life I'm in control of something. I get to know what my best friend is doing, that she's dating one of my closest friends, another girl, and yet neither of them want to tell me!"
"The relationships kinda new. We weren't rushing into anything." Jade heard herself saying.
"That's all good, but I'm your best friend. You tell me things like that, or that you're going to beat people up professionally." Cat said. "I'm one of maybe two people outside your family who's ever met your brother. Well, three now that he dropped by your class. But that doesn't change the fact that when your family didn't know what to do with you, you could have come to me. Instead, you took it out on yourself, before eventually making a deal with your dojo, became Trina's mentor, and left me out of the loop. By the way, Trina really is okay to hang out with. You just have to be aware of how self centered she can be, and adjust accordingly. Kinda like you."
"Cat, I had no idea..." Jade started.
"Of course not. You never took me seriously. No one did. Now, with Robbie and Sinjin, and maybe Burf, I've set up a group where I'm in charge. I call the shots, and they rely on me to do the heavy thinking. How do you do it anyways? It gives me headaches, and they never do things right? Like the whole tracker in the boot thing. Your supped to remove the boot so they could put it in a heel, but no, they just glued a really thin one onto the bottom of yours. I swear, I need better people working for me. And where was I?" Cat looked at her friend, confused.
"You were telling me that this stupid and illegal game lets you be in charge." Jade said.
"Right. I'm thinking of getting my private investigators license, starting my own business. As an aside from the acting, singing and babysitting." Cat said.
"I think, maybe, that's a good idea." Jade said.
"So, no more secrets?" Cat asked.
"No more secrets. But Cat, I don't think I should tell you everything, and that's not an excuse to invade my privacy." Jade said. "I just think, maybe, there will be parts of my life that will be my business."
"Okay." Cat said. "So how do I get my P.I. license? Or learn that tough P.I. slang?"
"Look it up." Jade said. "Think of it as your first case." Cat laughed, and held her hands out. Jade agreed to the non-verbal request, and they hugged it out. "I need to get going. I'll call you later." Jade took two steps and stopped. "You wouldn't, by chance, know what Trina want to talk to me about, would you?"
"I would, but someone removed all my listening devices." Cat said. Jade took that as her invitation to leave. It was confusing enough, Cat running the conversation. Only once she was in her car did she stop and allow herself to be wazzed about the comparison.
'So I'm bossy.' Jade thought, shrugged, and drove off to the center.
Trina was stretching out when Jade got there. Jade took a few minutes to Chang into her uniform, and then to stretch. "So Trina, whats up?" She said.
"Action movies." The older girl said.
"What?' Jade stopped, trying to regain the control she was used to having in her life. She was thrown off by the last couple of days, especially today, and wanted to be in control of her emotions for her student.
"Action movies. I remember you saying I could do action movies. And it got me thinking, why not you?" Trina said. "Then I was reading your old updates on the slap, and I saw it. You once dropped out of a play because they wanted you to wear pink."
"So?" Jade replied. "I don't like pink."
"Doesn't matter. If I'm asked to play a serial killer, I would. If I take a part where I play a lesbian, I'll kiss a girl. It doesn't matter that much anyways, it's just acting. Except you said you wouldn't take a part where you'd be forced to wear pink. It got me thinking, this is the whole refusing to tap out thing, only under a different light." Trina said.
"So you're comparing me in pink to almost dying? Cause I can totally see that." Jade smiled.
"This is important!" Trina snapped. "You're my friend, my mentor, and you're dating my sister. It's my job to make sure you know of anything that's in the way of you making it in life, and that pride will be the death of you."
"I'm dating Tori, but you kinda set us up." Jade said.
"And you're trying to avoid the point." The older girl said. "If I got a part in an action movie, one that's not too exploitative, would you be wiling to work with me? I mean, on screen? Show off your talents, make some money, maybe even play the girl in pink?" Jade shuddered at the image that Trina invoked. "And that's your weakness. Jade, if you just got past yourself, you could have been earning money years ago. This valley is full of opportunities to make something of ourselves. Yes, playing a sexy piece of cheese running from mice children isn't glamorous, but I'll bet plenty of big names started in rolls as janked up as the one I play. It's a start. Fudge, I've heard some actors get their starts as the shower stand in for bigger named actors. Jade, we're going to make it, and maybe I'll need your help to sell my first action role, like maybe you could write it, and if all goes well, you could work towards directing. And..."
"Breath, okay." Jade interrupted her. "Lets just get though class today. We can talk about your plans, and your one woman play, later. So, you ready?" Jade asked.
"Yep." Trina replied.
"Then lets help reform some kids." Jade led the way towards their room, and the class they'd be teaching.
:}
Lots of people worried about Jade. Side effect of letting them in, is once people care about you, they kinda want to help. The thing about Jade quitting a play over wearing pink is one of her updates on the slap.
Forgot to mention this last time, but the Sunshine girls are their version of the Girl Scouts. And as anyone who's been around the parents of Girl scouts knows, when cookie season comes, the pressure to buy cookies rises. No diet is safe in the face of parental cookie sales.
Review, cause otherwise I'll give your address to the Sunshine Girls. They can be aggressive.