Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious, nor do I profit from the use of these characters.
:}
Trina found Jade in their office in the community center, already in uniform, going over the files. "I was thinking, we need to have a staff meeting, figure out who's progressing and who's not." The Sensai said without even looking up.
"Where were you?" Trina asked.
"Had to take care of something. So, do you think Carlos V. is getting it? I mean, will he need more practical experience?" Jade said, staying on her main topic.
"Carlos V?" Trina asked, trying to put a face to the name. "Oh, him, yea, he's having a little trouble catching on, but isn't falling behind yet. Back to the point, you can't just disappear like that. What would Tori say?"
"We can talk about that later. Andy, your opinion." Jade said.
"Carlos could use more than the slow sparring, but we'd need protective equipment. Like at that fancy gym you took me to." The gangsa said.
Trina nearly jumped. He was sitting in the dark of the office, and was so quiet that he almost seemed to disappear. Adding that to her focusing on Jade, and the fact that he wasn't allowed back in the office area, she'd never expected him. "Andy, what the chiz are you doing here? I mean, how'd you get back here?" She sputtered.
"I'm kinda staff now. I get access back here, as long as one of the regular staff is here to supervise." He said. "I was mulling over what you said, that is what Jade said, and I think maybe it's a good idea." He looked at Trina. "She said we should have them cycle through taking turns on the heavy bag. One of us watches, and makes sure they have good form, correct it if they need it. It'd be easier if we had a second bag."
"Working on it." Jade said. "I called some of Adam's contacts, fishing around for an older but usable bag they'd like to donate. I think I have a line on one, maybe two if we get really lucky."
"So you're going to just ignore disappearing from school today?" Trina said.
"Oh, right." Jade replied. "Congratulations on dancing in the big showcase." Jade said, finally looking at her Sempai. "Andy, you're going to come, right? Trina's going to make believers out of everyone."
"What I really, really want to do is sing." Trina admitted, looking at Andy. "But I won't be ready by the time of the showcase."
"No, you won't." Jade said, mater-of-factually. "But you won't miss it by that much. Not if you just want to do one song. One really great, super awesome song." Jade shifted to give Trina all of her attention. "So you getting Andre to write it for you?"
"Andre writes the best music, but sometimes his lyrics are a bit shallow. I mean, the feelings there, but it's so bubblegum pop." Trina said. "The exceptions have usually been when he writes the lyrics with Tori. So I asked them to work together."
"Really? Cause your sisters the walking billboard for bubblegum pop." Jade said. "I mean, I love her, but she can be so shallow sometimes."
"And others, she can be deep." Trina said. "She brings that out of Andre, and he does that for her. They make a great songwriting pair."
"I guess." Jade said. "As long as he remembers he's terrified of me." She smiled. "Now, who else is going to need a little more attention to progress?"
"Don't worry, Andre's never had a crush on Tori." Trina said.
"How do you know?" Andy asked.
"He gets all caught up in himself, acts all wonky." Trina replied, explaining things to the banger. "It was kinda funny when he was crushing on Jade…" The brown belt fell silent.
"H-He had a crush on me?" Jade sounded uncomfortable. "I mean, of course he did. Who wouldn't, right?"
"Wow, really?" Andy asked. "How bad was today?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about!" Jade snapped.
"Okay, I'm going to go over the list by myself and mark the ones who need more help, as well as the advanced students. I think you both should do the same, then we compare lists." Trina said. "And Jade, you were right. This is something we should discuss in private." She turned to Andy "No offense."
"None of my business." He said. "So let's make those lists, then Trina and I can supervise setup. Jade, you just get into teaching mode, okay? Everyone in this room needs you in top shape for tonight. And my list is done."
'What the chiz?' Jade thought before turning her focus to her list. She figured she could find out later. 'I always do.'
Later, after class, Trina was driving home, talking to Tori about what had happened that day. "So anyways, I'm happy because everyone is so supportive of my efforts, but at the same time I'm worried about Jade. It's not like her to freak out like this, and it's hard for me to enjoy my triumph if one of my friends is suffering."
"Everyone's been telling me it's not my fault." Tori's voice rang from the cheap after-market blue tooth speakerphone Trina'd installed in her car. "I'm just worried that Jade won't think that, that she'll blame me for whatever made her run away."
"Call her." Trina said. "Sometimes you have to be proactive."
Tori sighed. "I remember when you thought that was an acne medication."
"It's not my fault they named it that." Trina defended herself. "So, call her."
"I will." Tori replied. "I just don't know what to say to her."
Trina was already acting. She'd stopped at a light, and took the time to activate the conference call option on her phone. "You know, Tori, I haven't always been there for you. But when I am, you know I give good advice." Seconds later, they could hear a ringing on the line.
"You didn't…" Tori started.
"Okay, Trina, you have me." Jade's voice entered the conversation. "Was it so important that you couldn't wait for me to get home?"
"Just tell me that it wasn't Tori's fault." Trina said. "I just need to know that you won't be hurting my sister."
"I won't, I'd never hurt her. And it wasn't anything she did, but in a way, it was." Tori could be heard gasping at Jade's words. "Conference call? Really?" Jade asked. "Tori, baby, please don't hang up. You deserve an explanation."
"What? That I drove you to run away?" Tori asked, sounding hurt.
"It's not your fault, just what you did hit a nerve. I didn't know how to deal with what I was feeling, so I ran to Lane, tried to make sense of it." Jade pleaded. Tori let her have only silence. "I, I don't know how to handle being loved. I mean, I knew Beck loved me, but I was always working, trying to earn his love while trying not to become too attached. It must have been maddening. I kinda feel sorry for him now. But with you, it all came so fast, the feelings, the trust, and then you went and told people I was yours, that you intended to be mine, and we were a couple. I…" Jade faded.
'It amazes me how that girl can't see all the people who care about her. I swear, it's almost like a comedy, but without the humor' Trina thought.
Tori took it like a champ. "Jade, you could have told me, texted, anything. I love you, and while I have no desire to stand in the way of your happiness, I do worry." her voice resonated with caring "So did you get something? To help?"
"Cat gave me a lecture on the over medicating of America." Jade replied. "Then the doctor gave me an appointment with a therapist. Apparently I'm handling things far better than I could, and don't need the meds.' Jade's voice took on a more intimate tone, "Do you forgive me?"
"I'm squeezing your tit, but yea, I do." Tori said. "Trina, thanks for making me talk to her. Sorry you had to listen to the dirty talk."
"I'm having Scotty teach you two about dirty talk. That was pathetic." Trina laughed. "I'm home, so I hope you two don't mind if I hang up. Say your goodbyes, you two can violate each other at school."
"By Tori. Sorry to make you worry." Jade said.
"By Jade, I'll be thinking about you. Us." Tori's voice dropped into sexy at the end. Trina hung up her phone, ending the whole conversation. She walked into the house, and straight to her sister.
"In the future, watch the innuendo when I'm on the phone." The older girl said.
"What innuendo?" Their father asked.
"Okay, Jade's not used to being loved, so she freaked out when she realized Tori loves her." Trina said. "And I'm talking no conditions love. So Tori found out that Jade ran from school, and freaks out. And that's apparently with extra freak, since innocent little Tori here decided to start with the sexy talk while I'm on the phone with them both, trying to help them work this chiz out."
"Sorry I asked." David Vega said. "And Trina, you probably shouldn't have told me that. Some things are private."
"Yes sir." Trina said, sounding chastised. "Sorry Tori, I shouldn't have dragged your relationship chiz out in front of dad."
"And I'm sorry for trying to use your helpful conference call to try and get to second base." Tori said.
"I'm still in the room." The Vega patriarch said. "You know that, right?"
"So, Tori, who told you this wasn't your fault?" The older sister asked. "Cause I may owe them a thank you."
"Crystal Waters and Cat." The youngest Vega replied.
"And how did they know this?" Trina asked. 'How did those two know?'
"Crystal told me she's really good at finding out if people have secrets, and figuring out if knowing those secrets would give her power, or get her hurt. Jade fell into the latter category, and that's before she was revealed to be Mandy Walker." Tori explained. "And from what Robbie told me, Cat ran after Jade."
"Blackmail is illegal." David said. "Who am I kidding, this is high school girl politics. Ignore me, I'm going to bed. Night."
"Yea, I do remember her mentioning something about how Cat was there." Trina replied. "Night dad." Then turning back to her sister. "Well, I'm just glad everything's working out okay. How was rehearsal?"
The two sisters talked about the stuff that had happened that day that the other hadn't heard about yet, then finished their homework. It was time for bed.
David Vega walked into the bedroom. "Holly, you wouldn't believe what's going on with our kids." He said.
"Sorry, what?" She asked, looking up from her phone.
"I said, you wouldn't believe what's going on with our kids." He repeated. "Tori's freaking out because Jade has issues. Or rather, Jade has decided to deal with her issues and not take them out on Tori. Then Trina got invited to dance at the big showcase, and was so busy trying to help her sister she didn't find the time to brag to me about it."
"Please tell me Tori isn't changing her behaviors too?" Holly said. "I can't have our good one going bad, even as Trina grows up."
"Tori's still as close to perfect as could be hoped for." He assured his wife. The officer had noticed, however, that his wife was acting more like a teen girl herself. He'd hoped that she'd stop texting with Gary and start looking at getting older as part of gods plan, but part of him was scared that this mid life crises would damage the family. 'And I'm the one who's supposed to have the mid life crises.' He thought. "I swear, you'd almost think Tori was created in one of those family friendly teen sit-coms."
Holly smirked. "Funny." She said. "Wait, I didn't remember Tori saying anything about Trina dancing. How did you find out? Did she mention it to you?"
"I'm helping Cat and her flunkies learn about investigations, and the laws around private investigators. In return, they send me updates." David said. "Beck's still looking for his perfectly interesting girl, Andre is still too busy playing the field to see how many girls are willing to be with him, Cats enjoying playing detective, and Robbie's hoping that this is his in to Cat."
"You're spying on our children and their friends?" Holly said, aghast.
"God no." David replied. "They are doing it themselves. I'm just taking advantage of an opportunity. This way, I'll know if they plant bugs in our house again."
"WHAT?!" Holly screeched.
"Yea, they did, but at least it eased my mind about you and Gary." He continued. "I'm glad I can trust you both."
"I want those bugs out of my house!" She demanded.
"All ready gone." He replied. 'That went better than I could have hoped for. I'm not even sleeping in my office. Now to work on fixing my relationship with Holly.' He thought, then repeated "All ready gone."
:}
Somehow, the David and Holly situation had to be addressed. Now, we know that Cat has a mentor who will keep her under wraps. I do wonder, however, has any investigator ever been this diligent, to the point where they started in high school?