Disclaimer: The show Victorious, its characters and other associated copyrights are property of someone else and not me.

Start from scratch

Chapter 4 – Tensions

No One's POV

After quietly crying in Tori's bedroom door for a few minutes, Jade returned to the couch, where she fell into a fitful sleep.

The next morning, Tori woke at 5:55 as she did normally. Exiting her room Tori walked over to the couch and with an extremely sad expression, watched Jade sleep for a minute.

Jade's sudden stirring on the couch, caused, Tori to quietly slip into the bathroom.

There she took a long look at herself in the mirror, her once previous sad expression now having turned into a very Jadelike scowl.

"All this negative emotion and by the time you're 40, you're going to be fat and ugly."

After another few seconds of starring at herself, she looked away. "You already are."

Jade woke up an hour later, again as Tori was quietly eating breakfast in the kitchen. This time Jade didn't even bother to say anything. She just went in the bathroom and got ready for work.

When she exited the bathroom, she found again Tori had made coffee, but no note this time. Jade had yet another day of tedious cleaning work and just after 5 was arriving home.

Alone in Tori's apartment, she took her time to look around. In one corner was an easy chair with a light next to it. A few feet away along the wall, was a small desk with a computer on it. Next to the desk was a small filling cabinet, which Jade assumed contained personal papers.

In the other corner, Tori had a small keyboard. Jade recognized it as the same one from Tori's room back in California. Jade also knew that Tori would spend lots of time at it writing and playing songs.

In fact a half written song was sitting on top of the keyboard. Looking at the keyboard closer, Jade noticed something.

The keyboard, the chair in front of it and the music book on top of it, were all covered in dust.

Jade scratched her head. "Tori's not sat at this keyboard or played it, in some time. She loves music. Andre told me she was always playing music on it."

None the less, the keyboard seems to have been purposely neglected.

Jade then flashed back to Tori's don't flatter yourself comment and surmised that something else must have happened to the Latina; something that made her even more angry, bitter and cynical.

After briefly considering asking Tori why she no longer plays her keyboard, Jade quickly dismissed the idea. The Latina had made it clear, she didn't want questioned asked.

Having a bit of time, Jade instead went out and bought a few things she'd want to eat at a local grocery store. Coming back, Jade discovered Tori had indeed emptied out a single cupboard for her to use.

Tori arrived home just as Jade was finishing put away her groceries.

"Tori, thanks for clearing some space. I got some stuff, so won't eat your stuff."

"Welcome." Tori said with a nod, before walking into her room.

Jade shrugged and went to check the messages on her phone. With Beck calling all the time, Jade just kept if turned off.

As she expected there was a number of messages from Beck, some angry, some sad, some pleading, some threatening. It was like his night and day personality was spinning round a like a weather vane in a tornado.

All of it had the rather nice effect of turning Jade's emotions inside out. The pleading messages, tugged at her heart, the threatening ones just made her angry. After listening to her messages, Jade just sat in the easy chair in the corner and tried to push Beck out of her mind.

Tori made dinner and when it as ready the pair ate in silence, at least until Tori's phone rang.

Walking over Tori looked at the caller Id, then to Jade. "I figured he'd get around to calling me."

Jade momentarily paled as Tori answered the phone.

"Hello." Said Tori in a playful tone very much like her old self. In fact Jade watched as Tori kept up that tone during the whole conversation, very much the old carefree Tori.

"Tori, hello it's me Beck." Came his response.

"Oh hi Beck. What can I do for you?"

"First of all I need to apologize, Jade and I have been living in New York for a year and half and we haven't had a chance to say hello."

"That's Ok. People get busy. What do you need?"

"Well it's a bit embarrassing, But Jade and I had a little fight and she's been gone a few days. You know how she gets sometimes. I'm getting really worried. Have you seen her?" Beck said in a calm, cool voice.

Tori looked to Jade and for a moment studied the black eye that was still visible.

"No Beck. I haven't. In fact, I haven't seen or spoken to her since graduation. I wish I could help you but, I have no idea where she's at."

"Thanks anyway Tori. When this blows over, we should all do lunch."

"Yes of course. Good luck."

"Thanks Tori, goodbye."

Jade watched as her expression went from playful to dark as soon as the she hung up the phone.

"Tori, thanks."

Tori shook her head and put the phone down. "I did it for me. I don't want that creep here."

"Well thanks anyway."

"For what it's worth Jade, apparently when this blows over and you go back to him. We're all going to have lunch." Tori spat back mockingly.

Jade just lowered her head and went back to eating her dinner. As soon as dinner was finished, Tori retired to her room and stayed there for the night. That would prove to be a pattern as Tori always would retire to her room and stay there for the rest of the night. It was like it was some kind of sanctuary.

That left Jade alone too wrestle with her turbulent and contradictory emotions. She was holding out against going back, but not by much.

The next day was a Friday and in the morning, Tori announced that she was going to her other Job right after work and would not be back until after midnight. Jade didn't even bother to ask where it was.

So Jade had a night alone and at had to once again fight off the urge to talk to Beck. It wasn't easy holding out, it was akin to an alcoholic wanting a drink. Jade was irritable and frequently paced back and forth in the apartment.

Tori returned just after midnight, went straight to bed and slept until almost noon. Tori looked crabby and tired so Jade sat in the chair in the corner, where she read and wrote.

Again after 6, Tori went out to her other job and stayed out until midnight. Jade the next day, Sunday, just kept out of her way. She did take some time to clean the kitchen as Tori had requested.

It was nice to have a sanctuary, but at the same time, Tori's icy demeanor only made things harder. So badly did Jade want to talk to Tori about what was going on her head. She also wanted to make up for what she did, but she couldn't. All that did was add to Jade's ever increasing stress level.

There was a tension in the air that simply couldn't be ignored. Jade knew it was partially hers, but the dust covered keyboard, indicated there was more.

The week again started and it was as before, they lived in the same place and were like strangers to each other.

Jade kept from calling Beck, but she literally felt like she was going through withdrawal. Tori of course offered no help and seemed to ignore Jade's distress.

Two weeks past with barely a word said between the pair. Jade needing to get her mind off Beck and wanting to make things up to Tori or at least do something nice for letting her stay, decided to cook Tori' dinner. At the very least she thought it might lesson some of the tension.

So one Wednesday where she didn't work, she went to the store and got all the fixings for Lemon baked chicken, with green beans and baked potatoes.

She knew that Tori almost always came home at 6 o'clock on the dot, so that is when Jade timed dinner to be ready. Jade really hoped Tori would like it and making it did help relieve some of the stress she had been feeling. Up to know, Tori had made dinner every night, other than the ones she worked at her other job. On those nights, Jade was on her own.

It was just after 6 when Jade could hear the door open. Crossing her fingers she called out.

"Tori?"

A moment later, Tori with her usually stone faced expression, walked in the kitchen.

"Hey Tor"

Tori's cold brown eyes meet uncertain green eyes "What did you call me?

"Tor" Jade replied uncertainty "I just thought that maybe you would want to eat something?... I... I... made dinner."

Tori eyes grew colder, Jade actually felt a shiver run down her spine. At the same time, she thought any evil eye she could have given to anyone in her life, paled in comparison to the look Tori was giving her now.

The Half-Latina walked into the kitchen, not saying anything, she simply kept giving Jade such an unnerving look, slowly but surely making her way towards the other woman, once they were only a few inches away from the other, Tori narrowed her eyes and icily said.

"Let me make this clear to you West; one! You don't get to call me Tor, you don't even get to call me Vega, that's only reversed for people who actually deserve to call me that, its Tori to you and don't you forget it"

Jade nodded.

Two! You and I? We're not friends so don't think because I'm letting you live here that we are going to be getting to know each other all over again, I learned from my mistakes and honestly? You're not worth my time"

Jade felt something inside of her break.

"That being said" Tori continued "I don't want anything from you, cook whatever you want, go to whatever place you want to go but don't even think of dragging me along for the ride and whatever you have to say to me? If it's not about the rent then I don't want to hear it.

"Tori... I... I just want to make amends, I want my friend back."

Those brown eyes narrowed darkly "I was only your friend when it suited you but I wised up, we were never friends now we're we?"

So without another word Tori went to her room and shut the door, leaving a heart broken Jade standing in the kitchen.

Jade quickly put the uneaten dinner in the fridge and left the apartment, where she went to the movies. She didn't even care what she saw, she just needed to get out of the apartment.

Jade saw two movies and returned only after she was sure Tori had gone to bed.

The next morning, Jade didn't say a word to the Latina and found herself starting to give into the thought of returning to Beck. Since the previous night, Jade found the tension in the apartment to be almost unbearable.

She thought of it all day, and was still thinking about it as she walked to the subway after work.

A little later at 6:05 Pm, Tori arrived home, tired after a long day. Much to her surprise, she found Jade packing her few meager belongings in the two bags she arrived with.

But more than that, she noticed that the left side of Jade's face was very bruised. Jade also appeared to be limping.

Jade looked up to see Tori standing there. While the half Latina remained quiet, her lips closed in a thin line, Jade couldn't help the look of disdain that seemed to burn right through her.

Slightly unnerved by Tori's sudden and extremely judgmental look, Jade glared right back. "I'm leaving. Right now." Jade barked as she zipped her large bag shut. She then handed Tori $150 dollars. "Here's your fucking rent and I know what you're thinking. You think I went to Beck got beaten and are crawling back to him. Isn't it!"

Tori said nothing, but the look in Tori's eyes plainly answered the question.

Jade then pointed to her face, "This, this is because I was too busy being stressed out thinking about how to put my life back together. I was so stressed that I didn't pay attention and tripped on a curb and fell right onto some ice. I hurt like hell. This wasn't Beck, this was gravity. And for your information, I found out there's woman's shelter up on 119th street. I'm going there and find a bed."

Jade then tossed a business card to Tori. "I know you don't believe me, so here's the card of the police officer who saw me trip and helped me. You want me to fail; well I'm not going to. You didn't have to give me a place to stay, but you didn't keep having to harping on me going back to him. It's like you want me to get beaten. I'm gone."

Jade as she picked up her bags, didn't see it, but as Tori looked down at the card, a terrible look of anguish and guilt briefly registered on Tori's face.

Half way to the door, Jade felt Tori grab her arm.

"Stay"

So did anyone see Victoria Justice's appearance on the live episode of Undateable. I did and thought the whole episode was quite good. Let's hope it leads to bigger and brighter things for Miss Justice.