Disclaimer: The show Victorious, its characters and other associated copyrights are property of someone else.

Start from scratch.

Chapter 38 – Whatever you do, don't mock Jori.

Tori's POV.

Despite the disastrous way the date turned out, my enthusiasm for dating Jade was undiminished. I was upset, don't get me wrong, but I do understand why she did what she did. She wanted to help someone who, simply didn't want to be helped. It's a frustration I know all too well. That and Jade is a volatile person at times, that simply goes with the territory.

After bidding Jade goodnight, I got ready for bed and actually managed to fall asleep very quickly.

The following day was Friday, the one day of the week I worked both jobs. The next morning as usual, Jade didn't get up until I was already eating breakfast.

"Hey there." The Goth said as she poked her head in the kitchen.

For some reason, I love that very first view of her each day. Even with sleep in her eyes and her hair a mess, she still looks fabulous. For that reason I smiled. "Hey there yourself."

Jade stepped into the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee I made. Studying her, I could tell she looked just a bit apprehensive about something. "I was thinking of something last night."

"And what was that?" I said between spoonful's of Frankenberry cereal.

"How odd it is for us to date, considering that I'm sleeping on your couch. I mean does that bother you…no that's not right…..I mean do you think it will make things difficult?"

Actually it was something I had thought about, so my answer didn't take long to come up with.

"No. I don't. A bit unconventional perhaps. But no. Jade we've been through too much to let anything stupid wreck this. We will have to work at it and I'm sure there will be missteps. I'm sure we'll have days where maybe we need to give each other space, but I think we'll do fine. Nothing will sink the jori ship."

Jade furrowed her eyebrows. "Jori?"

Feeling quite proud of myself for coming up with it, I said. "Jori, it's a combination of our names, J from your name and ori from my name Tori. It symbolizes us as a couple and all we can accomplish together. It will always sail and despite any rough seas it encounters, will never sink. So what do you think?"

Hoping for a positive response I looked to Jade, but her silent and disappointed looking scowl, told me I wasn't going to get one.

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Have a nice day." The Goth quipped, as she left me and my falling spirits alone in the kitchen.

I thought I was so clever only to have Jade callously crush my wonderful Jori concept. I think my ship may have just sprung a leak.

I finished getting ready and still smarting from Jade's rejection of my wonderful and I may add utterly brilliant Jori concept, I felt the need to retaliate.

So I grabbed Jade's phone and turned up all the volumes, for calls, texts, notifications up to max volume and changed them all to something different. Before they all were the theme from the Scissoring, now it's Baby by Justin Beiber. I also subscribed her twitter feed to subscribe to every boyband known to man. I even subscribed her to that bizarre North Korean one that only sings the praises of Kim Jong-un. Rumor has it, that members of the band whose songs of praise are quite convincing enough, are quickly "Replaced" and never seen again.

It only goes to show you that the music industry, isn't for the faint of heart.

My revenge, complete, I set out for work. Now Jade silences her phone during work, but not at lunch. So I waited until her normal lunch break and called her.

After three rings, a very flustered and rather angry Jade, answered the phone. "Seriously Vega. WHAT IN THE FUCK, did you do with my phone. I'm sitting here in the cafeteria and suddenly it blasts Justin Beiber so dam loud, it woke up the guy in coma two floors up. And now everyone's laughing at me, even Tibor, they guy who doesn't speak English.

"You said my Jori concept was stupid. DON'T MOCK JORI." I snapped back.

Jades reply was a rather distinct and resigned sigh. "Oh god. Just kill me."

Jade hung up at that point. I knew that somehow I would pay for that, but some things simply cannot go unanswered.

I proceeded the rest of my day at the bank and then went straight to The Playpen and started getting dressed for my shift.

"Hey Sugar." Called out a familiar voice from behind me.

Turning around I could see Barbie, who looked to be in a rather cheerful mood.

"Hey Barbie. How are you?"

The blonde smiled and opened her locker, which was next to mine. "Good, so what's new?"

I've been itching to tell her all day, so I just blurted it out. "Jade and I had an official date last night."

Barbie's, warm smile quickly turned into a sly grin. "About time, how did it go?"

I shrugged. "Well it started off fine, with Jade taking me to a Trendy and very nice Chinese restaurant. She even paid."

A slight chuckle escaped Barbie's lips. "And let me guess, it ended up with both of you covered in sweat as you mercilessly pounded her doggie style with your strap-on, until she collapsed from pure ecstasy."

I suddenly found myself unable to think of anything else but Barbie's rather delightful and very dirty description. Believe me there are things I am very looking forward too, in this relationship and that happens to be one of them or having it done to me, but I digress.

I must have quickly zoned out as Barbie was waving her hand in front of my face. "Earth to Tori.

My face quickly flushed red in embarrassment. "Oh…uh….sorry, I got distracted. You're rather interesting and very specific guess, which sounds really really really nice; well it didn't quite end that way."

Barbie then frowned. "How did I end then?"

"Us using the confusion in the bar to escape, before the cops got called."

The look of shock on Barbie's face was actually rather priceless.

"I'm sorry, what? You didn't resort to kidnapping again?"

So, as we got into our costumes, I went in to the whole bloody saga from Jade noticing the couple to him lying on the floor to his nose gushing blood like old faithful to us fleeing the bar.

When I was finished, Barbie just laughed. "She's a trip ain't she."

"Ok, I spilled, what about you and Cat? Are you dating?"

Barbie paused and again smiled, but this was looked like a very warm, but cautious smile. "Yes,"

"Come on, you have to give me more than that." I said with a nudge of her shoulder.

"I can't tell you much more without me speaking to Cat first. I hope you understand. She's is herself and at the same time are delicate point and I kind of don't want to mess it up."

Coming from Barbie, that was a surprise, a pleasant one but still very much a surprise.

"Someone sounds like their getting serious." I said kiddingly.

This time it was Barbie's turn to blush. "Come on, let's get two work. Those drinks won't serve themselves."

I breezed through the night, occasionally thinking or hoping actually that things would work out. Despite my talk of having faith in the both of us, I knew full well that blind faith was something that could be dangerous indeed.

Jade was already asleep when I came home, so I didn't see the Goth until about 10 the morning when I came out of the bedroom.

There I found Jade, dressed in black shorts and a T-shirt, eating a bowl of Frosted Krusty Flakes and was totally absorbed in a Bug's bunny cartoon.

Still remembering the utter humiliation I bestowed upon Jade the previous day, I sat on the couch but put several feet between us.

Jade appeared not to notice and kept watching Elmer Fudd who was dressed as some sort of Viking, hunting bugs with a spear.

"Hey isn't this, Whats…."

"Silence!" Snapped Jade, just in time to hear come from the TV Elmer Fudd sing.

"Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit."

I opened my mouth to speak again but closed it, when I became the recipient of a rather hostile glare. It seems that Jade does not like her cartoons interrupted, this one in particular.

So I had so sit quietly and watch what's considered by many to be literally the greatest cartoon of all time, 1957's "What's Opera doc." It actually is a real great cartoon, setting the Bug's Bunny/Elmer Fudd conflict amongst the backdrop of the Opera's of Wagner.

Only when that cartoon ended and the one with the singing frog started, did Jade bother to pay attention to me.

"Never interrupt that cartoon. Ever." Jade said with a rather intense stare that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"Ok…um…any other's I'm not supposed to interrupt you during."

"Yes, Duck Amuck with Daffy Duck."

I nodded, knowing that I'd better just do what she asks. "OK, how are you this morning?"

Jade continued her stare for another moment, "Fine once I finished unsubscribing to the twitter feeds of pretty much every boy band known to man. We'll all except that North Korean one. Their latest song. "Kim Jong-un, is the greatest man alive" is kind of catchy, in a sort of disco sort of way."

"You did?"

Jade instantly scowled. "No of course not, dingwad, besides, it's I heard on the news that Kim Jong Un had them all shot for looking bored at one of those mass games or something. Oh and don't you think for a moment I won't get you back for that, mark my words Vega. Everyone in the hospital cafeteria laughed at me as I frantically fumbled with my phone in an attempt to silence my 80 decibel Justin Beiber ringtone."

I cringed imagining what devious form of revenge she would decide to take against me.

"Oh"

The she glanced down at the space between us and said in a exaggerated hurt voice. "You're sitting so far away. I thought you liked me!"

"May I point out that just a few seconds ago; you pretty much swore revenge on me."

With a rather sinister looking smile, Jade quietly slid over next to me. "Yes I did, but I can't possibly do anything when you're expecting it. That would lessen the effect. It has to come at a later date, when you're totally at ease and forgotten all about it."

"Maybe you'll forget about it too." I said with a nervous laugh.

"I won't."

"Great." I said with a great deal of sarcasm.

Before Jade could speak again I interjected. "Oh, I have it from Barbie herself, Her and Cat are dating. But she's tight lipped on any details. She says they're at a sensitive point."

Jade bit her lip and took a breath. "Interesting."

"Time will tell."

Jade then stood up. "Talking about time, You don't have to be at work until 6. So get cleaned up and dressed and I'll take you out to the movies and we'll go to the mall and walk around, hold hands….do couple stuff."

I couldn't help raise an eyebrow. "So were a couple now?"

Jade turned serious. "Not yet, but I kind of want to make up for the other night. I do feel bad about it. It's going to bother me until I show you a good time. I want this to work too, you know. I really do. So will you please spend the afternoon with me? You can even pick the movie, anything you want. It's on me."

It was obvious that she was being quite sincere and of course immediately said yes. We got ready as quickly as we could and by 12 we were sitting in a darkened movie theatre seeing a romantic comedy.

Unlike the last one, this date went flawlessly. Jade of course was her snarky and sometimes insulting self, but she really worked at not only showing me a good time, but I could tell was growing more comfortable in dating me again. A lot of the initial awkwardness, seemed to be ebbing away.

We held hands in the movies and I eventually put my arm around her, we walked and held hands in the mall. I loved Jade's smile when she first took my hand in public. She looked rather proud and considering how far she'd come, I was proud of her.

After the mall, we got home around four and I had about an hour until I had to get ready for work. So we snuggled on the couch and watched TV.

"I like this." Jade said softly after a period of silence.

I snuggled a bit closer and gave her a kiss. "I do too. You're very kissable."

Jade let out a chuckle and pulled me in for another kiss, but instead of a short peck, which all we've done, this lasted longer. It was a slow but sensual kiss which lasted at least 15 seconds and by the end of it, my heart was racing.

"Jori Huh." The Goth said with a thoughtful expression.

I smiled. "That kiss change your mind?"

Jade smirked. "Maybe 15 to 20 more like that, and I think you'll swing me."

After glancing at the clock I said. "Well I have 44 minutes before I have to get ready for work, so looks like my work is cut out for me."

"Take your best shot Vega."

"Oh I plan on it."

The cartoons Duck Amuck and What's opera doc, are considered to be the best two cartoons of all time. I highly recommend both of them. They are very funny.

The Jori ship has set, sail, even if Jade sort of hates the name of it.