Tori Beggin on her knees

The aftermath of the crazy morning lingered like a heavy cloud. My heart ached as I watched Jade walk away, her anger and hurt plain for all to see. Shelby's well-intentioned but utterly disastrous plan had driven a wedge between us, and I knew it was on me to fix it. But how?

I needed to talk to Jade and lay it all out for her. So, instead of letting her slip away, I decided to wait for lunch. When the break came, I caught up with her just outside the school building. She leaned against a wall, arms crossed, looking like she was ready to tear into anyone who crossed her path. My heart ached to see her like this, and I knew I had to find the right words to make her understand.

"Hey, Jade," I started casually, reaching out to touch her arm.

She turned to me, her expression a mix of anger and sadness. "Tori, I can't believe you never told me about your twin sister. And all this... deception."

I sighed and took a deep breath, trying to keep things low-key. "Yeah, I should've told you about Shelby, I get it now. But she wasn't trying to pull a fast one on you; she was just trying to help me. I was clueless about how to talk to you, so she decided to lend a hand from behind the scenes."

Jade's gaze softened a bit, but she was still hurt. "I felt like such an idiot when I saw her with Andre."

I nodded sympathetically. "I'm really sorry, Jade. I never wanted to hurt you, and I totally get it if you need some time to process all of this. But know that I'm really into you, and I want to make things right."

Tears welled up in Jade's eyes, and she looked away briefly before meeting my gaze again. "I was into you too, Tori, but now I don't even know who you are."

I nodded again, keeping it casual. "I hear you, Jade. I'll give you the space you need, but I hope we can figure this out together."

We fell into silence, the weight of our emotions and the uncertainty of our future together hanging in the air. Eventually, Jade broke the silence with a question.

"Did you ever plan to tell me about Shelby?" she asked.

"We were heading to a Shelby Marks fight tomorrow night," I said with a smirk. "I kinda thought you'd put two and two together."

"I was having real conversations with her, Tori. I shared things... stuff I thought I was sharing with you," Jade said, her frustration clear.

I frowned, realizing the depth of my mistake. "I should've been more straightforward. You're amazing, but I'm a bit of a dork when I'm around you."

She couldn't help but smile at that. "Who made the first move when we kissed?"

I blushed slightly. "That would be me..."

"I don't think Shelby's ever kissed me on purpose." She smirked. "I don't think she's ever kissed me at all. Now I get why some days you just wanted to talk."

I let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god for that."

She grinned back at me. "Is this the most we've ever talked?"

My expression softened. "It might be. Why, are you gonna kiss me now?"

I smirked and leaned in, our lips meeting just as the lunch bell rang.

"Ready to get out of here?" she whispered, her lips brushing against mine. I nodded, and she led me to her car, a glimmer of hope reigniting between us.