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

Unfairly judged

Chapter 6 – downward

No One's POV.

Jade had such high hopes when asked Tori out, but since then, everything had gone downhill. Before that, the Goth had spent weeks wrestling with her feelings and even more trying to get up the courage to ask the pretty Latina out. They seemed to be an improbable match, but Jade honestly thought they could make it work.

Jade was nervous and hopeful the day she asked Tori out and much relieved when she said yes. She was more than relieved she was actually rather happy, almost to the point of giddiness.

Jade had put a lot work into planning a date that would appeal to both of them and still feeling giddy, showed up at Tori's door.

Of course it was Trina who when she answered the door, told her rather mockingly that she'd been stood up.

Jade, who up to a few moments previous had been full of hope, was rather devastated. She quickly left, bursting into tears shortly after.

Feeling rejected, mocked and humiliated, her emotions quickly turned to anger and rage. She was in the middle of trashing a car when the Latina finally showed up. Jade didn't care why the Tori had come and just the sight of the person who had so humiliated her, sent her anger off the charts.

The whole next day Jade stewed in her juices and plotted her revenge. Though, in the back of her mind, she found herself wondering why Tori didn't make any effort to apologize. That only furthered her desire for revenge.

The first day was paint thinner thrown on her locker, simple but it made its mark. But as Jade watched from afar, she noticed that the Latina simply took it. She looked sad, but didn't cry or get particularly upset. Jade found that rather annoying. She expected some reaction; for Tori to do something.

The other things she did all had the same result, little reaction Jade found herself increasingly frustrated, angry and perplexed at her lack of any reaction.

She had saved her best thing for Friday. Jade had paid to have a custom made virus made up and she placed it on Tori's laptop.

Sure enough a short while later, Jade looked up and spotted the very angry looking Tori Vega approaching her table. Finally she felt some measure of success and stood up to greet the Latina with a rather snarky comment.

With no warning, Tori punched Jade and with such force she flew across the table and landed on the ground.

After being stunned for a moment Jade started to pick herself off the ground. Only then did she become aware of several things. Her jaw hurt like hell and people were cheering and laughing.

But for some reason the most devastating part of it was that Tori had hit her. Just the knowledge of it, hurt more than the punch did.

Jade also realized she was covered in food.

It all culminated in a moment of utter humiliation and oddly enough heartbreak. All Jade could do was flee. She returned home, hid in her room, cried and spent the weekend watching horror films and nursing her emotional wounds. She also cut apart every one of her stepmother's glamor magazines, then moved on to her father's sport's illustrated. She tried to keep the Latina off her mind, but not very successfully.

Jade had little desire to return to school the next day but did so anyway. She had always been tough, fierce and feared. But they laughed at her and for the first time, Jade found herself afraid and full of angst. With each step towards the school, she could hear their laughter ringing in her head. It reminded her of the taunts she used to experience in grade school. A lot of the girls like to make fun of the quiet, dour girl in black.

Jade started her day and soon enough she began to hear people snickering as she came by. It only made her feel worse. Things really turned dark when Trina Vega yanked Jade in a practice room and yelled at her.

As if Jade had enough, Beck stepped in and gave his 5 cents. But unlike Trina he actually tried to help, by making a valid point and not threats.

His point was that that Jade's bitchy persona had worked all too well and people, Tori included, had begun to view her as what she appeared to be. That while Tori did wrong, Jade herself only worsened matters through her own behavior.

It wasn't until Beck pointed out that they cheered her being punched, that his point really hit home. Jade has always prided herself on her acting and singing abilities. In her mind, the others may not like her; they had to at least give her credit for her skills. Or so Jade thought.

It was that realization that put a serious dent in her self-image. Walking out of the practice room alone a few minutes later, Jade felt half in a daze. Beck had hoped his speech would have some effect, what he didn't realize is that it worked a little too well.

Jade began to question herself. "Just who am I. Am I feared? Am I hated? Do I want to be hated?"

It was just after lunch that Jade saw Cat in the hallway. Seeing her half lost expression, the red haired girl, walked up.

"Jade? What's wrong?"

Pausing for a moment, Jade then found herself asking, without really thinking about it. "Am I a bully?"

Almost instantly Cat averted her eyes and bit her lip.

That reaction was answer enough and before Cat could say anything, Jade walked off.

She had never thought of herself as a bully. She simply thought of herself as Jade and Jade does what Jade does. But now for some reason that was bothering her. Was Tori right to think Jade was messing with her, Jade found herself wondering?

It was just another blow to her self-image.

She just kept thinking about it, unable to think about much else. Just who was she?

The next morning, she stopped by Sikowitz's tiny office and knocked on the door. Looking up, Sikowitz took a sip from his coconut and smiled.

"So Jade, what can I do for you?"

"The people here, do they respect my talents? Do they respect me? Be honest, please?"

Sikowitz reached up and ran his hand though his beard, with a slightly pensive expression. "Jade, your very talented. Extremely so, but others don't see you as I do. Jade what…..

"Thanks." Jade said turning and leaving before, Sikowitz finished his sentence.

Over the next two days, Jade kept largely to herself, gradually becoming more and more depressed. Slowly she was coming to the conclusion that she had crossed the line from, bitchy, independent and fierce to something much worse. It was because of that, Tori didn't consider Jade really meant it when she asked her out. Tori also hadn't apologize as she felt there was no point in it. Jade also began to question her own behavior, lashing out which pushed Tori to violence.

Jade began to openly wonder.

"Maybe Tori was right to not want to date me?"

"Maybe I drove her, a good girl, to do what she did"

"Am I truly the bully, everyone thinks I am?"

She felt lost, disconnected and began to doubt herself and her own abilities, more and more. Looking at herself in the mirror, she began to like what she saw less and less. She had been perceived as a bully, because she had become a bully. Jade also concluded that was the true reason Tori stood her up. Beck was the one that finally broke up with her and Jade replayed that in her mind. Did I drive him away, she pondered

Finally Thursday came, the day Tori was to return. Jade found herself more nervous and apprehensive than before. Openly she was quiet and dour, internally she began to feel like she was slowly coming apart.

She happened on to Tori, just as the outburst happened. While Jade put on a stoic and somewhat critical look she suddenly felt very guilty for having pushed Tori to this.

But in her state, she couldn't even think of facing Tori. So when Beck happened by, she quickly sent him to help.

Jade avoided Tori and the rest of her friends for the remainder of the day. She even skipped out of the classes they had together.

The next day Jade, still very depressed was walking down the hallway when she heard a certain Latina's voice behind her.

"Jade?"

After briefly tensing up, Jade turned around and did her best to look, normal.

"Jade you don't have to say anything, but just hear me out." Said Tori, as she fidgeted slightly.

Jade just nodded.

"I was wrong, I was wrong to not believe you and hit you. No matter what you did, it was no excuse to hit you or stand you up. I should have apologized before, but I am now. I am sorry."

Jade wanted to respond, but as soon as Tori finished speaking, she was hit with a hundred different emotions all at once; guilt, fear, pain, depression the works. She felt so overwhelmed all she could do was just nod ever so slightly, in acknowledgement.

Looking slightly relieved. "Thank you for hearing me out. I'll leave you alone."

Tori had apologized but Jade felt no better. In fact she slowly started to sink deeper into depression as she really didn't feel like she deserved an apology.

The more she thought about it all, the worse she felt and the worse she felt the more she thought about it. The whole thing was a vicious circle and Jade couldn't stop spiraling downward. .

By Saturday, the next day, Jade was feeling utterly lost and by then her whole self-image had pretty much fallen apart. But thinking about Tori, she was reminded of how forgiving the Latina truly was. And feeling as horrible as she was, she reasoned that if she apologized in kind, it may actually help. In a way it felt like a last ditch effort to undo what had been done.

So early Saturday afternoon, she managed to drag herself out of her room and drove to Tori's house. Much to her disappointment, Trina Vega answered the door.

"What do you want?" Snapped Trina.

"I wanted to speak to Tori?" Jade said, her voice and her spirits faltering.

"Why? I told you to stay away from her!"

"I just wanted to apologize. I was wrong and maybe thought I could try and fix things."

"Well she's not here. She and my mom went grocery shopping."

"Look, I've been a bitch but I want to make things up. Could you at least tell Tori, to call me today. I'd just like to apologize. Please." Jade pleaded. Not even caring that it was Trina who she was pleading to.

Trina narrowed her eyes for a moment then huffed. "Fine, when she gets back I'll tell her you stopped by and have her call you. But just that!"

"Thank you." Jade said, as she turned to leave.

It was just over an hour later when Holly and Tori Vega came through the front door, groceries in hand.

Holly Vega put two bags of groceries down on the counter and looked to her oldest daughter. "Trina we've got lots of bags in the car. Could you go and get some please."

Nodding, Trina got off the couch. "Ok."

Having already put her groceries down, Tori joined Trina on her way to the car. "So Trina, anything happen at all when we were gone?"

Trina shook her head. "No, nothing happened. Nothing at all. Just another boring Saturday."

So Jade's been going through sort of an internal crisis of sorts. All of this has seriously damaged herself image. Unfortunately when she did reach out to Tori, Trina didn't tell her it happened.

Sometimes when you see yourself in a different light, especially when it's a negative one, it can really shake you to your core. Jade is no exception. Between Tori's rejection, her realizing she's hated and not respected and Cat confirming she is a bully, she's taken a huge hit to her psyche.