Disclaimer: The show Victorious, its characters and other associated copyrights are property of someone else and not me.
Unfairly Judged.
Chapter 12 – No Exit.
Tori's POV.
I had gotten a second chance and quite eager to make good impression, asked, "Could I plan it."
Jade looked to the side for a moment then back to me. "What did you have in mind?"
"A picnic."
"A picnic." Jade replied, with a hint of skepticism in her voice.
"I know maybe a picnic isn't your sort of thing, but I like picnics and you like cemeteries so we have one there. I think the Hollywood Forever Cemetery is pretty well lit at night; at least until close. We could have one by Johnny Ramone's grave. I know you love the Ramones. I remember reading his is there."
Much to my relief, Jade nodded approvingly. "So is Dee Dee Ramone, the bassist. I like the idea."
"Great. How about I pick you up at 6:30 tomorrow night."
For a split second, Jade gave me a rather dubious look. "Done. I'll be sure to actually be there when you arrive. Unlike some people."
"You just had to say that didn't you." I challenged back.
Jade shrugged. "I wouldn't be Jade if I didn't say things like that. Later…."
As I watched Jade slowly vanish into the crowed of students, I couldn't help but feel giddy. So much so, I almost forgot about my recent humiliation in Sikowitz's class.
Walking to my next class and seeing various people giggling at me, I was reminded of my unfortunate email. But I put my mind on the picnic and 10 minutes into the next class, I realized that I didn't know what kind of picnic food Jade liked. I had a brief moment of panic as I'd die if I brought food Jade hated, but remembered that Beck was my class right before lunch.
So I caught Beck right before that class and after telling him of our date, asked what kind of picnic type food she likes.
First he congratulated me on getting another date and told me to relax and have fun. Then he told me Jade usually like Swiss cheese and ham on rye bread, but only a special type of ham you can buy at one of the high end grocery stores. He also told me the names of some other things she'd like.
The rest of the day, was very long as by noon, the story of my errant email had made the rounds and I was pretty much a laughing stock. Jade seemed amused by it all, but didn't rub it in much.
After school, I eagerly drove to one of the high end grocery stores and did all the shopping I needed. When I got home, I dug the picnic basket out of the basement and did some preliminary preparation. I took time to make sure everything was perfect. I was excited and very hopeful and nervous.
I was still excited, hopeful the next morning, at least until I saw the greyish looking clouds on the horizon as I drove to school. So as to not jinx myself, I pretended the clouds weren't there and would not be there tonight for our first date. The sight of the clouds greatly heightened my anxiety.
I saw Jade in the morning though she was her normal, cool and somewhat insulting self, I found myself wondering if she was as nervous as me or excited. She's hard to read sometimes.
However by 12 o'clock the grey clouds were over the school and just as we were finishing lunch I felt the first drop of rain hit my forehead.
As we got up from the table Jade patted me on the back. "Maybe it will stop. Don't worry."
It didn't stop and by 2 O'clock it was raining, by 3 O'clock it was pouring and by the end of the final period of the day, the first flash flood warnings were going out over the radio.
My plans had been washed away and my feeling of excitement had now been replaced by frustration and even anger. I found Jade by her locker at the end of the day to discuss other plans.
"Jade, I'm sorry but it looks like we can't have our picnic."
Not looking upset or even bothered by the weather, Jade looked to the rain running down the window and back to me. "No big deal. How about we just eat out. We can have Chinese that's not Nozu. Who knows, it might actually be good. We can go to the Peking Garden's on Olympic."
For some reason Jade 's nonchalant attitude, irked me. I wanted this to go perfect and Jade's all like, oh no big deal. Maybe I just feel that way, I'm pissed off cause of the freaking rain. This date is a big deal to me. But Jade is Jade and plan b is better than no plan at all.
"That's fine. I heard the place is good."
"Good. Just pick me up at the same time, 6:30." Jade then smirked. "Don't forget to wear your rubbers."
"What?" I briefly fumed. "Since when would I wear a rubber and are you really expecting to….
Jade cut me out with a laugh and pointed to my feet. "Your galoshes. It's practically a monsoon out here. Lot's of puddles you know! God, you're dim sometimes. See ya."
Still laughing, Jade slammed her locker shut grabbed her bag and walked off. Me, I grumbled, got my stuff and ran out to my car; both getting wet and cursing the sky gods at the same time.
I got home, quickly did my homework and then at 5:30 started to get ready in the bathroom. Still irritated by the ruin of my plans and Jade's rather nonchalant attitude, my mood quickly turned downright sour when a certain ex-sister poked her head in.
"Tori?"
Other than a frown, I ignored her and kept working on my makeup.
Normally Trina went away when ignored her but today she persisted.
"What's your beef. I've tried to apologize a hundred times and not once have you ever even acknowledged the fact that I'm trying here. Please Tori I'm sorry for…."
"GET OUT AND LEAVE ME ALONE YOU FUCKING TRAITOR!" I screamed.
"I am not a traitor, I'm your sister. I was trying to help you." My sister screamed back.
"Like Fredo in the godfather."
"This isn't a movie Tori. This is us. What you going to have me killed? It''d be nice if you could be serious about this."
"Just leave me the fuck alone, permanently."
My sister and I wound up shouting at each other for almost 5 minutes, when my mother who was outside and finally heard the fight, she came storming in the house and went straight upstairs.
"Tori, Trina, what on earth is going on?"
"I tried to apologize again and Tori won't even listen." Barked Trina
"She won't leave me alone, I don't want to her shit!"
My mother immediately glared at me. "I've had quite enough of this cold war between you and your sister. She's tried to apologize time and again and all you've been doing is acting like a spoiled child."
"I knew you'd take her side!"
"I'm not taking anyone's side, I'm just tired of your attitude. Trina was wrong and I yelled at her and if you didn't notice, ground her for a week. But that wasn't enough for you."
My mother then proceeded to chew me out for being unreasonable and in general being a bitch about it. She made me apologize to Trina, but at that point I really didn't care. I said the words I needed to say and they let me go. Though my mom said we'd be discussing this more later.
So by the time, I left for Jade's I was so uptight, upset and angry it wasn't funny. I just need to push past this and have a good time, if I can.
No One's Pov
Tori rang the bell at Jade's house exactly at 6:30. At the moment she was just glad to be standing under an overhang, but still wanted to get out of the rain.
Jade had decided to dress nice, a simple black dress, with an odd paring of rain galoshes instead.
Opening the door, Jade smiled but noted that Tori looked just a bit tense. Initially she dismissed it as nerves, as she was just a bit nervous herself. To cover her own nervousness, Jade quipped acidly.
"Nice of you to actually show up. I guess I owe Cat $20 dollars."
Tori's displeasure at the remark was instant and obvious, by fact that she seemed to tense up even more. "Did you really think I wouldn't show up? I thought we were past that."
Jade, surprised by Tori's reaction, quickly shook her head. "Kidding Vega, Sorry. Let's gets going, I'm hungry."
The pair ran out to the car, through the rain and quickly were off in the direction of the restaurant. Jade made attempts to make small talk, to cover her own nerves, but found the Latina oddly untalkative and rather tense.
At least for Jade, things seemed to get just a bit awkward. Arriving at the restaurant, Tori started to talk a little, but mostly it was just comments about the Chinese restaurant and its interior.
No sooner as they sat down, Jade asked. "Vega, you're not still upset about the picnic. I did like the idea and we can do it another time."
"No. I'm not upset about that."
But the edge to Tori's voice, told Jade maybe it was just a bit more than nerves.
"Are you ok Vega? Is something wrong?"
"No, I'm fine. It's just been a long day."
As if the downpour outside hadn't made things bad enough, the rest of the date was slowly shaping up to be less than perfect, actually much less than perfect. It started well enough, the restaurant was nice, the food was acceptable but nothing seemed to quite fit. Tori was sullen and preoccupied, while Jade was nervous and took refuge in familiarity. Which was unfortunate. The conversation started to drag and a feeling of unease, started to pervade the date.
Jade wanted the date to go well and didn't like that Tori wasn't herself. That chemistry that always seem to be there between them, that Jade liked so much was simply gone. So Jade decided to try and lighten the mood.
Just after their meal arrived, in the middle of a conversation about Sikowitz's class, Tori said.
"Jade, Could you pass me the salt?"
"No problem" "Jade then slid the shaker across the table.
"Thanks." Tori glanced up, and there was something about the wide-eyed look of innocence on Jade's face and the way she was biting her lips that made her pause. She kept her gaze on the other girl, eyes narrowed suspiciously, and held the salt upright, giving it an experimental shake.
The silver lid of the salt shaker came off, rolling halfway across the table before it finally came to a stop. Tori's jaw quickly hardened as her gaze turned into full-blown glare. "Seriously Jade, what are you twelve."
Jade was practically sucking her face inside out in an attempt not to laugh, but her humor faded in the cold light of Tori's expression. "Sorry."
"You think that's funny?"
"Hey, I was just trying to lighten the mood," she said, sulkily. "You know, break the ice."
"By ruining my dinner?"
Jade shrugged in embarrassment, but said nothing. Tori returned her attention to her food.
After a few seconds, Jade spoke again, "Why, ah'm sorry, little lady," the voice was a gruff southern drawl that sounded like a cross between Foghorn Leghorn and Strother Martin in Cool Hand Luke, "Please accept mah humble apologies." Tori looked up to see Jade with a large king prawn draped across her upper lip as a moustache. "Ah meant no offence, y'all."
Tori dropped her fork with a clatter and stared at the other girl, who let the prawn slide sadly from her lip to land with a splat on the plate. "What is wrong with you?"
Jade's shoulders sagged. "Come on, Tori, I'm just trying to have a bit of fun."
"We're supposed to be on a date," Tori said, angrily. "You're supposed to be on your best behavior, trying to impress me. Not goofing around with food on your face."
Jade sighed, wearily. "Fine," she said. "Sorry."
"Is this what you usually do on dates?"
"I don't know," Jade confessed. "I haven't been on many. Most of the time I had Beck, and now I've got you."
"You haven't got me yet," Tori snapped, seemingly taking great offence at the remark. "I'm going to the bathroom."
Tori got up, ignoring the crestfallen look on Jade's face, and stalked off.
For almost a minute, Tori stood in the bathroom, just staring in the mirror. A few weeks ago she would have loved this. Loved to sit in a restaurant and swap banter with Jade, free from the animosity of school. But tonight she couldn't think of anything but Trina, and Jade's relentless cheeriness and immaturity only grated on her nerves. Maybe she was being too hard on her, and she wondered if somehow she was blaming Jade for what happened.
Hey," she said, as she returned. Jade was sat with her head propped up on her hands.
"I didn't touch anything," she said, dourly, as Tori sat down.
"I know, look... I'm sorry. I've got a lot on my mind."
"It's okay." Jade brightened, slightly. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"...No. It's fine."
"Oh."
They fell into an awkward silence. Jade fidgeted uncomfortably, searching for something to say. "Your... poem was very good?" she offered, tentatively.
Tori colored. "Don't," she said.
"Don't what? It was! If it was about me, that is," Jade said. "If it was about someone else then it was-"
"It was terrible," Tori said, irritably. "I felt like a 12-year-old. I don't want to talk about it."
Initally Jade was nervous, very nervous in fact, but being shut down for the same time, had sapped the last of her patience.
"Looks like the ice in this particular part of the ocean is a bit thicker than I thought." Jade quipped darkly.
Tori's only response was a brief look between bites of her sweet and sour pork.
Shut down, Jade gave up, and the rest of the disastrous date passed in desultory small talk and overlong silences, until it was a relief on both sides when the clock finally said it was late enough to go home.
As soon as the check was brought out, Jade quickly grabbed it and without even looking at the bill, handed the bill back with her credit card.
"I got this Tori."
"Fine." Said Tori as she looked down at her unopened fortune cookie.
Once Jade paid the check she looked to Tori. "You want to do something else?" It was a pointless question, considering what had happened, but Jade somehow felt obligated to ask it.
Tori looked up briefly shook her head. "No, I'm starting to get a headache. I think we should call it a night. In reality, Tori didn't have a headache, she just found herself saying it to have an excuse to end the evening before it got any worse.
As to add insult to injury, on her way out of the restaurant, Tori stepped right into a deep puddle and got both of her new shoes wet.
Jade, not caring anymore, went into full gank mode. "I told you to wear your galoshes, didn't you. Couldn't listen, couldn't you." Jade then merrily pointed to the black galoshes she was wearing. "I wore mine."
"Can it Jade!" Hissed Tori.
The ride home was quiet, other than crack by Jade about how the skunk smell was almost gone. That only further irritated, Tori which by this point was exactly what Jade wanted to do. With both girls, angry ,depressed and frustrated., the date had done horribly and they were both painfully aware of it.
Jade wasn't sure if Tori wanted to be with her at all and Tori thought pretty much the same thing about Jade. It was also a matter of chemistry and since it was lacking, they both wondered if they ever really had any in the first place.
As they neared her house, Jade in despair, found herself thinking of a quote from the play, "No Exit" by Jean-Paul Sartre. "Hell is other people"
Just after 8:30, Tori pulled up into Jade's driveway and without looking at the Goth said in a low voice, "Thank you."
Jade mumbled "You're welcome". Then without another word, got out of the car.
Oddly, as Tori drove off and Jade walked inside her home, each thought the exact same thing. It was the fact that, neither had told the other how nice they looked.
But it was too late for that.
I'll bet you were expecting instant Jori, with lots of cute closeness and declarations of love. I'm not saying that won't happen, it just won't happen in this chapter. Sorry, but this date was pretty much a total disaster.
We've all had bad dates. Ones where the chemistry simply wasn't there or one factor or another ruins it. Can they push past this? More story to come…
Many thanks to SevReed for their help with this chapter.
The play "No exit" is an existentialist play about 3 people in hell who find themselves trapped in a rather comfortable room There are no torture devices present, but the torture is having put up with each other for eternity. Thus the quote, "Hell is other people" There's to the meaning of the quote than that, but for this chapter, that's all you need to know.