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

Unfairly Judged.

Chapter 24 – Out with it.

Tori's Pov

After catching my breath, we went inside and got ready for the day. Jade let me have the bathroom first to shower. About an hour and a half later, we were both showered, dressed and put on makeup. Not much was said during this time. Again we acted like this old couple who had long run out of things to say. That worries me.

On the other hand, while Jade looked her normal self, her demeanor seemed to cover up anxiety and nerve or so I thought. She has a story, one that haunts her I'll bet and she has to tell it. We'll go nowhere if she doesn't. Let's see if she can, I'll give her time.

We got in Jade's car and headed off. It was already cloudy and through the trees, I could see dark clouds on the distant horizon.

"Storms coming in." I noted.

Jade nodded with half a glance at the approaching storm. "Yeah, probably start rolling in mid to late afternoon. It's only about 11:30 now. We'll walk for a bit, grab some lunch at a little diner nearby and get the stuff for dinner tonight. There's a little store near the diner. We'll be home long before the storm gets here."

After about 10 minutes driving through the winding mountain roads, we came across a small state park. We parked in the nearly empty lot and after getting out, Jade pointed to the beginning of a trail marked with a blue sign.

"The blue trail is about a 40 minute walk and is considered easy. There are others, but their longer and more rugged terrain."

"Sounds good."

We started down the trail which led through forested area in a small but beautiful valley. We even had the trail to ourselves, save for an older couple who appeared to be bird watching. So we walked, mostly in silence. It was relaxing and very scenic, but all the while we kept walking, I could still feel the tension and unease between us.

Once and a while, Jade could comment on some natural feature that she wanted me to see; a patch of beautiful wildflowers or an unusual rock formation. They were things I doubt she'd care about, but she was obviously pointing them out as she thought I would like them.

It was nice just spending time with Jade, but like the darkening clouds above me, a cloud still hung over us. What was her story, my still hurt feelings, all those still came into play. If Jade wouldn't talk about it, why she let her mother hurt me, than that was it.

After some 40 minutes we finished our walk, coming back out onto the parking it. I thanked Jade and she drove me into the local small town where we had some lunch. Jade talked more, but it was just mindless small talk about our friends.

Jade paid for lunch and afterward we stopped at a small store to buy the fixings for dinner. By then I found myself getting a bit impatient about Jade talking to me. I really wanted to know, I really wanted to get to the bottom of this. At the same time, I had to let Jade open up about it without me forcing her. I resolved myself to try and calm down, enjoy the day and let Jade talk when she wanted. It wasn't easy, but I would.

No One's POV

Jade all afternoon had been wrestling with what to say and how to say it. For her it was a hard thing to talk about, but Jade feared that Tori would accept her reasons. Driving home from the store, Jade worried that Tori would eventually grow impatient.

"Would she leave, give up for good?" Thought Jade, with a nervous bite of her lip.

By the time Jade and Tori got home, Jade was having a harder and harder time hiding her anxiety. After the groceries were put away, she busied herself, by putting all the patio furniture in the storage shed, so it wouldn't be damaged or blown away by the approaching storm. Normally she wouldn't give a damn about patio furniture, but letting it be damaged would cause her to not get access to the cabin.

Taking one last look at the menacing, dark clouds which seemed to be rolling in faster than ever, Jade turned and came inside.

Inside she found Tori sitting on the couch, appearing to be deep in thought.

"We're all secure outside. The wind is starting to pick up and I think the rain will start soon. It looks to be a nasty one."

"That's good."

And then nothing.

For several seconds neither spoke, instead looking at each other with a strange sense of unease.

Finally, Jade sighed and sat down in one of the chairs. "You deserve an explanation."

"For letting me twist in the wind, while your mother insulted me."

Beginning to look profoundly sad, Jade nodded.

"Jade" Tori said, with a near steely gaze as she let her feelings go. "I need to say this and I'm not going to apologize for saying it. Since I've arrived at Hollywood Arts, you've done things and said things in an attempt to hurt my feelings. But none of those things even compares to how badly I felt, how much you hurt me, when you did and said nothing. I'm not saying I'm perfect, or I haven't screwed up here, but you really hurt me. Ok, I've said my peace. Now talk."

For a moment Jade remained deathly quiet as she looked way from Tori to the dark clouds that could be seen approaching.

"My mom…..for her, it's always a competition. To be the prettiest, most admired, most adored. If you're not the prettiest, you're nothing, a phrase that she pounded into my head as a young girl. At first it was a competition between her and her sister, for their parents affection that sort of thing. But her sister died and let's face it, no one can compare to a sweet, dead, little girl."

As Jade continued to speak, all the while looking outside, Tori sat down.

"My mom became interested in pageants. In fact she thrived in them. Where else, is looking the prettiest more important. She won a number of them in her teen years, finally becoming Miss California while in college. She was beautiful, she made appearances, was in parades, got fan mail, proposals; everyone loved her. Then she reached the pinnacle, the Miss USA pageant. She was sure she was going to win."

"I take it she didn't?"

Jade shook her head. "Second runner up. She was devastated. She did a bit of modeling after that, but reasons I don't know, stopped. After school she never got a job, just shopped, vacationed and spent money. She's beautiful and can be quite charming and witty, when she wants to be and eventually she chose my father over her other suitors. Soon I was born. My dad was gone a lot in those days, doing lots of consulting overseas. He'd be gone for weeks at a time. So it was me, a series of nannies, cooks and a servant or two."

Jade stopped and looked to Tori, only to see what she guessed, was an expression of someone who didn't look particularly satisfied by what they were hearing. However, she could see Tori was still listening intently. Putting aside her increasing anxiety, Jade continued.

"She would always tell me that unless you're the prettiest, you're nothing. As a little girl, she would dress me up in all kinds of cute dresses. She'd parade me around to her friends like I was some kind of prop in a play. All just to enhance her reputation: have and adorable kid, you get adored yourself. All this just to feed her fragile ego. But eventually, I realized I didn't like wearing frilly dresses. But I was too young to speak out. Eventually when I was around the age of 5, my mother told me she was going to start putting me in pageants. She would show me tapes of pageants and signed me up for dance and ballet lessons. She was relentless about it, preparing me. All the while she would keep telling me, If' you're not the prettiest, you're nothing. "

Pausing as she held back tears, took a deep breath and ran her hands through her hair.

"I hated all of this. I liked strange things like bugs and playing with my play scissors. But I went along with it. One day however, I had enough, I don't' even know why. I got home from Ballet class and I spoke up for the first time. I told her I hated pageants and didn't want to be in one. That being the prettiest was stupid and she was stupid. I'll always remember that day. I was in my room when I said it. I even told her that she was ugly and mean."

"Then what?" Said Tori, after a noticeable pause.

Choking up, Jade replied. "This is a woman who lived to be adored. She blew her top and began to scream at me. Told me I was an ungrateful brat. It was then my dog, Soda Pop, a little Boston Terrier began to bark at my mother. In a fit of rage, she grabbed the dog and left me with the nanny. She returned an hour later, carrying only Soda Pop's collar. She threw it to me and said. Don't you ever talk back to me again."

"What happened to the dog?"

Now visibly crying, Jade continued. "Where's my dog? I asked. She said, naughty little ugly girls don't get nice things or pets. I had him put to sleep. He's dead! Talk back like that and I'll have your Cat put to sleep. Now you will do what you're told, participate in the pageants and win. Do you hear me. You'll be nothing otherwise, NOTHING! I loved that dog, he was only a puppy. I got him for my 4th birthday. He slept on my bed every night. I had a cat too, but that dog was special. I was devastated. I cried for almost 2 days straight. My mom told my dad, soda pop bit her. He believed her and I didn't contradict her, I was too scared of her. I continued with my lessons and every time I spoke, up she threatened to put my cat asleep. She would constantly hold that above my head. I could never talk back to her again, I could never speak up to her again. I was too afraid. It continued like that for a few months, when my father, filed for divorce. He sued for custody and my mom really didn't put up a fight. I only saw her infrequently after that. Even after she left, I could never get up the courage to speak back to her, the works always got caught in my throat."

Tori feeling terrible about Jade's loss, stood up and was about speak when Jade suddenly exploded. "I loved that dog. I loved it and I stood up to my mother now it's dead, cause of ME. I can't speak up to her, I simply can't and and you just think I'm lying, telling a story. Another trick, another lie to deceive you. I know it, you don't believe me, that I don't have feelings, that I can't love anything or anyone. So FUCK YOU!"

"I NEVER SAID THAT!" Shot Back Tori.

Jade, now sobbing hysterically, just turned and started to walk towards the bedrooms. Before she could get 2 feet, Tori grabbed her by the hand and pulled her into a tight embrace.

But embrace at first wasn't well received as Jade struggled and raged.

"Let me go, you BITCH! You don't believe me. Screw You!" Ranted Jade as she fought desperately to free herself from Tori's embrace.

Tori, upset herself and feeling horribly not only for Jade, about all that she had done, held on as tight as she could.

Jade kept struggling, ranting, cursing, but Tori just held on and said in a soft voice over and over. "I believe you. I like you. You are beautiful."

Eventually, Jade's struggles slowed and her curses were replaced by emotional sobs. Finally Jade simply melted and cried on Tori's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry Tori. She took my dog away and when she started to yell at you, I freaked out, flashed back. I can't talk back to her…"

At this point Jade was so emotionally overwrought, she could no longer speak. All she did was cry and let herself be held.

I hoped you like this chapter, things are finally coming out.

Thanks to Invader Johnny.

I feel the need to say this. I'm American and on behalf of My people, I want to apologize for Donald Trump's election. I didn't vote for him, I voted for Hilary and think Trumps a very vile person. Everyone needs to stand up and let him and his braindead followers that they won't stand for his garbage.