When rolled around, Jade's mood had shifted into contemplation. Beck steered clear once he saw the stormy look in her eyes, and the others followed his lead. She hadn't seen Tori since that morning, but she saw Taylor everywhere. They shared every single class while she only shared Theatre Arts 104 in the afternoon with the entire group, which included Tori. That meant Taylor had full access to Jade when she was at her most vulnerable - when she was creating. She'd been able to pick her classes for the first time since attending Hollywood Arts, and Jade made sure she chose everything that no one else would. Beck's schedule was focused on acting and directing, Andre went full-on music theory and composition, Robbie surprisingly chose novel writing and publication, and Cat, to the surprise of no one, stuck with theatre and singing. Jade was the only one who ventured into the bowels of the school for screenwriting and metalwork. (It was a secret hobby that got exposed when she revealed the collection of weapons to Beck that she'd made from random items found on the street.)
Regardless, Jade was thrown for a loop when Taylor sauntered into her metalworks class with the excuse of wanting to "do something different." And she was wary when he sat next to her in Dramatic Writing. Finally, she resigned to his presence when he chose the table behind her in their Intricacies of Horror lecture. All morning, Jade was either creating with Taylor or listening to him make friends with the people around them. It was awful, fun, and concerning all at once. Concerning because she was starting to like him as a person, and she had no idea what to do about it. Jade poked at her fries half-heartedly and clicked her teeth. She was at the table furthest away from the school, hoping people got the hint to leave her alone. Once classes ended and lunch started, her mindset shifted to making sure she didn't screw up whatever she was attempting to build with Tori. And it all went back to the redheaded musician lurking over Tori's shoulder.
Yes, Taylor was incredible, and having him in her classes did wonders for her sanity, but he was still Tori's brother. Jade needed to get on and stay on his good side so she could remain on Tori's good side. But Jade had no idea how to get on someone's good side. She preferred to not be on anyone's side period, but Tori Vega - no, Tori Villanueva, made that impossible. Mainly because Jade had no idea who Tori Villanueva was, and her curiosity was burning in her chest. It took little to no time at all to adjust to Tori's name change, if only because Tori was as serious as Jade had ever seen her when she told Jade to never call her Vega again. But still, Jade was floating in the middle of the ocean with no map, no water, and no sunscreen.
Her thoughts were broken when she felt Tori drop down in the seat next to her. She knew Tori's presence as if it were her own. The perfume, the graceful way she lowered into her seat, and the way her warmth sunk into Jade's skin when she was nearby gave her away before her voice ever did. So it was no surprise when an elbow gently nudged her.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Liar. Your fries are still intact," Tori said, tapping the tray. "Try again."
Jade snorted and pushed her food away. She finally looked up, and Tori's sunglasses took over half her face. But Jade could practically feel the amusement and concern radiating from the other girl's gaze. Tori had pulled her hair up completely, and she had taken off her shirt, leaving her in a black tank top.
"Taylor told me about what happened in class. Do you want to talk about it?"
Jade was confused until she remembered the argument that got her kicked out, and she rolled her eyes. "No, I'm over it. Carleene has a bad way of getting under my skin."
"Everyone gets under your skin."
"Yes, but she's especially good at it. Regardless, there's nothing to talk about. She's a bitch, I'm a bitch, and we don't get along. I expect more arguments in the future."
"What was it about?"
"During introductions, I told the teacher that I considered myself an experimental gothic horror writer, and Carleene jumped in and said I was medieval fantasy at best. That led to the entire class being divided on whether gothic horror and medieval fantasy were the same thing, and I was kicked out for starting a riot."
"I mean. Is there a difference?"
"Of course, there is! One is set in a very specific timeframe with fairies and witches, and you…" Jade trailed off when she saw the smirk on Tori's face. "You're fucking with me."
"I wanted to see how far you would go."
"Asshole."
"I've been called worse. Now, tell me what's wrong. If it's not what happened in class, what's bothering the great Jade West?"
"Your brother."
"Taylor? What about him? Did he say something to you?"
"No, no, nothing like that. I just - how am I supposed to interact with him? He's your twin."
"He's also his own person," Tori countered. "We're different people."
"That's obvious," Jade muttered. In a louder voice, she added, "I want him to like me."
Jade clamped her mouth shut and winced. She didn't mean to say that out loud, and Tori's head slowly tilted to the side.
"Why? You've never cared about that before," she said. "What's so different about Taylor?"
Jade frowned and picked at her nail polish. Tori leaned forward and lowered her sunglasses. Blue-green met brown, and Jade held her breath from the intensity of Tori's gaze.
"Taylor is my brother, yes, but he has no bearing on who I spend my time with." Tori pushed her sunglasses back up and added, "I appreciate you wanting to make a good impression, but I already know you, Jade. And nothing he says will change how I see you. Or how I feel about you. Understood?"
Jade swallowed and nodded, and Tori stole some of Jade's fries and got up.
"See you in class, Edgar Allan."
"Fuck off."
Tori chuckled and walked away, and Jade puffed out her cheeks. She went back to glaring at her fries before taking her fork and stabbing them until they were practically mush. Then she dumped hot sauce on them and ate, ignoring the fluttering in her stomach from Tori's last words.
"But…how do you feel about me?" she whispered.
Tori met Taylor at her locker. Lunch would end in a few minutes, and she was still reeling a little from her conversation with Jade. She had a funny way of turning Tori's stomach into a tiny rollercoaster just by existing, and Tori couldn't help but overthink their interaction. Did she say too much at the end? Did she reveal her hand too soon? And why was Jade so damned gorgeous under direct sunlight? Tori groaned and rested her head on the cool metal locker. She took down her decorations before the summer and was stuck on what to do for a new design. She had until Fall Break to put something up, or she would be deemed "a lost dreamer." Or whatever the hell Sikowitz said.
"Yo."
Tori grunted at Taylor in greeting and lifted her head.
"Jade wants you to like her," she said.
"Me? Why?"
Tori arched an eyebrow, and Taylor snickered.
"Damn. She's got it bad."
"Stop," Tori sighed, pushing him to the side. "It's not like that."
"It is like that, and you're in denial because your incubator and sperm donor have convinced you that you're not awesome."
Tori rolled her eyes and opened her locker. She put away her books from her art history class and felt a little relief at being free from that burden. She was glad it was only once a week. She knew switching her focus would involve more reading and less singing, but she didn't expect to have three textbooks for one class. Hollywood Arts was bigger than she thought, and she was still meeting new people due to her new schedule. There was an entire third floor dedicated to the art students, and Tori caught a glimpse of her studio art classroom. It was massive, and she was already excited to start painting. Taylor was the only one who knew Tori was secretly into painting. He convinced her to pick up a paintbrush while she was in New Mexico, and apparently, she was good at it. So good that she started doing it at home, and when a spot opened up in Studio Art 101, Tori took it. Taylor bounced around from class to class, most of which he shared with Jade, and he only had one with Tori. But it was nice to be around different people, and Tori was enjoying the challenge. She knew she could sing, but knowing she could paint and knowing she could get better at it was exhilarating.
"Hello, earth to Bugs."
"Sorry, Ducky."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm fine," she said. "Just thinking."
"About?"
"Life. So much has changed, you know?"
"I know. But what's bothering you about it? You've got that look in your eyes again."
Tori paused a little and sighed. The group chat had been flooded with excitement and relief from everyone being able to pick their classes, and Tori read each message with a soft smile on her face. Andre privately messaged her, asking why she hadn't put hers in the chat, and when it went unanswered, her best friend gave her strange looks throughout the day when they managed to pass each other in the hallway.
"I'm not the same person I was last year," she said.
"You're not supposed to be."
"Aren't I? Nothing drastic has happened."
"Hasn't it?"
Tori pursed her lips and slammed her locker shut.
"No, it hasn't."
"Tori."
"Drop it."
Taylor held his hands in surrender, and Tori turned and stalked off. Taylor decided not to follow, and she was grateful. She didn't need the reminder of why things were different, and it was nice to live in her delusion a little longer. She escaped to the third floor to hide out until her Artistic Anatomy class, and then, she had the long journey of going back downstairs to face the music - figuratively speaking - in Theatre Arts.
Beck cleared his throat awkwardly, and Taylor jumped in surprise. He turned, and Beck rubbed the back of his neck.
"Uh, hey."
"How much of that did you hear?"
"Whoa, whoa. I promise I wasn't eavesdropping," he said. "I was in the bathroom and came out at the end. I didn't even hear that much, just…Tori wants you to drop the conversation. I swear."
Taylor frowned and looked off to the side, then back at Beck.
"She's fine."
"I didn't say she wasn't."
"No, but you're thinking it."
"Yeah," he said, shrugging. "She's my friend, and I'm worried. Tori's always had this look in her eyes whenever she thought someone wasn't looking."
"What look?"
"Like she's in pain."
Taylor exhaled through his nose and shoved his hands into his pockets.
"She's fine," he repeated.
"Okay."
Taylor nodded once and walked off, and he went in the opposite direction of his sister down the stairs. The further he got away from Beck, the more guilt settled in his chest. Tori's friends weren't stupid, and Taylor wondered how long it would be before one, or all, of them figured out just how close Tori was to falling apart.