#5 - And Now, Back To Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

Hi! I hope everyone is enjoying the story so far, especially the last chapter and the big reveal. I was a bit nervous about it because I know a lot of people hate the whole teen pregnancy trope but my aim is to write this in a way that even those who hate that genre can find it entertaining :) The main idea for this was a 'what if Jade wasn't there when Tori met Beck?' kind of thing and it just expanded from there, with hopefully a lot of fun ideas involved in future chapters. Hopefully you enjoy this one and whether you do or don't, any feedback is much appreciated! Happy reading!

"So, you've met Jade then." Andre said, appearing by Tori's side, as the stage fighting teacher began to regain control of the class and see everyone to their seats.

"Yeah, I think I have." Tori replied almost soundlessly.

"You haven't heard any of us mention her before?" He inquired as the pair took their seats.

"No, I mean..." Tori began to think back to previous conversations. Now that she thought about it, perhaps she had been mentioned here and there. "I mean, maybe. And she goes here?"

"Yeah, for as long as the rest of us. She just took a break because of, y'know, the whole baby thing."

"Yeah, about that-"

"Came as a shock, huh?"

"Do they really have a baby?"

"Yup. He's a couple months old now."

"How did I not know this?"

"I don't know, I swear we've talked about it. I guess, maybe you've been so focused on getting used to the school and everything that you just didn't notice."

"Isn't he 16?"

"They both are. But Beck doesn't really like it when people judge them for that."

"I just- I can't believe it."

"Yeah, we couldn't either when we found out. But we've had time to get used to it now."

"So you all knew about this?"

"Uh, yeah." Andre laughed. "It's not a secret, Tori. I guess Beck just doesn't talk about it so much with people he's just met."

That one stung a little, she couldn't lie. "I just really didn't see this coming." She shrugged. "He doesn't seem the type."

Andre raised his eyebrows. "I wouldn't say that in front of him."

"Yeah, maybe not." Tori conceded. She looked around at the door, noting that Beck still hadn't returned. "She sounded really angry. Do you think they're gonna break up over this?"

Andre laughed. "You think that was bad? That was nothing. They'll be fine by lunch."

Tori raised her eyebrows. "Really? But she was so mad."

"That's Jade for you. You'll learn quickly, I promise."

"Tori, Andre, stop speaking over Russ!" Yelled the teacher.

"Sorry!" The pair replied in unison, before focusing on the stuntman.

Just as Andre had promised, when Tori walked outside at the beginning of lunch, she was met by the sight of the previously arguing couple sat at their own table, fingers intertwined and deep in conversation.

"Should we go over?" Tori asked Andre, not wanting to engage in another argument with the fiery girl.

Andre looked over, as if to gauge the couple's tension levels. "Uh, yeah, I think we can." He replied, before exchanging money and food with Festus, who Tori had newly discovered was a slightly scary, thickly-accented food truck vendor from a country called Yerba that she had never heard of, but apparently nestled somewhere between Eastern Europe and Western Asia.

The pair thanked the Yerbanian for their food and began to walk towards Beck and Jade, who were still deep in conversation. Tori wondered silently what they might talk about. Perhaps their history homework, or their next date night, maybe a new item of clothing one had bought? Or would it be about their son - how he slept last night? How close he might be to his first words? How maybe he looked like a perfect mix of the two of them, in a way that made Tori ache, which was strange, because how could she feel a loss for something that she never had?

"Hey mom and dad!" Andre greeted as he sat down, smiling widely at the couple. Beck raised a solitary eyebrow whilst Jade didn't bat an eyelid. Tori was really struggling to see what Beck saw in this girl.

Andre laughed a little awkwardly, but continued relatively unfazed. "How is the little man?"

"Fine." Jade replied stonily, refraining from taking her eyes off the salad in front of her.

"He's really good." Beck said far more warmly, and Tori didn't miss the roll of Jade's eyes which accompanied this. "He's smiling and laughing and I think he's getting closer to saying dada."

"He can barely hold his own head up." Jade said with another eye roll.

"Just like his mama." Beck grinned, wrapping an arm around his girlfriend, who simply glared at him but also removed her head from the arm she was using to prop it up.

"Jadey!" Came a sudden squeal from a few meters away and Tori turned to see Cat sprinting over to the table. Instead of acknowledging her or either of the boys, however, she made a beeline straight for Jade, wrapping her arms around the neck of the dark girl.

Tori's eyes widened in shock, if not concern for Cat's safety. From what she had witnessed so far, this Jade didn't seem to take kindly to... well, anything, and Cat was just about the girl's polar opposite.

As if reading Tori's mind, Jade began to count down from three, causing Cat to squeal and unwrap her arms. However, rather than keeping her distance, she squeezed onto the bench, next to Jade, pushing Andre further away to make space for her to sit next to the moody girl.

"I missed you so much, Jade. Did you know no one talks in our history class when you're not there? It's so boring!" The redheaded girl exclaimed.

Tori did a double-take. So these two were friends? How on earth did that happen?

Jade didn't reply, simply continuing to stab the green leaves in front of her with her fork, but Tori noticed she made no attempt to remove Cat's hand, which was affectionately placed on the scary girl's arm.

"Did you miss me too Jade? Oh, you probably didn't because you were too busy being a mommy which is so exciting! I love babies so much and your baby is-"

"Cat!" Jade suddenly yelled, making the smaller girl jump. "I have had two hours sleep and your voice sounds more like a screaming baby than a teenager, so can you please just stop for a second." She seethed.

Cat squeaked softly and shuffled away from Jade, removing her hand and moving closer to Andre. Beck shot Jade a concerned look and closed his arm around her, pressing a kiss to her temple. That warranted a kiss? Tori had never been so confused as she was in that moment, staring at this completely inexplicable couple, particularly this seemingly intolerable yet well-liked girl.

"Jade-" Andre began.

The girl groaned. "Just don't, Andre. I already know you let them recast my part the other week. I don't really care what you have to say right now."

Andre replied with silence.

It was then that Jade looked up, and for the first time Tori was able to see the girl's whole face. She was strikingly beautiful, something that, even through the jealousy, Tori had to admit. She was paler than the Latina, but her eyes were a shocking oceanic blue and Tori found herself struggling to compound arguments against Beck's love for this stormy girl. Behind those eyes, however, there was tiredness. There were no gaping purple eye bags or bloodshot whites, but a somewhat sense of exhaustion within Jade's features, as though she had been weighed down by experiences beyond her years and she was tired of it. The eyes flickered towards Tori and she quickly looked away, somehow feeling as though she'd walked in on something she shouldn't have.

Jade's eyes scanned the table, across the sullen faces avoiding her gaze, before she stood up with a sigh. "I don't even know why I'm here." She muttered, with a noticeable lack of her earlier acidic conviction. "I'll see you after school." She uttered towards Beck before turning towards the car park.

"Jade-" He said, standing up to follow her.

"Beck, just let me go. What's the point?" She replied, more defeated then exasperated. She turned around and stalked towards the car park, whilst Beck remained rooted to the spot. Only once she was no longer visible did he lower himself back onto the bench.

Tori momentarily caught his gaze as he returned to the group and began to make light conversation. His eyes were nothing like Jade's - a deep brown to offset her blue, warm to her cold. There might've been a sense of maturity to his stare, of compassion beyond his years, but she did not perceive the same depletion she had seen in Jade's.

Silently, Tori wondered whose eyes the baby had.