A/N: Well...the election didn't pan out as I hoped. But we can't be complacent; we need to stand together as we move forward.
Writing is one of the things that calms me down, so good news for you, I guess. We're all feeling down from what happened, so I fast tracked this update for all of you. If this next administration doesn't affect you directly, it will at last impact someone you care about. Always remember this is a happy place that promotes love and justice! The good guys win here.
"Okay, thank you very much. Bye now."
Jade hung up the phone, exhaling with relief.
She was apprehensive about finding a temporary living space in a part of the country she had never been. New Orleans had many apartments for rent, but Jade was being frugal and avoided the places that offered fancier amenities like enormous pools and gymnasiums. She was genuinely impressed that she managed to locate a 2,800 square foot place with everything included for only $685 a month. Best part: it was ten minutes away from the Criminal District Court, which she would no doubt frequent.
Jade negotiated a six-month lease and was now ready to pack.
(Am I going to need a car, or is the public transportation decent?)
She weighed this, thinking that a major city ought to have reasonable busses especially when getting to the heart of town. Jade then shrugged and figured she would play it by ear and make the decision once she arrived. That would have to be figured out next week when she makes her way over there.
She opened her white double door closet that shifted to one side. Jade shimmied her way to the very rear of the storage space and found her luggage. Her aunt gave her this lovely dark blue luggage set when she set off to college after deciding to live on campus. Jade heaved the huge rolling suitcase onto the bed, where it landed with a bounce. Even empty, the thing was still a bear to wield.
The medical examiner unzipped the bigger piece and opened the flap to reveal the next rolling suitcase inside. She then took that one out and opened it to find the carry-on, a sizable bag that was roomy like a duffel but could attach to the top of the rolling luggage easily for transport. Jade set the smaller pieces aside and focused on Babe, the Blue Ox as she referred to the massive rolling suitcase.
Jade pursed her lips as she checked the weather conditions on her phone. Apparently, down in New Orleans January through February hovered between mid-40's and high 60's. She couldn't believe it, having lived in the pacific northwest her whole life. It seemed impossible that during the winter, it was going to feel like fall. If these trends continued, then that means the summers were going to be something else! Jade figured she would only have to dress somewhat warmly for only halfway through her lease. The good doctor would be breaking out the shorts and tank tops earlier than expected.
A smile appeared on her face as more hedonistic thoughts came to mind. Processing her grief these couple of weeks, Jade sought solace in various things like ice cream, trashy reality television, and taking care of her sexual needs. Growing up and figuring things out, Jade did what many did and spent conspicuous amounts of time in the bathroom. There was no way Bev wasn't aware of what was going on but thought best not to broach the topic. Nothing compared to being caught masturbating in terms of utter embarrassment.
With nobody else in the house, Jade would shut the windows and lay down in bed to get herself off. And having no one else here did give her permission to be as loud as she wanted. Jade wasn't positive she was one of those "screamers", but she appreciated having the option. Closing her eyes, imagining an alluring and attentive woman pleasuring her was easier to do here compared to the bathroom. It was such a sterile place, kind of hard to ignore the shame of the act. But the loneliness remained the same regardless of the...venue.
But it wasn't for lack of trying.
[FLASHBACK]
Jade had rushed from her Forensics II class back to her dorm to get ready. The sudden change in plans made her hyperventilate. The girl she had met on that new sapphic dating site originally agreed to meet her tonight at seven. But then she texted if they could meet at six instead. Now robbed of a whole ass hour, the pale girl took a scalding five-minute shower before freshening up and dressing.
She double-checked the text from the other day to make sure she got the name of the place right.
Jade walked inside the Jupiter Diner wearing a black top that showed off her neck and collarbone but kept the goods at bay. Her light blue jeans hugged her lower half. Her mission was to impress her date without showing everything.
(Leave them wanting more, as Auntie Bev would say.)
The niece happily accepted romantic advice from her. While the older woman was done with the whole dating game at this point in her life, she didn't exactly hate the kind offers. Bev could charm a man half her age if she was interested. Some single men in Langley definitely mourned the passing of that fine lady.
Jade just wished she inherited that voodoo for herself.
The blonde approached the familiar face sitting by herself at a booth. She was also blonde, but her hair was tied into a tight braid, and she wore these marble brown horn-rimmed glasses. Honestly, they looked really cute on her.
"Penny?" the medical student asked.
"Jade?" the girl in glasses smiled.
They both said hello and shook hands before Penny offered for Jade to sit across from her.
"I'm glad we could meet up!" Penny said, biting her lip. "Wow, you look amazing!"
Jade blushed, pressing her lips together.
"Thanks. You look nice, too." She then cleared her throat. "They said it was going to rain tonight, but I'm glad it changed."
"Yeah," Penny nodded. "I think they said it would be later?"
They chuckled awkwardly as a guy ambled into Jade's peripheral vision. At first, she thought he was a server, but his informal attire and lack of notepad shut that hypothesis down. Jade bristled when the strange guy sat beside Penny, squeezing her shoulder affectionately.
"Are you Jade?" he asked.
Blue eyes narrowed and she sat straighter in her seat. Jade bypassed the man and looked at Penny.
"Who's this?" Jade asked with a huff.
"This is Nick," she girl smiled. "My boyfriend."
(BOYFRIEND? THE FUCK IS THIS!?)
"What the hell is going on, Penny?"
The couple across from Jade looked taken aback.
"I thought you said she was cool," he whispered to Penny.
"I thought you were going to give me a few minutes to ease her into it!"
Jade folded her arms and frowned.
"Ease me into what, exactly?"
Penny took a deep breath and gently put her palms on the table.
"I'm sorry but I didn't want to scare you off," she admitted. "Nick had the idea of a threesome. I agreed to another girl only if I chose her."
(This isn't happening. THIS ISN'T FUCKING HAPPENING!)
As if Jade didn't feel disgusted enough from the deception, the lecherous look that Nick was giving made her want to throw up. Clearly, he approved of his girlfriend's pick of the litter. There was just one problem. There was no dick in Jade's future, and she certainly wasn't cool with the conceit of this creep watching them go at it. She felt like an idiot, hearing horror stories of lesbians and bi women being tempted by someone through online dating only to discover they were baited into an orgy proposal. Jade thought this was going to be a pleasant evening with a possible future love. Instead, it turned out a hetero couple was seeking to spice things up and they sought her as their "unicorn."
"I should go," Jade sighed, her face flushed with humiliation.
"Wait! Hold on!" protested Penny. "Just...let's talk about it."
Jade stood up, refusing to yield.
"No. This isn't what I thought it was. And I'd better leave before I say or do something..."
That was when Nick stood up, blocking her way. He grabbed her wrist, not super tight but his touch was enough to set her off.
"Come on, Jade. We all know this is bullshit posturing. You know you just need a good deep-"
Jade grunted when she kneed him in the groin, sending him to the floor. Now that his hands were more occupied with nursing his throbbing balls, Jade glowered at a concerned Penny before storming away. She tried to ignore the eyes of the patrons on her as she made it outside.
Once she slammed the door on her way, her heart ached, and she started to cry. Then a thunderclap came as Jade walked up the block. Drop after drop fell from the sky before turning into full on showers.
"And here comes the rain," Jade sighed to herself.
Heading back home on foot in the icy rain, the twenty-something regretted this whole ordeal.
[END OF FLASHBACK]
Jade shook her head with a heavy sigh. That was not only her most embarrassing moment, but she couldn't recall a time when she felt so...gross. In that diner, stared at by Penny and Nick, Jade was like a colorful sucker at a candy store and the both wanted to taste her. She felt like such an object, a means to an end.
Taking a break from packing, the medical examiner laid back on her twin bed.
(I won't let that happen ever again! I need to be cautious next time.)
If Jade wanted to get her rocks off, she could take care of business on her own. What would be nice is to have another person hold her, keep her warm. The nights out here could get mighty cold and sometimes a roaring fire wasn't always enough.
Maybe she would luck out in New Orleans and find someone worth her time.
She grumbled, covering her face with her pillow.
(Well, I hear the food is good at least.)
Tan digits rapped on the door's glass window.
"Come in!" came the chief's voice.
Tori opened the door and entered like she did a million times before. Never stopped feeling surreal how formal she needed to be in the presence of her father. They were family outside the precinct but inside, especially in uniform, they were colleagues.
"Sit down, Tori" the older man smirked with a sigh. "Someone's an eager beaver this morning."
Tori sat and crossed her arms.
"What the hell is going on?" she demanded.
He honestly wasn't expecting that this was how she was going to begin the conversation. David wasn't sure to be angry as her father or her superior.
"What do you mean?"
"I got a composite sketch on the woman I saw. I obtained an official statement from one Nenita Bayot. I've done everything to expose this crime. And it's been crickets for two weeks!"
Chief Vega rubbed the back of his stiff neck.
"Cases of fraud take time, Tori. Sadly, this wasn't a priority."
She rose, infuriated.
"Not a priority? NOT A PRIORITY? Dad, innocent people are being strong-armed out of their money. Good, hard-working people who just want to live their lives are being preyed upon and this isn't being taken seriously!"
"No, hold on a minute!" he pointed, not appreciating this insubordination. "Sit down and do something about that tone."
Tori exhaled sharply through her nose and sat back down.
"Dad, with all due respect, it's been a fucking nightmare" Tori said calmly. "For five days I've had no backup! I've been doing my beat BY MYSELF!"
"What about that Steven guy? Didn't he..."
She facepalmed.
"Son of a bitch's been a no-show all week. Don't know if he quit and frankly, I don't care anymore!"
Her face fell, a clear war against the desire to allow defeat.
"Dad...I... there's no shortage of suitable cops to do my route. They just don't want me! And please don't lie and say that isn't true!"
The chief inhaled deeply and let it go. Despite his request that she calm down, the officer stood up angrily with a nudge of her chair.
"I like being a cop!" Tori added. "It's all I've ever been good at. And I'm not going to let those pricks make me quit!"
Now her father stood up.
"Maybe if you would file a grievance..."
"Don't give me that!" Tori huffed. "Even if I could, that would just open a can of worms."
David slammed his hand down on the desk.
"Tori! I don't want any of my people harassing anyone!"
"Hate to bring you bad news, dad but that's like half the force. You going to fire all of them? What then?"
Chief Vega crossed his arms.
"What then?" she repeated.
"Tori, what is this really about?"
She walked silently across the office and gazed out into the city.
"I've done all of the training, the exams, everything! I know there are x-number of spots available but..."
"You want me to run your application through?" he finished.
Tori nodded, "Yes. I know it's a big deal, but I am languishing in this vicious cycle of new partners. I've had enough!"
Beat cops had to work with a partner; that was the nature of the job. However, detectives could work solo.
"I had a real case, and nothing is being done about it!" Tori rubbed her watering eyes with the palms of her hands. "And I've got a gut feeling nobody is taking this shit seriously because it came from me!"
David shook his head. The disrespect toward Tori ran deep. She was always sharp, and he went over her work. Tori busted her ass, never phoned anything in. Other than getting Arnie, the sketch artist to make a composite; not a soul in this precinct wished to cooperate with her.
She stepped closer to her father.
"Each day, she's getting further from us. She's probably running this hustle elsewhere at other buildings!"
He couldn't ignore her drive and work ethic. She had earned it, completing the necessary education and years of experience. One just needed to be evaluated as detective material. One must possess that analytical mind. She certainly had that. Tori would make a damn fine detective. David wanted to make up for all that time not helping his daughter out. If promoting her out of safety would do it, then so be it.
"Okay," David said.
"Okay?" Tori raised a brow.
"Let me get the ball rolling on this paperwork. There might be a delay on your new shield but..."
Tori blinked.
"I'm a detective?"
"Give me a few days."
A smile crept onto her lips.
"Thank you," Tori sighed.
A/N: Tori is moving up to detective. She deserved this and now she can do even more.
Also, poor Jade. Sadly, this happens quite a lot for lesbians looking for love.
I know y'all are chomping at the bit for these two to get together. IN TIME! I've had these characters meet very early in many of my stories. This time, I'm trying something else and I promise you it will be worth it!