Postgrad Partners

Summer Day's Contemplation

"Tori...you've already seen me naked, remember? Man, how were you in locker rooms at school?" Jade's eyes narrowed before rolling her eyes and shutting the bathroom door behind her, shouting over the running water, "I just wanted to ask for an extra shot in my coffee!"

"You could have said that with a towel on!" Tori shouted back as she put the folder down, took a deep breath, and returned to the kitchen.

Opening Jade's box of leftover pork fried rice, she poured what remained of Jade's dinner onto a plate and tossed it in the microwave for one minute. Stepping back to watch the bowl spinning from a safe distance, Tori's mind went back to the idea of college. It was the most she actually considered going after her record deal occupied so much of her mind throughout senior year. She thought back to everyone else discussing their plans post-Hollywood Arts.

Andre was offered a full scholarship from a famous conservatory in New York, which was a no-brainer for him after all the acclaim he'd received from his music teachers and having family in New York helped his living situation. Tori recalled a movie they had seen together about a similar situation that turned into quite a crazy drama, but Andre insisted he would never let it get as hectic as that movie—especially when their own experiences were hectic enough to adapt into a sitcom.

Robbie and Cat were set on attending UCLA to knock out general studies for their first year while they considered their respective career paths. They seemed more concerned with each other for a while, but some incident involving Cat's roommate, Sam, her ex-boyfriend, Freddie, and a pool of tuna fish seemed to change their relationship significantly, at least according to Jade.

Beck was already being cast in movies even when they were still attending Hollywood Arts, including the Resident Evil adaptation he was cast in after graduation, so he seemed okay with not pursuing a degree yet; at least until he felt like settling down from acting...if he felt like settling down. Everyone agreed he could handle the film world; considering he handled everything rather well with his cool, relaxed demeanor.

It was a shock to everyone that Trina was able to graduate in the top half of her class, but her grades in her performing arts classes were insufficient for advanced credit, so she decided on starting from scratch at a local community college before transferring somewhere else later. Tori felt partly responsible for Trina still living at home since their parents spent a lot to secure her new home in Miami following the record deal from Neutronium, but Trina brushed off the thought and has only ever been supportive of her; much to her relief.

And then there was Jade, who was uncharacteristically quiet and kept to herself for the majority of senior year—save for a few verbal jabs that may have just been second nature at that point. If not for their group outing at the boardwalk fair after graduation and Cat's performance at Karaoke Dokie on that fateful night, Tori might never have gotten to know Jade as well as she does now. She made sure to show her gratitude for that with every moment they shared after. Now they were in a relationship, living together, working together at times, so going to school together again should have been a no-brainer. So why wasn't it?

Lost in her thoughts all alone, Tori almost didn't hear the shower stop running and Jade emerging from the bathroom with only a long black towel covering her.

"Okay~ I have a towel on now...and only a towel on~" Jade called over to her with a teasing tone, "You happy now, Vega?" To her surprise, Tori only glanced at her for a second and flashed a smile before turning her head back around. With a curious eyebrow quirked, Jade moved closer and leaned her cold, slightly wet bare shoulder against Tori's. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"Huh? Oh, sorry Jade." Tori snapped out of her thoughts long enough to recognize Jade in her half-dressed state and flushed immediately at the sight. "Th-thanks for putting on a towel this time..."