A Dangerous Friend

Goodbye To All That

Hey, welcome back. This is where the story ends, so let's just dive straight back in and find out what Jade's got planned and whether Tori can talk her out of it.

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"What?"

"Me!" Jade repeated, spreading her arms even wider to increase the chance of Tori falling into them in gratitude. But Tori was still too befuddled to move.

"What do you mean, 'you'?"

"I mean me. I'm going to live here. With you."

"But... How is that going to work?" Tori said. "You can't drive to college every day from here, it's not physically possible."

"I won't need to."

"Then what, you're going to stay down there?" Tori said, confused. "But how is that going to be any different from-"

"I'm leaving college."

"What do you mean, leaving college?"

"I'm going to leave. Give it up."

"What?"

"Well, it's not going great," Jade said, with a shrug, "and if I'm honest I kind of hate it. So I'll just give it up, get a job, and support us both."

"Whoa, there," Tori said, horrified. "Forget it. You are not leaving college for me."

"Why not? All I really want is to be a writer, and you don't need college for that. Just experience. Think about it, you can do your music thing, I'll work and write in the evenings, it'll be great."

"No!" Tori said. "No, no, no. No," she added for clarity. "No way. No."

"You don't want to live with me?"

"Of course I want to live with you, Jade."

"Then what's the problem?"

"The problem," Tori said, "is that I'm not going to let you do something stupid."

"It's not stupid."

"Yes it is." Tori said. "You're not doing it."

"It's my decision."

"No it isn't! Jesus, Jade, this is not the way I want our relationship to start."

"What way?"

"With you just deciding stuff without talking to me!"

"I'm talking to you now."

"No, you're telling me now! Please, Jade, don't do this. I had enough of this with Carla."

"Oh, I get it."

"What?"

"Every time I say something you don't agree with, you're going to say I'm just like Carla. Well, thanks, Tori."

"I'm not saying that!"

"She robbed you blind and she cheated on you, but me, I'm some kind of monster because I want to spend more time with you."

"No!"

"Or maybe you don't want to spend more time with me, is that it? Is that why you don't want me here? So you can go back to her and get a little action?"

"Don't you dare!" Tori was almost incandescent. "Just... just ... don't you dare!"

"Sounds like it to me."

"Oh, does it?" Tori hissed. "Well maybe I should just do that, if the only alternative is spending the rest of my life with a deadbeat!"

There was a long, cold silence.