Stuck With Me [Victorious]

Stuck With Me

December 25th.

When Jade was a kid she always used to get up early, impatient to open her presents. As the years went by she got up just to see whether her parents had made any effort into making a nice holiday atmosphere for their children.

Jade's up early, as per usual, and lies in bed staring at the ceiling. Tori shifts slightly next to her, and Jade wraps an arm around Tori's head to rest her hand on Tori's hair.

Quietly, Jade picks up her phone and calls her younger brother, quickly wishing him a Merry Christmas and hanging up before he can bounce his phone over to their parents. Jade has planned a perfect day with Tori, and fighting with her parents will not be a part of this Christmas.

Swinging her legs out of bed, Jade makes sure to tuck the covers back around Tori before padding to the window. She pulls the curtain back, and gasps at the snow covering the window.

Slowly, Jade pushes the window open, making sure all the snow falls out onto the pavement below rather than into the room. Someone shouts at her from the street, swiping snow off their head, and Jade leans out of the window and makes a rude gesture at him.

Leaning out again, Jade takes a look at the door into the apartment building, and she hates to think it, but it looks like they're snowed in. Sure, there's people on the streets, but no cars anywhere, which is rare in New York.

There's snow everywhere. And, looking down the street, it seems as though almost all their neighbors are snowed in too.

"No, no, no!" Jade exclaims, hitting the windowsill with each word. "Go away! You're not part of my perfect plan!"

Realizing that she sounds a lot like Trina, Jade sighs and steps back from the window, allowing a cold wind into the room.

In bed, Tori shivers and wakes up. "Jade?" she asks. "What's up? Close the window."

"Merry Christmas, Vega," Jade says. "We're snowed in, so I guess you're stuck with me."

Jade finds a big, fluffy bathrobe for Tori before dragging her out of bed. She leaves Tori in the kitchen, working on coffee, as she goes downstairs to check on the snow situation. The doorman confirms what Jade already knew: the door is buried with snow and they won't be able to have someone come and get rid of it for a few hours, by which time there would be no point in continuing with Jade's Perfect Christmas Day for Tori plan.

Jade trudges back upstairs, feeling bad for herself, and lets herself into her apartment. Jade's large mug is sitting on the table, filled with coffee, next to Tori's mug of hot chocolate. The girl in question is sitting on the floor next to their tree, star in at her presents.

Jade laughs, actually bypassing the coffee and sinking down onto the couch. "Okay, Tori, you can start now," Jade says. "Everyone mailed me their presents, so they're under there too."

Tori grins like a child, and Jade watches her unwrap a scarf and sweater from Trina, and assortment of Tori's favorite goodies from her parents, and a large stuffed rabbit from Cat. Beck's sent her a book on acting, and Robbie a poster saying to Make It Shine. Jade can tell that Tori's favorite (so far) is a new microphone from Andre, and starts worrying whether her presents can top that.

Tori works through Jade's presents slowly: some clothes, an odd knickknack, a charm bracelet. Tori unwraps everything, her smile growing wider and wider.

Jade's practically sweating: the gift still hasn't been unwrapped, and Jade doesn't know whether to be relieved or unhappy that Tori left it for last.