The night before the showcase saw Tori at the peak of pre-performance jitters. As soon as she and Jade returned home from the theater, she kept her mouth shut and drank warm lemon water exclusively. While her vocal cords may have been relaxed, her mind was anything except that.
Jade offered to help ease her mind with a quick game or a movie, but Tori was already in her room for an early sleep. Realizing her girlfriend probably needed some space, Jade plopped down on one of the lounge chairs and pulled up her mom's number on her phone. After tapping on the contact name, she held the phone up to her face as the video call connected.
"Jade?" Nora's voice faintly came out from the phone's speaker; her image was of decent quality, but cut off by the phone's pear-shaped screen. "Hey, can you hear me?"
"Yeah, I can hear you," Jade nodded, but kept rotating her phone to see the picture better, "But your video quality is really bad. You sure you and Tara got the internet set up alright there?"
"Yes, we did," Nora sighed, taking a seat and placing her phone on the desk, still facing her. "The block is still a cellular dead zone, but wired connections and Wi-Fi work perfectly, so the showcase can be livestreamed, too."
"Huh..." Jade sat back in her chair, retracting her arm as it was getting sore from holding her phone up. "Well, as long as it works. I just wish my old-ass phone didn't cut off your picture so badly."
"First, language in front of your mother. And second, maybe you can afford a new phone if this showcase goes well...but then again, you said you were going to use your payment to cover rent, so..."
Jade groaned, tempted to cut off the call right there, but decided against it, "I get it. I'll make do. Anyway, I'm almost starting to wonder if the showcase will go well. Tori's in her room with the jitters."
"That's to be expected," Nora frowned, "After all, she's pretty much leading the show all by herself. Just make sure she doesn't stress out too much. Mason's put a lot of money into the theater just for this."
"No pressure, right?" Jade rolled her eyes, "I'll check up on her. Tell Short Stack...Tara...to take it easy, too, okay?"
"I will. Good night, Jade. I love you."
"...Love you, too, Mom," Jade smiled sincerely into the camera before turning off her phone and making for Tori's bedroom.
The bedroom's lights were still on as Tori was found sitting on the edge of her bed, holding her head in her hands; a clear sign that everything was not awesome. Without a word, Jade sat down next to her and laid a hand on her leg. The small, but sincere gesture was enough for Tori to look up at her and flash a brief smile.
"Babe," Jade subtly closed the gap between them and wrapped her arm around Tori's waist, "You've got to treat yourself better than this. You know this isn't the first show you've performed in; not by a long shot..."
"Well, it's the first one where I'm completely solo," Tori groaned, prying Jade's hand off of her, "Not just opening, not just another act in the line, it's literally me, myself, and I!"
"Oh, completely solo, you say?" Jade scoffed, "In that case, I'd better tell Short Stack and the band they don't have to come anymore. Maybe you'll pull off the 'one-woman-show' thing better than your sister did..." She took out her phone and pretended to make a call when Tori blindly reached out to grab it. Jade extended her arm away from her, resisting the urge to laugh when Tori started to flail her over-stretched arm and fell over on top of her girlfriend.
Tori pinned Jade's wrists over her head, glancing at her surprised face for a moment before quickly reaching for the red pear-shaped phone in her hand. Before she could take it, Jade opened her hand and let the phone drop onto the rug under the bed.
"Wha...your phone could have broken from that kind of fall!" Tori looked back down at Jade, who was wearing her trademark wicked grin, despite that warning.
"Then I'll have an excuse to buy a new one when I get paid~"
"But...you haven't been paid yet! Not until the show's done!"
"Well, then now you have a reason to not screw it all up tomorrow!"
Tori blinked, slowly realizing Jade's play. She sighed and glared down at her, "Okay, I get it. Thanks for the 'motivation', Jade..."
"Maybe I should be thanking you," Jade raised her eyebrows, "For giving me a chance...to do this~" As Tori tried to guess what she meant, she felt something wrap around her legs, making her loosen her grip long enough to be pushed and turned around so she was underneath Jade's wicked smile.
"Now I could practically list all the things we could do right now~" Jade sneered as she quickly closed her legs around Tori's and pinned her shoulders down, "But...we both know you need to conserve your voice, so let's shelve that for another time~" Loosening her grip just as quickly, she leaned down and pressed a kiss to Tori's lips, which proved to lighten her mood immediately.
Tori groaned and sat up, Jade still resting on her lap, and wrapped her arms around her in a hug. "Jade...you can be such a grunch sometimes..."
"I know," Jade chuckled, brushing Tori's hair back with her hand, "And other times?"
"Other times..." Tori pouted, contemplating finishing the sentence, "Well, I guess we'll find out after the show~" With a wink, she pecked Jade on the lips and broke away from her, "Now out with you! I really do need to sleep early, okay?"
"Fine~!" Jade feigned a dramatic sigh as she jumped off the bed. Taking Tori's hand again, she gave a genuine smile, "Hey, you're gonna be great tomorrow. This is what you've been dreaming of, after all, and I'll be there with you the whole time."
Tori squeezed Jade's hand, returning the smile to her as she left for her own bedroom.
Tori emerged from her room the next morning to an empty living room. She'd expected to see Jade hunched over her notebook like she had every morning, but instead, she found a small breakfast left for her and a handwritten note next to the plate of eggs and toast. As soon as she picked it up, she recognized the handwriting immediately and smiled.
My mom picked me up early for final inspections at the theater. Meet us there when you're ready and dressed. -Jade.
P.S. The breakfast is from the diner. My mom brought it. If you thought I cooked this, well... :P
Even a short note from Jade was enough to make Tori's heart feel light. Giggling to herself, she sat down and proceeded to dig into her gifted breakfast.
Tara was sitting alone onstage, looking over her binder of sheet music for each song in the showcase. They'd rehearsed every song at least twice by now, but just as she was about to read through them herself again, one of the side doors opened and she looked up to see Tori waving happily at her.
"Hey! Looks like all those pre-show jitters Nora was talking about are gone!" Tara stood up and smiled back at Tori as she joined her onstage.
"Just about!" Tori took a deep breath and looked out at the empty audience in front of her, "All I needed was a good night's rest, a solid breakfast, and...someone really special at my back." She chuckled to herself as she tried to hide her blushing, but Tara saw through her easily.
"Well, we still have a few hours until showtime," Tara closed her binder and tucked it behind her back to straighten her posture, "Jade and Nora should be back in time for the final inspections."
"Wait, 'back'?" Tori turned to her, confused, "I thought Jade was already here. She said her mom picked her up and..." Her confusion was soon put to rest as the front doors opened again, with Nora and Jade walking down the side aisle. Tori did a double take as she noticed something different about Jade, something that was much more apparent as she climbed up the steps to the stage and met her with a smile.
Under the sunlight beaming through the windows, Tori could clearly see Jade's hair was no longer jet black, but noticeably lighter shade of brown, only slightly darker than Jade's hair when they first met, but styled just like her black hair before and no neon highlights. Her eyes also widened upon seeing Jade's nose and eyebrow without the piercings that used to be there. She almost stepped back to take in this less gothic, yet still stunningly attractive Jade West; an expression that Jade noticed and knowingly laughed to.
"I guess I don't need to ask what you think, babe," Jade chuckled, "Sorry to surprise you, but I really wanted to see if I still could~"
"Well, it worked!" Tori laughed, edging forward and running a hand through Jade's lighter hair, "You look beautiful, Jade...I mean, you've always looked beautiful! Not just today, you know!"
Jade laughed again, pulling Tori into a quick hug, "Still worked up over that, huh? Forget about it! I just thought it was time for a change on the outside, since I've done a lot of changing on the inside, too..." She exchanged a quick glance in her mother's direction, receiving a knowing wink from her before returning to Tori.
"Now enough about me; we've got a showcase tonight!" She exclaimed loud enough to stir the numerous student workers onstage into action, wearing her proverbial "director's cap" as she darted all around the stage, to Tori's pride and delight.
The moment of truth soon arrived. The theater seats were modestly packed with more patrons than it had seen in years, according to some students. Jade and Tara took a peek from behind the curtains and the former compared the audience size to one of their Black Box Theater performances at Hollywood Arts; not huge, but enough to make a difference. As Sikowitz stood alone, in full view of the audience, making his greeting remarks before starting the show, Jade made a quick motion to Tara, who quietly sprinted to her mark behind the piano at center-stage and next to one of the guitarists. While the first song was only going to have Tori singing, Tara still sat poised and ready on her stool when the time came for her to back Tori up. I can do this! She thought as she kept her eyes forward.
Jade's eyes followed the transcript of Sikowitz's opening speech on her clipboard as she heard him onstage and spoke quick commands into her headset mic, calling the lights crew to action as the first song was about to begin. She looked up to see Tori take her seat on the piano bench, slightly obscured by the darkness behind the curtains. Although Tori's back was to her, Jade smiled in her direction and whispered away from her headset, "You got this, babe..."
"And without further ado, the talent you've all been waiting for, Tori Vega!"
Sikowitz's voice boomed as the audience cheers and applause filled the room and the curtains parted to reveal Tori under two spotlights and waving to the crowd. As the applause died down, in the brief silence, Tori whispered to herself, "This one's for you, Trina...suck it!"
With a determined grin, her hands found the starting keys on the piano, and she played a fast and familiar intro that already had the audience cheering loudly from immediately recognizing the song. The band joined in as she sang the first verse:
Makin' my way downtown
Walking fast, faces pass and I'm homebound
The audience cheers continued as her hands glided skillfully across the piano and the more stage lights spread out to show the participating band members.
Staring blankly ahead
Just makin' my way
Makin' my way through the crowd
Throughout each recording and rehearsal, Tori was still amazed at how different she sounded singing the song now compared to when she was much younger. She hoped the passage of time was enough to distinguish herself from the original singer more than before—which really wasn't much at that time, to her embarrassment.
And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder...
If I could fall into the sky
Do you think time would pass me by?
'Cause you know I'd walk a thousand miles
If I could just see you...tonight~
Adrenaline flowed through Tori as she finished the chorus with a punctuating chord back to the intro, along with the band and a satisfying cheer resounding from the audience again. Her own smile was evident to everyone who could see her as she felt herself reclaiming her first memory of covering a song she loved, and now without a jealous older sister around to take it away. It was a no-brainer for Tori to make this song her first pick of the showcase.
After finishing "A Thousand Miles" with a resounding slide into that memorable melody, the audience was already awestruck at Tori's singing and skillful piano playing. Tara silently grinned in her direction, proud to see Tori's hard work paying off already. She listened to Tori's greeting to the audience, introducing herself and her performance backstory just as she did during rehearsals. Once she heard the concluding parts of her speech, Tara turned back toward her microphone, making sure it was on. She watched as the piano was wheeled to the side and Tori stood closer to her and the rest of the band standing in wait for her cue. Tori tapped her foot, counting down to her acapella intro to the next song:
Some nights I stay up cashin' in my bad luck
Some nights I call it a draw
Some nights I wish that my lips could build a castle
Some nights I wish they'd just fall off
A few stray "whoo!" popped out in the audience, bringing a smile to Tara's face before the guitarist started playing and Tara pulled her microphone close to harmonize with Tori's next lines:
But I still wake up
I still see your ghost
Oh lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for
What do I stand for?
What do I stand for?
Most nights, I don't know anymore...
After a quick 4-count, Tori and Tara vocalized together with the guitar and percussion, creating a harmonious blend true to the indie pop origins of the song. Hearing the audience clap to the beat with them almost made Tara laugh in excitement, but she managed to contain her feelings enough to carry on until Tori's first verse:
This is it, boys, this is war
What are we waitin' for?
Why don't we break the rules already?
I was never one to believe the hype!
Save that for the black and white
I try twice as hard and I'm half as liked
But here they come again to jack my style!
From her seat, Tara took a deep breath, bracing herself for her first backup vocals that everyone would clearly hear without Tori. Just like every rehearsal, she put her nerves aside and watched Tori for her vocal cues to those brief moments only she would be heard:
But that's alright (That's alright)
I found a martyr in my bed tonight
She stops my bones from wondering
Just who I am, who I am, who I am~
In the brief interlude before the next lines, Tara met Tori's eyes, which passed her a surprising wink that made her blush; a quick message from Tori that she was nailing it so far. She didn't have much time to push the feelings down, so she embraced them as the song kicked back into gear:
Well, some nights I wish that this all would end
'Cause I could use some friends for a change
And some nights I'm scared you'll forget me again
Some nights I always win!
Tori stopped and turned toward Tara, whose eyes were closed, but passionately delivered the echoing I always win~, to which the audience cheered loudly for her through the rest of the chorus. Tara's eyes opened with a smile to silently appreciate the praise and return to harmonizing with Tori:
But I still wake up
I still see your ghost
Oh lord, I'm still not sure what I stand for
What do I stand for?
What do I stand for?
Most nights, I don't know...
As "Some Nights" winded down to a close with Tori repeating the first verse's line, the applause burst through the room again, even louder than before. Tori gave two polite bows to the crowd before turning around and clapping to the band behind her, subtly passing a wide smile to Tara, who was bowing a few more times than necessary. Her mind was racing through the harmonies that she practiced day after day and managed to pull off perfectly, but it was her solo lines' unexpected acclaim that made Tara more than glad for her choice song in the showcase.
From the far side of the stage, away from the audience's view, Jade watched the performance with a smile ever since the first song. When the applause died down and Tori took a brief drink from her water bottle before speaking again to the audience, Jade directed for the piano to be wheeled back toward Tori for the last song; Jade's choice song. She carefully looked down to the audience, where Nora was seated in the front row, off to the side with Piper sitting next to her with a video camera.
Jade closed her eyes, thinking This is for you, mom...or rather, for us...and what's to come.
Once the piano was in position, Tori moved before the keys, opting to stand instead of sit down on the bench, which was promptly taken away, and began playing a soft intro that gradually grew into a crescendo with the drums' cymbals and guitars joining her. When the crescendo hit its peak, the accompanying instruments suddenly stopped, giving way for Tori's definitive intro to the song, which was picked up by the audience right away with their cheers. Tori smiled with satisfaction as the first verse came around:
No words
My tears won't make any room for more
And it don't hurt
Like anything I've ever felt before
This is no broken heart
No familiar scars
This territory goes uncharted~
Hearing the song's title still got a chuckle from Jade's lips. She honestly didn't know of the song by name before Tori started commandeering her PlayStation to try and remember it herself. When she finally did, the lyrics spoke to the both of them and their situation of where they ought to go after the life they had together in Los Angeles. In the end, they both knew the answer, and that was this song.
Just me
In a room sunk down in a house in a town
And I don't breathe
No, I never meant to let it get away from me
No, too much to hold
Everybody has to get their hands on gold
And I want uncharted~
Jade took another look down to Nora, who was listening intently to the song like every other. She didn't know if her mother knew the song herself, but she hoped she would at least get the message as the chorus drew near:
Stuck under the ceiling I made
I can't help but feeling
I'm going down!
Follow if you want. I won't just hang around
Like you'll show me where to go
I'm already out a foolproof idea,
So don't ask me how to get started
It's all uncharted!
Tori vocalized through the brief seconds before the next verse, but she managed to sneak a glance at the crowd toward Nora, whose eyes were widened for a moment, then relaxed with a sigh and a smile of acknowledgement and appreciation. It was enough for Tori to turn back, satisfied, and continue on...
Tori could almost feel her legs about to give from how much she was tapping her feet to the rhythm of the song. Pure adrenaline kept her going, however, as she finished the last chorus of "Uncharted" and delivered the last chords with such precision and emotion that resonated with the audience, who was close to a standing ovation once the song was over. Leaning on the piano for a bit of support, Tori caught her breath and took the microphone off of its stand.
"Thank you all for coming out tonight! This has been more than I could ever have imagined, and I have so many people to thank for this! There's my family back home in LA; Mom, Dad, even you Trina! My best friends from Hollywood Arts that are watching online; Andre, Cat, Robbie, Beck; I love you all! And then this awesome band that's been going above and beyond with these songs! But most of all...there's one person I'm most grateful for; someone who I couldn't imagine being here without!"
Raising her hand toward the side offstage, Tori caught Jade's eyes and motioned her over. Her face turning red with surprise, Jade shook her head vigorously, trying hard not to verbally interject, when she felt the headset pulled off her head, her clipboard taken from her hands, and a set of hands pushing her forward into the view of the audience, who all cheered and clapped to her arrival. Jade sharply turned back to see Sikowitz waving happily, and she felt her blood rising up to her head in anger. Feeling Tori's hand in hers, however, quelled the bloodlust long enough for Jade to sigh and squeeze her hand back, giving a small bow to the audience before Tori continued.
"This is the director of my debut showcase, the one who put all of this together, Jade West! This was as much her showcase debut as it was mine, but she's not just the director here—far from it!" Tori took both of Jade's hands, looking in her eyes to non-verbally ask something of her. She saw joy and passion in Jade's eyes, but also a slight hesitation; anxious to what she might say next.
Tori quickly noticed and bit her lip before turning back to the audience, "Jade is my closest, dearest friend from LA! We've been through so much together, and I know this won't be the end of our road; not by a long shot!"
The crowd exploded with applause again as Tori set down her microphone and waved back to everyone. Jade couldn't help but smile with her, despite her initial surprise to be on stage with her. Part of her wondered what Tori was about to say instead, but she pushed it aside and opted instead to wave to the audience as well.
Even after the show was over, Tori and Jade had spent a long time at the theater, leaving brief comments with local news reporters—making time especially for Piper, meeting with fans, and striking the set with the band and students. It was nearly midnight when the couple was safely back in their apartment, both leaning against the locked front door in exhaustion.
"My god, what a night!" Tori half-groaned, half-laughed, unsure of which emotion was the more appropriate.
"I still can't believe we did all that!" Jade laughed as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the check given to her by her mother as they were wrapping the cleanup.
Tori looked at the check with her, still in awe at how much the amount was, "You earned that, Jade! Every penny of it!"
"Oh, come on, Vega," Jade scoffed, folding the check back into her pocket. "At least say we both earned it!"
"Alright, alright, we both did!" Tori sighed, pulling Jade's wrist as they both walked toward their bedroom doors, "I wish we could have taken Nora and Piper up on their offer to celebrate, but...man, I'm just too tired!"
"Are you?" Jade grinned, "Well, fine, but at least answer me one thing before we go to bed."
"What's that?" Tori leaned her shoulder against her door, facing Jade to hear her question.
"What were you really going to say to the audience? About me?"
Tori gulped in surprise, even though a part of her expected that to be the question, and brushed her hair back with a sigh, "I was...honestly going to say...that you're the best thing that's ever happened to me, that I probably wouldn't have made it here without you, in more ways than I can even count or remember, and most of all...that I love you, Jade West."
Jade's breath hitched in her throat as she heard those last words. Though they'd exchanged those words a few times already, the way Tori said them now rang so different, like they mirrored the most sincere times Jade confessed her feelings. It didn't matter how cheesy she sounded saying all that, because Jade's only reply was taking Tori by both sides of her face and giving her the most passionate kiss she could. The kiss was immediately returned as Tori's arms went around Jade's waist and Jade's held Tori tightly with each brush of their lips. She wanted so badly to deepen the kiss, but she quickly broke away first to catch her breath and put her hands on Tori's shoulders.
"Tori..." Jade said between deep breaths, "Do you remember...the last time this happened? How you said you wanted...that moment...to be special; when we were better settled and ready?"
Tori's face flushed as she recalled those very words and nodded without a verbal reply.
"I deposited the check with my phone as soon as I got it," Jade continued, "Our rent is more than covered, I've established a rapport as a stage director for the theater and with Thornesmith, and you just had an amazing showcase debut! I really can't think of anything right now, except celebrating all that with you...right now."
Tori was at a loss for words, partly out of fatigue from the showcase, but also from hearing every word Jade said. Her hand went up to her doorknob, turned it, and slowly pushed her bedroom door open. She looked to Jade, whose eyes widened in surprise to her nonverbal answer, and took the moment to pull her in for another kiss. A gasp and a low whimper escaped from both of them as they crashed into each other again, but they didn't stop to think who did what. Tori pressed her back against the door to open it fully, and Jade sighed into their kiss as they stepped inside the bedroom together and closed the door behind them.
Still locked in each other's arms as they fell onto Tori's bed, Jade pressed her hands next to either side of Tori, looking down at her with an expression of desire, but also hesitance. "Look, Tori..." she composed herself long enough to speak, "We don't have to do this if you don't want...to..." Jade's words left her as her eyes widened to the sight of Tori slowly unbuttoning her shirt. "Holy chiz..."
"Well, if this doesn't tell you that I want this, Jade..." Tori smiled, stopping at her shirt being half-open, and raised her hands up to Jade's face. "Let this tell you, too." Without waiting for a response, she pulled Jade down to the bed and returned the passionate kiss she'd given her outside the room. Jade couldn't hold back the slight whimper she made before shedding off her jacket and pressing herself against Tori, grabbing the rest of her buttoned shirt and almost ripping them open, to her girlfriend's delight.
As their kiss continued, and more clothes started to join the pile around the bed, the whole world seemed to fade away in Tori and Jade's minds. With each returned kiss, affectionate whispers exchanged along with...other things over and under the covers, their entire world became each other for the rest of that amazing night.
Until next chapter~