Beck's fingers ran through Jade's silky black hair, pop punk blaring from the back of his RV and a joint hanging from her lips. She hummed in appreciation, her head feeling light and airy from the weed.
"Man, I wish I could be high all the time," Jade sighed, snuggling her head further into Beck's lap. He chuckled and stole the joint from her lips, taking a long drag. She pouted at him and he grinned, grabbing the front of her shirt gently and pulling her face towards him. Taking another hit, he placed both hands over her warm cheeks and leant forward until they were almost touching.
Jade gazed into his brown eyes and was suddenly, and very rudely, reminded of Tori.
What the fuck?
She instinctively jerked backwards, and Beck frowned, exhaling the smoke into the space between them and putting the joint down in the ashtray.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"N-nothing," Jade replied, shaking her head. "Just remembered what happened today with Vega."
Beck sighed and leant back into the small couch. "You already know what I'm going to say, babe."
Jade immediately felt annoyance prickle at her stomach, and she gritted her teeth. "Why can't you just stick up for me for once?"
"There are no sides here, babe. Tori is our friend and I really think you should start treating her better."
Jade shoved Beck and got to her feet angrily, but the weed made her sway, and her vision swam.
Stupid. Fucking. Vega!
"Why does everybody keep falling for her ridiculous sweet southern bell act? She's not as perfect as you all think!" she spat.
"Babe," he stressed, and Jade hated the condescending tone lacing his voice. Hated that he was looking at her with a strange kind of pity that she couldn't understand, hated that Tori seemed to have everybody she knew wrapped around her finger. "How are you going to complete this assignment if you can't even be in the same room as her?"
Jade growled and remembered the panic she had felt when Sikowitz had pulled out their names. No matter what she did, she couldn't seem to escape the brunette. Her face and her sickly-sweet kindness were everywhere. She couldn't even have a normal conversation with anybody at school without Tori being mentioned somehow.
She just seemed so... unattainable to Jade. Nobody ever behaved the way Tori did without an ulterior motive.
"I don't know, and I don't care," she hissed, walking a few feet towards the tiny kitchen sink and running cold water over her hands. She heard Beck get up and felt his arms wrap around her waist, his chin resting on top of her head.
She sighed and tried to let the tension disappear from her body as she leant back into his embrace. He smelled warm and rich, like a glass of aged whisky. She closed her eyes, grounding herself against him.
"Why does the idea of being friends with Tori upset you so much?" he murmured into her hair.
Jade swallowed and turned around in his arms so that they were looking at each other. "I don't need her."
Beck stroked the back of his hand against her soft cheek and smiled gently. "Everybody needs friends, Jade."
"Not me," she said stubbornly.
He shook his head. "You are so hard-headed."
"You can blame my mom for that," Jade said bitterly, subconsciously rubbing her arm. The thought of her mom only made her mood worse, and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will the thoughts away. Beck tightened his grip on her and leant down to capture his girlfriend's lips. It was the only way he knew how to ease the pain in her voice.
Jade responded fiercely, gripping his hair in her hands tightly and pressing her body against him. He let out a breathy gasp and then her shirt was on the floor and his jeans were flung somewhere else and they collapsed on the tiny bed at the back of the RV.
*
Tori's fingers glided across the piano in a tune nobody had ever heard her play before. Unlike what she usually sang, which rarely strayed from whatever was on repeat on the radio at the time, she was playing something that had captured her heart the first time she'd heard it. It was an old Blink-182 song, something that she would never admit to the others.
Humming along with the chorus, she got lost in the melody, trying not to let her thoughts stray to a certain raven-haired beauty. Anxiety had been twisting her stomach into knots all day. Above her head, she heard her older sister Trina singing as she showered, reminding Tori of that time she had found two stray cats yowling at each other down an alleyway. She grinned and shook her head slightly as she played.
"Who knew Vega liked something other than that Kesha shit?"
Tori screamed loudly and whipped around to see Jade standing by the front door. She was leaning casually against it, arms crossed in front of her midriff and black tipped fingernails tapping impatiently against her arm. She was wearing a lacy, long sleeved shirt that just hinted at a cleavage and black high-waisted shorts. A Gears of War messenger bag swung slightly from her shoulders.
"How the hell did you get into my house?" Tori yelled clutching at her chest, trying to keep her heart from ripping out of her skin.
Jade rolled her eyes and threw her bag on the couch. Tori realized that she had shot to her feet and swallowed hard, a sudden knot in her throat threatening to take her voice. Jade lazily stalked towards her, secretly enjoying the look of panic that shone from the brunette's face. Tori felt like she was about to vomit. She also suddenly remembered that she was wearing short pink pajamas, much to her embarrassment.
"You should really lock your door," Jade murmured, never once looking away from Tori's eyes.
She found herself comparing them to Beck's. They're warmer, she thought. Like melting chocolate.
Chocolate's overrated, she chastised herself quickly.
There was a sudden thump above their heads and Trina came running down the stairs with a pink, fluffy towel wrapped around her, shampoo piled high on her head. The girls both spun around with a jump and Tori was surprised at how close Jade had gotten. She could have reached out her hand and touched her if she wanted to.
"I heard screaming! Is everything okay?" Trina asked frantically. Tori was surprised; she could barely get her sister to care about her day-to-day life, god forbid if she was ever actually in trouble.
"I'm fine, it was just Jade," Tori sighed gesturing to the goth whose face had rearranged itself into a very bored expression. They didn't call her a good actress for nothing.
"Ugh, it's you," Trina said with clear contempt in her voice.
"Nice to see you too, Trina," Jade replied, not caring in the slightest.
Trina directed her scowl to her sister and wrapped her towel tighter around herself. "Well, thank you for ruining my shower, Tori."
Annnnd, there she is.
Tori opened her mouth to protest but Trina just ran back up the stairs. Moments later, the shower was turned back on and so was the yowling.
Jade let out a snort and walked to the couch, flinging herself onto it and stretching her arms above her head. Tori noticed that her shirt had risen slightly, exposing a pale stretch of skin. For a wild moment, she wondered how soft Jade would be beneath her fingertips.
What the fuck? Where did that come from?
Tori shook her head to banish the bizarre thoughts, and walked over to the couch, almost tiptoeing in her apprehension. She sat gingerly on the edge of the seat, as if Jade was the one who lived there instead of her. They were silent for a moment as Jade turned the TV on, flicking through the channels until she had managed to find a gruesome flick, even though nobody in the Vega household even watched horror.
"What are you doing here?" Tori asked, wincing as the girl on the TV screen got sliced to pieces. Jade laughed satanically at the scene and Tori seriously considered calling the cops. When the raven-haired beauty continued to ignore her, Tori grabbed the remote and switched the TV off.
Jade glared at her furiously. "Hey! I was watching that!"
"I'm the one who lives here, not you!" Tori exclaimed, bewildered by the entire situation. "What are you doing here?"
"What do you think I'm doing here?" Jade asked with a roll of her eyes, settling back into the couch, choosing not to pick an argument. "Beck persuaded me to come and work on the stupid assignment. By the way, we'll only be working on it here, got it?"
Tori knew better than to disagree. "Fine. How did Beck 'persuade' you, anyway?"
Jade looked disgruntled and muttered under her breath. "He said he wouldn't take me out for an entire month if I didn't."
Tori bit her lip as hurt spread throughout her body. Why was it so hard for Jade to be around her? What more did she have to do to get the girl to look at her like she was a human being instead of just a piece of trash she'd thrown on the ground? She had gone to hell and back to try and win Jade's friendship, but nothing ever seemed to work.
And she was so, so tired.
Jade noticed the wounded look on Tori's face and changed the subject, not wanting to deal with feelings right now. "Can we just start the assignment?"
Tori merely nodded and went to grab a piece of paper from the kitchen.
"While you're there, could you get me a soda?" Jade asked. Tori growled slightly and tried hard not to retaliate. Jade chuckled when she heard the displeasure come from the brunette's lips. Tori grabbed the drink from the fridge and with a sickly-sweet smile, threw it at Jade's unprotected face. The soda-can slammed right into her cheek and she screeched, holding her face.
"You-you-" Jade spluttered, getting to her feet.
"Oops," Tori sang giving Jade the most innocent smile she could muster. Jade's nostrils flared with anger, not believing that Tori had even had the guts to do something like that. She flung herself from the couch and stalked towards her. Tori's eyes widened in sudden panic, taking a few steps backwards until she hit the fridge. Her heart was in her throat now and she desperately regretted the last five minutes of her life.
Jade gave Tori's shoulder a push, making her back hit the fridge again. Her green eyes were dilated, and a strange thrill ran down Tori's spine. "Hey, hey, I'm sorry!"
"I fucking despise you," Jade hissed, slamming a hand against the fridge just above Tori's head, so that the brunette was trapped in-between Jade's body and the fridge door. Their chests heaved as they stared each other down. Tori's pajamas felt far too tight all of a sudden.
"J-Jade," Tori stuttered. She had never been so close to the goth before and couldn't help but notice how good she smelled; like freshly roasted coffee beans and the chilly night air that was waiting outside the front door. The warmth emanating from Jade made Tori want to curl up next to her like a cat.
Jade frowned as she noticed the far-off look in Tori's eyes, and the anger that was bubbling inside her died down to a fizz as it was replaced with a burning curiosity. If anybody else had been in Tori's position, they would have been pissing themselves, and yet there she was, somehow wandering off in her own world as if entirely unbothered. "Are you even listening to me?"
Tori blinked and licked her lips nervously. "Y-yeah, of course. You're just... a bit close."
She gently put her hand on Jade's shoulder, trying to give herself the space she so desperately needed. It felt like her brain had stopped functioning.
"Don't touch me," Jade snapped, standing up stiffly, removing her hand from above Tori and stepping away. The brunette let out a breath, her chest burning like she had forgotten to breathe during their encounter. She noticed her palm was tingling from where she had been touching Jade.
The goth just shook her head and grabbed the piece of paper that Tori had forgotten on the kitchen counter. "Let's just do this, okay?"
Tori nodded with relief and they both sat down on the couch again, as far away from each other as possible. The distance felt like miles to Tori, and she sighed miserably. She had probably ruined any chance whatsoever that she might have had at a friendship with the goth, all because of an immature impulse.
You're so fucking stupid, Tori.
Without uttering a word, Jade started writing on the fresh piece of paper, as if Tori wasn't even there. She had picked the soda-can up from off the floor and was sipping at it. The singer sunk further into the couch and tried to subtly watch Jade as she worked. She loved the razor-sharp focus that overtook those green eyes whenever Jade threw herself into anything. Her gaze fell on Jade's full lips and she watched almost greedily as her tongue swiped across her bottom lip to catch the droplets of soda that hadn't quite made it into her mouth.
Tori had always thought that Jade was beautiful. She wasn't blind after all. But right now, with the dim living room light washing over her face and a slight windswept tint to her cheeks? She looked almost ethereal.
Jade was lost in thought, barely paying attention to what she was writing. She was dimly aware of Tori's burning gaze on her face and she squirmed slightly. There was a warm glow starting in her chest but refused to acknowledge it. She didn't know why Tori was staring at her, didn't know why the brunette's behavior had been bizarre at best that evening and especially didn't know why she was almost enjoying being the subject of Tori's spotlight.
You just like the fact that you've got power over her, she thought to herself.
Yeah, except you let her get away with throwing a soda-can at your face, another part of her hissed.
Ugh.
Jade tried to remind herself that she was supposed to hate the brunette. The thought of becoming one of those people wrapped around Tori's finger made her want to be physically ill. But she also couldn't help but think of her gentle brown eyes and the soft smile she always seemed to hold on reserve for her. Or the fact that her face always exuded a powerful determination, as if she was never going to give up trying. If anything, her perseverance became stronger the worse Jade treated her.
It was so annoying!
"You've been staring at me for the past ten minutes," Jade said at last, looking up at Tori.
A deep, body blush crept towards Tori's face and she suddenly felt unbearably hot. Jade smirked in amusement, knowing full well that she was the cause.
"Sorry," Tori muttered. The need to pace was overwhelming, so she got up and went to the foot of the stairs, spotting her school bag lying there. The moment she saw the bag she remembered the very dangerous object resting in it, Jade's notebook. Her eyes widened and wondered if it was a good idea to mention it. If she didn't, the notebook would soon be found missing and Jade would no doubt put two and two together anyway.
Making a snap decision, she grabbed the black notebook and shuffled slowly back to the couch.
"Um, Jade?" she said hesitantly. Jade grunted in reply. "Don't get mad at me."
Immediately green eyes snapped up to Tori in wariness.
"Today in class, when we had our... argument... you kind of left your notebook on the desk."
Tori took the book from behind her back and held it gingerly to Jade. Her eyes hardened with what seemed like fear but was quickly replaced with a white-hot anger.
"If you read anything-" she hissed, snatching the book from Tori's hands and shoving it hastily back in her bag.
The brunette quickly back pedaled.
"No! No, no, no. I would never do that," she said hastily, lying through her teeth.
She had read something.
Beautiful girl.
It had been haunting the brunette all day.
Jade eyed Tori suspiciously, trying to spot a lie. The brunette kept wiping her hands discretely against her pajamas, but it was her eyes that gave her away. Her pupils were dilated and slightly bloodshot from tiredness and she couldn't quite get them to focus on Jade's face. They would bounce from her lips, to her eyes and then to the wall, over and over again. Like a nervous tic.
It made Jade's body hum in satisfaction. She knew Tori was keeping something from her, but the anxiety was flowing from the girl in waves. That was exactly how she wanted to make Tori feel; small and beneath her.
At that thought however, intrusive images flooded her mind of Tori being physically under her, skin bare, head thrown back and legs shaking as Jade did something unmentionable with her mouth.
Jesus fucking Christ.
Jade was so horrified at her own thoughts that she didn't realize Tori was frowning in concern, still waiting for the raven-haired beauty to reply, to react or do something with the information she just gave her.
"Alright, I believe you," Jade got out, her voice sounding strangled. She barely registered what Tori was saying and bent over their assignment to hide the ugly flush in her cheeks. She didn't even care that she was letting Tori off for lying to her, anything was better than the brunette seeing her face right now.
Keep it together West, for fucks sake. It was just an intrusive thought. It doesn't mean anything.
Tori was surprised. "That's it? You're not going to hurt me or something?"
Jade felt anger bubbling in her stomach again. Whether it was at Tori or herself, she couldn't tell. "For God's sake, Vega, I don't use my fists to deal with everything despite what you may believe."
Tori shrunk back a little at the sharpness of Jade's voice, rocking on the balls of her feet. She noticed that the goth wouldn't look at her, staring pointedly down at their assignment even though she wasn't doing anything with it.
"Okay, I'm sorry," she said quietly and sat back down on the couch gingerly. Jade flinched when she felt the warmth from the other girl's body again and her gut clenched painfully. Closing her eyes, she slowly counted to ten in her head, focusing on her breathing so that she could get her emotions back under control.
She knew that losing it at Tori now would only make the situation worse.
To Tori's credit, she stayed silent, letting Jade deal with whatever she was dealing with. She had no idea what was going on but the hostile aura coming from the goth was enough to keep her distance. Butterflies had evolved into mini dragons inside her stomach, and she shot a side glance at Jade. The goth's cheeks were inflamed, and she was still staring unblinkingly at the white paper in her lap.
When Jade's breathing finally started slowing, she was able to register the words swimming in front of her. Seeing her own handwriting was strangely comforting and she was able to shove certain thoughts to the back of her mind.
Concentrate on what you came here for.
"Come here and read what I've got so far," Jade finally spoke. Tori started, blinking in surprise but also relief. But in her hurry to do what Jade told her to, she accidentally misjudged the distance between them on the couch and barreled heavily into Jade's side. Sharp pain caught her in the ribs as the goth's pointy elbow dug into her from the collision.
"Ow, what the fuck Vega?" Jade complained rubbing her elbow. Tori winced, knowing that there was probably going to be a bruise there tomorrow. She soon found it hard to care however, because Jade's wonderful scent was washing over her again and the warmth that she so desperately craved was begging for her attention. Her eyes were already starting to feel heavy from tiredness and Jade's closeness wasn't helping.
The raven-haired beauty shifted away slightly, trying to create some breathing room and Tori almost whimpered in disappointment, immediately feeling a chill from Jade's absence.
The goth practically shoved the assignment plan onto Tori's lap, unconsciously leaning away from the brunette. She smells sweet, Jade thought briefly. Like vanilla.
Tori reluctantly looked down at the paper noticing again how Jade's handwriting made the words look like they were melting and running off each other. She forced herself to read what was written and found herself feeling impressed. It was one thing knowing that she was talented and another entirely to be faced with it.
"Wow- this is... great!" Tori exclaimed.
"You seem so surprised," Jade murmured. Her body was still angled away from the brunette but a little bit more control had come back whilst she had watched Tori read her writing, feeling almost smug at the amazement on her face.
Tori felt a little defensive. "I've never read any of your writing. I've only ever seen you perform. Plus, the last time we did a project together didn't go so well."
They both grimaced at the memory. They hadn't known each other for very long but Jade had pretended that Tori had physically hit her during their stage fighting scene which had resulted in Tori having detention for the first time in her life. But that was one of those rare moments when Jade had come through for her because she had decided to join Tori in her punishment. That afternoon had hardened Tori's resolve and she had become even more determined in winning Jade's friendship.
"I've always known how talented you are," Tori whispered, mostly to herself.
Jade heard anyway and her lips twitched in a half smile without her permission before she shoved it back down.
"Thank you," she murmured uncomfortably. It was silent for a moment as they sat awkwardly but a deep warmth had spread through Tori's body, making her feel emotional and desperate for confirmation that the goth didn't hate her and that her attempts at friendship wasn't for nothing.
"Jade, about today. I felt so bad about what I said-"
Jade interrupted her.
"I don't want to talk about it," she said bluntly. "I'm not about to sit down with you and braid each other's hair and talk about our feelings."
Tori sighed and ran a hand through her hair, feeling as if somebody had kicked her in the stomach.
"Right, note taken," she said flatly.
Jade looked at Tori's downtrodden face and felt guilt shoot through her veins, taking her by surprise. She believed that guilt was an unnecessary emotion, useless and a waste of time. She rarely even felt guilty when her and Beck fought over one of her stupid insults. So why did she suddenly feel bad for Tori of all people?
Before she could stop herself, she reached out and wrapped a hot hand around Tori's arm, probably squeezing a bit too hard but the brunette barely flinched. A sick part of Jade wanted to press down harder, just to see how much Tori could handle.
"Don't take it personally," Jade murmured lowly, not meeting her eyes. "I'm not really friends with anyone."
Tori's breath caught when Jade's hand touched her, and she sighed quietly at the contact. She almost wished Jade would grip her tighter just so she could feel more of that delicious warmth.
"What about Beck then?" Tori asked finally, fighting to close her eyes against the waves of weariness enveloping her. The urge to lay her head in Jade's lap and sleep was overwhelming and she couldn't even pinpoint why.
"Beck's different," was all she said. Jade's hand slowly released her arm, leaving an imprint of her fingers behind, and came down to rest lightly on Tori's bare thigh. So lightly that she almost didn't notice but when she did, she felt it burn through her skin sending goosebumps up her spine. Tori bit her lip, wondering what was happening. Her brain had clouded, and she was having trouble concentrating.
"What do you mean he's different?" she breathed; her voice had taken on an airy tone that she couldn't quite control.
"What is this, twenty questions?" Jade asked slightly irritated.
"I'm just trying to get to know you," Tori muttered and then yawned loudly.
"Don't," Jade stood up abruptly. "You're tired and it's late. I should get going."
"Wait!" Tori stood up clumsily, grabbing Jade's arm. Jade hated the infuriating tingles the contact caused her. She tried to ignore them; she really did but it was impossible. "I don't want you to hate me, Jade."
Something clenched hard in Jade's core and she swallowed what felt like shards of glass down her throat. The desperation and need that she could see in Tori's chocolate brown eyes almost broke down every wall she had ever put up and it terrified her. It scared her so much that she wanted to run out of Tori's house and never come back.
But her feet weren't cooperating and there was nothing she could do but gaze at the gentle face in front of her and feel the way her body reacted to such a simple touch.
When Tori let her hand fall from Jade's arm, she took a shaky breath.
"I don't hate you, Tori," she said softly, almost inaudibly.
The brunette gasped quietly, having never heard those words from Jade before. It lit her up with elation and she wanted to jump in triumph. She felt like she was so close, so close to getting under Jade's armor.
Just a little bit more.
"You didn't call me Vega," Tori choked out, her voice cracking. For the first time ever, Jade gave her a brilliant smile. It wasn't sarcastic or filled with malice. It was genuine, lighting up the raven-haired beauty's face and eyes and it dazzled Tori to silence.
"Goodnight Tori, I'll see you at school tomorrow."
Jade went out the front door, closing it quietly behind her.
Tori stood in the same spot for a moment, her fingers circling the place on her arm that Jade had grabbed so fiercely. She could still feel the goth's long, slender fingers wrapping around the length of her arm easily, could imagine those fingers gliding across a piano and creating beautiful music.
Gliding across my skin, she thought in a haze. How was this even possible? Six hours ago, they had been at each other's throats.
The sound of Trina blasting music upstairs made Tori jump out of her reverie, her heart in her throat as she realized what she was doing.
She tried to rationalize her feelings and push them away, but as she climbed into bed later that night, dreams of Jade haunted her sleep.