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“VEGA!”
“Oh, God! Andre, you need to hide me. Please!” Tori begs her dearest and closest friend, eyes shimmering with fear.
“Nope. You know I don’t deal with Jade related matters. Especially not angry-Jade related matters. I love you, chica, but you’re on your own.” And with that, the coward sprints away. The fastest she’s ever seen that man run. So much for having a best friend. Tori turns to run away, but it’s far too late. The gothic tornado that is Jade West is faster than her now jellylike-legs. A fierce grip, claw-like even, wraps around her arm and she’s being unwittingly dragged to the janitor’s closet. ‘This is it’, she thinks. ‘This is where I meet my maker. Tell my sister not to touch my stuff when I’m gone.’
As she’s shoved inside, stumbling backwards and barely gathering her bearing by gripping the shelves, a thunderous slam sounds throughout the tiny closet. Her eyes slam shut, ‘any minute now, I’ll be like one of those pretty girls from “The Scissoring”, I hope there’s enough left of me to bury’.
“What is wrong with you?” The once booming voice is now shaky and quiet, barely perceptible. Tori opens her eyes slowly, confused on why she’s still able to even open her eyes.
“W-what?” Tori cocks her head, the scene in front of her far from what she expected. Jade, always hardened, tough, and angry, is now seemingly trying to glare at her to death, except her shining eyes make it hard to feel fear. Tori’s stomach drops. ‘No, no, no, I made Jade cry’.
“Am I so unlovable that your only solution was to BRIBE someone to ask me on a date?” Jade’s voice cracks, the anger still present as ever, but hurt overshadows it.
“What? Jade, no. I don’t think you’re unlovable, it’s just—“
“Just what, Vega?! Just that, since everyone hates me, then you just had to pay someone to go out with me?” A scoff, eyes so dim, tears pooling.
“No! No, it’s not like that! I was just trying to help Beck—“
“Beck? What does this have to do with Beck? Did he make you…”, she couldn’t say it again, the humiliation, the pain. Jade looked at the floor, taking a deep breath. Her eyes trailed from the floor to Tori’s eyes, eyes that were so dull, not the eyes she knew, not the ones that shone with so much intensity. Jade turned and silently headed towards the door.
Before Tori could think it through, she ran past Jade and slammed into the door, blocking the exit with her body. She knew that if Jade left, then that would be it. She’d truly hate her. Not the “hate” she was used to, the one where they still had mutual respect for each other, the one where it always felt like it was teetering on the edge of more.
“Please, Jade. Just listen to me. Please.” Tori’s voice was thin, hoarse, imploring Jade to just please listen.
“Vega, get out of my way.” Jade looks through Tori, her voice flat and even. Tears still pooling, yet refusing to fall.
“No. You’re going to listen to m—“
“VEGA. MOVE.”
“No, Jade! Please, Jade, please.” Tori goes to grab Jade’s arm. Only for Jade to viscerally recoil away from her. Tori’s stomach falls, the heavy pit that made itself known since they entered this fucking closet just getting bigger and bigger. “I was just… Beck got asked out by Meredith, but he didn’t want to go because he was scared you’d be jealous. So, I stupidly thought that if you had someone, then you wouldn’t care who Beck was seeing.” Tori gets it all out in one breath, stumbling and sputtering, afraid that if she paused for even a moment, Jade would cut her off again, or worse, push her away and leave.
“And you think that makes it better? You humiliated me, Tori. You made a fool of me in front of everyone at school. All because Beck was scared I’d be jealous? I don’t care about Beck. I broke up with him for a myriad of reasons, one specific big one. Which he knows, but he’s deluded himself into thinking we’ll get back together” Jade’s tone was still hard, but now it was accompanied by incredulity.
“I… I didn’t know that.” Tori looks down. If shame wasn’t eating her up before, she’s sure stuck in its throat now.
“No shit! Why would you?!” Jade huffs, smacking her arms against her sides. “That still doesn’t explain why you had the brilliant idea that you had to bribe some loser to go on a date with me!”
Tori bites her lip, eyes downcast, tears pooling in her eyes.
“Why are you crying?! You shouldn’t be the one crying here!” Jade’s voice rises, she takes a step towards Tori, then stops.
“I-I know. I’m sorry. I just…” Tori sniffles. She looks up at Jade, then looks away, teeth digging harder into her lips.
“Either you speak or you let me leave.” Jade’s voice is final. The day taking its toll on her. She lets out a hard breath through her nose and begins to reach for the door handle.
Tori’s eyes widen and in her panic she grabs Jade’s wrist with one hand and her hip with the other, pulling her closer, hand fisting in her shirt, head hiding in Jade’s neck. “I was scared, okay!”
Jade blinks, looking down at the shaking head, she takes a steadying breath and drops her arms to her sides. “You’re going to have to help me out here, Vega. Scared of what?” The sheer confusion at their current state, distracted her from the unbridled rage she felt mere moments ago.
Tori buries her face further into Jade’s neck. “I was scared that Beck was right. That the second he got with Meredith, you’d get jealous and want him back. That you’d have me help you get back with him. I couldn’t do that again, Jade. I couldn’t help you get back with him, when…”, Tori takes in a deep breath, “when I love you.” The last part was said so quietly, Jade struggled to hear it.
“You… love me?” Jade blinks, voice soft and hopeful. Then it turns sour and scornful, “Wow, you loved me so much, you bribed a guy to ask me out. Why didn’t you just do it?” Jade hadn’t meant to say that last part, but she was so confused. Nothing Tori was saying made any sense to her.
Tori looks up, eyes boring into Jade’s, willing her to believe every word she said. “I didn’t think you wanted me! Actually, I’m like 90% sure you hate me. I thought, maybe if you had a rebound, you’d have moved on from Beck enough, that… I don’t know. I guess…. I guess I didn’t think.” Tori sighed, head slumping against Jade’s collarbone. “Please don’t hate me. Well, not more than you already do.”
Jade pushed against Tori’s shoulders, making sure their eyes met. “Vega, you have got to be the stupidest person I have ever met.” Tori’s looks down, sniffling. Jade takes her chin in her hand, making her face her again. “Remember how I said there was this big reason I left Beck? It was you, Tori. Other than the fact that he’s the worst boyfriend ever, I realized that I feel more alive during our banter than I ever did during the entirety of my relationship with him. I know I haven’t been the best at showing you my feelings. But that’s why this hurt so much, Tori. I’ve been trying to work up the nerve to ask you out this entire week and for that to happen…”, Jade takes a deep breath, “it felt like, like you thought I was so unlovable that you’d have to pay someone to be with me.”
“No, no.” Tori scrambles to clarify. “I promise, I don’t think that. Andre sort of hyped up how every guy in school is terrified of you, then I saw how you talked to that guy whose notes you borrowed.” Tori sighs. “I was desperate, I guess. I wanted to do anything so you wouldn’t go back to Beck. I’m so sorry, Jade. I’m so, so sorry.”
“I know. Still very ridiculous, and I’m never letting you live it down. AND you have to make it up to me a thousand times over, but I think I can eventually get over it.” Jade smiles, soft and hopeful again. She couldn’t believe she fell in love with this absolute idiot.
“Anything. I’ll do anything. I really didn’t mean to hurt you. And I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.” Tori’s grip on Jade’s shirt tightens, scared that if she let go then somehow Jade would disappear.
“Careful, Vega. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re proposing to me.” Jade smirks.
Tori huffs, her free hand smacking Jade’s shoulder, head slumping on her chest again. “Shut up. You wish.”
Jade’s arms finally come up and wrap around Tori, rocking from side to side slowly. “We’ll have to talk more about this. But for now…” One of Jade’s hands slide up Tori’s body, resting on her face, she pulls back slightly looking into Tori’s eyes as she inches closer, searching her eyes to see if she wants this too. Tori gives her a small nod, seeing this confirmation, Jade surges forward capturing Tori’s lips in a searing kiss.
A kiss meant to promise a lifetime of doing better and building themselves to be the best version they can be for each other. A kiss meant to say, I will always do my best not to hurt you, not again. A kiss that said, I love you, now, forever, and always.