Chapter Text
Those damn feelings.
They started the day after they were forced to “date” by Sikowitz.
At least, that was when she first noticed them.
The group had been sitting at their normal lunch table, like usual.
Andre was talking about a song he had to write for class, Robbie was arguing with Rex over some stupid thing she had stopped paying attention to, and Cat was being, well, Cat. Beck’s arm wrapped around her shoulders and pressed her into his side. She didn’t move away from the contact but, not for the first time lately, she didn’t feel the same sense of warmth she once found in his arms. She chewed silently on her sandwich, eyes scanning over the table once again before searching through the crowds of other students. Tori was nowhere to be found, not that she missed the half-Latina or anything. She just found it odd that one of the first people usually at the table was running so late.
“Man, where’s Tori?” asked Andre, apparently thinking the same thing.
“Who cares?” snarked Jade, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Good afternoon to you too, Jade,” came Tori’s silky voice from behind her.
Her stomach did a flip at the sound of Tori’s voice. Before she could come up with a remark, Tori’s hand squeezed her shoulder. She whipped around, intent on telling Tori not to touch her, but found herself unable to speak when she was met with Tori’s warm smile.
Tori hadn’t smiled at her like that for a long time - not since she and Beck had broken up and she had turned up on Tori’s doorstep lost and in tears.
Since then, they’d gone back to mostly being enemies. Apparently, their “date” at Nozu had Tori trying once again for friendship.
She didn’t smile back, but she also allowed Tori’s hand to remain where it was. She let Tori touch her a lot without complaint, she noticed.
Instead of sitting in her normal spot between Andre and Cat, Tori sat herself down on the other side of Jade.
Jade raised an eyebrow, tilting her head in curiosity at the other girl.
Tori shrugged her shoulders, offering another smile, this time a hesitant one.
Everyone in the group looked towards them in surprise.
“What are you looking at?” Jade snapped, glaring back.
“Nothing!” exclaimed Robbie with panic.
Andre looked mildly scared. His fear elevated when Cat opened her mouth to say something. Andre’s hand shot out to cover the redhead’s mouth. “Don’t say anything, Red. I don’t wanna get an ass-whooping.”
Beck didn’t say anything, instead offering his girlfriend an encouraging smile. Jade rolled her eyes but didn’t even try to push Tori away from her.
Tori shifted in her seat to grab something out of her lunchbox, the movement causing her body to brush gently against Jade’s.
Jade ignored the fluttering feeling that made it hard to finish her food.
The feelings never stopped after that.
She couldn’t have stopped them even if she wanted to. It was kind of hard to do so when she started spending more time hanging out with Tori, their antagonistic rivalry officially over.
It was even harder when she finally gathered the courage to invite Tori over to her house and Jade watched as the aspiring singer took in the green and purple hues of her basement room, the riot grrrl band posters that plastered the walls, and her collections of odd knick-knacks and expensive scissors that filled her shelves.
When Tori turned around after taking stock of everything around her, there was a bright smile on her face. “You know, I never thought I’d get to see your room.”
Jade smiled back, but rolled her eyes. “Don’t get used to it, Vega.”
“All I’m saying is it’s an amazing show!” exclaimed Andre, taking a sip of his Wahoo Punch, his arm resting behind his head.
“The first four seasons were amazing. So was season six. The rest were garbage,” argued Beck.
“You guys have been arguing about this for the last twenty minutes,” groaned Tori from her spot on her pink floral beach towel.
“'Cause Beck won’t admit it’s masterpiece television!” Andre turned to Robbie and Cat, who were curled up on a towel beside Tori. “Cat, come on, help me out here.”
“It’s a good show,” the redhead shrugged. “Nina Dobrev kinda looks like Tori.”
“Everyone always says that,” said Tori, looking up with an annoyed expression before her head disappeared back into the makeshift pillow of her arms.
Jade sighed when she felt a finger tap on her shoulder. She opened her eyes behind her sunglasses, turning sharply towards the source of her ruined relaxation - her ex-boyfriend.
“What?” she whispered.
Beck leaned in, cupping his hand over his mouth so nobody could see his lips move. “You told me once that you thought Nina Dobrev was attractive,” he said conspiratorially.
“So what?” she asked, pushing down the blush that threatened to find its way to her cheeks.
“Tori looks like Nina Dobrev,” he said with a teasing grin.
“Fuck off, Oliver.” This time, she couldn’t stop the light blush that formed.
He winked before leaning back in his beach chair.
The two of them, after talking about it extensively at the end of junior year, had decided on a mutual breakup. For good, this time. There would be no more splitting up only to run back into each other’s arms days later. The last night before summer officially began, she had told him she was pretty sure she was more interested in girls than in boys and that she wasn’t sure if she loved him the way she thought she once had. She had expected a full-blown argument to stem from her confession, but it never did. Instead, he sat her down on his bed, made her a meal, and talked with her about both her feelings and his. She could tell he was hurt, that the end of their nearly three-year-long relationship was leaving him on the verge of tears, but he was also doing his best to be supportive.
“I don’t want you to feel trapped in a relationship with me if you’re feeling confused. I love you too much to do that to you,” he had said.
The group’s trip to Disneyland the day after their breakup had been extremely awkward. When Beck had shown up that day, it had been clear from his red and puffy eyes that a good portion of his night had been spent crying. He didn’t talk to her the whole day. But, since then, they’d worked their way back to a steady friendship.
“Jade?” Andre called her name.
“Huh?” she asked, being brought back into the present.
“Do you like TVD?”
Jade rolled her eyes underneath her sunglasses. “You’re still on that?”
“Jade loves it, actually,” interjected Beck, earning him a rather hard smack on the arm from Jade. “Owww!” he said with a laugh.
“It’s not...terrible,” she grumbled.
She leaned back in her reclined chair and interlocked her fingers behind her head, angling herself so she could secretly look at the half-Latina sprawled out in the sand. Her eyes raked over the tanned olive skin of Tori’s long legs. God, they went on for miles. Her gaze went higher, lingering on Tori’s firm ass. Somewhere in the back of her head, she chastised herself for staring at her friend’s pretty body. She knew the appropriate and respectful thing to do would be to look away, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so. Tori was just too pretty and it really wasn’t fair how attractive Jade found her. She felt a familiar ache begin to form and she shifted to find a more comfortable position. Not in front of their friends. Nope.
Tori must have worked out regularly since the last time Jade saw her in a bikini because when the girl propped herself up on her elbows, long and lean muscles rolled in her back. Jade shut her eyes quickly and turned her head away. She was going to have to excuse herself pretty soon if she kept looking.
An hour later, after locating Robbie and Cat, who had wandered off into the ocean, and dragging them back to the sand, she was washing herself off underneath an outdoor beach shower when she heard Tori walk behind her. She turned around in time to see Tori slip off her towel and set it to the side. Tori adjusted the strap of her sky blue bikini top as she stepped underneath the showerhead next to Jade’s, humming as she turned it on.
Jade forced herself to face the brick wall in front of her, but she couldn’t stop herself from watching Tori out of the corners of her eyes. Tori’s hands worked their way through her tangled hair, and Jade’s eyes rested on Tori’s breasts, smaller than Jade’s own but still beautiful.
“Jade,” moaned Tori.
Jade’s breath hitched as she held Tori by the waist with one arm, the other crawling up the expanse of the half-Latina’s stomach to cup a breast. “You have no idea what you do to me,” Jade whispered against the soft flesh of Tori’s neck.
She pressed a gentle kiss there.
“Jade?”
“What?” she snapped, turning her head as her cheeks flushed.
Shit, she’d definitely been caught.
“You were staring,” said Tori with a raised eyebrow.
“No I wasn’t.”
“Yes, you w-”
“No,” Jade interrupted, her voice firm. “I wasn’t.”
Tori glared at her and, although Jade could tell the other girl wanted to say something, she bit her tongue. “Okay. You weren’t. I’m sorry.”
“Whatever,” she said, stepping out from underneath the showerhead and reaching for her towel to dry herself off. “You done?”
Tori nodded, following suit. “Yeah, let’s head back to Beck’s car.”
“We just have to stop by my house on the way. There’re some spices and stuff I need to grab,” informed Beck as he looked over his shoulder to make a lane change.
“So you’re the designated chef for tonight?” asked Jade.
“Yes ma’am, I am,” he smiled. “Well, me and Tori.”
Jade snorted. “Tori doesn’t know how to cook.”
She expected some sort of remark or protest from her friend but, instead, she felt the soft thump of a head against her shoulder. It wasn’t...was it? She glanced to her left, in disbelief that Tori Vega of all people had seemingly fallen asleep on her shoulder.
But, if the very distinct brunette head wasn’t enough proof for her, Cat confirmed it.
“Awwwww,” whispered Cat from the third row of seats. “Tori’s asleep.”
Beck checked to make sure the road was safe before glancing behind him, a look of surprise on his face. “Wow.” He flashed Jade a smile. “Can’t believe you let that happen.”
Jade rolled her eyes, flipping him off. “Like I had a choice.”
Their rivalry might have been over, but Jade wouldn’t admit she’d gone soft on Tori Vega.
“Don’t wake up the princess,” laughed Andre from the passenger seat.
Jade glanced down at Tori’s sleeping form again, noting her slumped posture and the odd angle of her neck bent to lean heavily on Jade. “That can’t be comfortable,” she muttered, mostly to herself.
“Do you care?” asked Robbie from his spot next to Cat.
“Did I say I did?” she snapped.
“No,” squeaked Robbie, falling silent.
Jade huffed, trying to figure out a way to make Tori more comfortable without waking her up. Slowly, she tried to push on Tori’s shoulder to prop her up but stopped when Tori began mumbling. The half-Latina pushed herself back down onto Jade, digging her head into the crook of Jade’s neck rather uncomfortably.
Jade rested her head in her hand, resigned to being pinned between Tori and the car door for the rest of the ride. She turned her head towards Beck. “Why’s Tori grilling with you tonight?”
Beck shrugged his shoulders, not taking his eyes off the road. “‘Cause, other than me, she’s the only one who can make a proper meal.”
“Last time I ate one of her ‘meals’ it was those spicy tuna balls she made for Ryder,” shuddered Andre.
“Fuck Ryder.” It was out of Jade’s mouth before she could stop herself.
Beck turned his head to give her an odd look before re-focusing his gaze and making another lane change. “You haven’t eaten anything she’s made this summer. She’s become a good cook.”
She raised her eyebrows. “How would you know?”
She didn’t mean for the question to sound as accusatory as it did.
She heard Beck take a breath, as if preparing himself for some sort of argument. She couldn’t really blame him. They’d gotten into plenty of those while they were dating.
He spoke cautiously. “We’ve been...hanging out most weeks. And she wanted to learn how to cook, grill, bake, ya know, the works. So I taught her.”
“Oh.”
She didn’t know why she felt a rush of jealousy. Tori had made it clear on multiple occasions that she wasn’t interested in Beck. And Beck had always insisted that he wasn’t going after Tori when he was dating her, but maybe that was different now that they weren’t together.
So that was where Tori was whenever she texted and said that she was busy.
Jade fell silent, crossing her arms and looking out the window at the shitty California traffic.
A few minutes later, when she was knocked out of her thoughts by the warm breath against her neck, she felt her body relax.
She watched in annoyance as Beck and Tori laughed while they grilled the group’s cheeseburger and hot dog dinner.
It seemed like Beck had taught her well; Tori moved around the outdoor grill like she’d known what she was doing since she was a kid. Whereas before Tori would refuse to even pick up a spatula, she was flipping burgers with ease as she whistled to herself.
The scene looked so natural and serene and it was adorable.
But watching Tori and Beck crack jokes and move around each other like they had always been this in sync had her frustrated. She poured a generous amount of peach Svedka into her red solo cup, setting the big pink bottle back down in front of her before knocking back her cup. Ignoring the look on Robbie’s face, she wiped the dribble from her lips.
“Just to double-check, we’ve all got Sikowitz for acting last period, right?” asked Andre, scrolling through his Fall semester schedule on his PearPhone.
“Yep,” responded the rest of the group who sat around Jade’s marble fire pit.
“I can’t believe tomorrow’s the start of our last year,” murmured Cat, a sullen frown on her face as her hands fidgeted in her lap.
Andre pressed the power button on his phone, shoving it into his jacket pocket before zipping it up. “I don’t think any of us really wanna think about that,” he replied with a furrowed brow. “Right Jade?”
She took another decent-sized sip of her drink. “It’s whatever,” was what she said.
It wasn’t. Not really. Thankfully, they were all going to the same college, so it wasn’t like this next year was their goodbye. But, still, it was the ending of a significant chapter in their lives and in their friendships. Actually, she felt it was more like the ending of a whole novel, and college would be the sequel. There were still so many things she desperately wanted to write in this one, though; she wasn’t ready to reach the back cover.
“Okay, kiddos, dinner’s ready!” exclaimed Beck, as he and Tori headed over with multiple plates of hamburger meat, cheese, bacon, hot dogs, buns, and a few condiments.
They set them down on the round table by the fire pit, though Tori had an extra one in hand that she held out to Jade. The brunette gave her a small smile, waiting for Jade to accept the plate. “Bacon cheeseburger with two pieces of cheese, light ketchup, and a hot dog with a little relish.” When Jade didn’t move, instead looking at her with a raised eyebrow in silence, Tori started to look uncomfortable. “I, uhm, this is what you made yourself last time we all did this at your house so I just thought I’d make it for you,” she stammered.
Tori...remembered the exact meal? Jade had to stop herself from overreacting to the kind gesture. She offered a small smile as her heart fluttered softly. “Thanks, Vega.”
Tori nodded, looking at the empty seat to Jade’s left. “May I?”
“Go ahead.”
When Tori took her seat, Jade picked a Smirnoff Ice off the floor and handed it to Tori. “Since you like the weak stuff,” she added, a playful smirk on her face.
Tori twisted the cap off with a little help from her bright pink shirt. “I can have stronger stuff. It just doesn’t taste as good.”
“My name is Sweet Sally Peaches and I can consume strong alcohol. I just choose not to because it doesn’t taste very good,” mocked Jade, slipping into the overly-sweet and country girl-esque voice she used to impersonate Tori.
Tori glared at her, taking a large sip of her drink. “I will hit you,” she grumbled and leaned over to reach the assortment of plates to make her meal.
“You can try,” challenged Jade, a daring look on her face.
To her surprise, Tori instantly abandoned the burger she was in the process of making and tried to swat Jade’s arm.
Jade caught her wrist easily, tugging Tori towards her in the process. With a noise of surprise, Tori narrowly avoided falling completely into the goth’s lap, her body hanging over the side of her chair and her head mere inches away from Jade’s. Jade froze for a second, drinking in Tori’s charming wide-eyed expression. Her eyes darted down to Tori’s soft make-up free lips and remained there for a moment as she contemplated making a very stupid decision.
She let go of Tori’s wrist, pulling away from the other girl in a hurry. She turned her head to hide her nervous swallow as Tori shrunk back into her seat, a dazed look taking over her pretty features. “Nice try.” Jade’s voice lacked its usual confidence.
Tori didn’t have a response, giving her one last stunned look before clearing her throat and hastily finishing the creation of her burger.
Jade opened her mouth to say something, but couldn’t figure out how to ease the sudden tension she felt floating through the air.
Nice fucking job, West, she mentally kicked herself.
She looked down at her plate and decided to try the bacon cheeseburger first since she knew Tori had been in charge of the burgers. One tentative bite led to an almost immediate larger bite and she actually had to stop herself from moaning out loud.
Holy hell. Tori had gone from abysmal spicy tuna balls to this?
Beck wasn’t kidding when he said she knew how to cook now. It wasn’t Beck-level good; he was the king of the grill. But it was damn near close.
Tori turned, watching Jade eat. When she spoke, her voice betrayed her nervousness, like she was waiting for Jade’s approval. “Good?”
It was fucking fantastic. But because she was Jade and this was Tori, she flashed her a small smile and said: “It’s edible.”
Tori offered a convincing grin, but Jade could see her face fall briefly before the mask set in place. “I’ll take that as a compliment.” She turned away and took a sip of her Smirnoff Ice.
For the second time that night, she wanted to hit herself. It was so fucking obvious that Tori was hoping for her approval but, of course, because Jade was Jade, she didn’t give it to her.
Picking up her red solo cup, she peered inside, seeing that she had around one-third of the contents left, and drank the rest. The vodka, even with its peach flavor, was difficult to swallow as it cascaded down her throat. The burn left behind almost caused her to outwardly react, but she toughed it out.
She listened in silence to Beck’s stories from his summer job as a pool lifeguard, eating in her seat with her legs curled up to her chest. Some were stupid and some were funny, but the ones that had her interested were the ones that Tori was apparently a part of.
She felt her chest tightening again, so when Andre finished his meal and asked if anyone wanted to join him in the hot tub, she jumped at the chance to get away from the group, bringing the whole peach Svedka bottle with her.
Hastily, she threw off her pale blue shirt and black leggings, stepping into the already hot water of her family’s meticulously crafted stone hot tub in a black bikini. She quickly moved to the far end of the water and sank down, closing her eyes and leaning her head back. Andre must have recognized that she wanted to be left alone because, other than the sounds of him padding into the hot tub and sitting on the other side, he was silent.
Later that night, after relaxing in the hot tub, drinking a bit more than necessary, and playing a few card games with the rest of the group, Jade tugged on her red and black checkered flannel pajamas.
After saying goodnight to the girls, the boys had retreated into the guest room with a bottle of whiskey and the intent to play a few more drinking games.
She was giving herself a once-over in the mirror when there was a soft knock on the door. Opening the door, Jade was met with Tori’s shy smile, face flushed a little from the few Smirnoffs she had.
“Is it alright if I brush my teeth?” asked Tori, holding up a plastic bag with a pink toothbrush and toothpaste.
“Yeah, I’m done in here,” responded Jade, clumsily stepping to the side to allow Tori through before walking out, the door clicking shut behind her.
She glanced at her carpet floor to find two sleeping bags that contrasted the dark greens and purples of her room. Cat occupied the bright red one, a perfect match for her hair. The other, a hot pink one with a floral pillow, belonged to Tori. Jade couldn’t help the amused snort that left her as she took a few moments to stare at it; Tori really loved pink.
Tiptoeing around Cat’s lightly snoring form, Jade crossed her room to her walk-in closet and stepped inside. Thankfully and maybe contrary to what her friends thought, she was actually a pretty big neat freak when it came to keeping her room organized. Well, excluding her desk, which was more of a mess than she knew what to do with. She spotted her black sleeping bag immediately despite not using it since the first time she stayed over at Beck’s house.
When she walked back into her room, Tori was already in her sleeping bag, PearPhone propped on her stomach and scrolling aimlessly through TheSlap.
Tori glanced over at her, eyeing the sleeping bag. “You have a bed,” she pointed out. “A big bed.”
Jade rolled her eyes and grabbed a black pillow from her king-sized bed before tossing her sleeping bag on the ground beside Tori. “I wouldn’t be a good host if I took my own bed while my guests slept on the floor.”
Tori shut off her phone and raised an eyebrow. “You sure that’s your reason?”
Placing her pillow down, Jade crawled into the sleeping bag and pulled the cover to her chest. “What other reason would I have?”
Tori rolled over onto her side to face Jade, using her elbow to hold her head up. “Being next to your friends, maybe?”
“Keep dreaming, Vega,” said Jade, though the smirk on her face was playful.
Tori pouted and oh wow she looked adorable when she did that. “Whatever, West. Get some sleep, big day tomorrow.” She rolled over so she was no longer facing Jade, snuggling into her pillow, and Jade found that she missed being able to look at Tori’s face.
Jade hesitated as she stared at the back of Tori’s head, unsure if she should say what was on her mind. “Tori?” she called the other girl’s name with uncertainty.
“Huh?” mumbled the aspiring singer, not turning around.
It took her a while to get the words out of her mouth. “Thank you for the meal earlier. It was really good.”
For almost a full minute, there was complete silence, and Jade was about to close her eyes, thinking Tori must have fallen asleep, when the other girl spoke quietly, her words barely above a whisper. “I’m glad you liked it.”
Minutes later, the half-Latina’s breathing had evened out and she was fast asleep.
If Jade pulled her sleeping bag closer to Tori’s before shutting her eyes, it was the alcohol’s fault.