fic: Come Get Me
Uploading from FF.net in case it gets deleted.
Title: Come Get Me
Author: slacker_d
Pairing/Characters: Jade/Beck, Tori/Jade, Andre, Cat
Rating: R for language
Summary: For some reason whenever Jade needs a ride, she calls Tori.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Word Count: ~
Spoilers: None
A/N: Idea came from joriheadcanons on tumblr, #126.
2nd A/N: Unbeta’ed, so all mistakes are mine.
The First Time
Jade still can't believe that Beck blew off this party to study of all things. Yeah, the midterm is worth half their grade, but it's days away. Friday nights aren't meant for studying. Ever. She’s been telling him that since they first going out; apparently it didn’t stick.
Whatever. It's not like she needs him to have a good time. If anything, he's always trying to get her to cut back, be more cautious. What's the point of being young if you can't let loose and be crazy for a bit?
The party is in full swing. Pushing through the already crowded house, Jade finds the keg and pours herself a drink.
…
It's late and Jade's not sober. She's not sure what time it is, but she knows she's in no condition to get home by herself. She's watched enough horror movies to know how her night will end if she decides to walk home alone, drunk.
Looking around, she doesn't see anyone sober that she can bully into driving her home. Figures that all the goody two shoes already left. Doesn't anyone know how to properly party?
It takes some effort, but she manages to dig out her phone. The only problem is her eyes can't seem to focus properly on the screen. She tries to scroll through her contacts to call Beck, but her fingers don't seem to be doing what she wants.
Remembering that Beck is the last call she made before heading out, Jade hits redial. She'd tried one more time to tempt him into joining him, but he refused saying he and the others were studying. It makes Jade wonder when she started hanging out with so many losers.
She doesn't even wait for Beck to say hello before speaking. "I'm drunk. Come get me." And then hangs up.
At this point, standing is becoming more effort than she wants to put forth, so Jade staggers outside and collapses on the grass in the front yard. Lying down seems like a good idea, so she does. The stars seem especially glittery tonight, so Jades stares at them.
Time passes; Jade isn't sure how much, but she suddenly becomes aware of the car idling near by and honking at her. She sits up and sees an unfamiliar car parked in front of her.
The window rolls down and Jade hears a familiar voice say, "Get in already, Jade."
With a bit of effort, Jade sits up and scoots forward until she's touching the car. Using it to help her stand, Jade gets up and opens the door. She then slumps into the passenger seat.
"Seatbelt."
Jade looks over at the driver. What the fuck? It's Tori. "Vega?"
Tori shrugs. "You called me," Tori answers the unspoken question. "Seatbelt."
Jade struggles with it for a while before Tori sighs, grabs it from Jade and buckles her in. Once that's figured out, Tori begins driving.
"Why are you here?" Jade asks.
"Again. You called me."
"Meant to call Beck," Jade grumbles.
"Well obviously you misdialed."
"Weren't you losers studying together?" Jade asks. "Why didn't you just tell him to come get me?"
"He'd already headed home," Tori replies. "I figured it was easier. Plus, when I left, Robbie and Cat were fighting about Skittle flavors, so I took that as my cue to leave. I hope poor Andre managed to get them out eventually."
"Whatever."
It's silent the rest of the drive to Jade's house. The radio is playing some top 40s pop, but it's low enough that Jade can't quite make out the words; not that she cares.
Instead she tries to sort through her feelings. The fact that she somehow managed to call Tori and not Beck is bothering her; not because she hates Tori, because she doesn't. It's just pretending to hate Tori is easier. Especially when she's so damn nice. No one else would come and pick up a drunk who claims to hate her.
It makes Jade wonder sometimes, is Tori really that nice? Or is all that niceness a cover for something sinister? The small part of Jade that wants to like Tori, hopes so.
When Tori pulls into Jade's driveway, Jade struggles with the door handle before finally getting it open.
"You're welcome for the ride," Tori says as Jade climbs out.
"Whatever," Jade replies.
She hears Tori sigh and feels… bad about it. Jade blames the alcohol.
"Thanks Vega," she says hastily before slamming the car door and hurrying inside.
The Second Time
Two months later…
Disgusted, Jade slams the door of Beck's car and makes her way inside Eli's house. The party is already going strong and it doesn't take long for Jade to forget about the fight she and Beck had on the way over.
It's been like this the whole day. Jade takes responsibility for that, though Beck did start things this morning. Everyone always assumes that it's her that starts most of their fights, but Beck isn't as relaxed about everything as he seems.
She’d thought they’d made up enough to go to this party without incident, but apparently not. Whatever, she doesn’t need Beck to have a good time.
…
Jade is drunk. Which is probably why it's so difficult to find Beck. She has no idea what time it is, but she knows she needs to get home.
It then occurs to her that Beck might not be sober, either. They never really talked about who would be the sober driver. Since Beck has no problem with Jade driving his car, they usually take turns being the DD. But they didn't decide that tonight because of the fight.
Jade groans. She has a feeling that Beck is drunk too, especially if they fought. Beck isn't usually one to avoid problems like Jade does, but if he's in the right atmosphere, he can be persuaded to have a drink or two. Two become three or more and then he's a lost cause.
Digging out her phone, Jade heads outside for some fresh air; it should help with the double vision. The question is, who to call for a ride home.
Scrolling through her contacts, Jade's finger stops on Tori's name. She did come get Jade before even if Jade hadn't meant to call her. She would probably come again, though Jade's not sure if it's because she wants to be Jade's friend or she's just too damn nice. Probably both.
And so she calls Tori. It's late, so Jade isn't surprised that it goes to voicemail. All good little girls are probably in bed by now.
But then to her surprise, her phone rings, the ID reading, Vega.
"What?!”
"You called me, Jade," Tori answers, sounding very awake and a little bit annoyed.
"I'm drunk. Come get me."
Normally Jade would just hang up, but she has to know if Tori is actually coming or if she needs to find another ride.
Tori sighs. "Call Beck."
"We're fighting."
Another longer sigh. "Fine. I'll be there as soon as I can." And then she hangs up.
Jade stares at her phone in surprise. She thought for sure Tori was asleep, instead from the noise in the background, it sounded like she was out having fun as well. And then Jade belatedly remembers that Tori has no idea where she is. She hastily sends a text before Tori gets fed up and blows her off. It hasn't happened before, but Jade supposes there's a first time for everything.
The next step is to sink to the ground; the grass is nice and soft, plus standing is getting annoying. It'll be easier to pass the time laying down, less spinning.
She has no idea how much time has passed, but suddenly someone's grabbing her arm and pulling her up. Jade opens her eyes to find Tori valiantly trying to help her stand.
"Vega."
"Jade," Tori intones. "Could you help a bit, please?"
"I'm not?" Jade giggles.
Another big sigh. "No. You're not."
"Can't," Jade says. "Two of you and it's confusing."
Tori is muttering to herself under her breath. Jade thinks she hears some cursing, but brushes it off. Tori is too nice to swear.
The suddenly she's in the car. It's different than the one Tori picked Jade up in the last time. Tori is buckling her seatbelt and slamming the passenger door shut before Jade can ask.
The radio is off this time as they drive, so Jade asks, "Whose car?"
"My dad's," Tori replies. "Last time, it was Trina's."
"No car for Tori?"
"Apparently failing the first two times and passing the third time by just one point doesn't earn you a car in the Vega family," Tori sighs.
Jade finds this funny and begins laughing hysterically.
"What's so funny?" Tori asks when Jade finally calms down a bit.
"Can't believe your sistah is actual better at somethin' than you."
Tori smiles, chuckling a bit. "I suppose it's kinda funny."
They fall back into silence for a moment before Jade starts to feel sick.
"Pull over."
"What?"
"Pull over! Gonna be sick."
"Oh."
They don't immediately and Jade begins to fear she's going to puke in the car. If it was Trina's, she probably wouldn't care, but since it's Mr. Vega's she'd rather not. He has enough problems without vomit in his car.
When the car finally pulls to a stop, Jade knows there's no time and rolls down the window. She just manages to stick her head out before she starts puking. A moment later, she feels a hand pulling her hair back and rubbing her back reassuringly. Normally, she'd shake Tori off with some harsh words, but in her current state, Jade can admit to herself that it feels nice.
When she's finally finished, she pulls her head back inside the car and Tori hands her some tissue to wipe her mouth.
"Sorry, I don't have any water," Tori says. "But I have gum." She holds it out.
Jade accepts it, thankful for anything that will get the taste of regurgitated orange juice out of her mouth.
"Do you mind if we stop at a gas station first, so I can wash the vomit off the door?" Tori asks.
"You're driving," Jade mumbles.
Tori nods and begins driving again.
By the time they stop at the gas station, Jade is feeling a little better. The dizziness has disappeared and the double vision has just become a pounding headache. She closes her eyes because the all the lights are making it worse. She hears Tori next to her, outside the car, washing her puke off and she almost feels bad.
When Tori gets back into the car, she elbows Jade. Jade doesn't respond, so Tori does it again.
"Wwhhaaatt?"
"I got you some water and aspirin," Tori replies.
"Oh. Thanks." She takes both and downs the water in three gulps.
"Jeez, Jade," Tori mutters.
"I'm dehydrated," Jade retorts.
"No kidding."
They're driving again, but since they're away from the bright lights of the gas station, Jade feels comfortable enough to open her eyes again. She glances over at her driver.
"What are you wearing, Vega?"
Tori’s dressed all in black, looking more like Jade than happy go lucky Tori, though Jade does notice her Doc Martin’s are purple.
“Clothes.”
“Obviously,” Jade snaps. “But there’s not one stitch of color on you, besides your boots.”
“So?”
“Well it looks weird,” Jade tells her.
“Thanks?”
“Where were you anyway?” Jade asks.
“A show,” Tori replies.
“What kind of show?”
“A band.”
Jade can feel herself getting annoyed. “What band, Vega?”
Tori sighs. Jade’s not sure if it’s her tone of voice or the question itself. “Ferret Kickers.”
“Ferret Kickers? Seriously?”
“Yeah,” Tori replies, cautiously. “What’s wrong with them?”
“Nothing,” Jade answers. “Nothing at all. They’re kinda awesome, actually. I just didn’t think you were into that sort of music is all.”
“Oh. And there are plenty of things that you don’t know about me, Jade.”
“Apparently.”
There’s no more conversation until they reach Jade’s house.
As soon as Tori has the car parked, Jade turns to her. “Thanks for the ride or whatever.”
Tori nods. “Night Jade.”
“Night Vega,” Jade says climbing out of the car.
The Third Time
Five weeks later…
Another Friday night, another party. Beck's in Canada again and so Jade's feeling particularly restless. It's been a long week of trying not to stab the annoying people with scissors. Not that she cares, but Lane told her that if he gets one more report of her attempting violence with her scissors, he's going to ban them.
She'd scoffed at that, knowing Hollywood Arts is more liberal than most high schools about silly things like students having weapons. After all, they're constantly using prop weapons and being taught how to fake a fight.
Lane then said he's sick of people coming to him complaining of scissor nightmares, fears and phobias, especially since they all seem to stem from one place. Since Lane was wearing his serious face and Jade wasn’t in the mood for an extended lecture, she reluctantly agreed to stop threatening people with scissors. It’s not like she doesn’t have other threats at her disposal.
…
Jade should have never caught a ride to this party with Randy Bronson. Not that she can’t take care of herself, but he was also kinda her ride home and he’s nowhere to be found. She’s drunk and frustrated and all she really wants to do is go home and pass out.
It’s too far to walk, especially in LA and there’s no way in hell that she’s taking the bus. She doesn’t have enough money for a cab and anyone she finds sober already has a full car.
Sighing, she pulls out her cell and debates who to call. It’s moments like this that Jade almost wishes she was nicer, or at least had more friends so she’d have some options. Andre has a date tonight, so she already know his answer will be no. Cat is too much to handle when Jade’s drunk, so she’s out. Robbie isn’t even an option. That leaves only Tori and though Jade can only admit it to herself that Tori's not the worse option, she’s still reluctant to call her.
After running through all the other options, Jade concludes that calling Tori really is her only option. With a sigh, she hits the call button and waits for Tori to pick up.
When Tori answers she says, “I’m drunk. Come get me.”
Tori sighs. “Fine.” And hangs up.
Though she’s plenty drunk and wouldn’t trust herself to drive, Jade feels more sober than the last time Tori picked her up for a party. She slowly makes her way out of the house, trying not to trip over all the remains of the chaos.
Stepping outside, Jade feels even more sober; it’s probably the fresh air. The garage door is open and when Jade spots an old lawn chair, she ducks inside to get it. She drags it to the edge of the yard, unfolds it and plops down to wait for Tori.
Jade apparently falls asleep waiting, because the honking of a car makes her jump. She glares at Tori as she stomps to the car. Yanking the door open, Jade flops into the passenger’s seat and slams the door.
“Morning sunshine,” Tori teases.
“Shut it, Vega,” Jade retorts. “Took you long enough.”
“You have no idea how long it took,” Tori replies.
“Because it took so long that I fell asleep,” Jade snaps.
“Or maybe you passed out because you’re drunk,” Tori tells her.
“Whatever. You say that like you don’t drink,” Jade says.
“Can’t take a little teasing,” Tori observes. “For being so mean, you’d think you wouldn’t be so sensitive.”
“Maybe I just don’t want to hear it from you.”
“Too bad,” Tori says. “It’s the price of a ride.”
“Figures,” Jade grumbles. She snuggles into her seat, trying to get comfortable and not really succeeding. “Hey Vega?”
“Yeah, Jade?”
“You’re like afraid of me sometimes, right?”
“Uh… you mean like of being attacked? Sometimes.”
“Cool,” Jade says. “But are you concerned I’ll hurt you specifically with scissors, since that’s my thing? Or just in general?”
“Um…” Tori seems to give it a bit of thought. “In general I think. I mean, while yeah, you could do a lot of damage with scissors, but I know you don’t need them. You could probably kill a man with a nail file if you really wanted.”
“You really believe that?” Jade questions.
“Yeah. I do.”
“Awesome,” Jade says and they lapse back into silence.
“Why do you ask?” Tori asks after a few minutes.
“Lane says I’m no longer allowed to threaten people with scissors. He said I’m giving people scissor phobias or something.”
“So you’re not allowed to have scissors anymore?” Tori asks. “That seems kinda restrictive for Hollywood Arts. Besides, isn’t scissors like your thing? Is it even allowed to squash that creativeness?”
Jade smirks. Of course Tori would be on her side. “Exactly. But I just promised Lane I wouldn’t threaten people with scissors, to get him off my back.”
“Well that just leaves everything else in the world that you can use for a threat,” Tori says.
“Exactly,” Jade agrees. “I don’t think Lane understands it’s not the item that’s the problem.”
“Yeah, it’s the user,” Tori jokes.
“Now all I need is something new to threaten people with,” Jade says.
“How about sporks?” Tori suggests. “They can’t ban those.”
“They could,” Jade replies. “And they should. Because they kinda suck.”
“Yeah, they are kinda weird,” Tori agrees. “But they do what they’re supposed to.”
“Sure,” Jade says. “What a weird way to look at it.”
“Thank you.”
“So what fascinating activity did I pull you away from?” Jade asks.
“Well considering the time, I was about to go to bed,” Tori replies. “But earlier I was over at Cat’s.”
Glancing over at the dashboard tells Jade that it’s almost two in the morning. “Huh. Would you look at that.” She turns to Tori. “I can’t believe your parents let you out this late.”
“They’re gone until Sunday,” Tori answers. “And Trina was sleeping, so she can’t protest if I take her car.”
“Seems there’s a little rebellion in you after all, Vega,” Jade says.
“Thanks, I guess,” Tori replies as she pulls into Jade’s driveway.
“Well it’s been fun,” Jade says opening her door. Climbing out, she fights the urge, but can’t. She sticks her head back in the car. “Thanks for the ride.” Then she slams the door shut and runs into the house.
The Fourth Time
19 days later…
Group projects drive Jade crazy. Her classmates seem to either agree with whatever she suggests because they’re afraid of her or disagree with anything she suggests because they’re trying to prove something. She finds it annoying.
But even she can admit that being able to work with other people is important. Very few things can be created in a vortex by yourself. So she tries to rein it in when she has group projects. She considers herself 50% successful; Beck considers her 13% successful.
Thankfully, this is the last session and the project is considered finished; especially because Michael's been getting on her last nerve. It’s taken every ounce of will power she has to not kick his chair out from under him.
Unfortunately, the whole thing took longer than she thought and so she has no ride. Beck had dropped her off on his way to a family thing. He said she could call him if she wanted a ride later, but for some reason, Jade's reluctant. Usually that means a fight between her and Beck is coming, so she decides to avoid him for a bit. Her dad’s out of town and she wouldn’t call him for a ride anyway. None of her classmates would give her a ride. This she knows.
Knowing she has no other option, short of walking, Jade pulls out her phone and calls Tori.
“I need a ride. Come get me.”
Tori’s sigh is very loud. “I’m trying to study, Jade.”
“So? Take a break and come get me.” Jade can’t believe she’s going to say this. “We’ll get some food and then you can go back to studying.”
Tori doesn’t reply and Jade wonders if she’s been hung up on.
"Seriously?"
It's Jade's turn to sigh. "Yes."
"Where are you?"
…
Jade makes Tori drive to a little hole in the wall Mexican place she knows.
Tori looks a bit skeptical getting out of the car since the restaurant is bookended by a Laundromat and a OTB.
"It looks like a crack den," Tori says.
"Like you know what a crack den looks like," Jade mocks.
"I do too."
"Relax. Their tacos are awesome," Jade tells her.
"They better be," Tori grumbles.
Jade does a mental double take when her first thought is how cute Tori looks when she pouts.
Inside they're seated at a cozy little booth in the back. It's kind of romantic, Jade thinks. And then decides to stop listening to her inner monologue.
After ordering their food and drinks, they're left alone and Jade can feel Tori's eyes on her. She knows that Tori is probably waiting for her to say something since technically it was Jade's idea. Jade's still not sure why she suggested it. Maybe so the next time Jade calls for a ride, Tori will be more likely to agree.
"So…" Tori tries. "Why were you at Michael's? I though you hated him."
"History project."
"Fun."
"Not really."
"Well it's nice of you to buy dinner," Tori says.
"I'm not nice," Jade snaps. "And I never said I was paying."
"I thought it was just implied," Tori replies. "Dinner was your suggestion."
"Uh huh. Fine. Whatever."
Tori smiles and the simpleness of it causes butterflies in Jade's stomach. It makes Jade want to lash out and she swallows the impulse, wondering why she suddenly cares.
They're quiet until the food arrives.
…
They make idle chatter as they eat and it's not as terrible as Jade always imagined. Not that she's thought about eating dinner with Tori a lot.
Their plates are being taken away when Tori begins debating the merits of gore versus suspense in horror movies.
Though she completely disagrees, she almost swoons over the topic choice. Beck never wants to debate horror movies.
"All I'm saying is that more blood doesn't make things scarier, just gross," Tori says.
"I don't find horror movies scary," Jade replies.
"Well for us regular folks, then," Tori retorts.
"Finally, you admit it," Jade smiles.
"You're just jealous," Tori says.
"You wish."
"You wish."
"Mature," Jade says.
"Thank you."
The check appears at the table and Jade doesn't move, enjoying the pointed glares Tori's shooting her.
"Problem, Vega?"
"Nope," Tori replies. "You're paying, so whenever you're ready."
"Maybe I changed my mind," Jade says.
"Well then maybe I changed my mind about giving you a ride," Tori retorts.
"No you haven't," Jade smirks.
"But I could," Tori insists.
"I'll believe it when I see it, Vega," Jade teases.
Tori tries to glare back and Jade finds it adorable. It takes every ounce of self-restraint she has to not smile, instead she meets Tori's glare with a stare of her own.
It lasts longer than Jade expected. But eventually, Tori blinks first.
"Fine," Tori sighs. "I won't just leave you here."
"That's all I needed to hear," Jade says, grabbing the bill. She throws some cash on the table and stands. "So we're done, here, right?"
Tori nods as she stands as well and follows Jade out.
…
"So I had a nice time," Tori says as she parks in Jade's driveway.
"Careful there, Vega," Jade replies. "This wasn't a date."
Tori's eyes get wide. "I wasn’t--I didn't mean that, Jade I swear, I--"
"I know. I was kidding," Jade tells her. "You need to relax. You're going to give yourself wrinkles."
"Right. Of course you are." Tori purses her lips and then looks at Jade. "If I didn't know better, though, I'd think you were teasing me."
Jade is just barely able to keep the surprise from her face. The small part of her that wants to be nice to Tori, that actually likes Tori is growing in size and is screaming at Jade to say something. Jade can't let it win yet, so she just smirks. "Think what you want Vega. I don't care. But, uh, thanks for the ride."
"You're welcome."
The sincerity makes Jade's heart clench. "Bye." And Jade is quickly climbing out of the car.
The Fifth Time
11 days later…
Once again Jade is kicked out of the library. She doesn't understand why the librarians hate her so much. It's not like she makes that much noise. Okay, so she's not the nicest person when she's looking for a book, but their system is stupid and Jade had been running short on patience.
She tosses her bag into the car and climbs in. Turning the ignition, Jade groans; nothing is happening. Grabbing her bag, she digs for her cell phone, but there's no signal. Probably being blocked by the giant, oppressing concrete building. Jade looks over at the darkened library and doubts anyone would let her in to use the phone inside.
Jade grabs her bag and climbs back out of her car. She'll just walk across the street to the coffee shop and ask to use their phone. No biggie.
…
An hour later, Jade hates humanity more than she already did. No one has let her use their phone. It's not fault, she has like two dollars at the moment. Making her buy something before she can use the phone seems cruel. She's tried her cell a few more times, but the signal keeps flickering out and cutting off her calls. It takes every ounce of self-control she has to not chuck it at someone's head.
She finally finds a spot that doesn't drop the signal and she quickly scrolls to someone she knows will come get her.
"Jade?"
"I’m stranded. Come get me."
There's no response and Jade starts cursing, thinking her cell dropped the call again.
"I haven't said no yet." Tori's voice quietly cuts through Jade's cursing.
"But you're going to?"
"I have plans."
Jade looks at her watch. "You have plans at 6:30 on a Sunday night?"
"Well, no. I have plans in an hour."
"Is it a secret?" Jade asks.
"No," Tori replies before sighing. "I'm going to see Ferret Kickers. Doors open at eight."
"Seriously?" Jade questions. "I didn't know they were playing anywhere tonight?"
"Not many do," Tori replies. "It's a private concert."
"How'd you get an invite?"
"Look Jade," Tori says. "Maybe Andre can give you a ride. I know he was supposed to be at his grandma's today, but he should be home by now."
"Can I come with?"
This silence is even longer than the first one. Jade checks her phone twice to make sure Tori hasn't hung up.
Finally Tori asks, "Why?"
"Because it'd be awesome to see a private Ferret Kickers concert. And you're not as annoying as I thought."
Another stretch of silence.
"Fine. You can come. But if I find out later that you didn't mean that, there will be consequences."
"Consequences?" Jade questions. "Seriously, Vega? And mean what? That I don't completely hate you?"
"I'll sic Trina on you somehow," Tori replies. "And yes."
"I'm not lying."
"Where are you?"
…
Tori is dressed like before with the addition of a few streaks of purple hair that match her Doc Martins. Jade does a double take as she slides into the passenger seat.
"You… look… not horrible," Jade manages to say.
"Thanks." Tori puts the car in gear and begins driving. "What about your car?"
"I finally managed to call AAA," Jade replies. "They're going to pick it up whenever they can and take it to the shop my dad has an account at."
"So why call me?"
"Because I didn't feel like sitting in my car in the parking lot of the library for five hours?"
"I get that," Tori says. "Why did you call me?"
"Because I knew you'd come," Jade answers. "I like guarantees."
"So you're saying I'm a sucker?"
"I'm saying you're nice," Jade corrects.
"And we all know how much you like nice people," Tori replies.
Maybe you're the exception to the rule, Jade thinks.
"What?"
"What?" Jade questions.
"Did you just say I was the exception to the rule?"
"Uh…" Jade panics trying to think up an excuse. "No?"
"Okay then," Tori says, barely hiding a smile.
…
Tori parks next to an abandoned looking warehouse. If not for the few other cars and a truck that Jade assumes is the band's, Jade would be worried that Tori brought her here to kill her.
Before tonight, Jade would have never thought that about Tori, but she can admit to herself at least, that Tori apparently has the ability to surprise Jade. At least once in a while.
"The owner of this warehouse is a fan of local bands," Tori explains as she exits the car. "Anytime he finds one he likes, he sets up a private concert with them here."
"That's nice of him."
"Yeah, especially since he invites people he knows from the industry. Quite a few local bands have gotten contracts from these."
"I take it you've been before," Jade says.
Tori shakes her head. "Nope. My first."
"Then how'd you hear about it?"
"From Ferret Kickers," Tori answers. "That's how I got on the guest list."
"You know the band?"
"Yeah, the bassist, Alex went out with my sister exactly once, but he and I hit it off," Tori explains.
"Of course you did. I'm Tori Vega and everyone loves me from the moment I smile my pretty smile at them," Jade teases using her Sweet Sally Peaches voice.
Tori sighs. "I don't sound like that.'
"Whatever."
They suddenly stop their trek to the warehouse, well Tori stops, so Jade does as well. She turns to ask Tori why the hell they're stopping, but Tori's simply staring at Jade. It continues to the point that Jade can feel herself blushing.
"What Vega?" Jade growls.
"Nothing," Tori says, shaking her head, a small smile on her face.
"Can we get there before I die of old age, then?"
Tori nods and begins walking again.
When they reach the door, they find a small line forming already which they join. It doesn’t take long for them to reach the front, though.
"Tori Vega," Tori tells the bouncer. "This is my plus one."
The bouncer skims the list and quickly finds her name. Nodding, he steps aside and Jade follows Tori inside.
Inside there's a small bar set up near the entrance, people milling everywhere and a moderately sized stage with instruments waiting. Jade sees various speakers, subwoofers and cables surrounding the stage. There's a crowd of about thirty milling near the stage and a dozen or so more people near the bar.
"Jeez, this really is private," Jade says, quietly.
"Looks like it."
"Impressive Vega."
"Thanks West."
They spend the next thirty minutes exchanging trivia about Ferret Kickers as well as a few other bands. Jade's surprised to find Tori's music taste isn't as cookie cutter as Jade imagined.
The light flashes five times and everyone gathers around the stage. Moments later, Ferret Kickers is on stage.
The guitarist and lead singer, Benny, grabs the mic. "Hello there awesome people! Thanks for coming. And a special thanks to Jack Ryder, the owner of this establishment. Thanks for setting this up. Now… onto the fun!"
Everyone claps as they open with their current hit, Evidence; which they follow with their first hit, Sharp Edge.
Their set consists of fifteen songs followed by a 15 minute break.
Jade's thoroughly enjoying herself. Being one of only like fifty people is just enhancing the experience.
"I'm gonna grab a soda," Jade tells Tori. "Want one?"
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, thanks."
Tori's expression easily tells Jad that she caught Tori off guard. It makes Jade chuckle and for once the butterflies in her stomach, the ones that only Tori seems to cause, aren't bothering Jade.
At the bar, Jade orders two diet sodas.
"You here with Tori?"
Jade looks to her left and sees a girl around her age, dressed in full punk, complete with neon pink stripes in her hair and at least twice as many piercing as Jade.
"I am."
"Hmmm," the punk smiles. "Seems that someone really does have a type."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Just be careful," she tells Jade. "Tori Vega is a bit of a player."
"Figures," Jade mutters. "She do her sweet as honey impersonation to lure away your boyfriend?"
The punk laughs. "Not exactly. I'm Paige."
"Jade."
"And no, she didn't steal my boyfriend," Paige says. "But she did lure me away from my girlfriend."
"Huh."
"She dragged me to her car for a heavy make out session, but just as my hands started to venture below the belt, she stopped me, saying she couldn't because she was just using me to scrub an unrequited crush out of her brain. And that it didn't seem fair to me to continue."
Jade shrugs as the sodas are placed in front of her. She hands the bartender some cash. "Sounds like Vega to me."
"Except she's said it to at least three other girls," Paige replies. "I'm starting to think it's her quote unquote escape hatch."
"At least three other girls?"
Paige nods. "Just because careful. Looks like you're just her type."
"Thanks."
A bit dazed, Jade walks back to Tori and hands a soda to her.
"Thanks."
"Yeah."
"What's up?" Tori asks. "You look… weird."
Instead of the glare, Jade knows Tori is expecting, Jade keeps staring at the stage as she speaks, "I Just had a very interesting conversation with someone named Paige?"
"Oh?"
"Yeah," Jade says. "Seems you led her on and then dumped her ass." Jade smiles. "Seems that I've underestimated you again, Vega."
"Um…
"I am curious though," Jade continues. "Who your little crush is."
"None of your business," Tori replies.
"For now," Jade says.
The return of the band stops the question Tori's about to ask.
…
They end up hanging out with the band after the show. It's pretty chill, just hanging out while the band drinks and celebrates. Jade ends up talking with the drummer about songwriting while Tori talks with the bassist.
Eventually Tori taps Jade on the shoulder. "I gotta get home," she explains.
"Cool. Nice talking to ya, Jimmy," Jade tells the drummer.
"You too, Jade."
They walk out to the car in silence.
"Thanks for, you know, letting me be your plus one," Jade says.
Tori shrugs. "You're a fan, so it's cool. I took Andre once and it wasn't really his sound."
"Still," Jade says. "You didn't have to… do any of this."
They've reach the car. Tori looks over the roof and the way she's staring at Jade is almost overwhelming. Jade feels a bit like she's drowning.
"I wanted to," Tori says finally as she unlocks the car.
It's a different sort of silence as Tori drives to Jade's house. Jade wants to call it awkward, but it isn't exactly. She also wants to call it comfortable, which is something she's been feeling a lot around Tori lately, but comfortable just isn't the right word either.
"Well here we are."
Jade's been trying so hard to categorize the atmosphere in the car that she hasn't really been paying attention to her surroundings.
“Listen, Jade, I know that-“
“I’m not going to say anything about your love ‘em and leave ‘em ways, Vega,” Jade interrupts.
“No, I-“
“Or that you’re apparently quite the babe magnet,” Jade continues.
“Jade…”
“What? Tell me I’m wrong.”
Tori doesn’t answer, just avoids Jade’s eyes.
Jade sighs and to her surprise, begins inching closer to Tori. “Vega… it’s no big deal.”
“I know that,” Tori replies. “I just hate that found out like that. I didn’t…”
“What? That you like girls? Because it’s really not that big of deal.”
Tori remains silent.
Jade feels herself becoming unexpectedly nervous as the silence lengthens. Finally, she can’t take it anymore. “What then? What’s the big deal?”
Tori is still quiet.
“Tori, seriously, what is the problem?”
Jade watches as a small smile begins to grow on Tori’s face. She watches the other girl turn and face her.
“Sorry,” Tori says finally. “It’s just, I’ve always wanted to, but never felt it was the right moment.”
“What does that mean?”
Tori’s answer is to lean in and kiss Jade.
It’s sweet and soft and brief. And though it answers some questions for Jade, it really just leaves her wanting more; so she follows Tori as she retreats and pulls her in for a deeper kiss.
This one seems to be fueled by passion, full of tongue and teeth, Jade can’t seem to get enough and so she pulls Tori closer and closer until she’s basically straddling Jade; who is not complaining.
Only when hands begin finding bare skin, does Tori pull back. Breathless, her heart pounding, Jade looks up at Tori and finds all the hate she thought she felt for Tori is actually something else entirely.
“We’ve gotta stop,” Tori says.
“Why?”
“Beck.”
“Oh. Right.”
Tori slides off Jade and the two sit quietly staring straight ahead for a moment before the whirling chaos of Jade’s mind is too much to handle in this enclosed space.
“I should go,” Jade says. “But thanks for… Uh, thanks.”
“Jade, wait,” Tori replies. “We should talk.”
“No can do, Vega,” Jade tells her. “Gotta go.” Jade is out of the car and nearly to her front door before the sound of the car door slamming shut reaches her. She ignores Tori’s requests to stay, instead rushing inside the house and throwing the door closed behind her.
more
Title: Come Get Me
Author: slacker_d
Pairing/Characters: Jade/Beck, Tori/Jade, Andre, Cat
Rating: R for language
Summary: For some reason whenever Jade needs a ride, she calls Tori.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Word Count: ~
Spoilers: None
A/N: Idea came from joriheadcanons on tumblr, #126.
2nd A/N: Unbeta’ed, so all mistakes are mine.
The First Time
Jade still can't believe that Beck blew off this party to study of all things. Yeah, the midterm is worth half their grade, but it's days away. Friday nights aren't meant for studying. Ever. She’s been telling him that since they first going out; apparently it didn’t stick.
Whatever. It's not like she needs him to have a good time. If anything, he's always trying to get her to cut back, be more cautious. What's the point of being young if you can't let loose and be crazy for a bit?
The party is in full swing. Pushing through the already crowded house, Jade finds the keg and pours herself a drink.
…
It's late and Jade's not sober. She's not sure what time it is, but she knows she's in no condition to get home by herself. She's watched enough horror movies to know how her night will end if she decides to walk home alone, drunk.
Looking around, she doesn't see anyone sober that she can bully into driving her home. Figures that all the goody two shoes already left. Doesn't anyone know how to properly party?
It takes some effort, but she manages to dig out her phone. The only problem is her eyes can't seem to focus properly on the screen. She tries to scroll through her contacts to call Beck, but her fingers don't seem to be doing what she wants.
Remembering that Beck is the last call she made before heading out, Jade hits redial. She'd tried one more time to tempt him into joining him, but he refused saying he and the others were studying. It makes Jade wonder when she started hanging out with so many losers.
She doesn't even wait for Beck to say hello before speaking. "I'm drunk. Come get me." And then hangs up.
At this point, standing is becoming more effort than she wants to put forth, so Jade staggers outside and collapses on the grass in the front yard. Lying down seems like a good idea, so she does. The stars seem especially glittery tonight, so Jades stares at them.
Time passes; Jade isn't sure how much, but she suddenly becomes aware of the car idling near by and honking at her. She sits up and sees an unfamiliar car parked in front of her.
The window rolls down and Jade hears a familiar voice say, "Get in already, Jade."
With a bit of effort, Jade sits up and scoots forward until she's touching the car. Using it to help her stand, Jade gets up and opens the door. She then slumps into the passenger seat.
"Seatbelt."
Jade looks over at the driver. What the fuck? It's Tori. "Vega?"
Tori shrugs. "You called me," Tori answers the unspoken question. "Seatbelt."
Jade struggles with it for a while before Tori sighs, grabs it from Jade and buckles her in. Once that's figured out, Tori begins driving.
"Why are you here?" Jade asks.
"Again. You called me."
"Meant to call Beck," Jade grumbles.
"Well obviously you misdialed."
"Weren't you losers studying together?" Jade asks. "Why didn't you just tell him to come get me?"
"He'd already headed home," Tori replies. "I figured it was easier. Plus, when I left, Robbie and Cat were fighting about Skittle flavors, so I took that as my cue to leave. I hope poor Andre managed to get them out eventually."
"Whatever."
It's silent the rest of the drive to Jade's house. The radio is playing some top 40s pop, but it's low enough that Jade can't quite make out the words; not that she cares.
Instead she tries to sort through her feelings. The fact that she somehow managed to call Tori and not Beck is bothering her; not because she hates Tori, because she doesn't. It's just pretending to hate Tori is easier. Especially when she's so damn nice. No one else would come and pick up a drunk who claims to hate her.
It makes Jade wonder sometimes, is Tori really that nice? Or is all that niceness a cover for something sinister? The small part of Jade that wants to like Tori, hopes so.
When Tori pulls into Jade's driveway, Jade struggles with the door handle before finally getting it open.
"You're welcome for the ride," Tori says as Jade climbs out.
"Whatever," Jade replies.
She hears Tori sigh and feels… bad about it. Jade blames the alcohol.
"Thanks Vega," she says hastily before slamming the car door and hurrying inside.
The Second Time
Two months later…
Disgusted, Jade slams the door of Beck's car and makes her way inside Eli's house. The party is already going strong and it doesn't take long for Jade to forget about the fight she and Beck had on the way over.
It's been like this the whole day. Jade takes responsibility for that, though Beck did start things this morning. Everyone always assumes that it's her that starts most of their fights, but Beck isn't as relaxed about everything as he seems.
She’d thought they’d made up enough to go to this party without incident, but apparently not. Whatever, she doesn’t need Beck to have a good time.
…
Jade is drunk. Which is probably why it's so difficult to find Beck. She has no idea what time it is, but she knows she needs to get home.
It then occurs to her that Beck might not be sober, either. They never really talked about who would be the sober driver. Since Beck has no problem with Jade driving his car, they usually take turns being the DD. But they didn't decide that tonight because of the fight.
Jade groans. She has a feeling that Beck is drunk too, especially if they fought. Beck isn't usually one to avoid problems like Jade does, but if he's in the right atmosphere, he can be persuaded to have a drink or two. Two become three or more and then he's a lost cause.
Digging out her phone, Jade heads outside for some fresh air; it should help with the double vision. The question is, who to call for a ride home.
Scrolling through her contacts, Jade's finger stops on Tori's name. She did come get Jade before even if Jade hadn't meant to call her. She would probably come again, though Jade's not sure if it's because she wants to be Jade's friend or she's just too damn nice. Probably both.
And so she calls Tori. It's late, so Jade isn't surprised that it goes to voicemail. All good little girls are probably in bed by now.
But then to her surprise, her phone rings, the ID reading, Vega.
"What?!”
"You called me, Jade," Tori answers, sounding very awake and a little bit annoyed.
"I'm drunk. Come get me."
Normally Jade would just hang up, but she has to know if Tori is actually coming or if she needs to find another ride.
Tori sighs. "Call Beck."
"We're fighting."
Another longer sigh. "Fine. I'll be there as soon as I can." And then she hangs up.
Jade stares at her phone in surprise. She thought for sure Tori was asleep, instead from the noise in the background, it sounded like she was out having fun as well. And then Jade belatedly remembers that Tori has no idea where she is. She hastily sends a text before Tori gets fed up and blows her off. It hasn't happened before, but Jade supposes there's a first time for everything.
The next step is to sink to the ground; the grass is nice and soft, plus standing is getting annoying. It'll be easier to pass the time laying down, less spinning.
She has no idea how much time has passed, but suddenly someone's grabbing her arm and pulling her up. Jade opens her eyes to find Tori valiantly trying to help her stand.
"Vega."
"Jade," Tori intones. "Could you help a bit, please?"
"I'm not?" Jade giggles.
Another big sigh. "No. You're not."
"Can't," Jade says. "Two of you and it's confusing."
Tori is muttering to herself under her breath. Jade thinks she hears some cursing, but brushes it off. Tori is too nice to swear.
The suddenly she's in the car. It's different than the one Tori picked Jade up in the last time. Tori is buckling her seatbelt and slamming the passenger door shut before Jade can ask.
The radio is off this time as they drive, so Jade asks, "Whose car?"
"My dad's," Tori replies. "Last time, it was Trina's."
"No car for Tori?"
"Apparently failing the first two times and passing the third time by just one point doesn't earn you a car in the Vega family," Tori sighs.
Jade finds this funny and begins laughing hysterically.
"What's so funny?" Tori asks when Jade finally calms down a bit.
"Can't believe your sistah is actual better at somethin' than you."
Tori smiles, chuckling a bit. "I suppose it's kinda funny."
They fall back into silence for a moment before Jade starts to feel sick.
"Pull over."
"What?"
"Pull over! Gonna be sick."
"Oh."
They don't immediately and Jade begins to fear she's going to puke in the car. If it was Trina's, she probably wouldn't care, but since it's Mr. Vega's she'd rather not. He has enough problems without vomit in his car.
When the car finally pulls to a stop, Jade knows there's no time and rolls down the window. She just manages to stick her head out before she starts puking. A moment later, she feels a hand pulling her hair back and rubbing her back reassuringly. Normally, she'd shake Tori off with some harsh words, but in her current state, Jade can admit to herself that it feels nice.
When she's finally finished, she pulls her head back inside the car and Tori hands her some tissue to wipe her mouth.
"Sorry, I don't have any water," Tori says. "But I have gum." She holds it out.
Jade accepts it, thankful for anything that will get the taste of regurgitated orange juice out of her mouth.
"Do you mind if we stop at a gas station first, so I can wash the vomit off the door?" Tori asks.
"You're driving," Jade mumbles.
Tori nods and begins driving again.
By the time they stop at the gas station, Jade is feeling a little better. The dizziness has disappeared and the double vision has just become a pounding headache. She closes her eyes because the all the lights are making it worse. She hears Tori next to her, outside the car, washing her puke off and she almost feels bad.
When Tori gets back into the car, she elbows Jade. Jade doesn't respond, so Tori does it again.
"Wwhhaaatt?"
"I got you some water and aspirin," Tori replies.
"Oh. Thanks." She takes both and downs the water in three gulps.
"Jeez, Jade," Tori mutters.
"I'm dehydrated," Jade retorts.
"No kidding."
They're driving again, but since they're away from the bright lights of the gas station, Jade feels comfortable enough to open her eyes again. She glances over at her driver.
"What are you wearing, Vega?"
Tori’s dressed all in black, looking more like Jade than happy go lucky Tori, though Jade does notice her Doc Martin’s are purple.
“Clothes.”
“Obviously,” Jade snaps. “But there’s not one stitch of color on you, besides your boots.”
“So?”
“Well it looks weird,” Jade tells her.
“Thanks?”
“Where were you anyway?” Jade asks.
“A show,” Tori replies.
“What kind of show?”
“A band.”
Jade can feel herself getting annoyed. “What band, Vega?”
Tori sighs. Jade’s not sure if it’s her tone of voice or the question itself. “Ferret Kickers.”
“Ferret Kickers? Seriously?”
“Yeah,” Tori replies, cautiously. “What’s wrong with them?”
“Nothing,” Jade answers. “Nothing at all. They’re kinda awesome, actually. I just didn’t think you were into that sort of music is all.”
“Oh. And there are plenty of things that you don’t know about me, Jade.”
“Apparently.”
There’s no more conversation until they reach Jade’s house.
As soon as Tori has the car parked, Jade turns to her. “Thanks for the ride or whatever.”
Tori nods. “Night Jade.”
“Night Vega,” Jade says climbing out of the car.
The Third Time
Five weeks later…
Another Friday night, another party. Beck's in Canada again and so Jade's feeling particularly restless. It's been a long week of trying not to stab the annoying people with scissors. Not that she cares, but Lane told her that if he gets one more report of her attempting violence with her scissors, he's going to ban them.
She'd scoffed at that, knowing Hollywood Arts is more liberal than most high schools about silly things like students having weapons. After all, they're constantly using prop weapons and being taught how to fake a fight.
Lane then said he's sick of people coming to him complaining of scissor nightmares, fears and phobias, especially since they all seem to stem from one place. Since Lane was wearing his serious face and Jade wasn’t in the mood for an extended lecture, she reluctantly agreed to stop threatening people with scissors. It’s not like she doesn’t have other threats at her disposal.
…
Jade should have never caught a ride to this party with Randy Bronson. Not that she can’t take care of herself, but he was also kinda her ride home and he’s nowhere to be found. She’s drunk and frustrated and all she really wants to do is go home and pass out.
It’s too far to walk, especially in LA and there’s no way in hell that she’s taking the bus. She doesn’t have enough money for a cab and anyone she finds sober already has a full car.
Sighing, she pulls out her cell and debates who to call. It’s moments like this that Jade almost wishes she was nicer, or at least had more friends so she’d have some options. Andre has a date tonight, so she already know his answer will be no. Cat is too much to handle when Jade’s drunk, so she’s out. Robbie isn’t even an option. That leaves only Tori and though Jade can only admit it to herself that Tori's not the worse option, she’s still reluctant to call her.
After running through all the other options, Jade concludes that calling Tori really is her only option. With a sigh, she hits the call button and waits for Tori to pick up.
When Tori answers she says, “I’m drunk. Come get me.”
Tori sighs. “Fine.” And hangs up.
Though she’s plenty drunk and wouldn’t trust herself to drive, Jade feels more sober than the last time Tori picked her up for a party. She slowly makes her way out of the house, trying not to trip over all the remains of the chaos.
Stepping outside, Jade feels even more sober; it’s probably the fresh air. The garage door is open and when Jade spots an old lawn chair, she ducks inside to get it. She drags it to the edge of the yard, unfolds it and plops down to wait for Tori.
Jade apparently falls asleep waiting, because the honking of a car makes her jump. She glares at Tori as she stomps to the car. Yanking the door open, Jade flops into the passenger’s seat and slams the door.
“Morning sunshine,” Tori teases.
“Shut it, Vega,” Jade retorts. “Took you long enough.”
“You have no idea how long it took,” Tori replies.
“Because it took so long that I fell asleep,” Jade snaps.
“Or maybe you passed out because you’re drunk,” Tori tells her.
“Whatever. You say that like you don’t drink,” Jade says.
“Can’t take a little teasing,” Tori observes. “For being so mean, you’d think you wouldn’t be so sensitive.”
“Maybe I just don’t want to hear it from you.”
“Too bad,” Tori says. “It’s the price of a ride.”
“Figures,” Jade grumbles. She snuggles into her seat, trying to get comfortable and not really succeeding. “Hey Vega?”
“Yeah, Jade?”
“You’re like afraid of me sometimes, right?”
“Uh… you mean like of being attacked? Sometimes.”
“Cool,” Jade says. “But are you concerned I’ll hurt you specifically with scissors, since that’s my thing? Or just in general?”
“Um…” Tori seems to give it a bit of thought. “In general I think. I mean, while yeah, you could do a lot of damage with scissors, but I know you don’t need them. You could probably kill a man with a nail file if you really wanted.”
“You really believe that?” Jade questions.
“Yeah. I do.”
“Awesome,” Jade says and they lapse back into silence.
“Why do you ask?” Tori asks after a few minutes.
“Lane says I’m no longer allowed to threaten people with scissors. He said I’m giving people scissor phobias or something.”
“So you’re not allowed to have scissors anymore?” Tori asks. “That seems kinda restrictive for Hollywood Arts. Besides, isn’t scissors like your thing? Is it even allowed to squash that creativeness?”
Jade smirks. Of course Tori would be on her side. “Exactly. But I just promised Lane I wouldn’t threaten people with scissors, to get him off my back.”
“Well that just leaves everything else in the world that you can use for a threat,” Tori says.
“Exactly,” Jade agrees. “I don’t think Lane understands it’s not the item that’s the problem.”
“Yeah, it’s the user,” Tori jokes.
“Now all I need is something new to threaten people with,” Jade says.
“How about sporks?” Tori suggests. “They can’t ban those.”
“They could,” Jade replies. “And they should. Because they kinda suck.”
“Yeah, they are kinda weird,” Tori agrees. “But they do what they’re supposed to.”
“Sure,” Jade says. “What a weird way to look at it.”
“Thank you.”
“So what fascinating activity did I pull you away from?” Jade asks.
“Well considering the time, I was about to go to bed,” Tori replies. “But earlier I was over at Cat’s.”
Glancing over at the dashboard tells Jade that it’s almost two in the morning. “Huh. Would you look at that.” She turns to Tori. “I can’t believe your parents let you out this late.”
“They’re gone until Sunday,” Tori answers. “And Trina was sleeping, so she can’t protest if I take her car.”
“Seems there’s a little rebellion in you after all, Vega,” Jade says.
“Thanks, I guess,” Tori replies as she pulls into Jade’s driveway.
“Well it’s been fun,” Jade says opening her door. Climbing out, she fights the urge, but can’t. She sticks her head back in the car. “Thanks for the ride.” Then she slams the door shut and runs into the house.
The Fourth Time
19 days later…
Group projects drive Jade crazy. Her classmates seem to either agree with whatever she suggests because they’re afraid of her or disagree with anything she suggests because they’re trying to prove something. She finds it annoying.
But even she can admit that being able to work with other people is important. Very few things can be created in a vortex by yourself. So she tries to rein it in when she has group projects. She considers herself 50% successful; Beck considers her 13% successful.
Thankfully, this is the last session and the project is considered finished; especially because Michael's been getting on her last nerve. It’s taken every ounce of will power she has to not kick his chair out from under him.
Unfortunately, the whole thing took longer than she thought and so she has no ride. Beck had dropped her off on his way to a family thing. He said she could call him if she wanted a ride later, but for some reason, Jade's reluctant. Usually that means a fight between her and Beck is coming, so she decides to avoid him for a bit. Her dad’s out of town and she wouldn’t call him for a ride anyway. None of her classmates would give her a ride. This she knows.
Knowing she has no other option, short of walking, Jade pulls out her phone and calls Tori.
“I need a ride. Come get me.”
Tori’s sigh is very loud. “I’m trying to study, Jade.”
“So? Take a break and come get me.” Jade can’t believe she’s going to say this. “We’ll get some food and then you can go back to studying.”
Tori doesn’t reply and Jade wonders if she’s been hung up on.
"Seriously?"
It's Jade's turn to sigh. "Yes."
"Where are you?"
…
Jade makes Tori drive to a little hole in the wall Mexican place she knows.
Tori looks a bit skeptical getting out of the car since the restaurant is bookended by a Laundromat and a OTB.
"It looks like a crack den," Tori says.
"Like you know what a crack den looks like," Jade mocks.
"I do too."
"Relax. Their tacos are awesome," Jade tells her.
"They better be," Tori grumbles.
Jade does a mental double take when her first thought is how cute Tori looks when she pouts.
Inside they're seated at a cozy little booth in the back. It's kind of romantic, Jade thinks. And then decides to stop listening to her inner monologue.
After ordering their food and drinks, they're left alone and Jade can feel Tori's eyes on her. She knows that Tori is probably waiting for her to say something since technically it was Jade's idea. Jade's still not sure why she suggested it. Maybe so the next time Jade calls for a ride, Tori will be more likely to agree.
"So…" Tori tries. "Why were you at Michael's? I though you hated him."
"History project."
"Fun."
"Not really."
"Well it's nice of you to buy dinner," Tori says.
"I'm not nice," Jade snaps. "And I never said I was paying."
"I thought it was just implied," Tori replies. "Dinner was your suggestion."
"Uh huh. Fine. Whatever."
Tori smiles and the simpleness of it causes butterflies in Jade's stomach. It makes Jade want to lash out and she swallows the impulse, wondering why she suddenly cares.
They're quiet until the food arrives.
…
They make idle chatter as they eat and it's not as terrible as Jade always imagined. Not that she's thought about eating dinner with Tori a lot.
Their plates are being taken away when Tori begins debating the merits of gore versus suspense in horror movies.
Though she completely disagrees, she almost swoons over the topic choice. Beck never wants to debate horror movies.
"All I'm saying is that more blood doesn't make things scarier, just gross," Tori says.
"I don't find horror movies scary," Jade replies.
"Well for us regular folks, then," Tori retorts.
"Finally, you admit it," Jade smiles.
"You're just jealous," Tori says.
"You wish."
"You wish."
"Mature," Jade says.
"Thank you."
The check appears at the table and Jade doesn't move, enjoying the pointed glares Tori's shooting her.
"Problem, Vega?"
"Nope," Tori replies. "You're paying, so whenever you're ready."
"Maybe I changed my mind," Jade says.
"Well then maybe I changed my mind about giving you a ride," Tori retorts.
"No you haven't," Jade smirks.
"But I could," Tori insists.
"I'll believe it when I see it, Vega," Jade teases.
Tori tries to glare back and Jade finds it adorable. It takes every ounce of self-restraint she has to not smile, instead she meets Tori's glare with a stare of her own.
It lasts longer than Jade expected. But eventually, Tori blinks first.
"Fine," Tori sighs. "I won't just leave you here."
"That's all I needed to hear," Jade says, grabbing the bill. She throws some cash on the table and stands. "So we're done, here, right?"
Tori nods as she stands as well and follows Jade out.
…
"So I had a nice time," Tori says as she parks in Jade's driveway.
"Careful there, Vega," Jade replies. "This wasn't a date."
Tori's eyes get wide. "I wasn’t--I didn't mean that, Jade I swear, I--"
"I know. I was kidding," Jade tells her. "You need to relax. You're going to give yourself wrinkles."
"Right. Of course you are." Tori purses her lips and then looks at Jade. "If I didn't know better, though, I'd think you were teasing me."
Jade is just barely able to keep the surprise from her face. The small part of her that wants to be nice to Tori, that actually likes Tori is growing in size and is screaming at Jade to say something. Jade can't let it win yet, so she just smirks. "Think what you want Vega. I don't care. But, uh, thanks for the ride."
"You're welcome."
The sincerity makes Jade's heart clench. "Bye." And Jade is quickly climbing out of the car.
The Fifth Time
11 days later…
Once again Jade is kicked out of the library. She doesn't understand why the librarians hate her so much. It's not like she makes that much noise. Okay, so she's not the nicest person when she's looking for a book, but their system is stupid and Jade had been running short on patience.
She tosses her bag into the car and climbs in. Turning the ignition, Jade groans; nothing is happening. Grabbing her bag, she digs for her cell phone, but there's no signal. Probably being blocked by the giant, oppressing concrete building. Jade looks over at the darkened library and doubts anyone would let her in to use the phone inside.
Jade grabs her bag and climbs back out of her car. She'll just walk across the street to the coffee shop and ask to use their phone. No biggie.
…
An hour later, Jade hates humanity more than she already did. No one has let her use their phone. It's not fault, she has like two dollars at the moment. Making her buy something before she can use the phone seems cruel. She's tried her cell a few more times, but the signal keeps flickering out and cutting off her calls. It takes every ounce of self-control she has to not chuck it at someone's head.
She finally finds a spot that doesn't drop the signal and she quickly scrolls to someone she knows will come get her.
"Jade?"
"I’m stranded. Come get me."
There's no response and Jade starts cursing, thinking her cell dropped the call again.
"I haven't said no yet." Tori's voice quietly cuts through Jade's cursing.
"But you're going to?"
"I have plans."
Jade looks at her watch. "You have plans at 6:30 on a Sunday night?"
"Well, no. I have plans in an hour."
"Is it a secret?" Jade asks.
"No," Tori replies before sighing. "I'm going to see Ferret Kickers. Doors open at eight."
"Seriously?" Jade questions. "I didn't know they were playing anywhere tonight?"
"Not many do," Tori replies. "It's a private concert."
"How'd you get an invite?"
"Look Jade," Tori says. "Maybe Andre can give you a ride. I know he was supposed to be at his grandma's today, but he should be home by now."
"Can I come with?"
This silence is even longer than the first one. Jade checks her phone twice to make sure Tori hasn't hung up.
Finally Tori asks, "Why?"
"Because it'd be awesome to see a private Ferret Kickers concert. And you're not as annoying as I thought."
Another stretch of silence.
"Fine. You can come. But if I find out later that you didn't mean that, there will be consequences."
"Consequences?" Jade questions. "Seriously, Vega? And mean what? That I don't completely hate you?"
"I'll sic Trina on you somehow," Tori replies. "And yes."
"I'm not lying."
"Where are you?"
…
Tori is dressed like before with the addition of a few streaks of purple hair that match her Doc Martins. Jade does a double take as she slides into the passenger seat.
"You… look… not horrible," Jade manages to say.
"Thanks." Tori puts the car in gear and begins driving. "What about your car?"
"I finally managed to call AAA," Jade replies. "They're going to pick it up whenever they can and take it to the shop my dad has an account at."
"So why call me?"
"Because I didn't feel like sitting in my car in the parking lot of the library for five hours?"
"I get that," Tori says. "Why did you call me?"
"Because I knew you'd come," Jade answers. "I like guarantees."
"So you're saying I'm a sucker?"
"I'm saying you're nice," Jade corrects.
"And we all know how much you like nice people," Tori replies.
Maybe you're the exception to the rule, Jade thinks.
"What?"
"What?" Jade questions.
"Did you just say I was the exception to the rule?"
"Uh…" Jade panics trying to think up an excuse. "No?"
"Okay then," Tori says, barely hiding a smile.
…
Tori parks next to an abandoned looking warehouse. If not for the few other cars and a truck that Jade assumes is the band's, Jade would be worried that Tori brought her here to kill her.
Before tonight, Jade would have never thought that about Tori, but she can admit to herself at least, that Tori apparently has the ability to surprise Jade. At least once in a while.
"The owner of this warehouse is a fan of local bands," Tori explains as she exits the car. "Anytime he finds one he likes, he sets up a private concert with them here."
"That's nice of him."
"Yeah, especially since he invites people he knows from the industry. Quite a few local bands have gotten contracts from these."
"I take it you've been before," Jade says.
Tori shakes her head. "Nope. My first."
"Then how'd you hear about it?"
"From Ferret Kickers," Tori answers. "That's how I got on the guest list."
"You know the band?"
"Yeah, the bassist, Alex went out with my sister exactly once, but he and I hit it off," Tori explains.
"Of course you did. I'm Tori Vega and everyone loves me from the moment I smile my pretty smile at them," Jade teases using her Sweet Sally Peaches voice.
Tori sighs. "I don't sound like that.'
"Whatever."
They suddenly stop their trek to the warehouse, well Tori stops, so Jade does as well. She turns to ask Tori why the hell they're stopping, but Tori's simply staring at Jade. It continues to the point that Jade can feel herself blushing.
"What Vega?" Jade growls.
"Nothing," Tori says, shaking her head, a small smile on her face.
"Can we get there before I die of old age, then?"
Tori nods and begins walking again.
When they reach the door, they find a small line forming already which they join. It doesn’t take long for them to reach the front, though.
"Tori Vega," Tori tells the bouncer. "This is my plus one."
The bouncer skims the list and quickly finds her name. Nodding, he steps aside and Jade follows Tori inside.
Inside there's a small bar set up near the entrance, people milling everywhere and a moderately sized stage with instruments waiting. Jade sees various speakers, subwoofers and cables surrounding the stage. There's a crowd of about thirty milling near the stage and a dozen or so more people near the bar.
"Jeez, this really is private," Jade says, quietly.
"Looks like it."
"Impressive Vega."
"Thanks West."
They spend the next thirty minutes exchanging trivia about Ferret Kickers as well as a few other bands. Jade's surprised to find Tori's music taste isn't as cookie cutter as Jade imagined.
The light flashes five times and everyone gathers around the stage. Moments later, Ferret Kickers is on stage.
The guitarist and lead singer, Benny, grabs the mic. "Hello there awesome people! Thanks for coming. And a special thanks to Jack Ryder, the owner of this establishment. Thanks for setting this up. Now… onto the fun!"
Everyone claps as they open with their current hit, Evidence; which they follow with their first hit, Sharp Edge.
Their set consists of fifteen songs followed by a 15 minute break.
Jade's thoroughly enjoying herself. Being one of only like fifty people is just enhancing the experience.
"I'm gonna grab a soda," Jade tells Tori. "Want one?"
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, thanks."
Tori's expression easily tells Jad that she caught Tori off guard. It makes Jade chuckle and for once the butterflies in her stomach, the ones that only Tori seems to cause, aren't bothering Jade.
At the bar, Jade orders two diet sodas.
"You here with Tori?"
Jade looks to her left and sees a girl around her age, dressed in full punk, complete with neon pink stripes in her hair and at least twice as many piercing as Jade.
"I am."
"Hmmm," the punk smiles. "Seems that someone really does have a type."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Just be careful," she tells Jade. "Tori Vega is a bit of a player."
"Figures," Jade mutters. "She do her sweet as honey impersonation to lure away your boyfriend?"
The punk laughs. "Not exactly. I'm Paige."
"Jade."
"And no, she didn't steal my boyfriend," Paige says. "But she did lure me away from my girlfriend."
"Huh."
"She dragged me to her car for a heavy make out session, but just as my hands started to venture below the belt, she stopped me, saying she couldn't because she was just using me to scrub an unrequited crush out of her brain. And that it didn't seem fair to me to continue."
Jade shrugs as the sodas are placed in front of her. She hands the bartender some cash. "Sounds like Vega to me."
"Except she's said it to at least three other girls," Paige replies. "I'm starting to think it's her quote unquote escape hatch."
"At least three other girls?"
Paige nods. "Just because careful. Looks like you're just her type."
"Thanks."
A bit dazed, Jade walks back to Tori and hands a soda to her.
"Thanks."
"Yeah."
"What's up?" Tori asks. "You look… weird."
Instead of the glare, Jade knows Tori is expecting, Jade keeps staring at the stage as she speaks, "I Just had a very interesting conversation with someone named Paige?"
"Oh?"
"Yeah," Jade says. "Seems you led her on and then dumped her ass." Jade smiles. "Seems that I've underestimated you again, Vega."
"Um…
"I am curious though," Jade continues. "Who your little crush is."
"None of your business," Tori replies.
"For now," Jade says.
The return of the band stops the question Tori's about to ask.
…
They end up hanging out with the band after the show. It's pretty chill, just hanging out while the band drinks and celebrates. Jade ends up talking with the drummer about songwriting while Tori talks with the bassist.
Eventually Tori taps Jade on the shoulder. "I gotta get home," she explains.
"Cool. Nice talking to ya, Jimmy," Jade tells the drummer.
"You too, Jade."
They walk out to the car in silence.
"Thanks for, you know, letting me be your plus one," Jade says.
Tori shrugs. "You're a fan, so it's cool. I took Andre once and it wasn't really his sound."
"Still," Jade says. "You didn't have to… do any of this."
They've reach the car. Tori looks over the roof and the way she's staring at Jade is almost overwhelming. Jade feels a bit like she's drowning.
"I wanted to," Tori says finally as she unlocks the car.
It's a different sort of silence as Tori drives to Jade's house. Jade wants to call it awkward, but it isn't exactly. She also wants to call it comfortable, which is something she's been feeling a lot around Tori lately, but comfortable just isn't the right word either.
"Well here we are."
Jade's been trying so hard to categorize the atmosphere in the car that she hasn't really been paying attention to her surroundings.
“Listen, Jade, I know that-“
“I’m not going to say anything about your love ‘em and leave ‘em ways, Vega,” Jade interrupts.
“No, I-“
“Or that you’re apparently quite the babe magnet,” Jade continues.
“Jade…”
“What? Tell me I’m wrong.”
Tori doesn’t answer, just avoids Jade’s eyes.
Jade sighs and to her surprise, begins inching closer to Tori. “Vega… it’s no big deal.”
“I know that,” Tori replies. “I just hate that found out like that. I didn’t…”
“What? That you like girls? Because it’s really not that big of deal.”
Tori remains silent.
Jade feels herself becoming unexpectedly nervous as the silence lengthens. Finally, she can’t take it anymore. “What then? What’s the big deal?”
Tori is still quiet.
“Tori, seriously, what is the problem?”
Jade watches as a small smile begins to grow on Tori’s face. She watches the other girl turn and face her.
“Sorry,” Tori says finally. “It’s just, I’ve always wanted to, but never felt it was the right moment.”
“What does that mean?”
Tori’s answer is to lean in and kiss Jade.
It’s sweet and soft and brief. And though it answers some questions for Jade, it really just leaves her wanting more; so she follows Tori as she retreats and pulls her in for a deeper kiss.
This one seems to be fueled by passion, full of tongue and teeth, Jade can’t seem to get enough and so she pulls Tori closer and closer until she’s basically straddling Jade; who is not complaining.
Only when hands begin finding bare skin, does Tori pull back. Breathless, her heart pounding, Jade looks up at Tori and finds all the hate she thought she felt for Tori is actually something else entirely.
“We’ve gotta stop,” Tori says.
“Why?”
“Beck.”
“Oh. Right.”
Tori slides off Jade and the two sit quietly staring straight ahead for a moment before the whirling chaos of Jade’s mind is too much to handle in this enclosed space.
“I should go,” Jade says. “But thanks for… Uh, thanks.”
“Jade, wait,” Tori replies. “We should talk.”
“No can do, Vega,” Jade tells her. “Gotta go.” Jade is out of the car and nearly to her front door before the sound of the car door slamming shut reaches her. She ignores Tori’s requests to stay, instead rushing inside the house and throwing the door closed behind her.
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