5
Tori. Man, I never saw that coming. She was... damn good. Like, way better than I expected. Or maybe it was just me? Maybe because, for the first time in forever, it wasn't just some random hookup. I actually felt... something.
Yeah, no way I was admitting that out loud.
Still, the way she'd been acting all week? Ghosting me? It was seriously screwing with my head. If she regretted it, fine. But at least have the balls to tell me instead of playing this stupid game.
By Thursday lunch, I was done. I spotted her outside with Cat and Andre, laughing. But the second she saw me, her smile just... vanished.
Oh, hell no.
"Vega," I said, walking right up to the table. "We need to talk."
She looked at Cat and Andre like they were her backup plan.
"Now," I added, making sure she knew I wasn't messing around.
Andre raised an eyebrow, but kept quiet. Cat just looked back and forth between us, totally lost.
Tori sighed, standing up. "Fine."
I turned and walked off, not waiting for her. I could hear her following me as I led us to a quiet spot behind the school.
As soon as we were alone, I turned on her. "Seriously? You're just gonna ignore me forever?"
She crossed her arms, looking uncomfortable. "I wasn't ignoring you."
"Yeah, right."
She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Look, Jade, I just... I don't know what to say."
I narrowed my eyes. "How about the truth? You regret it, don't you?"
Her eyes widened. "No! That's not—" She stopped herself, biting her lip.
I waited, watching her squirm.
"I just... I don't want things to get complicated," she finally admitted.
I scoffed. "Too late for that, don't you think?"
She sighed again, looking frustrated. "Look, I like you, okay? But I don't know what to do about it."
My heart did this stupid little flip, but I tried to play it cool. "So, ignoring me was your brilliant plan?"
"I panicked!" she admitted. "This wasn't supposed to happen. I mean, you're Jade. And I'm me. We're supposed to hate each other."
I smirked. "Pretty sure we skipped that part when you were on top of me, Vega."
She groaned, covering her face. "Ugh, why are you like this?"
"Because I like messing with you," I said, straight up.
She dropped her hands, giving me a look. "So... what now?"
I stepped closer, tilting my head. "That's up to you."
Tori swallowed, her eyes flicking to my lips for a second before she looked away.
I smirked. "You're thinking about it, aren't you?"
She huffed. "Shut up."
I chuckled, then, softer, "Look, I'm not into relationships. But I don't want this to be a one-time thing."
Tori looked at me, her face unreadable. "So, you just want to... hook up?"
I shrugged. "For now. And if it turns into something more, then... we'll figure it out."
She was quiet for a long time, then nodded. "Okay."
I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
She sighed, but there was a small smile. "Yeah."
I grinned. "Good. Now, how about we ditch the rest of the day and go back to my place?"
Tori rolled her eyes, but didn't say no.
And just like that, everything changed.
Maybe it was just her.
Tori Vega, the girl I'd been rolling my eyes at, arguing with, pretending to hate. And now? I couldn't get her out of my head.
I sighed, lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling. It was late, dark, just the laptop screen flickering. I wasn't even watching the movie. My mind was stuck on that night.
The way she looked at me. The way she felt. The way she sounded when I—
I groaned, covering my face. "Get it together, West."
My phone buzzed.
I grabbed it, my heart jumping a little when I saw the name.
Vega.
Tori: You up?
I smirked. Of course, she'd text now.
Jade: No, I'm dead. Who is this?
Tori: Ha-ha. Can I come over?
I hesitated. Was this just a repeat? Or something else?
Jade: Why?
Tori: I just... I don't want to be home. And I need to talk to you.
That got my attention.
Jade: Fine. Back door's open.
I got up, running a hand through my hair. I wasn't sure what to expect. But when I opened the door and saw her standing there, arms wrapped around herself, looking small and unsure, I knew it wasn't just a booty call.
She came in, and I shut the door. "Okay, Vega, what's up?"
She bit her lip. "Can we just... sit?"
I nodded, leading her to my room. She sat on the edge of my bed, looking down. I sat next to her, waiting.
Finally, she sighed. "I know I've been weird this week."
"Massive understatement."
She shot me a look. "I just— I don't know how to handle this, Jade."
"This?" I raised an eyebrow.
She let out a breath. "Us. That night."
My chest tightened. "What about it?"
She hesitated. "I haven't stopped thinking about it."
I blinked. "Oh."
"I just— I didn't expect to feel like this. It was supposed to be a one-time thing, but now..." She trailed off.
My heart was pounding.
"Now what?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Now I don't think I want it to be just a one-time thing."
I stared at her. Was she saying what I thought?
"So, what are you saying, Vega?" I asked, my voice quieter.
She bit her lip, looking nervous. "I think I like you, Jade."
I didn't say anything at first. I just looked at her, searching for any doubt.
I didn't see any.
So I leaned in, kissed her.
She melted into me, hands in my hair. It wasn't rushed like before. It was slow, deep, real.
When we pulled away, she rested her forehead against mine.
"So..." she whispered.
"So," I murmured back, smirking. "Looks like we've got a thing now."
She smiled. "Yeah. I think we do."
The second the distance opened up between us, the whole room felt different, like someone had flipped a switch. It wasn't just the leftover tension, either. It was... the air itself, thick with a question neither of us was saying out loud. She wasn't exactly pushing me away, but her fingers were twisting the edge of her shirt, and her eyes had this weird, uncertain look in them.
I tried to close the gap again, wanting another kiss, wanting to feel more of her, but she stopped me, her hand flat against my chest.
"Jade," she said, her voice soft, but with this... something in it I couldn't place.
"What?" I asked, confused, feeling that familiar knot of frustration tightening. "You don't want this?"
"No, it's not that," she mumbled, looking down at her lap. Her fingers were knotted together, and I couldn't tell if she was just nervous or if she was actively avoiding something.
She shifted, uncomfortable. "I... I just... I need a minute—"
Before she could finish, I pulled her back in, kissing her again. I wasn't going to let her back away. She wanted this, didn't she?
But she broke the kiss again, this time pulling away completely.
"Jade, I need—"
"No," I snapped, the frustration bubbling up. "You don't get to stop me, Vega."
Her eyebrows furrowed, clearly surprised. "What the hell, Jade?"
My anger flared. "What, you're going to do this now? After everything?"
Tori hesitated, her eyes searching mine, trying to find the right words. "I... I just need a second, okay?"
I sighed, my grip tightening on her arms. "You could've said that before. Instead, you just freeze up, and now you're pulling away?" My irritation was growing with every word. "If you didn't want this, you should've just said so."
Tori opened her mouth, then closed it again, like she was trying to find the right thing to say, but couldn't. She was clearly on edge, and my mind was racing, twisting everything into a reason to be mad.
But she didn't get a chance to say anything.
I stood up abruptly, shaking my head. "I don't have time for this. If you wanted to bail, you should've done it earlier."
Her face softened a little, but the tension was still thick in the air. "Jade, it's not that I—"
"Yeah, well, it sure feels like it," I cut her off, my voice sharp. "Just go. I'm not playing games."
Tori opened her mouth to argue, but I didn't give her the chance. I was already heading for the door.
"I'll... I'll go," she murmured.
She grabbed her things and left without another word. The door slammed shut, and I stood there for a moment, still breathing hard, my heart pounding.
What the hell just happened?
I sank back down onto the edge of the bed, my hands gripping the sheets. I didn't want to admit it, but the anger was starting to fade, leaving something else behind. Something I wasn't ready to face.
Why was she acting like that?
As much as I wanted to yell, the truth was, I had no idea how to handle her.
And the thought of losing her? That was something else entirely.
I just... I didn't know what to do.
The next morning at school, I could feel the tension in the air before I even saw her. I walked down the hallway, trying to keep my head low, but the whispers and stares were unavoidable. My mind was still buzzing with everything that had happened last night. I didn't want to think about it, but I couldn't help it.
Then, as if on cue, I spotted her—Tori—standing at her locker, her back to me. My stomach twisted.
I hadn't expected her to be here so early, but I wasn't about to turn away either.
I walked up to her, the sound of my boots echoing in the hallway as I closed the distance between us.
"Vega," I said, my voice colder than I intended.
She turned around at the sound of my voice, and for a moment, there was nothing but silence.
Tori's eyes flicked to mine, and I could tell she was trying to keep her cool, but her clenched jaw gave her away. "Jade." Her voice was tight.
"Don't Jade me," I snapped, the frustration from last night coming back like a tidal wave. "You left. You just left, without even explaining why."
Tori sighed, shifting slightly, clearly not wanting to argue in front of everyone. "I didn't leave because of you, Jade. I left because I needed to use the bathroom." Her voice was soft, but there was an edge to it, like she was holding back something.
I stared at her, not sure whether to laugh or scream. "That's why? You stopped me last night because you needed to go to the bathroom? Seriously?"
She looked at me, and I could see the frustration in her eyes now too. "Yes, seriously. That's what happened. I wasn't trying to pull away from you, Jade. I wasn't trying to ruin the moment. But I wasn't about to—"
"Are you kidding me right now?" I interrupted, throwing my hands up. "You could've said something! But no, you had to get all weird and pull away, and then leave me hanging."
Tori's eyes narrowed. "I didn't leave you hanging. I wasn't trying to hurt you. I just didn't want to make things awkward, okay? And you—you didn't let me explain, Jade. You assumed everything, and now here we are, and I'm trying to make it right, but you're making it harder."
Her words stung, but they also hit home. I crossed my arms, trying to hold my ground. "You could've just told me you needed a second. You didn't have to run off like that."
"I didn't run off, Jade. I just needed to—" Tori's voice was tight, but her face softened a little. "I didn't want to ruin the moment either. But you... you didn't give me a chance to explain. You just got mad and assumed I was done with you."
I took a deep breath, my anger ebbing a little, but the lingering embarrassment still stung. "I wasn't trying to assume anything. I just... I just wanted to know what was going on."
Tori exhaled sharply. "I get that. I do. But next time, can you just... let me talk? Let me explain before jumping to conclusions?"
The silence between us stretched for a few moments, both of us trying to figure out how to bridge the gap that had grown between us.
Finally, I nodded, though it felt like a reluctant peace offering. "Fine. But you need to tell me next time, Vega. I can't deal with being left in the dark."
Tori gave me a small, almost hesitant smile. "Deal."
I almost wanted to ask if she meant it, but instead, I just turned to walk away, giving her one last glance.
It wasn't perfect, but for now, it was enough.