Jade and Tori's Play Date/Real Date?
"You are pretty."
The sentence came out of her mouth before Tori really realized how intimate it came across.
She immediately distracted herself by taking a bite of her sushi, but couldn't help but notice Jade looked just as flustered as she was.
Tori tried to strike up a conversation once more to fill the awkward silence.
"So- I've met your dad before, but what's your mom like?" Tori tried.
"Why do you want to know?" Jade answered defensively.
Tori shrugged. "Isn't that what people do on dates? Get to know each other by asking personal questions?"
Jade looked up and scrutinized her partner. "You do know this isn't a real date, right?"
A blush crept up on Toris cheeks. "Obviously!" She laughed. "But we are actors, right? Shouldn't we treat this as another one of Sikowitz's acting exercises?"
Jade sighed deeply. "I suppose."
There was a long silence.
"So-" Tori prompted.
"Fine." Jade grumbled as she put down her chopsticks. "My mom is- alright I guess. The one thing she did right by me at least was to name me Jade."
"It is very fitting for you." Tori supplied.
Jade side-eyed her.
"Sorry. Continue." Tori conceded.
"She didn't want me to get my piercings. Too bad for her." Jade shrugged. "I don't know. She is- fine I guess. Better than my step mom at the very least." Jade rolled her eyes.
"Is your step-"
"Let's switch time talking about you now." Jade interrupted. "What's your deepest secret?" She smiled menacingly at Tori.
Tori chuckled nervously. "Heh. Well, I guess-"
"Hold on a second, are you actually going to tell me?" Jade raised her eyebrows.
"You asked." Tori shrugged.
"No, go ahead I mean that's a pretty dumb decision to trust me after all we have been through but please, go ahead." Jade chuckled.
Tori took a deep breath, biting her lip. "I kissed a girl once."
The confession shot out of her mouth before Tori realized what she was admitting.
Jade didn't flinch. "Right. Like during a play or something? Real juicy secret Vega." She laughed.
"No, not during a play." Tori could hear her inner voice screaming at her to stop divulging details, Jade just gave her an exit and she ran right past it.
"Then on a dare, or by accident or something." Jade raised an eyebrow at her suddenly interesting dinner date.
Tori shook her head. "In the 8th grade. Her name was Rose. I thought I was in love." Tori laughed. She looked beside her and caught Jade staring at her, evidently surprised. "I- don't know why I'm telling you this. You'll probably use it as blackmail against me or something." Tori sighed, putting her head in her hands on the counter.
"Please. I'm cruel. I'm not that cruel Vega." Jade's voice softened. She shot a soft awkward smile in Tori's direction as she raised her head, and then immediately turned back to her food and stuffed her mouth with sushi.
Another silence ensued.
It was Jade who broke it this time. "So-" she asked as she played with her food. "Do you like girls, or was Rose special?"
Tori spat out her green tea, coughing.
Jade slapped her on the back and Tori nodded her thanks as she caught her breath.
"I guess it doesn't really matter to me. It's the person I'm attracted to." Tori finally answered.
"Huh." Jade harrumphed.
"What?"
"Well I never thought there was anything cool about you Vega, but that earns you some points."
Tori smiled. "Really?"
Jade took a nonchalant sip of her water. "I'm the same way, so it must be cool."
"You're-"
"Bi." Jade finished her inquiry.
"Hey! See! I knew if we kept talking we would find we had stuff in common." Tori put her hand on Jades shoulder.
Jade immediately tensed. "Don't push it Vega."
"Right. Sorry." Tori removed her hand.
"Uh-oh!" The sounds of two male voices came up behind them, and suddenly Jade and Tori were being squished together by two very fratty looking boys. "Babe sandwich! Whooooaaaa!"
"And this night actually gets worse." Jade sighed.
"Guys." Tori began pushing back. "We really wanna hang out alone. " she pointed to Jade and herself.
"We are alone." One of the boys answered. "Just the four of us."
"P'joink!" The boys high-fived.
"Oh my God." Jade rolled her eyes.
"So, Doctor Chad, how's the patient look?" The boy closest to Jade asked.
"Whoa! Looks like she has a Chad infection." The other responded.
"Whoa! Ain't no cure for a Chad infection."
"Guess she's stuck with me. P'joink!" Chad cheered.
The DJ interrupted over the microphone. "Okay, two-minute break, then more karaoke here at Nozu, yeah."
"Ooohlooloo." The boy closest to Jade tickled her chin. "Huh? Ooohlooloo. Are ya ticklish? Ooohlooloo."
Jade elbowed him hard in the gut, sending him to the floor for a second before he reverberated.
"C'mon...Can I buy you a soda?" Chad winked at Tori.
"No." Tori sighed.
"So where do you girls go to school?"
"Hollywood arts." Jade sighed.
"Ohhhhh! Hey, I bet we got us a couple a'song birds here, huh? You guys sing songs? Sing us a song." Chad prompted.
"Yeah, we wanna hear a little songy-song action!" The other played off him.
"Hear that Tori?" Jade turned to Tori after a pause and winked at her." They wanna hear a little songy-song action."
Tori made eye contact with Jade and smiled when she understood her plan. "Okay. We'll sing you a song." Tori put on her best fake smile for the boys.
"Ohhhhh!" The boys cheered.
Tori and Jade got up and walked confidently over to the DJ.
"Hey DJ, Your break's over." Jade yelled.
"What do you guys wanna sing?" He asked.
"Uhhh...T-305." Tori looked at Jade for affirmation and she smirked.
"All riiiiight. Yeah! Hollywood arts!" The boys leered.
The music came on and soon the girls began their song.
Why am I always hit on by the boys I never like
...
take a hint, take a hint
As the song ended, without thinking Tori took Jade's hand in her own and they interlocked fingers.
She looked over at her partner and smiled brightly. Jade genuinely smiled back at her.
They both waved teasing goodbyes at the boys and then laughed all the way back to their seats.
As Jade collapsed into her chair, she ran and hand through her hair. "You know- this date didn't turn out half as bad as I thought it would."
"High praise coming from you." Tori chuckled.
"Don't ruin it." Jade rolled her eyes playfully.
"Hey girls. Great job up there. Is there anything else I can get you before we close the kitchen?" Thier waiter asked.
"Close the kitchen? What time is it?" Tori scrunched her brows.
Jade took out her pair phone. "11:45. I guess we are almost off the hook then."
Tori could have sworn she heard a hint of sadness in Jade's tone.
"I guess." Tori looked down at her food. "Unless-" She perked up. "There's this really good ice cream place down the street. I've been craving it all week."
Jade shrugged casually. "I could go for some ice cream."
Tori smiled brightly at her.
"It's not that I want to spend anymore time with you, Vega. I just want ice cream." Jade retorted.
Tori rolled her eyes playfully and turned to their waiter. "We'll just take the check please."
"Oh no, it's all to be put on that crazy man's tab." The waiter responded.
"Who? Sikowitz?" Jade asked.
"I don't know. Flappy pants, no hair, crazy eyes." The waiter explained.
Tori and Jade exchanged a devious glance.
"In that case-" Tori began opening her menu. "We will take several items to go. Jade?" Tori quirked an eyebrow at her date.
Jade smiled darkly. "Yes, I'll have four of the-"
—-
Twenty minutes later, Jade an Tori were walking towards the ice cream shop, each with their hands full of take out bags.
"Do you think we went too far with that take out?" Tori suddenly felt remorseful.
"Nah." Jade quickly answered. "Sikowitz did force us to go on a date against our wills for five hours and threatened to fail us. Pretty sure that is illegal."
"Yeah you're right." Tori conceded. "Should we at least offer some to Sinjin and Burf?"
"Hell no. We earned this food. Stop being so damn nice Vega." Jade admonished. "Now where is this ice cream place?"
"Across the street there." Tori motioned with her head.
Across the street was a cute little ice cream parlor decorated in light pink everything inside and out.
When they entered the door, Jade pointed out, "This place looks like your personality Tori."
"I will take that as a compliment." Tori huffed.
They placed their bags down at a table and ordered ice cream. Jade a chocolate fudge blast and Tori cookies and cream.
They sat down across from each other and occasionally got strange looks from people due to their plentiful take out bags.
"Those boys were really something else." Jade started.
"Yeah. Something else alright. Definitely not human." Tori agreed.
"So, not the kind of person you're attracted to?" Jade joked.
Tori made a sour face in reply. "The exact opposite. What about you, are you really not interested in Chad?"
Jade pretended to throw up in her bowl, making Tori giggle.
Tori noticed the silence that came after was much more comfortable than it had been before.
It was Jade that prompted the conversation further. "So what is Tori Vega's type?"
"I wish I knew. It would make my life a lot simpler." Tori sighed. "I don't know- a good heart, can make me laugh, physical attraction isn't unimportant."
"Wow, very specific." Jade teased.
"What! I know what I like when they come along." Tori defended.
"Mmhmm." Jade scoffed.
"Alright then, miss judgey what is your type?" Tori prompted.
"Miss judgey? Are you five?"
"Just answer the question."
"Why do you want to know?" Jade leaned forward, smirking.
Tori unwittingly blushed. "Just- well- because— hey! You asked me first!" She pointed her spoon at Jade.
"Fine fine." Jade chuckled at Tori's childishness. "Tall, dark, beautiful. Maybe a bit cynical in an ideal world." Jade shrugged.
"Well, Beck does fit that description." Tori nodded, then backtracked. "Sorry- I shouldn't have mentioned Beck. He's your ex-"
"I'm well aware of who he is Tori. And it's fine. Beck did fit my type. So do other people." Jade scraped the bottom of her cup with her spoon.
"Oh? Does Jade have a crush on someone new?" Tori leaned forward.
"Shh!" Jade shushed her. "Honestly Vega, why don't you just shout it to the world!"
"I was joking. But- you do have a crush?" Tori waggled her eyebrows. "Spill! Who?" Tori scooted to the edge of her seat, excited she and Jade were finally bonding.
Although she did feel a pang of a negative emotion she couldn't quite place as she asked Jade the question.
"I'm not telling you anything Vega." Jade leaned back in her chair.
"What? Come on! I told you about Rose!" Tori whined.
"Rose was in the past. This is my present. It's much more risky to tell you." Jade rolled her eyes.
"Alright." Tori sighed. "At least tell me if it's someone I know."
"That would be a worse idea." Jade rolled her eyes.
After a slight pause, Tori asked, "Is it Robbie?"
"God no! Tori, jeez. Who do you take me for?" Jade laughed.
"Just checking." Tori raised her arms in defeat, smiling.
Jade looked at her phone as she took the last bite of her ice cream. "Well, it's getting late and we have a play together tomorrow."
"You're right. We have to nail it or Sikowitz might set us up again." Tori joked.
"Eh, it wasn't so bad." Jade shrugged.
Tori looked at Jade in surprise.
"I mean-" Jade quickly recovered. "I would have preferred dating anyone else but you, but you know- the free food was nice, and seeing those boys nearly wet themselves was like Christmas in March."
Tori chuckled. "I hope I never see Chad again."
"Your lips to gods ears." Jade agreed. "You going to finish that?" Jade pointed to the last bit of Tori's ice cream.
"Go for it. But it might be melted and mixed with my spit by now." Tori shrugged.
"As we've discussed Vega, I don't mind swapping spit with girls." Jade smirked sultrily as she took Tori's last bite.
Tori swallowed, her eyes widening as she blushed pink.
"You're too easy to get a rise out of Vega." Jade laughed.
They threw their cups in the trash and began walking back to the Nozu lot.
"Did you drive here?" Tori asked.
"Yeah. Your mom picking you up?" Jade asked.
"Trina is supposed to. I texted her like 20 minutes ago to give her fair warning. She will probably be here in another 20 minutes." Tori sighed.
"I'll drive you." Jade stated rather than offered.
Tori smiled. "Really?"
"Sure." Jade put on a western accent. "Can't have a pretty girl like you out here all alone."
Tori mimicked her play, faking the accent of a flirty saloon girl. "Why thank you kindly. I just don't know what I would do if some ruffians came along." She batted her eyelashes.
"Yeah never do that accent again." Jade chuckled.
"Bad?" Tori pouted.
Jade simply pursed her lips.
"I'll work on it." Tori slid into the passenger's seat of Jade's car. As she turned to buckle her seatbelt she looked in the backseat.
"There's no shovel back there, if that's what you're looking for."
"Oh- no- I wasn't-"
"I only put it back there last time to freak you out. I wouldn't have actually hurt you." Jade placed a hand on the back of Tori's seat so she could look out the rear window and back out.
"I- I know that." Tori stuttered.
"Really? Cause you jumped out of a moving vehicle and then walked 11 miles to-"
"Alright I may have been scared." Tori admitted.
"Good." Jade smiled at her as she turned back around.
Toris cheeks grew hot at her smile, and she tried to shake herself out of it. But there was a thought nagging her from earlier.
"Have you ever kissed a girl?" She blurted out.
"Wow, smooth Segway Vega." Jade's eyes were now locked on the road ahead of her.
"Sorry, you don't have to answer that-"
"No. I haven't." Jade cut her off. "But to be fair, I was dating Beck for the past two years. And before that I was really uninterested in anyone. I wasn't as promiscuous as you."
"Hey! I wasn't-"
"That was a joke Tori."
"Oh." Tori chuckled.
The rest of the ride was mostly silent aside from the hum of Jade's car and the sound of her stereo on low volume. It was a comfortable silence though, and as Tori looked out the window she couldn't help but feel happy at the progress she had made with Jade.
When they got to Tori's driveway, Jade put the car in park. "Don't forget your meals for the next week." Jade pointed to the takeout bags.
"Couldn't forget those. Thanks." Tori was about to open the door to her side of the car when she paused. "I had a lot of fun tonight."
Tori could have sworn she saw a blush on Jade's cheeks. "Yeah. It wasn't the worst night of my life."
Tori nodded. "Can I have a hug?"
"Don't push it Vega."
"Right, Sorry." She began gathering her half of the take out bags when she heard Jade sigh loudly.
"Make it quick. And if you tell anyone I slit your throat in your sleep."
"Yay!" Tori dropped her bags and quickly threw an arm around Jade, who hesitantly patted her back awkwardly.
"Alright, now get out." Jade huffed.
Tori grabbed her bags and was about to close the car door behind her when she shouted. "Thanks for a great date."
Jade rolled her eyes. "Don't give your neighborhood the wrong idea Vega. Night." Jade saluted.
Tori shut the car door and ran up her driveway. She turned before she went inside her house and waved again to Jade, who apparently was waiting to make sure she got in safely.
Even from this far away Tori could sense her eyes roll as she put the car in drive and drove away.
—
Tori, Jade, Beck and Andre were getting into their wigs backstage when Sikowitz came in to check on them.
"How is everyone? Good? Good." He sighed happily. "Excited? Good."
"Are you going to let us answer? No." Jade mocked.
"Ah, Jade. Lovely as ever I see." Sikowitz retorted. "Speaking of which, how was your date last night girls?"
Beck and Andre whipped their heads around in interest at his comment.
"Between you and Tori, everyone in the greater LA area is going to think Tori and I are actually dating." Jade sighed.
"We had fun." Tori answered. "Painted each others nails, sang campfire songs, the usual." Tori joked.
"Yes, well according to my bill, you two went quite crazy!" Sikowitz laughed. "I'm glad you ended up enjoying yourselves."
"I never said that. " Jade shot back.
"Well, if you hadn't enjoyed yourselves, why would you go to the ice cream parlor after midnight, when your official required date was over?" Sikowitz prompted.
"How did you know— Sinjin." Tori sighed.
"My little spies did their job very well last night." Sikowitz smiled. "And I hoped my plan worked and you two actually sound like you at least like each other in today's show." With that, Sikowitz made a grand exit.
"So, you two are dating now?" Andre started.
"Can it." Jade spat.
"Yes Ma'am."
—
"Honey? Wake up." Jade, dressed as Nancy, shook Tori, dressed as Walter.
"Blast off!" Tori sprung up from her position on the couch.
"No, no. You were saying, I'm so…?" Jade prompted.
"Oh, right." Tori sighed. "You're so good, gentle." She looked down dejectedly. "How can you love a sleepy loser like me?"
"You are no sleepy loser." Jade brushed her thumb against Tori's cheek, her touch gentle and smooth, somewhat surprising Tori. "You're an astronaut."
Tori wrapped an arm around Jade's waist. "I love you." She nearly whispered, so soft everyone in the audience leaned forward to hear better.
"I love you." Jade responded, putting every bit as much emotion in her words.
Tori hugged Jade tightly to her, burying her face in her shoulder, when suddenly, time itself seemed to slow down.
The audience was blacked out of her vision. It was almost as if only one single spotlight in the world shone on her and Jade.
Tori recognized the same feeling bubbling within her that she had felt on the basketball court with Rosie a few years ago.
As Tori broke away from slightly her tight embrace with Jade, she looked up at her, and reached to brush a stray strand of hair from the blonde wig from her cheek, and placed it nimbly behind her ear.
Tori's eyes traveled from Jade's ear until her eyes locked with Jade's own, and then Tori's eyes strayed down to Jade's lips.
They were so close already, as Tori continued to hold Jade in her arms. All Tori had to do was lean in, just an inch, to have their lips meet.
One second Tori was just thinking about kissing Jade, the next second her lips were on hers.
Their lips melded together like warm clay, and Tori brought a hand up to frame Jade's cheek softly. Her eyes closed and all she saw, all she felt, was warmth.
As thier lips parted, Tori felt the cool theatre air touch her lips again, and she opened her eyes.
Jade looked every bit as surprised as Tori felt, and for once Jade didn't look hard and angry, she looked calm, happy even, and soft.
Tori's thoughts were interrupted by the thunderous sound of applause beside them.
Suddenly her surroundings returned, as quick as the flash of a camera. Tori blinked and turned to face the audience, Jade's hand held tightly in her own, the only thing grounding her. They took their bow together with Andre and Beck. If they were staring at her, Tori didn't even notice.
And then the realization hit her.
She had just kissed Jade West. That was not in the script.
The second the curtains closed, Tori ran.