Tori

The sun had long since set, its only remains a sky tinged with pink and gold streaks as Tori Vega made her way out of the gates belonging to Hollywood Arts. It was unusually cold, the wind bitter; she pulled her thin pink jumper tighter around her shoulders, and stepped up her pace a little.

Shouldn't have stayed to finish recording that song.

Mentally chastising herself wouldn't change much though, and Tori was still cold, like it or not. She walked round a corner, harsh voices catching her attention and looking up, spotted a group of men across the street looking bored. Empty beer cans were strewn around them and some still clutched half-full ones. The way they were stood didn't suggest anything remotely sober about them.

Oh god no. She kept her head down, fully aware she was the only person around beside them of course. Though it wasn't long before the wolf-whistles and cat-calls started anyway.

"Hey, darlin'!"

"Fancy a drink? Come over here!"

Just a few more corners, She thought desperately. Their voices weren't fading and she guessed they were following her.

Tori had broken into a run when she turned, in one last hope, down an alleyway she knew led to the road to her house. And then she smacked head-first into someone else.

"Vega?!" The stranger gasped. Tori looked up in disbelief, recognising that sarcastic tone straight away.

Jade West scowled back at Tori, her black hair slightly ruffled, arms crossed over a tight black corset laced in the middle with dark violet ribbon. She wore a tiny black skirt and huge black boots heavy with straps and buckles to just below her knees, and her pale legs were bare. Tori wondered if she'd been out with Beck, but where was he?

"What the hell are you doing here?! You walked right into me, you idiot!" Jade growled. Tori glanced at the hard boning of the corset.

"I think that hurt me more than I did it. Or you."

Jade smiled at this, won over, and shrugged proudly. "Well, of course. Why else would I wear it?" Tori had a multitude of of answers for that, the majority of them based on the amount of - incredibly enticing - cleavage it displayed, but said nothing. Suddenly the men's voices came back within earshot and Jades death glare melted right away, her eyes filling with something Tori, along with the rest of the world, was unaccustomed to...was it fear?

What Jade did next soon removed that thought from her head.

The goth grabbed Tori's arm, yanking her along back through the alley with a pace that was questionably human.

"Come on!"

"Where are we going? Where's Beck?" Tori managed to splutter out as she struggled to keep up and not fall on her face. Jade tilted her head, narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips angrily.

"Beck? No idea. Probably snogging that barbie's face off back at the concert. Who knows, maybe even third base."

"Wha...?" Tori had to stop in shock, digging her heels in enough so that Jade had to stop. "He did what?"

Tori recoiled from the hiss of frustration the goth emitted through pearly white teeth. "Don't make me repeat myself, Vega."

Jade released her iron grip on Tori's arm and stomped forward, whether in attempt to abandon her or free herself from the onslaught on questions she assumed Tori had, Tori was unsure. Instead, she repeated her first question.

"So, where are we going?" She hurried to catch up.

"My house. Then I'll drive you home. Problem?" With a start, Tori realised that Jade didn't live more than a few blocks away from her house. What significance has that got? Jade must have taken her pause as uncertainty. "I could just leave you here," She threatened.

Ten minutes and a long silence later, Tori and Jade arrived at Jade's house. It looked fairly normal, to her surprise, no severed heads or gloomy atmosphere that Tori had, occasionally, imagined. Jade marched up to the front door, produced a key from underneath a flower pot, and actually looked back to check that Tori had followed her. The normality of it all made Tori wonder if she'd fallen and hit her head some time ago, probably on Jade's corset when she walked into her, and was merely dreaming.

"Well? Coming, or do I have to slam the door in your face and leave you outside?" Well, if it was a dream, she'd be a lot nicer, Tori decided and walked towards the house.

Jade didn't turn on any of the lights. The house was silent, so there was evidently no one there but the two girls. Tori's heart was racing as she fumbled blindly after the goth, her black clothing making her almost impossible to see in the darkness.

"Do you...uh...not have any lights?" Tori eventually broke the silence as they reached what appeared to be Jade's room on the second floor. Tori couldn't tell, and it could as well be some form of torture chamber. I hope she won't enforce the black much longer, I can't see, even with my eyes adjusted. Jade flicked on the light, then went and sat on her bed quietly. The room was spacious, tidy, and evidently Jade's from the amount of black.

Well this is awkward. "Jade? Are you alright?"

"Of course I am," She snapped. Her mascara and eyeliner were flawless, not a single sign of a tear anywhere. Maybe she really does have a heart of stone.

Or maybe she just came to expect this from Beck. The sympathy for the goth surprised her.

"Nice room," Tori offered, trying to be cheery. Jade just sighed.

"But not your thing, Vega. Unless you'd like to tell me something." Tori thought she might have smiled. "Oh. Are you cold?" Tori nearly did a double-take as Jade's tone changed completely, her voice strangely soft.

"Who are you, and what have you done with Jade West?" She grinned. "But yeah, a little."

Jade threw a black hoodie at her. "Catch. It's alright; I haven't put itching powder on it or laced it with poison ect. Promise." Jade visibly smiled a little.

What am I witnessing?

Tori shifted, turning the hoodie over in her hands. It smelt unmistakably of Jade. Her scent was almost intoxicating, though not exactly in a bad way, and Tori blinked a few times. Maybe I'm just tired. She put the hoodie on.

When she glanced up, Jade appeared to be watching her intently, the quickly averted her eyes and began a search for, presumably, her car keys. She found them, and stood up.

"Well then, we better get going," Jade's voice was still unnervingly quiet, and she headed back towards her bedroom door.

Did she just brush against me on purpose?... "Yeah, coming."

That night, Tori dreamt of Jade.