Work Text:
Beck groaned as he made his way through the hall to open his see-through locker. He put a hand over his stomach when it rumbled in a protesting growl for the fourth time that morning. He was hungry , which was absurd because he’d had two pieces of toast, three pieces of bacon, and two eggs before he left home barely forty minutes ago.
He knew the cause though. The culprit wasn’t a lack of food. With a lanky body type, he didn’t look like the most in shape teenage boy. But, since the last and final time Jade had broken up with him, he’d made an effort to actively workout and eat at least a little better. At first, it had been his attempt to bury his wild emotions in an activity that kept him busy and, most importantly, too tired to think much about the fact that he was no longer dating the girl he had loved for almost two years. Eventually, though, as time passed and he worked his way back to an unsteady friendship with Jade, he found that he rather enjoyed transforming his body. It didn’t have to be something he did out of anger or a misguided belief that it would somehow prove something . It could just be something he did for himself. Because he wanted to.
He’d piled on a decent amount of lean muscle and was in the best shape of his life. Proper nutrition came naturally with the territory. So, the reason why he was hungry wasn’t because he was neglecting to eat properly. It was because he was craving some good sushi. He had been for days.
Man, Nozu sounded killer.
The issue was that he had no money. His stupid old junker of a truck had broken down a week ago. When he went to his parents to see if they would help, his dad had offered to take him to and from school, but he wouldn’t give any money to help cover the costs. His dad’s response to the follow-up “why?” had been that he should be able to pay for it if he was living by himself. It had been the one and only time he really hated the “my house, my rules” mentality that had led to him living inside of the RV. So, Beck had paid for all of the repairs, leaving himself with just enough money to afford school lunches.
But all he could think about was sushi. Every time he ate something, all he could picture was the different types of rolls he wanted.
A Trojan roll. A Spicy Tuna roll. A Spider roll.
“How long do you think until they’re together?” came the voice of his best friend.
“Huh?” He looked up in surprise, blinking away his daydreams, to spot Andre and the redheaded bundle of joy herself, Cat, standing next to his locker.
Andre nodded his head in the direction of Jade’s locker. “Jade and Tori. How long do you think it’s gonna take until they’re a thing?”
Beck followed his friend’s gaze until his eyes rested on the two girls in question. Tori was chatting animatedly about something, brandishing the book in her hands in an attempt to physically express whatever was coming out of her mouth. Jade, whose head was buried in her locker as she seemingly searched for the right books for the day, would occasionally pop out to give the half-Latina an amused smile.
Beck shrugged, placing his History textbook into his backpack and zipping it up. “Not long. Probably less than a week now.”
“Care to make a wager?” Andre cocked a challenging brow.
“Oh, I love wagers!” exclaimed Cat, clapping her hands together in excitement.
Beck was about to explain that he couldn’t even if he wanted to when a sly, Jade-like idea popped into his head. It was a longshot but...maybe it could work. “What kind of wager?” he asked.
Andre smirked. “Who confesses first, who initiates the first kiss? Winner gets fifteen dollars from each of the losers.”
“Twenty-five,” Beck countered.
Andre raised an eyebrow and let out a whistle. “You want to bet that much bank?”
“I sure do. Cat is that fine with you?”
“Uh huh!” she said enthusiastically.
Nodding his head, Andre folded his arms across his chest as he leaned against the lockers. “Alright, twenty-five it is. Tori won’t be able to get herself out of gay panic mode, so Jade’s gonna have to be the first to confess. And then, Tori’s gonna be in so much shock that Jade will have to initiate the first lock of the lips, if you know what I mean,” Andre snickered.
Cat thought about it for a second, twirling a thick strand of hair around her index until the finger disappeared into a sea of bright red. “I think Jadey tells Tori first. But she doesn’t like when people touch her, so Tori’s gonna be really sweet and ask for permission before going in for the kiss.”
Internally, Beck fist-bumped. Neither of them had guessed correctly, at least according to what he believed to be true. They were each partially right. Andre had been correct in saying that Tori would have a hard time speaking up. That girl’s mind was a mess running at a thousand miles per hour with doubts and nervousness. But, he also knew that she was courageous and eventually, when the time was right or she just couldn’t wait any longer, she would tell Jade how she felt. She’d have to because Jade, with her tendency to cover up how she truly felt with anger or disinterest, certainly wasn’t going to. But, once she had irrefutable proof that Tori liked her the same way? Well, Jade was passionate. Tori was going to be sandwiched between her bed and Jade’s body for a very long time.
“Tori confesses first and Jade kisses her afterward,” he stated confidently.
“Alright, everyone,” said Andre, rubbing his hands together. “Are we satisfied with the bets?”
“Yay!”
“Yep.”
“Let’s shake on it.”
Beck didn’t tell them that he only had enough money in his wallet for lunch for the week.
“How much longer?” Cat tried to whisper quietly to Beck and Andre but, as usual, her voice was louder than she probably realized.
Thankfully, the targets of Cat’s question were standing in line at the Grub Truck to order lunch, all the way across the Asphalt Café.
Beck didn’t miss the way Tori seemed to be trying to inconspicuously inch herself closer to Jade as they moved farther and farther up the line. And he also didn’t miss how Jade’s eyes kept flickering from Tori’s face to her hips, signaling that she was definitely aware of the singer’s actions.
“Only a matter of time, Cat.”
He gave it two more days at most. Tori was getting impatient, which meant that a combination of both her bravery and her desire would soon overtake any fears she had left.
“Yo, Beck, you gonna eat the rest of those cheese fries, my man?”
He opened his mouth to say “yes”, but paused. Glancing down at the rest of the gooey mess, he shook his head and handed the white paper bag filled with fries to his friend. Those, on top of the cheeseburger he was eating, definitely did not make for the healthiest meal. Besides, he wanted to save his biggest cheat meal for Nozu.
On Friday, when the front doors opened and the loud noise of a very distinct pair of combat boots filled his ears, Beck turned to face a sight that made him smile widely. Jade strolled in leisurely with a cocky look, her hand intertwined with Tori’s. The singer tried to hide the bright blush on her cheeks by looking at her feet as the two of them crossed the hall to stand by their friends.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Beck said, sounding surprised as he let his mouth fall open.
“Drop the act, Oliver. I don’t know why, but I know you’ve been watching us all week.”
He dropped the act, but the grin stayed on his face. “Who, me? Never.”
“All of you,” Jade said, eyeing the group suspiciously. “Don’t think I didn’t feel each one of your eyes on us when we were standing in line at Festus’ truck.”
“Well, uh, we’d do no such thing,” said Andre, with a nonchalant nod that didn’t match the uncertainty in his voice.
Jade’s glare softened when she turned to see Cat’s forced innocent expression and she shrugged her shoulders. “Whatever. Tori and I have some...stuff to talk about before class, so we’ll see you later.”
“Bye!” Tori managed to squeak out before Jade started to pull her away.
“Wait!” cried Beck, stopping the two of them in their tracks. “Who confessed their feelings first? And which one of you leaned in for the first kiss?”
Jade narrowed her eyes, her voice almost a growl when she responded. “Why?”
“Just, uh, you know, scientific purposes.”
Beck shot Andre a glare.
But, thankfully, Jade either didn’t care or was just in a hurry to get to her “talking” time with Tori. “Tori told me how she felt, started rambling about nonsense, and I shut her up with a kiss. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re in a hurry.”
Without another word, the two of them disappeared into the janitor’s closet.
When the door clicked shut, Beck whirled around and motioned for his friends to hand him his reward. “Pay up.”
“Oh, phooey!” Cat pouted, digging through her purse to find her wallet.
Andre pulled a twenty and a five out of his pocket, passing them to Beck between his index and middle fingers.
Once the fifty dollars were securely in his hands, he gave them each a pat on the shoulder. “Be ready to meet at Andre’s car after school. I’m taking you both out to Nozu. My treat.”
“Your treat?” Andre gaped at him. “It’s our money!”
“Semantics, semantics.”