Chapter Text
“I fucking hate summer,” Jade exhales into the silence of her room.
While the unbearable heat is nowhere near as bad as Beck’s RV that one time, Jade can practically feel herself melting away - or, at least she was. The obnoxiously huge fan she brought in from the garage along with her ceiling fan seem to be helping.
Not that she would even need them if the goddamn AC worked.
Most of Jade’s classmates are probably happy that it’s summer. Maybe if Jade went to a typical high school, she’d be happy that school isn’t in session, but Jade likes school. More specifically, Jade likes Hollywood Arts. She likes her classes, teachers, and her friends (even if she wouldn’t call them that to their faces).
It isn’t like Jade has been alone for the entire summer. The group hung out at the beach the weekend after school got out, along with Jade sleeping over at Cat’s once or twice (never at Jade’s, and definitely when Cat’s brother was elsewhere). Still, now the initial summer excitement has worn off, and Jade is stuck in her least favourite season, bored out of her mind, alone.
Jade hears footsteps pattering through the hallway, followed by her younger brother barging into her room. Jade normally has the door closed - unless she’s trying not to die of heat exhaustion.
“I thought I told you to knock,” Jade huffs, annoyed.
“The door was already open.” Jade’s brother, Justin, crosses his arms, glancing around the room he barely sees. Not that Jade ignores him all the time - but it’s her room for a reason.
“What do you want?” Jade asks, her voice laced with annoyance and a lack of hydration.
“Dad said he would come over today and see if he could fix the AC. Is he still coming?”
Jade sighs. By now, she’d think her brother knows that anything their good-for-nothing father says is practically fiction. But unlike Jade, Justin still thinks a promise from their dad is something good rather than a lie.
“I don’t think he is. How did he know it’s broken anyways?”
“When he came to get me last week, I told him, and he said he would try to help. You know, because Mom is at work right now, and it’s better if they don’t see each other. But maybe he forgot…”
Jade is naturally a very irritable person, but the heat is making her more and more annoyed by the minute. “He’s probably not coming. I’m sure Mom will call someone to fix it soon.” Jade says with little to no expression.
Justin thinks it over for a second, and Jade can just tell her brother will not let this go. They’re alike in that way, the determination, but Jade will never admit it. “Can I borrow your phone? Maybe I’ll call him and see if he forgot!”
I’m pretty sure I deleted his contact, Jade thinks to herself, but she sighs and grabs her phone anyway, wanting Justin to get over it. Even if Jade does desperately want the AC fixed, too. God forbid she sweats again.
“Huh,” Jade says, eventually finding her dad’s contact. So she didn't delete it after all…but she does make a mental note to delete it later. Not like he ever calls in the first place…and not like Jade would even answer.
“Here.” Jade hands her phone to Justin, who grabs it and runs to the other room after pressing Call. Jade rolls her eyes, knowing full well her phone could have stayed in her room, but she does faintly remember being Justin’s age, and having the summer to run around everywhere, whether it was inside or outside.
Jade vaguely hears Justin pacing around in the kitchen, waiting for an answer. She then hears a sigh, “Aw, man. It went to voicemail - oh, wait! Maybe he called back!” Justin exclaims as Jade hears her ringtone emit from her phone, not even a second later.
“Dad?” Justin answers the phone, “Oh.” he says, disappointedly. “This is her brother… Yeah, she’s here. Are you her friend?...Oh, so you’re Annoying Tori!”
“ Bring me my phone !” Jade yells. The last thing she needs is Justin chatting it up with Tori Vega of all people. Which, also, what ? Why would Tori be calling her?
And why is it the most interesting thing to happen to her all week?
Justin stumbles into the room, about to give Jade her phone back. “Annoying Tori, do you know how to fix an air conditioner?”
Jade lets out an ugh before snatching her phone back. “Hello?”
“So you talk about me at home,” Tori jokes over the phone, “Though I don’t love the name Annoying Tori.”
“What do you want, Vega?” Jade asks, exasperated.
Tori is silent for a second, before inhaling and talking again. “I don’t know. I just wanted to see if you wanted to hang out or something…” Tori says meekly. Jade can almost picture her on the other line.
Jade doesn’t say anything for a second out of utter confusion.
Tori Vega wants to hang out with Jade West. The same Tori who has a… complicated relationship with Jade.
“I didn't even think you had my number,” Jade finally says. Tori scoffs, but Jade pictures a smile to go along with it.
“I didn't either. I thought you blocked me. I guess not. But, um, I guess you’re busy, since your brother needed your phone, maybe you’re with family-”
“Chill out. I’m not busy. So, where are you thinking? I’m assuming I’m taking us there, since you can’t drive. Unless we’re getting there on pink bicycles, with tassels and bells.” Jade taunts, throwing in her usual dig at Tori.
Tori giggles. “I have one if you need one,” she says right back, instead of being offended like Jade thought. “I don’t know. Maybe we could get frozen yogurt or something? Cat told me a new place opened up near you.”
“Oh, yeah. Cat’s not allowed there anymore after she tried to fill up her entire cup with sprinkles and buy it as froyo,” Jade scoffs. She almost says yes , before she realizes her brother is practically dancing in the doorway. “I can’t leave my brother home alone, though…”
Justin perks up at the mention of himself and shakes his head. “I was going to Theo’s house anyway. Well, I was going to go after Dad left, but…whatever. You should hang out with Annoying Tori. You never leave the house anyways,” Justin encourages. Jade hears Tori let out a small laugh, implying she definitely heard all of that.
“ Shut up . I leave the house all the time,” Jade says defensively, before shooing Justin away. “Anyway,” Jade gives her attention back to Tori, “I guess we can go there. Only if you promise not to get some stupid flavour.”
“What classifies as a stupid flavour?” Tori asks, confused. “Are there stupid toppings, too?”
Jade sighs. “Oh, there are so many…”
“Cake batter? Seriously, Vega?” Jade rolls her eyes as Tori pulls the lever for her frozen yogurt, her eyes practically burning at the rainbow cake design right above it.
“So what are you getting? Do they have a flavour called Dark and Bitter Soul ?” Tori quips, unfazed as a swirl of froyo forms in her cup.
Jade rolls her eyes as she chooses mocha as her froyo of preference - it’s too bad they don’t have just coffee, but it’ll do, since Jade’s had it before. Jade observes as Tori covers her froyo in frosted animal cookies and rainbow sprinkles, her choices almost mirroring Cat’s, but slightly less unhinged. Jade chooses chocolate sprinkles along with chocolate-covered espresso beans. It does kind of mirror the flavour Tori just invented…
They decide to sit outside on the concrete in front of the store - at first, Tori suggests to just sit at one of the tables, but Jade wants to people-watch, which is exactly what they do.
“Can I try some?” Tori asks, referring to Jade’s froyo, which is almost the complete opposite of Tori’s.
If they were at school, Jade would spit all over her cup and then offer it, or rapidly finish it and seem apologetic. But they’re not in school, and Jade has been too overheated all day to care, so she hands her the cup. Taking it, Tori eats a spoonful, trying to figure out if she likes it or not. Jade rolls her eyes, as Tori seems to be analysing the frozen treat way too hard. “It’s really good,” Tori finally decides, handing the cup back to Jade. “Do you want any of mine?”
Jade shakes her head. She wants to ask Tori why she even wanted to hang out in the first place. Jade never has trouble talking to anyone - but she decides it’s not worth asking. So what if she and Tori Vega hate each other for all of the reasons they can barely name?
Tori isn’t as good at people-watching as Jade is, but she finally gets the hang of it when the sun begins to set. They throw away their empty cups and walk over to Jade’s car. Flinging her hair away from her face, Tori asks, “You remember how to get to my house, right?”
“Yeah, why?” Jade unlocks the car, climbing into the driver’s seat.
“Um, so you can drive me home?” Tori states, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
Jade rolls her eyes for the 100th time of the night. “We’re stopping at my house first.”
She pretends not to notice when Tori’s look of realization sets in, before she smiles and is just content Jade is bringing her along. “You’re not going to trap me in a dungeon or anything, right?” Tori jokes as they drive back to Jade’s house. It’s a short drive, but Jade still lets the CD she left in her car play. She doesn’t miss how Tori reads the info of the music on the little screen, and Jade wonders when exactly Tori became so interested in her life.
As usual, Jade hates summer and she hates the fact that it makes her act different. Two months ago, she was probably plotting against Tori, stealing her phone and changing the language to Mandarin or something (which she would’ve gotten away with if it weren’t for Cat’s inability to stop talking,) but now that same Tori is floating around her room, from the corner where Jade records her videos for The Slap to baby pictures above her bed that Jade never bothered to take down.
Not like Jade cares what Tori thinks of her room. Even though she is paying extra attention to Tori’s body language as she observes the knickknacks that make up Jade’s hiding spot.
“How many people have seen your room?” Tori asks, finally done with her observation, flopping onto the end of Jade’s bed.
Jade shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess everyone except Andre and Robbie.” Cat has been over a few times, Jade doesn’t want to think about Beck, and now Tori, of all people, has been in her room. “I guess I’d rather have you at my house than Robbie.” Jade shudders at the thought.
“Thanks, I guess?” Tori somewhat agrees, unsure if that was a jab or not. Jade hears the door open a second later - meaning Justin must be back from his friend’s house, doing whatever it is nine-year-old boys do for fun.
“Jade? I saw your car outside. Do we have any Popsicles? Is Mom home?” he yells, making his way to Jade’s room. The door is half-open, and Tori looks up as it opens all the way.
“Oh.” Justin says as he spots Tori. “Is this your friend? Is she Annoying Tori?”
“It’s actually just Tori,” Tori objects at the same time Jade says “Yes.” Tori turns to look at her, fake-offended.
Jade ignores this. “Mom will be home in an hour, and no, we don’t have any popsicles. It’s too late to have sugar anyway.”
Justin crosses his arms. “I thought you two went to get ice cream. That’s sugar,” he points out. Tori smiles as Jade huffs. “It was frozen yogurt and that’s different. Did you eat anything at your friend’s house? Mom will kill me if you starve,”
Jade never talks about her family at school, ever. Most people didn't know Jade had a brother until she mentioned him on The Slap once. Mostly because her personal life is something Jade keeps separate from school, and Tori watching the side of her Jade normally forgets about? She isn’t sure how to feel. She doesn’t know if she should kick Tori out or kick Justin out or just leave her house altogether. After Jade gets her answer that her brother didn't starve, she eventually gets him to leave her room.
“Sorry about that. This is why I never have anyone over,” Jade apologizes as she pretends to read a magazine.
Tori shakes her head. “Oh, I don’t mind. Besides, I used to bother all of Trina’s friends when we were little. So I get him,” Tori assures Jade. Raising an eyebrow, Jade asks “Trina had friends?”
Tori smirks. “Somehow.”
The two realize that the magazine Jade is reading is outdated by two years and make fun of some of the articles and quizzes. After they’ve dissected about everything in the magazine, Jade flips to the last flimsy page as she glances at the clock and realizes her mother will be home soon.
Her mom and brother both like Cat, and they’re both used to seeing her around. But Tori is different. Maybe Jade is so bored during this break from school she’s desperate enough to hang out with Tori. But if she was really that bored, maybe she would’ve called one of her other friends, or re-watched The Scissoring for the millionth time, or locked herself in the bathroom to scare Justin again. Yet, Jade agreed to hang out with Tori Vega.
And Tori has already seen too much.
“Um, it’s getting late. I’m sure your parents want you home,” Jade suddenly shoots up, trying to be casual while basically kicking Tori out of her house.
“Oh, I don’t really have a curfew or anything,” Tori starts, but she notices that Jade is glancing at the door absentmindedly, seeming to be focused on something else.
“But you’re right. It’s late.” Tori agrees.
Jade watches Tori hop out of her car, glancing at her house with barely any lights on.
“Bye, Jade!” Tori sings as she’s about to close the door. Before she can, though, Jade finds her voice betraying her, because she thought she was fine with dropping Tori off and making sure this never happened again. But her voice has other plans.
“Tori, wait.” Jade utters. Tori turns back around to look at Jade, startled at the unusual use of the name Tori.
“Um, I’m sorry for kinda kicking you out. I just…don’t have people over that much. It’s kind of weird for me.”
Tori shrugs. “It’s okay. If it makes you feel better, I have everyone over all the time, even though Trina is…well, Trina. Your brother is way more normal than she is.”
Jade scoffs. “I bet an alien is more normal than Trina.”
Tori laughs in agreement. “What’s your brother’s name again? I don’t think he told me,”
Jade wants to drive away and not tell Tori any of her personal business ever again. But, as she thought before, summer makes her act differently. Night time is Jade’s favourite - but now she’s not so sure, as it, too, seems to be making her act differently.
“Justin. His name is Justin. I chose it, actually. So we’d match. It was stupid,” Jade sputters, but Tori only smiles. It seems like she’s always smiling, and Jade hates it.
“He seems like a good kid. That’s cute that you chose it. I guess we both match with our siblings, then,” Tori tries to joke, but Jade just gives her a smile-that’s-not-really-a-smile.
“I’ll text you tomorrow. See ya, Jade.” Tori shuts the door, and Jade watches her go, making sure she makes it to the door. Jade doesn’t miss how matter-of-factly Tori acts when she says she’ll text her. Almost the same way Tori just called her and asked to hang out with her.
It’s definitely the worst time of the year.