Imprisoned Love

An Open Book

Tori's POV:

It's finally Friday. This week has honestly been a roller coaster of emotions, and I'm just glad that I can relax a bit for the weekend. Thankfully, I've finished all my essays beforehand, so I don't need to be worrying about them. And hopefully, things can go smoothly with Jade today. I'm still incredibly mad at her, but I can't let that show in my acting. As hard as it may seem, I gotta pretend that I still like her.

I sigh as I walk towards my locker, getting my books for my first period. How the hell am I gonna convince Beck to get back together with Jade, without making it too obvious? I'm sure he still really likes her deep down.. so it won't be that hard.. but I gotta make sure that I'm not too straight forward or else he'll cop on.

"Hey Torayy" I hear my name being called, and I turn around to see my best friend, André.

"Hey André!" I greet in a chirpy tone, and he starts telling me a really funny story about his grandmother and her parrot, Larry.

"So Larry's like your cousin?" I ask with a slight chuckle, as I close my locker, facing him.

"Yup. Apparently so." He shrugs, and I chuckle.

"Hey so I was wondering if you could help me out with the party decorations and stuff for tomorrow?" He asks me, and I nod.

"Yeah sure. What time should I be there at?" I ask, and he smiles at me.

"Well the party starts at like 6, so.. come around 2? The rest of the gang's coming too." He says, and I nod.

"You're gonna have to somehow convince Jade to come too tomorrow Tori, since you're probably the only person she'll listen to" André says, as he nudges my arm.

"Uhm yeah. I'll try" I say awkwardly.

"Speaking of Jade.." he smirks, but then walks away in a different direction. I furrow my eyebrows at him, but then realise as to why he left.

I see Jade strutting towards me at the corner of my eye, and I'm about to just walk away, but I made a mistake by glancing over at her.

As soon as I see her, my jaw drops. She looks.. so f*****g hot..

Snap outta it Tori..

Seriously though. She's wearing a pink floral shirt that shows off a lot of cleavage which is making me drool.. and a really short skirt with tights underneath.

Stay focused Tori. Stay focused...

"Hey" she smirks, as she comes to a halt right in front of me. She's obviously noticed me practically drool over her..

Great. So much for being mad at her..

I am mad at her. It's just.. she's making it so hard for me to stay mad at her, and she probably doesn't even realise..

"Uh h-hey" I stutter, and I cringe at how much I sound like I'm love struck right now..

She just stares at me for a few seconds, studying my face, and I try to regain my composure.

She's still the same old Jade. The one that doesn't care about you.. and will only ever hurt you..

My eyes sadden a little, and I'm pretty sure she caught onto it, but brushed it off. Time seemed to stop when we stand in front of each other. And as much as I don't wanna admit it, staring into Jade's misty blue eyes, makes me forget about everything she's done to me..

Pathetic.

"I, uh, got you something." She nervously says, and I raise an eyebrow at her. It's only then do I realise that she's hiding something in her arm behind her back.

She reveals what it is, and I have to physically restrain myself from smiling when I see it. Rocky Road ice cream. My favourite thing ever. I remember telling Cat that no matter how bad of a mood I'm in, Rocky Road is the way to go. Guess Jade's been paying a little more attention than I had originally thought..

I find myself smiling a little, so I quickly fix it into a scowl, and she frowns.

"Did you really think that a tub of ice cream was gonna make me forget about everything?" I spit at her with a low tone, and turn on my heel as I start to walk away from her.

The last thing I saw was the look of disappointment on her face, but then she sprints up in front of me, and grabs my hand, pulling me into the janitor's closet.

Great. So now she's gonna hurt me for being so stubborn. Well ya know what? I'm gonna be ready for it this time. I'm gonna show her that I ain't some little crybaby..

Her whole face changes in a split second. It went from disappointment to determination really quickly..

"No" she simply says, and I raise an eyebrow at her. "I knew that this wasn't gonna fix anything.. but it's a stepping stone Tori. And I'll do whatever it takes to gain your trust and forgiveness.." she softly says, and I melt into her eyes again.

Ugh, she's just sweet talking me into liking her again.. well I'm not falling for it this time.

"Yeah well I don't see how ice cream is supposed to be a stepping stone.." I say, looking away from her eyes, mostly because I'm scared that I'll fall for her again, just by looking at those beautiful sky blue eyes. Stupid, I know.

"I'm showing you that I care about you Tori.." she says, taking a tiny step towards me, and this time.. I don't take a step back. My feet literally feel like they're glued to the floor.

"And I do. I really do care about you.. even if you won't believe it now. But I'll prove it to you. One step at a time." She says confidently, as she takes a few more steps towards me.

Wow. I'm surprised she didn't hurt me this time.. but that doesn't change anything. All it's saying is that she's really trying to manipulate me again.. and I'm not gonna let her.

Soon, she's only a few inches away from my face, and she cups my cheek, so that I'm staring directly into her eyes.

"I'm so sorry.." she whispers, and I close my eyes, dipping my eyebrows a little.

Why do I feel so freaking bad right now? Why can't she just continue being mean to me so that I can stay mad at her until we break up??

I open my eyes again, and my heart flutters a little when I see Jade bite her lip as she briefly glances down at mine.

She starts to slowly lean in, and I know I have to do something. Or else I'll fall for her again, only for her to hurt me.. again.

"Why are you doing this to me.." I whisper weakly, just when she's a few millimeters away from my lips. She quickly pulls back, and a look of concern displays over her face.

"Why can't you just let me live my life without the constant reminder of the fact that you're still you.. and that I'm just a piece of worthless chiz in your eyes.." I say emotionally, feeling like I'm about to cry soon if I don't get outta here.

She holds my face a little more firm with her hand still cupping my cheek, and stares deeply into my eyes.

"Why can't you just let me continue acting.. so that you don't have to deal with me anymore.. and so that you can go back to Beck to live happily ever after. Why do you have to make me feel so broken in the process Jade.." I confess, with tears stinging at my eyes.

She has a blank look portrayed on her face, and I really can't tell what she's thinking right now. Hopefully, she'll let me go..

However, she still doesn't remove her hand from my cheek, and she opens her mouth a few times, but doesn't say anything.

"I-Is that what you think of me? That I'm some type of evil control freak?"

You'd think that she'd be mad by now, or that she'd at least be hurt after what I had said to her... but nope. Instead, she spoke in such a soft and loving tone, that it made me have goosebumps.

"Is that what you think Tori?" She asks, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear, and I know she's expecting an answer from me.. so I nod. Because it's true. I do think of her like that.. but I also seem to like her at the same time..

Ugh what is wrong with me??

She gives me a sad small smile, before slowly nodding her head. I raise my eyebrows as I half expected her to storm out or yell at me.. but I guess she's trying her best not to.. for me..

Don't dwell on it Tori. She's still the same Jade.

We hear the first bell ring, signalling for us to head to our first class, and I let out a small sigh of relief. Jade drops her hand from my face, but still stays really close to me.

"One step at a time Tori. I'll be fighting for you one step at a time.." she says, and with that, she hands me the tub of ice cream, and walks out, leaving me to stand shocked at what just happened.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey guys!" I say, as I sit down at our usual table for lunch. I make sure not to sit down too close to Jade, even though she's currently trying to hold my hand under the table, and I'm currently trying to free my hand..

Everyone greets me, and we go on about our days.

Jade's been acting way too sweet today. And I'd be lying if I said that she's not making me fall for her all over again.

Ugh, I'm so weak..

Honestly though, I've got no idea how I feel anymore. Part of me still is really mad at her for everything she's done.. but another part of me is telling me to take a leap of faith and just allow myself to like her. Overall, I'm just really confused and I have no idea what I'm gonna do..

I'm so engrossed in my thoughts, that I lost my appetite and I've just been pushing my food around with my fork instead of eating it.

Why is she even so determined about getting me to forgive her? Like I really don't understand why she even cares so much.. or maybe she's just acting like she cares. I don't know, but all I know is that she's making it almost impossible for me to stay mad at her with her cute little gestures.

I subconsciously hear Beck's voice as he's telling everyone a story about some role he got. I'm still staring down at my food, and I mentally shake my head. She still loves Beck so what's the point of me falling for her again. I'm still just a pawn in her game..

I have to talk to Beck by the end of the day. The sooner I can convince him to get back together with Jade, the quicker I can get away from her and prevent my feelings from growing. I mean, how hard can it be? I did it before, kinda...

My thoughts are interrupted when I feel a soft hand on my thigh, and I look up to see Jade looking at me with worried eyes.

"Are you okay babe?" She asks, and I quickly nod my head, hoping she doesn't get suspicious.

I was wrong.

She raised an eyebrow at me, and studied my face. I tried to hide my confusing emotions with a smile, but she ends up getting even more suspicious when she sees me faking a smile.

Damn it. I forgot that she can tell when I'm faking a smile..

"What's wrong?" She whispers, and thankfully, everyone else is so engrossed in their conversations that they don't notice our small chat.

"Nothing" I say, trying to act like my chirpy self, but she sees right past it.

"Vega, I know there's something wrong.. but I'm not gonna force you to tell me. Just know that I'll always be here to listen if you ever need to talk.." she says, squeezing my thigh a little, and I blink at her in surprise.

She's acting like a total different person right now. Like that's something Jade would never say in a million years! She's still probably just acting.. but I can't help but to wish that she was being sincere..

Seriously though. How am I supposed to stay mad at her??

I nod my head, still surprised, and she smirks as she turns back to her food. She really is trying to prove her point.. but I'm not gonna let her win this time. I'm not gonna make the same mistake again..

We finish up our lunches and get up to go to our next class. The whole time, I was trying to convince myself that she hasn't changed, and that this is all just an act.. but I can tell that my built defense system is already starting to crumble whenever I'm around her..

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Classes go by pretty quickly, and before I know it, it's time to go home. After grabbing my books from my locker, I take a deep breath..

You can do this Tori. Keep it subtle and don't over do it..

I walk over to Beck's locker with a smile, as he's currently grabbing his books out of his transparent locker.

"Hey Beck" I say happily, and he smiles back at me.

"Hey Tor, what's up?" He asks, and I try to hide the nervousness in my voice.

It's for the best Tori. She's gonna leave you for him anyways.. don't string yourself along like this..

"Not much, I just wanted to say hi.." I say, starting a light conversation.

We continue small talk for a while, and then I decide it's time I asked him about Jade.

"So Beck.. remember when you told me that you still have feelings for Jade.." I say awkwardly, and he dips his eyebrows a little, but nods nonetheless.

"Yeah, what about her?" He asks, and I try to put on a small fake smile so that he doesn't think I'm mad at him or anything.

"Oh she's good.. it's just.. I've a feeling she might like you too.." I trail off, and he stays silent, motioning for me to continue. "And she's been talking about you a lot recently.. so I'm just saying that I really wouldn't mind if you asked her out. I mean I'd be pretty upset, but as I said.. I'm just her rebound." I say the last part sadly, but cover it with another fake smile.

Hopefully he doesn't get too suspicious..

However, the look on his face confused the hell outta me. He furrows his eyebrows, and he looks pretty confused himself.

"Um did Jade not tell you?"

Huh?

"Tell me what?" I ask him, dipping my eyebrows in confusion.

"I-"

"VEGA!" I hear my name being yelled down the corridor, and I turn around in a panic to see Jade frantically running towards us.

What's got her panties in a twist?

When she comes over to us, she doesn't say anything and instead grabs my arm and pulls me away from Beck, towards the door, exiting the building..

What the chiz is going on???

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Jade's POV:

Oh my God, I'm so f*****g screwed! I don't exactly know what I walked into, but all I know is that Beck could've told Vega everything! And I mean everything!

Fuck, s**t, fuck...

I quickly pull her away from him, praying that he didn't say anything to her, and drag her outside the school.

I'm so f****d if he told her that he asked me out.. she'll leave me. She'll yell at me. She'll probably never forgive me for lying to her! Jesus, I'm already on s**t terms with Vega!

I'm so pissed and scared.. that I don't even hear Vega's whimpers behind me. I only realise what I'm doing when I hear her breath sharply hitch. I quickly turn around, and see her close her eyes tightly from pain, and that's when I realise...

SHIT!

Fuck me!

"Oh my God Tori, I'm so sorry!" I quickly say, releasing my tight hold from her already bruised arm.

Oh my God. You hurt her again Jade!!

I didn't mean to hurt her. I didn't mean to make things worse. I just wanted to get her away from him before he spills the truth.. I guess I'm just not ready for her to find out yet..

"Tori.." I say softly, reaching for her arm, but she pulls back in the speed of lightning. It's almost like she's scared of me.

"Don't! Don't even think about touching me!!" She screams, and I shoot my hands up in surrender, taking a small step back so that she knows that I won't hurt her.

She shakes her head at me in disappointment, and I instantly feel guilty again.. even though I don't regret what I just did. I can't risk her finding out.

"Tori, I didn't mean it. Please just-" I say in a begging voice, but she's mostly just focused on her arm right now.

"So basically I can't even talk to Beck since he's your freaking ex boyfriend. Jesus, I don't like him Jade!!" She shouts at me, holding her hand close to her body.

"Tori, no. I didn't mean to hurt you. I swear-" I quickly try to cover up, but she simply shakes her head and starts speed walking away from me.

"Tori wait! Listen, it's not like that!" I shout, running after her, desperately trying to get her to look at me.

"Then what is it like Jade!? Why'd you crush my bruised arm again, exactly when I was talking to Beck? For the love of God Jade, everything just has to go your way, doesn't it!?" She exclaims, continuing to walk away from me. I curse underneath my breath, trying to keep up with her.

She gets in her car, and slams the door shut, before angrily putting on her seatbelt. I try to shout through the window, trying to stop the tears from forming in my eyes.

"Tori, please. Let me explain. I completely forgot that your arm was hurt and-"

"Save it Jade! As I said.. I was stupid for ever believing that you would change. You're still the same old ruthless Jade West, and if this is your way of proving things to me, I completely understand now. I know exactly how much you hate me, and I can't wait for you to leave me for Beck!" She says, and I start to break down as the tears fall down my face.

"T-Tori.. please. Just listen to me-" I cry, but she starts her car, and begins to drive away, leaving me to cry in the parking lot.

Fuck me!!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

I drive straight to Vega's house as soon as I get in my car. I even speed a little, and by the time I park in her driveway, she's angrily opening her front door. She notices me, and quickly slams the door and locks it.

"Vega! C'mon please open up!! Please!" I yell, knocking at the door. I know she's still in the living room, since I can hear her sniffle.

"I promise you Tori, it's not what it seems like-" I start, but she cuts me off.

"Jade I've had enough of your stupid promises that you can't keep!!" She says, and I know she's referring to my most recent promise, when I said that I'll never hurt her again. But I didn't f*****g mean to. It wasn't intentional..

"Tori, you gotta let me explain! I really didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't mean to grab your arm that tight. Just.. please Tori" I say, crying pretty hard.

She doesn't cut me off this time, and I don't even know if she's listening or not, since I'm talking through the door.

"Please.. let me in." I beg, and she doesn't respond for a while, making me think she's gone upstairs. I know my makeup is probably completely ruined right now from crying, but all I can think about is how much I hurt her. How much I f****d up..

"I need you Tori Vega. You're the only one who can fix my f****d up self.." I say quietly, and there's still no sound from the other side.

"Please" I say so quietly that it comes out as a whisper.

I continue silently crying for what feels like an hour, but it was probably only 5 minutes until..

My ears perk up as soon as I hear the door unlock, and open. Vega stands at the door, looking at me with a whole bundle of emotions. Mostly sadness and hurt.. but also anger and frustration..

"I can't do this anymore Jade.. just tell me what to do and I'll do it. I'll pay you money, beg on my knees.. anything. Just please.. give up on me.." she says through tears, and I break down even more.

Can it get any f*****g worse than this!? How am I gonna fix this.. I can't lose her..

I can only think of one other thing..and I never thought I'd ever say this in my whole life.. but I guess I've ran outta options..

"Tori.. I-I've never done this before.. and you're the f-first person I'm about to tell.." I say, with tears still rolling down my face. I take a deep breath and wipe my eyes, as she simply stares at me, looking as broken as ever.

"My d-dad left my family when I was 8. Back then, I was a happy little girl, who only looked at the positive things in life. Life was perfect.. A perfect family, perfect friends, and I felt like I was always loved by the people around me... But things down spiralled fast when he suddenly lost his job one day. I didn't know much then, since I was so young.. but I remember some days well.. some I wish I didn't." I say, trying to blink away the tears, and I see Vega listening intently, shocked that I'm opening up to her.

"He chose the wrong path to go to.. he stayed out late at bars.. drinking his problems away.. and he'd never spend time with me anymore. He'd never play with me anymore.." I say, remembering the good times.

"One day.." I say, my voice breaking a little, and Vega quickly grabs my hand , squeezing it lightly. I close my eyes and take another deep breath.

"H-He hit my mom.." I say, feeling the tears roll down my face at a fast speed.

"It became a usual thing.. and he started to abuse her. And I felt so f*****g useless. I tried to stop him.. but I ended up getting hurt in the process.." I say, flinching at the painful memories.

I can't believe I'm saying all of this right now...

Well, there's no going back now..

"He wasn't my father.. he had changed. He became a different person. He wasn't the same man who used to give me piggy back rides, or sing with me in the car.. h-he t-turned into a monster.." I stutter, letting out a sob, and Tori pulls me into a tight hug. I sob hard into her shoulder.

I've never told anyone this.. ever. Not Beck.. not my friends.. no one. And I've never thought too much about it.. until now. I guess I've always just been trying to forget about those days..

"I'm so sorry Jade. I had no idea." She softly says, as she rubs my back, and I hold onto her even tighter, trying not to make it too tight that she can't breathe.

I keep sobbing and sobbing.. letting go of all the tears I've built over these past few years.. all the tears that have been on the edge of my eyelids, which I refused to let fall.. because I refused to let him do this to me.

I pull away after what feels like an eternity, and I look into Vega's sincere eyes.

"Do you wanna know what the worst part is Tori?" I say, and she looks so upset to see me like this right now that I'm kinda thankful she's no longer completely mad at me.

"The worst part is.. that.. my whole life I refused to let him destroy me.. I refused to think about him.. I refused to become like him.. but that's exactly what I've done. I turned into someone terrible. I stopped hoping and looking for the positives. I-I.." I stutter, my voice breaking again. She cups my cheek, and stares into my eyes with a genuinely sad look.

"I-I became just like him Tori.. I turned into a monster.." I say, shutting my eyes, as I say it. It's true. I'm a monster.. I'm probably worse than him..

"Jade.. you're not a monster. You're a sweet and loving girl, and I know that you're strong. You can get past him, and I know that you, Jade West, can show the entire world how happy you are without him.." she tells me with passion, cupping both my cheeks.

"Tori.. I hurt you.. just like he hurt my mom and I-I really am a monster. I'm just like him and I don't deserve someone like you-"

I'm cut off when a pair of sweet cherry lips press against mine, to which I instantly respond. It's been so long since I kissed Vega.. and man do I miss those lips.

I pour out all my emotions as I kiss her. I pull her impossibly closer, and she wraps her arms around my shoulders as mine find her waist.

We pull back, panting for air, and I slightly smile at her before planting another small chaste kiss to her lips before pulling away.

"God I've missed doing that.." I say with a smile as I rest my forehead against hers.

She smiles back at me. A real Vega smile, which I haven't seen in a while.

"Me too." She giggles, and I melt at the sight of how perfect she truly is.

"Tori I'm really sorry for hurting you again. I was in a rush, and I grabbed onto your arm, but I didn't know it was your bruised-" I quickly say, but she cuts me off.

"It's okay Jade. I forgive you.." she says with a small smile, and I grin widely. She actually meant it.

FINALLY!

I don't think there was ever a time where I felt this happy..

"Thank you Tori. So much!" I say, as I bend down a little and wrap my arms around her waist, and hoist her into the air with a tight hug.

She giggles at my enthusiasm, and hugs me back, with just as much force.

We walk inside her house, and we both get comfortable on her couch.

Ah, how great it feels to finally be on good terms with her again..

We decide to watch a few movies and order pizza since it would take our minds off things for a while, and she cuddles up close to me, as I wrap a protective arm around her shoulder.

I don't even pay much attention to the movie, as all I can think about right now, is this beautiful and amazing human being that is currently squeezing the life outta me, as if I was gonna let go.

And trust me.. I won't.

I'll never let go of her ever again.

I place a small kiss on her head, and she simply holds onto me even tighter.

"Jade?" She asks in a small voice, which I find absolutely adorable. She looks up a little to face me, and I give her a tiny smile.

"Yeah sweetheart?" I say, and she softly giggles at the pet name, making my heart flutter.

"I've missed this.." she yawns, and I smile. She's obviously wrecked from everything that happened, so maybe she should go to bed early tonight.

"C'mon. Let's put you to bed." I say, and she nods before getting up and stretching a little.

We walk up to her room and Vega gets changed quickly before plopping into her bed. I walk up to her, and push some hair out of her face and lean down to plant a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Good night Tori" I softly say, and I'm about to leave until I hear her call me again.

"Will you.. um.. stay the night. Please?" She nervously asks, as she looks up at me, and I nod my head, texting my mom to let her know where I am.

I kick off my boots, and go through Vega's drawers in search for some pyjamas. I quickly change, and finally get into the bed with her.

She presses her back to my front, and I wrap an arm around her waist as our legs entangle. Vega starts to doze off pretty quickly, and I sigh in content.

"I missed this too Tori. So very much.." I whisper, before sleeping with a smile on my face.

And right at this moment, I know what I'm feeling. All I'm feeling is lust.. towards this incredible girl.. and I know that I have to tell her the truth soon.. but first, I gotta tell Beck the truth.

I like Tori Vega.. and for once, I'm happy to say the words..