Imprisoned Love

Misunderstandings

Jade's POV:

"Morning sweetie. What would you like for breakfast?" I hear my mom say, as soon as I step foot into the kitchen.

I simply shrug my shoulders and grunt in response, walking straight towards the coffee machine.

Ever since I woke up this morning, I can't stop replaying last night's events in my mind. How scared and vulnerable Vega looked last night when that prick laid his hands on her.. how relieved she was when I pulled him away from her.. how beautiful she was when she finally let go on the dance floor and began to smile with me..

Ugh, I'm probably flustered right now.

I sip on my coffee, and lean against the counter, thinking of how I'm gonna tell Vega. I still haven't figured it out yet.. and honestly, I'm no closer to an idea as I was yesterday.

"Thinking about Tori?" Crystal asks in her regular happy morning tone, as she cracks an egg.

"How did you know?" I raise an eyebrow, and she chuckles as she turns to face me briefly.

"Every time you think of her, you look like you're in Cloud 9, and you always have a absent-minded grin planted on your face.." she says, and I try to quickly change my face into a scowl.

She rolls her eyes with a small laugh, before going back to the stove.

"So I'm assuming you two made up since you spent the night at her house last night." Crystal continues, and I smile at the thought of holding Vega close to my body, wrapping an arm around her tiny waist..

"Yep" I say, popping my 'p', before taking another sip from my coffee.

Maybe I should just get Cat to ask Tori if she likes me or not.. it's probably the best way to find out without getting hurt myself. But deep down, I know I have to tell her the truth sooner or later..

But she'll leave me!

Or she might not..

But she will.. how can anyone like a scissor freak like me?

"Mom?"

"Yeah honey" she says in her sweet tone, which for some reason I don't despise anymore.

"Why did you never remarry after Dad left?" I ask in a curious tone, and she quickly turns around to face me with a shocked and confused look portrayed on her face.

I can see why she's so surprised.. I mean, I haven't talked about Dad since.. well since he left. I refused to say his name, and I refused to look at any old pictures of him. Whenever someone brought him up in a conversation, I'd exit the room immediately..

And now all of a sudden, I voluntarily bring him up in a conversation..?

"Uh I guess I never found the right guy.." she says, her voice wavering a little.

"But what ever happened to that guy Tony you were dating. You two seemed pretty close.." I push, and I start walking towards her, standing beside her as she continues cooking.

"Tony and I chose to stay friends instead, since we felt that we were no longer compatible." She formally says, and I roll my eyes at her lame excuse. It's like she's practised that line a bunch of times..

"He said he loved you.. did you not feel the same?" I ask, and she starts to get more and more nervous. She's clearly never talked about this before.. and I gotta admit.. I'm not the easiest person to have an easy-going going conversation with.

"It's not that I didn't love him.." she trails off, placing the omelette on a plate. I motion for her to continue, and she lets out a huff as she finally turns to look me dead in the eye.

"Jade.. both you and Tyler hated Tony.. and I know how close you were with your father before he chose to.. well, you know.." she says, and my eyes widen when the realization hits me.

"S-so.. you.. split with Tony because of.. me!?" I exclaim shocked. I can't believe she would let go of someone she loved just for her children! I mean, I surely wouldn't.. I think..

"Sweetie.. you and Tyler are the most important people in my life, and yes, I loved Tony.. but I love you guys more.." she says with a sad smile, and I stand surprised.

"Ja-"

I cut her off with a tight hug, clutching onto her.

"I'm sorry Mom. I never knew.." I say, and she shakes her head as she pulls back.

"Don't worry about it honey. I was pretty upset at first, but I never regretted it. You two are worth losing any man in my life." She sincerely says, and I melt at her words.

I guess I've never really appreciated how great my mom is. She works her ass off everyday, and she still somehow manages to shower her kids with all the affection in the world.

"Mom. How did you know that you loved Tony?" I ask, and she raises an eyebrow as she smirks at me, knowing instantly that I'm trying to see if I really love Tori, or if it's just a crush.

"It didn't matter if we were a million miles apart, or right next to each other.. my mind was always spinning circles around him.." she starts, and I slightly smile at how that's exactly how I feel about Tori.

"I remember always feeling a warm and fuzzy feeling every time I was around him.. and he never failed to bring out the best in me.." she smiles as she recalls the good memories.

I nod my head slowly, and she comes back to reality as she faces me with a small smile.

"And I have a feeling Tori makes you feel the same way.." she smirks, and I let out a sigh as it's true.. except I dunno if I make her feel like that..

"Yeah.." I breathe out. "But how would I know if she feels the same way about me?" I ask, and she thinks about it for a second.

"Well, you gotta talk to her. See how she's feeling. If there's anything I learned most in my life, it's that communication is key when you're in a relationship." She tells me, and I frown slightly. I can't just go to Vega and tell her how I feel.. that would be stupid..

"But she'll leave me!" I exclaim frustratedly, and she raises her eyebrows at me.

Oops. I wasn't supposed to say that out loud..

"Honey she won't leave you if you express your feelings. Tori seems like a very sweet and understanding girl, and I'm sure she'll be right by your side afterwards."

Oh if only she knew how sticky my situation is..

First, she'd get mad at me for not telling her that Beck asked me out already. Then, she'd probably run away from me as soon as she gets the opportunity. And that finally leaves me to sulk in a f*****g bathroom..

"Mom.. I opened up to her about Dad. And if she leaves me, then I'm gonna feel the exact same amount of pain, all over again.." I say so quietly, that it comes out as a whisper. My voice breaks as I feel the tears start to form..

She has a huge look of surprise on her face, and instantly comforts me by pulling me into a hug. I tense up a little at first, but I think I'm getting used to these..

"I'm so proud of you Jade. And I know Tori's not like that. Okay maybe I don't know her very well.. but I can tell that she cares about you deeply, and she doesn't look like she's leaving you anytime soon.." Crystal says, and I nod as I pull back from the embrace, looking into her eyes.

"And one more thing Jade. Tell Tori how you feel, as soon as possible.. before somebody else does... Because you'll only ever regret it afterwards.." she says, and I nod my head.

It's true. I can't imagine seeing her with someone else.. I gotta tell her.. soon.

"Mom, what's for breakfast?"

We turn our heads to see Tyler sleepily rubbing his eyes as he walks into the kitchen. I sigh, and realise that I have to tell her the truth sooner or later.. but I just don't know how..

I mouth her a grateful thanks and she simply nods, before we all start to eat at the table.

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(Monday)

I have my usual scowl on my face as I aggressively grab my lunch out of my locker.

I tried to think of so many ways to confess my feelings to Vega yesterday.. but none of them gave me the confidence to actually tell her. Part of me wants to just run away.. but another part of me wants to never leave her side.

And I can't help but to feel super guilty for lying to her about the whole Beck thing.

Well.. technically I'm just stalling the truth..

Ughh.

Maybe she'll never know if she never finds out..

Well the only two people who know about it is Beck and I. And obviously I won't tell her.. yet.. so I just gotta prevent Beck from spilling.

However, that's gonna be nearly impossible since he's been avoiding me all day, which is understandable. I did break the guy's heart by rejecting him..

Whatever. I just gotta plead for him not to tell Vega until I feel that I am ready to do so.

Which might be never..

Suddenly, I feel hands wrap around my stomach, and I'm engulfed into a hug from behind. At first, I'm ready to pull out my scissors since it's pretty much a default reflex for me by now, but then I realise who it is.

A smile breaks onto my face as my nose gets a whiff of her sweet perfume..

I relax into the embrace, and place my hands over hers, as she places her head on my right shoulder.

"Hey" I whisper, turning my head to face her, before leaning in to peck her on her lips.

"Hi" she smiles, and let's go of me, making me instantly miss the contact of her body pressed up against mine..

"Ready to go?" I ask, as I hold her hand once I'm finished putting my books back into my locker.

"Actually, Sikowitz wanted to see me at lunch.. but I'll meet you there in a few." She says, and I nod before she quickly pecks my cheek and walks away.

I sigh and make my way towards the Asphalt Café, sitting down at our usual table. No one's here yet, but I don't really give a s**t, and start eating my food.

That's when I see a familiar guy out of the corner of my eye, and my head shoots up.

"Beck!" I shout, making him turn around to look at me. He was obviously planning on eating somewhere else, but I gotta talk to him first..

"I need to ask you a favour" I ask, and he huffs as he comes to sit next to me.

There's a look of impatience on his face, as he's waiting for me to tell him, and I decide to just hurry up and ask him.

"Look I know you really don't want to talk to me right now.. and you probably just want some space-" I start, but he cuts me off.

"Just tell me what you want Jade." He says, in an exhausted tone, and I nod my head with a gulp.

"Um I, uh, wanted to ask.. that.. you don't mention the whole asking me out thing to Tori." I say nervously, and he raises an eyebrow at me.

"You didn't tell her that I asked you out?" He asks, and I slowly shake my head no, looking down at my lunch.

"Jade, I asked you out weeks ago."

I quickly shush him since his tone is getting louder, and I don't exactly want people to overhear this conversation..

"Yes I know Beck. But I just need you to not mention it when you're around her and-" I say in a hushed tone, but he cuts me off again.

"So you're telling me that you're not gonna tell your girlfriend, that your ex asked you out? You're seriously gonna hide this from her?" He asks, getting frustrated, and I shush him again.

Okay, so this isn't working out the way I had originally hoped..

"It's none of your f*****g business anyways." I defend myself, and he raises his eyebrows with a humorless laugh.

"Wow Jade. Keeping something like that from your girlfriend is totally gonna work out between you two.."

"Ugh just don't f*****g tell Tori!" I shout frustratedly, and he's about to respond, but my heart drops when I hear another voice from behind me.

"Tell me what?"

We both turn around in a blink of an eye, and yup, there she is. Holding her lunch in her hand, along with a really confused look portrayed on her face.

Fuck. How am I gonna explain this one..

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Tori's POV:

After talking with Sikowitz about some play that he wants me to audition in, I get my lunch and walk towards our usual table.. but what I wasn't expecting to see was Beck and Jade there, sitting pretty close to each other.

It hurts you know.. seeing someone that you really like trying to get back together with someone else.. right in front of your own eyes.

I'm about to just turn around and walk away to go anywhere but here, but I stop when I hear Jade shout..

"Ugh just don't f*****g tell Tori!" She yells, and I raise an eyebrow as I start walking towards the table.

Huh?

"Tell me what?" I ask, and they quickly turn around to look at me.

By the looks on their faces, I know I had walked into something.. well, let's just say interesting. Beck has a look of worry on his face, as he keeps glancing between Jade and I.. and Jade.. well she has a look of guilt along with worry shown on her face, and my eyebrows raise as I slowly begin to realise what she could possibly feel guilty about..

Damn it Tori. Why'd you gotta be such an i***t!

She's guilty because.. she got back together with Beck. That's the only logical explanation.. they've clearly rekindled their feelings.. behind my back.

She could've at least kept me in the loop.. not that I would really wanna know..

As soon as the realization hits me, I deflate instantly, and I can physically feel the sharp pain in my chest, as if she stabbed me in the heart with a knife.. and then twisted it.. My smile disappears, and I know that if I allowed for it to happen, tears would be streaming down my face right now..

She's at a loss for words right now, and they both look at each other for a second, before looking back at me.

"Jade.." Beck sighs, motioning for her to tell me the truth, but she simply glares at him, shutting him up instantly.

And I simply stay standing here, with a broken look on my face as I look at the exchange between the two of them. My knees go weak, and my breathing fastens.

I guess this is what a heartbreak feels like..

"T-Tori.." Jade gets up from the table, as she tries to come near me.

I know what's gonna come next. She's gonna tell me that she's back together with Beck. She's gonna leave me to be with him. She's gonna go back to hating me, and making my life more miserable than it already is..

Why did I ever think that she liked me back?

I gotta get outta here. Before the tears spill from my eyelids. I can't let her see me like this.. As hard as it may be, I have to stay in character until I'm alone..

"I-I gotta go.." I say in a quiet voice, and I literally run away from there, not giving her a chance to say anything..

I don't wanna hear how they got back together.. it's bad enough that she's gonna dump me for him.. but I just don't wanna see her right now.

I run back inside, completely ignoring Jade calling, more like yelling, for me to just stop and listen to her.

I don't exactly know where I'm running to to right now, so I decide on going to the one place where no one usually barges in..

The janitor's closet.

Little obvious I know, but maybe Jade will just give up on trying to find me, and then I can just ignore her for the next few classes until I go home. All I need is some time to wrap my head around things.

Jade doesn't want me anymore.. she never liked me..

Ugh why am I so stupid!?

The tears finally fall free from my eyelids, and I press my back against the door of the closet, as I slide down it, and bring my knees close to my chest.

Unluckily for me, Jade obviously expected for me to be here when she jumps down from the secret passageway to the library..

Chiz.

I can't let her see me like this. She'll know that I like her..

Then she'll kill me!

Okay maybe not kill me.. but still.

"Vega" she pants, as she's out of breath. I quickly get up to my feet, and turn around so that she can't see the tears on my face.

I quickly wipe them away, and am about to walk out the door, but she grabs my hand, pulling me back.

"Tori.." she starts, and I desperately try to hide my face from her. My eyes are probably red and puffy, so you can tell that I was crying from a mile away.

"What do you want Jade?" I say, in a quiet voice, looking down the whole time, despite her attempts of making me look up at her.

"Baby.. were you crying?" She asks with furrowed eyebrows, and I mentally scold myself for being too obvious.

Quick. Think of something to cover it up..

"Nope, I'm fine so let me go." I say, pulling on my hand a little and she surprisingly releases her grip.

But that's only so she can cup my cheek with her hand..

Ugh why is she still acting? I get it.. she wants to be with Beck.. but does she have to toy my feelings even more..

"Baby please look at me." She whispers, as she tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, and I have to resist the urge of just telling her how I feel..

I give in and look up at her eyes, trying to hide the sadness in mine with a small smile, but I don't think she buys it.

"Tori.." she sighs, but I don't let her finish her sentence.

"I'm fine Jade. I was just acting like the jealous girlfriend.." I cover up, and she dips her eyebrows a little as she stares deeply into my eyes.

"You know.. for your plan.." I continue, and she releases the tension in her eyebrows as she lets go of my face, taking a small step back, making me give her a confused look.

It was her plan after all. So why does she look so lost right now?

"So you're not really upset that I was talking to Beck. Not even a little?" She asks, but it's more of a plead..

Obviously I'm heartbroken.. but I can't let her see that..

"No" I quietly say, looking down at the ground, so that she doesn't see the lie through my eyes..

"O-Oh" she stutters, and I still refuse to look her in the eye..

"We, uh, we should probably head back. How do you want me to act.. like we made up, or that we got into a fight?" I ask her, trying to sound casual although I'm torn up inside.

She looks like she went into deep thought so I snap my fingers at her face, trying to catch her attention.

She blinks as she refocuses on me, with a sudden confident look on her face.

"Can I ask you something?" She asks, stepping a little closer to me.

"Uh sure" I respond nervously, not knowing what I'm getting myself into.

She doesn't speak up until she's really close to me.. so much so that our chests are pretty much touching at this point.

"If you were just acting.. then why were you crying Tori?" she asks, as she places a soft hand on my shoulder.

Chiz. She noticed..

Darn my puffy eyes..

"I, uh, wanted to make it seem as real as possible. They weren't real tears.." I try convincing her, and also myself to be honest..

She slowly nods her head, and I wait for her to back up, but she doesn't.

"Tori.. I, uhm.. Beck.." she stutters, trying to form a sentence, but I stop her since I don't wanna hear this right now.

"It's okay Jade. I get it." I say, trying to sound like I'm not about to cry soon..

She furrows her eyebrows, and removes her hand from my shoulder.

"Get what?"

"That you and Beck are going out again. It's cool, I'm.. happy for you two." I force myself to say, with a tight lipped smile.

"Wait Tori-"

"Seriously. I'm glad you two are going out. I guess the plan worked out perfectly for you.." I say, backing away a little.

"Tor-"

"And now we can go back to the way things were. You can go back to hating me and making my life a living hell and-"

I'm cut off when she presses her lips against mine, making me stumble backwards a little because I'm taken by surprise, but she supports my stance by placing her hands on my back, preventing me from falling.

I know I should be distancing myself from her and that I shouldn't be kissing her back right now.. but I can't help but to do so. I just, don't wanna let go of her yet..

Stupid, right?

She pulls back, and I gasp for air.

Why the hell would she kiss me if she got back together with Beck?? That's just messed up..

"Sorry, but you wouldn't listen to me.." she slightly chuckles, and I raise an eyebrow.

"Vega, Beck and I aren't back together.." she says, and my eyebrows shoot up.

Wait what!?

"Y-you're not?" I ask, making sure one last time, and she shakes her head no, along with a small smile.

Nice one Tori! You probably looked like a pathetic little crybaby..

I don't even try to hide my smile and I let out a small sigh of relief.

"Aw was that what you were so worried about?" She teases, and I playfully roll my eyes at her, lightly pushing her away, but it's true. That is what I was worried about, and I'm just glad that Jade is still mine.. even if it's only for a little while longer..

"You're so cute baby" she says, leaning in for another kiss, but then I realise something and lean back..

"Wait.. so why did you tell Beck not to tell me something?"

Her mood instantly changes, and she gets really nervous..

Hmm...

"Uhm.. I uh.." she stutters, and I dip my eyebrows again.

She's obviously hiding something from me.. and I dunno why.. I mean, I thought she was starting to finally open up to me..

I grab both her hands, and squeeze them gently so that she knows that I'm not gonna get mad at her for whatever it is..

She still looks like she's contemplating on telling me, so I sigh and look her in the eye.

"Jade, you don't have to be scared or nervous when you talk to me.. I'm not gonna lash out at you, and I'll always be right by your side.. well.. until you don't need me anymore.." I say sincerely, and she closes her eyes as she takes a deep breath.

I cup her cheeks, and she opens her beautiful eyes again, which are currently filled with fear and worry..

Did I.. do something wrong?

"Promise me you won't get mad?" She pleads in a really quiet tone, and I nod my head.

"I promise I'll still be here by the time you finish." I say, and she seems to gain a little confidence afterwards..

I have no idea to what I'm promising right now, but anything is better than seeing her like this..

She steps back a little, and I drop my hands from her face, waiting for her to tell me what's bothering her..

She looks down at the ground and takes another deep breath, preparing herself to tell me.

This must be really serious..

I hope it's got nothing to do with Beck..

"Tori.. um, Beck.. h-he asked me out." She says, and I freeze up, not knowing what to say in this situation.

I finally choke out a reply after what feels like hours..

"What was your response?" I ask, trying to stay hopeful, since she did say that she wasn't back together with him.

She still doesn't look up at me, as her eyes stay fixated on the ground.

"I said no.." she says, and I have to literally restrain myself from doing a little happy dance..

OMG..

Really!?

She still might not like you Tori.. don't get your hopes up..

I walk towards her, and lift her chin with my finger, making her look into my eyes.

"But why?" I ask, and she brushes my finger away from her chin, taking a step back, causing a frown to appear on my face.

"I dunno Vega. I guess I just realised that I didn't love him as much as I used to.." she says sadly, and I can tell that she's pretty upset over it. I mean, Beck and Jade were a pretty powerful couple in Hollywood Arts. Yes, they fought a lot.. but they were the longest lasting couple I ever knew.. so she's obviously gonna be heartbroken by it.

"I'm sorry Jade." I say, pulling her into a small hug, to which she surprisingly responds to.

"You're not mad?" She sniffles, and I pull back with a confused look on my face.

"Why would I be mad?"

"Well, u-um.. he.." she stutters again, and I grab her hands again, giving her a small reassuring nod for her to continue.

"He might've asked me out a few weeks ago.." she says quietly, not looking into my eyes as she speaks, and my jaw drops at her confession.

Wait.. did she say weeks???

Huh??

Author's Note: Finally!!