Jaded Eyes (Jori)

25: Kinda Like This

"You know? You have really bad taste in music." Jade says turning down the volume in Tori's car.

"How dare you? Justin Bieber has had his downs, sure, but his newer songs are fire!"

"So, this is an older song then?"

"'Lonely' came out in 2020." Tori says trying to focus on the road and not the girl, who is so clearly wrong about Justin.

"I'm sorry, I just don't see the appeal." Jade said looking over to the drivers seat which held what was hers. There was a strand tucked very loosely behind her ear, and was going to fall if not placed properly. Jade took this as an opportunity.

Gently, she brushed the strand back behind Tori's ear and when it was secure, she moved her hand down, caressing her neck and slowly moved her hand back on the center consul to rest.

"Though I do see the appeal in something else."

"Keep that up, and I won't kiss you for a week."

"Very ambitious for someone only ten minutes into this deal. You'll kiss me before 4:45. That would make it an hour." Jade said, reclining her seat just a bit and folding her hands behind her head.

"Keep dreaming."

Tori reached over and turned the volume back up. How am I in lo- how did I go for someone who hates Justin Bieber?

Tori made a few more turns down streets she barely knows. She noticed there were no cars in the driveway of Jade's house, so she pulled straight into it. Tori stopped the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt. Jade unlatched her own and opened her door while grabbing the strap of her backpack.

Jade started up a different conversation.
"You have any homework?"

"Just some physics, and I think I have a few chapters to read for English. You?" Tori said shutting her door, and opening the one behind the drivers seat to grab her own backpack.

"Nah, I've got nothing. I could help you with yours though." Jade replied, heading up to the front door. She took her key off her belt and unlocked the door. She stepped aside so Tori could enter first.

"Sorry about the mess, I didn't have time before school so..." Jade said trying to pick up some of the beer bottles littered around her mom's armchair.

Tori touched Jade's arm in attempts to quell her anxiety. "Don't worry about it, let's just go to your room."

"Yeah, right through there." Jade says pointing at a small hallway leading off of the living room. With the empty bottles, she brought them to the kitchen and left them by the overflowing recycling bin. She walked back to the front of the house, locked the front door, and walked into her room.

She found Tori examining the black wall with white words dotted all over it. Tori seemed so mesmerized by each one she read and she put her hand over the lettering as if trying to decipher a hidden code.

"I write when I'm bored. If I think what I write is good enough, it goes up there." Jade informed her while leaning against the opposing white wall.

"It's beautiful. All the words just flow and each poems clashes into the other like a war between planets. There's so much anger, tranquility, and love just smeared all over."

"Exactly."

Tori was finally able to pull herself away from the wall and direct her attention back toward Jade.

"Homework?"

"I'll help you with english. I don't understand physics to save my life."

"My highest grade is in physics. I'll be fine, besides, I figured you'd like the book I'm supposed to read. You know about Thoreau, right?"

"Of course, Henry is a fantastic writer even though he lied about how Walden was a place of solitude even though it wasn't even a mile out of town."

"The book is Walden."

"Because why wouldn't it be?" Jade said with a light chuckle. "Which chapters?"

"4-6, Sounds, Solitude, and Visitors. I looked ahead, they shouldn't take that long."

"'I love to be alone. I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.'" Jade said quoting the liar of a author. "He might've lied, but it was still very beautifully written. More metaphorical than literal, I suppose."

"Seems like you've got this covered then. After the chapters, there are only three questions. Here," Tori said reaching in her folder and pulling out the book and the worksheet with the questions. "And don't write like you. Write the answers how I would write them. Ya know, simplified."

"I'll really dumb it down for you." Jade said smirking and opening the book to chapter four.

——

Half an hour later, the girls are situated on the bed, in silence, focusing on the homework.

Jade had finished the chapters four and five, and was about to turn the page to number six, but Tori caught her eye. Jade could see how she was figuring out each problem. Jade had no idea what the numbers and symbols meant, but the way Tori's face concentrated on the questions was hypnotizing. Tori would read the problem, unfocus her vision, then write down the answer. She would then go back and show her work.

"How did you do that?"

"What?"

"That. What you just did. You didn't even put your pencil to the paper until you knew the answer."

"It was 13." Tori said, looking at Jade confused.

"Yeah, but you didn't write down the steps to get 13."

"It was self explanatory. The problem said to write down the amplitude of a wavelength with the frequency of 'x'. It was pretty simple. Should I dumb it down for ya?"

Jade chuckled lightly, closing the book and putting it to the side.

"You're not done already, are you?" Tori asked.

"Nope, still two more chapters. But I need a break."

"Too metaphorical for you?"

"I just need something real for a change." Jade said taking Tori's pencil out of her hand. Jade held it up to her mouth and traced the eraser on her bottom lip.

She then took the physics packet from in front of Tori and dropped it to the ground.

"Umm, excuse you? I need that."

"Not for this, you don't." Jade said, slightly pulling on Tori's shirt collar. She scooted back on the bed, pulling Tori with her until her back was against the headboard.

Tori looked frightened and calm at the same time. Her eyes were dilated and her hands were unsure of where to go. Jade tilted her head slightly as if to question what she was thinking. Tori didn't respond. She just stayed perfectly still while straddling Jade.

Jade leaned into her ear.

"Kinda like this." She whispered.

"What?"

"My dream."