Rebound (jade x tori)

hold her

Tori's pov

I hesitated at the door of the bathroom, one hand on the handle. I was hesitating because of the fifty-fifty chance of Jade either bursting into tears or punching me. My relationship with that girl is kind of weird. She hates me, bitterly. Not that I did anything, it's just because I always get the starring role. It's not really my fault, even, I just love acting. And singing. And all of that stuff. The usual here at Hollywood Arts.

We don't really talk one-on-one or anything, we're just in the same friend group, which forces us to interact sometimes, and we have the same best friend-Cat. It's not that I don't want to interact with her, I just never got the time to. Especially because of all the walls and thorns and heads on spikes she puts up around her castle, and Beck's always been the only one who found the drawbridge, it seemed. Cat was living in the moat, basically. Petting the dragons and alligators. Not really. But that's just how Cat is. And Jade still cares about her.

ANYWAY. The point is, I don't really know Jade, I just know that she's been... just there. Just existing, hating on me from afar. I don't know much about her. I want to be friends, it just... hasn't happened yet. Or maybe it had. That little date we had at Nozu's Sushi when our teacher made us for a play. And I told her she was pretty. And she told me I was too. She is beautiful. I've always liked that about her, no matter what outfit she throws on she's beautiful, and she's brave, and she's strong, mentally and physically, and she's not afraid of the truth or saying what she thinks, and when she lets someone in she really, really cares for them. She won't ever let anyone hurt Cat, or Beck.

Except now Beck hurt her, because she was saving me. I don't know why, I thought she hated me. I'm glad. I'm forever grateful to her, I'll always be there for her, I promise myself that now. But she's crying on the floor in the bathroom because Beck hurt her, so what am I doing? I twist the handle so fast I almost broke my wrist, and see her on the floor having a panic attack.

I hesitate, and then close the bathroom door behind us and lock it from inside. All of the stalls are empty. It's just us. I don't think she notices me. I've never really had a panic attack. Not a real bad one. But this? She can barely breathe, tears are falling thick and fast, she's on her hands and knees, the first of which are still bleeding, and her shoulder still looks lopsided. She raises her head and looks at me through her hair.

"Are you okay?" she whispers.

She's being selfless. I didn't think she cared about me, but she's trying to make sure she didn't beat a guy up for nothing, and I'm sure if I told her about it she'd hunt him down and kill him herself with the collection of grotesque weapons she undoubtedly has. She's like that. She'd kill for others, because deep down when she cares about someone she really cares. Look at what happened with Beck-I've never seen her so broken, so vulnerable, because she loved him so much.

I know she'd die for him. Or kill for him. If her shoulder ever got fixed.

I really, really hope it's not bad. Or broken. Because if it was it's kind of on me. I want nothing but the best for Jade. Let alone for her to have a broken bone defending me. I don't know how she's feeling right now, I just know that it's hard for her. She's beaten up and bleeding inside and out, especially from Beck's betrayal. It's one thing if another girl flirts with him, fine, it's one thing if he flirts back. Or when he kisses her. But when he's a whole other sexuality you know you've got no chance getting him back.

I kneel next to her on the ground, reaching out. I don't hesitate anymore. I gently rub my hand on her back, back and forth, calming her down. "I'm fine," I say soothingly. "Please, please don't worry about me." She wraps one bloody hand around the rim of the nearest sink and uses it to pull her back to her feet, and she grabs the bandages roughly and begins trying to see through her tears and wrap her knuckles but my mom is a nurse, she's doing it all wrong.

I sigh and try to take it from her, but she's too distracted, she doesn't notice, so I take her working shoulder and the forearm of her non-working one and turn her gently to face me. her shining emerald eyes, flecked with gold and blue, flick up to meet mine. I take the bandages from her hands and set them on the sink rim and pull her into my chest, wrapping my arms around her back, and she wraps hers around mine, and I hold her.

She's crying, into my neck, because that's how tall she is, and I stroke her hair gently, rubbing my hands along the back of her head. I didn't think she'd let me. But she did, and that might have been the scariest part, is that Beck left her so broken from this that she was just happy to have anyone at all, even me. 

 I don't think she hates me that much now, as I hold her. I think she's been broken one too many times, because she wasn't crying because she was weak, she was crying for the immensely long period of time in which she had to stay strong and tough. 

 She pulls back. "I don't want to be a burden to you," she whispers. I pull her in closer. "You're not a burden, I promise. I'll take care of you, I'll help you. And at the end of this, we'll finally be even."