The Challenge

Chapter 18

Jade's POV

Sitting in a dark corner of the janitor's closet was Tori Vega, but you could hardly recognize her. Her porcelain face that used to be so happy all the time was now almost drowning in tears.

I didn't know why it was hurting me so much to see her like this. I didn't love Tori, I could've just let it be and not even try to fix this, but I couldn't walk away knowing she was miserable. I cared that I ruined her idea of what a first kiss should be like. As much as I thought it was bullshit to have such a thought that it should be with someone you love. But to her, it was important and I had to respect that. We agreed to be friends for the sake of our sane minds because of this challenge, and maybe I was going soft, but I didn't want her miserable like this, all I wanted to do was make this better.

"Tori" I started to say, testing the waters to see how she would react, but she didn't even lift up her head to look at me. "I'm really sorry"

That seemed to catch her attention

"Are you Jade? Cause you never seem to think about anyone's feelings but your own" she said looking at me with those red eyes

It was actually eating me up inside that I was the reason she wasn't happy right now. What the hell was wrong with me? Why was I feeling all compassionate all of a sudden?

"I am. I shouldn't have kissed you. I knew it was important to you and I did it anyway. I didn't consider your feelings and I should have" I said sincerely

She didn't speak, and we just sat there in front of each other. She seemed to be thinking. I needed her to say something, but I decided against saying something.

As the time passed, and I realized that she wasn't going to say something, I decided to ask for something I knew I wasn't going to get.

"Tori, can you please forgive me?" I asked her, even though it really was hopeless "Can we just forget this ever happened?"

A few seconds passed and she started to get up, so I got up too. She wiped her tears with her hands and took a minute to recompose herself. And she what she said next surprised me

"I can forgive you Jade. Maybe you really didn't mean to do it, but you did... I can never forget that... But I forgive you" she said with a clear voice as if she'd never been crying

As much as I hated to admit, her acting skills were amazing. If I saw her out in the hallways right now, I would've never known she was crying her eyes out, or that she was really pissed at me. But somehow, she forgave me, she didn't seem all that angry. I admired her for that. If it was me, I would've been throwing things and probably planning to stab someone with my scissors. Vega wasn't like that. We were total opposites...

"I think I'm just gonna go home" she said as she brushed past me

My hands acted before my brain could process what was going on, so I grabbed her arm gently

"Do you need a ride? I can drive you" I said, but regretting it immediately as she slipped out of my grasp, and I thought that she would blow up at me, but she amazed me once again

"Jade, I already forgave you, but I need to be alone ok?" she said calmly as she opened the door and disappeared in the crowd of students going to first period.

During my first four classes, I didn't pay attention at all. All I could think about was how she wasn't mad at me. I thought she was, but she wasn't, in fact, she was really calm considering the situation.

Even though she forgave me, I wasn't feeling any better. I knew she hadn't forgiven me for real, she couldn't have; I ruined her first kiss. She'd never completely forgive me for that. I knew that... and that made me sad. Why was I feeling like this? This weird sensation in my stomach. I knew what it was: guilt. Jade West, the toughest girl in this high school was feeling guilty about hurting someone's feelings... Clearly, I had changed since the begging of the year. Why? I didn't have a clue.

Our friends asked where Tori was at lunch, and I just made up some excuse that she wasn't feeling well and went home. Cat and Robbie seemed to buy it, Beck and Andre on the other hand, not so much. I just bet they were thinking I did something to upset her, which was true, but the fact that they thought that actually kind of hurt. I wasn't that bad of a person was I?

After the rest of my uneventful school day, I went home and since I had nothing better to do, I ordered Chinese, because I didn't feel like cooking, and just watched Warner all afternoon.

I tried not to think about Vega, or how she was feeling, but I couldn't not think about her. I thought about calling her, but decided not to. On the drive home, I had accepted to leave her alone for a while. Maybe I really was going soft because I missed her being around me. I thought about how she'd be telling to take my feet of the coffee table or how she'd be lecturing me about how much coffee I drink. I missed her laugh, and the way she played with her hair... Somehow I was happier when she was here, and now I was just as miserable as her...

Aside from thinking about her, I thought about our kiss in the music room that morning. Our lips fit perfectly together, it felt right. I had butterflies in my stomach, as cliché as that sounds. I've never felt this way, not even when I was with Beck, and I dated him for 3 years...

The song "I Kissed A Girl" by Katy Perry kept playing in my head. The lyrics "I kissed a girl and I liked it..." kept replaying in my head. I hated to admit it, but I wanted to kiss Vega again so bad, but I couldn't afford for her to be madder at me than she already was.

I knew what that was, but no, it couldn't be. I wasn't gay, I was certain of it... At least until that kiss. Was it possible to think one thing of yourself and then change your mind after one meaningless kiss.

Yup

Only that kiss wasn't meaningless. I felt something, and Vega did too, cause she wouldn't have kissed me back if she hadn't felt something...

I was not at all sure about this, but I was going to find out. It's not like I was going to fall for Vega. Hell, maybe I just liked kissing her.

Somehow I felt I was in denial, but who the hell cares, it's not like anyone knows what's going on inside my head...