Start from scratch

Chapter 2 - Trying to settle in

Disclaimer: The show Victorious, its characters and other associated copyrights are property of someone else and not me.

Start from scratch

Chapter 2 – Trying to settle in.

No one's pov.

For a moment when she awoke to the sound of someone flushing the toilet, Jade thought she was home. It filled her with a sudden sense of dread that caused her to shoot off the couch.

Only then did she realize it was 6:02 am and the sound was Tori in the bathroom.

Realizing she was safe; Jade sat on the couch and ran her hand through her hair.

"Now what?" muttered the Goth.

Jade decided to take refuge in sleep, as she didn't have to get up for another hour. Waking to her alarm an hour later she could hear faint music coming from the kitchen.

Walking over she poked her head in the small kitchen to see Tori eating cereal at a tiny two-person table next to the window. She was dressed in nice clothes and listening to the weather report, while looking out the window.

"I left a key for you. It's on the coffee table." Tori said in that same distant and rather cold voice from the previous night.

Jade still had little idea what to say or even think. "Thanks."

"Next to it, you'll find a stamped, envelope with my address on it. When you go back, please mail it back to me."

Jade wanted to respond and in the old day's would have responded with something rather snarky about Tori being convinced she'd go back.

Instead, the Goth nodded. "Thanks. You're done in the bathroom?"

"Yes. Do you need any toiletries?"

"No, I grabbed what I needed before I left...home..."

Jade paused for a moment and during that time Tori just went back to eating her cereal as if she wasn't even there. The whole thing felt horribly awkward.

"So..uh...what do you do? I thought you were going to school."

Turning her head, Jade could see that Tori looked slightly annoyed by the question. "I dropped out. I work in the mail room of a bank during the day and have a part time job on weekends. "

Again, Tori went back to eating as if Jade wasn't even there.

"I do have a job, I can pay you the 150 dollars a month, even a bit more if needed. I work at St. Mark's hospital, in housekeeping. Not quite full time. I'm looking for something different. I've had some auditions in the year and a half since...him and I moved to New York City, but nothing's panned out." Jade then tried to inject a bit of humor. "Nothing but a nonspeaking role in a cat food commercial and I hate cats."

Tori's entire face briefly hardened, but otherwise she said nothing.

Feeling it was getting more awkward by the moment, Jade shuffled her feet. "I'll get in the shower now."

"You do that." Tori said dismissively.

Jade quickly grabbed what she needed and headed into the bathroom. By the time she exited about 40 minutes later, she found Tori was gone. She did note the smell of coffee.

Walking in the kitchen she could see a pot of coffee was warming on the coffee maker, with a mug and a note next to it.

Please turn off coffeemaker before you leave. If you're just going to go right back to him, don't bother to take the key at all.