Summer Hatin'

Boys vs. Girls

Author's Note: I didn't really proofread this one so let me know if you spot any mistakes! :)

-----------------------------------------

Tori's POV:

I secretly watch as she takes her first sip of real coffee since being here, a gush of pride taking over me when I see her tense expressions relax in the way they usually do. The crinkle between her eyebrows gradually disintegrates, her eyes remain closed for a second longer when the brown drink first touches her taste buds and that very prominent vein in her neck sucks right back in.

Unfortunately, my spy mission goes unnoticed when her eyes are suddenly snapping towards mine. I catch the instinctive scowl that replaces her ease in a millisecond but don't get to dwell on it as I whip my head down to my cup.

Crap. That's embarrassing.

I internally pray that she'll ignore me and not make this any more awkward than it needs to be. She's still lounging with the other counsellors which for once happens to work in my favor. I let out a breath in relief, taking a sip of my tea only to almost spit it out a second later when a voice saunters dangerously close to my ear.

"Stalking me now, Vega?"

The tea actually spills onto the table because of my unsteady hands. Shooting a quick scowl at her, I wipe the mess with a couple napkins, ignoring her melodious laugh at my clumsiness.

"Actually, I was looking at the coffee mustache you're sporting right now," I say once I've compiled the napkins into a bundle, sitting up with a pointed look at her lips.

Her hand shoots up to wipe at her upper lip only to find nothing there.

"Bitch."

I smirk. It's hard to keep it, however, when Jade goes to sit opposite me. I glance at the other counsellors who look just as perplexed as I do by the action. The raven-haired girl doesn't seem to care though, not giving them a single ounce of her attention as she scrutinizes the contents of her cup, swirling it every so often.

Maybe she's not plotting something in this very moment. Maybe this is her way of keeping the door open. The door I'd sort of opened when I bought her the coffee that I know she's been craving for a week now. Shaking my head from any lingering cynical thoughts, I attempt to have a clean slate for today. I can only hope that she isn't taking advantage of me right now.

"So, how's your peace offering?" I wiggle both eyebrows, knowing she's savouring every last drop of the liquid despite the unimpressed expression she puts on. There's some things even she can't hide; this being one of them.

Of course, Jade being the stubborn 'badass' that she is, would never give in so easily, no matter how obvious it is. 

"It's stupid. They have coffee here; in case you haven't noticed."

"You mean the 'disgusting artificial shit' that you hate so much?" I recall her exact words from a couple years ago. It was the day our regular coffee shop was under renovation so she was forced to get coffee from the Grub Truck.

Man, that was a long day. I had to hear her moan and complain all throughout lunch about how the coffee in Hollywood Arts is utter garbage, I'm hardly going to forget that now.

She looks at me for a solid ten seconds, mouth open in shock. I don't know why it's so surprising. Considering how important coffee is to Jade, it'd be weird if I didn't know that about her by now. It'd be like not knowing she carries scissors around. Or that she's a massive bitch.

Quick to cover up her shock, she manages to plaster her tone with indifference. "Wow. You really are a stalker."

Am I supposed to feel embarrassed? For knowing something that's probably permanently etched into my brain now, much like some of the other meaningless shit she constantly rants about? Trust me, if there was an erase feature in my brain, I would totally use it.