AN: So as promised, here's the 3rd chapter of Behind Enemy Lines! :) Hope you guys are enjoying it so far! Don't worry, I won't ramble on and on about my life this time... Although I guess I could tell you about that time I almost-
Tori
Jade is freaking me out. She's being so… pleasant? At first I thought she was being nice to keep me from going and telling everyone about her being afraid of the turbulence and holding my hand. And though it would've been a good way to get back at her, I knew I could never use somebody's fears and weaknesses against them. Although if the situation were the other way around I doubt she'd hesitate to do it to me. Also, it made me feel sort of special to have seen that vulnerable side of big bad Jade West. And I'm not gonna lie and say I didn't almost jump in the air and do a fist bump when I realized I was actually able to be of comfort to her, like an actual friend. And though that's exactly what my goal with her has been for all this time we've known each other, I can't help but feel some fear at the fact that she is actually letting me. I expected her to snap back to her old mean self as soon as she saw I wasn't planning on revealing her secret. But as the minutes have gone by, I'm almost certain she is enjoying herself as much as I am.
We had listened to music for a good hour or so at first, and when she shut down my Pear Pod I feared things would get quiet and awkward, but to my surprise they didn't. The next three hours have found us talking about everything from school to who our favorite character on Power Rangers was. We're actually acting like friends. It's not like she's braiding my hair and painting my nails or anything. She'll still throw in the occasional sarcastic remark or mocking glares, 'cause I mean, she's still Jade… But it isn't like other times when her sole purpose of being in the conversation is to ridicule me.
Still, I told myself to be cautious and not get too comfortable in case this was all just a joke and she was planning on crushing my spirits as soon as I let them soar too high. She seems amused at my hesitation to just relax and enjoy our current friendliness. Sometimes I'm sure she'll say extra nice things just to see my shocked expression.
It feels real though, this Jade. I can't help but be amazed at how much more there is to her that I had never gotten to experience. Little by little, my fascination with this new found side of her pushed my fears to the back of my mind and I was able to fully embrace it.
"So of course my mom freaked out and insisted I be taken to see a doctor." I tell her as I pop another pretzel in my mouth.
"Because you were beginning to look like the mechanical spider baby from Toy Story." Jade adds. I furrow my brow and gape at her with a feigned offense. She smirks taking a few pretzels from the little bag we're sharing and nods for me to continue.
"Well, it wasn't that bad… I still looked cute." I shrug and smile brightly.
"Yes, I'm sure those bald patches made you look like quite the little princess." She scoffs taking a sip from her coffee. I wonder if coffee and pretzels are a good combination. Jade certainly seems to be enjoying it. Then again, she seems to like to accompany everything with the hot beverage.
"Anyway," I continue shooting her another dirty look. "Turns out I was suffering from severe stress."
"Vega, you were six." Jade states incredulously. "What could possibly cause a disgustingly sweet six year old, Tori Vega, so much stress she was beginning to resemble Sikowitz?" I frown at the comparison.
"A disgustingly… annoying, seven year old TrinaVega." I answer motioning my head toward the front of the plane where I can hear the faint sound of Trina's singing and Cat's giggling. Jade's eyebrow lifts and she nods slightly in understanding. "You know what sucks the most though? Ever since then, every time I get even slightly stressed out, my hair falls out!" I complain, tugging at my hair with my hands to emphasize my point.
