You Scratched My Anchor

Chapter 2. Tori's POV.

Tori quickly learns to ground herself using the five senses. Jade opens up about her past.

AN: Mentions of Rape. Talks of PTSD.

— — — —

I looked over at Jade as she concentrated on the road, there was little to no cars out, but she was still a focussed driver.

I studied her face with each passing streetlight and headlight from another car. She didn't look tired despite the early hour of the morning.

The thing was, she still looked absolutely breathtaking without her usual dark makeup on. She had either wiped it off before she had gone out of her way to find me, or it had worn off eventually.

"How did you find me?" I asked, turning slightly in my seat to lean against the door.

"Find-a-Friend," she told me, glancing over at me before looking back at the road.

Raising an eyebrow, I kept an eye on her before looking over her body.

Sure, I'd been crushing on Jade for a while... or since we met, but I'd never do anything about it. Especially since I'm sure she's straight- and she's with Beck.

— — — —

When Jade pulled her car into the driveway, I shifted in my seat as I undid my belt and pushed the door open.

"Are you sure it's okay that I'm here this late at night?"

"Yeah, mums away for the week at work, Riley's at his dads, so it'd just be me here anyway," she said, shrugging as the lock chirped when she hit the button on the key and I followed her up to the door as it opened.

"Jade, please don't tell me you woke Rose up," I huffed, looking at the helper Jade's mother hired.

"Oh, no. She didn't wake me sweetheart." Rose ushered us inside as she spoke. "I was up- I sleep in the daytime. When Jade is at school."

"The only time she can get peace, I'm sure," Jade said as she hung her keys and bag up by the front door before leading the way to the kitchen.

"How so?" I asked, staying a few steps behind.

"I sleep with music, and it's pretty loud. Mum and Riley have learnt to sleep through it."

"You can't turn it down?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I forget- by the time I pass out it's already late enough." Jade moved about the kitchen like a natural. Not just cause she lived in this house, but like she was in here all the time. She didn't bring a home-made lunch to school, so I couldn't be sure if it was because she liked cooking, or just knew where everything was.

"Thanks for getting all the ingredients together, Rose," Jade said before going about the kitchen with ease.

"What're you doing?" I asked, leaning against the counter.

"Making you that burger you wanted," she said with a look that accompanied her 'duh' tone.

"Making me one?"

"It's honestly not that hard," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Jade's a wonderful cook," Rose said, making me look over at her as I lifted myself to sit on the corner section of the counter, my legs dangling and with a dull thump, my heels tapped the cabinet doors that were beneath me.

"Jade can cook?" I asked, my eyebrows raising as I looked back towards my peer.

"Can cook better than a chef in a Ramsey restaurant," Jade said in that 'Sweet Sally Peaches' voice that she knew I hated.