Lullabies (Victorious) (Cade)

Combustion

"Would you please just stop and listen to me for a second." Tori said chasing after Jade who was quickly fleeing away from her, keeping her head down.

Jade didn't answer or slow down as she rounded the corner into an empty corridor. Seeing an opportunity, Tori grabbed Jade's elbow and dragged her forcefully into a nearby empty classroom.

"Hey! Let me go, idiot!" Jade protested loudly, but Tori ignored her, tugging her forward and closing the door behind them.

"Jade." Tori said firmly, crossing her arms and looking at Jade. She didn't respond, instead keeping her eyes fixed on the ground, her jaw tightening.

Tori watched her for a moment, noting her dark, sunken eyes and how she tugged nervously at her sleeve despite radiating anger in the rest of her body. It was clear she was tired, physically and emotionally. Tori knew that Jade could easily force her way past and escape, but she made no move to do so.

"You need to talk to her." Tori said pointedly.

"No, I don't." Jade replied, glaring up at her.

"Being apart is killing her, Jade!" Tori shouted desperately. "It's killing you both." She continued more softly, tilting her head towards Jade sadly.

Jade winced, stepping back to hold herself up against a desk. Tori saw her legs trembling.

"Listen. I get it. You're afraid. But I have some bad news for you." Tori sighed, weighing her words carefully.

"Cat likes girls. Fact. The jerks in this world who would hate her for that, will hate her regardless of whether or not she's dating you."

Jade closed her eyes, blinking back tears. Her legs seemed to give out beneath her and she slid to the floor, covering her eyes with her shaking hands. Tori moved to catch her, but stopped short, feeling the waves of tension radiating from Jade.

"Everyone thinks I hurt her. What if..." Jade's words caught in her throat and she bit her lip trying to hold back a choked sob.

"You won't." Tori answered firmly, shaking her head.

"I could. Even Cat knows that I hurt people. That's why she wouldn't tell me what happened."

"It isn't like that." Tori said quietly.

"Okay, if you believe that then you can tell me who hurt her."

Tori shook her head. "Cat doesn't want me to say."

A short, humourless laugh came from Jade's mouth and she quietly got to her feet, heading for the door. Tori made no move to block her path but did follow her out.

"Jade, come on. You're punishing yourself for something that wasn't your fault." Tori protested.

In the hallway Jade quickly rounded a corner and immediately crashed into a tall guy heading the other way. Tori couldn't stop her eyes from going wide as she realised that it was Dylan Scott.

"Oh, hey." He said, smiling coolly, seeming to recover from being bumped into immediately.

Tori stiffened from head to toe, earning a confused look from Jade. Just then, Cat appeared from around another corner, stopping dead when she saw the scene in front of her. Her body language and expression seemed to mirror Tori's and this did not go unnoticed by Jade.

Jade's eyes moved between the three of them for a few seconds, and Tori could clearly see the moment that realisation hit her like a truck. Her eyes fell on Dylan, cold gaze piercing into him like knives.

Suddenly she looked at Tori, a question in her eyes. Understanding what she was asking, Tori nodded slowly in confirmation.

Instead of getting angry, yelling or lashing out, Tori was surprised to see Jade look back at Cat, her expression unreadable. Everything seemed to stand still for a minute, the air brimming with tension. Jade silently shook her head at Dylan and stalked off, disappearing around a corner without a word.

Tori looked at Cat, whose expression of disbelief matched her own. Cat's jaw hung open in surprise and tears were spilling freely onto her cheeks.

Acting quickly, Tori ushered Cat away from any crowds, taking her somewhere quiet to calm down while still reeling from everything that just happened.

"She knows." Cat said weakly.

"I know." Tori nodded.

"She didn't..."

"I know."

"Tori." Cat said, putting a hand on her arm. "I wanna talk to Lane."

Tori blinked at Cat in surprise.

"Right now."