ProfNigma Stories #9: Learning Curves #11iCarly/Victorious: Learning Curves #11 – EpilogueNovember 309:03 pmVega Household”You guys are laaaaate…” Tori called up the stairs, in her sing song voice. She wasn’t upset at their timing or anything, but she was eager to get to the night’s festivities. The Latina had spent a couple days getting everything the three of them would need, and given how much Freddie loved games, how could he not fall for her after this?The other reason for her anticipation was in the clothes she was wearing, or lack thereof really. The naturally tanned teen wore a somewhat loose pair of black lace button up pyjamas that were see-through, and thanks to a black bra and panties, all but the essentials were on display for her lovers. Ever since she’d gotten the outfit a few days ago, Tori hadn’t had a single night that she didn’t imagine Jade or more importantly Freddie, peeling it off of her, practically destroying it to get to her body so they could have their way with her. And now tonight was the night.Tori’s only fear was with Jade, knowing that the Goth had her beat by a few cups in the boob department, being the hotter one comparably. In fact, Tori had no idea what Jade would be wearing for this event since she had helped put together part of it.So when Jade and Freddie descended the stairs in their normal clothes, Tori felt like something really wrong had happened and she missed the memo. The look on their faces made her stomach flip even more.”Everything ok?” she asked hopefully.”Tori…” Freddie started, looking a little bit sad, “I think we need to talk about something.””Oh god…” Tori exclaimed, her eyes growing wide, and collapsing onto the couch behind her. Her mind absolutely racing to where this conversation was going and could go. Was Jade pregnant? Did he find out he had a disease? Was he just sick? “Please tell me you guys are ok…””Yeah… it’s nothing like that…” Freddie said, looking to Jade, who had remained especially quiet. And whenever Jade was quiet, Tori knew some-thing bad was going on. “I think we need to talk about us… the three of us, you know.””The three of us? Like… are we a ‘three thing’… like officially?””That’s kinda what I… or we,” Freddie said, looking over at Jade who seemed incredibly unhappy, “wanted to talk to you about.”Tori’s stomach was practically in her throat as she looked to Freddie and Jade. The nervous Latina ran and grabbed a bathrobe from the kitchen, suddenly feeling a bit too exposed at the couple.Freddie took a seat on the couch next to Tori once she sat back down and Jade sat on the other said of him.”I don’t think it’s even a question that Jade and I… think everything about you. And I think in a perfect world, the three of us could have some-thing long term and everything, you know…””I feel like there’s a ‘but’ coming…” Tori said, feeling like she might cry and unsure what all of this meant.”There is,” Jade said, speaking up finally, and sounding really depressed. “But I want you to know that neither of us ever really wanted to hurt you or anything, and I really hope that we can you know… still be… best friends.””Just tell me… please,” she begged. “I can’t… I can’t do this.””Ok… and if you want to hate me, I will completely understand,” Freddie said, touching Tori’s knee. “But I can’t… do ‘this’ anymore.””This?””I realized when we were in the gym the other day that… I really liked you and I wanted you.”Tori just stared back looking half confused and horrified, as she searched for the meaning in his words. “So….?””I felt such a strong primal attraction and I let my desire go too far. I love you, Tori Vega… but I’m not…””In love with me?” Tori choked out the words. “You ‘love’ me, but you’re just not ‘in love’ with me? Is that it?”Freddie scrambled for the right words to respond with but he could do little more than draw breath. “Umm… yeah… I guess so.””You guess so?!” Tori said standing up, and for the first time that either of them had seen, looking furious. “I gave myself to you, Freddie… like completely and utterly… my body, my mind, my… my fucking heart!””Tori… I know-“”No!” she cut him off. “You don’t know… neither of you do. Or you wouldn’t just be doing this to me like this. I’m assuming you are in on this thought too, Jade?”The Goth, who also had some tears on her cheeks, “Vega… look…””Jade… if our friendship ever meant ANYTHING to you, you need to spit it out right now.””Fine…” Jade said, wiping her tears away before approach Tori and looking into her eyes. “Yes. Freddie talked to me about it right after you two did your workout thing, and I tried to argue, but when we talked tonight before coming down… I realized he was right.””Right, Jade?! How is any of this ‘right’?!””Because I made a mistake!” Jade screamed. “I am the one who fucked up. We had this amazing connection, and after what happened with Beck, and Nate, and that shit-fuck Hunter… I wanted you to be happy… like I was. But I could never be what you needed… and so I talked Freddie into this. Not that he needed any convincing…”Tori just stared at her best friend, finally working up the energy to wipe her eyes clear of tears.”So,” the Goth continued, stepping up so she was just inches from Tori’s face, “I shared Freddie, the love of my life, with you. And then it was all downhill. I got jealous because I realized that you guys were a much better match for each other than anything with me. And then Freddie helped me realize what I really wanted, and what he really wanted… But then you were already involved with this… then Halloween happened. I knew there was something and one of us should have stopped it then.””I fell in love with Freddie that night…” Tori said, looking over at the former tech producer. “It was… maybe the best night of my life. Kinda ruined now.””I’m sorry….” Freddie managed, standing to join them before Jade pushed him back down.”We’re both really sorry. We should have put an end to this whole thing… you know, every time… things happened. But, I wanted you… and Freddie wanted you too, and really we still do, so we… were weak.””So I was… what? Your pet? Your fuck toy, like all those things you said when we… first…” Tori slowly played it over in her mind and she realized that they weren’t wrong. “This is… my fault.””No!” both Freddie and Jade jumped to disagree, before Jade pushed him back down again.”This isn’t anything you did, Tori… we mistreated you. Freddie led you on and I just… I don’t know, facilitated it knowing you were falling for him because I thought it would make you happy. He told me about you saying I love you.””Yeah… he said it back the first times…” Tori said, unsure if she was throwing Freddie under the bus for Jade. “It changed things.””I know…” Jade said, moving forward with her arms open a bit, and Tori rushed to give her a hug. “He meant it… we both did, every time we said it. We just never considered-“”Until it was too late,” Freddie said, standing up now that Jade’s arms were preoccupied. “You have no idea how awful I feel, and I hate myself for leading you on all those times. And if-“”When did you know?” Freddie looked over at Tori with a confused look, wondering what her question was all about. “When did you know that you didn’t love me?””I do, Tori… you’re an incredible girl and I really want you to be happy, and that’s why-“”If you loved me, you would have been straight forward, and if you really wanted me to be happy, you wouldn’t have had sex with me, knowing how you really felt… so that’s bullshit…” Tori said, pushing Jade away a bit and facing Freddie. “So let me ask something else… Did you ever feel anything real or on par with how you felt for Jade?”Freddie paused for probably a second too long, earning a harsh look from both girls, before he finally took in a deep breath. “Yes.”His one word answer earned a look of pure surprise from Jade and one of annoyance from Tori.”Every moment we spent together, it was something that was real and meant a lot to me. There were times when I could see myself with you in-stead of Jade in a number of ways, and there were moments where I could honestly see myself spending the rest of my life with you…” Jade now looked completely destroyed as she stared daggers through her boyfriend. “But life and love are all about ups and downs, and both are not as much about who you can live with, and more about who you can’t live without. And for me… that’s Jade. I could spend all day and night with you and never be bored or tired, Tori, but I cannot possibly imagine any version of my life without her.”Freddie’s words salvaged himself from Jade’s angry looks as her scowl changed into a soft smile over Tori’s shoulder. However, Tori’s anger had slowly dissipated into something resembling despair as he went on.”I saw how you looked at me in the gym Thursday, and the words and feelings we shared in that sauna. I felt every bit of it, but I knew that I wasn’t helping you like Jade and I wanted… I was truly hurting you. Just like this moment… I’m trying to atone for what I’ve done and I swear I’ve hurt you more than any of those other guys.””You didn’t… do… anything, Freddie… The feelings were mine, and I guess I should be thankful that you crushed my hopes and dreams now instead of later. You broke my heart, Freddie… I believed you were the one. My one. But I think a part of me knew, deep down, that I was only ever going to be your number two.””Tori…” Jade said, putting her hand on Tori’s shoulder, but the brunette shrugged it off.”Jade… you were my best friend… and I don’t know… maybe you still are, but I just don’t think we should hang out for a while. Any of us.””Tori, you don’t-“”I do, Jade…” Tori said, tightening her bathrobe. “I have to take some time off. I will call you. Maybe both of you… But not until I get my head on straight.””I understand,” Freddie sighed and nodded, realizing that this wasn’t the worst way that this could go. “I’m really going to miss you, Tori Vega… but I hope we can be friends again.””I’d like that, Freddie… just… don’t get your hopes up about it being Ankara bayan escort anytime soon.” It was clear that Tori’s words were falling to pieces, and even more obvious that she could break down the moment their backs were turned. “Guess… I’ll see you at school or something…””Yeah,” Jade said, taking a deep breath as Freddie headed upstairs. “And for what it’s worth, Vega… I’m sorry. I never wanted to… do this… to a friend.”Tori pulled her friend in for a hug and held her there for a few seconds. “We’ll always be friends, Jade. That’s what makes this so tough.”Jade nodded and sobbed a bit before pulling away and heading upstairs to join Freddie in packing their things.The youngest Vega stood alone in her den, blown away at how radically different this night went and as much as she wanted to be angry and bitter and mean towards them, Freddie and Jade were still the best things that ever happened to her. Tori looked out the screen door overlooking her backyard and her f*mily’s Jacuzzi where this romp had begun.She had no idea how long she stood out there in the crisp cold night, but by the time she went back inside, she was all alone in the house. Seeing her home as a metaphor for her life, Tori Vega began to silently weep, and barely stopped until her f*mily came back home.* * *December 16:39 pmUCLA- Scott HallRoom 602″You sure you’re okay?””Yeah, Jade… I’m fine. Really.”Tori Vega looked over what had been, for the last month or two, her home. A small desk. A fridge. A tiny sink. And then there was the bed. So many memories had been made on and in that bed, she thought, looking back up at Jade.Her best friend hadn’t kicked her out or anything, but after talking to Jade and Freddie last night, Tori didn’t feel like she had much of a choice. They had essentially broken up with her, without actually doing any breaking. Neither one seemed mad or upset at her, and they were nice and kind… but it didn’t stop their words from hurting.For years, Tori had spent her time looking for the perfect guy, and now that she had found him, he had to sit in front of her, and look her in the eyes and say words that absolutely crushed her. ‘I can’t love you’ played over and over in her mind, and while there were some other words mixed in there that softened the blow, those four were the ones she could never forget. Even when she went to bed, crying into her pillow, they echoed in her mind still.Then there was Jade, who had been there for her when no one else was. Who held her when things were bad, and who she had held with Jade and Freddie would have arguments. Her best friend, without question. And there she sat, holding Freddie’s hand, each second of their contact, pushing a knife deeper and deeper in her stomach, as she spoke. ‘We can’t do this anymore’ she had said, a quiver in her voice, knowing how much this was going to not only hurt me, Tori thought, but also herself.But now here was that bed. That fucking bed. She had lost her spiritual virginity in that bed. She gave all of herself to Freddie and Jade here, and surrendered her very essence to the man she truly wanted to make her own. And after all that, he wanted… or they wanted… to just call it quits? Not like this, her brain screamed.Jade opened her arms out to give Tori a hug before she left for home, where she would be staying indefinitely, but the singer just brushed past her and headed into the hallway. And there he was.Freddie was propped next to the door, ready to offer a hand to carry anything for Tori, but her bloodshot eyes sent a pained message to the former tech producer. Not of hate, like he’d seen with Sam a time or ten, but with absolute despair and pain. He tried to speak, but she just shook her head and hurried off down the hallway. Freddie wanted to follow her, but a look from his girlfriend told him it was no use. He joined her inside the dorm room, and the two sat on the bed, where the three of them had felt at peace, and just held each other.The elevator took forever to get Tori to her floor, but once she was on the ground level, she just bolted to where Trina had parked. And of course, Trina wasn’t there. The thin Latina rarely cursed but in this moment, alone at her s*ster’s car, where the night air was a bit too strong, she couldn’t help herself from screaming.”Fuck!”* * *December 17:04 pmUCLA- Pierce HallRoom 114″So that’s it?!”Robbie stared back at a very red faced Trina, who looked like she could bash his head in just as easily as she could cry.”I… guess so,” he stuttered, unsure how he had let this get so out of hand.”You’re dumping me?! ME?!””Trina… look… I’m sorry. There was just something about that night with Andre, and how you two were with each other that just made me un-comfortable.””And you couldn’t just talk to me like a normal boyfriend?!” she took a step towards him.”No… I mean, I did try before you left for the break,” he said, voice shaking. “But you-“”No, fuck-face,” Trina cut Robbie off standing over the cowering teen despite them being very close height-wise. “You came over and just spouted utter nonsense and bullshit, weirding me and my f*mily out. There was no talking, or even mentioning of Andre or that night.””I was trying to get to that…””Well, fine, you have my attention, Robbie… whether you deserve it or not, I’ve been kind of shitty to you, so I might owe you a chance to talk.” She was silent for a few moments as it seemed like Robbie was thinking about this. “I said, here’s your chance to talk.””Ok…” Robbie took a deep breath, trying to collect his thoughts. He really believed that saying ‘We should break up’ would end this fast, but clearly, he was wrong. “So, I have been thinking about what happened that night with Andre there, and I think something sparked between you two, and I felt like the odd man out for a lot of it.””Robbie, we already talked about this. I told you that you were my boyfriend, and that there wasn’t anything more to him being there, than just a little spice. There’s nothing between us.””Then why,” Robbie took a gulp, knowing this might truly be the nail in the coffin, “have you been sexting with him since then?””What?!” she exclaimed, looking panicked, her guilt showing through. “How did you-“”I didn’t. I guessed and you just confirmed it…” Robbie was now the one who seemed to be growing in size. “I didn’t want to be right, Trina.””Robbie… it was one time. He texted me one night, and you weren’t there and we just flirted, and swapped naughty pics… nothing physical happened, I swear.””And you thought that wasn’t cheating?!””No…?” Trina’s upwards inflection signalled that she herself didn’t know exactly if what she did was cheating, but she had known from the moment it happened that it was wrong. She never wanted Robbie to know about it, and he had just tricked her into coming clean. “I’m sorry… It won’t-“”I know it won’t happen again,” Robbie said with a sigh. “Because I am not going to see you anymore, Trina… I tried to be patient and kind and not worry about being jealous or paranoid about this whole thing, but I was right too, I guess. You should go, Tori’s probably waiting…”Trina wanted to scream and shout at him, but she realized she didn’t really have the ground to say a thing. With tears slowly falling down her cheeks, she turned and left the dorm room, and headed off to see how her s*ster was doing.Back inside, Robbie sank down on his bed, crying to himself as he went over every piece of their relationship in his mind, looking for any real salvageable moments. Over and over again, a slang-ridden voice rang out through the memories.”You missin’ me yet, loser?”* * *December 37:13 amUCLA- Scott HallRoom 339KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK”Ugh….” groaned Sam, already feeling her blood boiling as her sl*ep was interrupted. “Who is it?””It’s me,” came the voice, whose words didn’t answer Sam’s question, but the masculine voice and tone made it abundantly clear.”Freddie? It’s not even 8am… the fuck do you want?” she called to the door, not even caring about waking her sl*eping roomies.Truth be told, things had been incredibly awkward between Sam and the other girls. The morning after the three way romp she shared with them, both Cat and Noelle seemed open to letting Sam just feel free and comfortable with them, but the blonde’s angry and borderline depressed nature just wouldn’t allow it and she went off on the two of them. But just a few days later, the normally cordial Noelle was incredibly icy, proving that while they matched hair colours and taste in women, Cat’s girlfriend was nothing like Carly.Cat and Noelle had barely said much since they got back from holiday, and while Sam couldn’t blame them, it still stung in a big way. And the constant back and forth of how they would miss each other over the break was absolutely stomach turning. Adding that to the fact that she really had nowhere to go for the holidays except to Carly’s, where her friends would no doubt be, just made Sam even sadder.”You need to see something,” he responded back, clearly excited from his tone, but staying mysterious as to what it could be about. “And I’m only here because I don’t think it could wait.””Gaaaahhhh,” Sam groaned as she got out of bed, and did a quick check of herself to make sure she was presentable, or as presentable as she could be in a t-shirt and boy shorts, before opening the door and revealing herself. Half asl*ep and permanently bitter as she may be, Sam still got a bit of happiness as she watched her former love check her out. “Make this quick, Benson…””I will assume you haven’t watched the news or read the newspaper today, right?” he said, clearly holding something behind his back.”The fuck do you think?””Don’t get so cranky… pretty sure Christmas came early for you this year.””Ugh…” Sam rolled her eyes. “Just get on with it…””Fine,” Freddie said, mildly disappointed that Sam wouldn’t play his game. “Here.”As Freddie handed over the newspaper, Sam had barely palmed it when she caught the headline, emblazoned in strong bold letters:’DISGRACED Escort bayan Ankara UCLA PROFESSOR CHARGED IN STUDENT’S DEATH'”What?” Sam said excitedly as her tired eyes tried to scan the article to find out the details as quickly as possible. “Adams killed that asshole frat guy?!””That’s what it said…” Freddie said, grinning and feeling even more like a hero for rescuing Sam and Tori from his attack. Apparently that golf club he carried around had some sort of DNA on it from Hunter, and added to that, some of his blood was found at the fountain that he was found in.””Cops pro’lly wouldn’t have even found it if it wasn’t for what happened with him going fucking insane.””I guess so,” Freddie said, still utterly shocked at the turn of events even though he’d had at least a half hour more time than Sam to drink in the disturbing info. “Even crazier is that, over the break, like 6 other girls came forward about being sexually harassed and assaulted by the creep. You did that, Sam.””I didn’t do jack shit…” she muttered, still feeling disgusted and guilty for her actions.”These girls, who didn’t get named of course, came out after you… well, after what happened to you came out. So you really did make a difference, Sam.”Sam smiled at Freddie and as she looked into his eyes, the eyes that she had fallen for time and time again, she felt a sharp pain in her soul knowing that it just wasn’t meant to be. “Why are you being so nice to me, Benson?””Because I think you’ve had a really bad few months and even though we aren’t together anymore, I still… you know… care about you.””Just not like you care about Jade… or Tori, right?” Sam huffed.”In the case of Jade, you’re right… I love her in a way I never thought possible and I know that hurts you, and I’m sorry… I wish I could fix it” The former iCarly tech took a deep breath, not wanting this to go in a totally different direction. Especially when, in this vulnerable moment, he remembered exactly why he fell for the blonde in the first place. “As for Tori… it’s not really that simple.””Ha,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes. “It’s never simple with you is it, Freddie?””Look, Sam, you can keep the paper… I actually stole it from the café while Jade was getting her coffee… and I will just talk to you later.””Yeah… later,” she repeated back before walking back into the room, and collapsing on the bed, grabbing her phone so she could read the news-paper over again desperate not to think about her morning visitor and lose herself in ‘what might have beens’.* * *December 53:44 pmUCLA- Pierce HallRoom 321Beck Oliver was absolutely miserable. And surprisingly, none of his suffering had anything to do with the impending finals that he would face. Naturally, it had to do with a girl.Despite having called and texted her eight times over the course the last week and a half, he had not heard a single word from Tori. Admittedly, the first few calls were to beg her to take him back, which may have been a little shitty since he had just gotten rid of Kelly, but he was lonely. The last two though were about the identity of his roommate’s killer being Tori’s former professor, which had really set the campus on fire.Even with all his efforts to reach her, and he knew she had received some of his messages, she still hadn’t even bothered to respond. He didn’t know if it was something he had done, or something going on with her but the fact of the matter was that he cared and was worried for her well-being.It was only natural that the first place his mind went to when it came to blame was Jade. His ex-girlfriend had done everything in her power to keep Tori away from him, continuing the behaviour she showed towards Tori in high school because of her threatened ego, but now in reverse against him. Adding his already strained ego to what he knew was probably going on behind closed doors with Tori, a sickening heat began to flood his body and mind.Beck hadn’t told anyone about this but for almost a year now, he had been plagued with visions of a dream he had back around Christmas when he wished Nate was out of the picture. The nightmare of seeing Tori and Jade together, both being just sexually destroyed by Freddie. A few months ago, he could just shrug it off as a weird dream, but after seeing the three of them being so tight when the group would get together, his imagination ran wild with what fuelled their closeness.So when his phone rang, Beck couldn’t help but dive toward it so he could answer what he prayed would be a call from Tori. Unfortunately, as he said hello to a call he didn’t even check, he found that it was quite the opposite.”Sup brah?””Oh… Kelly,” he said, trying hard not to sound let down at her identity. “Kinda surprised to hear from you.””Yeah… shit’s been fuckin’ crazy, man…” she said back in her valley girl/surfer dialect that made his teeth hurt after a while. “Last time we chilled, some shit got mad real, you know?””Uh… yeah… well, you were poisoned, so that… you know… happened,” Beck was completely at a loss for where this was actually going. “You… doing ok?””Nah man… I’m like sooo over this college bullshit.””Ummm… ok.””But yeah, since I’m like leaving this fuckin’ joint and shit, I thought you might like, want to get some of the shit I still have of yours.””I actually figured you would have probably destroyed or burned my stuff… since… you know… we had a bad breakup,” Beck said, showing his genuine surprise in this development.”Nah man… wasn’t that bad I guess. I didn’t, like, kill you or anything. That’d be pretty shitty, right?” Beck was planning to respond with his continued confusion, but she headed him off. “Speaking of dude… you pro’lly heard about that douche rocket you lived with getting killed by that teacher.””Oh… yeah. It’s kinda been all over campus, Kelly.””I figured, but you’re pretty like introverted and shit so I thought you might have missed it. That’s some fucked up shit though, right?””Yeah… I guess it is.”There was a long pause, which Beck was 98% sure was so Kelly could toke up before continuing this conversation.”So, anyway, man… just wanted to see if you were, like, in your room or whatever. Gonna drop this she-yit off and we can hang, bone, or what-ever.”Beck had to take a second to replay that just to see if he heard what he thought he heard. “Not sure if we can hang… or whatever, but come on over.””Kay,” was all she said before hanging up, leaving Beck to further contemplate where things were in his life.He was ashamed that he was seriously considering her offer to essentially get back together, believing that something with someone he quasi-liked was better than the nothing he was getting from who he truly felt for.But then he caught a glimpse of Tori’s picture as his screen saver randomly cycled, and in an instant, he came to realize that perhaps his dignity outweighed that desire to just fill a need. A rare moment of pride hit Beck and it made him feel nice, and in that moment he made the conscious decision to be better.* * *December 124:15 pmJust off I-5 N”Where the heck are you going?!””Relax,” Freddie said to his girlfriend, who was probably less concerned that they were going off course, and more with the fact that they were doing this in her car. A car that he wasn’t familiar with, and was just speeding through the rain. “Just needed to make a detour.””Ugh…” she groaned, rolling her eyes. “We just stopped like an hour ago… I swear, Freddie Benson, you have to piss more than any human being should.””Yeah, yeah… you know you love me.”Jade wanted to fire off a mean comeback, but as she looked over at Freddie, a grin plastered across his face, she couldn’t help but just fall in love with him all over again. “Maybe…”The couple sat in silence for a little longer, his right hand and her left holding tight to one another, even in this messy traffic, unable to keep from touching one another.For over a week now, the couple had been in this strange limbo, both feeling a bit guilty for how they had left things with Tori. Their former partner had spoken to them since of course, but there was this pure sadness in her that just weighed any conversation down. Really, they had only started feeling happy again in the last day or so, the excitement to spend the holidays together again no doubt driving them.Carly had offered her place for Jade to stay since it would be her first Christmas without her br*ther around. Apparently, he had gotten engaged to that artist chick, Amy, while they were halfway across the world, which was great for him, but a little sad for his little s*ster.Just for the company, Freddie considered the offer, but knowing how Sam didn’t really have anyone either, the blonde would be around just as much and after the exchange that Freddie and her shared last week, putting Jade and Sam in a room did not seem like a remotely good idea.Besides, there was only one place that he really wanted Jade to be sl*eping and that was right next to him. Especially this Christmas.”Look, I’m all for being picky, Benson, but,” Jade said, looking around and feeling a vague sense of déjà vu, “we’ve passed like ten gas stations. You’re not taking me into the woods to murder me are you?””I had considered it,” he said, jokingly earning a slight jab to his arm.”It’s cool if you did though…” Jade said, closing her eyes a bit as if she was indulging a fantasy. “Kinda hot, really. Being taken into seclusion, and just tossed around until you are ready to just dismember me. It’s so intimate, you know.””You… have some problems, Jade.” Freddie recoiled a bit from her words, but he knew that she was like this, and honestly it was part of what made him love her. She was different. She wasn’t afraid to engage in fantasies that no one really considered. And now that her eyes were closed, he could take advantage of the moment.Freddie slowed down as he arrived at his destination, and turned his lights out so that it was so dark she couldn’t see what was coming. The former tech producer rushed out of the car so Bayan escort Ankara she would have no time to react and raced around to open her door, the rain barely touching him as he swiftly moved.Yet, even with all that speed, Jade recognized exactly where they were, and her stomach twisted into knots that were filled with seasick butterflies.The cabins.More importantly, it was their cabin they were outside of, a bare streetlight moving like a pendulum overhead, showing through as the park was clearly empty, no one occupying the cabins currently.Freddie took Jade’s hand and started to drop, and if the Goth’s stomach was in her throat before, it might as well have been in space at this point. The techie took a knee and reached in his pocket, taking his girlfriend’s hand as she was quickly hyperventilating before he even got the box out.”Jadelyn West… Will you marry me?” he asked, opening the box as the frail light flashed across the diamond.Jade was crying so much she couldn’t even breathe to form the words, just pulling Freddie up and pushing him against the door of the cabin as she kissed him, softly blubbering, knowing that her words didn’t matter anymore. Only actions.His warm hands held her close, one of which still had the box tightly in his fist, and while the kissing was innocent looking, the meaning behind it was so deep and passionate that neither one of them had to say a word.”Did I… Did I say yes…?” she whispered, a grin tightly on her face, feeling a bit embarrassed that her emotions overtook her so easily.”I’m pretty sure you didn’t have too,” Freddie said, smiling and pulling her coloured strands back over her ears. “But it would be nice to hear.””Yes… yes, yes, yes, yes, yes….” Jade said, as if she was trying to see how many times she could say the word. “I still can’t breathe, but does that answer the question?””I think so,” Freddie grinned back before pulling his hands from behind her and relinquishing the jewellery. Slowly, he slid the white gold piece along her left ring finger, feeling her pulse quicken with each second as her finger was dressed.If anything happened for the next few hours as Freddie drove them to his hometown, Jade was certainly unaware of it. All she could do was stare at the ring, Freddie, and the back of her eyelids as her fantasy of their future danced in front of her eyes.There was the wedding where she’d wear white for once, finally looking like the goddess he constantly believed her to be, then the honeymoon which was simultaneously on a beach, on a cold mountain, and under the bright lights of Paris. Then there would be their life where she’d become June Cleaver, before having his ch*ldren. Jade never really wanted k*ds before Freddie but now she was almost as eager to have his babies as she was to make them.Before she could imagine their golden years together, the car had stopped and Freddie had taken her hand, his thumb sliding along the nearly sharp rock atop her new ring.”Huh?” she remarked, snapping out of her fantasy completely, and realized they were in the city and it was incredibly dark.”We’re here, baby… my home, sweet home. And it really feels like it with you here.”Jade didn’t know she still had some tears in here, but they still managed to escape, looking down at the ring again as she just held Freddie in the car.”Let’s get inside,” he said, grabbing his umbrella from the backseat. “I think it’s time I took my fiancée to bed.”The word just shook Jade’s very being, and she rushed to climb out of the car so she wouldn’t have to be away from him for more than a second.The couple grabbed their bags and headed inside Bushwell Plaza, Freddie giving an unceremonious middle finger to the hideous doorman as he walked past him, leading his guest to the elevator.A minute later, Freddie opened to door of his old apartment and found his mother waiting for him on the couch inside.”Frederick Benson,” she called out. “It is nearly midnight and you were supposed to be here just after 11… I have been worried sick. And if you think your vampire girlfriend is staying her, you-“”Mom…” Freddie said, raising his palm, to stop her before grasping Jade’s hand. I love you and we can talk tomorrow, but my…” he trailed off, lifting Jade’s hand to show off the ring, “fiancée and I are going to bed.”Marissa Benson, for once in her life, was struck speechless as her clearly grown son pushed passed her and led his future wife into his bedroom, shutting the door behind them and locking it tight.* * *December 148:30 pmOutside NozuLos Angeles, CA”I cannot tell you how happy I am that you called me.””Oh yeah, Tori… me too,” Nate said, even happier that she seemed to be feeling the same way he was feeling. “Was pretty surprised that you actually returned my call.””Of course I did…” the aspiring singer smiled back, “You’d have to really be garbage for me to just ignore your call and everything. And you’re not garbage, right?”Nate thought for only a moment, wondering if he actually was, but once he realized she was only messing with him, he shot a smirk back. “Not today, at least…””Look, I appreciate dinner and everything, Nate…” Tori’s smile disappeared, and became something serious very quickly, “but I feel like you should know something.””Um, sure… ok,” he said, tightening his coat around himself as a chill suddenly appeared. “What’s up?””Don’t get me wrong… I like you, Nate. I really do, and you’re incredibly sweet. But this… this can’t really go… you know, anywhere.”The look of despair on his face sunk Tori’s heart. She’d seen the look before but here and now, after everything she’d been through this year, it was even more gut-wrenching. But she had to press on.”I mean, at least for right now,” she added, seeing a bit of relief in his face. “I just had a really rough few months and kinda just got out of some-thing so I don’t want to like lead you on or anything. I know we left things on a… weird note, you know?””Yeah… Certainly one word for it,” he said, flashing back to that night outside the bar, where they kissed and broke up all at once. Somehow weird didn’t even begin to cover it. “And I don’t suppose I’m looking for anything either. Just kinda missed you this semester, Tori Vega. Not seeing you nearly every day was mighty strange.””Then… let’s start there… hang out over the holiday break. Might do us both some good,” she said with a hopeful tone before surprising Nate once again.The Latina leaned in and kissed his cheek and pulled him in for a warm hug where she buried her face in his chest for probably a second too long. She couldn’t help but think over all the good things about him and relish the first good moment she’d had in a couple weeks.Nate just inhaled her sweet smelling hair and stroked her back, loving the feel of having his girl back in his arms, reflecting on how he got to this point…* * *August 2312:17amUCLA- Front PavilionHunter Alexander stumbled a bit as he walked down the main area of campus, finally choosing to take a seat on the large fountain. He was certainly a bit more buzzed than usual, but with everybody breathing down his neck about some bullshit with a freshman piece of ass he tamed, it was expected.’Buurp’ he released some pressure as he checked his phone, when a shadow blocked his light.”You Hunter?” came a voice from the shadow.The dr*nken frat boy made up the shape of a stocky guy shadowed a bit by the light. “Yup… Who’s asking?”The stranger didn’t said another word as he charged the frat boy, pulling him up by his shirt collar.”Tori Vega is the love of my life,” Nate said.”Well, that little bitch got fucked good, so… sucks for you, man.”Nate practically growled as he pushed Hunter back, and thanks to his inebriation-fuelled clumsiness, stumbled over his own feet and fell hard, smashing his head against the hard brick of the fountain, collapsing with a thud.The muscular high school student stood over the body, breathing heavily, in shock over what he had done, but his instincts kicked in and he quickly lifted the body and dumped it into the fountain before walking away, believing he had cleared the scene.* * *October 3110:02 pmScott HallRoom 113As quickly and quietly as he could, Nate slipped into the girl’s dorm and made his way through the first floor, searching for Tori’s room. It took a few seconds to makes sense of the labyrinth of rooms, but eventually he made it and with a little help from a credit card, he was inside. Nate was less than pleasantly surprised to see that Kelly had taken over the room basically, with her stuff filling 80% of the room.The sharply dressed Texan found a shirt of Tori’s that was really nice, but with a sniff, he realized that it now smelled like pot. The same could be said of the other clothes he picked up and smelled, and after the 5th piece of clothing, he was pissed. And so his decision had completely been made. Nate had every intention of finding where Beck’s room was and poisoning the handsome teen’s d**g stash, which he knew he would find if he looked, but his anger toward Kelly reached a higher and higher peak, and so he decided that maybe it might hurt Beck worse if his girlfriend were the one to suffer.It took less than 30 seconds to find Kelly’s stash, and with a zip-lock bag of crushed up daffodils that grew around the house, he poured its con-tents into the supply and mixed it up as best he could. Once the deed was done, Nate reached into the back of Tori’s drawers and managed to find one old t-shirt that smelled enough like Tori that he could deal with it. Tucking the shirt in his own, he slipped from the room and headed back to the party, his conscience practically clear.* * *Present DayNate held Tori tightly, still smelling her hair long after the hug had ended. He casually followed Tori down the street, the two laughing like old times, and by the time they had reached Nate’s truck, the two had already made plans to see each other again for a movie.”Nate?” Tori asked, snapping him out of his thoughts for a few second.”Yeah?””You’re a pretty great guy. You have no idea what it means to me to have someone that I can trust and count on,” Tori said, showing her vulnerability again, thankful that she could depend on Nate to protect her. “It means a lot.””Tori Vega…” he said, with a sly smile as his hand drifted over to hers, and to his surprise, she didn’t pull away. “You have no idea…”