(($_LIKE A PHOENIX_$))

Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious, nor any songs used. But, I do own Zack Davys (my OC)

SUMMARY: After Beck dumps Jade for Tori, Jade leaves Hollywood Arts High for a major role in a new teen drama. Heartbroken, she pushes and pushes herself to be the best- and finally succeeds. But, what will be the consequences?

Meanwhile, Beck can't stop thinking about his ex, thus straining his budding relationship with Tori. When Jade finally comes back, how will he win her heart after tearing it apart so mercilessly?


(($_DRABBLE ONE_$)) : LEAVING


Tears streaming down her pale cheeks, Jade threw random tops and other articles of clothing into a large, black suitcase. Earlier that day, her boyfriend of more then two years, Beck, had broken up with her, claiming he didn't want to be tied down to an overly jealous, over-protective girlfriend like her. Instead, he had continued, further driving the knife into her shattering heart, that he'd already talked it over with Tori Vega and the two were now Hollywood Arts High's hottest new couple. Feeling utterly betrayed, Jade had stormed off campus.

She hadn't even gotten the chance to tell him that she'd landed the lead role to a new teen drama.

But, she supposed, this was for the best. With her busy schedule, she could throw herself into work and not think about her ex, nor what he and Vega were doing.

Probably something stupid, like watching movies that weren't even good or going out to fancy restaurants. All the things Jade didn't like because she knew Beck didn't enjoy them either. Instead, he'd take Tori out to those kinds of places because she seemed like that sort of girl, a complete opposite of Jade West.

But that was exactly what he'd wanted, right?

Grabbing her pearphone, she scrolled through her list of contacts until she found the one she was looking for. Hitting dial, she waited until Cat picked up, the red head's cheery greeting pulling a reluctant smile from her depths of despair. "Jade! Hi, Jade! It's Cat!"

"I know who this is, Cat," she replied, sniffling lightly. "I need you to pick me up and take me to the airport."

Cat noticeably paused. "What's wrong, Jade?" she asked, concerned. "You sound like you've been crying. Should I call Beck?" A sense of panic began coloring her sweet, innocent voice. "Are you hurt? Where are you?"

Bitterly, Jade assured her she wasn't physically injured and began telling Cat everything that had happened that day. "I would appreciate it if you didn't call him, or Vega for that matter. I just need a ride to the airport since I can't just leave my car in their parking garage," she finished, feeling slightly better after getting everything off her chest. If Cat was one thing, she was a good listener.

"... Wh-Where are you going?" A betraying quiver made Cat's voice wobble, like she was on the verge of tears. However, in the background, Jade could hear her searching for her car keys and rushing around her house.

"Leaving. I'm leaving."


(($_DRABBLE TWO_$)) : REALIZATION


Ever since his break up with Jade a week ago, Beck found himself in nothing but a daze. He made the right movements, like doing homework correctly and doing his lines during Sikowitz's class, but he otherwise was like a robot. Whenever he hung out with his friends, he tuned out of the conversation more often than not. He spoke when spoken to, but that was only if someone, usually Andre, could snap him into focus. Hell, if he were being honest, he was utterly lost.

And that was all because Jade was no longer by his side.

Dating Tori was like nothing had ever changed between them. They still hung out with the gang (minus Jade and, surprisingly, Cat) and they still texted on the phone like friends (when Beck bothered to answer, anyway, which wasn't often). A couple days into their new relationship, Beck had come to a conclusion that sickened his stomach, not to mention heart:

Jade was everything he'd ever needed and wanted, but he'd broken up with her in the worst way possible. And for the worst girl possible. Jade would never forgive him, let alone want to talk to him.

But, he had to try. Jade was worth fighting for.

First, however, he had to break things off with Tori.


(($_DRABBLE THREE_$)) : KITTY HAS CLAWS


"Hey, has anyone else noticed that Cat hasn't been around lately?" Andre asked his friends one day during lunch. "And, what's going on with Jade? She hasn't been showing up to school for almost two weeks. I'm a little worried about those two."

Beck stopped picking at his pizza, his focus turning towards his best friend after hearing his ex's name. He'd noticed, very clearly, Jade's absence from school, but he'd assumed she'd skipped due to their break up. Now that Andre mentioned how long she'd been gone, he had to wonder if it was something more. It wasn't like Jade to be gone for so long, no matter how upset she got.

Robbie suddenly said, "There's Cat right now!" He pointed to somewhere behind Beck. "Hey, she looks like she's been crying." Concern bled into his voice, his brows furrowing behind his glasses.

When the normally bubbly red head approached, anyone could see how her eyes were puffy and her nose was almost as red as her hair. Sniffling into a tissue, she ignored everyone and walked passed them.

Tori quickly stood up, her pretty features screwed up in concern. "Hey Cat, what's wrong?" she called out, catching up to her friend. "Why are you crying?"

What no one expected to happen was for Cat to suddenly whip towards Tori, an almost murderous fury lighting her eyes. "You want to know why I'm sad?" she shouted rhetorically, which caught everyone at the Asphalt Cafes' attention. "You want to know why I've been crying for the last two weeks? I'll tell you why." She made sure to also pin Beck with a disgusted frown, an expression no one had ever seen on her pixie-like features. "It's your fault my bestest friend left! Do you understand me? It's your fault she doesn't want to come back."

Her delicate hands clenched into tight fists, her eyes sparking with an unholy light. "It's your fault Jadey left the rest of us behind!"


(($_DRABBLE FOUR_$)) : MESSAGES


Sitting in her dressing room to take a break from filming, Jade checked her pearphone for messages from Cat. The red head had been sending dozens of texts and voice mails, demanding Jade stay in touch with her, since she'd left Hollywood. If Jade didn't respond within a reasonable time, Cat threatened to catch a flight to the studio and drag her back home. She knew her friend was a cream puff on the outside but, when provoked, the little red head was a force to be reckoned with. It was probably why the two were such close friends.

Smiling at the thought of Cat, Jade pressed a few buttons to check her texts first. Sure enough, there were about fifteen unopened messages. However, a frown touching her pretty features, not all of them were from Cat. No, only about six of them were. The other nine were from Andre and, surprisingly, Robbie. And Beck, the most frequent of the three.

Pursing her lips, she deleted the ones from Beck with almost violent jabs of her thumbs. Afterwards, she scrolled through the others. They were basically all the same; Cat wanted to know how she was doing and wishing she would come back soon, Andre was asking where she was and if she was coming back to school soon, and Robbie was updating her on missed homework and wondering if she was okay. The latter also mentioned how Cat had blown up at Tori and Beck, blaming the couple for everything wrong in the red head's life. Jade found some amusement in that text, picturing how that went down.

Replying to the boys' texts with short messages, she gave lengthy ones to Cat since Cat would call her (again) for a full update, while also whining about how anti-social Jade was becoming. Jade would do anything to make sure Cat wasn't upset any more than she already was.

Finally getting to her voice mails, Jade absently listened to all of them (ten, to be exact), knowing they were all from her best friend. Besides Beck, Cat had been the only one brave enough to call Jade, let alone leave a message.

She froze when her ex's voice was heard. She should have known he would call her when he'd left texts, but she hadn't thought he would be that stupid.
"Hey Jade," Beck was saying. "I know things between us didn't end in the... best way, but I want to talk. Please, call me back... This is Beck, by the way. I hope to hear from you soon."


(($_DRABBLE FIVE_$)) : TWO MONTHS LATER


Cat was bouncing around the Asphalt Cafe, a happy grin on her face. Ever since Jade had left, the bubbly red head hadn't been the same. This was the first time she'd been so cheerful, and it made everyone within the area just as upbeat.

Everyone except Beck. It had been a whole two months since he'd last seen Jade, and she hadn't returned any of his messages. Not that he expected anything more but he'd still hoped. Less than two weeks into his relationship with Tori, he'd ended it. They were nothing but friends, something he should have figured out before he'd made the biggest mistake of his life by dumping Jade in such a heartless way.

Furthermore, he should have listened to Jade when she began tearing Tori down. Tori was nothing like he'd thought she was. She was whiny and needy, nothing like Jade, who was strongly independent. Tori also needed a lot of attention when it came to her performances; Jade had known she was good and was confident everyone knew it too. She always wanted to go out and watch overly sappy (even for him) movies and she liked going to fancy restaurants. Beck didn't enjoy either, neither had Jade. They enjoyed just spending time in one another's company; it was all they'd needed.

It had been all Beck had needed and wanted, but he'd thrown it all away the moment he decided Jade wasn't good enough.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Andre asked, smiling at how bright Cat was shining that day.

Cat giggled girlishly. "It's a secret," she stage-whispered. "But I'm really excited. Like this one time, my brother-" and she was off, telling her story about her brother that would probably confuse or scare them in some way.

"Can't you tell us what's so exciting?" Robbie asked, once Cat was finished.

She giggled again, her eyes moving back and forth to make sure no one was listening to their conversation. Using a low voice, she admitted, "Jadey is coming back to visit me."

The group of friends perked up at that in different ways. Andre and Robbie were equally excited about the news, especially since it made Cat so happy. Normally, Jade could put the fear of God in them, but they missed her insults and snide comments towards them and the public. Beck was now noticeably alert, his posture stiff with attention, and Tori frowned deeply at the news. Out of everyone, Tori was the least happy for obvious reasons.

"We should do something for her homecoming, then," Andre suggested. "When is she due to come back?"

Cat pouted. "Jadey said she was coming to see ME," she said, emphasizing the last word.

"Come on, Cat," Robbie chuckled. "You can't keep Jade all to yourself. We want to see her, too." With his free hand, he gestured to everyone around the table. "It's been way too long since someone insulted me. I actually miss Jade's comments about my hair!"

"Well, he wouldn't miss Jade's insults if he would let me do it," Rex said, his head moving right to left. "But, even I miss Ms. Gloom and Dangerous. Tell us when she's coming back." The last was said in a wail, like the puppet was about to burst into tears.

Cat continued to pout, but in a sulky tone, she answered, "This weekend. Friday, to be exact."

Andre rubbed his hands together, already thinking about plans that they should do for Jade's homecoming. When he spoke, he shot out ideas they could do and hoping their friend wouldn't mind all the attention about to be poured onto her.

Beck, meanwhile, let his own thoughts race. He had the rest of the week to come up with a plan to win Jade back.
The question was, however: Could he?


(($_DRABBLE SIX_$)) : FRIDAY


When Jade walked through the door to Cat's house, Cat right behind her, no one expected what they saw. The goth Jade they knew was now completely different. The colored extensions were missing, as was the dark clothing that was her signature attire. Instead, she dressed in clothes that could have come out of Cat's closet; a sequenced purple tank top hugged her breasts to perfection, white shorts that exposed her shapely legs, and silver heels on her feet. For make-up, she wore glittery purple eyeshadow, black mascara and eyeliner, light blush, and coral-pink lip stain. The only thing that proved this young woman was Jade were her piercings, which they gladly took note of, and the tattoo on her arm.

Jade rose a questioning brow at the assembled group, easily overlooking Beck and Tori's presence. "What's going on?" she asked suspiciously.

Cat bounced further into the house, a frown on her face. "What happened to the 'Surprise, welcome home Jade!' thing?" she demanded, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm not sharing her with you guys tomorrow, you know."

Setting a small carry-on down, Jade ran her slim fingers through her silky hair. "Seriously, shouldn't you annoying people be in school?" Her tone was becoming agitated, which was reinforced by the narrowing of her ice-blue orbs. This was the Jade they knew so well, no matter how differently she dressed.

"What's with the, uh, new threads?" Andre asked, still looking a little shell-shocked.

Jade crossed her arms under her full breasts. "You trying to say something about my taste in clothes?"

Beck stepped forward. His sudden movement caused Jade's gaze to snap in his direction before she could think. "You look beautiful," he complimented, his expression serious but pleading with her to listen. "You've always looked beautiful, no matter what you wear."

Tori scowled, her arms crossed. She went ignored, however.

Jade looked down at the ground, lips pursed. "Thank you," she softly said. Not saying anything further, she picked up her carry-on and left to the guest room that had been prepared for her.

Clenching his fist, Beck wished their first meeting could have gone better. As it were, it was a start and that was the main thing. Now, he just had to set up for the next phase of his plan to win Jade back.


(($_DRABBLE SEVEN_$)) : SHE'S SO GONE


"Jadey, you should sing first," Cat announced, handing the microphone to her best friend. The group had gone to a Karaoke club after spending the day doing activities that Jade normally liked: going to the book store and shopping for anything unusual and/or dark. More and more, the old Jade was appearing, which thrilled everyone. Now, after eating a wonderful dinner at Jade's favorite diner, the gang were finishing the night off with some singing and dancing.

Smirking, Jade accepted the mic, eliciting cheers from the others (except Tori, who was still scowling). "Alright. I got just the perfect song." Sauntering off towards the DJ, she made her request.

"Alright, alright," the DJ announced. "We got Jade West up next. Tonight, she'll be singing 'She's So Gone' by Naomi Scott. Give it up for Jade!"

Cheers and applause followed the announcement, the lights dimming to signal the start of the song. When the music started, Jade came strutting down the make-shift catwalk, her stride confident and comfortable. Her voice was powerful and mesmerizing, as it always was when she performed, and the grin on her face showed how much she was enjoying herself.

Right away, Beck understood the meaning of her choosing this particular song. He understood that it was meant as a punishment, but he couldn't help but feel pride in her skills as a singer. He'd always known she was good; perfect, really, but it had taken her leaving Hollywood for him to realize how much she meant to him. It may be too late to save their relationship but he wasn't giving up. At the very least, Jade would know how he truly felt; nothing more, nothing less. The rest would be up to her.

Jade did her big finish, her gaze locked with Beck's dark chocolate eyes she had loved so much. The message was loud and clear:

'The old me is no longer here. The new Jade West won't be such a fool.'


(($_DRABBLE EIGHT_$)) : MISS INDEPENDENT


"Alright! Lets hear it one more time for Jade West, everyone!" the DJ shouted, receiving screams of praise. "Awesome, just awesome. Now, lets bring up our next singer of the night. Beck Oliver! You're up!"

Jade froze next to the DJ, her ice-blue orbs trailing towards the approaching teen. Her lips tightened the closer he got, but she held her ground. She was Jade West; she did not back down from anyone, let alone from a boy who hurt her beyond repair. Instead, she casually passed him the mic when he reached for it. "Thought you didn't like to sing," she softly commented, raising a mocking brow.

Beck smiled charmingly, like he'd used to when they'd been dating. "I don't," he admitted sheepishly. "But I know you like it when I do."

Stunned for a second, she shook herself back into focus before leaving the stage without another word. Retaking her seat next to Cat, she crossed her legs and arms, her mind in utter chaos. What Beck had said, what did that mean? A little over two months ago, she would have been able to tell but now, he just left her a confused mess.

She snapped out of it when the DJ spoke. "Okay, Beck will be singing 'Miss Independent' by Ne-Yo. Give it up for my man, Beck!"

Cheers and applause greeted the first string of music. When the Canadian-born boy stepped out, his voice was smooth and rich, like a fine dark chocolate on satin sheets. His dance moves impressed the crowd, as well as the girls, but his eyes remained solely on Jade, hoping she would understand what he was trying to tell her without direct words. The lyrics only reinforced everything he felt for her, and his singing was better than ever in that moment. Beck was putting every ounce of passion he could into his performance, wanting his message to be heard by the entire audience:

'You may be different now, Jade, but I'll fight for you. You're more than worth it; I'm just sorry it took me this long to figure that out.'


(($_END OF CHAPTER ONE_$))

AN: please review! Thank you for reading! Oh, and I would really appreciate some feedback on what should happen next; I'm a little stuck XP