Day & Night

Chapter 1: The First Meeting

It was a bright and sunny sort of day, not exactly the sort of day one would expect after the first day of senior year.

Natural correspondence, Jade had assumed, would cause the weather to attune to her dark and stormy mood, caused by what she called the 'utter melancholy of school'. But unfortunately for her, that was not the case.

"Ugh," she complained, putting her hand on her hip and rolling her eyes. "I'm so glad THAT'S over. I thought Sikowitz would never stop telling those dumb personal stories that no one in class even cares about – they all sleep through it and he doesn't even notice. Sometimes I wonder what his class even has to do with Fine Arts, anyway."

"I like Sikowitz," cut in Jade's best friend Cat, a tiny redhead, the paradigm of innocence.

"You like everyone," Jade replied with a dismissive sigh – sometimes she wondered how the two of them were even friends, much less close friends. "Anyway, we've just started senior year – the most important year ever, as you should know – and we need a plan to dominate. We have to leave a legacy for those hopeless juniors, something to try and live up to. I mean, honestly - did you see what Kacey Simon was wearing today? She's a wannabe at best."

"She's sweet," Cat mused, "but you're right. Anyway, I was thinking - we haven't had boyfriends since, like, last year, and we haven't tried looking in Briarwood yet -"

Jade's eyes flashed. "We haven't looked there because the guys at Briarwood are total and complete imbeciles. Don't even think about it."

"Even Beck Oliver?" Cat inquired. Beck Oliver was, from what the girls had heard, the most popular and therefore desirable guy at Briarwood - good-looking with a pleasant personality to match. The guys at Briarwood had a reputation of being immature, especially in relationships, but scarcely did anyone ever have anything bad to say of him. Despite having never met him, though, Jade had plenty bad to say of him.

And Jade West was not so easily swayed. "Especially Beck," she said with a certain amount of unabashed determination. "Moving on – let's hear your next plan, Cat."

By the time the two arrived at Jade's house, the third member of their posse, Trina Vega, was already perched at the table, slumping back in her chair, legs crossed haphazardly. "Hello, girls," she said, bright smile plastered on her face, as if there was nothing odd about her being in Jade's house while the other girl was not even home. Perhaps to her it wasn't odd at all.

"Where were you at school today?" Jade asked pointedly, not bothering with pleasantries, arms crossed across her (rather large) chest.

Trina rolled her eyes in response before dramatically sighing. "Oh my gosh. So my parents decided to enroll my total loser of a baby sister in our school today. And, like, who could deal with that humiliation? Total emergency! So I went and got a mani-pedi instead. So worth it!"

Jade simply sighed. Things like this were all-too-typical of her diva friend, but for other things she was indispensable. Things such as… a plan.

"Anyway," the dark-haired girl continued, speaking loudly as to ensure that Trina would not interrupt, "after school Cat and I were discussing a plan to keep us on top of the school for senior year. Cat suggested we hook up with some Briarwood guys, but I-"

Trina squealed loudly over Jade's explanation. "Oh my gosh, Beck Oliver is a total Hottie with a Capital H. Dibs on him."

Jade fixed her steely glare on the Vega girl until at last her squealing ceased, and then she finally continued. "But I rejected that idea, because Briarwood guys are total and complete diots and I don't want us associated with them. Do you have any other ideas?"

"Well, isn't it obvious!" Trina replied after only a second, dark eyes lit up and grin on her face. When Jade and Cat exchanged a confused look, she continued. "We need to throw a totally fabulous party. As in, bigger and better than anything the losers have ever done. The party of the year, ladies."

"Wow, I actually like it," Jade said with an approving nod directed at her friend. "Nice job, Vega."

Cat, who had evidently been biting her tongue to keep from speaking as she waited for her friend's input, let out a squeal. "Oh my gosh! This is going to be SO MUCH FUN! I love parties!"

Trina raised an eyebrow with a mischievous grin. "Can we invite the Briarwood boys?"

"Absolutely not," Jade hissed, resulting in a disappointed sigh from the other two. "Now, ladies, let's get planning. We go big - or you go home."

Planning, Jade had discovered, was not exactly her thing, and neither was the advertising that went with it. Who knew that announcing a huge but exclusive party could be so time-consuming and, besides that, incredibly annoying? She'd always thought it to be rather glamorous – apparently not.

"You're invited to this party, which I suppose is mine," Jade said dryly, mouth curving into a slight frown. "Friday night, 8 PM, my place. I'm sure you know my house – it can't be missed."

The homely-looking girl looked up at Jade, her eyes immediately brightening. "For real?"

"Yes," Jade said, annoyed already. "So show up or else."

"I'll be there," beamed the girl, whose name Jade could not be bothered to remember. "Thank you so much!"

Jade gave a dramatic huff and walked back over to her friends, who both grinned at her in unison. "This is so lame," she complained. "Why do I have to invite everyone?"

"Because everyone's scared of you," Cat replied thoughtlessly but brightly as ever, "so they'll show up!"

"Right, cause I'm so scary," Jade replied dryly, checking her reflection in the mirror. Black designer dress, four-inch heels, perfectly applied makeup, curled hair - there was nothing scary about good fashion.

"Well, you are kind of intimidating," Trina pointed out. "You're the school Alpha. Everyone looks up to you but is scared of you at the same time. Simple high school hierarchy. At least – I think that's the word."

"I'd rather be feared than loved, anyway," Jade pointed out, flipping her mane of silky black curls over her shoulders. "Love is so pointless. I can't be bothered with it." She wrinkled her nose at the next name on their exclusive list. "Ew - Kacey Simon. One of YOU invite her. I can't be contaminated by her."

"I will!" Cat chirped. "You better go home and rest – we'll be decorating all day tomorrow, and then party time!"

Trina grinned at both of them. "Yep, you're definitely going to need your rest. This party is going to go down in history as the best beginning-of-senior-year party ever thrown."

"Andrea Simms, check. Josephine Masterson, check." Jade stood at the door, carefully patrolling the influx of people. Losers could contaminate her fabulous party; only the ones on the list were allowed in. "Trina - finally! Ugh, I thought you'd never show."

Trina opened her mouth as if to speak, but was cut off by a thin, tanned girl behind her. "You must be Jade. I'm Tori, Trina's sister. Thanks so much for letting me come."

Jade's vicious glare fixated on the girl, but it was too late - she had already disappeared into the crowd. Her glare turned to Trina. "Trina, I do not recall inviting your total loser of a sister."

"I'm totally sorry," Trina replied apologetically. "My parents made me take her. They felt bad for her since she was planning on having a Hallmark marathon this weekend by herself - can you believe it? Like it's my fault she's a loser. I don't get why they're punishing me!"

At first Jade was a bit angry, but she shook it off – who cared if one loser was there? The party would be fantastic despite the addition of one loser. "It's whatever," Jade said with a scowl. "Not like she'll tempt any of the guys anyway. I think that's about everyone, so we should go dance now. Remember - look amazing. My parents hired photographers."

With an obedient nod, Trina and Cat took off, probably to cat fight over who got to dance with the cutest guys. Jade, however, lingered a moment, and all the better, since someone knocked at the door at that very moment. Confused, she opened it - no one was left on the guest list; who could it be? No one that wasn't invited would bother showing up. No one would dare.

But someone did.

A tall, darker-skinned guy with really nice hair (who, admittedly, was sort of cute, even for Jade's high standards) stood on the other side, grin on his face. "You must be Jade West."

"In the flesh," she replied dryly. "The real question, though, is who in the world are you?" She'd never seen him in her life; he had some nerve, showing up at her party, at her house, like this.

"Name's Beck Oliver." The boy said calmly, smirk on his face. "Heard there was a big party going down here tonight and thought I'd drop by. It's not a party till I walk in, after all."

"Funny," replied Jade, keeping a calm demeanor despite her immediate disdain of his high opinion of himself. "I don't recall inviting you. In fact, I distinctly remember highlighting the fact that Briarwood boys were to keep away."

"You're right, actually. I wasn't invited. But I heard about it, and it seemed like a good time. Besides, I've got nothing better to do." Beck grinned, taking a step closer to her and evidently not noticing that her eyes flashed. "Besides, a nice girl like you wouldn't kick me out."

"First lesson about me, then," Jade replied in a clipped tone, biting her lip to keep her calm, "I am not a nice girl. See ya, Oliver."

She could feel his unwavering stare on her as she slammed the door in his face.

With no sign of what had just occurred on her face, Jade walked over to the dance floor, rejoining her friends. Cat shot her a suspicious grin. "Who was at the door?"

"No one of any relevance," Jade replied in her usual dismissive tone, smirk extending to both ends of her face. "Just some punk trying to sneak into our party. I figured this would happen; we're just so irresistible, aren't we?"

Jade's smooth-talking eased the other girls' suspicion, and Cat immediately burst back into rapid-fire talking. "So guess what! Danny asked me to dance! Me, out of all the girls here! I was so happy; he's so gorgeous. And then Ryder Daniels asked Trina to dance – don't you think he's good-looking? And neither of them go to Briarwood so really Jade you've got nothing to complain about."

"They're all right," Jade acknowledged, "but my issue is simply that we do not need lackluster guys. We need relationships that will get people buzzing, talking, wondering about us, not relationships that will get people cooing. Any fool can do that."

"So you don't approve of Danny and Ryder?" Trina said with a pout, one hand on her hip in a sassy sort of fashion. It was evident that she wanted her friend to approve of the boys.

"I'm not saying that," Jade replied sharply, "only that I would rather you not settle. Truly I think you can do better. You guys deserve dynamic relationships – not boring ones."

"Bossy," replied Cat in an undertone.

"What did you say?" Jade inquired, voice rising in pitch at the truly insulting nature of Cat's statement.

"Nothing," Cat squeaked, widening her eyes in feigned innocence.

"Whatever," Jade replied, rolling her eyes. "Now come on. We've got some showing off to do. Let's go dance."

Behind her, Cat and Trina exchanged a meaningful glance before breaking into giggles. But for once, Jade did not mind her two (occasionally immature) friends. She had a lot on her mind – and no, that lot had nothing to do with a certain good-looking but incredibly annoying Briarwood guy.

At least, that was what she told herself.

The party went off remarkably well, due mainly to her impeccable planning (or so she told herself), and the Briarwood boys did not intrude again on her party, nor did Trina and Cat find out about Beck Oliver's brief appearance. They spent the majority of the time gossiping about the guests with Jade and secretly checking out Danny and Ryder in a way that was not at all subtle. Jade would've found it amusing if she wasn't too busy being neurotic over every single detail.

But now it was over, and she spent the weekend recharging and shopping (the best way, she thought, to recharge) before she had to return to school. By the time she got there, the whole school (an all-girls school, mind you) was buzzing – a small smile made its way upon her face. This was what she had been anticipating.

But as she reached Cat and Trina, the two immediately shut up. She lifted an eyebrow at them, wondering what in the world they could be talking about that she wasn't allowed to know.

"Good morning, Jade!" Cat chirped, elbowing Trina in the gut and causing the other girl to glare at her.

"Yeah, good morning," Trina echoed, "or at least it would be if my ribcage wasn't broken due to some obnoxious Cat."

Cat giggled, but Jade wasn't so amused. "What is going on." She growled – a demand rather than a question.

"Um," Cat said, staring at the ground, but Jade knew that her tiny friend could not keep a secret, so as Jade's glare grew more intense Cat blurted out at last, "Beck Oliver is outside and he's looking for you!"

Jade fell silent at last.

A/N: I have no clue whatsoever where this came from but it is based in part off The Clique which I claim no ownership of (nor do I of Victorious etc etc). Britt encouraged me to write this so yeah. Please leave me a review; let me know what you thought! And I hope you all enjoyed it even though it's a bit crazy! We'll see how this works.