As much as I'd love to, I can't take all the credit for this story. I read another fanfic the other day about Tori realizing the group colored each other and it inspired me to do Jade's point of view. Thanks for the inspiration!
Disclaimer: Yeah Yeah i know, I wish :/
Black and White. This is how Jade West saw her life. Nothing special, nothing noticable. In her world, she was invisible. Her father worked all the time, barely saying a word to her, and her mother stayed constantly busy, working her desk at the bank or women's book clubs, and even shopping or hitting the gym. Jade was only aknowledged among them during their cool "discussions" late at night, while they were both actually home. Even then she was spoken about, not to. It was fine by her though. She had lost the urge for there attention years ago, when she'd decided to stop being a child and take care of herself. At school, she developed a "tough girl" exterior that people shyed away from, but still managed to keep good grades. People didn't like her much, not with her translucently pale skin and dark clothes, and facial piercings. Bad news, they thought. But this didn't stop her from being extremely talented. Jade learned early on that she had a passion for performing arts. Living in downtown L.A it was hard not to, but it was more than that to her. When she watched movies, she would always go to the behind the scenes special features and watch how it was all put together, or she would go to local plays just to watch the vitilaty of the actors. Life and light just poured from them and Jade was enthralled by it. She had tried for years to get her father to allow her to attend a more private, performing arts school, but he had bluntedly refused, saying that Jade wasn't going to waste her life on a throwaway dream. But she refused to take no as an answer. As soon as she was able, Jade got a job to pay her own way through a school. By freshman year, she had saved up enough to enroll at Hollywood Arts, the closest school for Arts, with the best of reputations. When skipped her actual school the following Friday to audition for Hollywood Arts. It was almost too easy. All she had to do was sing a song, move around, read some lines, and look confident. She liked the feeling of control that she had as the secretary handed her a schedule and told her she would see her next Monday. Dinner that night wasn't as good though. She finally decided to tell her parents of her transfer. Her mom simply shook her head, but her father, almost breaking his cold mask, had more to say. "I thought we already discussed this and decided against it?" He started. "No Dad, we didn't. YOU did. You said that you wouldn't pay for me to go to a performing arts school, and your not going to have to! I have my own money, everything's taken care of!" She shot back, her anger quickly getting the best of her. "Let's not fight." Her mother jumped in quickly, "It is her money, dear." She finished, not wanting a arguement to start between the father and daughter.
"Whatever." Jade watched as her dad pushed back his plate and went into his office, and suddenly she didn't feel so hungry herself.
However that following Monday, all bitterness from the weekend was forgotten as Jade searched for her first class. The halls were filled with students chilling out before the bell. "Hi!" Came a girly voice from behind her. She turned to find a petite girl with Ariel-the-mermaid red hair. "What?" Jade asked, not sure why this girl was talking to her. "I'm Cat! Your'e Jade, the new girl right?" Jade nodded before turning to leave, but the little girl grabbed the schedule from her hands. "Oooh, you have first period with me!" The girl, Cat, squealed excitedly. "Great," Jade mumbled, and the other girl giggled. "I like your hair..." Jade pulled a strand into her fingers to examine. She had curled it to satisfaction that morning after putting in the blue and magenta hair pieces her grandmother had gotten her for Christmas two years before. She had taken extra care in all of her apperance today. A black dress/shirt top that left her back exposed, faded skinny jeans, and blood red combat boots. Over the weekend, Jade had taken one look at herself in the mirror and the blandness of her existence was almost tragic. She decided that if she was going to be surrounded by all these bright spectrems, she should make an imprint herself. Pretend she had color like them, and maybe they would believe it. Suddenly a bell rang and Cat was dragging Jade to their first class together. The teacher introduced Jade to the class before asking her to take a seat. This class was just a normal English lesson, but Cat was amusing. The girl was bubbly, and random, yet innocent, and fragile. Jade really didn't know what to make of her. She talked a lot too. Jade was introduced to Cat's friend Andre, a talented black kid, with a chilled out personality. He was cool enough, but Jade wasn't into making friends yet, or ever. It just wasn't something she felt she needed. Unfortunately for that, Cat seemed to think she was Jade's new best friend and was waiting outside her class after fourth period, the second class they didn't share. As much as Jade wanted to find this little girl annoying, she just couldn't. Cat had a way about her that you couldn't help but be attracted to. She had color. Bright neons if Jade had to pinpoint it. Mainly pinks or purples, yellows, or bright orange. Definately girly though. Cat showed her their next class, a teacher named Sykowhitz, who taught theater/acting for almost every grade. Jade thought the room was definately interesting, but her main attention was on the stage. It was already calling to her, and she liked the feeling of self belonging it gave her. Her thoughts were interupted when Andre joined her and Cat. "So, how you liking it so far?' He asked her. "It's okay," Jade shrugged unimportantly. "Cool," Andre began again, "Well we have lunch next, and you'll like Sykowhitz. He's an interesting character." Jade raised an eyebrow and was gonna question further before her attention was grabbed by something else. Another boy had walked up to the group to stand by Andre. A very good looking boy. He had long darkbrown hair that looked as soft as any girls, big chocolate eyes framed with thick lashes, and skin, skin the color of coffee, Jade's one and only admitted addiction. His style was nice, yet casual, and he wore a welcoming smile. "Hey, Beck!" Cat smiled brightly, noticing his approach. "Hey, Cat." he laughed at her enthusasm, "Whose your friend?" "This is Jade West," Andre informed him, "She's new. Jade this is Beck Oliver." "Oooh, I like this game." Cat squealed, "I'm Cat Valentine, and you are Andre Harris!" The others looked at her awkwardly. "Yeah...good job Cat." Andre told her, and she giggled. Jade rolled her eyes before addressing Beck again. "Hi."
"Hi..." he repeated, smiling again. Oh, that smile. This was not good. Jade didn't need this kind of distraction right now. But she couldn't help but feel something. And not just because he was hot. Beck held himself with a kind of confidence and cool collectedness that captivated her. His colors were more mellow and subtle. They related more to her bleakness, yet were entirely different. Before she could think on the matter too long, the teacher came in. In all honesty, he looked like a hobo. Jade almost wanted to laugh. He had Jade introduce herself to the class before making them all act like monkeys loose in New York. It was the weirdest, most interesting class Jade had ever had. Soon it was time for lunch though. Jade sat with Cat, Andre, Beck, and another guy that was in their acting class named Robbie. He had a puppet named Rex, which Jade thought was the stupidest thing ever, but Robbie apparently thought he was real, so she followed the others leads and went along with it. It wasn't too bad actually. Strange though, for her. She wasn't sure why these people with their brightness were talking to her. No one had before, not even attempted. She hadn't minded, but she found she liked having this group around her. There colors drew her in. Over that first week she fell into a pattern. She was a little mean to Robbie and Rex, even once to Cat,but they didn't make her leave their circle. It's like they were attracted to her too. Even Beck, whose attention caused her to almost blush. Especially when he blew off a blond cheerleader just to walk her to class on Thursday. He even bought her coffee Friday morning. That afternoon, he asked her out. She told him no out of terror. She didn't want to get close to him like that. He had proven that he was a cool guy over the few days she had known him, but he was much to addicting to try and chance something more. She would just end up getting hurt. But Beck was persistant. Every day he asked her out for the next two weeks. Girls in the school thought she was insane for declining, and he continued to buy her coffee. Finally on the Wednesday of her third week something changed. He waited by her locker, now decorated black with shiny scissors, with her coffee and smiled when she approached. "Goodmorning!" She groaned."Yeah sure, except not." He looked at her puzzled. "Why not?" She looked him over for a minute. "Beck, why do you like me?" This question took him by surprise, but he answered honestly. "Because your'e different. You aren't afraid to be yourself, and your not a push over like a bunch of the other girls. You interest me. You never act the way I first expect and it makes me happy when I can guess what your gonna do. Your talented and beautiful, yet secretive. That's about all I know, but I wanna get to know you more, Jade. I think your special, and that's worth waiting for." She stared at him blankly, not expecting such a heartfelt speech. "My dad, that's why my morning was bad. We got in a fight, it was stupid really. He hates me." Beck rubbed her arm sympathetically. "I'm sorry, wish I could make it better." She smiled at him. "You already have...and fine. I'll go out with you this Friday. As long as I get to pick the movie we watch." Beck laughed with relief. "Deal!" And they headed off to class together, Jade secretly smiling as all the brightness bounced around her and her shades of gray.
Two years later
Tori Vega was excited yet nervous. Today was her first day at Hollywood Arts and this place was amazing! Having been abandoned by her sister and recieving no help from a bipolar readhead named Cat, She was finally given directions to her first class by a weird nerdy boy with a puppet he argued with. This place was so strange and artsy and different. It made her feel incredibly dull. She hoped she would find Andre soon. Tori found the classroom labeled Sykowhitz and entered it. The room was simple with a stage at the front. Tori smiled, never thinking she would have ended up here. She turned to take a seat, but ran smack into another student, spilling his coffee all over him. She quickly appologized, embarrassed, and tried to rub it off of him. He laughed in a friendly way. "No it's fine...really, your sweet, but..." "I think it's coming out!" she hoped at least. "Really, it's cool...you might be making it worse actually." He said this in a sweet joking manner, and she looked up at him. He was cute. Hot, really. And the smile that played at his lips made the sun dim in comparison. Time froze for a moment as she realized how being near this boy made her feel. Special, not so normal. He shined in a way she couldn't quite place. Suddenly a cool feminine voice from behind her broke the daze. "Dude, why you rubbing my boyfriend?" She looked over the boy to see a beautiful, dark, goth-looking girl standing in the door way. The boy had turned to look at her as well. "I...I was just..I spilt his coffee and..." She sputtered, trying to explain. "Get away from him." the other girl suggested in a demanding voice that gave Tori chills. But the boy just smiled and calmly walked over to her. "Babe, relax." he told her before kissing her cheek. The girls eyes didn't leave Tori as he did so, but you could tell his words had calmed her some. Tori felt a twang of dissapointment. So this hottie was apparently claimed. Not that she couldn't see what he was attracted to in the dark girl. As Skyowhitz called her on stage to begin the acting improv challenge, she shone as bright as any star Tori had layed eyes on. In her lacy black tank and black skinny jeans against her pale skin, red combat boots, glimmering golden pendant around her neck, and electric blue streaks in her mahogany hair, this girl, Jade, the teacher had called her, was radiating color.