This story is my take on the upcoming Victorious episode, 'Opposite Date', with a central focus on Cat and Jade. The opening scene is from a video that Dan Schneider recently posted on his youtube channel; check it out: watch?v=XsUY6aC5l0g&feature=channel&list=UL
Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious, it belongs to Dan Schneider, whom we all thank for creating such a wonderful, inspiring show!
"Hi, Jade!" Cat greeted as she eagerly bounced up to her friend who had just opened her locker door. Jade acknowledged her presence with a slight glance towards Cat.
"Hey."
"Do you want to do something fun with me tomorrow night?" Cat asked, voice filled with hope. Jade turned to face her, crossing her arms and leaning against her locker for support.
"Sure. What?" Jade asked questioningly. Cat shrugged.
"I don't know," She began. "I figured you'd pick, 'cause you're bossy-"
"Don't say I'm bossy!" Jade snapped.
"Okay!" Cat squeaked, looking away. It didn't take long before her eyes lifted once more to meet Jade's.
"But you are," Cat whispered. Jade glared at her. "A little bit." She held out her fingers as if to indicate just how bossy Jade was. Jade just rolled her eyes.
"Whatever. Yeah, let's hang out tomorrow night."
"Okay!" Cat perked up a little bit, then deflated once she realised what the problem was. "But we can't invite Tori to come with us because she's -" Cat suddenly gasped, covering her mouth and stomped her foot, a cute little pout making it's way onto her lips. Jade's eyes narrowed and she stood up straighter.
"What's Tori doing tomorrow night?" Jade demanded in a 'no-nonsense' tone.
"Nothing! I don't know!" Cat whimpered. "She told me not to tell you." She peered up at Jade, giving her a sweet puppy dog face as if to beg for mercy. Jade ignored it, knowing that Cat had a weakness for parental control.
"Five!" She yelled.
"Oh, God!" Cat cried, proving this theory correct.
"Four!"
"Don't count!" Cat begged. Jade knew that by the time that she would have counted to 'one', Cat would surely spill Tori's secret.
"Three!" Jade ignored her.
"Oh, I love three!" Cat's eyes twinkled and she smiled shyly at Jade.
"Two!"
"Have you heard about the new PearPads with the slightly better screen?" Cat asked in a desperate attempt to distract Jade from what Tori was trying to keep from her.
"One!" Jade stood a bit closer to Cat to intimidate her.
"Okay! Okay..." Cat submitted in defeat. Jade stood there, arms crossed and eyebrows raised, waiting for the explanation. Cat took a deep breath and blurted out:
"Tori's going on a date with Beck," Cat slammed her eyes shut with a squeak. There was a silence and Cat kept her eyes closed, unwilling to look at Jade's reaction. After a moment of quiet in which there was no screaming or abuse, Cat slowly opened her eyes and peered up at Jade. Her heart jumped in fright. Jade's eyes were filled with rage and anger, jaw clenched and her breathing heavy.
"...Jade?" Cat whimpered nervously. Jade ground her teeth together.
"How, when and where is this date?" She growled, voice filled with hatred and malice. Cat gulped, hands fiddling with her red hair to calm herself down.
"Tori told me that she asked Beck to go with her to Nozu tomorrow night to help her with a new play that she's writing," Cat started softly. "Um, and she might have used the word 'date' when telling me about it. But that might mean that it's not a date! So, you don't have to worry!" Cat explained hurriedly, unwilling to be on the receiving end of Jade's wrath. Jade didn't look satisfied.
"Does Beck really think that just because we've broken up means that he can go after Vega? Because it doesn't!" She snarled, glaring into space while frowning in rage. Suddenly, her frown lessened and she pursed her lips, her anger melting away, a slightly cunning look replacing it. She looked back to Cat, who was now looking terrified.
"So, do I still get to choose what we do tomorrow night?" Cat's scared expression dropped and she blinked in confusion.
"Huh? Uh, I guess. As long as we don't watch any scary movies!" Cat added quickly. Jade chuckled, filling Cat with nerves once more.
"Oh, no," Jade smiled evilly. "I have something better planned in mind." Cat cocked her head to the side, questioningly. Jade smirked.
"What would you say to going on a date with me to Nozu?"
"So, is this what you meant by 'date'? Cat asked crossly. The two girls were sitting in a secluded booth in a corner at Nozu. Jade had brought two large newspapers, and had forced one into Cat's hands and the two girls were now spying through little peep-holes in the paper made by Jade's scissors. Their targets: Tori and Beck. The two were sitting at a table in the open and weren't doing anything particularly interesting, just looking at and writing on a piece of paper which was most likely Tori's script. When Cat didn't receive an answer from Jade, she frowned and lowered her newspaper, staring at where Jade's face should be, but instead was the back of the newspaper that Jade was holding.
"Jaaade..." She whined. "Can we do something fun? Pleeease-y?"
Jade lowered her newspaper slightly and glanced over the top of it, sending Cat a sharp look.
"Put your newspaper back up, right now!" She hissed. Cat pouted and brought the newspaper back up to her face.
"But this is so boring!" Cat complained persistently. She glanced back to Tori and Beck who now had their eyebrows furrowed in concentration while reading the piece of paper on the table. "Tori and Beck are so boring to watch!" Jade huffed.
"You said you wanted to hang out tomorrow night, and look!" Jade spoke condescendingly. Cat could just imagine the raised eyebrows behind the newspaper. "It's tomorrow night, we're hanging out and you're complaining!" Cat frowned.
"But I wanted to do something fun! This isn't fun!" Jade ignored her.
"Ugh, just look at them," Jade muttered exasperatingly, now refocused on the task on hand and was staring at Beck and Tori once more. "Who do they think they are?"
"Tori and Beck." A crinkling of the newspaper was heard, which Cat assumed was Jade rolling her eyes and clenching her fists. Cat squirmed in her seat.
"Um, Jade?"
"What?"
"I know you said to stay still this whole time, but I really need to go to the bathroom!" Jade groaned.
"Fine, go, but make sure you're not seen!"
"Kay, kay!"
Jade lowered her newspaper slightly and watched as Cat zoomed around the corner to the bathroom. She rolled her eyes in exasperation.
Cat was right. This was boring. But also incredibly frustrating. Jade narrowed her eyes in rage as Tori leaned closer to Beck, placing her hand on his arm while laughing at something funny he had just said, which aggravated Jade to the point where she was just about ready to throw a fork at Tori - until she realised that this was a sushi bar; there were no forks, only chopsticks. She groaned and closed her eyes in frustration, ready to complain to Cat once more about this whole situation when she noticed that her companion hadn't returned from the bathroom yet. Jade peered over the top of her newspaper. Where was she? Oh, chiz, if she returned back wearing a blonde wig and a guy on her arm...
Fortunately for Cat, the girl in question scurried back around the corner. Jade lowered her newspaper, sending Cat a sharp glare as if to tell her to hurry up. Cat gulped and quickly ran toward their booth. She hurriedly slid onto the same seat as Jade, trying to be unseen by Tori and Beck and in the process, slammed her head into Jade's collarbone.
"Oww -!"
Jade quickly slapped a hand over Cat's mouth to silence her cry of pain, raising the newspaper once more to hide both girls from being seen. Peering through the peep holes, she realised that Tori and Beck were still deep in conversation, script completely forgotten. Breathing a sigh of relief, she turned her attention back to Cat, who had both hands on her forehead and uncovered her mouth.
"Owww..." Cat squeaked. "My head hurts!" Jade frowned.
"Well, you were the one who rammed into my chest!" Jade scolded. Cat blinked.
"You're normally very soft," She explained seriously. Jade rolled her eyes.
"Here, hold the newspaper."
Once Cat was supporting the newspaper upright to keep them hidden, Jade reached out and smoothed back Cat's hair from her forehead to assess the damage. She grimaced when she saw the bright red mark, which was almost the same colour as Cat's hair.
"Is it bad?"
"Yes," Jade nodded. "You're going to need a brain transplant." Cat gasped.
"Really?" She frowned in worry. Jade sighed.
"Don't be stupid. Of course you won't. There's going to be a bump though."
Reaching for her glass of water and a napkin, Jade dipped the napkin into the water and folded it to create a make-shift wet cloth. She held back Cat's hair and gently dabbed the red mark on Cat's forehead. Cat's face scrunched up.
"This hurts!"
"Don't be a baby."
"Doesn't your chest hurt?"
"Honestly? No," Jade shook her head, holding Cat's face in one hand and pressing the wet napkin to her forehead with the other. "...It hurts more from seeing those two together."
"Who? Tori and Beck?" Cat asked curiously.
"No, Walter and Nancy. Yes, of course, Tori and Beck!"
"Okay! I was just checking!"
"Sorry," Jade grumbled, refusing to make eye contact with Cat, instead fussing over the mark on her forehead. "I just hate the fact that Beck is over me so quickly," She begrudgingly admitted.
"It's alright."
There was a silence between the two girls, which was filled with noise from the other people in the sushi bar talking and making noise. Cat tried not to wince in pain as Jade pulled the napkin away and ran her fingertips over her forehead.
"That's already swelling up," Jade muttered to herself. Cat's eyebrows knotted together.
"Is that bad?" She asked again, worriedly. Jade shook her head.
"No, but I think we're going to have to call it a night. Beck and Vega are starting to bore me anyway." Cat smiled.
"So, do you wanna do something fun instead?" She asked, perking up. Jade sighed.
"What do you want to do?" The question was asked begrudgingly.
"Ice-skating!"
"Oh, no, no, no," Jade chuckled, shaking her head. Mental images of Cat smashing her head against the ice were already filling her mind. "Why don't we just hang out at my place? My mother isn't home." Cat resisted the urge to ask 'why', knowing that Jade and her parents had problems that were too deep for Cat to understand.
"Kay, kay." Cat pulled out of Jade's grip and started to slide out of the booth.
"Wait!" Cat halted, swivelling back around.
"What-y?"
"We have to get past Beck and Vega without being seen!"
"Oh, yeah..." The two girls peered through the holes in the newspaper once more, looking at their now-turned opponents who were back to writing on the script. "So, what do we do? Should we wait for them to leave?"
"It's only 6.15! There's no way that they'll leave this early!" Jade scoffed out.
"Huh, yeah."
Jade pursed her lips in thought while Cat just watched her curiously. Suddenly Cat's face lit up.
"I got it!" Jade's eyes snapped to meet hers.
"What?"
"Heh, heh," Cat grinned proudly. "We can order dumplings to take back to your place!" Jade's hands twitched and she had to refrain from flicking Cat on the forehead.
"Ugh, you are impossible..." Jade groaned.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Cat, focus. We have to think of a way to get past Beck and Vega."
"Oh, well, that's easy!" Cat exclaimed brightly.
"Huh?" Jade furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
"We'll just give Robbie a call and get him to call Beck or Tori to distract them!" Jade gaped.
"Uh, okay, let's do that then." She replied, albeit a bit surprised. Cat just giggled.
"Robbie? It's Cat!"
Jade rolled her eyes at her friend who was smiling shyly into her PearPhone while twirling a strand of red hair between her fingers. The two girls had sneaked to the bathroom around the corner and Cat had just called Robbie.
"Uh huh," Cat nodded into the phone. "Yeah. I like that too." Jade raised an eyebrow.
"What's he saying?" Jade asked. Cat pulled the phone away from her ear.
"He said that he likes mayonnaise when he can't sleep at night," Cat giggled. Jade smacked her hand onto her forehead in exasperation.
"What's up?" Cat continued happily. "...I'm okay, I think. I bumped my head on Jade's chest! It hurt and now I think it's broken! ...No, my head, not Jade's -"
"Cat! Enough. Tell him our plan!" Jade hissed, patience wearing thin. Cat's eyebrows furrowed in fright.
"Kay, kay."
Jade sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose as she listened to Cat inform Robbie of their whereabouts. Suddenly Cat stopped talking, listening to Robbie speak on the other end.
"No," She suddenly said. "...Uh uh. We didn't have that for dinner! We had California Rolls! ...No! Not spicy -"
"Alright, Cat, give me the phone," Jade demanded, reaching her hand out in front of Cat. "Go stand watch by the door in case Vega comes in." Cat pouted and placed her phone in Jade's hand, walking over to the door. She could just see the tops of Tori and Beck's heads through the little window in the bathroom door.
"Robbie. Shut up. No, I'm not gonna put Cat back on the phone! You can flirt with her another time. We need you to call Beck or Tori right now and ask for help with your car, or homework, or something. And don't say that we told you to do it!"
Cat giggled as she listened to Jade demanding over the phone.
"What?" Jade narrowed her eyes. "No! I will not say 'please'! Just do it!" With that, she hung up the phone.
"You're so good with people," Cat stated honestly. Jade smirked and made her way over to Cat, giving the phone back to her friend.
"No Tori, right?"
"Nope!" Cat beamed. She turned back to the window and her smile instantly dropped. She hurriedly turned back to Jade with wide eyes. "Tori's not at the table!" Jade's stomach dropped. She pushed Cat aside and peered out of the window. Tori was a few metres away from her table, heading in the direction of the bathroom. Jade swore loudly - Cat giving a little gasp at the offending word - and pulled away from the window.
"She's coming in here!" Jade exclaimed to Cat's horror. Jade knew that Tori would reach the bathroom any second so she did the first thing she could think of. She grabbed the back of Cat's shirt to her friend's surprise and pulled her into an empty stall, locking the two inside. Cat watched Jade with curiosity when Jade placed the lid down on the toilet and pointed at it.
"Climb on."
"Huh?"
"Climb onto it!" Jade hissed. "It'll look weird to have two pairs of feet under the stall and you're the shortest, so hurry!"
"No! It's icky!" Cat protested. Jade clenched her teeth. She knew that if Tori saw both of them in the bathroom they would never hear the end of it.
"Fine!" Jade submitted in frustration, swivelling around and kneeling down. "Climb on my back!"
Cat squeaked and quickly climbed onto Jade's back, wrapping her arms around her neck for support. Jade held Cat's legs around her waist and stood up, effectively hiding the fact that there were two girls in the one stall.
"Good thing the stall doors are tall," Jade muttered. "We have to be quiet..." She felt Cat nod into her hair and the two held their breath while waiting anxiously. Sure enough, just a few seconds later, the door swung open with a squeak and Tori's voice could be heard as she was humming a song. Jade rolled her eyes and Cat giggled under her breath.
Jade moved closer to the door and peered through the slight gap in the door to see what Tori was doing, and to no surprise, she was correcting her make-up. Suddenly, Tori pulled her PearPhone out of her purse to Jade's confusion. She could make out the screen from her position behind the bathroom stall but barely. Tori appeared to be texting someone, and Jade wanted to know who. If Tori was sending Cat a text message, Cat's phone would beep loudly with her unique ringtone, which would clearly give away their position.
Jade leaned closer to the gap to try to see Tori and in the process she leaned her back too far forward and smacked Cat's head against the door. Cat let out a muffled squeak and pressed her face against Jade's hair, her head throbbing from the bump that was already there. Jade's stomach dropped and she quickly pulled away from the door, just in time for Tori to whip around at the sudden bang from their cubicle. The humming stopped and both Jade and Cat held their breath.
After a few seconds of anticipated silence, the humming resumed and the clicking from Tori's phone began again. Jade breathed a sigh of relief and turned her head to see Cat. Her breath caught in her throat. Cat's eyes were watering and her forehead was red once again. Jade couldn't believe it! Two injuries that were both somewhat caused by her! She inwardly groaned, knowing that she couldn't comfort Cat because of their position and she silently begged Robbie to hurry up and ring Tori or Beck.
After what felt like an eternity, Tori's humming faded and there was more clicking of the make-up supposedly being collected. Suddenly, the door squealed, signalling that Tori had left. Jade peered out of the gap in the door once more to check that Tori had left, and after she had done a once-over of the bathroom, she gently lowered Cat to the ground and turned around to face her.
"Cat, I'm so sorry!" Jade apologised quickly. Cat sniffled, a slight watery smile on her face.
"It's okay. I know you didn't mean to," Cat shrugged forgivingly. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Jade's waist and Jade immediately felt guilt rising up in her throat.
"I shouldn't have brought you here," Jade mumbled, securing her arms around Cat's shoulders firmly. "You wanted to do something fun, and I made you come here instead to spy on my ex-boyfriend and Vega."
"It's okay!" Cat insisted. "I mean, my head's broken and I think Robbie hates us now, but I wanted to hang out with you!" Jade felt Cat grow a wide smile. "Plus, you gave me a piggy-back ride!" Jade smiled softly and rubbed Cat's back affectionately. Cat giggled and nuzzled her face into Jade's shoulder in response. Suddenly, Cat's phone buzzed loudly, causing Cat to jump away from Jade's embrace in shock. She pulled her phone out of her pocket to read the message.
"It's from Tori!" Cat twittered. Jade chuckled. Perfect timing.
"She said that all Beck keeps on talking about is Jade," Cat stopped and looked up at Jade, an adoring look on her face. Jade scowled, fighting a blush. Another buzz resounded in the cubicle. Jade looked appalled.
"Your phone was on vibrate this whole time?!"
"Yeah, I didn't want Tori to know it was us hiding in here! I put it on that setting when you gave the phone back to me!" Cat replied proudly. Jade just shook her head.
"What did Vega just send?"
Cat giggled and looked back to her phone. "She said that Robbie just called Beck for advice on standing up to girls and wanted to meet up with him, so they had to cut their play-writing date short," Cat smiled. "Which means we can leave!"
Jade smirked. "Yeah, let's go." Cat linked their arms together as they walked out of the bathroom and back into Nozu, where there were no signs of Tori or Beck anywhere. Suddenly, Cat stopped walking, effectively halting Jade too.
"Wait, wait!" Cat furrowed her eyebrows.
Jade sighed. "What?"
Cat looked up at Jade, confused. "Why would Robbie need advice for standing up to girls?"
Jade just rolled her eyes playfully and shrugged.
"Beats me."