After the prom

Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious and I also don't own the song, you're happy now?


The very first Hollywood Arts Prome has come to an end. Despite of the initially problems and the sabotage, everyone who had kept up with it had a lot of fun. Even the sudden cloudburst couldn't ruin their mood. Luckily it didn't continued for too long. It was just a short Armageddon, just a few minutes, but even the most beautiful evening was bound to have an end. Slowly the Asphalt Caf became emptier such that only five people were still there.

However, they were not there to celebrate. The party was definitely over even though the caf dried relatively fast, unfortunately you couldn't say the same thing for the clothes they were wearing. Fortunately they were at Hollywood Arts. Being a student there you may rest assured to get coated with paint and other things, that's why most of them stored some extra wardrobe. If not there were still some costumes for the different plays they were performing.

Consequently, the remaining five persons weren't even dressed in a celebratory manner but that didn't mean that some of them weren't having fun. Three of them were engaged with the detachment of the equipment. Sinjin and his crew were the best of the best, at least when it comes down to the technical stuff. Most of the other students often ask themselves why he was even at the HA. He wasn't really a good actor and it was pretty obvious that his music wasn't going to be selling very well, but that's not all there is in the showbiz. Without light, acoustic, special effects, what would movies and music videos look like?

Right! Awful.

And exactly that is what he and his crew were learning and there was no one fit to hold a candle to them. Everytime someone wanted to perform a play it was up to this trio to take care of everything else. In this sense they were really sighed-for.

When it comes to look at the remaining two students, they were people who couldn't be more diverse even though they had a lot in common. More than they were fond of and would admit. The boy had dark curly hair and was wearing glasses, which seemed to match with his dejected gaze. Normally he would carry a dummy along that was known to anyone as Rex, an alter ego of the boy, but Rex got drenched in the rain and there were no replacements for his clothes, so that's why he decided to lock him away. He didn't want to drag around a wet clump the whole time. Besides, he would have gotten on his nerves and provoked him the whole time anyway, despite the fact that he just wanted to be alone and dwell on his thoughts.

His name was Robert Shapiro. But all of his friends and everyone else just knows him as Robbie. The girl on the other hand had long dyed black hair with blue and green highlights. She had the reputation to be a venomous snake, probably becausethat's what she was, she was always in a bad mood and heading for a confrontation with almost everyone. Not that she wanted to be like that, but her childhood had bred her to that behaviour.

Even Jade West wanted to hang out with friends and have fun. Nothing else, she just didn't know how. Only her boyfriend Beck could reach the innermost part of her and control the demon inside. Well... not always, but from time to time she let go and render herself to his guidance and help. As long as there is no other girl, since she couldn't get along with them. Especially today, were there were even two girls giving her an headache, which by the way was one of the motives for her to stay back at HA and let her thoughts run wild.

So they were both sitting at the Asphalt Caf just a few meters away from each other. Different like day and night, but at least today linked by similarities. He was the cheerful type, she was ill-tempered. Where he was optimistically, she was sure of the bad essence within all people. He was a single who got shot down by the queen of his heart when he finally mustered the courage to open up to her, she had a boyfriend who she couldn't open up to in all sincerity. But they were both lonely. Robbie is considered to be weird and a bit crazy. Sure he has friends, but even they are bound to distance themselves from him every now and then. Jade on the contrary was a bitch. Nearly no one wanted to deal with her and she pushed away the few friends she was having. Wheather or not they wanted it to be true, they were responsible for being alone most of the time themselves. And she really didn't wanted it, not today.

Normally she really wouldn't address herself to Robbie, they were friends, sure, but their friendship was according to the motto: "With friends like that, who needs enimies?" They were at loggerheads with each other, but apart from him there were just Sinjin and his freaks and she most definitely didn't wanted to go home. Actually that was something she never wanted to.

"Hey Rob, why are you still here?" That was a silly question and she knew it. Everyone knew why Robbie was crestfallen over the last days, but she just had absolutely no idea on how to begin a normal conversation. It was new ground for Jade. "Are you really interested in that?"

"No." They both knew she didn't meant that answer seriously, it was just part of her nature to give such snappy, hard replies. "I can't wrap my head about the fact that that Tug was real." Robbie had a crush on Cat for a long time. They were close friends, undertake a lot together and they got along very well. Apart from Jade and Beck they were even considered to be a dream couple, probably because they were both crazy, but it is that friendship they share where there lies the rub. He had always been afraid that it would destroy their bond if they ever would try to take the relationship to the next level. Still, it was hard for him to hold back his feelings, especially after the kiss they shared last year. Yet it has taken up to this very week to muster up enough courage to finally ask her out to the dance. However, by that time she already had a date, at least that was what she had claimed. It all sounded pretty much like a big fat lie, but apparently it was true. Sad to say, because now he felt bad not only because he saw her having fun and be all flirty with Tug but also because he had called her a liar.

Hopefully she could forgive him for that and hopefully that Tug-guy would be gone as soon as possible. "Don't worry, Rob, she has no real interest in him. Absolutely." One maybe wouldn't imagine it, but even Jade had a best friend. Cat. And that with good reason, since she was the total opposite of her. Cat was nice, friendly and always hyper and brilliantly good-humoured. She was everything that Jade sometimes wished to be herself, consequently she was sort of an anchor to her. Without Cat she would have gone wacky a long time ago. Well, not that Cat wasn't able to drive her mad. One time she even almost shocked her to death.

No kidding, with real electricity, at least she felt very bad about it. But yet this week she had peeved her in another way. It probably comes as no real surprise when I say that Cat is in love with Robbie, too. When she is in his presence she is even more psyched and nervous than usual and that was saying something. Starting a few days ago Cat actually started to drag along a stuffed giraffe. She seemed not to realize what she was doing, but Jade knew that she did it to identify herself with Robbie and be closer to him and his weirdness. Strange? Yes, however that's what Robbie was. And just like him she was afraid of loosing him in the end. That in turn gave Jade a headache. She was lucky to have Beck and she wished for her friends to feel the same pleasure. They were just so frightened and everytime one of them would actually try something the other one would block to stay safe. When will they finally come together?

"You really think so?"

"She is my friend, besides, you know her, it is Cat."

"Yeah. That spinny light up hat was funny." "That is all there was to it."' And that was true, for Tug's name wasn't even Tug. He wasn't even her real date to begin with. Only after she got cold feet, when Robbie asked her out, she remembered him and desperately asked him to play along. But Jade couldn't possibly tell Robbie that truth, since she promised her not to. "By the way, I have read your play. I liked it."

Truth be told, he REALLY liked her play. The title 'Clowns don't bounce' might be oddish and the thing that it's about a parachuting clown whose parachute didn't open might sound in this summarization a bit macabre, but for Jade's standards it was a trully life-loving work. And it was funny written, in a good way of course. It is a shame that it's most likely never going to be performed. Originally the play should have been enacted this very evening, but then Tori got her great Prome-idea and of course for her everything went south. Robbie really could feel with her, understand why she was angry and fuming. The play was even better than her last one with the wishing well, but when she got berserk and sabotaged the feast she was carring things way too far. She really had tried everything to ruin the evening, but it didn't worked till the very end. "Thanks." "Don't look so surprised. Just because we are not always on good terms doesn't mean that we can't be nice to one another every now and then." Jade always pretends to be inapproachable when it comes to relationships and friends. Screw that. She was a sly bitch, but he felt that it must have a reason. He, like everyone else in the gang, had already realized that her family isn't exactly your ideal place to enjoy your life. That's most likely an other reason why she wanted to stay there. And in a slightely perversed fashion he liked this characteristic trait of hers. Sure, she provoked him all the time, insulted him, but deep down beneath that rough exterior she was a normal girl and at rare occasions she even let her out.

On such a calm and nice evening absolutelly everything could happen and so they kept on talking about everything imaginable for the next half hour. Today they really got along well and it did them a world of good to speak with someone. Ok, the reason they were at the Asphalt Caf was because they wanted to be alone in the first place, but together it just makes more fun to be alone.

"It was really funny when you were opted to be the prom queen."

Coincidentally Sinjin came by in just this second and being himself he decided to give a comment even though he wasn't part of the previous conversation. "That shouldn't have happend. Trina should have won the poll, I made sure of it. She was really infuriated. Well, at least up till then she was my date for the prome." "Thanks Sinjin, i was already aware of that." But he was already gone, since he had to take care of a lot of other things before he could finally go home.

"No one would have actually voted for me. And Doug, the diaper guy, hadn't even entered the contest. Why did she had to make him the king?" Her eyes were full of despair. "Because you deserved it." "Shut up, Robbie." "Why do you think that no one would have voted for you? You looked really great in your dress. Not as sinister than else." Funny how one little comment could make Jade West blush. "Thanks." "But i believe that Beck would have been a better choice as prom king." "Yeah, to bad he is still in canada." A grin sneaked on Robbie's face. "Now be honest, you don't think that proms are stupid, do you?" "Guilty." "So why are you against it?" "No one ever invited me to a prom as a date. Even at my old school. I think that got on my nerves." "Yeah, I understand that."

He himself was never asked to the prom, too. Of course, as a boy, he was expected to ask a nice girl to accompany him, but still no chance. There never was a girl to say yes. All he ever heard were excuses or he was laughed at.

"Robbie, have you danced with someone tonight?" "Just with Rex." "That means no." Rex was a puppet. Seriously, was she the only sane person to think that it's weird? "I haven't danced either. So, how about the two of us? SINJIN!" "Yes, what is it Jade?" "Is the music equipment still set?" "Right beside me." "Can you please play another song?" It was hard for him to say no when Jade even said 'please'. Mainly because they were rare. Truth be told he hasn't even heard it a single time out of her mouth up till now, that's why only moments later the soft music from 'Could it be' hovered through the air. "That is a fairly romantic and slowly song, Jade, are you sure you want to dance with me?" "Well, Beck is not here, Doug is out of the question...so you are my replacement king. And that is the officially opening dance of the Hollywood Arts royal couple. Come on, Rob, you can't tell me that you don't want to dance with a prom queen, right?" "Yeah, that has something to be said for it."

Like that they danced arm in arm and enjoyed their mutual moment. Tomorrow, maybe everything would be back to normal, maybe they will start quarrelling again, but not tonight. Tonight they were two friends, were enjoying each others company and trying to get their mind off. 'For today is the start of the rest of our lives, I can see it in your eyes.' And maybe, just maybe they manage to work on their friendship and muster the courage to have fun together on a few more occasions.

-End-


A/N: I actually wrote this story a few month ago on the bus on my way to the university. Normally I read a book, but somehow I got bored and suddenly this story plopped into my mind. It's not a fancy story or a great adventure, just a small idea of what might have happend after the prom in the regular Victorious universe. And by the way I translated it into english to enter the contest by ZenNoMai, so it probably lost a bit of it's flair, but I still love it.

Now fame me, flame me, just give some reviews.

Rade Revolution for life.