I do not own Victorious.

i. Prome part deux

I pulled up to Jade's house feeling anxious about taking her to Prome. I was hoping my crush didn't decide to start back up, if it ever really left in the first place. You would think she hated Prome after what happened at last years. She never would tell us what happened with Doug the Diaper dude, the subject always made her more agitated. She'd never even told Beck.

Maybe that's where most of my anxiety was coming from, taking my good friends ex. Hopefully I won't have to see any awkward moments tonight. I rang the doorbell and waited a minute before Jade's dad answered the door. "Hi, I'm Jade's date – err - friend" I say holding out the corsage I got her. He regards me coldly and moves aside so I can come in. I stand in the foyer awkwardly. He doesn't offer me a seat, just stares at his watch and me.

"Jade can you hurry up for once, you said 7:30. I have somewhere to be." I stood there shifting her corsage in my hand. I hear Jade's voice boom from upstairs

"I'm ready dad jeez, nobody asked you to come anyway!"

"Your mother did" he responded.

"Did she now?" Jade said, sounding surprised and annoyed.

"Every girl's dad should see her off to prom" I hear her mom say.

"Whatever let's get this over with" Jade groans.

I straighten my shoulders trying to look cool and calm. "Finally" her dad mutters next to me. Jade's mom comes downstairs winding up a camera.

"Presenting Miss Jade West!" she says gesturing to the top of the stairs.

I look up and feel my eyes bug out. Jade walks to the top of the stairs wrapped in black silk, some of the material sheer, giving you peeks of her pale skin underneath. The bottom of her gown floats like a cloud of black dust. Her hair was pinned to the top of her head and her makeup was dark as usual. She slowly (probably so she wouldn't trip) made her way down and stood in front of me.

She made me agree beforehand to wear all black to coordinate with her. I didn't figure anyone would look at me next to her now. "Well?" Jade said looking me up and down smirking.

My mouth spoke before my brain caught up "You look like a dark angel" I hear myself say.

Jade beams "Thank you, you don't look too bad yourself."

When I realized what I said I was relieved she took it as a compliment, I didn't want to start our night on the wrong foot. I hold up her purple corsage as she holds out her wrist.

"You two look so nice!" her mom says "Stand next to each other!" Her mom snaps an entire disposable camera worth of pictures of me, Jade, and her dad until the camera ran out of film.

"Thank god" Jade and her dad mutter.

Jade's mom pulled another one out of her back pocket. "Now let's get some outside with me in them!"

.

.

Nearly thirty minutes later we finally pull off from Jade's house. "Finally!" she says. She looked at me from the corner of her eye when she hears my snort.

"Your enthusiasm for being my date makes me happy" I say only half joking.

"Do I amuse you?" she asks. I nod my head yes.

Jade only looks at me from what I can see out of the corner of my eye. "Let's go get some food" she finally says changing the radio station.

My stomach tightens a little. I never booked us a fancy reservation since she was still somewhat anti-Prome. I hoped she would find my restaurant idea funny. If not I could only imagine how the rest of the night would go. We pulled into the parking lot and I cut the engine.

"What are you doing?" She asks. I tap my fingers on the wheel and turn to face her.

"Is this where we're eating?" she asks.

"Yeeeah" I start slowly "I know you -"

"Andre you know my heart" Jade says unbuckling her seat belt. "For Prome my date takes me to Taco Bell. Andre this is already starting out the perfect night." Jade smiled climbing out.

I let out a sigh of relief and smile, this night is already starting out perfect.


We pull up to the asphalt cafe sipping from a Big Gulp with two straws in it, Jade's arm linked with mine. "Smile!" a student photographer says running by us and aiming his camera. Jade sighs but wraps an arm around my waist and presses herself against me. The kid snaps the picture and tells us where to pick it up before we leave.

"Jade!" we hear Cat yell from behind us. She runs up and pulls us both down into a hug. "Hey guys, did you two go to Taco Bell?" she asks seeing our cup.

"Yeah we did" Jade answers smugly, taking a sip.

"Phooey, I wish we'd have gone with you two. We went to Nozu but had to wait so long for a seat we hardly had time to eat."

"That's messed up" I say.

"Who's bright idea was it to go there knowing half the school would be there?" Jade asks.

"Tori" Cat says gesturing towards the singer who was devouring a plate of chips. The three of us make a face. "Tori's scary when she's hungry" Cat whispers.

I notice the music suddenly slow down as the sun begins to set. "Would you like to dance?" I ask Jade holding out my hand.

"Sure" she says handing our cup to Cat.

"Yaaay two straws!" she yells drinking from both and running off.

"I really hope she doesn't drink any spiked punch" Jade says watching her go. I nod in agreement. We make our way to the dance floor joining the other couples. I wrap my arms around her shoulders, not sure if she'd kill me or not for grabbing her more intimately.

She looks at me weird and rolls her eyes. Grabbing my hands she places them on her waist and locks her fingers behind my back. "We're not in middle school Andre jeez, we can touch."

"Well I was trying to be respectful Jade!" I say pulling her close.

"Wanna be respectful? Don't do that" she says pointing her head to Trina dancing, her date's hands on her ass.

I quickly turn my head, I'm not that bold. "Can I cut in?" Cat asks from behind us. I look at Jade who steps back.

"Sure Cat" I say releasing Jade. I hold out my hand as Cat steps forward and turns her back to me, grabbing Jade's waist. She puts her head on Jade's chest and sways gently. Jade gives me a look but lays her head on top of Cat's and sways with her anyway.

I see Beck watching from the punch table. I give him a nod and walk over.

"Sup Beck?"

"Hey" he says bored.

"You come with a date?" I ask seeing a group of girls staring at him.

"No, the girl I ask turned me down."

"What? But you have to beat girls off with a stick. How did you get turned down?"

"I don't know, I guess she didn't want to go with me he said."

"Who'd you ask?"

"Jade" Beck says taking a sip of his punch, watching her continue to dance. She was pulling Cat's hands off her butt. Cat pointed to the other couples as I Jade's lips saying we're not them.

I could laugh now but I'm more interested in what Beck just said. "She turned you down? I didn't know you two were...whatever you are." I felt uncomfortable now.

"We're still broken up" Beck says "I didn't think she'd have a date."

"Oh" I say almost able to reach out and feel the awkwardness. "Sorry man" I say not sure what else to add.

"It's cool" he says in his usual Beck way.

"Later man" I say heading back to Jade.

.

.

We sit on the roof overlooking Prome critiquing everyone's outfit and dates. Neither of us shocked Robbie is dateless while Rex has a Northridge girl. "Speaking of dates" I ease in casually "Beck said he asked you."

"Yeah?" She says raising an eyebrow.

Crap. "Did you want to go with him instead, but couldn't because I'd already asked you?" I blurt out with a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"No, he asked me a while before you" she says staring at the dancing below. My mood started to brighten again.

"Why'd you turn him down, don't you want him back?"

"No, not really or else I wouldn't have waited around for a better option" she says standing up.

"I'm a better option than the guy you spent two years with?" I say out loud before I realize (a bad habit tonight). Jade turns and gives me a small smile.

"Definitely. The Taco Bell tonight only validated my point" she says holding her hand out to me. A smile breaks out on my face. "Do you want to dance some more or go hangout?" She asks.

I was about to take her up on the chance to hang out when Tori's voice comes over the pa system. "We need last year's Prome queen Jade West to the stage." Jade glared at Tori from above.

"What is Vega planning?" She asks me accusingly. "I don't know!" I answer honestly, putting my hands up. Jade sighs and stomps down, me right behind her.

"What Tori?" she asks annoyed "I was leaving."

"You can't go yet. Since you were Prome queen last year you have to crown this year's queen. You didn't wear your sash and crown from last year!"

"No I didn't, it's probably buried somewhere in the back of Doug the Diaper guy's van!" Jade yells. She looks around suddenly "He's not here is he?

"No why? Did you try to sabotage this Prome too?" Tori asked sounding suspicious.

"Like I care about your stupid Prome! Me and Andre were leaving."

"You can't leave! At proms the king and queen from the year before always crown the new ones!" Tori whines.

"I don't care!" Jade yells grabbing my hand and pulling me to the parking lot.

"Thanks a lot Jade!" Tori yelled from behind us.


"Can you believe Vega?" Jade fumes as we pull out of the parking lot.

"Yeah that was a bad call considering at last year's Prome - "

"Do not finish that statement" she cuts me off. I snap my mouth closed. She's pissed now thanks to Tori. We have so much time left, how am I gonna salvage it now? "Want to go swinging?" I ask spotting a park up ahead.

"Swinging?" Jade repeats.

"Yeah, you sit, I push you until you feel better?" I say elbowing her.

"Fine with me" she says turning her head.

Passing under a streetlight I swear I see her reflection smiling. We pull over and park. Jade unstraps her heels and wiggles her toes before hopping out the car. "I wish I'd brought a change of clothes" she says stepping onto grass towards the deserted swing set.

"I like this look on you" I say, my suit jacket and shoes gone.

"Let's see how you like it when my dress gets sand all over your car" she says plopping into a swing. Her heels really made a difference in length; she was swimming in the train of the dress now.

"Can I do something?" I ask leaning down.

Jade looks at me but shrugs. I reach down and rip the cloud of material off the bottom of her dress. She swings her ankles, now bare. "Thanks."

"Welcome. Ready?" I ask stepping behind her and gripping the chains of the swing. She nods and lifts her feet. I pull her backwards and push slightly, then step out of the way. Pressing my hand against her back I push harder until she's as high as she'll go. I step to the side and sit in the swing next to her, swinging my feet trying to match her height.

She looks more relaxed than I've ever seen her, eyes closed, hair now loose and floating behind her. I slow down swinging to twist around and watch her. I don't know how long we're there before a van driving by slows down and parks next to my car. Jade slows down and looks at me. I don't recognize the van but the voice that rings out when the door opens.

"Jade! Andre! I want to swing!" Cat says running towards us. Jade rolls her eyes and stands up, Cat sitting down in her place. The light from in the van shows Tori, Robbie, Trina and Beck all hopping out.

"This is why you couldn't stay? To come to a playground?" Tori says to Jade exasperated.

"This is why you couldn't stay" Jade mimics her.

"Guess what?" Cat says "You two won Prome king and queen!"

"Is this some kind of joke?" Jade says angry again.

"That's what I said" Trina added. "How did we win Tori?" I ask.

"People voted for you two obviously" she says smacking my head. "Since you two weren't there Beck and I accepted in your place" Trina said. Beck walked up his hands in his pocket.

"More like you snatched the crown from Tori and grabbed me" Beck says staring at Jade and me.

"Well as interesting as this all sounds it's getting late, Andre want to go?" Jade asks daring me to say no.

"I think it's time we head home" I say standing up and grabbing the bottom of her dress.

"You guys don't want to hang out?" Tori asks "We're all going to my house."

Jade never stopped her stride toward my car. "No thanks Tori maybe next time."

"You know you don't have to let Jade keep you from having a good time" Tori adds. Jade stopped suddenly.

"What do you mean Tori?" I ask starting to get annoyed "This has been one of the best nights I've had all year. Add on top of that the fact that me and Jade had great Taco Bell and won Prome king and queen."

"You weren't even there!"

"So what!" I say walking over to Jade "Today was perfect" I say putting an arm around her as we walked to my car.

Opening the door for her, I see our friends staring at us. Tori disbelieving, Beck neutral, and Cat smiling. I get in and realize I left my phone in my coat pocket. 30 missed calls, 12 text messages, and 18 voice mails. "Jade I think my grandma needs me" I say shaking my head.

"That's fine, I want to get out of this dress anyway. Guess this is the end to our Prome night."

I drive in silence back towards her house.

"Does a part of you wish you'd gone with Beck?" I ask genuinely curious. Jade shakes her head.

"We're civil but I don't see us getting back together anytime soon. I'm not desperate enough to go to prom with an ex when a million other guys asked me."

"What!" I say louder than I mean. "Other guys besides me and Beck asked?"

"Yeah Ryder Daniels, Sinjin, this football player, Russ from our stage fighting class, etc" she says smirking as she rattled off other names.

"After I'd asked you?"

"No, some before."

"Why'd you turn them all down just to come with me?"

"I was waiting for the right guy to ask me. Someone I genuinely liked who wouldn't annoy me to death or try to get under my dress."

I'm glad I don't blush. "Well did I meet your expectations?" I ask smiling. She returns my smile as we pull into her driveway

"No."

My face falls as she climbs out "You were so much better Andre, thanks" She came to my side of the car and tapped on my window.

"I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to walk you to the door" I say confused.

"Nah go to your grandma. Hand me my poof" she says gesturing to the bottom of her dress.

I reach behind me and hand it to her. She takes it from my hand but not before putting her hand on mine and leaning down, pressing her lips to mine. I put my hand on the back of her neck and return the kiss. We break apart when her porch light begins flicking on and off, a figure I guess to be her mom snaps a picture. "Are you serious?" Jade yells loudly.

I can't turn off the smile on my face.

"Later Andre"

"Good night Jade, thanks for letting me take you."

She smiles her small Jade smile and turns towards her front door. Walking in, she waves good bye to me, a flash suddenly going off behind her. "How many of those things did you buy mom?" I hear her yell before I pull off.

I drive home thinking about everything that happened tonight, glad my old crush never once came out. Even gladder a new one's in its place. One that formed somewhere between Taco Bell parking lot and mid push on a swing.

Thanks for reading! I said I would do a Jandre series of one shots and here's the first. Reviews make me smile! Requests are taken. :)