"The One With Jane"
A/N: Based off of Friends episode "The One With Russ," but you don't have to have seen it to get this one-shot. I tried not to steal too many lines, but I did end up stealing some. Also, you may notice that I already posted this one-shot; I wanted to change the ending, so I took it down and re-posted it. Thanks to A Rose With Many Thorns for reminding me to post it again.
"And then Margle threw the bag to the floor and burst into tears!" Tori concluded as she and Andre sat down beside Beck at the lunch table. She tossed a tater pop into her mouth.
"Hey, man!" Andre said cheerily to Beck. "S'up?"
"Nothing much," Beck replied monotonously, returning to checking his phone.
"So," Tori said, dipping her tater pop in ketchup, "Andre and I were thinking of heading to Nozu tonight with Cat, Robbie, and Jade." She trailed off and said Jade's name quietly, hoping that Beck wouldn't reject the invitation because his ex-girlfriend would be there.
Beck frowned. "Sounds great, but I'm actually busy tonight."
"Busy?" Tori asked, shocked. Beck wasn't typically busy since he broke up with Jade, and when he was, it was because he was occupied with one of their little circle of friends. "With what?"
"Well, I... I kind of have a date tonight," Beck explained, brushing it off like it was no big deal.
Tori exchanged a glance. Beck had a date? He hadn't really shown any interest in girls, not since the era of Jade. Not that they hadn't been all over him, but most were bratty popular kids or Northridge girls, who no one liked anyway. Although Beck would flirt back at them more often than not, it was rare that he had a real interest in any of them. And by rare, Tori meant never.
"With who?" Tori asked, trying not to sound awkward.
"Whom," Beck corrected absentmindedly. "And her name is Jane. I met her at Karaoke Dokie the other night when you went to the bathroom, Andre."
"You didn't tell me about this," Andre recalled, arching an eyebrow.
Beck shrugged. "What's the big deal? Just because Jade and I broke up doesn't mean I can't see other people."
Tori and Andre quickly voiced that this of course wasn't an issue and that they were thrilled for him.
"But what will Jade think?" Tori whispered eventually.
Beck fixed her under his unwavering, unreadable gaze. "Does it matter? She shouldn't care. Besides, she seemed to be pretty into Moose last week. If she can flirt with my best friend like that, don't you think I'm allowed to go on one little date?"
Tori nodded uncertainly.
"But anyway, Jane and I are going to Nozu tonight, too. Maybe we'll see you there?"
/
"Who is that with Beck?" Jade asked sharply as Beck strolled into the restaurant with a girl who looked strikingly familiar.
Tori's jaw dropped in shock when she saw Beck's date. She had chestnut brown hair with light pink streaks, a pierced eyebrow, dark attire, and even from across the room, Tori could see her startlingly blue eyes.
"That's Jane," Andre explained quietly. She and he exchanged a glance. Jane looked all too familiar.
Cat grinned. "Hey, Jane looks just like Ja-" Tori quickly slapped a hand over the redhead's mouth.
"Heather Fox? I know, right?" she filled in quickly.
Jade stared like the two girls were crazy. "What are you couple of wazz bags talking about? I don't care who she looks like! Is Beck on a date?"
"What's it look like?" Rex said bluntly.
Robbie looked alarmed. "Rex!"
"Shut your puppet up!" Jade snapped. Robbie's hand immediately shot over Rex's mouth.
"Jade, you don't have a problem with this, do you?" Tori prompted.
"No," Jade muttered. "Of course not. Just wondering." She crossly returned to her sushi.
Tori watched Beck get up and head toward the bathroom. As soon as he did, Jane headed toward their table.
"Hey." She greeted the gang flatly. "Beck told me he's friends with you bunch."
"What's it to you?" Jade growled.
"Well, I'm Beck's date," Jane explained, emphasizing the word. "I want to know everything about him."
Jade opened her mouth to make an undoubtedly rude retort, but Tori spoke first.
"I'm Tori Vega, and this is Andre, Robbie, Cat, and Jade," Tori introduced, indicating each of her friends in turn.
"Ah-hem," Rex cleared his throat, and Robbie looked pointedly at Tori.
She rolled her eyes. "And that's Rex."
Jane surveyed the bunch for a moment before announcing, "You don't look like much."
Jade sat up indignantly. "I happen to have dated Beck for three years, so clearly I'm something to your precious date, you little gank!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," Jade sniffed sarcastically. "But aren't I the one dating him now? So no matter what you are, doesn't that make me more?"
Tori saw Jade grit her teeth, and the dark girl began to turn red with rage. She felt herself sweating, and Tori desperately hoped Beck would come back and smooth this little rift over soon.
And he did. As if it were nothing, Beck ushered the demon Jane back to their table.
"Can you believe the nerve of that girl?" Jade hissed, stabbing viciously at her sushi. "Have you ever met someone so rude and sarcastic?"
"I can think of one person!" Rex told her, looking pointedly at the others.
"Hurtful, isn't it?" Andre added.
"Yes!" Jade agreed. "And the way she looks down on everyone as if she's better than them! I hate that!"
Tori looked at Jade in disbelief. Could she really not see what was happening here? And could Beck? She shook her head. Perhaps they'd come to their senses tomorrow.
/
Tori approached Beck as he pulled his clear locker open. "Hey," she said cautiously.
"Oh, hey Tor," Beck grinned and stood.
"So, ah..." Tori wrung her hands nervously. "How did your date with Jade-er, Jane-go last night?"
"Oh, it went great. Jane is a girl I could really learn to like!"
Tori let out an exasperated exhale. "Beck, do you really not know what you're doing?"
Beck arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"You're dating Jade!" Tori exclaimed.
Beck frowned. "No, no. I'm dating Jane."
"They're the same!" Tori told him, tossing her arms into the air dramatically.
"Jade, Jane. Steve, sleeve."
"No one's name is sleeve!" Tori pointed out crossly.
Beck sighed. "Look, Tori. I know you want Jade and I to get back together again, but you have to face that that's not going to happen, okay? We're really done this time, and I'm perfectly happy with Jane." With that, he stalked away.
Tori sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. How could Beck be so blind?
/
Beck wrapped his arm around Jane and drummed his fingers on the table nervously. His new date had come to eat lunch at Hollywood Arts with him and his friends, but since Jade sat down, she and Jane had been staring daggers at each other. There was a long, awkward silence hanging over the friends, and Beck wondered what was wrong. After his talk with Tori earlier that day, he was beginning to wonder if his friends didn't like Jane.
"Get me coffee," Jane demanded suddenly.
"Sure," Beck agreed. "What do you want in it?"
Jane didn't hesitate to list off her order. "Two sugars."
What a coincidence, Beck reflected as he made his way to the Grub Truck. That's exactly how Jade likes her coffee.
Upon returning, Beck found his ex and his date had moved closer, and they seemed to be engaged in a heated argument.
"Leave me alone," Jade hissed in her typical snarky voice.
Jane snarled in an equally as cutting manner, "I didn't bother you. You bothered me."
"Just back off!" Jade snapped.
"You back off!" Jane shouted back.
Beck looked between the two girls who, besides their hair color, were practically mirror images of each other. They both wore the same angry, annoyed facial expression; the same black clothes; and of course, the same blazing fire in their blue eyes. They simultaneously turned and stared at him.
"What?" They spat in unison.
Beck took a step back, suddenly understanding what Tori had been talking about.
"Um, you know, Jane, I'm thinking maybe this relationship won't work out," he said quietly.
Jane gritted her teeth. "And why not?"
"You remind me too much of someone," Beck murmured, his gaze lingering on Jade. She didn't seem to notice.
Jane stood and hurled the nearest rock she could find, which was a fairly large one, at his head. But Beck, knowing Jade, or Jane, had been expecting this, and he ducked. Jane stormed off without a word, leaving a long, awkward silence in her wake.
"Touchy girl," Jade muttered after a moment. "Can't believe you gave her the time of day."
Beck exchanged a glance with the nearby Tori; clearly Jade could not see the resemblance. Perhaps it was better that way—Beck wasn't sure he could live it down if she found out that he was still into girls like her.