Sinjin said No
By OneHorseShay
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue. For God sakes, don't sue.
Pairing: One-sided Sinjin/Jade
Rating: K+
Summary: Hollywood Arts new Principal wants the students to re-audition to prove they are good enough to stay. Sinjin has the nerve to tell her No. AU take on Helen is Back episode. One-sided Sinjin/Jade.
The new principal just announced in Sikowitz's class that she was going to make them all re-audition to stay at Hollywood Arts. Sinjin looked towards the classroom's stage and a confidently looking Jade with her arms crossed. Tori looked terrified that she wouldn't be good enough to stay and this was Tori.
Jade's so pretty, one part of his brain commented as another part shouted, focus Sinjin! The new principal could think Jade wasn't good enough even though Jade is fantastic. She could… she could kick Jade out of Hollywood Arts.
Only one thought came to Sinjin's mind: No.
In barely above a whisper, Sinjin spoke, "No."
Everyone turned their attention to the curly haired, glasses wearing teenager. He blinked as they all looked to him in with a mix of confusion and surprise.
He got up from his seat and looked to their new principal. He swallowed down his fear and looked her in the eyes. He couldn't swallow all of it as he voice slightly broke, "No… I'm not going to audition again and you're not kicking me out."
Helen frowned as narrowed her gaze on the lanky teenager. "And why not?"
The curly haired teenager cleared his throat. "Well… I've… I've been here nearly three years and I may have messed up a few times, but I get good grades and I'm the go to guy to anything technical or prop wise that needs to get done. I've already proven I'm good enough to be here and I prove it every time I'm needed." He took another breath to help calm his nerves. "You just can't walk in here and take that from me after only being here for maybe a few days and on judging from one audition"
"Yes I can and I can make you can go bye, bye right now," she replied confidently.
Sinjin glanced over and from the corner of his eye he saw Jade with a perplex look on her face and her arms crossed, but that was enough for him. He cleared his throat because it kept trying to constrict on him and gathered all the courage he could muster as he looked back at Helen. "No you're not or… I'm going straight to the superintendent and the school board to file complaints against you. You'll have to explain to them how you just kicked out a student or any other student here that has been doing fine in their classes and going here for years. I don't think any of our parents would be happy either."
Helen took a step forward and stared at Sinjin with a look of irritation on her face. "I don't have to deal with parents of students that wouldn't go here anymore."
"No, but you'll have to deal with your bosses that have to deal with those parents that give them votes to stay in office. They hired you and they can fire you just as quickly to get rid of you from embarrassing them any further from hiring you in the first place. Do you think they wouldn't throw you under the bus to save their own jobs?"
She frowned and replied in a deep voice, "Don't play chicken with me boy."
Sinjin took another breath and squared his jaw to try to give him one last bit of courage. "I'm already a chicken on the chopping block if I don't do anything, so… call off the auditions for everyone or I'm going to the school board and you'll answer to them."
The African-American woman took a step forward and stared at him coldly.
He swallowed again, but looked her straight back in the eyes and refused to back down. His mind kept chanting, be strong for Jade, be strong for Jade, be strong for Jade.
Helen looked around to all the other surprised teenagers then back at Sinjin. The words out of Helen's mouth sounded as if she was chewing a glob of peanut butter as she hated to speak, "Fine, no re-auditions, but I'm going to watch you like a hawk and if you slip up once I'll—"
He snapped back without even thinking, "I'll go right to the school board and say you are unfairly grading me and retaliating against me for refusing to let you mistreated me or anyone else at this school."
Helen frowned and shook her head then stormed out of the classroom.
Everyone stood muted as they stared at the lanky prop-master including Sikowitz.
Jade was the first one to find her voice, "Are you stupid Sinjin? You just painted a target on your back with her as long as both of you are here."
Sinjin turned and met her pretty greenish/blue eyes. He replied in a surprisingly calm voice, "Better a target on my back than your front with her silly auditions she wanted."
Jade blinked and leaned back from his reply.
He then looked to Sikowitz and stated in a nervous voice, "I think I have to go to the bathroom." Sinjin brushed past them and ran to the exit beside the 'stage' of the classroom.
He was wiping around the corners of his mouth with a wet paper towel the last of the vomit he had emptied in to one of the toilets as he stepped out of the men's restroom.
"That was… that was very brave even if it was a little bit stupid," a familiar voice called out a few feet from the entrance of the restroom.
Sinjin turned and saw Jade standing there with her arms crossed. He chuckled nervously, "It's easy to be brave when you have everything to lose. It's either lose or do something about it."
Jade rolled her eyes and gave a light sigh, "She wasn't going to kick you out. Yeah, you are annoying and weird, but you are good at what you do."
He laughed out nervously, "Honestly, I wasn't too worried about myself. I didn't want you to be kicked out…"
Jade snorted out, "She wasn't going to kick me out. Tori may have needed to worry, but not me."
Sinjin shrugged a shoulder and replied calmly, "I wasn't going to take the chance. You're fantastic Jade and you shouldn't have to prove anything to anyone, especially from someone that doesn't look like they know what they are doing."
The pale teenager blinked and gave him an even expression. She swallowed and cocked her head to the side and mumbled, "Well… you're still stupid."
Sinjin grinned as he replied, "And you're still pretty… just a normal day here at Hollywood Arts."
Jade smirked and shook her head slightly. "I'll see you in class."
Sinjin smiled and nodded as Jade was turning away and heading back to the classroom. "See you in class beautiful." He then sighed as mumbled, "Jade's so pretty."