Just a little drabble that popped up.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Victorious characters
"Congratulations, Tori!" Sikowitz cheers. "You have been cast as the beautiful, Marilyn Monroe!"
Jade's eyes dart from her phone to her teacher, and she feels the rage building under her eye, causing one to twitch. "What?" she says, her voice stuck in her throat. "But Sikowitz, I didn't audition yet." Obviously it was a mistake. He wouldn't rightfully ignore her, considering the standing ovations she earned this crummy school.
"I've seen all that I have needed to see," he smiles, not bothering to even giving the brunette a glance. "Tori, you got the part."
"I got the part? Oh my god, that's great!" The sight of her jumping, her cheering, the class' laughter and praise, has Jade clench her jaw and her fist in one motion.
"I knew you'd get it," Andre adds, climbing to stage to give the squirming Latina a tight hug.
"Whoo, Tori," Cat graciously giggles, clapping absent-mindedly to herself.
"Sikowitz!" Her harsh, raspy voice silences the class and the aura thickens. Everyone's facing her except for Cat; that girl is always in her little world. "I've been studying this for a month y-you can't just give away such a depth part- especially to this amateur!"
This play of Marilyn Monroe and her adventurously tragic life would be the first play from Hollywood Arts that isn't drowned with synthesized pop-tunes, in Disney-based stories. This is the first time this school displays adult themes, drug use, depression, the smothering of fame- you know, shit that actually happens in this world. Jade is the only actress in this school tragic and broken enough to play Marilyn, a girl who could channel the true emotions of the legendary actress and sex symbol with brilliancy. Her past rehearsals gotten so raw that she could literally feel the effects of the pills the woman took, feel the light-head, the blurred vision. She lives for this role. Tori does not.
"Jade, don't be sad," Cat then turns around, smile hanging on her mouth. "You'll get the next one."
She's not sure which is worse: the fact that her role was painfully taken from her, to Tori, or her class praising her as if she was a queen, as if she could emote such a powerful role, as if...Jade didn't exist. She decides that the latter strikes her heart.
"Well Jade, Sikowitz believes otherwise."
Well that tops them both! The girl has the gall to speak, to rebut Jade, toexist. Tori's look of feigned innocence has a shadow of haughtiness and pride that others can't, or don't want to see. Those wide smiles and that light laugh all stem from her personal gain, her need to be perfect and to outshine others; not out of genuine laughter and vivaciousness. Jade is the only one who can see Tori for the selfish, narcissistic, vindictive bitch that she is, while her peers are blinded by her cheering looks and quirky personality.
She hates that she's surrounded by idiots. She hates that she's alone.
A singe of anger begins to sizzle up Jade's spine, scorching her body, reddening her vision. She couldn't breathe, the pressure of her fervor crushing her lungs, or think, or even blink without a huff of fury. She didn't see a room full of classmates, or her teacher, but the only thing she could possibly see is Cat's widening expression. As dim-witted as the bouncy redhead is, she senses Jade's anger faster than anyone and it's damn annoying pacifying her sobs. So she'll cool down, for Cat, but that doesn't stop her anger, her frustration, and her hatred her Vega. She leaves before she has Tori's neck in her hands, before she finds a lighter and some gasoline to torch this school, but that doesn't stop her from kicking the chair in front of her to the side of the room as she departs.
Even though it's been three months, three months after their breakup, Jade is use to Beck trailing after her, calming her down from her typical irritation. The only sounds of that are heard, are the heavy trudges of her combat boots stomping against the white tiles as she storms into the bathroom. She should get use to it; Beck didn't want her back.
"Fuck!" she screams, driving all her anger into her foot as she kicks a flat bathroom stall door open. No one is inside so she could vent out her frustrations, punch a couple of walls, hiss at the nothings of the bathroom, let a few tears trail. This time that skinny twig gets to her. She takes something from Jade, something that actually holds importance albeit her scissors. For once, for once in this god forsaken school, there is a place just for her, a role just for her and it slips from her fingers. Tori actually takes her confidence, her self-worth, all that she has in her desire to act. She practiced so hard for that role she is Marilyn and hurts to see her in another entity, in Tori's no less.
The bathroom door pushes itself open and Tori slides her thin frame inside, quickly darting around until she finds the goth. Her wide eyes lie calm on Jade's and that exudes a hiss from her nostrils. What is she doing here? Shouldn't she be looking at lines her doe eyes didn't deserve to cast upon?
"Get the fuck out." Her voice is oddly low, calm to her previous scream in solitude. It even scares her a bit.
"Jade-"
"I said get out!" There it is, her scream, her bitterness. The familiarity comforts her. It scares the Latina, though. Jade can see the slight widening of the eyes, the heavy flinch, the quiver of the lip. Tori has some nerve coming here, especially after she stolen something from her. A part of Jade is gone, vanished; that last piece of humanity she has left. The little shrill of pride and confidence that gets her through the day. She always destroys herself when acting; completely deteriorating her originality to mold into the given character. That is typical in theater, but she's use to having that piece of herself rekindled when she hears that audience, their praise, their standing ovations, their tears. Now she only hears the hollow beating of her heart. It is just a function that is required to have her surviving, but she sure isn't living. Not with Tori having that piece.
"I'm not going anywhere until you here me out." She thinks she needs to be audacious for Jade to take her seriously, for her to fear the Latina, for her to convince Jade that she deserves this role, but it just angers her rather than intrigue. "Despite what you make think, I worked hard for this role, too-"
"Too?" Jade replies bitterly, almost mockingly with that grim smirk. "Because you know how hard I worked for this part, right? You know my performance, you know what your competition is!" The slight banter disappears when she remembers that she lost without even showing her effort. At least if she auditioned, she'd know that she'd give it her all and if she lost, she's done the best to her ability. But Sikowitz cast her to the side, treats her like trash- Tori like a golden toy. There's nothing funny about that.
Tori mumbles a soft sigh as if she's speaking to a kid, a small immature child- Cat. She could see the frustration between the brown eye brows, but the Latina smooths it out with a steady sigh, as if she needs to stomach and brace herself to speak to Jade.
This girl thinks she's higher than the goth, already.
"Sikowitz already told me that you're my understudy."
"Yes because that's so fucking beautiful," Jade briskly replies, but Tori cuts in, stifling her anger.
"It's wasn't my decision to be cast as Marilyn, but I..I worked hard and my hard work will pay off during the performance. I can...I can see that you wanted this role," Her fierceness is gone and sympathy replaces it- more like pity- with soft, brown eyes. "But...it's mine, and I'm not going to let you take this from me." With a last nod she leaves the bathroom, only leaving her subtle perfume of vanilla behind her, and an infuriated Jade to kick the trash can.
Hearing that undertone of pride within Tori shocks Jade. Maybe this girl isn't as predictable as she thought. Maybe there is more to the Latina besides feigned smiles and mediocre singing. Marilyn might have did this to her, given her a backbone. With time Jade's anger dissipates and her muse slowly turns within her. It's odd, she thinks; before she is sure that Tori took her inspiration and love for theater away when she got that role. Now, her inspiration sparks wild in her mind, slowly washing away the fury to add a bit of deviousness and deception.
Tori's right; it would be impossible for Jade to intimidate the role out of her. Marilyn is powerful enough, even forty years underground, to exude confidence in even the meekest people. She'll have to let Jade have the role and that could only be done through mental mutilation.
Oh Tori wished Jade had kicked her ass back in Sikowitz class. Her manipulation is all the more cunning, alarming, and violent.
As strong and powerful and sexy Marilyn was, eventually the dark, twisting depression led her to her suicide. Tori needs to have that internal death; Jade just needs to find the trigger.
So shall I continue? Yes? No? Sex? Hmm? Hmm? Hit me with a review to let me know you're interested.