Ladies and Gentleman
To those among you who are easily frightened
We suggest you turn away now
To those of you who think you can take it
We say welcome to the Mad House
Rihanna - Mad House
/
"Hand me the bottle, André." Jade West ordered, snapping her fingers together impatiently. "You're hogging all of it."
André Harris turned around and gave Jade the bottle of Ciroc. She took a swig and ignored the burn as the alcohol went down her throat.
"Jade, you hog everything." André shot back.
Jade turned around to their other friends, Cat, Robbie, and Beck. "Do I always hog the drinks?"
"Yes." "All the time." "I don't like vodka, so have at it." Were the responses from the group.
"Fine." Jade huffed. She gave the bottle back to André. "I think I'm done with it anyway."
"More for us, then.
Beck moved in closer to Jade and she wrapped her arms around his torso.
Jade loved moments like these. It was Saturday night, her friends were at the penthouse, her mother was in New York. Her father was in...Boston? Philadelphia? Or was it Jersey? It didn't matter, all she knew was that they were on the other side of the country and she was left to her own devices.
Karen was off promoting her new line of shoes, predicted to possibly be as successful and exclusive as Jimmy Choo's, and her dad was overseeing the development of the newest West Hotel.
"Let's go to my room for a minute." Jade said, nudging Beck to get his attention.
"Fine."
Jade untangled herself from Beck and stood. She hoped to go unnoticed by the rest of the group and quickly get upstairs.
She walked away from the living room, hearing Beck's footsteps closely behind her.
When the couple made it her bedroom, Beck instantly plopped down on her bed. Jade followed his lead and sat down opposite of him.
"Let's order room service."
Beck chuckled. He check the time on the clock hanging above Jade's television. "Jade, it's midnight."
Jade shrugged, "So? Perks of living in a hotel my dad owns. I get whatever I want, whenever I want. I really want chocolate chip cookies and ice cream. What about you?"
"I don't want anything."
"Fine but when I get my cookies, I am not sharing with you." Jade grabbed the phone by her bed and pressed the button that directed her straight to the kitchen.
"Hello."
"Hi, can you send up a plate of chocolate chips cookies and a carton of vanilla ice cream."
"Coming right up, Miss West."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Jade hung the phone up and returned it to its rightful place. She heard her friends laughing loudly downstairs.
"I wonder what they're doing down there."
"Alcohol makes everything funny." Jade said.
"True."
Beck traced his finger along Jade's leg while Jade watched him. She sighed in content. While she loved it when her friends were all together, she loved the moments with just her and Beck even more.
She looked up and barely caught the tall end of what Beck was trying to say to her.
"Excuse me?"
"Are you excited for our junior year?"
"Yeah. I'm so ready to be an upperclassmen."
"Did you get your schedule?"
Jade shook her head. "No, I'll get it Monday morning. My dad is trying to put me in fucking AP calculus."
"It's because you're the only person I know besides that kid Daniel Lu who has kept an A-plus in math since eighth grade. You and Tyler are kind of math geniuses."
That was true. Jade may have had her mother's supermodel good looks, but she also had her father's Ivy League worthy brilliance. "As long as I get to take theater, creative writing, and dance, he can put me in as many math classes as he wants."
"You're going to be a busy bee."
"You know I'll always have time to have fun." Jade said, smirking. "No matter how much work I have to do."
"Good."
Jade's phone rang obnoxiously against her wood bedside table. She grabbed it and answered it without looking. "Hello...oh, hey Ryder...just in my room...I know what time it is...no, who goes to parties on a Sunday? Sundays are for brunch and sleeping in 'til noon...I'm fine...my mom will be back by the afternoon, but my dad doesn't get back until Monday morning...yes, I know...you don't have to check up on me...alright...goodnight, Ryder."
"What did Ryder want?"
"To check up on me. The parental units are out of town, so he thinks it's his job to babysit me."
"Isn't that what older God siblings do?" Beck teased.
"Yes, but Ryder is annoying."
"You love him."
Jade rolled her eyes, but she didn't deny the claim. "I already have an over bearing, overprotective big brother. I don't need a babysitter."
"I beg to differ." When Jade was left alone, she could start a bit of trouble.
"Touché."
Beck stood up. "I have to get going."
"No, stay the night."
"Jade..."
"Come on." Jade pleaded.
Beck checked the time again. "I have to be at the golf course with my dad in about six hours with his fellow producer for some father-son competition. I need sleep."
"So sleep here."
"We both know that if I stay, we won't sleep."
Jade got on her knees and wrapped her arms around Beck's neck. "Doesn't that sound like fun?"
"Yes, but I have to go." Beck said.
"Fine."
"How about you and I go out tomorrow night?" Beck suggested. "Where ever you want to go, no matter how expensive."
Jade contemplated the offer for a minute, then nodded. "Deal. Can you even drive? We've been drinking. I'll call you a cab."
"I haven't because my dad would murder me if I was hungover tomorrow." Beck kissed Jade's forehead. "Goodnight."
"Night. Text me when you get home, so I'm not worried sick about you."
"I will." And with that, Beck was gone.
Jade sighed and got out of her bed. She walked over to her closet and opened up the door. Out jumped her tiny pug, Baxter. She bent down and picked him up. "Hey. How long have you been hiding in there?"
The dog scratched at Jade's arm, obviously not wanting to be held. She put him down.
Her friends' laughter could be heard from her bedroom. She considered joining them downstairs. Having fun with them sounded much better than being alone, wallowing.
"Suit yourself, Baxter." Jade said. "I'm going to have some fun."
"Remind me to stop drinking vodka." Jade said, pushing her sunglasses up to better look at her menu.
"Stop drinking vodka." Beck deadpanned. He peeked up over his menu and smiled.
"Ever so sarcastic, baby."
"You've rubbed off on me."
"But I'm serious." Jade continued. "I really should stop drinking."
"I take it that you rejoined the party after I left?"
Jade nodded, "Yes. And I shouldn't have. I should have stayed in my room and watched Friends or something."
"Nah, hanging out with the gang is better."
"Yeah, I guess."
They were at Jade's favorite place in the world, Nozu, one of Hollywood's best Japanese restaurants. They were seated in the front, in a booth. People could still see them, but they had a bit of privacy.
Jade flipped the page on her menu, reading it, even though she already knew what she was ordering. "I want spicy California rolls and miso soup. What about you?"
"Spicy tuna rolls."
Jade looked up from her menu and studied Beck's face. Something about him seemed...off. She didn't know what it was, but it was something.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Jade reached across the table and took Beck's hand in hers. "You don't seem like yourself tonight. Talk to me. Please."
"Why don't we eat first." Beck suggested. "Then we can talk."
Jade shook her head, "I won't be able to enjoy myself if I know there is something bugging you."
Beck but the inside if his cheek. Jade was obviously not going to let this go. "I wanted to talk about us."
"Okay." Jade grabbed a sugar packet and ripped it open. She poured the sugar into her iced peach green tea and stirred it with her straw. "What about us?"
"I think we need to take a break."
Jade barely had enough time to raise her straw to her lips when Beck finished his sentence. She sat in complete silence, trying to let the words soak into her mind.
Beck wanted a break? From her? No, this had to be a mistake.
"What?"
"I think we need-"
"No, I heard you the first time. I was just giving you time to think about what you just said and change your mind."
"I would just like to take a step back for a while. We've been Beck and Jade since since freshman year. People look at us like we are one person. I've never been just Beck, and you've never been just Jade."
"I'm sorry, but it's not like I overshadow you or anything."
"Are you kidding? I don't think you realize it, but you overshadow almost every person you come in contact with. I don't think it's even on purpose, but you do it."
"Are you feeling a little emasculated?" Jade spat out, crossing her arms over her chest. Did he want her to apologize for exuding confidence? Fuck that.
"When was the last time you ever let me have a say in anything? You're so fucking intense and controlling. We hardly ever agree on anything and we fight almost every day."
"That's not true!" Jade argued. "You and I had a great time yesterday."
"That was one day out of the like, nine hundred we've been together. In the past few months, we've had more bad days than good ones. I'm tired."
Jade looked down at her lap, so Beck wouldn't see the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
"You're tired of me?"
"Jade, of course not." Beck reached across the table to hold Jade's hand, but she instantly recoiled. "I could never get tired of you."
"But you're breaking up with me." Jade said, looking up. The tears had passed, and she was not going to give Beck the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Jade West was a lot of things, but pathetic was not one of them.
"We aren't working out right now. And if I let this going on any longer, we'll just hate each other."
Jade scoffed, "Do you want me to thank you for ending things? Thanks Beck, for breaking up with me. Why don't I just get down on my knees and worship the ground you walk on. You know, the narcissism in that fucking sentence was a bit too much."
"I didn't mean to-"
"Save it." Jade threw her napkin off of her lap and grabbed her purse. She stood up.
"Jade, where are you going?"
"Home."
Beck sighed, "Let me take you to the hotel."
"I am pretty self-sufficient. I can get home."
Beck slid out of the booth, "Jade, come on. It's getting dark outside."
"No!" Jade replied, stubbornly. She walked briskly to the front of the restaurant, but she was soon stopped by the owner, Ms. Lee.
"Hey, you and the boy with the fluffy hair need to pay for those drinks!" Ms. Lee snapped.
Jade looked the older woman up and down, before flipping over the tray Ms. Lee had in her hand, knocking over about five or six glasses. The crashed loudly on the wood floors, sending shards of glass and liquid everywhere.
"Screw you." Jade hissed. She pushed past Ms. Lee and kept walking.
"Hey!" Ms. Lee called, "Get back here!"
Beck pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, and leafed through his cash. He pulled out two crisp fifty dollar bills and shoved them into Ms. Lee's hand.
"Sorry about that." He said, apologetically. "Keep the change."
Jade made her way out of the restaurant. It was unusually cold for a summer night. She saw a taxi coming up the street. She stuck out her hand, hoping to get the taxi driver's attention. It worked. The guy quickly pulled over and stopped in front of Jade.
"Jade!"
She turned around and saw Beck running towards her.
"Leave me alone, Beck." Jade opened the car door and got into the cab. "West Hotel in the Hollywood Hills," she told the cab driver.
"Anything for the pretty lady."
"Talk to me again, and you'll find my stun gun in the back of your neck." Jade warned.
"Yes, ma'am."
The rest of the car ride was silent, except for when Jade would let a curse word or two slip out in regards to Beck. And the driver didn't dare say another word to Jade, seeing how pissed she was.
Once the cab screeched to a halting stop, Jade opened her purse and handed the cab driver a twenty dollar bill, and hopped out. The doorman, seeing Jade, quickly opened the door for her.
"How are you tonight, Miss West?"
"Not doing so great, Jeff, but thank you for asking." Jade replied, smiling at the older man.
"Well, tomorrow's a new day."
"You are so wise." Jade appreciated the olde man being there. He was really nice and always giving her aloof, nondescript advice. Her reminded her of the cool older uncle.
"Thank you."
Jade didn't say anything, she just walked over to the private elevator that only accessed the top three floors to the hotel. She opened up her purse until she found her hotel card. The elevator door opened and Jade stepped inside, swiping her card so it would take her to the thirty-fifth floor.
Once Jade made it to her floor, she let out a sigh of relief. There were no people around, and she could actually relax a bit.
The elevator door opened, leading straight into the penthouse.
The smell of her mother's fruity shampoo hit her nostrils almost instantly. Her infectious laughter filled the penthouse and could be traced back to the kitchen.
Jade pulled off her heels and sighed as her feet hit the floor. God, it felt great to be home. Then she made her way to the kitchen.
Her mother was standing there, her cell phone skillfully placed between her ear and shoulder, a can of whipped cream in one hand, and a tub of hot fudge in the other.
Karen looked up and smiled, "Jade's here, I gotta go...I will...see you tomorrow...I love you too...bye."
"Who was that?"
"Daddy. I called to let him know I made it home."
"When did you get back?"
"About an hour ago." Karen replied. She put everything down on the countertop so her hands would be free. She rounded the corner and wrapped her daughter up in a bear hug. "Oh baby, I missed you so much!"
"I missed you too. How was New York?"
"Amazing. You know I love Manhattan." Karen pulled herself away from her daughter long enough to sprint to the living room. "I got you something."
"I love gifts."
"Well you are going to love this."
Karen opened her bag and pulled out a champagne colored show box. Karen's loopy signature was on the box.
"You, my darling, get the very pair of Karen West heels."
"Seriously?"
"Of course. You are my shoe tester."
Jade pulled the lid off of the box and tossed it down. She peeled back the tissue paper and pulled out the heel. The were sleek black pumps, but the heel was covered in shiny silver and black spikes. The soles of the shoe were the same glossy champagne color as the box.
"Oh my God."
"You like them?"
"Are you kidding? I love them."
"Good. I think I'm going call them The Jade."
"You're naming these after me?"
"Why wouldn't I? This pair was inspired by you."
"These are exquisite."
Karen smiled and looked at her daughter, "Are you okay?"
"Why do you ask?"
"You seem a little melancholy. And you're smiling, but it's not reaching your eyes. What's wrong?"
"Beck just broke up with me."
"What? Right now?"
Jade nodded, "Yeah. He doesn't want to be with me anymore."
"Oh honey. I am so sorry."
"We've been together since we were 13 and all of a sudden, I'm not good enough for him."
Jade didn't know what upset her more. The fact that she just got dumped, or the fact that she was blindsided. The breakup came out of nowhere. Yeah, she and a Beck argued, but it was their thing.
"No, honey. You're more than enough. Guys are just really, really stupid. Trust me, you're father may have a degree from Wharton, but he's an imbecile."
Her mother's statement made Jade let out an ugly sob. That wasn't a good enough excuse. That was not a decent reason to be dumped.
"That's not comforting." Jade cried.
"Sorry." Karen wiped Jade's tears from her cheeks. "Why don't you sleep in my room, we'll order a plate of cookies from the kitchen, and we can watch cheesy movies. Does that sound good?"
Jade sniffled, "It sounds good."
"Okay then. Go get ready for bed and meet me in my room in fifteen."
"Okay."
Karen kissed Jade's forehead, "I know it feels like the end of the world, but it isn't. You're going to be fine. I promise."
"We are not in Kansas anymore." Tori Vega said, looking out the window of her mother's Buick Lacrosse.
"No we are not." Tori's mother, Holly replied.
Hollywood Hills Academy was settled on acres upon acres of land, but the school itself was small, exclusive.
"This is my new school for the next two years."
"You're going to do great, baby. You are going to love it here."
"I hope so."
"When are you going to get out of the car?" Holly asked.
"I don't know. I think my anxiousness has paralyzed me."
Holly affectionately squeezed her daughter's hand. "Good luck."
"Thank you."
"You gotta go. I cannot be late for my first day."
"Sorry!" Tori took a deep breath and opened the car. Once she stepped outside, she was met by the warm California air.
There were a slew of luxury cars pulling into the school, either heading towards the student parking lot, or just dropping teens off.
The school appeared to have a chic, modern look to it, even though it was built in 1915.
Tori reached into her bag and pulled out her cell phone. She quickly got onto her school email and pulled up her schedule. The email also said a student, Beck Oliver would be showing her around.
But who was Beck Oliver? How was she supposed to pick him out of a crowd?
Tori muttered something under her breath while staring down at her phone. She suddenly came into contact with a hard body, knocking her down.
"Oof!"
"Oh, I'm sorry."
Tori shook her head. "No, this is my fault. I wasn't looking."
She looked up and saw a gorgeous guy staring down at her, as if he were some sort of angel.
"Are you okay?"
Tori couldn't speak. The words 'I'm fine,' were on the tip of her tongue but they just refused to escape her lips. She seriously hoped not every guy at the school was this good looking because if they were, she wouldn't be able to speak until she graduated.
"Are you okay?" He repeated, holding out his hand for Tori to grab. She did. "Did you hit your head or something?"
"I'm fine." Tori finally choked out. "I was just checking my schedule and I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings."
"Are you new here?"
"Yes. I'm Victoria. Or Tori. I usually go by Tori, but since this is an introduction, I thought I should use my full name. Hi, I'm Tori Vega."
"Okay, Victoria. I'm pretty sure I'm supposed to be showing you around. My name is Beck. Or Beckett, since this is our first time meeting." Beck teased. "Beck Oliver. Nice to meet you."
"Can you show me to my locker? I have no idea what I'm doing or where I'm going."
"Sure. What's your locker number?"
"217."
"Oh that's right next to my gir-"
Tori turned around, "What?"
"Nothing. You're next to a girl I know."
"Oh. Is she nice?"
Beck let out a snort, "She's something. Let's just leave it at that."
Tori didn't really know how to receive the statement, so she just didn't reply.
They walked up the stairs to where all the other upperclassmen were. Beck received tons of shy waves, enthusiastic greetings, and flirty glances.
Tori could see why he the center of attention. He was too good looking for words. With his long brown hair, huge brown eyes, and perfect skin tone, she could see why girls fell at his feet.
Beck seemed pretty down to earth so far, despite all the female attention. He looked pretty laid back in his denim jeans, white tee, and blue and grey flannel, but on his left wrist was a matte black Rolex, a watch that retailed for over six thousand dollars. He had to be rich or really lucky when it came to thrifting.
"You sure are popular." Tori joked.
Beck shrugged, "Yeah, I guess." He looked up so he could pay attention to the different locker numbers. "215, 216, here we are! Locker 217."
"Thank you."
"No problem. Who is your first period teacher?" Beck asked. "I can take you there."
"Umm," Tori looked back down at her phone, "Sikowitz."
"Me too. Lucky you."
"Lucky me."
The bell rang. People slammed their locker doors shut, waved their friends goodbye, and scuttled off to class, not daring to be late on the first day. Other girls, who were in ridiculously high heels, decided not to run in fear of twisting an ankle on the freshly waxed floors.
"Come along, Tori."
Tori finally stopped looking around and sprinted to catch up with Beck, who had already started walking.
So far, she was definitely liking Hollywood.
.
By the time lunch rolled around, Tori had picked up on a few things.
One: Everyone at the school was incredibly rich. Like, so rich it wasn't even fair. Everyone was the son or daughter of an actor, or musician, or famous plastic surgeon. Some were even on reality shows. These kids lived in mansions, had beach houses, wore Chanel and Louboutins to school, and drove Bentleys.
Two: Not too many people cared about the new girl. And it sucked. Going to one of the most exclusive private schools in Los Angeles wasn't going to be easy. These kids had gone to school together since birth, and they had no interest in letting the Florida import encroach on their already established cliques.
Three: Apparently there was a girl named Jade West and she was the talk of the school. All day long, Tori had heard the murmurs about her, and her curiosity had been piqued. Who was Jade West? And why was she the only topic of discussion?
Tori had asked a few people are these were the responses:
"How do you not know who Jade West is? What rock did you live under?"
.
"Jade West is only the hottest girl at this school!" A guy from Tori's math class answered. "Have you seen her rack?"
.
"Her mother is Karen West, former 90s supermodel. She's been on Vogue like six times. She was the face of Gucci, Clinique, and Chanel. Now she has a shoe line. I'm dying to get my hands on one of the first pairs of Karen West pumps." A preppy blonde girl chattered. "My legs would look great."
.
"Jade is number two in the class, only bested by me."
"Who are you?"
"Daniel Lu." The guy replied. "Jade's my only real academic competition at this school. And she maintains flawless grades while being a socialite. The Lord took his time with her."
.
"The lucky bitch is dating Beck Oliver." A girl spat out, obviously jealous.
"Dating? Is it serious?"
"Oh yeah. They've been since eighth grade. The fact that she gets to have sex with him makes me want to strangle her out of pure envy."
.
"Her father was on the cover of Forbes last month."
"Who's her father?" Tori asked.
"Richard West, hotel magnate. His family own West Hotels, one of the most high end hotel chains on earth. He's my idol. Not only is he one the most brilliant men in Los Angeles, he married a supermodel, and created two really gorgeous, smart kids. I aspire to be him in twenty years."
Tori nodded, "I hope you achieve that."
.
So Jade West was the extremely pretty, popular, rich, and mean. It sounded like she was a fascinating person. And the fact that she was MIA made her even more interesting.
"Tori!" Tori turned around and saw Beck walking towards her. "Hey, new girl."
"Hi."
"Why don't you sit with me and my friends." Beck suggested. "You look like a lost puppy."
"I feel like a lost puppy."
"So how is your first day going?"
"It's going okay I guess. I'm still the new girl and people are looking at me like I'm a freak. I've officially been ostracized."
"I haven't ostracized you. And I think you'll like my friends."
"Really?" Beck nodded. "Tell me about them."
"They're an eccentric bunch. There's André, who is a musical genius. His father owns SPH Records."
"Are you serious? His father is Steven Harris?"
"Yup. Then there's Robbie. He comes from a long line of comical genius. And then there is Cat."
"Cat?"
"Short for Caterina. She's petite, bubbly, quirky, and has the hugest voice on earth. The girl was made for Broadway. In fact, her parents were on Broadway. They have like, ten Tonys in between them. Her dad still acts, but Mama Valentine retired about a year ago."
"Gosh, these people are like Hollywood royalty."
"Yeah, but that's most of the town, so I'm not fazed by it anymore."
"What about Jade?"
Beck stopped walking. He turned so he was facing Tori. "What?"
"Jade. I keep hearing about her and someone told me she's your girlfriend."
"Ex-girlfriend." Beck corrected. "We just broke up."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"But Jade is...she's something. She's gorgeous, witty, fun, she's extremely intelligent. I could go on for hours about her-"
"You don't have to continue."
"Okay, I won't."
"What about you? How would you describe yourself?"
"Devilishly handsome, smart, funny, charming-"
"Come on, I'm being serious."
"So am I." Beck said, smiling.
Beck and Tori continued the walk in silence until they made it outside to where are the tables were. They walked over to the big center table smack dab in the middle of everything.
"Here's the pretty boy! What took you so long?"
"Show the new girl around. Guys, this is Tori. Tori, this is André, Robbie, and Cat."
"Hi!" A bubbly girl with vibrant red hair smiled up at Tori. "I'm Cat."
Tori sat down across from who Beck called André. "Nice to meet you, Cat."
"Where are you from, new girl?"
"Florida. Hollywood, Florida."
"Well, welcome to the other Hollywood." André said, raising his water bottle in celebration. "Why'd you move out here?"
"My mom's a lawyer and she got a great job offer out here."
"What law firm?"
"Smith and Daniels."
"Oh, Ryder's dad is half owner of that firm." Cat pointed out. She pointed to a tall guy with perfect brown hair. As if on cue, he turned around. Yet another ridiculously attractive guy. It wasn't fair. "He's also Jade's god brother. Their parents are best friends."
"Speaking of Jade," Robbie started, looking up from his pearPad, "where is she?"
Everyone at the table turned to Beck. He just shrugged, "Don't look at me. I have no idea where she is."
"What?"
"I'm serious. I don't know why she didn't show."
André rolled his eyes, "It's just like Jade to skip the first day of school. Classic Jade West."
Ryder walked past their table, but Beck reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Hey!" Ryder exclaimed, shoving Beck's hand away. "Keep your hands off, Oliver!"
"Where's Jade?"
"None of your fucking business." Ryder retorted. "Now leave me alone."
"I'm serious."
"So am I. You lost the right to keep tabs on her when you broke up with her. But she told me to tell you to fuck off. So fuck off." And with that, Ryder walked off to his own table.
"You and Jade broke up?" Cat hissed, dropping her voice to a whisper.
"Yeah."
"When?" Cat asked. "A few days ago, you were fine."
"Yesterday. Can we not talk about it?"
"Do we have to choose sides?" Robbie asked, groaning. "I cannot get in the middle of another Beck and Jade war. I still have prescription Xanax because of all the anxiety I had last time. I had a stomach ulcer."
Beck scoffed, "Stop being so dramatic."
"I was out of school for a week because of you two." Robbie added.
Cat nodded, "It's true. I was there."
"There will be no sides." Beck assured. "Jade and I are mature enough to handle this separation amicably."
"Why'd you guys break up?" André questioned.
"I love Jade, no doubt about it, but we just need a break."
"So this is temporary?"
"This is a day-by-day thing. Now Jade and I were together for three years, and I'll always love her, but right now, we just need to spend some time apart. Now who has a new topic?"
Tori's curiosity about Jade only intensified. She was dying to actually see this girl with her own two eyes, to see if she was actually worth all the talk.
She looked around. People were staring at her, some with awe, some curiosity, some envy. She swore she a girl look her up and down, then snort in amusement, as if she didn't belong. Maybe she didn't.
She just turned around and listened to the friends talk. They talked so fast, she could barely get a word in.
Her phone buzzed in her lap. She flipped it over and slid the unlock bar. A text message appeared.
From: Mom
So, how's the first day going?
"Is the second day going better than the first?" Beck asked, leaning against a random locker.
Tori shrugged, "The day hasn't even begun yet. I'm not as nervous. I don't need a horse tranquilizer."
"Maybe. I believe the second day is always more hectic than the first. Schedule changes, mix ups, it's pretty annoying."
"Now that I think about, you're right. The second day of school sucks."
The clicking of high heels drew closer, louder and louder, until they stopped. Someone cleared their throat behind Tori, which made her turn around.
The girl in front of her was tall, really tall, standing at about five-foot-eleven with her heels on. She had pale skin, icy blue eyes, and light brown hair that was piled up into a neat bun on top of her head. She wore white jean shorts, a simple red tank top, but her shoes were something straight off of a New York runway.
"When you stop gawking at me, can you move off of my locker?" The girl asked impatiently.
"Excuse me?"
"You're. On. My. Locker." The girl said, her tone patronizing. "Move."
"Sorry." Tori quickly moved out of the way.
Beck nodded towards the girl. "Jade."
"Beck."
"Daniels."
Ryder looked away from his phone to acknowledge Beck's greeting. "Oliver. Jade, you need me to take you home later?"
"Yeah, I'll meet you by your car right after. I'm already ready to get home."
"So why didn't you come to school yesterday, Jade?" Beck asked. "It was the first day."
"Because I didn't feel like coming." Jade replied. "Besides, what did I miss? The first week of school is pointless. What did you guys do, play Two Truths and A Lie?"
Beck rolled his eyes, "No, Jade. We aren't in kindergarten."
Jade slammed her locker door shut. "Whatever. Ryder, let's go."
Jade and Ryder walked off.
Tori stood in silence. She was barely acknowledged by Jade. It was like she just walked right through her, like Tori didn't exist.
Beck gave Tori a tight smile. "So that was Jade."
.
"I missed you yesterday." André said, trying to balance his food tray on one hand.
Jade raised an eyebrow at her friend. "Really?"
"Yeah. Every time I saw someone do or say something stupid, I'd be waiting for you to crack a joke, but you weren't there."
"I probably would've had really witty remarks."
"I don't doubt that for a second."
"Jadey!" Cat squealed, waving her hands for Jade to see. "Come sit."
Jade looked up and saw Cat flagging her down. Across from Cat, Beck was sitting there.
"Cat-"
"Come sit." Cat repeated, hitting the spot next to her to signal that it was available.
Jade didn't really want to sit at the same table as Beck, but she did want to sit next to Cat. Maybe she should just isolate Cat and they could get their own table.
André grabbed Jade's shirt and tugged it. "Come on. You're sitting with us today."
"But-"
"I don't want to hear it."
"You are so bossy, André." Jade grumbled, begrudgingly stomping over to the table.
Cat wrapped her arms around Jade once she sat down.
"I missed you." The small redhead said.
"We just saw each other a few days ago." Jade pointed out.
"And?"
Jade smiled, "I missed you too. What did you guys ever do without me?"
"We just wandered around aimlessly because we can't live without you, Jade." André joked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"Good."
"How are your classes?" André asked. He picked up his burrito and took a bite.
"AP Calc already sucks and I hate my lit class. Sinjin sits next to me and he kept staring at me. Do you know how awkward that is?"
Tori was in Jade's English Lit class, but she doubt that she was noticed.
"I'm in your class." Tori spoke.
Jade looked away from André and turned to Tori and looked at her as if she was seeing her for the first time. "Who are you?"
"Hi, I'm Tori Vega." Tori was met with a blank stare. "I met you this morning." Another blank stare.
"Oh."
"I know you probably hear this a lot, but I am a huge fan of your mother. She's my idol. She's gorgeous, she's nice, she's running a fashion empire. I used to do a bit of modeling myself."
"You're pretty." Jade said.
"Thank you."
"It's a good thing that you're pretty, because it'll distract you from the fact that you talk a lot." Jade continued. "I didn't ask you to kiss my ass and sing my mother's praises."
Tori's face fell, "Oh. I'm sorry. I talk when I'm excited."
Jade stared Tori down for a few more seconds. "Can you go get me a bottle of water? I completely forgot to get one when I was up."
"Sure." Tori stood. "Spring?"
"No, Fiji. And an apple."
Tori nodded, "Okay, coming right up."
"Thanks."
.
"Do you need a ride home?" Beck asked. It was after school and he was walking towards the student parking lot with Tori.
"No, my mom should be here in a few minutes."
"Okay. Can you do me a favor?"
"Sure."
"You want to come with me to this party my dad is dragging to me on Saturday? My dad is trying to kiss the ass of a movie star and said movie star has kids my age, but they suck." Beck explained. "I can't hang out with those boring people alone. I would ask Jade, but I can't."
"Why don't you just ask one of your friends?" Tori suggested.
"Aren't we friends?"
"I don't know, we only met yesterday." Tori replied.
"I like you, new girl. You're new, and different. Good different, of course."
Tori felt her cheeks heat up upon receiving the compliment. She silently cursed herself for being such a girl. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll go with you."
"Great! I can tell you all the details tomorrow. See you tomorrow, Tori!" Beck ran off in search of his car, leaving Tori to stand alone.
On the other side of the quad, Jade and André stood. Jade was intently focused on Beck and Tori.
"You know, you were really mean to Tori." André said, snapping Jade out of her trance.
"I wasn't mean." Jade argued.
"Yes you were." André challenged. "You completely ignored her most of the time and when you weren't ignoring her, you treated her like she was insignificant."
"Look at her, talking to Beck." Jade said, ignoring what André was talking about. "He told me he wanted to be single and find out who he was without a girlfriend, and now he has the audacity to flirt with the new girl, and bring her to my lunch table. The gall."
"Jade, you need to be nice."
"I am nice."
André gave Jade a pointed look. "No you aren't."
"What do you want me to do? Apologize to her?"
"You should. Tori's really nice. You should be nice in turn."
"André-"
"Do it for me."
"Okay. Now drop the subject."
"Thank you." André kissed Jade's forehead. "See you tomorrow."
"Bye." Jade walked away from her friend and had her eyes locked in on Tori. As she drew closer she called out her name. "Tori!"
Tori turned around, "Oh, hi Jade."
"Can we talk?"
"Of course."
Jade reached into her shirt and absentmindedly played with her promise ring hanging around her neck. "I just wanted to apologize to you."
"For what?"
"I was a bitch to you." Jade started. "I've just been going through my own personal stuff, and I missed a day, and I see a new girl with my friends. I just freaked out and was really mean to you."
Tori didn't know what to say. Jade didn't strike her as the type to apologize.
"It's fine. I totally understand."
"Good, because I was hoping we could be friends. I mean, Beck thinks so highly of you. Every time I look up, you guys are attached at the hip."
"Is that awkward for you? Because-"
"It's fine." Jade lied. "Beck can be friends with whoever he wants."
Tori let out a sigh of relief, "Good."
"Maybe we should hang out. Cat usually sleeps over on Saturdays. Why don't you come."
"I can't."
"What? You're the new girl, you can't possibly already have plans for Saturday."
"Beck just invited me to hang out with him."
Jade's eyes got big for a second, but she quickly regained her composure. "Oh. Well maybe next time."
Tori saw her mother's car pull up out of the corner of her eye. "My mom's here, so I gotta go."
"Alright. Bye." Jade saw Ryder's BMW and walked towards it.
That was almost too easy. A person couldn't really be that freaking naive and trusting. If Tori wanted to spend time with Beck, so be it. But she and Tori would never be friends as long as that was going on.
Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
Before Tori could get into her mother's car, someone tapped her shoulder. She spun around and saw a blonde girl in front of her. Tori could tell from the girl's necklace that her name was Alyssa.
"You've been hanging out with Beck, Jade and all of their friends right?" Alyssa asked.
Tori nodded, "Yeah. Do we know each other?"
"I'm going to give you a bit of free advice. Do not get involved with Beck and Jade."
"I'm sorry, I don't understand why not."
"Jade is fucking evil. If evil was personified, it would be Jade West. If Satan were to rise from Hell to reclaim earth, Jade would shove his own fiery pitchfork down his throat and laugh. And when she's done destroying you, she's going to take her daddy's money and use it to ruin any chance you have in this town."
"And Beck may seem nice, but underneath all of that charm and charisma, he's manipulative. By the time he's done playing with you, he'll go back to Jade. Don't let him trick you into thinking you're special."
"Who are you to give me advice."
"I dated Beck while he and Jade were on a break last year, and..." Alyssa took a deep breath. "I'm not going to get into it. Just get away from those two, and find some new friends."
"I think you're overreacting."
"And even if you don't fall prey to Beck, Jade will never like you. She's made up her mind and her allegiance is Cat, André, Beck, Ryder, and Robbie. You'll always be an outsider to her, so you might as well get out while you can."
"I have to go. Thanks for the unsolicited advice."
Tori opened the car door and slid in. She let out a sigh. "Thank God."
"What was that all about?" Holly asked.
Tori shook her head. "It was nothing. She was no one."
Tori wasn't about to let some jealous girl try to talk her out of being friends with Beck and Jade. They couldn't be as that girl made them out to be. Right?