Title: More Like Seven Minutes in Hell

Genre: Romance and Humor
Rating:
T to safe; for some suggestive content
Pairing(s):
Beck/Jade obviously; plus some Cat/Robbie in spots

Description: "Aren't we in here to make out or something?" Beck asks. "Oh, I bet you'd love that," she sneers icily. Though her face is hidden, there's no denying the bitterness in her tone. "More like seven minutes in hell." Beck furrows his eyebrows in confusion. "Wasn't this your idea in the first place?"/ Or, an innocent eighth grade game of seven minutes in heaven turns into something so much more for Beck and Jade. Written for Save the Date's Silver Sixpence Challenge: Something old.

Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious. All rights belong to Nickelodeon and Dan Schneider.

Author's Note: I'm a bit bummed that I wasn't invited into the "Save the Date" prequel prompt challenge of this whole thing, but I'm glad to be a part of The Silver Sixpence Challenge :) And I was going to write this, like, a month ago; so I'm glad I didn't because it's perfect for the prompt of "Something Old." Here we go!


Beck Oliver's still trying to figure out his status at Hollywood Arts Middle School.

His first week at the school for talented, young people is nothing but interesting. Having been paired with Andre Harris for the first period 'meet and greet' on Monday morning, the two eighth graders became fast friends.

And with Andre Harris as his friend, Beck is obligated to be a friend to Andre's other friends.

Which is what got him in his current situation: sitting in a circle with his 'friends' and some other random people – also known as 'shruggers' – around Cat Valentine's living room. The small girl is practically bursting with joy as she brings a bowl of pretzels from her kitchen and sets it in the middle of the congregation. Her bright, curly red hair bounces as she does, and she's giggling uncontrollably. "Isn't this, like, the coolest party ever?!"

The few quiet guests only shrug their shoulders, and Beck finds himself mumbling to avoid the question. He's still new, and was told that attending his first house party would gain him a 'cool guy' reputation. Even though he considers himself attractive and nice, he's only going to get noticed if with the in-crowd.

So here he is, eating pretzels and chugging down a cup of Jet Brew coffee he got before his mom dropped him off at Andre's house. Beck yawns loudly, thus causing Cat to whimper sadly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she cries, plopping down onto the carpet next to him.

"It means that he's bored, Cat, and so am I," a harsh voice comes from the other side of the red-head. Jade West, with her long brown hair and silver nail polish, rolls her eyes when Cat gasps in shock.

"I'm having fun, Cat," Robbie Shapiro, whom Beck hasn't quite figured out yet, speaks up timidly. The only thing he has concluded in his first week of eighth grade is that Robbie has a major crush on the ditzy Cat, and will do anything for her attention.

Andre scowls. "At least he left Rex at home tonight."

Another aspect of Robbie that Beck doesn't understand: the puppet known as Rex Powers.

But never mind that, because the dummy isn't here to make the night even more awkward.

Cat pouts whole-heartedly, crossing her arms over her chest. There's more tense silence flitting across the room, allowing each fourteen year old to shift uncomfortably.

All of a sudden, Jade snaps her fingers and smiles slyly. "I've got it."

"Got what?" Andre asks.

"Spin the bottle, but instead of just kissing… we do seven minutes in heaven," she answers confidently, raising her eyebrows to see everyone else's reaction.

The group nods slowly in approval, knowing that it's either agree with Jade's suggestion or fear a brutal beating. Cat shrieks in excitement as she stands to fetch a bottle from the kitchen, and returns within the blink of an eye.

"I hope my parents don't mind when they get home later that I poured the wine down the drain … They have plenty more in the bar!" she proclaims, picking up the pretzel bowl and setting the bottle in its place. "Who wants to go first?!"

Robbie raises his hand excitedly, reaching for the bottle simultaneously, and Beck swears he hears the curly-haired boy breathe "Cat" repeatedly out of hope. He grips and swipes it clockwise, letting it twirl in a circle until it finally slows down. It lands in the direction of Beck, triggering coughs and uncooperative muttering among the group. "I-I don't feel comfortable with this," Beck admits, running a hand through his hair, which is finally growing to his desired length.

Jade snorts. "Oh, man, that's just great! Alright, Shapiro, you finally found your knight in shining armor!"

Andre cringes and suggests, "How about we just skip that one and let Beck take a turn, yeah?"

Everyone sighs in relief, glad to have side-stepped that situation. Jade only grumbles a deep, "Whatever."

Beck does as he's told, clutching the wine bottle with great force. He pushes it to his left, allowing it to do the same as it had a few minutes prior, and he prays that it lands on a girl this time.

But he's not extremely happy with the results, as his breath hitches in his throat.

The bottle's mouth points right in the line of Jade West, who looks just a shocked as Beck does.

Beck exhales deeply before closing his eyes. This wasn't exactly his plan for the Friday night; you know, almost having to make out with Robbie Shapiro, and now being forced into making out with Jade West – the most feared girl to walk the halls of Hollywood Arts Middle School.

"Shit," Jade murmurs just above a whisper, but she immediately maintains composure. "Alright, Oliver, let's get this over with."

"Wait," Andre interrupts as his friends begin to rise to their feet. "Leave your phones."

Beck pulls his out of his pocket without hesitation, but Jade resists. "Why? Why would you need our phones?"

"Because it defeats the purpose of the, erm, game," is Robbie's quick reply, flinching when Jade sends him a murderous glare. She eventually obeys, handing her phone to Cat and instructing her to set a timer for seven minutes and seven minutes only.

Beck follows Jade into a narrow hallway, assuming that she knows where she's going because she's Cat's acclaimed best friend. She opens a door to find several different colored coats hanging from a rod; she then slides them to one side in order for her and Beck to both fit on the other.

Jade gestures a hand toward the dark closet, saying, "After you."

He does as instructed and walks into small space, watching her as she shuts the door and slides against the wall. Beck copies her action and sits down beside her in the darkness, placing his hands on his knees. The only light available is that coming from the small crack from beneath the door, so he's unable to see the expression on her face. He decides to break the silence, "Aren't we in here to make out or something?"

"Oh, I bet you'd love that," she sneers icily. Though her face is hidden, there's no denying the bitterness in her tone. "More like seven minutes in hell."

Beck furrows his eyebrows in confusion. "Wasn't this your idea in the first place?"

Jade grunts in frustration. "Listen, Beck, I know you're still trying to find your place in the social circle, so let me tell you something. Just being in here with me is giving you so much cred right now. So, we don't really need to make out; people just need to think we are."

"How are you so popular? You're kind of a gank." He doesn't mean to say what's really on his mind, but when it comes out, he immediately regrets it.

Jade stiffens at his side, obviously taken aback by his comment. She's actually speechless, and can't seem to stop twiddling her thumbs.

Beck blinks rapidly and his throat dries up. "J-Jade, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to –"

"Don't," she stops. "I know I'm not the nicest person ever, but I never thought the new kid would be the one with the guts to say it to my face."

"Well, technically, not to your face because it's really dark in here," Beck says, attempting to lighten the mood. When Jade remains silent, he has confirmation of his failure. "Jade, again, I'm sorry. You're really not that bad… You're just one of the most interesting people I've ever met."

Jade turns her head, whipping Beck with her hair. "Really?"

Beck shrugs, bumping his shoulder against hers. "Yeah, you really are. I understand that I've only known you for a week, but for some reason, I already know how you react to things. I know what pisses you off and what makes you happy. Like, yesterday when you were on stage and reading that monologue; I could just tell that you are so in love with acting and that it's what you want to do more than anything. I know you like your coffee black with two sugars, and I know that you went and got a tattoo behind your parents' back…" He pauses when he feels Jade rub her right forearm, still adjusting to the pain that the needle had left. "I also know that you're really pretty, despite what people say about how you dress, and-and –"

Beck swallows thickly when he realizes that he's just rambled on about nearly everything he likes about Jade West.

She takes a deep breath and whispers, "God, you're such a creep."

Beck wishes he had his phone to check the time, only because the closet has gotten much stuffier in the past few minutes. "Listen, I don't mean to come off as creepy, I just really like you…okay? Not like like you, but your ferocious words and harsh actions really don't affect me personally. Underneath all the dark makeup and 'bad girl' act, you're still a person who deserves a friend in whom you can trust."

What happens next throws Beck completely off guard. Jade's hands find his cheeks in the dark and pull his head forward, attempting to crush her lips to his. However, with the lack of light, her mouth comes in contact with his chin, causing Beck to let out a bark of laughter. "You missed!"

"Shut up," she drones, pulling back from Beck's face. "I can't see anything."

"But you were trying to kiss me," Beck concludes with a grin beginning to form.

Jade's personality takes over and defends her reputation. "So what if I was?"

Beck can't hide his happiness anymore. "Jade West tried to kiss me. Wow, that's something I'd never thought I'd say! You know, I wouldn't be opposed to trying again…" He reaches out in front of him and holds her chin in his hand, lightly guiding her lips toward his.

Beck leans in, surprised she isn't thrashing and threatening to kill him, and sooner or later their lips connect in a soft, chaste kiss. Jade doesn't even feel her own two hands trail up his chest and grip his shirt collar, yanking his body closer. Beck groans from lack of self-control and bites down on Jade's bottom lip, thus starting the make out session Jade never planned on actually happening. His hands roam up and down her torso, noticing every curve in the area of her body; and god, she's so gorgeous, Beck's not regretting anything he said two minutes ago as he shoves his tongue against hers.

Just as Jade balances on her knees and swings a leg over his waist to straddle his hips, the door flies open to reveal the perky redhead. She yelps in disbelief, stumbling between keeping the door open or slamming it shut. "Um, um, um…guys?" Cat asks when the couple hasn't even noticed her presence.

Finally, Jade breaks away, flailing backward into the heap of coats and desperately tugging on her shirt. Beck watches as she fixes the article of clothing he was in the processing of taking off. Jade breathes deeply as she looks between her best friend and somewhat of a lover, if you will.

Cat gulps, knowing she's seen too much. "It-it's been seven minutes, Jadey." She blinks several times before running off in the opposite direction of the living room.

Beck's almost positive she's gone to the bathroom to wash out her eyes.

He averts his attention back to Jade, who's already crawling toward back toward him. Unexpectedly, she slams her lips so hard to his that their teeth clash, but Beck doesn't care – because now he knows he does like Jade West as more than a friend.

But unfortunately for him, Jade pulls back all too quickly and sends him a wink, then commands, "We never speak of this, got it?"

Beck leans his head backward to rest on the wall and stares as she stands to her feet, sauntering off to find poor, scarred-for-life Cat.

Beck Oliver will never admit that his first kiss was with hard-as-rock Jade West, and how it almost led to something so much more.

But for the next six months, he chases after the same girl who stole his heart that night in Cat Valentine's closet. And no matter how hard he tries, she ignores his efforts when people are around, but he swears that Jade West blushes every time he mentions their activities and how he's head over heels for her.

Finally, on a cold night in January – when the gang is having a movie night at Cat Valentine's house – Jade West pulls the boy with the fabulous hair into the closet where it all started, and painfully admits one simple word that makes Beck's entire world.

"Fine."

Now, Beck Oliver's got all he's ever wanted from Jade West, and that's the fact that she's his.

Forever.


A/N: Well, that wasn't exactly what I had in mind for this story, but I guess it turned out alright! I plan on writing a fic for all four somethings: something old, new, borrowed, and blue. So, be looking for those in the next few days/weeks!

Please review! If you are a reader of Survival of the Fittest, put the phrase 'Beck's pocket!' at the end of your review for this oneshot and I'll PM you a hint for the next chapter for Survival of the Fittest! PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR PMs ARE ENABLED!

Again, thanks so much for the awesome support! And keep a lookout for my Something New oneshot, coming soon!

XxLadyStrengthxX