Hypnotism
Your regular event filled day at Hollywood arts...
It started out with Tori joining her friends, Robby, Andre, and Cat at lunch. She greets them then notices less people sitting at the noticeably empty table.
"Jade and Beck moved over there." Andre informs her, then points to a table in the distance. Tori sees them chatting, but is unable to hear them. Not like she was trying to, however.
"Why?" Tori asks, playing with her food and acting as though she's eating.
Andre explains how Jade was annoyed with Cat about something, and left. Beck kinda shrugged, then Jade yelled at him to get up and come with her.
"Well at least we know it's Jade and not, like, some fake Jade imposter or something!" Cat giggles, making total sense only to her. No one seems to bother trying to understand her logic... why would anyone WANT to pretend to be Jade?
Something comes hurling past them, and the group can hear vicious Jade screaming at someone from the other side of the courtyard.
"Yep, that's Jade alright." Tori says eyes wide, looking around trying to keep up with what's going on.
*Theme song*
Sikowitz' is explaining some hypnotic thing to the class, about tricking your own mind in order to show certain emotions. In example; by using hypnosis, he's able to cause a student to start laughing hysterically, and then cry the next second.
"So i'm partnering everyone in groups of two or three; your project is to create a scene which displays feelings. And i want you all to use hypnosis to complete your project!"
The bell rings, and as the students walk out, Sikowitz passes out slips of paper with partner's names on it. Tori receives hers, which reads 'Tori, Jade, Marissa'.
So during passing time, Tori approaches Jade about the project.
"So?" Jade glares, not really care right now.
"So! We have to think of a scene to do. And, find out who this Marissa is."
Conveniently, Marissa has a locker on the other side of the wall, and overheard them talking. "Um, are you Tori and Jade?" She asks, peaking over the corner.
"...you Marissa?" Tori asks, raising one eyebrow.
Marissa comes into full view, and Jade instantly recognizes her. "Yeah!"
"You!" Jade accuses. Tori looks at her like 'wtf'? "Marissa Clair..."
"Jade! I didn't even recognize you! How've you been?" She asks, totally innocent.
Jade glares at her harshly, then turns around and grabs Tori's wrist. Without notice, she drags Tori to the side, blurting 'we need to talk.'
"Whoa!" She reacts from being pulled. Jade faces her.
"I don't like her!" Jade announces when they finally came to a stop.
"You don't like anyone!" Tori accuses.
"No, you don't get it! That little brat is trying to steal my boyfriend." She glares over at Marissa again, who waves at her and smiles.
"Oh- common! You don't know that." Tori starts walking back.
Jade grabs her arm and pulls her back. "Yes, i do! She even told Beck a year back. I'm serious!"
"Ok so what do you want me to do about it?" She asks rhetorically.
"Tell Sikowitz that we can't work with her!" Jade shouts, like that should be obvious to Tori.
"Um, guys?" Marissa says from the lockers. "What do you think we should do for our scene?"
They briefly look, and then ignore her. "Why me? You're the one with the problem."
"Tori!" Jade cries desperately.
She gives in to Jade's plead... she's just too nice. "Oh FINE." She stresses, and then stampedes away.
Robby and Cat discus the assignment in their literature class. Robby asks Cat who she's partnered with, and then Cat asks him.
"Trina. She wants to do a killing scene, but we already passed our stage fighting course." He laughs.
Cat looks at him in a concerned way. "Are you sure she said 'scene'?" She clarifies. Robby has to think on that.
The teacher enters, and explains why she's late, then begins class. Robby and Cat go back to talking.
"I wonder what scene me and Beck are gonna do." Cat ponders.
"You better be careful about it then. You don't wanna get on Jades bad side. Trust me; i know what it's like and it is NOT fun." Rex chimes in.
The teacher scolds them for talking, and then asks Robby to stop playing with his doll. After Robby defends Rex's dignity, class continues. A student near them chimes in now.
"Hey, you guys talking about that project in Sikowitz' class?" The random kid asks in confirmation.
"Yeah!" Robby answers.
"I heard Jade and Marissa are doing their scene together." She snickers.
"Wait..." Robby starts. "Marissa as in Marissa Clair?"
"What's so bad about Marissa Clair?" Cat asks. Both look at her like she's crazy (Which is actually pretty normal for her.)
"Marissa tried to steal Beck from Jade last year... Everyone knows. It's like, common knowledge at Hollywood arts." The girl explains.
"Poor Tori..." Cat thinks aloud.
Tori enters Sikowitz class after school and asks if he's busy. He's just standing on his head, so not really. He stands upright, and Tori drops her bag on a chair.
"Um... can i request a change of partner?" She states bluntly.
"Tori... I know you don't exactly like Jade, but in the real world of acting-"
"No, it's not Jade." She interrupts.
"Now..." Sikowitz says, oddly enthusiastically. "What could be the problem with Marissa?"
"Marissa- oh, you know. She's... ..." She's hit a rough spot. She really should think about what she's gonna say before she just charges right in...
Sikowitz lets her go on, testing her improv skills.
"...odd." Tori finally explains incompetently.
"I see. Tell Jade i don't care how much she hates Marissa, she'll have to deal with it."
"Who said anything about Jade?" Tori panics.
"Please- the entire school knows how Jade feels about Marissa. If those two wanna battle it out, then just let them. Better yet!" He thinks. "Try using this!" He hands her a computer chip thing.
"What's this?" She asks, holding it up.
"See for yourself." Then turns off the light and leaves through the window.
Tori looks confused, shrugs, grabs her bag, drops the chip in it, and then leaves.
Andre and Sinjin (who were paired together for the project) are at Tori's right now because Jade refuses to be in the same room as Marissa; who isn't able to come anyway, and Tori needed help looking for a scene to do.
Sinjin's waltzing about, looking at things in a wired way. As he wanders, Andre helps Tori with a script.
"So how are you gonna get Jade and Marissa to rehearse this with you?" He distracts.
"Not you too..." She groans.
Andre shakes his head and squints like 'what?'
"Apparently everyone except me knows about Jade's little problem with 'Marissa'!" She complains. "Even Sikowitz knows!"
"When were you talking to Sikowitz?" He asks, changing the subject yet again.
"A couple hours ago. ...hey...!" She remembers, and starts looking through her bag.
"What's up?"
Her head is like, buried in her bag. "Earlier..." She struggles. "Sikowitz... Ah!" She excites, and then pulls out the chip. "Found it!"
Andre takes it. "...what is it?"
"I don't know." Tori admits. "Sikowitz gave it to me earlier. Here- put it in!" She snatches it back from him and pops it in her computer.
A hypnosis program starts, and the screen turns all black and white striped and illusiony.
"Whoa!" She's startled, but seems intrigued for a second. "How does this work?"
"Didn't he tell you?" Andre asks, having no idea himself.
Then Tori gets thinky... then, "Sinjin!"
He looks over. "Yes?"
"Come over here and look into this screen for me." She says. He does so hesitantly.
"O...kay?"
After she's sure he's mesmerized, Tori begins giving him commands.
"Sinjin..." She begins in a monotone voice. "When I snap my fingers, you will think that you're a..." She looks to Andre for help. He just shrugs and shakes his head. "...ah... dog!"
The next thing they know, Sinjin's on his hands and knees, barking like crazy.
The two laugh.
"Ok, now..." Andre continues. "When i clap my hands, you will... think that that pillow is an attractive lady dog."
They watch as her curls up against the pillow. They laugh even harder.
"This is too much fun!"
Trina calls Tori's name from upstairs, and begins to walk down. Andre starts panicking, but Tori has an idea.
"Now when i snap my fingers, You will think that Trina is an angry Rottweiler, trying to steel your girlfriend."
He starts growling, and then Tori snaps her fingers. He instantly attacks Trina as she comes down the steps.
Andre and Tori coax him to stop eventually, and Trina forbids Sinjin from ever coming back. As he's leaving, Jade appears in the door, standing with her hands in her pockets and looking toward Tori.
Tori looks as Sinjin walks out, looks back, then thinks she sees Jade and turns around to see Jade standing in the door, staring up at her cutely.
...not so cutely.
"YOU WERE SUPOSED TO COME OVER SO WE CAN WORK ON OUR SCRIPT!" She shouts angrily, then slams the door as she stomps inside un-invited.
"Hey, chill down. We already started-"
"OUT!" She demands. Andre throws up his hands and backs out.
"Bye!"
"Hey!" Tori complains as Jade stomps herself inside. "He was helping me! And he was helping you too so-"
"What?" She crabs. Tori backs off.
"Okay! You don't have to be all offensive."
"I'M not the one who forgot she was supposed to come over."
"Uh, i think you are." Tori nods while looking up.
"I didn't forget! I chose not to come because of a certain disgusting rat." She sits down in front of Tori's laptop and looks at the screen. "What's this?"
Tori freaks out. "Don't look at that!" Then slams the computer shut. "Look, Sikowitz won't let you out of working with her, so you're just gonna have to deal with it and get over it! Now, why don't you go take your anger out on her instead of always yelling at me?" She sighs heavily.
Jade ended up hanging around to help with the script. After a while they realize they've been working for almost an hour. Another thing... after talking, Tori realizes some things about Jade. She's not all mean all the time. They decide to take a break.
"You got a water or something?" Jade asks, then stands up and meanders into the kitchen.
"Uh, yeah. In the fridge." She watches as Jade opens the fridge and searches. For a while there she forgot who Jade was at school. She had to remind herself before she started acting all friendly.
"Thanks Vega." She swallows. And... maybe Jade isn't all that bad. She's thinks about it as she watches Jade sit next to her. She looks at Tori.
"Hey, why don't we go get smoothies or something?" She offers. Jade looks out the window into the darkness.
"Do you think there's a place that's gonna be open?" She asks. Silly Tori!
"Oh... I guess it is pretty late." She notices.
Tori looks down and Jade looks at her for a second. She proceeds to recline and relax as she tips her head back to take another swallow of water. After a minute or two, Jade stands.
"I should probably head home."
"Right." Tori says, as if to remind herself. "So, i'll see you tomorrow at school i guess." She looks into Jades eyes, and that itself was enough to hypnotize her.
"Y...eah." She rolls her eyes. "See ya."
Tori waves and attempts to act normal. After Jade leave and walks away, she ceases watching and stumbles to her phone.
Andre answers.
"Hello..." He says, sleepy.
"Andre help me! I have a problem!"
"...can it wait until morning?"
"I'm in love with Jade!" She blurts.
"Common i'm trying to- WHAT?" He's more awake now.
A few days pass, then at school...
Tori can't keep her eyes off Jade during class. Since the past few days it hasn't been that bad, but today she just didn't have control. Jade looked more beautiful then ever. Good thing no one noticed Tori's odd behavior besides Andre.
It was performance day, so Sikowitz asks Jade, Marissa, and Tori to wait outside the classroom and enter once the next group is finished. Tori and Jade, however, got in an argument the second they walk out. Finally Tori accidentally spills some information she shouldn't.
"That dumb rat didn't help with anything! It's not my fault we didn't finish our project!" Jade continues, pointing at Marissa.
"You wouldn't let her anywhere near you! How did you expect her to work with us?" Tori defends.
"Um... guys?" Marissa interrupts, trying not to seem offended. "We're on in, like, one minute and i don't know my lines."
Tori and Jade continue their argument, ignoring her.
"So you're saying that's my fault?" Jade shouts.
"Yeah! I am!" She confirms.
Jade steps closer to her. Her eyes filled with rage. "Other groups were able to get it done in groups of two! Maybe if you would've just focused-"
"How am i supposed to when you're always there?" Tori reasons, but then looks as if she'd not wanted to say that. Blushing.
"How could i possibly be distracting you Tori?" She waits for an answer. Tori's silent. "Huh?"
"Well maybe if you weren't so hott." She admits. "There- that's what's been distracting me. Ok?"
Jade's simply shocked. Never in her life would she think Tori's attracted to her. Then she goes into her own little flashback and thinks about how close Tori's been acting whenever she's over.
"GUYS! We gotta go! Now!" Marissa informs them. The door opens and Marissa begins to step out.
"I can't do this." Jade groans, holding her stomach.
"You think I'm in the mood to do this either?"
"You guys!" Marissa backs up, rolls her eyes, and then shoves them both on stage.
Jade and Tori pay no attention. They completely forget where they are.
"You? Oh what's your problem?" Jade stumbles about on stage.
Everyone in class was watching now, a bit confused where and how this 'scene' started.
"That you can't go ten seconds without having to act all angry and sexy! How am i supposed to get anything done if you're all up in my face?"
"Oh- you think this is hott Vega?" She mocks her by getting in her face. "Huh?"
"You seem to think it is! 'I'm Jade! I can boss people around all day and- hm? I wonder why no one likes me'?" Tori mocks in a wired tone. "Gee...!"
"According to you you seem verrry attracted to me." Jade looks at her like 'gotcha.'
"So what if i am?" Tori throws her arms up. "That is not the issue anyway!"
"The issue is i'm given two stupid partners who can't get ANYTHING DONE!" She shouts.
"That is not true! I worked just as hard as you did-"
"Until you started getting all in to me." Jade interrupts yet again.
"Not this again...!" Tori moans, eager to get off the subject. "I told you how i feel about you. It has nothing to do with our dumb project."
"Uh huh. And how do you feel about me?" She smites.
"HEY!" Marissa starts snapping in their faces. "What are you two doing?"
That instant Tori grabs Jades face and jams her lips to hers. Jade scrambles at first, but then falls into it after the mood calms down a little. She takes hold of Tori's free hand.
Everyone watches as the two make out on stage. Finally they stop when Sikowitz clasps his hands together.
Both pull back and figure out they're on stage.
"Uh..." Tori stutters.
"Very good. I'll give it a B-. Next group!"
"Huh- um, oh yeah!" They scurry off stage and gather around their teacher for the breakdown of their results.
"The acting was very believable, except the assignment was that each of you had to be hypnotized at one point." Sikowitz explains. Tori and Jade look at each other, and then look toward Marissa, who was totally confused.
"I didn't hypnotize them though! I didn't even know my lines until three seconds ago!" Marissa inputs.
"Uh... We hypnotized her!" Tori lies.
"Yeah... we did it right before we started. She played the person who... forgets her memory!"
"Uh huh!" Tori adds.
"Ah. I see. Full credit for all of you!" He sends them back to their seats, and then cues the next group.
At lunch after class...
"Well..." Beck starts, breaking the silence. Jade was leaning against him. "That was a very... interesting scene." He seems un-easy. "I take it that didn't go as planned."
"..."
"...not exactly." Jade admits.
"Jade!" Tori panics.
"It's alright Tori; you don't have to defend Marissa." Beck says, and takes a bite of his food.
"Huh?"
"I know exactly what happened. She abused the hypnotism power and caused you to do something to break us up, just so she could get with me." He explains.
"Yeah! Everyone at Hollywood arts, like, knows that she's into Beck. ...right Tori?" Cat adds.
"Uh, no! I didn't. Darn!" Tori pretends. "I shouldn'ta let her hypnotize me like that."
"It's not your fault Tori. You didn't have reason not to trust her." Beck shrugs.
"It is what it is, right?" Andre says, feeling awkward himself.
Marissa starts walking angrily toward the table and Tori and Jade both struggle up and leave in different directions.
"Uh- I'm done!"
"Bye." Jade rolls her eyes.
As Jade's walking in her usual fast pace, she slows for a second, then stops, and thinks aloud to herself.
"So it was hypnotism this entire time? Tori did seem really defensive of Marissa right off the bat..." She shrugs and goes back to not caring then proceeds away.
*End*