Disclaimer" The shows Victorious and Quantum Leap are property of someone else and not me.

When is Jade not Jade?

Chapter 3

Sam's POV

Lunch was a bit awkward for me. Most of the students at outside at this place called the asphalt café which adjoined the school parking lot. I walked in and saw Tori, Andre, Cat and I presume the others sitting together at a table. All of them looked at me when I entered except for Tori who just kept eating her salad without looking up.

I sensed that in normal times Jade would sit with them but this was not normal times. I felt it best not to antagonize Tori any further so I picked an empty table on the other side of the café and ate by myself.

I did notice that people seemed to avoid eye contact with Jade, some seemed downright fearful of her. That would work for me as it would lessen the amount I would have to interact with anyone. It would make it easier for me to pass as Jade.

Suddenly Al popped in and sat down next to me.

"Hey Sam"

"Hey Al, what do you have for me?"

All looked at his handlink. "Ziggy says that almost certainly someone engineered the breakup so when Tori got hurt Jade would take the fall. Both Jade and Tori are being set up."

"How was the breakup engineered?"

"It appears that someone faked some photos of Jade with another girl and sent them to Tori. The same person hacked Jades phone and put a bunch of texts on them incriminating her."

I couldn't help but wonder who would go to so much trouble to destroy the lives of two teenage girls.

"Does Ziggy have any ideas who it is that's doing this?"

"She's running various scenarios but nothing yet. She said that if you get a hold of Tori's phone we can analyze the photos so perhaps we can prove at least that Jade didn't cheat. It also may provide a clue as to who is doing it."

Sam stabbed at his salad with a fork, " Tori won't even speak to me, I doubt I could get anywhere near her phone"

"I could get her phone" Said a cheerful voice behind Sam

Sam turned around in his seat to see the red head known as Cat standing right in front of him.

Al looked at his handlink, "Sam Her name is Caterina "Cat" Valentine, she will eventually be the winner best costume design at the 2020 Academy. Awards"

Cat immediately squealed for Joy. "Is that man right, am I going to win an oscar?"

Sam and Al looked at each other in surprise. Al is invisible to anyone except for children, the mentally ill sometimes and blondes with Low IQ's. I'm not even going to try and figure out which category she fits in.

I pointed to Al who was sitting next to me. You weren't supposed to hear that Cat, Do you see him?"

Cat sat down at the table between Sam & Al.

"Of course I do, no one else at the table did. Up to now the only person in my family who saw people who wasn't there was my brother. And, why is he calling you Sam?"

"Uh Cat, it's kind of a long story?" said Sam not quite sure of what to say.

Cat giggled "Oooooh, I like long stories, does it have princesses in it?"

"Well same you did leap into that British Princess last year" Al said with a laugh.

"Not helpful Al" Sam shot back. .

I turned my attention to the rather giggly red head. "Cat, I didn't cheat on Tori, the pictures on her phone are fakes. If I can get a hold of her phone I can prove to Tori that I didn't cheat on her. Someone deliberately broke Tori and me up."

Cat seemed to sober up a bit, "I'll help you because I want Tori and Jade to be happy but you need to tell me who Al is and why is it that you only look like Jade. Because you're not Jade at all.

Not only did she see all but she seemed to sense that I wasn't Jade at all. It has happened but rarely. I needed to trust this odd girl.

"My name is Sam, and I am here with my friend Al from the future, we are here to help Tori and Jade get back together and prevent a terrible accident from destroying their lives."

This Cat seems very friendly and a bit childlike. I got the feeling that even if she did tell someone she wouldn't be believed.

The expression in her eyes seemed to indicate that she actually believed me.

"Where is Jade then?"

"Right now she is in New Mexico in the year 2021" Al Answered. "She's a bit freaked out but otherwise safe and sound."

"Kay Kay" she said back seeming to buy the whole story.

"If you want to maker her feel more relaxed give her a pair of scissors and a bunch of paper. That will help her cope. She likes to cut things up." Cat Added.

"Uh Cat, I wouldn't really tell anyone what I told you, they probably won't believe you." Said Sam.

Though Sam thought that even if Cat did spill the beans its doubtful that anyone would believe her anyway.

No one's POV

Across the asphalt café, the rest of the group, Tori included was watching Jade & Cat with curiosity.

They all surmised that Jade ate alone so as to avoid any further argument. But Cat had pointed out that Jade was not eating alone. Cat explained that Jade was sitting with a older gentleman wearing a very stylish Teal suit.

Andre, Beck, Robbie & Tori all looked over at Jade who had been acting extremely strangely since Sikowitz's class. They saw no one else but she did appear to be speaking to someone who was not there.

They all had assumed that Cat was just being Cat and was pretending to see someone with Jade. Probably just to lighten the tense mood. But she seemed serious and eventually went over to see what was going on.

Soon enough they all watched as Both Cat and Jade seemed to be talking to an empty seat.

Even Tori who was still furious at Jade was dumbstruck by what she saw. Cat she could see speaking to an empty seat and not think twice about it. For Jade to do so, just didn't make any sense at all.

"I think they both cracked?" Andre said looking at Cat and Jade.

"I'm beginning to think your right." Beck said in agreement.

"Must be that time of the month" Rex added.

"Stuff it Rex" Tori hissed angrily shooting him an nasty look.

None of this made any sense to Tori, First Jade cheats and now this. Jade was a very loving and protective girlfriend. She was also very territorial so her cheating came as a shock. Today she has been acting extremely strange.

Tori much to her dismay began to wonder if she ever really knew Jade West at all.

Sam's POV

Cat the strange but helpful girl said she was get me the phone or at least the pictures themselves.

Lunch ended and I started to walk to class. Tori looked at me as we both re entered the school. She gave me an unusual look like one would look at a stranger.

About 2 periods later I got a text from Tori's phone.

From Tori: Tori isn't looking so I grabbed her phone, there are 4 pictures here they are.

There were four pictures that appear to be taken from the window in someone's bedroom. The appeared to show Jade having sex with some blonde woman in bed. As is in these cases the pictures were not terribly good as the lights were dim and a curtain appeared to be partially blocking the view.

But it did look like Jade and one showed a tattoo that I discovered was the back of Jade's right shoulder.

A short while later I was with Al in the Janitors closet again having uploaded the pictures to Al's handlink.

A few seconds later Al got his reply.

"Ziggy says the pictures are very good but not perfect fakes. Perfect enough to stand up to normal scrutiny but there was some flaws. The most notable is that one of Jade's tattoos is on the right shoulder in the picture but it's reversed."

Al pointed out several subtle inconsistencies in each of the pictures that can be pointed out. A few minutes later with the help of the computers at the school library I had printed out the pictures and had all the evidence I needed to prove Jades Innocence.