Finally got Teen Nick on my TV so even though I own all the episodes I still like to watch them when they air. A marathon of Victorious came on for three hours. I was so happy. It made me want to add more to this seeing as most of the episodes were ones I already posted, so, here you go. Maybe I'll get the next one out some time soon too.
~Tori~
I exited my last class before lunch and headed for The Asphalt Café. I didn't want to admit it but I was contemplating what could have possibly upset Jade that time she added to the mess that was our project. I eventually got it done. I stayed up to do it, getting no sleep, but we got a good enough grade. At least Andre, Cat, and Beck apologized for not being there to help due to the various reasons. Jade obviously didn't apologize. And here I thought, after all that happened between us, we could work past our differences, but we were back to butting heads like none of it ever happened. I still don't know what I did to deserve this treatment but I was always hopeful that I could befriend her. That was the only reason I put up with her.
I knew there was more to her than she showed so I would keep trying. Well, that and my need to be on everyone's good side. There was no such thing as too much friends. Jade made it awfully hard to do though. The little moments she showed convinced me that I could be her friend, but they were few and far between. I just had to keep trying I guess. I made it to Festus' truck and he greeted me happily. I ordered a turkey sandwich just the way I liked it only for Festus to tell me he only had burritos. So I shrugged and accepted that instead. He screamed into the truck for a burrito, something that confused me because I was sure he was the only one in there. I tried to peek inside when Andre rounded the corner and greeted me.
"What's shakin' bacon?" he asked me.
"Oh, they don't have bacon," I informed him with a nod.
"Just burritos," Festus confirmed. Andre looked at me and then up to Festus.
"Oh, then I'll take a burrito," Andre told him.
"One burrito!" Festus screamed into the truck again. Now Andre was confused.
"Who's he yelling to? He's in there by himself," he questioned. I shrugged and then leaned away as a bee flew too close at that moment. My hands swatted at the nuisance.
"Get away. Stupid bees," I grumbled.
"Don't even mention bees in front of me," Andre said with a sigh.
"Why, are you allergic?" I asked, not understanding why he sounded so put out.
"I don't know. I've never been stung by a bee. Not once in my whole life," he replied, an unhappy note to his voice.
"And why are you so upset about that?" I wondered, adjusting the strap of my bag over my shoulder. The last time I checked, it wasn't good to be stung by a bee. It hurt.
"'Cause I'm offended. I guess bees don't think I'm good enough for stingin'!" he complained, waving his hand at a bee flying around us. I smiled at his reasoning. Leave it to our friends to have the weirdest reasoning. It made for interesting days.
"I could stick you with a safety pin?" I offered, poking his stomach playfully.
"Nah, wouldn't be the same," he declined sadly. Festus spoke up then, telling us he had my sandwich ready. I took it in confusion.
"I thought you said you only had burritos?" I pointed out to him.
"What are you, a lawyer?" he asked me. I frowned but didn't answer. Our staff was weird too now that I thought about it. He handed Andre his burrito and we paid. Another bee flew by and I complained about getting too much bee attention to which Andre told me it must be nice. I raised an eyebrow at him and shook my head as we walked to our table.
"Hey, sit," Beck said, waving us over. Jade sat next to him, her sharp gaze flicking to him, me, and then down at her hand. She was busy tending to her thumb.
"Thanks," I replied, doing as he said even though I had a feeling Jade didn't want me there. Andre followed suit next to me. I had no choice but to take the seat by Jade, hoping she wouldn't pitch a fit. It was a futile hope.
"Ugh, I don't want them sitting here," she groaned, waving a frustrated hand at Beck. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, his way of telling her he didn't care what she thought. I had noticed that Beck was the only one to get Jade to do anything and most of the time it was with minimal effort on his part. Even when she put up a fuss he had a better chance than anyone to calm her down.
"You know, it's great that you're so open with your bitterness," I informed her. She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her thumb which she brought to her mouth.
"She's just grumpy because she was stung by a bee," Beck apologized. I gave Jade a half concerned half questioning look.
"See that! Everybody but me! Come on bees, what's a guy gotta do to get stung?" Andre yelled at the sky, looking around for a bee. Jade and Beck looked at him like he was crazy. Beck pulled out a few papers which caught my attention.
"Ooh, script pages?" I asked, reaching out to take them. It was the first time I saw Beck with script pages and I was interested to see what he was practicing for.
"Ah, ah, ah, not for you," he discouraged me, taking them back. Jade watched the interaction with a thoughtful expression I hoped wouldn't lead to anything bad. It wasn't like I was interested in Beck; even if that would have been the safer, saner, choice out of the two. I was reluctant to let him take them back but I gave in easy enough when he disagreed.
"You auditioning for a play?" I asked him, trying to sate my curiosity through the use of words instead of actions.
"Sorta. It's a movie," he answered casually. My eyes widened. A movie script? Wow, that was the first actual movie script I had ever seen. Beck was so lucky and I was happy for him.
"That's so great. What movie?" I responded, amazed. Jade looked from me to Beck and then back to me. She didn't look at all happy by our interaction or my interest in what Beck was doing. She kept a straight face though and snatched my pickle as a way to feel better. I wasn't too sure about that but I felt like I had a pretty good grasp of how Jade worked by now. She didn't like it when I got too close to Beck. Again, I wasn't interested in him like that. He was a great guy but I was afraid to say it wasn't him I wanted to get close to.
"I'm taking your pickle," she stated, taking a bite out of it with a crunch, her eyes silently daring me to retaliate. Beck gave her a scolding glower but she didn't care. She shot me one of her fake smiles, receiving an annoyed eye roll from me in return. She was just being difficult as always and I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of conflict.
"So, a movie?" Andre spoke up, clearly trying to keep us on track. He was interested now too.
"It's called Miss Fire. It's about this woman cop who gets fired and then goes on this crazy rampage," Beck explained calmly. Jade sat leaning on the table with her elbow and continued to munch on the stolen pickle, uninterested in the topic at hand.
"That's so cool. Who plays the woman cop?" I asked, dragging my eyes away from her to look at Beck.
"Melinda Murrey," he responded, a hint of pride in his answer.
"Shut up!" Andre exclaimed, excited by the answer.
"You're going to star with Melinda Murrey in a movie?" I said just as excitedly.
"Well I'll be playing waiter number one and I'll only have two lines but that's only if I get the part," he said with a shrug.
"So where's the script? I want to read it," I continued with a bright smile. Jade's frown deepened slightly but I ignored it.
"Well you don't get the whole script until you get the part. They only give you a few pages to audition with," he explained, halting me in my tracks. I frowned at his answer. Our conversation was cut off by a girl walking by. She complained about a bee stinging her and Andre stood to yell at the insect as it zoomed away. Wow, he was really serious about this whole bee thing. We all shook our heads at his outburst. Lunch ended after that so we had to return to class. The day seemed to rush by; and before I knew it, I was home doing homework, getting something to eat, and then going to bed. The next morning only brought me back to the one class I reluctantly fought through. I hated it because I still couldn't play an instrument. After that class was over, I walked the halls and found Andre and Cat at the top of the main hall's stairs. They were busy watching some dancers below but they turned to me when I greeted them.
"Hey, hey, look what I got," I said, showing them my new choice of instrument in my hands.
"A piccolo?" Andre said, moving to follow me down the stairs. Cat tagged along next to us.
"It's my new instrument," I told him happily. I think I might actually be better at this than the French horn. Or, I hoped I was.
"I thought you were learning to play-" Cat began but I stopped her.
"It didn't work out," I protested, a little louder than intended. I didn't mean to be rude but I also didn't want the subject brought up. I knew I lacked skill in the instrument department and I didn't want to be reminded every time. We stepped off the stairs and turned toward the lockers on our left.
"Oh, you guys wanna hear Mary Had A Little Lamb?" I asked them, my voice cheerful again. They groaned uncertainly, making me frown. Hey, I might not be good but they could at least try to be supportive.
"I'm playing it," I told them anyway. They gave in with obvious reluctance and heavy sighs so I brought the instrument to my mouth. I didn't get far into the song when Andre shook his head and took it from me.
"No, no," he disagreed. I frowned at him.
"What? Was it that bad?" I asked, tilting my head down and looking at them hopelessly. I mean, I couldn't have been that bad right? They remained quiet for a couple second before Cat finally said something.
"I like your skirt," she pointed out helpfully. I wasn't any happier. I took the piccolo from Andre, my frown still persistent. That was when Robbie burst in the door, yelling at Rex as usual. If Rex wasn't the problem, something always was. There was even times when both Rex and something else were a problem and other times when Rex caused a problem. Bottom line was, there was always a problem with Robbie. Robbie stopped to stand by us. The conversation that followed was one that could only happen when he was involved.
It switched from Robbie explaining that he was having nightmares to Cat disagreeing with something he said. Then they launched into another ridiculous fight. I shook my head. This was such a common occurrence I had nothing to input on the matter. Andre watched in silence too. I eventually broke them up in exasperation and Robbie left shortly after. Andre walked off with a farewell and a wave. Cat and I gave him one in return before I turned to her. My own problem involving my instrumental skill concerned me and all I wanted was to hear that I did fine just this once. I had a feeling I wouldn't get my wish but I still tried.
"Was my piccolo playing really that bad?" I asked the redhead hopefully. Cat looked slightly sad but answered truthfully anyway.
"Yeah," she admitted, the word dragging out slowly. She brushed my hair comfortingly and then walked off. I watched her go, stuck in place. Even Cat thought I sucked. I tried to ignore the comment and began walking only to run into Beck.
"Mornin'," he greeted.
"Oh hey," I replied, my tone climbing back into higher spirits at the sound of his own content tone.
"So, you said you wanted to read the Miss Fire script…" he began, digging in his bag to pull out a bigger packet of paper than before.
"Yeah but, I thought you said they don't give actors the whole script unless…" I replied in confusion which quickly became excitement.
"You got the part!" I finished. He shushed me, looking around the hall to make sure no one heard. I pushed his shoulder playfully, congratulating him. I concluded that we should further celebrate piccolo style. I raised the instrument to my lips while Beck gave me a questioning stare. I began to play, hoping for the best, but he shook his head.
"No, no," he told me. He also took the offensive instrument away, but unlike Andre, he tucked it in his backpack for safekeeping. I dropped my hands, downcast. It seemed I was forever cursed to be talentless when it came to instruments. At least I still had my voice.
Acting class with Sikowitz.
YAY! Best acting teacher EVER.
Weird, but good weird :D
Mood = Creative
I stood on the stage in Sikowitz's class, waiting for our crazy teacher to give me something to do. As an example for what we were learning that day, he had me say the same dialog over and over except in different ways. My face remained questioning but I did as I was told.
~Jade~
I watched Sikowitz shout commands at Vega but I was a little more caught up in my thoughts. As much as I wanted to criticize and critique her; I was distracted. I was talking to Beck yesterday after school when he mentioned Vega's interest in his role in the movie he would be in. I knew he was only trying to tease me and get me to admit just how much that agitated me but I ignored him. My cold shoulder had no effect on him though so he went on to ask why I wasn't trying to keep Vega's attention away from him. I told him I wasn't worried, even though I kind of was, and then told him I was okay with it. Beck could have her for all I cared. It was better that way. I was halfway through thinking that Vega falling for Beck would be the best and worst thing that could happen when Sikowitz yelled his next command at Vega. His booming voice brought me back to the present.
"Like a robot!" he shouted with a dramatic point of his finger. She said the phrase over once again in what she believed to be like a robot but I shook my head. Stupid Vega, robots don't wear pants. Sikowitz had already done that trick on the rest of us.
"Wrong! Robots don't wear pants. It was a trick," he said happily. See, and now he tricked another student. That man was crazy but no one could resist liking him. He began to dance, making everyone smile at his antics.
"Tori, you may sit. I suggest using a chair," he told her, gesturing to the seats.
"I'll give it a shot," she agreed. She stepped off the stage to sit down by Cat and in front of Andre. Beck barged into the room after that. I looked up at him calmly while the rest of the class had their full attention on him. I knew he was going to make a big scene out of this whole 'being in a movie' thing. But he took pride in his acting so I had to allow him that. Here we go again.
"Sorry guys," he apologized.
"How was working on the movie?" Cat asked him happily. He looked at her but Sikowitz called on him, cutting off any answer he was going to give her. He turned to Sikowitz instead.
"You're late," he stated. Beck tried to explain but Sikowitz told him to continue, but like a robot. I smirked at this. I could tell Beck was a little irritated but he still listened. I glanced at Vega out of habit to see the girl smiling with amusement. My smirk dropped into a frown. What was she so happy about? Maybe it was just Vega being Vega. She was always happy about something or other anyways. Beck finished but Sikowitz told him he was wrong. He went on to explain that robots couldn't be sorry because they didn't feel regret and weren't capable of emotion. Then he demanded that the class needed to do robot research. Whatever that was. Everyone nodded even though they had no idea what he was talking about.
Sikowitz told Beck to sit so he walked off the stage and too the seat in front of me. I leaned forward to rest my chin in my palm and shot Beck a teasing grin, waiting for him to turn around and see it. He glanced back at me, and knowing I was rubbing in his failure just to mess with him, he smiled in return. He also knew I didn't mean it too harshly when it came to him. Sikowitz continued on with the lesson, making everyone turn their attention back to him. He tried to explain a concept but he didn't get far because he soon bored himself and asked Beck to tell us more about the movie instead. The class was immediately thrown into an uproar of excitement, eager to know what happened.
"Ok, well, um, my call time was-" he began, only for Sikowitz to leap forward and drag him on stage again before he could continue.
"My call time was this morning at five a.m.," he began to tell the class.
"Oh, that's early!" Cat stated, ever bubbly and happy. That comment was so redundant. I glanced at Cat and the rest of the class did too.
"Yeah, well, um, they did my hair and make-up and then the costume designer came to my dressing room-" he continued. I perked up at that sentence and stopped him, seeing a chance to tease him further. I was sure this question would be taken the wrong way but I said it anyway. That was the point. I was playing the part of girlfriend and he was my boyfriend so why not have a little fun with it? We often did this every once in a while to keep up appearances as well as for our own personal entertainment. It was time to play the jealous girlfriend once more, hopefully with better results. It was always more enjoyable when I managed to rile him up, which was rare. He made it a point to do it to me so really I was just returning the favor.
"So wait, the costume designer was in your dressing room?" I asked him, injecting acid in my tone. I could feel the class tense around me and held back my smile at their reaction.
"Uh huh," he replied calmly.
"Was she cute?" I spat.
"He was adorable," Beck answered, a small, knowing smile on his face. Damn, he always caught on fast. Sometimes, on days when he wasn't really paying attention our fake relationship status seemed real so he reacted like he was supposed to. Those were the few very amusing moments I looked for; the moments when he realized he took it too seriously and just shrugged it off with a playful punch to my shoulder. I smiled at him innocently and clasped my hands on my lap. Oh Beck, too bad I had my eye on that nuisance Vega because I was so sure I would have fallen for him sooner or later. He put up with me for so long and I appreciated it more than he would ever know.
~Tori~
Jade fell quiet and looked away, her smile replaced by a scowl again. That was the Jade I knew. The smile she displayed earlier was one that seemed a little on the playful side. I found myself wondering just what it was about Beck that Jade liked. He was many things every girl looked for in a guy but I had a feeling those same things weren't exactly what put him in a good light for her. I shifted my gaze from Jade to return to Beck, trying not to get lost in my thoughts.
"Did you meet Melinda Murrey?" Andre asked in awe.
"No, not yet," Beck told him with a shake of his head.
"I bet she's been stung by a bee," Andre intoned, pouting. I looked at him questioningly. Oh yeah, his bee obsession. I almost forgot about that.
"I wouldn't know, but you can ask her yourself," Beck replied. The class began muttering, wondering what he was talking about. I looked at him questioningly too.
"What?" I finally spoke aloud for everyone.
"The assistant director told me they needed extras for a couple scenes so if you guys wanna do it-" he tried to say but the class was out of their seats and yelling over each other in excitement before he could finish. Beck tried to calm them down but no one listened. The bell silenced them though. Sikowitz gave us our assignments for homework, emphasizing the importance of studying robot research, while everyone collected their stuff. Seriously, robot research? He ran out promptly after that, claiming he left his harmonica in the men's room. I watched him go, wondering why he needed such a thing while in the bathroom. I quickly threw the thought out of my head as I filed out with the rest of the class.
Gonna be an EXTRA in a REAL
MOVIE! BOOO-to-the-YAAA!
Mood = Double Pumped
I met up with the gang on the set of Miss Fire later that day. We gathered in a small group, talking and waiting for the scene to start. We watched Andre talk to some girl by the snack bar before she turned her back on him and left quickly. He returned to us with his hands in his pockets and his head down.
"Hey, we saw you working that hot girl over there," I told him. He looked over at the girl and then back to me.
"Yeah, I think she's into me," he replied confidently. Jade looked at him like he was delusional and then went ahead and implied it.
"Right, we can tell by the way she ran screaming from you," she deadpanned. Jade may be cutting when she wanted to but she was also witty. I had to give her that. Andre traded a look with Cat and then we were all called to attention. The scene was about to start. Cat excitedly ran to where she needed to be, drawing stares when she repeated what the director told us as soon as the words left his mouth. The rest of us got in place more quietly than the hyper redhead. We sat at a table together. Then Melinda Murrey strutted on set and sat down at a table right in front of us. The director explained what was going to happen.
When Beck was mentioned, Jade cut in to pointedly tell everyone that he was her boyfriend. I caught her exchanging a playful smile with him before the director finished. Once that was done we got started. The scene rolled but was brought to a halt rather quickly. Melinda was not happy with Beck who apparently got his line wrong. While she explained the mistake, Jade watched with a frown and I rushed to check the script I carried with me. The argument continued until Beck apologized. I could feel Jade's piercing gaze linger on me as I looked at the script and then put it away. I glanced at her to see she was shooting me a questioning look before averting her eyes. I stood to get the director's attention.
~Jade~
I looked up quickly, not believing that Vega was sticking her nose in a matter too serious to butt into. She had to quit doing that. I prayed for her to just sit down and shut up, but of course, she continued. Why must she try to fix things that didn't concern her and should just be left alone?
"Excuse me, um, Beck got his line right," she stated calmly. I looked from her to the director, trying to keep myself from making her sit down by force. She was going to ruin Beck's chances and I knew he was aware of that too.
"I-no, no. No, no," he pleaded uncomfortably with her, but she wouldn't listen. He looked down and away nervously. My hands gripped my seat.
"What?" the director asked her, walking over to hear her better. By now, the whole crew had their eyes on her.
"Sit, down," I hissed, eyes warning her. I regretted making the nice decision; well, nice for me, when she spared me a fleeting glance before she showed the director the script and pointed out that what she said was true. See what being nice gets? No one listens. And Beck asked me why I used force. Well there's your answer, Beck. The director took the script and checked for himself. Beck looked on silently but unhappy.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what are you?" Melinda demanded haughtily, standing to walk over to Vega with an impatient wave of her hand. She smiled politely, her hands clasped in front of her. We all looked at her, pleading silently for her to stop. It was a lost cause though because we all knew she couldn't help but stick up for what she believed was the right thing to do.
"Tori Vega, background player, big fan, hi Melinda Murrey!" she answered happily. The uptight diva only continued to stare at her hatefully. Well, so far Vega wasn't getting anywhere. I crossed my arms and clenched my fists, waiting for her to screw things up. Because she would. I could feel it.
"Ok, an extra is correcting me on the set," Melinda Murrey complained to the director. I looked to Vega, knowing she had something to say to that too. God, that girl couldn't just shut up.
"I'm sorry, but you yelled at my friend and he was totally-" she tried to say but Melinda caught only one word.
"She's your friend?" she demanded from Beck, her finger pointing accusingly. Beck stuttered, trying to explain himself. He didn't get to because Melinda quickly dismissed him. Vega glanced at her with wide eyes and then apologetically looked at Beck. I grew livid and wanted nothing more than to yell at the youngest Vega, but I kept myself firmly seated where I was. Things were already bad and I could always pick at her more than usual when we returned to school. The director cut in at that moment.
"Melinda," he said, imploring her to see reason, but she wasn't hearing it.
"You want him here or me?" she demanded. My eyes widened and Andre's did too. The surrounding crew was deadly silent now. I didn't know who I should be madder at now, Melinda or Vega. I knew who the director would pick and it wasn't going to be Beck.
"Kid, I'm sorry," the director said to him quietly.
"No, it's cool," Beck replied, his voice lacking emotion. He slowly shuffled off set. The only person I couldn't stand losing their confidence was Beck. He was my best friend and I hated to see him so down. It was all Vega's fault.
"No, why did you get mad at him? I'm the one who corrected you!" Vega exploded, pointing at Beck and then herself. Melinda appraised her, unconcerned and arms crossed.
"Good point. Bye!" she replied, waving her fingers at her. She stuttered but Melinda continued to shoo her away. I exchanged a hard glare with Andre's concerned expression. Now Vega went and got them both kicked off the set. I felt it was what she deserved but Beck still lost his spot in the movie so it didn't make me feel any better.
"Aww, that's not what I wanted to happen," Vega whined, walking off the set dejectedly. The crew quickly resumed and they began rolling again. By the time the rest of us could go home, both Vega and Beck were already gone. I had a bone to pick with a certain Vega, and it damn well wasn't going to be Trina; even though she wazzed me off far more often.
~Tori~
The next day I spent in constant guilt. Beck wasn't in the movie anymore and it was all because of my big mouth. I grabbed food from Festus and then made my way over to a table where Andre sat with his keyboard. He was making notes on a sheet of paper as he played. I plopped down and opened my food, Andre snagging some almost instantly. I didn't even have the will to protest. He popped the food into his mouth and then began playing an upbeat tune on the keyboard. It clashed horribly with my sad state.
"Why?" I questioned him. He grinned and answered, just as joyfully.
"'Cause you know what's great about movies?" he answered with his own question. I hummed in thought but Andre answered it for me.
"The musical score. Whenever stuff happens you always hear the perfect music to go with it. See, tater pops make me happy so…" he explained, grabbing more to eat and then continuing to play the keyboard happily. I wasn't amused and watched him with a frown. Right about now I was wishing I just listened to Jade and sat down. Ugh, listening to Jade. Who knew that could be the right thing to do? The thought made my frown deepen. When should I ever listen to Jade? Speak of the devil and she shall appear. Jade and Beck were walking right towards us.
"Oh great. Here comes Jade," I said, nervously looking away. She probably wanted to murder me for what happened but I was sure she hadn't done so yet only because Beck told her not to. Andre quickly began playing a tune associated with incoming danger. Jade stopped at the table and gave him one of her fake smiles that meant the complete opposite of what a smile meant. Andre only smiled back, knowing his little joke ticked her off. There were days he didn't care what Jade did or said and then there were days he just outright didn't want to get in her way. Oddly enough, Jade never really retaliated in a harsh way when he contradicted her.
"Can we sit somewhere else?" she complained to Beck instead.
"Nope," he replied, sitting down with finality. Jade groaned and sat right next to me. As much as I liked her close I didn't really want her to be at the moment. What if she attempted to hurt me while no one was looking?
"Fine, we'll sit with the girl who can't keep her mouth shut and got you fired," she stated, her eyes clearly staring me down behind her shades. I looked away and rolled my eyes, unwilling to show her just how nervous I was. Andre started up on his keyboard again, true to his word, playing a tune that fit the moment. I flicked my gaze to him before focusing on Beck who stayed quiet, unhappy at the way things turned out but not looking for a fight like Jade was. He had probably already heard her rant not too long ago.
"Beck, I swear, if there was anything I could do to make it up to you I would," I told him sincerely. It was the best I could do and I didn't like that I couldn't do more. I really was sorry.
~Jade~
Just hearing her say that triggered my pent up anger. No matter how much I tried to rein it in I just couldn't sit still any longer. I lashed out the only way I knew would make sense.
"I bet you would," I commented scathingly, knowing she would understand what I meant. Beck on the other hand frowned for half a second at my retort but said nothing. Vega glowered at me, and we held the eye contact, before she turned to Andre who had begun to play again. He smiled helpfully and Beck raised an eyebrow at him.
"You know if you really wanted to help you wouldn't just sit there like a bag of door knobs; you'd do something," I snarled at her forcefully. I said it with enough conviction in hopes that I could get her to take action. I knew the overly helpful girl would in fact do something. She just needed a little friendly push, or in this case, a shove. I stood quickly, grabbed my lunch, and then strode away, done with the whole situation.
"Where are you goin'?" Beck called after me tiredly. I might have laid on my anger a little too thick for him earlier but I was just so upset about the whole thing and the fact that he himself wasn't mad at Vega. He should be mad at her.
"Anywhere else," I replied simply but with a bite to my words. Andre began playing again, making me stop and head back. I had had enough of his stupid tunes.
"Ok, let's remove this, and that's for you," I stated, reaching over him to flip the keyboard over uncaringly. I quickly removed the back panel and then dumped out the batteries on the table. I promptly made my departure right after that, my head held high. Damn Vega, she better fix this or she'll be sorry. I let out a heavy breath and kept walking.
~Tori~
Andre's eyebrows creased at Jade's behavior but he took it in stride with a shrug. He made a bummer sound manually and then began replacing the batteries at a leisurely pace.
"I better go hose her down," Beck suggested, collecting his bag and lunch before standing.
"I'm so sorry," I offered again, meaning it for more than what I had done.
"Stop saying that," Beck replied, patting my head good-naturedly before walking away.
"Don't let it get to you," Andre comforted me. I wasn't accepting it though.
"No, she's right. I should go apologize to Melinda Murrey and go get Beck his job back," I replied sadly. Yep, Jade was right. I didn't want to admit it but I had to make things right if I meant what I said. Andre was about to reply when Sinjin came up and smacked his shoulder.
"Ow! What was that for?" he demanded, hands raised.
"There was a bee on your shoulder," Sinjin informed him.
"And you killed it before it could sting me? Thanks a lot man," he said unbelievably, leaning in to look at the bee stiffly resting on the table. Sinjin began asking what the problem was but Andre silenced him.
"No, just go on, get out of here," he told him. Sinjin turned away and I watched him go, turning back around to see Andre pleading with the dead insect. He poked at it with his finger. Well, at least this provided a weird but welcome distraction.
"Come on bee. Breathe," he begged. I leaned in as well, certain it was no longer alive.
"Wake up man. Sting me," Andre asked, his finger still poking at it. I decided to finally state the obvious.
"Andre, he's gone," I told him. He held a fist to his mouth like he was going to cry. And now the situation was starting to look like a dramatic character death.
"I know," he responded, still holding out a finger hopefully. I looked at him and then returned to looking at the bee. I had very…unique, friends.
Going to studio to get Beck his
job back. Brought Cat. Her hair
is VERY red.
Mood = Buggin'
I peeked into the big door leading inside the studio. Cat was peeking in next to me. A security guard stood just in front of us. I glanced at Cat and then nodded, cuing the redhead to sneak in. We separated but the security guard turned to see me trying to scurry away. He called to me so I had no choice but to turn back.
"You got some ID?" he asked.
"ID?" I replied uncertainly, trying to stall so that I could come up with something; anything, that could get me out of this.
"What's your name?" he questioned suspiciously.
"Oh, I'm…uhhh…" I looked around for inspiration when my eyes landed on the water cooler behind him.
"I'm Crystal Waters," I told him with a smile. He looked at me skeptically.
"It's ok, I'm on the movie," I assured him, starting to walk away. He began to question me when Cat came barreling back over to us. She latched onto the guard screaming about losing her mother. She then proceeded to throw a fit while the guard tried in vain to silence her. I was impressed and relieved. We didn't go to a performing arts school for nothing. The guard finally gave in and Cat led him away, winking at me over her shoulder. I grinned and set off quickly. I was just about to turn the corner into the studio when I skidded to a halt at the sight of stern blue-green eyes pinning me in place.
"Jade, what are you doing here?" I asked, a little out of breath. The girl in question only shrugged and began circling me in a predatory fashion.
"I came to make sure you did as I told you to," she responded calmly, stopping to stand in front of me. She was here to make sure I fixed the damage I caused. I would have been upset at her if it wasn't for the fact she was leaning towards me way too close for comfort, effectively distracting me. To get my head out of its rut I decided to put up a fight. No one manipulated me to do something, whether I wanted to or not. She couldn't just control me.
"You didn't tell me to do anything," I retaliated, feeling the need to defend myself. Jade's pierced eyebrow lifted at my reply.
"Oh, I sure didn't tell you to get up and do something. Not at all, door knobs," she retorted, a smug smirk spreading on her face while she crossed her arms and tilted her head. I groaned and threw up my hands.
"Ok fine, I didn't listen to you exactly. I have a conscience you know. I would have done it on my own without your input," I told her, my hands going to my hips. I couldn't give Jade all the credit. She suggested, not commanded. I could have ignored her. But as soon as I thought this I knew I wouldn't have.
"Yeah, look where that got you," she reminded me. I rolled my eyes. I wasn't getting anywhere with this.
"Look, are you going to help or not, because if you aren't can you please move aside so I can fix this?" I stated, clearly agitated and done with our bickering. Jade smiled, looking accomplished, and nodded.
"Sure, fix what you messed up," she said, purposely reminding me of my mistake one last time. I shook my head and pushed past her, my hand on her arm to remove her from my path. She scowled at the contact but said nothing. I spared her a curious glance before I spotted the actress I was looking for at the snack bar. I strode over, readying my speech in my head as I went. I didn't get far though, because who I thought was Melinda was just a man dressed up to look like her.
"I'm Melinda's stunt double," he explained, eyeing me in a way that I really wasn't comfortable with. A strong grip suddenly put a vice on my shoulder and I looked to see Jade glaring daggers at him.
"Get lost creep," she practically growled, sending the man on his way quickly. Jade released me and looked away so that our eyes couldn't meet. Was she hiding something from me? I dismissed the idea as soon as it popped in my head.
"Thanks," I told her gratefully. Jade only shrugged and then smacked me on the arm with the back of her hand. It stung and I rubbed my pained arm absentmindedly.
"Stop wasting time and talk to Melinda," she ordered, waving a hand for me to hurry up. I smiled, knowing she was avoiding my curious gaze. She was hiding something. However, instead of question her and risk angering her for it on top of standing around, I nodded and set off again. I snuck a glance over my shoulder to see Jade turn on her heel and leave, her reason for showing up completed. I looked away and focused on the task at hand.
Ahhh! I see Melinda…wish
me luck!
Mood = Double Buggin'
I scooted through the crew as the director was explaining what would happen in the scene they were about to shoot. He was currently occupied with an uncaring crew member. He yelled a few things to him and then they scattered to begin the scene. I took the opportunity to cut in.
"Melinda," I began, eyes downcast and voice soft. The actress turned and held up her hands in disgust.
"Ugh, who let you on the stage?" she demanded.
"Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have corrected you-" I began to apologize. Melinda didn't hear it because she was busy calling security.
"Michael!" she commanded to someone across the room. I panicked.
"No, no, we don't need Michael! No Michael!" I yelled in the general direction Melinda had called in.
"Look, I just want to say I'm sorry, but you shouldn't get mad at Beck because he didn't-" I tried again. Melinda silenced me.
"Go, away," she said through gritted teeth.
"Come on, just let Beck have his part back. It isn't his-" I tried harder. Melinda was livid now.
"Get out!" she screamed, waving her hands at me for emphasis. There was a startled sound up above us and then a strange whistling noise before an arrow was firmly lodged in Melinda's gesturing right hand. I gasped and Melinda froze with her mouth hanging open, time freezing for a few seconds with her shock. Then she was screaming bloody murder and frantically flapping her other hand hysterically. The whole crew rushed over to help her.
"Oh my god," I stated, my eyes wide. Melinda continued to scream while slowly sinking to the floor. I could only stare. What did I do now?
O…M…G. I just made a superstar
get shot in the hand.
Mood = Freakin'
The paramedics were called in quickly and in no time the injured actress was sprawled out on a gurney, still screaming herself horse and staring at her impaled hand. I pushed my way to her and apologized profusely. Melinda only screamed that it was my fault and then went back to vocalizing her pain. She shouted demands as the paramedics wheeled her off set. Even in pain and on her way to the hospital Melinda Murrey got what she wanted. I watched her go, feeling bad all over again. I still hadn't gotten Beck his part back. I failed and Jade was sure to kill me now. The director got off the phone with Melinda's manager and announced that the actress was going to have to be recast. He went on to explain I was responsible for the turn of events. The crew stared at me silently and I looked around, feeling small and humiliated. Great, now I had a whole movie set worth of people who hate me.
"I-I feel so bad about this," I stuttered, hoping that was enough.
"Bad?" the director stated. There was a beat of silence before the costar chimed in.
"We all hated her!" he stated, high fiving the director. The two began to laugh with relief and then the crew followed with clapping. I was seriously confused now. Wait, so I did something good?
"She was a nightmare!" the director added with a big smile.
"What is your name?" he asked, but before I could answer, the security guard from earlier ran in. Cat must have run out of distractions. Wait, how did Jade get in if he was supposedly patrolling? Never mind, why was I even questioning that? It was Jade I was questioning. I was sure she could get away with almost anything. I was pulled from my thoughts by the guard.
"That's Crystal Waters!" he shouted. Everyone cheered and a crew member stepped forward to hold my arm up triumphantly. I shifted my eyes uncertainly but allowed a small, nervous, smile. The director and costar hugged me next, thanking me again. More of the crew picked me up. I couldn't believe this was happening. They cheered my fake name until I just joined in, unable to do much else. School was going to be pretty interesting the next day.
In the morning I got ready quickly and rushed Trina out the door while she whined and complained. I had to make sure Beck got his job back after that crazy mess I went through and the only way to do that was to ask him myself. When I finally got to school I set to work looking for Beck but I couldn't find him. The bell rang so I had to get to class. It wasn't until I spotted him between classes that I got to talk to him.
"Hi Beck," I greeted brightly, skipping down the main stairs and walking over to him by his locker. He turned to me, studying me calmly.
"Tori Vega," he addressed me.
"That's me," I confirmed. He nodded with narrowed eyes.
"Are you sure you're not Crystal Waters?" he asked me. I was too happy to explain. Just by hearing that I knew he got his job back.
"You got the call!" I yelled in excitement.
"I'm back on the movie," he stated, holding up his hands. A grateful smile graced his face.
"Yay!" I cheered, throwing my arms around him in a big hug. Yes! I fixed it! And the best part was, Jade wasn't going to kill me! The moment was then broken by a familiar presence.
~Jade~
I was walking down the hall, wondering if Vega was successful and contemplating what I would do to her if she wasn't, when I came around the corner to see her sharing a longer than necessary hug with Beck. So, it must have gone well, but the sight really did nothing to improve my mood. Beck looked too happy which made me unhappy. I rolled my eyes with a sigh.
"One, two…" I warned, having nothing else that wasn't violent to us on them. They loosened their hold on one another to look at me.
"Don't let me get to three," I threatened for good measure, most of it directed at Beck. He knew better than that. He stared at me, letting his arms drop, but I practically shoved him away even more. Vega moved away quickly, most likely unwilling to wazz me off when she would rather be celebrating. Ew, I was starting to get to know Vega. Beck didn't put up a fuss either which led me to believe he just wanted to happily celebrate. My tense stance relaxed somewhat as I stood closer to him.
"Better," I commented, my eyes on Beck when I said it but focused on Vega after. She looked away at my intense stare which made me smirk. Beck draped an arm across my shoulders, a warning to be nice and a reassurance that he meant no harm. I warmed up to him quickly after that. I was still going to pull him aside once again and warn him against showing affection for Vega though. I had my eyes on her first after all. I yanked off his arm and held it in a firm grip before dragging him away. I saw Vega shake her head, most likely feeling bad for Beck with the amount of sympathy in her brown eyes. I turned away, trying unsuccessfully to keep her out of my thoughts. It was starting to become a conscious effort.
~Tori~
How did Beck do it? I didn't think I could handle Jade's roller coaster of emotions if I was him. Just this back and forth between frenemies and outright rivals was enough for me. I blushed slightly at the thought of being in Beck's place, as Jade's significant other, before waving it away hastily. It didn't do me any good thinking like that. I sighed tiredly and walked away to pick up a book from my locker. I wanted to take a nap instead of go to class but I couldn't so I resolved to crash the minute I got home. I was going to need plenty of rest if I was going to have to deal with Jade every day, but so far, I think I was doing pretty good.