Disclaimer: I do not own Victorious, it belongs to Dan and Nickelodeon. Also, this chapter's inspiration: 'Scream' by Usher; here were it gets a little tricky. There is a choreography of this song by Eduardo Amorim. When I mention 'choreography', this is the one that I mean. I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I have.
A/N: There is plenty of time jumping, not necessarily going back or remembering something, just a plain jump to set the mood. It isn't a FlashBack
Special thanks to my beta, StakeTheHeart.
Special mentions and thanks to TimelessReader, for his endless patience and reviews. Keep them coming, make my day! =D
WARNING: last chapter to be uploaded at the moment. The story is officially SUSPENDED: this means that while I'll be working on it, I'm giving priority to another story at the moment. I apologize, but once again, I'm writing it but much more slowly. Hope you check tomorrow for a Halloween Special
Chapter 11: Nightmare during Hallow's Eve
How everything had been reduced to pure and single chaos, was beyond the group. The perfect evening had ended with them having to pick up after a mess that wasn't even their fault. Worse, it got them the unwelcome attention of certain woman; Tori was less than thrilled to see her mother.
"Okay, whose fault is this?" Holly asked, completely soaked in slime; she was dressed as Principal Powers from Sky High.
"Mine principal Vega," Jade began in a monotone, rolling her violet eyes, "my kid brother and his friend appeared out of nowhere, got some bad company and we couldn't do our performance."
"Well—" Clearly, the brunette hadn't been expecting that.
"It's also mine," Tori said with a soft sigh, interrupting before her mother could get on her friend's case, "I should have seen it coming..."
"As for the others, we won't take responsibility for them," Jade commented with total honesty, "I guess we never gave them enough credit for stupidity."
"Well then, all of you will clean this mess; Sikowitz, tell Ryder that his crew also needs to help," the older woman then gave the Goth a pat on the shoulder, "I guess I must give you credit for such an outstanding performance on the dance."
"I don't get why your mom likes me so much," the thespian said, looking as the woman retreated and everyone else just groaned.
"Neither do I..." Tori sighed before going off to look for something to clean the mess.
"Leave it Tor," Jade said, taking the girl by the wrist, and at the craned brow, she smirked, "let Killowat and the Teen Tyrants pick after this mess; we'll send them back to their dimension later..."
"You cannot even guess what my mother would do—"
"She likes me, right?"
There was no objection after that was established. The group got the idea, and stood to leave. Sinjin would have protested if it wasn't for the murderous look on the Goth's face; he paled at the sight. Just then, Cat appeared out of nowhere; no one could even begin to guess where she had been, although from the sound of an ice-cream truck, and how she had miraculously grown a strawberry mustache, it soon became evident. Another groan, this time at the sight, and most glared at André, as he was the one supposed to act as the redhead's guardian. When did that became an established notion, no one knew.
"Can we get some?" Tyler asked with some hope, hazel eyes bright; at his sister's sigh, he pouted. "Pretty please?"
"Yes, we can," Tori answered just as the thespian nodded.
"Yay!" Cat began skipping all the way to the truck, just to find Robbie still surrounded by his sudden entourage. "Robbie, you coming?"
"Be right there!" The lanky boy replied, taking his goggles and placing them on, then hopped onto his skate-looking boulder, waving at the group of boys, "sorry guys."
"Of course, you don't have the man parts—" Rex began with some bite before a random hand took hold of his hair. "Hey! Put me down—"
"The fact that Robbie came dressed like that," the boy began, frowning at the puppet, "and that for the sake of his friends he did things no man should have to consider—"
"You said it," Rex tried to continue with more bite, "no man should consider doing any of that but he did," it was some kind of consistent, yet twisted, logic; clear blue eyes rolled, "meaning, he is no man—"
"Rex, dude," another boy interceded; everyone was outraged with the little man, "no man would wax their legs just for the sake of a costume or for friends!"
"Yeah, anyone who does would need them steel balls," a bulky student agreed, and everyone else from the congregation nodded. "He's man enough, more than you, dummy."
That managed to shut the puppet and ventriloquist up. Everyone else was surprised as well with how the events turned out to be. By the time they managed to catch up to the Goth and her group, the kids were already begging for another cone. It was funny how motherly Jade became, or at least that was how Tori said it, and they couldn't agree more.
"No, one cone should be enough," she said, cleaning her brother's mouth, "I don't need you two going all hyper on me."
"Awww," Tori began with what was quickly becoming a usual response, "mother Jade is so cute—"
"Did you just call me cute," those violet eyes promised pain, "again?"
"Because you are!" Everyone else thought it was getting stranger by the minute. "You get all motherly on them—"
"On you too Tor," André said, and at the shocked look of both girls, he laughed.
"Come on, neither of you caught on to that?" Robbie asked, eyes wide.
"Even blind-y here could see it!" Rex exclaimed, clearly outraged.
"Hey!" Robbie felt the need to shut the puppet up.
"Uh..." They looked at each other, then at Cat, who began giggling.
To prevent themselves from thinking, Tori decided to give the kids a tour through the school. André, Cat, Robbie and Rex, decided to go with her as it was obvious that the other two needed some time for themselves.
~Time Jump~
The week coming up the Halloween event was a busy one, especially for certain blue-green eyed student. The hearing for her brother's custody was during that period, and even if her mother could have gained custody of the boy (they were actually full siblings) after much deliberate thought, it could prove that she had what it took to take care of the other child. It was all part of a scheme that Amber had concocted, and Jade went through with it. The one who usually arrived at her house to give her the homework, was Tori of course, although sometimes Beck did. She had missed several classes, but due to her good relation with the principal, most teachers were flexible to the needs. The girls also spent their afternoons practicing attacks with yo-yos; these lighted up at the end in their specific attack colors and went off as they receded. During the middle of the week though, they received a surprise.
"Cat already dyed herself," Tori said Thursday; they were a day away from their presentation, "you'll like it when she blushes."
"She did?" Really, it shouldn't surprise her that much, but it did feel a tad too fast. "Let me guess, she's coming dressed."
As if on cue, an adorable Cat appeared. She had a sleeveless shirt with a small v-neck, a purple T on its front and back, surrounded by black. Interesting enough, her shorts were purple on the sides, its front and back black, drawing attention due to the contrast with the shirt. She was hopping about, having a pair of bunny ears attached to her head.
"Jade!" She cried, hopping over, then, seeming to remember something, stopped and crooned, "Raaveen..!"
"Pink bunny," was the grim reply from her best friend, who seemed revolted at the sight, "perhaps pink was a bad idea."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Tori laughed softly, swatting a pale arm gently, "you must admit, it looks good on her."
"Yeah, I guess so," the sigh that accompanied the statement only seemed to encourage the pink creature into hugging her. "Cat!"
"But, I'm a Bunny!" The girl whinnied, letting go and drooping visible.
"Fine, Bunny," the scathing done didn't seem to affect the bubbly redhead, "don't hug me when you're all pink."
"Too late," the Latina showed them a picture she had just taken, and when a pale hand took it from her, "you can't delete it..."
"You got the piano password app..." With a shake of her head, the Goth returned the phone with a huff. "Knowing you, it would be off key somehow."
"I'm not telling..." Tori sang, sharing the picture on her Slap; the Goth made another aggravated sound, "there!"
"It's so pretty!" Cat went off to show their friends the picture, not realizing that they could see it as well; she stopped briefly, turning, chocolate eyes looking mildly serious, "how's the custody going?"
"Looking good, Bunny," the reply was tired, and so was the smile, but it was an honest one that reached those blue eyes; it was going good.
As all good news did, Cat, or rather, Bunny, skipped off in a general direction, more pep on her walk. The girls proceeded with their day, only getting in Robbie's case. Pressing a pair of shorts on the boy's arms, Jade order him to change and show them. As they waited for him to come out, the others joined them; Cat now had puppy ears. She whinnied when everyone refused to call her Dog, and she almost cried when her best friend took the ears and placed them in her locker, but the Latina helped diffuse the tension. She got some cat ears out of nowhere, placed them on the redhead, and everyone felt better. Until the boy stepped outside and everyone turned away, clearly not ready for the sight.
"Robbie, you're skipping your last class," Jade said, taking a deep breath, "now go and change back before you force us to make our breakfast come back..."
"I have my A.P. Psych course!" He began, but he was being pushed to the bathroom by the other two boys. "It must be before lunch!"
"I guess we're skipping before planned," the pale teen shook her head.
"Don't you have A.P. English now?" Tori asked with some concern.
"Since I'm just taking it to make sure my playwriting skills doesn't get rusty," a shrug was all she had to show, "that's all that the teacher wants. My final is to write a short play based on a movie. If it's good and the school produces it, I'll pass with flying colors."
"Oh..." Really, there was nothing else to say to that; she did turn to Cat, who was happy that her best friend was pampering her. Jade called it a side effect of having Sic around. "Um..."
"Good kitty," the thespian said softly, "you ready to skip?"
"I thought she had A.P. Philosophy..." Was there a hint of jealousy?
The redhead pouted. "I don't think I can handle that sight again..." She confessed, growing pale.
"Ah well," Jade chuckled, "don't worry Cat, I want you to be able to eat."
"Awww I knew you loved me!" A brief hug later, and she was skipping away to class.
"Do you think she'll manage to graduate?" Tori wondered, frowning softly in concern.
"She's acing the course Vega," the reply was dry, then the teasing smirk appeared, "so goody-two-shoes is going to skip class with me..."
"I never said that!" It was mock outrage, but when a pale arm sneaked around her waist, mirth evident, she blushed.
"Say it yourself," the challenge had been issued, and blushing further, the Latina swallowed. "Say it."
"Fine," a deep breath to calm her racing heart, "I'm skipping class with Jade."
"Aww, why you blushing?" She poked her friend, clearly having plenty of fun. After much swatting of fingers, she stopped. "You're too easy Vega. Although, since I didn't get to see Cat blush, at least I got to see you blushing."
The words, of course, made her blush further. Laughing, the thespian retrieved her arm, and both could feel their skin tingling, clearly missing the contact. Soon, the boys were outside, leaving a frightened Robbie with the two females. The Goth's wicked grin didn't make him feel better; he was forced to leave Rex at Lane's office.
"So, where are we going?" He asked, clearly nervous.
"Somewhere you'll find pain," Jade promised, and laughed when he flinched. "Come along you two."
"Why are you coming?" Robbie whispered.
"To make sure you live through this," Tori couldn't help it, but apparently, they weren't as subtle as they thought since their guide laughed.
Jade had reverted to using her mother's car. It was obvious that she had missed her skirts as she wore them daily. It was one of the excuses her step-mother had tried to pull during the hearings, but it was clear that the pale teen was expressive and she used any means necessary. The judge, who was a woman, found it to be charming, and said so the third day the blonde tried to pull the same stunt again; it was clear that the teen wasn't about to stop dressing as she had been, and it impressed the judge. There had already been a psych evaluation, the controversy of the custody battle having made an impact on the court, especially considering that Amber wasn't getting involved, just to state the reason why she didn't want to get involved.
The mental doctor, as Jade liked to call them, did short work of the analysis; Calvin was an exceptional psychiatrist who was too expensive for most. Of course he did his job thoroughly and with care; even if he cared for Jade, he was most critical towards his evaluation of her, clearly not taking her side but was actually against it. The albino found himself agreeing to allow Tyler to live with his sister, mainly for the child's mental comfort as his actual guardians often left him and his friend with Jade anyway. Really, those two made it too easy, especially when the Goth was the one attending PTA meetings; those two were honest only in the fact that they had no idea what was going on with the boy's life, which was negligence from their part. Calvin found himself impressed; he had attended the hearings since being hired, the pale teen didn't break under pressure, and he felt pride.
"Why can't we do this after school?" Both girls looked at him as if he had two heads, and the other was Rex. "What?!"
"You do know that Jade is trying to get custody of her little brother, right?" It was a fair question.
"Well yeah, I'm not that much of a stranger," he replied, clearly offended, "it has been quick, which is amazing."
"Calvin is the psych, isn't he?" The pale teen chuckled bitterly; this clearly wasn't what she had been looking forward to speaking about during the ride.
"Yeah, he's actually very much against me taking custody of Ty," at incredulous hazel orbs, she snorted, finding the situation funny, "he sees me as a child, so a child taking care of a child..."
"Yet you're confident of winning, right?" The ventriloquist asked with some worry if the answer was to be negative.
"Hell yeah!" Both girls replied, looking confused at each other before blue eyes turned back to the road. "He is the best in his field, damn expensive as well."
"He actually charged you?" There was a hint of mirth coming from the Latina, and the driver smirked bitterly.
"He charged me double his usual," she sighed in annoyance, "I really don't care, at all. All I care about is that he does his job."
"Mr. West is very negligent," Tori said softly; she took the pale hand on the driving stick, and gave a comforting squeeze. "I'm glad my mom likes you..."
"Okay, I still don't know why we can't do this after school," Robbie said, clearly at a loss.
"Robbie, today the judge will give her verdict," Tori began, and things somehow spiraled down from their seriousness.
They arrived shortly; it was a beauty salon. Once he realized what was about to happen, the boy tried to escape. A glinting pair of scissors shining in the sun later, and he was back to being docile, crying silently as he rose (being too caricature about it) a white flag (where he got it from, they didn't want to know).
"I don't know if we can work with this," a young man said as he looked at the teen's bare legs, "I must charge you double for this."
"It's okay, Robbie's paying," Jade was clearly frustrated; she was there to hear her friend's agonizing screams, not barter.
"I'm what!?" At his outrage, she felt marginally better.
The boy didn't have much chance to say anything else. His voice was lost as he began shouting his pain away. At one point, Jade stepped forward, and despite his best effort, no one stopped her from getting the strip, and ripping his hair from his body. He blissfully blacked out afterwards, but it left a giddy Goth. Said girl began requesting for his hair to be bleached, then dyed blond and afterwards, ironed straight. She gave her instructions as she sat on one of the manicure tables; it was empty. In her giddiness, she pulled the shorter female close to her, laughing and radiant from having just traumatized one of their friends. Tori could do nothing, but rejoice in the touch, placing a cheek upon the pale collarbone, enjoying the sound of the beating heart. Soon, the mirth was gone, and the only reason they held each other was because of the comfort.
"I'm going with you today," the Latina meant the hearing.
"Good," was the reply, "I would have had to drag you otherwise."
Taking solace, they didn't part until their friend woke. They then made their way back to school in time for lunch, and neither female brought up the oddity of their interactions. Mainly, because it felt right, felt as though what they had couldn't be described, or at least, not yet. Lunch was a pink and blond affair, later Tori and Jade had their A.P. Biology class, which was one of their few matching courses. They had to leave earlier, but since they had done as the teacher had requested and without mistakes, the old man didn't make trouble for them when they left early so that they could arrive on time.
The court was in session with a different case, but their waiting time wasn't long, not that they had much choice. They held hands, mostly for the Latina's sake, as Jade was as cool as a cucumber; she knew she had things in the bag. Calvin sat beside them for a while, giving them a penetrating look with his blood-red eyes. Tori, of course, blushed, but when the pale hand took an even stronger hold of her hand before she had a chance of taking it away, she relaxed, smiled back in return, and didn't dare to let go. She was so nervous, and she wasn't even part of the happenings, at least, not directly. Soon, the lawyers arrived and the girls stood, breaking contact but the Latina followed closely, nodding at the man, James, who was the Goth's lawyer, and then the law guardian who approached with the boy in question.
"Sis!" The boy called over with a wave, and toothy grin, happy when she waved back; he was requested to refrain from jumping on her whenever they met, but since no one had spoken to him about such behavior in regards to the Latina, his hazel eyes widen, he gasped and ran at her. "Tori! I thought you wouldn't come! Why didn't you?"
His sister chuckled at his antics, as he just didn't run up to the tanned girl, he also jumped onto the small fence that divided the court, throwing himself at the teen. Blue eyes grinned and took in the sight as her best friend caught her brother, as though it was habit, though they hadn't known each other well enough for that; it was more thanks to the older of the pair's reflexes. They didn't know each other well enough for him to give a peck to the girl either, but he did it anyway, catching the tanned teen by surprise and making her blush. It wasn't, obviously, to the cheek, and it made the thespian grin.
"Sorry Ty," she said taking a firm hold of him, "but I'm sure your parents wouldn't like it..."
"Oh," he looked back at said couple, then turned back to look at her with a cute frown, "so? Why do you suddenly care?"
"Because today you finally go with your sis," she whispered, hoping to apace him, "which means I don't have to care. Meanwhile, they're still your legal guardians, which means that if I want to see you, I cannot get them mad at me."
"Ah," he understood, though obviously not much; when the woman who was in charge of him came over, he latched onto the caramel neck. "I want to sit with Tori!"
"Who are you?" The judge asked as she entered, prompting everyone to standing.
"Your honor!" The Latina was clearly caught off base. "My name, is Victoria Vega—"
"Ah, the famous Tori Vega," the teen swallowed, worried, "come, I would like to hear about the first time you babysat Tyler."
"Well, Tyler was very sweet," she began, smiling at the boy in her arms, "I'm sure he'll become a great architect."
The boy blushed scarlet and hid his face on the only space available, the musician's neck. "Stop it!" The judge took it all in with approval, also taking note at the boy's confused parents.
"Jade was supportive, though she didn't get along well with his best friend at first," she smiled at the judge, and she could tell the woman was very fond of the boy, "they managed to get along better after that first night."
"Can I stay with Tori?" Ty asked with his goofiest grin, and the judge couldn't help but nod. "Yay!"
"Tori!" Suzy arrived with her own parents, her own custody taking place probably afterwards; she tackled the Latina, who almost fell if the thespian hadn't foreseen it, chuckling as she helped her friend right herself. "Hey, no fair! I want you to hold me too!"
Tyler, in good kiddie fashioned, stuck his tongue out and began choking the Latina, until a tap on his shoulder made him stop. Since the judge gave her okay, Tori went to sit behind her friend and the two children were immediately with their heads on her lap. They made it a point to complain about the skinny legs, embarrassing the teen, who blamed the chuckling Goth on the seat in front; the pale teen had never laughed so much in her life.
~Time Jump~
"What's going on between you and Tori?" Beck asked without hesitation as soon as they were alone; he raised his hand before a word could be uttered, "and don't say nothing; the dance left it very clear that there is something."
"..." She had no idea what to say.
"Recently, it feels like I'm not even your best friend," he confessed, rubbing the back of his neck with an awkward stance, "she knows more about you than I ever did..."
"I don't know..." It was a whisper, but still clearly heard. "I swear to you, I don't know what's going on. I'm meant to hate her, loathe her, but..."
"Somewhere along the line, it all blurred together?" He asked, and at her nod, he chuckled. "Wow, I don't think we ever saw it coming. Now I'm definitely a close friend, nothing else."
"Beck—"
"No, we had already established that you weren't taking that step with me," he began before she could, "and I must face it."
"I'm sorry," she really had no idea what else to say, "I don't even know what it is that I'm feeling..."
"That's something only you can figure out," he replied kindly, placing his hand on her shoulders, the same hand which had been on his nape, "but, don't forget that things will only become much more complicated the more time passes."
"I'm sor—"
"Please Jade, apologizing doesn't suit you," he replied, laughing this time, "honestly, it creeps me out."
"Gee, thanks," she playfully swatted his arm as she rolled her violet eyes, then hugged him in his usual one-armed hug, chuckling, "I swear, there's someone just right for you out there."
"And it was you..." He meant it, his mocha eyes speaking in volumes, but she made him turn his head.
"No, I don't think it was ever me..." She whispered back.
"Do you think we could have worked out had she never appeared?" Beck's question was genuine, eyes on the floor.
"Perhaps," she pressed their shoulders close, "but I don't think we'll ever learn that answer..."
"Perhaps... Come along Raven," he said, extending a green-gloved hand, "I don't think Starfire would be happy that we spend so much time by ourselves."
"I keep forgetting she's your girl," was the monotone reply, patting her hood were Sic had made himself at home.
"I actually think she's yours," he whispered to her ear, causing her blush.
"If anything else blows up," she whispered, grabbing her tea cup, "I'm blaming you!"
He just laughed, fetching some punch for the other teen, and filling her cup with it. Interesting enough, the tanned teen breathed in relief as soon as she saw the two appearing. The kids were having fun in the music room, where they kept playing the drums and some wind instruments. Giving each a shy smile, she gave her best friend one standard Tamaran hug then tugging them both towards the kids. André was actually recording, saying that he could use the sounds in the future, while Cat was meowing into a microphone. Robbie had left Rex perched on one of the speakers, riding his modified skate with Tyler as the boy drummed any surface he went near with the drumsticks he had found.
"Did Timmy or Melvin give you much trouble?" Jade asked, squeezing the hand which held hers; she felt an overwhelming urged to lace their fingers together, but managed to ignore it.
"Nah, they are too well behaved," the Latina said, laughing a bit. "She's staying the night at your place, right?"
After the Judge ruled in Jade's favor, the blonde's parents asked if the girl could stay with the Goth while they were still going through their custody. The pale teen only agreed when the girl gave her a hug and looked at her with those huge, blue eyes.
"Yeah, she's taking my room, Ty's in the guest room," throughout the cacophony, there was a discernible beat to which the girls began dancing, "and I'm sleeping in Jazz'."
"So, no other plans for the night?" They began dancing with improvised choreography moves.
"I had planned for a marathon of Tim Burton's animated films," the Goth said, blushing a bit; they weren't doing something to elaborate, for the sleeping form of certain kitty kept them from going overboard, "I was hoping that you would join us..."
"I would like that," Tori replied, honesty dripping from her emerald eyes.
"You're staying over then," it wasn't quite an order, or an offer, but more along the lines of giving the tanned musician a reason for saying no.
"So..." Before she could muster the courage to ask her question, she had two pale kids tackling her; she would have hit the floor if it wasn't for the pale teen, and the children stared at her with huge eyes. "Yes, I'm staying."
She could tell what they had been dying to ask, then the girls noticed how everyone else had been focused on them, and that Scream was playing softly on the background. Violet eyes glared at André, while green ones looked at him with mild confusion. There wasn't much of a chance to talk, since it was becoming too late. Deciding to suspend the night, everyone began to leave the room, just to find certain brunette waiting for them outside.
"Tori—" Once again, the woman was interrupted.
"Is taken for the night;" it sounded so wrong! But Jade wasn't about to explain herself, or take her words back.
At the lack of explanation, Holly looked at her daughter, who blushed, "I already promised her and the kids to stay over at their place for the night..."
It sounded as though they were a married couple, who had children and were trying to reconcile before finally agreed to the divorce. To their surprise, Holly just sighed and waved them all off. There were no reprimands for leaving Sinjin, Ryder and Carson with the problem, even if it had been their fault in the first place. But, there was someone who just had to be difficult.
"Wait, so she isn't coming home with us?" Trina, who had appeared just for the Halloween prompt, looked at the girls, anger in her eyes. "Really, I had to fight a 'myself' from another dimension, coming just to see my baby sister, and she isn't even spending the night with me?"
She gave them a frown. "Um... Can I go with you guys?" The question was meek, and vaguely hopeful, but the incredulous look they gave her shut those dreams.
"Hell no," the thespian raised her eyebrow, usually studded but not for the night, and gave the older female an 'are-you-out-of-your-fucking-mind?' kind of look, "I am not putting up with your brand of madness, I had enough of it for the night."
~Time Jump~
Cat had the brilliant idea of giving the canon couple of the show a teaser. So, during the week before their presentation, Beck and Tori began working on a piece for them to dazzle everyone with. They opted for a dance, mainly because any other would involve Starfire acting weird. A small, wooden stage was placed a little higher than the dance floor for their performance; no one else knew what they had planned, and were eager to learn what they had prepared.
André introduced the song Scream with Usher's words, but left the record by itself as the couple began dancing; Sic was happy cuddling in certain blue hoody. The song began with them dancing tango to it; everyone woot-ed, but for different reasons. Several girls scoffed at first, finding it hard to believe that the Latina was so lucky to get such a piece with the best boy of the school, while the boys went out of their way to shove each other at the sensual movements of the tanned body. After a while, the girls began enjoying the show, mostly because they thought that the Boy Wonder's ex-girlfriend would be seething. For her part, Jade had her emotions in turmoil, but her stoic mask remained even after several of Beck's groupies began sneering at her; she kept drinking from a teacup and feeling very much like the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland. Got no drink in my hand, but I'm wasted...
Her hood shaded her eyes very well, and she could stare as the couple danced on the floor, feeling that Beck was definitely not on his comfort zone. His smooth performance could have fooled anyone else, but there was certain degree of forcefulness that only she could pick after having danced with him in plenty of occasions. She could tell that her friends were having a hard time, although for everyone else, it looked as though the pair had chemistry, and that their moves were fluid and magnificent.
The words of the song hit her hard as she stared at Tori, and I've tried to fight it, to fight it... moving perfectly and with a grace that only Latinos' could pull off; there was an immediate attraction to that lithe body, but you're so magnetic, magnetic... and felt sad when it was obvious that Beck just couldn't keep up. During the chorus, he was given a breather as they performed choreographed moves on their spots, a few feet apart, going with the music; the Goth was certain that those were more Beck's speed. The rest were cheering the two on, eager to see more of their chemistry.
Then the lights went off and on cue, Tori got green sparks coursing through the contour of her figure, and emerald eyes landed on the Goth devil eyes telling me "come and get it". Jade felt as though her breath left her, and moving without conscious thoughts, she was soon on the stage, placing a hand on Beck's shoulder, not quite registering the thankful look in his eyes. Sic immediately left his place and went to Robin's shoulder, as if knowing his mistress needed him off.
The Latina moved slowly, performing as Shakira often did, seducing everyone with slow moves and leaving boys drooling to the sight of her bare and well-toned abs. The female population seethed in jealousy, and it wasn't until they noticed the oddity of the blue cloak that everyone stopped, and stared. Girl tonight you're the prey, I'm the hunter was heard as Raven began circling Starfire, placing a delicate pale hand on said hips and the sorcerer moved close. Tanned face immediately turned when she realized it wasn't the boy she was meant to dance with; the touch itself screamed 'misunderstood teen' through her skin. Moving close, purple lips breathed to the tanned ear, whispering a brief explanation of the situation. The boys would have whistled at the sensuality of it as Usher said what he would whisper, but were too shocked to do so; the same thing happened with the girls, whose eyes looked as though they were about to pop from their sockets.
"We're going to finish," she whispered, violet on green, "Beck just can't keep up."
"Yo Beck, you knew this?" André asked, clearly puzzled, and at the shake of the head, he whistled low enough for just them to hear. "They have definitely grown closer..."
"I'm not sure if I should be jealous," Beck whispered, and he was glad that he had a mask on, else his conflict would be plastered on his eyes and face, "she just keeps reminding me of how much she's worth it..."
"And why I had that crush," his friend admitted, and they just smirked at each other.
But they weren't the only ones gazing at the pale teen; her hood had fallen from her face as she mimicked to perfection the moves the Latina had displayed previously, but she moved much faster. The strobe light that began with the pre-chorus just helped accentuate each movement, as did the costume; it was more like the comic version rather than the one from the tv show, and the sensuality of it was more than a tease. It was raw and explicit in its display, and the rumors that the Goth was, simply put, a beast in bed just heightened.
The entire male population, including some lesser-willed teachers, and even some girls, were shocked into silence at the bare display of sensuality. It wasn't sexual, it just wasn't that provocative, it was that the moves were so quick and so well executed, that only someone with a high degree of comfort with their body, and the knowledge of how to exert it and to what extent, could pull. Now, it was Tori's turn to gaze, feeling just as her friend had when she had moved slowly. And I've tried to fight it, to fight it... The Latina had a gleam in her emerald eyes that spoke louder than anything else. But you're so magnetic, magnetic... Got one life, just live it, just live it... Now relax, singing on your back—
Tori couldn't help but stare, and as the chorus began, so did the choreographed moves with perfection and complete synchronization. Beck didn't even try to join in, as he knew things would soon be out of his league. Funny thing, Jade hadn't participated on the practice, but it was as if she had been Tori's dance partner from the start. As the chorus ended, the Latina began testing her new dance partner, who was willing to answer with just as much zeal. Everyone went quiet as they watched in awe as they moved and complemented each other. They were eager to see the complete display, as they could tell both females were testing their ground. The boys could tell it would be a magnificent display and the girls were too flabbergasted to do much of anything but stare. Just as the movements increased in confidence, party crashers arrived, but as soon as their eyes fell on the performance on the small stage, all ideas of causing havoc fled their mind. The chemistry that others had felt when Beck and Tori danced paled in comparison; they could see the potential of perfection as the other two moved.
Suddenly, it was beat break and as if on cue, they began with sharper, yet fluid movements, seducing each other, taking it further, their movements: the epitome of sensuality... It was obvious that they had taken it several notches up, a tanned leg dropped over the other's waist, just as the thespian took a step back, forcing their bodies to press further, and breathing close to each other. They could feel the other's heartbeat, and violet fell upon emerald... Then, straightening, a pale hand was on the Latina's abdomen, pressing the shorter female's back closer to her chest, their faces close yet again. They could feel the blood rushing all over where their skin made contact, their adrenaline rush prompting them to become bolder, seducing each other and changing gears. From that point forward, they never broke contact and things seemed to grow more heated as the song approached its end and as if they had practiced before, they ended it face to face, right hands touching as their arms arced over their heads, left hands pressed close to the other's lower back, standing incredibly close.
"I thought you were just learning tango," the Latina asked, panting softly.
"No, I've been looking for a partner," she pressed their bodies further, and both moaned quietly at the contact, "guess I found one..."
They were surprised when they heard all the screams and shouts of approval and rage and ... it was loved by some, hated by others. The girls thought that it was beyond polite to take their idol just to have their scissor-loving psycho take his place. Most boys had a nosebleed, and even some older men were incredibly uncomfortable. Before the performers could even begin to grow uncomfortable; Tori was close to breaking a sweat, while both their breathing were labored, they heard a scream and both recognized the voice.
"RAVEN!" They heard the shout and immediately turned to face it, their position and dance forgotten.
"Tyler..." They whispered, and the Goth jumped off; it was as if she was Moses, and the crowd, the red sea.
The kids were being held hostage by a group that looked like the Teen Tyrants. Tempest, was Ryder Daniels, and on his hook, was none other than Tyler West. Dressed as Timmy Tantrum, the blond held a blue blanket; he looked desperate hanging from that hook. Then, Steven Carson, with brown-red hair, was holding Melvin, and the teens were certain the girl was the source: Suzy had to figure a way of infiltrating the party; to top it all, as their dates, were Hayley Ferguson, dressed as Red Raven and Tara Ganz as Blackfire.
"Picking on the small kids now," began Jade, stepping away from their characters, "Ryder?"
"Got a problem," he sneered back, "Jade?"
"Of course I do," she replied with a laugh, "that's my kid."
"Oh!" He looked between the two dancing females, then frowned, "so you two didn't fool around?"
"I wouldn't mind some girl on girl action," Steven added, they gave their dates a sly glance; "would you give us a show?"
"You know, this is a new low," Tori began as the other two gave the boys disgusted looks, "attacking kids—"
"I thought they were yours too," the now redhead said.
"Really Tori, if it was with Beck, the sting wouldn't be so bad," he sighed in regret as he raised the kid on his hook to eye level, "now innocents will suffer for your actions..."
As though on cue, Timmy threw his blanket at Tempest, temporarily blinding him. Raven went straight at Arsenal, hitting his Adam's apple and forcing him to drop the blonde, who didn't hesitate in hitting his shin. Starfire used her yo-yos at the same time, the impact causing Aqualad's evil twin to become unbalanced and therefore, landing on his rear. The blond boy was helped to untangle his really nice costume from the hook, and the alien hugged him tenderly close. The others (sans Cat; where did the changeling go?) arrived, but only Terra was free to move; leaving the others behind, the earth-bender went at the dimension blue-boy on the boulder-skate.
"Hey..." Hayley went at Beck as though she didn't remember about their previous encounter at Karaoke Dokie, "I heard you dump my other self..."
"You two could do much better," Tara told André and the two boys looked at each other then eyed the girls warily, "we are more than willing to ditch these two idiots..."
"Hey!" The two idiots intoned at the same time, then tempest demanded, "we could use some help!"
"So why don't you become my Red Robin?" Red Raven asked in a sultry tone, pressing herself to him just to find herself being pulled away by her hair.
"Get your hands off him!"
"Trina?!" The boys blinked and the girls turned and gasped.
The older teen had dyed her hair black, her chocolate eyes and skin complementing the outfit; how she had learned Tori was Starfire left them all baffled.
"It's Blackfire," she replied.
"No, I am Blackfire!" Tara replied with a scowl.
Raven had Tempest on his knees and almost choking him with Timmy's blanket, while the kids had Arsenal down with tickling with the help of Star, who kept him down. Tara and Trina decided to settle the Blackfire incident with a singing competition. Meanwhile, Ryder tried shredding the blanket and almost poked Jade's eye, so she took the fake yet pointy (and dangerous) prop and threw it. At the other end, Robbie and Sinjin had upgraded a special prop the creep had devised; the cable wouldn't be able to sustain a big enough charge to kill someone, but good enough to temporarily paralyze someone.
"Star," Terra called to them; Tor took the children as Rob sped by, tying Arsenal's feet, "keep Raven from killing Tempest..."
She and the kids went to tackle Raven, just as the pale teen threw the hook away. The blonde teen hooked the cable around the other's ankle, and with rubber gloves on (both boys) Sinjin turned the power on. The sudden power usage made a short and when the hook struck the compartment that was meant to slime them for their fight with Plasmus... Killowat called to everyone to turn for cover. Several boys went to shield Robbie, Beck and André went to where Tori and Jade were with the kids while Sinjin did what he did best: flee. Red Raven and Blackfire (Tara, not Trina; they dispute had been settled once Tara winced in pain and in her joy, the college student had gone to get a special drink to celebrate her victory) went after the two boys, but got stuck on the cable and fell on their dates. Jade realize in a split second, that the one defense Sinjin had insisted in, was their only chance of escaping the green sticky substance. She stood once her friend and the two kids let her, took the hem of her cape making a clear, wrapping film fall, she took the center of the film and pulled. André and Beck got to either side of Tori, who was protecting Suzy and Ty, and a rather skittish Sic appeared, jumping onto the Latina's back.
Trina rounded the corner, drinking from her favorite drink she hadn't found anywhere but at HA, looking smug. Shock came later when she realized that everyone had been slimed. An evil smile graced her features at the sight of her mother, drenched in slime, knowing her baby sister would be in so much trouble. So, reasonably, she was pissed when she found that the Goth had covered for the brunette and that they were going to enjoy a movie marathon instead of being grounded.
~Time Jump~
"So, what did you think about the movies?" Jade asked her, as she passed her some sweats and a comfy shirt for her to sleep in; music came from her phone as she slept with it low.
"They were..." She tried to figure a good word, but not only was it hard to find, pale skin being freed from clothes certainly didn't help. Blushing, turning away, and clearing her throat softly, she went with the first word that came to mind. "Disturbing, I cannot believe they are kid movies."
"Heh, I love Burton," the shocking part was, that she had no undergarment beneath the leotard; the Latina began undressing, feeling her entire body in flames, "he has such a unique view of things..."
"So, where am I sleeping?" She asked for lack of anything better to say, and jumped a bit at the hands on her hips, feeling the other body close, as they had been during the dance; she turned her face and got lost on those blue eyes.
"Here ..." It was a whisper, and the girls climbed over the bed, and snuggled beneath the covers; suddenly, pale arms pulled her close, "so, did the movies scare poor Tori?"
"Y-yeah..." The stutter couldn't be helped; the tanned girl blushed and her friend laughed maliciously, pressing her a tad closer. "I'm not anymore..."
"Really? Why's that?" Jade whispered, and the Latina shivered but only pressed her forehead on the crook of the pale neck.
"Because I'm with you..." Just like that, the world made sense, "Jade, what is this? What's going on?"
"I don't know," she pressed the body closer, "truth is: I'm scared..."
"I'm scared too," the confessions seemed to make things better for them both, "I don't want it to change..."
"But, it's changing," the Latina found comfort in the other's smell; it was like orange citrus surrounded by different spices, "and as long as we're together, I know I'll be able to face it...
"This time, I'm the one making you a promise Tor," she whispered, feeling the girl in her arms relaxing at each word, "I'm not letting go."
Just then, Spectrum began playing, and they both sang it to each other. There was something so right about the song at that moment, and it brought peace to their conflicted emotions. Had another song began, they probably wouldn't have relaxed, and they might have spent the night giving their backs to the other, unable to sleep. As it was, they basked in each other's scent (the Latina smelled of vanilla) and fell into a deep sleep.
A/N: okay, I knew that Calvin had a major in psychology; I just honestly didn't see myself making use of it... Well, the story is way ahead of me, so you, as the reader, aren't the only one surprised by this turn of events. The custody scene... Completely improvised...
Up next: official meeting with Dan and Katarina, and... Wait, did the girls already knew each other?!
