"If you want to make a movie, make it. Don't wait for a grant, don't wait for the perfect circumstances, just make it." - Quentin Tarantino

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Jade had an itch in the back of her mind for a couple years now to gout and make her opus. It had been a tumultuous ride and she has hesitated to get back in the saddle ever since her first script literally went up in smoke. After that, Jade rarely put pen to paper in the form of a story.

But her late night songwriting session with Tori inspired her. Jade and her circle of classmates have collaborated in the past from performing to a bunch of toddlers dressed up as oversized foodstuffs to making a short film that bore the name of some Hollywood hack.

During that night, when Tori excused herself to use the bathroom, Jade noticed a Word file sitting on its own on the desktop of the Pearbook she was typing on. Tori's Pearbook. It was the script for that project she was writing with Beck, Cat and Andre all while being trapped on a plane with her sister. And despite all that, the ten-page script was damn good.

Tori walked back in, asking Jade "What's up?"

"I didn't know you knew screenplay format, Vega" Jade looked up from the glowing screen.

"Oh, that. Yeah got a B+ on it."

"It's better than that."

"Thanks, Jade. That means a lot coming from you."

"Please," she said leaning back on the floor in front of the couch. "I may have dabbled but I'm no Charlie Kaufman."

"Who?"

"Being John Malkovich?"

Tori shook her head.

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind?"

The Latina shrugged.

"God, you're sheltered. So, have you ever thought of writing like a full length story?"

"As a matter of fact…" her words trailed off as the girl ran off. Within a matter of minutes Tori came back with a black and white composition book. She handed it to Jade and she cracked it open. Tori sat and watched for fifteen minutes as Jade leafed through the wide ruled pages. "I had the idea in my head ever since out trip to Yerba."

Jade shuddered at the mention of that awful place.

"And I guess," Tori continued. "My imagination got the better of me."

It was a series of prose passages broken up here and there with snippets of dialogue and occasional sketches. Crude sketches. After combing several random pages, Jade placed the book on her lap and looked at her friend.

"I think we might have something here but it's gonna need work."

Tori and Jade worked during lunch and after school when they could making adjustments to what would become a real screenplay. Jade was getting more excited with every scene that went in the can. It was slowly coming together.

They knew where they wanted to start and where to finish but the middle gave them trouble. Jade came up with a solution she remembered from one of her screenwriting books. It started with having their vision for the ending and then working their way back until it met with the progress made by the beginning.

That way there was a natural sequence of events. One thing led to another. About halfway through the process, it was decided that they were going to go for the comedic route. The more the wrote, the more they realized how insane the whole thing was.

"People are gonna laugh," Tori sighed.

"Okay," Jade grinned. "Then that's what we'll have them do!"

After two solid months of work, Jade and Tori had 114 pages of movie. Beck, Cat, Robbie and Andre were the first to read it in Jade's room. They made a handful of copies; they kept it down to only a few until the copyright went through. The silence was often broken up with Cat's infectious giggling.

"This is great," Andre said.

"I can't wait to see it," Robbie added.

Beck stood up and put his arms around Jade. "Oh, I think we're gonna be seeing it sooner than we think."

"What do you say?" Jade asked.

Jade stood stoic while Tori smiled widely and pleaded.

"When do we start?" Andre stood.

"Next…" Tori turned to Jade. "Weekend? Right?"

Jade nodded. "Yeah. Gives us time to prepare. Lot of scheduling to do; lot of planning."

"Cat can do the costumes," Tori pointed.

"Robbie will be camera operator and special effects," Jade turned to the puppeteer. "I will be the second camera."

Tori was getting as excited as Jade. "Andre can do the music and…what else…what else…"

"Actors?" Robbie suggested.

"Right," Tori shouted. "Wow, we have a lot of parts to cast."

"Yeah we do," Jade laughed.

People started to file out as the afternoon turned into early evening. Jade held onto Beck. Cat also stayed behind.

"I want to talk to you," Jade told Beck in a sultry tone. She turned to her best friend. "Cat, go to your room."

"Kay kay!" the redhead skipped out of sight and Jade shut the door behind her, locking it.

"What…what are we doing?" Beck asked nervously.

"I'm…I dunno…I just want you right now." Her fingers traversed up and down his stomach and chest.

"Like that?"

Jade nodded, "Mmm, yeah."

"What about Cat's parents."

"They're gonna be gone until the next morning. And Cat can distract herself."

"Just us," bringing her closer to him.

"Just us."

"You're sure you're ready?"

"Why are you?"

"Yeah," Beck rubbed the back of his neck. "Have been for a while. Who wouldn't be?"

"Well don't you know how to make a girl feel special."

Beck did a double take when in half a second Jade had removed his belt from the loops of his pants, tossing it across the room. The belt buckle made a ching when it hit the hardwood floor.

Jade's eyes and smile became more femme fatale. "I guess we'll see, won't we?"