A/N: Well, this is it. Here is the epilogue of 'Do She Like Me?', based on the episode, 'Locked Up', which premiered a few days ago. I must warn you, though, there are spoiler alerts in his chapter. If you haven't seen the new episode, I strongly suggest you watch it first before reading this. It was quite great, I really liked it (even if the ending was somewhat...abrupt).
And looking back to the time I first published this chapter, I was way off in my prediction, lol.
I must say that I'm feeling a bit sad because this story is at an end, but I must also say I'm glad I was able to write such a story for so long, thanks to your invaluable input from you guys. I enjoyed writing it.
Shout outs will be on the bottom of the chapter.
With all these out of the way, enjoy this chapter.
The Epilogue
"Way to go, Vega. That's some vacation you planned." Jade grumbled for the millionth time as she crossed her arms.
She was dressed in an orange prison suit.
Prison suit?
Yes, she was in prison...along with Robbie, Tori, Cat, Beck, Andre, and Trina. And not in a normal prison, either: they were in a prison located half-way across the world from where they lived, in a foreign country, a supposedly-tropical paradise that was Yerba. They had been there for some time now, and were currently standing around in the prison courtyard.
And to be more precise, a gender-segregated one: the female prisoners were separated from the male ones by a chain-link fence. For some reason, there was one male prisoner in the female section: Robbie, Jade's boyfriend. Apparently, the Yerbanian prison guards, for some reason, regarded Robbie as a girl - despite the obvious fact he wasn't - and placed him in there. Jade, Robbie, Tori, Cat, and Trina were in the female section, while Beck and Andre were placed in the male section on the other side of the fence.
Anyways, back to the topic. Jade and her friends were in prison, a foreign one.
And it was all thanks to Tori, whose decision to kick her feet during the song, I Want You Back, had instead sent one of her heels flying across the room and hitting the Yerbanian Chancellor in the eye. The enraged chancellor, now essentially blind because he had been wearing an eye patch when the heel hit his other eye, had condemned Tori to four years in Yerbanian prison.
Then Robbie had to accidentally drop a clock into the Chancellor's octopus tank, electrocuting the creature. Then the same punishment that was meted out to Tori was applied to the rest.
However, the last part wasn't what had Jade so pissed off...well, not as pissed off as the fact that it was Vega who had landed this, literally, in this predicament. Jade definitely wasn't looking forward to spending four years in a foreign prison, surrounded by strange, creepy prison inmates.
And it was all thanks to Vega.
"I didn't mean to! It was an accident!" Tori protested as she threw her arms up.
"Yeah, this entire vacation was an accident!" Jade spat back.
Robbie placed a hand on Jade's shoulder, which immediately calmed her down. "Girls, we'll figure out something. I'm sure we can't stay here for long."
"Yeah, I'm sure that octopus couldn't stay there for long." Jade said sarcastically. Robbie sighed.
"I'm sure Sikowitz's doing something to try to get us out of here." Beck spoke up from the other side of the fence.
"I can only hope so, I mean, I don't really want to spend any more time here, with all these...creepy dudes in here." Andre said in a scared voice as he gestured at some of the prisoners here.
Robbie had noticed that during their stay in prison so far, Andre had been acting jumpy, like he was walking on glass shards. Probably because he was afraid of the prisoners, no matter how much he tried to hide it.
Unfortunately, one of the prisoners heard Andre's comment, and turned around to face Andre, an offended expression on his face. He was a tough-looking guy, with a shaved head and bulging biceps, accompanied with a group of prisoners.
"Hey!" He yelled.
Andre gulped as he backed into the gate, clearly looking terrified. "Ahh! We're going to die in here!"
Beck raised his eyebrows at him. "Don't act scared." He whispered.
"I'm not acting!" Andre said.
"Who ya callin' creepy?" The prisoner said in a threatening tone, albeit in an Eurban accent, a scowl on his face. Andre gulped while Beck looked cool as usual.
"I-I didn't say that! I m-mean, I wasn't talking about-"
The prisoner took a step forward. "Yes, you said it. I heard you clearly." He pointed a threatening finger at Andre.
"Now, let's not-", Beck began to speak up.
"I wasn't speaking to you!" The prisoner snapped, causing Beck to put his hands in front of him.
Sighing, Tori rolled her eyes and strode over to the fence, standing near Andre and placing her hands on the fence. Pasting on a polite smile, Tori began.
"Hi. Look there, you don't have to threaten my boyfriend - who I prefer to be intact in one place - but-"
"He's your boyfriend?" The prisoner interrupted, looking surprised. Tori blinked before she nodded.
"Uh, yeah." Tori raised her eyebrows.
There was a moment of silence as the prisoners nodded in amazement that the beautiful young woman, the one who had stabbed the chancellor in the eye, was the girlfriend of the terrified guy.
"Hey! How do you make your hair so...fluffy?" Another prisoner in the group spoke up. Andre, Beck, and Tori looked at him with confused looks on their faces for a moment before another prisoner yelled for them to answer.
"Um, tell him, tell him how you got your hair fluffy." Andre whispered to Beck, his voice will panicked. Beck sighed.
"Well...it all starts with a quality shampoo and conditioner."
The prisoners nodded once again, with awe. "Conditioner." One of them said as he got out a note and jotted something on it.
Tori stared at the prisoners with a deadpan expression on her face. "Ok, I'm gonna go, guys. Have fun." She walked off, leaving Andre and Beck to fend for themselves once again. Luckily, the prisoners had forgotten all about Andre's 'insult' as they gushed about "American hair care."
In the distance, Robbie chuckled a little as he saw Tori walk toward Trina and Cat a short distance away - and Andre and Beck inch away from the prisoners.
"I guess Andre and Beck got off light." Robbie whispered to Jade, who rolled her eyes.
"They're lucky." She spoke up. "Which is a pity, since I actually wanted to see a fight." She smirked.
Robbie rolled his eyes. "Of course you did. But still...Andre's lucky to have Tori. Like I'm lucky to have you."
"Getting cheesy, aren't we?" Jade smirked, even though there was a blush on her face. She stepped closer to Robbie and wrapped her arms around his body, and he hugged her closer.
Smiling at his girlfriend, and giving her a kiss, Robbie thought back to how this started (the fateful trip).
FLASHBACK
"Say that again?" Andre looked confused as he looked at his girlfriend.
He was sitting on the island in the middle of Tori's kitchen. Tori was standing near him, holding a glass of iced tea in her hand.
"I don't know. All I heard was an annoying sound." Jade sneered. She was standing next to Robbie, Beck and Cat near them. Tori glared at her before turning to Andre.
"As I was saying, I called his brother as soon as I got home and its true. they'll pay for our plane fares, our hotel rooms, our food. And all we have to do is one performance a night." Tori explained, referring to the fact that Festus, the guy who operates the Grub Truck at school, had suggested that she and her friends travel to his home country of Yerba, a "very exotic island" similiar to Hawaii, and told her about a brother who lived there who would make their trip free.
In addition, Festus had given Tori an outrageous long phone number that had taken Tori some time, and few errors, to dial.
"That sounds so fun." Cat spoke up with a grin. "I heard it's a beautiful place, like this place with the pretty tower thingy that people say you find romance there!" Tori and Jade stared weirdly at her, while Beck smiled at his redheaded girlfriend's antics.
Jade snorted. "Yeah, she's gonna get lost there if we go," She smirked.
"What's that supposed to mean!"
Robbie along with Beck chuckled a little at this.
"So, this island, uh..." Andre trailed off, forgetting the country's name.
"Yerba." Tori supplied.
"Yerba, its a cool place?" Andre inquired.
Tori grinned and nodded. "Yeah, Festus said it's kind of like Hawaii."
"Yeah, it declared independence a few years ago, so its a relatively new country. But yeah, it's like Hawaii, all beautiful and exotic." Robbie found himself speaking out, having learned about this country in his History class (a class that he excelled in). Jade turned to him and smirked. "Nerd." She teased.
Robbie turned to her and smirked back. "At least I was a good nerd in bed." He retorted, delighting in the blush that appeared on Jade's face.
"Um...TMI!" Tori coughed. She and Andre looked grossed out, while Beck shook his head. Cat looked confused as she tilted her head to the side, her finger on her chin.
"Oh!" Tori looked like she just remembered something as she grabbed her laptop from the kitchen counter. "I went to the official Yerba website, and look." She said as she brought over the laptop to show them the screen.
Andre, Beck, Cat, Robbie, and Jade huddled closer to see what was on the screen. Robbie, for one thing, enjoyed Jade's hair scent as she placed her chin on his shoulder.
As they looked at the pictures, the groups were simply...blown away, even Jade. They saw pictures of amazing scenarios, natural features, luxurious hotels with sparkling swimming pools, and various aspects.
"Ohh, look at that." Andre breathed out as he pointed at one of the pictures. "Oh, white sand beach." He said the last part a bit dreamily.
"Computer." Robbie said in the same dreamy tone, referring to Tori's new Pear laptop. Tori and Beck looked at him while Jade nudged him in the ribs.
"So...if your parents say its cool, do you guys wanna do it?" Tori inquired, a smile on her face.
There was a flurry of "Sure", "Absolutely" and "Awesome" from the group.
As she pointed at some pictures on the laptop to the group, which were now seated together around a small table, when she heard yellings.
"I'm never playing mini-golf with you guys again!" Trina whined in a high-pitched tone as she stormed into the living room, a golf club in her hand. Her mother trailed after her.
"Promise?" She asked.
Tori raised an eyebrow as she glanced at her friends, who were now watching the drama in front of them.
"What happened?" She said, a bit worried as she took a tentative step forward.
Her mother sighed. "Trina missed a putt so she got upset and threw a golf club at her father." Tori gasped.
"No, I threw my golf club, and Dad just stood there and let it hit him." Trina said in an exasperated, and slightly defensive, tone. As if on a cue, her father walked into the house, sporting a nasty bruise on his right eye.
"Well, that was fun." He said sarcastically as his wife comforted him. When Trina went upstairs to paint her nails, ignoring her mother's order to get an ice-pack, Tori walked over to her father and gently felt the bruise.
"Aw, it's throbbing." She said. Mr. Vega sighed.
"Yes, yes. Thank you, baby."
After that, Tori was forced to being Trina with her, her parents even promising to purchase her a car ("Any car you want!"). They, however, were resolute that Tori bring an adult to chaporene the trip or there would be no trip; this was resolved when Robbie had suggested they ask Sikowitz to go. Tori sighed.
"Great. Ok, we'll do that." She muttered. As Andre got off the island where he had been sitting on to go over to his girlfriend, Robbie looked over at Jade to find that she was scowling slightly, clearly displeased that Tori's annoying sister had to go on the trip.
He placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. She snuggled into him, wrapping her arms around him, the scowl on her face dissipating a bit.
FLASHBACK END
Robbie chuckled a bit as he then remembered how displeased Tori and the others (especially Jade) had been when they were forced to ask him to chaperone the trip for them, given that he was the only available teacher.
He looked down to see Jade looking at him questioningly. He shrugged.
"Just thinking about when Tori invited Sikowitz to go with us." He replied with a cheeky smile. Jade rolled her eyes.
"Of course."
FLASHBACK
"Ah! Yerba, Yerba, Yerba. Has a catchy ring to it, eh? You know, I hear they have different flavored coconuts there."
Andre was looking at Sikowitz strangely while Tori sighed softly and Jade rolled her eyes as they listened to their teacher's ramblings in while he was driving. Robbie was playing around on his PearPad, and Beck and Cat in their little world.
"Smart thing you did, Vega. Inviting him to go with us." Jade said sarcastically as she jerked her head toward the bearded man.
"I had no choice!" Tori whispered to her rival. "Lane had other plans for the summer, and I was unable to find other teachers willing to go with us."
"That, and we needed someone to chaperone us." Beck spoke up. Tori gestured at the long-haired boy with a 'you see what I mean' look on her face. Jade rolled her eyes again.
"Yay, I can't wait!" Cat clapped her hands excitedly.
"I can't wait to throw you into the ocean." Jade remarked with a deadpan look. Cat gasped.
"Jade." Robbie looked at her with a disapproving expression on his face. Jade rolled her eyes but then smiled.
Shortly after, they arrived at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), where the group promptly got out and brought their luggage with them.
"I hope there won't be an annoying kid in the plane that we're going in." Trina said. Tori raised an eyebrow at her older sister.
"I'm looking at one." Jade said as she looked at Trina with disdain. Trina looked offended, while Andre and Beck chuckled.
"Onwards to Eurba!" Sikowitz said dramatically as he sidled toward the airline counter. The group sighed and muttered something under their breath as they followed their eccentric teacher.
"This will be worth it, this will be worth it." Andre muttered to himself.
FLASHBACK END
The long flight to Yerba withstanding (which took a gruelling fifteen hours), it wasn't mentioning the fact that Yerba was apparently not the paradise they had expected. Indeed, it resembled more like a war-torn country than the tropical paradise that it was supposedly reowned to be. The supposedly magnificent hotel that they were staying in was actually a run-down manor located on the outskirts of the Yerbanian capital. Robbie couldn't blame Tori for this, though.
The 'hotel' wasn't actually half-bad, although Rex loudly proclaimed that he didn't like the place at all. That is, when one discounted the...slightly wacky people who resided there ('slightly' being a light word). He remembered Tori had gotten freaked out when that weird Yerbanian guy (who turned out to be Festus's brother, who managed the hotel) smelled her hand, and tried to make her smell his. Then Robbie had gone on to inspect the hotel room with Jade and Trina, using the 'key' (which was actually a screwdiver) to enter what was actually a gritty hotel room. The discovery of a strange guy in the large closet had freaked the living daylights out of him, and so did an unexploded grenade in the toilet. Then later that very night, Beck and Andre had kicked him out of the bed and generally forced him to sleep in the bathtub.
The hell he was going to sleep in the same vicinity as that grenade in the toilet, so he opted to go to the girls' room, crawling into the bed next to Jade and Cat. Then a strange guy unexpectedly leapt into the bed through the window, only to be apprehended by Yerbanian soldiers - who crawled through the window too! - and dragged right back out the same window. Cue the frightened screams.
Somehow, Jade had slept through that. Thank God she didn't hear his...girly scream.
The group had wanted to leave right away, but were forced to remain when the hotel manager all but used the threat of force to compel them to keep to their side of the 'agreement.' The first night, they were to entertain various Yerbanian guests - including the Chancellor and his entourage - with the song that Tori wrote, I Want You Back. Robbie enjoyed the show, especially Jade: the way she danced and swayed to the music made him hard in his pants, and he couldn't help but roam his eyes all over her curvy body. And Jade seemed to know it.
However, everything quickly went downhill and soon spiraled out of control when Tori accidentally kicked her high heels across the room, hitting the Yerbanian chancellor in the eye. Dressing up more like a military dictator, complete with a military uniform and its accessories (including epaulettes, medals, and an eye patch), the blinded chancellor had generally condemned Tori to prison without as much of a legal trial.
Then while Sikowitz and friends were appealing to the chancellor to release Tori, and just when he was about to agree on the condition that they never return to Yerba again, Robbie literally fried their hopes of getting out of the country.
So...here he was, in a gated prison located somewhere in Yerba, with his girlfriend and friends. This would be where he would spend the next four years. He had never seen Tori get so pissed off at him before in the year he had known her - and he honestly felt bad about that.
This added to the long list of events that had transpired in a relatively short period of time. Robbie still couldn't believe what had happened since then. Why, only a few months before, he had been a lonely boy who carried around a puppet, who had been derided as a nerd or geek or a variant therefor, who had been bereft of a girlfriend or even a chance of getting one.
Now here he was, dating Jade West, the dark girl who he had once thought was impossibly out of his league because she had been dating the most handsome boy in Hollywood Arts for two years. Not only that, but she was the girl he lost his virginity to - and he was glad for that.
What had begun as a personal quest to determine whether the two girls he liked like him back or not had led to a kaleidoscope of events that led to the way things were right now. Trina's constant rejection which manifested themselves in the bowl of soup and salad that was subsequently dumped on his head had prompted him to wash himself off into the restroom and have an impromptu conversation with his conscience. From there, fate intervened to make him bump with Jade herself in the corridor and actually have a meaningful conversation with her that only left more questions than providing answers, and led him to pay more attention to Jade herself.
Then he grew closer and closer to Jade in ways he would never have expected. Then she broke up with Beck and asked him out to the Danceathon in less than twenty-four hours before he had his first, actual kiss with her (discounting Trina and Cat's stage kisses). Then they made out for the first time in Jade's bedroom, where they so nearly had sex. Then he asked her to be his girlfriend a few days later.
Then there was the Danceathon itself, one of the greatest days in his life and the day before the worst day of his life. There, he had a delightfully wonderful time with Jade, impressing her with a variety of dance moves that he had to admit to himself that he didn't know he could do until his feet actually moved to the beat of the music. And then he was hit by a speeding car so soon after he had dropped Jade off at her house, and was saved by the diligent effort of surgeons. It was at the hospital he had an unique experience, an encounter with an angel named Samuel, of which had finally caused him to wake up from his weeks-long slumber.
After he'd been released from the hospital and recovered from his injuries, Jade's discovery of the fateful slip of paper led to amazing sex, which he would never forget for the rest of his life.
At that point, Tori was discussing a plan to get out of the prison - and the country - with Sikowitz, who was dressed up as a guard, of which uniform that he apparently bought from the hotel's gift shop. The teacher had bribed a farmer to borrow a duck truck, where he would drive them across the border (But Yerba was an island, surrounded by water. So how Sikowitz would do that, Robbie had no idea). It apparently involved the song, I Want You Back.
"Robbie, you in?" A voice rang out.
"Robbie...Robbie...you there?"
He blinked back into reality as he saw Tori waving her hand in front of his face, the group looking at him with amused expressions on their face. Jade, for one, was smirking at him.
Robbie felt his face heat up as he coughed a bit to try to clear up the awkwardness.
"Uh...what was the plan again?" Tori rolled her eyes while Jade's smirk widened.
"See, that's the kind of effect I have on Robbie here," Jade remarked, making Robbie blush more.
Tori went over her plan once again, explaining that the purpose of the song was to distract the guards with the assitance of the other inmates, and then slip out of the prison when they weren't lookin and get on Sikowitz's duck truck.
"...the other prisoners will do their work, and don't worry, I'll make sure the tougher prisoners don't bother you." Tori said the last part at Andre, who scowled a bit in embarrassment while Beck snorted in laughter.
"Ohh, can I be the bait?" Cat said excitedly. Tori stared at her.
"Cat, there is no bait. We're in this together..." She glanced around furtively at the other prisoners. "...well, as together as we usually are."
Robbie nodded as he acknowledged the plan, even though his mind was somehow still thinking about the past.
Then Tori asked to see the chancellor, where she apparently 'admitted' the 'truth' and asked to honor him by playing a performance for him. He agreed, and so he and his entourage, along with a hand-picked crowd, were sitting in the courtyard. Tori and the others took their positions, where they would begin the plan.
As Robbie took his position among the group, he felt a hand intertwine into his and squeeze it. He smiled at Jade as she smiled back.
Tori nodded at the group as they were set to begin.
Ohhhhhh
Let say now
Ohhhh
(Ohhhh)
Everyone began to sing as they moved in step with the music.
When I had you to myself I didn't want you around
Those pretty places always made you stand out in a crowd
But someone picked you from the bunch
One glance was all it took
Now it's much too late for me to take a second look
The lyric wafted through the air as everyone danced to the music, moving in tandem of steps and gestures.
CHORUS:
Oh baby give me one more chance
(show you that I love you)
Won't you please let me
(back to your heart)
Oh darlin' I was blind to let you go
(let you go baby)
But now since I see you in his arms
(I want you back)
Yes I do now
(I want you back)
Ooh ooh baby
(I want you back)
Ya ya ya ya
(I want you back)
Na na na na
Tryin' to live without your love
Is one long sleepless night
Let me show you girl
That I know wrong from right
Every street you walk on
I leave tearstains on the ground
Following the girl
I didn't even want around
Let me tell you now
The plan seemed to work as the audience began to sway along with the music, clearly enjoying it.
CHORUS:
Oh baby all I need is one more chance
(show you that I love you)
Won't you please let me
(back to your heart)
Oh darlin' I was blind to let you go
(let you go baby)
But now since I see you in his arms
Uh-huh
A buh buh buh buh (2 times)
All I want
A buh buh buh buh
All I need
A buh buh buh buh
All I want
A buh buh buh buh
All I need
Tori and the others grinned at each other as they saw that the plan was clearly working.
CHORUS:
Oh baby all I need is one more chance
(show you that I love you)
Won't you please let me
(back to your heart)
Oh darlin' I was blind to let you go
(let you go baby)
But now since I see you in his arms
Uh-huh
A buh buh buh buh (2 times)
All I want
A buh buh buh buh
All I need
A buh buh buh buh
All I want
A buh buh buh buh
All I need
At this part, Tori began to skip toward the back of the stage, followed by Andre, Robbie, Jade, Beck, Cat, and Trina, as well the 'manly' female prisoner who had nearly beat Jade up. The other prisoners parted to let them cross through.
"Quick, this way!" Tori hissed as she led the group through a deserted hallway, going around several corners.
"Wait! I gotta find Rex!" Ignoring the others' protests, Robbie had little difficulty finding the place where the guards would've placed Rex in. The song was still wallowing in the background, but it was only a matter of time before it ended and everyone realized what was going on.
Managing to find it, Robbie snatched Rex up and sprinted over to where the group were. Jade shot him an irritated, but relieved, glare.
By then, the music had ended. The Yerbanians would find out soon.
"Here it is!" Tori pointed at a door, and they promptly burst out to find Sikowitz with his rundown truck. Everyone clambered on abroad as Sikowitz got into the car and hightailed it out of there. Jade wrapped her hands around Robbie tightly as the vehicle made several sharp turns, prompting some squeals and yells - especially from Cat - down the mountain. The prison was receding in the distance, but Robbie knew they had to get out of there fast before the Yerbanians called for reinforcements. They were in a war-torn country, after all.
After some time, the bumpy road became more smooth, and Robbie felt himself relax a bit, feeling the wind blow through his hair. He slipped his hand into Jade's, smiling at her.
"That was interesting, huh?" Robbie remarked.
Jade smiled. "Well...prison is not something I would call 'interesting', but yes you can say that. As long as you're here with me."
Adopting a smirk, Robbie looked at her. "Getting cheesy, aren't we?" He mimicked Jade's earlier words, which received a slap from Jade on his shoulder.
"Say that again, and you won't get to taste these lips for a long time." Jade warned. Robbie laughed as he leaned over to peck her on the lips.
"I just did."
Jade shook her head with a small smile.
"This was some adventure, huh?" Jade had her head on Robbie's shoulder.
Robbie chuckled. "Yes...this would be a trip that we won't forget."
"I wouldn't say that, actually." Jade had a...naughty smirk. Robbie felt his crotch twitch a bit as he looked at his girlfriend.
"Why?" Robbie inquired. Jade grinned.
"You already know."
Robbie grinned in return as he leaned over to give her a kiss, one she eagerly returned.
Jade was right...much lay in ready in the near-future, these that Robbie felt that he wouldn't forget.
They had to get out of Yerba first.
A/N: Hm, I think I did ok on this chapter...hope you liked. Now, for the shout outs.
I would like to thank ZenNoMai, jackpotdante, DarkseidAlex, Riotstarter1214, fwfrefre, franc14, Broken Juggernaut, and others whose reviews encouraged me to keep on writing. I couldn't have done it without you guys, and you're all awesome!
I also would like to thank Zen, for his Rade stories not only spawned my love for Rade, but inspired me to write Rade stories as well. You are awesome, dude.
Once again, if you haven't watched the episode, then don't read-aw, who am I kidding? Chances are that if you're reading this particular sentence, you probably have read the chapter already, lol.
I might write more Rade stories in the near-future, perhaps a sequel to this story. But we shall see.
Until then,
GallaudetLurker