"Jade…" Nora crossed her arms again, leering at her daughter from across the room, "Where. Is. Tara?"

"And…" Tori walked over to the couch, sitting down next to Jade and reaching behind her back, "What are you…hiding?" Jade tried to push her back against the couch to block Tori's prying hand, but she was too late as her hand retracted after grabbing a green and orange folder with a large "U" logo on the front of it. "Jade, what is this?"

Jade quickly snatched the folder back from Tori and slid back to the other side of the couch, holding her secret folder close to her. "Look! Just let me explain, okay? I got this…when I was at the theater today with Tara…"

Previously…

"I was interrupting one of those moments, wasn't I?" Tara cringed behind the front door, "Sorry. Just…uh…meet us outside when you're ready?"

"We're ready!" Tori broke away from Jade, scooping up her bag from the dining table chair and slipping on her sneakers. "Come on, Jade! You're driving Tara in the SUV!"

"R-Right!" Jade snapped out of the daze and brushed her clothes free of food crumbs before grabbing the keys from the kitchen counter.

After stumbling awkwardly out of the apartment, Tori promptly walked to the black company coupe where Nora was waiting for her while Jade and Tara made for the red SUV and filed into the driver and passenger seats, respectively. They sat in silence for a moment, darting quick glances at each other before staring straight ahead.

"We don't…need to talk about that, right?" Tara cleared her throat nervously.

"What's to talk about?" Jade coughed as she turned the key in the ignition, "You walked in on worse, remember?"

"Well, it's not like I walked in while you two were actually—"

"Tara!" Jade snapped, then lowered her tone with a sigh, "That's 'talking about it'. Let's just get to the theater for that thing Sikowitz texted me about."

"Right…" Tara buckled her seatbelt and looked out the window as they left the parking lot. "He said he needed both of us for some…exhibition? You mind telling me what that is, because Nora just blushed when I asked her."

"I bet she did," Jade scoffed, "In theater terms, it means he needs our help presenting something to someone; probably a potential sponsor or someone who learned about the theater from the showcase. In any case, it's not like we had anything else to do today, right?"

"I guess not," Tara shrugged, "I haven't been needed at Neutronium since the showcase, so whatever this exhibition is, I can help; I owe Sikowitz that much, anyway."

"Thatagirl," Jade smiled, glancing in Tara's direction before focusing back on the road, "So, how've you been? It's been a few days. You finally replace that old music player or my mom's antique, hand-me-down phone?"

Tara let out a chuckle, still looking out the window, "Nope. I don't mind this 'dumbphone' as you called it once, and I'm still pretty attached to my music."

"You know, I'm sure you got paid a lot for being part of the showcase," Jade mused, "And you're basically living in my mom's hotel room for free, so what's stopping you from getting a smartphone and buying your favorite songs on the music store or something?"

Tara shook her head with a sigh, "I…don't have as much money as you think I do, Jade. I mean, yeah, they paid me a lot, but I donated most of it to a charity that helps homeless teens. Nora helped me find it." Stopped at a red light, Tara watched a group of children crossing the street in front of them, chatting away and holding their backpacks tightly, "I was lucky Sikowitz gave me a place to stay when I left my foster home, and you guys helped me find a job, but not everyone's that fortunate; so…whatever I can do to help other kids live somewhat better than I did, you know?"

Jade smiled at Tara, even though the shorter girl was still staring forward at the crosswalk, and lightly punched her shoulder to get her attention, "That's actually really thoughtful…Tara. Good for you." The corner of Tara's lip briefly lifted into a smile before the light turned green and Jade continued driving toward the theater.

They soon arrived at the theater, walking down from the main aisle to meet Sikowitz at center-stage. Jade glanced curiously at someone sitting alone in the front row of the audience; a blonde woman in a light grey suit with a black messenger bag in the seat next to her. The fact that there was even someone in the audience at all was a rare sight, considering there was nothing to watch today except Sikowitz's class. The woman's eyes met Jade's, making her break away quickly and focus back to the stage, where Sikowitz met her and Tara.

"Ah, there you are! Glad you could make it!" he grinned, "As I'm sure you already noticed, we have an audience for today's class!" He extended a hand toward the woman Jade had noticed before in the front row, who gave a smile and polite wave in response to Sikowitz's introduction. "She's just here to observe a class and maybe consider signing her daughter up to participate, too!"

Tara raised an eyebrow at that last remark, "Only one? I'd have thought more people would be signing up after the showcase…"

"Well, baby steps, right?" Sikowitz waved his hands as if to repel that tangent away, "Anyway, Jade, I'd like you to lead the class while I observe along with our guest."

"Me?" Jade crossed her arms, "Shouldn't it be you teaching, since you're the-and he's gone." Her inquiry was left hanging as Sikowitz briskly stepped off the stage and took a seat in the audience. "Alright, then. Gather round, class is in session!"

Standing at center stage, Jade could more clearly see the three students, including Tara, in front of her and Sikowitz and their guest sitting in the background. She could faintly see the woman typing something on her phone, but shook her head to focus back on the class she was leading. Jade took a deep breath, mentally putting on the persona of a teacher and not a student.

"Alright, class, it's been a good minute since we had a proper acting exercise after that showcase, so let's get back into it with a game Sikowitz likse to call 'Alphabet Improv'!" The announcement drew some anxious expressions from the students, Tara's ears perking up, a subtle smirk from the guest, and an approving nod from Sikowitz; proof enough to Jade that they were off to a good start as she continued.

"Rules are simple: One of you starts off with a line starting with a certain letter, then the next person's line has to start with the next letter in alphabetical order, but if someone doesn't start a line with the right letter, they're out and everyone else continues until there's one person left."

"What does that last person win?" Tara asked, her arms crossed as she put on a curious smirk that Jade couldn't help but chuckle to.

"The winner…" she tapped her chin, coming up with a quick idea for a reward, "The winner gets to choose what lunch we get delivered today…on Sikowitz's dime." That answer won excited nods from the class, a chuckle from Tara, and a not-so-subtle cough from Sikowitz in the back.

"Sound good? Now then, your scene is…that you're stuck together in the school library on a Saturday and passing the time by shooting the breeze about whatever you want, starting with the letter…M! Brad, you'll start, then Casey, then Tara, then repeat until one is left! Action!" Jade stepped back to give her students the space, smiling to herself at how naturally her instruction came out.

"Man, is it time to go yet? We've been here for hours!" Brad feigned a frustrated groan as he got up along with Casey and Tara.

"Not even close," Casey sighed, looking at an imaginary watch on her wrist, "Still 2 hours and 22 minutes to go."

"Of course you would know the exact time," Tara scoffed, keeping her arms crossed as she stood, "You've been to enough of these that you don't even need your watch, so why pretend?" Jade unconsciously smiled as she watched Tara clearly emulating her own mannerisms.

"Please, don't get into another fight! The principal will hear you again!"

"Quiet, Brad! I'm sick of this shrimp always taking pot shots at me every chance she gets!"

"Right…as if you don't do the same thing to me behind my back! At least I have the nerve to insult you in your face!"

"Stop it, you two! I can't handle two more hours of your constant bickering!"

"Then stay out of this! I'll be more than happy to go toe-to-toe with Little Miss—"

"Utter one more crack about my height and we'll go toe-to-toe right now, grunch!" Tara rolled up her sleeve, taking a few steps toward Casey, who didn't flinch despite how angry Tara sounded.

Jade simply smiled, impressed at how well they were acting and keeping up with the game; even with how frightened Brad looked—though she assumed he was actually scared of the scene unfolding in front of him. She snuck a glance toward their guest, who was still watching the scene intently while typing into her phone until her eyes met Jade's. Turning her focus back to the stage, Jade started to wonder if the guest was actually observing the class or her…

"Okay, then consider me—" Brad raised his hands as he spoke, but he was cut off by Jade before he could say…

"Out! Gotta watch your words there, Brad, but at least you were already making to sit down anyway. Thanks for playing." Jade smirked as her student groaned and took his seat. "Casey, continue from 'V'!"

Casey smirked on hearing Jade's prompt and flashed a wink in Tara's direction. "Very nice acting, Tara! I thought he'd never go away."

Tara caught the wink, following Casey's lead away from Brad, "What can I say? I saw an opportunity, and I took it! Just like we did with each other, right~?"

"Except…" Casey emphasized the first syllable of her word, looking to Jade, who gave a short nod, accepting of her substitution for the letter "X", and then continued, "…that time, instead of arguing with each other, we kind of did…the exact opposite, right?"

"You may have to remind me…" Tara smirked, taking a step closer to Casey and innocently shrugging a shoulder toward her.

Casey matched Tara's smirk and leaned over her, pulling her closer by her chin and planting a sweet kiss on her lips. Tara's lips grew to a wide smile as she returned the kiss, earning a whistle from Brad and a very approving nod from Jade.

The kiss lingered for a few seconds longer before they separated, and Tara uttered a single, "Wow…"

Jade sighed and shook her head as she called out, "Tara! Casey didn't say anything yet, and that was the wrong letter! You know what that means~"

Tara just giggled, as if she didn't care, and kept looking at Casey as she walked back to her chair, "Worth it…"

Rolling her eyes and chuckling to herself, Jade clapped her hands, "Alright! Good show, good show, now Casey gets to choose what Sikowitz buys us all for lunch!"

Sikowitz was about to raise an objection while looking for his wallet when the woman sitting next to him raised her hand first and stood up, "Actually, I'd be happy to treat you all to lunch! That was a very impressive showing, by the way!" Tara, Casey, and Brad all bowed in their places in appreciation as Jade walked off the stage and toward their generous guest.

"That's very kind of you," Jade smiled, "Does that mean we can look forward to having your daughter join us here?"

"Oh, I'm sure you can...in a few years, maybe," the woman smiled back, "But that's actually not the only reason I'm here." She reached into her pants pocket and took out a business card to hand to Jade, "My name is Emily Parker, I'm from the University of Miami, and I'm here to see you, Jade West."

"Me?" Jade blinked in surprise, "Wait…you said University of Miami? Are you here to make some recruitment speech to me? Well, you can save it, because I'm not thinking about college right now."

As Jade was about to turn away and return to the stage, Emily stood firmly, still holding her card, "Aren't you curious as to why I came all the way to an old theater that most people didn't even know existed until a few days ago? At least hear me out. My daughter Rose will be sad that Mommy couldn't get an autograph from 'that pretty director lady from Tori Vega's show'…"

Biting her lip, Jade muttered a silent curse before turning back and snatching the business card from Emily's hand, reading it quickly, and stowing it in her pocket. "Fine, make your speech, but I'd hurry because those three up there get tired of Sikowitz's old donuts and bottled water really fast."

Emily smirked and took out a green and orange folder to hand to Jade. "I'll be brief, for your sake and theirs. I—or, I should say—my bosses saw the showcase you directed for Tori Vega and Neutronium Records, and they were impressed, to say the least. Mr. Sikowitz over there also filled me in on your experiences at Hollywood Arts in California, and I'm sure I'm not the first one to be asking why someone who graduated from a top performing arts high school—with honors, even—is working in a run-down theater instead of taking her experience further?"

"If you really saw that showcase, then you already know the answer," Jade replied curtly, "Thanks to that little gig, I have my expenses more than covered thanks to Neutronium; no expensive degree needed, and I'm only gonna get more gigs from there~"

"But do you know that for certain?" Emily pressed her with a curious eye, "When's your next 'gig'? Tomorrow? Next week? Next month before your rent is due again?"

Jade maintained her composure at Emily's jabs, barely managing to keep any rising agitation from showing on her face.

"Look, I know what you're thinking, Jade," Emily raised a hand in assurance, "College is expensive, and ours is really no exception. I'm just here to offer a suggestion at best. Not a lot of high school graduates have your level of education or experience, and maybe that can help you earn a scholarship or get credit for some of our classes in advance! I'm sure you're in a good position now with this theater and Neutronium Records, but if you ever think about making the most of your performing arts talents…give me a call, okay?" She held the folder in both hands, offering it with a smile.

Jade observed Emily for a moment, seeing her smile as sincere rather than painted like she would expect a recruiter to look, and placed the folder neatly in her bag. "Thanks…I guess I'll at least take a look at it."

"You won't regret it, I promise," Emily nodded to her, "Now, who am I taking the lunch order from again?" Sikowitz led her onstage to meet with Casey as Jade looked back to find Tara walking toward her with a rather downtrodden expression toward the floor.

"Can we go?" Tara said softly, barely loud enough for Jade to hear.

"What are you talking about?" Jade chuckled, oblivious to Tara's mood, "We're about to get free lunch!"

"I don't care!" Tara snapped, keeping her voice low, "I just wanna go now, please!"

Jade looked at Tara, shocked to see her so upset—close to when she first discovered she was homeless—and nodded quietly as they exited the theater outside of everyone's view.

Filing into the SUV, Jade saw Tara quietly looking outside her window at nothing, wondering what could have gotten her in such a mood.

"Hey," Jade called, turning on the car, "What happened? Last time I saw, you were practically glowing from that stage kiss Casey gave you."

"'Stage kiss'," Tara shook her head, repeating the words, "Of course, of freakin' course, it was…"

"Alright," Jade curtly shut off the ignition and grabbed Tara by the shoulders, "Skip the 'poor me' phase and tell me what happened, Tara."

Tara scoffed and pulled Jade's hands off her before staring straight at the windshield, "After you went to talk to that lady, we just talked about the improv game for a bit. I told Casey I was surprised by the kiss, but I liked it. I liked it so much that I asked her if she wanted to go out after lunch."

"Okay?" Jade raised her eyebrows curiously, "That should be a cause for celebration, right? You finally got the nerve to ask someone out?"

"Oh, I got the nerve to ask, alright," Tara sighed, "And she told me that 'her boyfriend probably wouldn't like that'!"

Jade cringed back, shaking her head, "Ah man, I'm sorry. How about we get something to-go, and we can chow down at the apartment over your favorite crime drama or—"

"Just take me back to the hotel, Jade," Tara cut her off, shutting her eyes and covering her face, "Please, I'm…not in the mood to eat, watch, or play anything, okay?"

Jade was about to object to that request, but the muffled sob she heard made her turn on the car instead without a word.

Now…

"…and then I drove back here to look over these." Jade handed the University of Miami folder back to Tori and rested her back against the couch, staring at the ceiling.

"Oh my god," Tori set the folder down between them and frowned, "Poor Tara. Will she be okay all by herself, though?"

Nora sighed, making for the front door, "I should head back there now; keep her company and get her something to eat."

"Um…you shouldn't do that," Jade suddenly rose up and raised her hand toward her mom.

"What are you saying?" Nora said, confused, "I shouldn't try to cheer her up after being rejected?"

"No, I mean..." Jade coughed and bit her lip, slightly embarrassed to continue, "She's not at the hotel."

"You just said you dropped her off there before coming home!" Nora retorted, going back from concerned to upset.

"Actually, I didn't explicitly say that I dropped her off…" Jade corrected, as if it would do anything to quell their concern.

"So where the hell is she?!" Tori exclaimed, getting up from the couch.

The room was silent as no one spoke up, but the sound of something breaking in Jade's room stirred them out of their thoughts. They all turned toward her door, where Tara burst out angrily with her wrists cuffed together and a bandana around her neck.

"You knocked me out, gagged me, and handcuffed me to your freaking bed, Jade?!" Tara yelled before reading the room. "What the hell is wrong wi—oh. Hi, Tori, Nora…how did the interview go?"

Their jaws practically on the floor, Tori and Nora stared at Tara for a long moment before glaring at Jade, whose head was buried in her lap before she gave a half-smile and raised her hands innocently, "It's not what it looks like?"