Disclaimer: The show Victorious, its characters and associated trademarks, along that of the characters from the Addams family are property of someone else and not me.

Outgoth the Goth

Chapter 5 – Temper, Temper

No One's POV

Jade went home directly from Nozu, her hand throbbing in pain the entire way. Entering the house, she went straight into the kitchen to get some ice for her hand.

In the kitchen she found her mother, who appeared to be ready for a night out. The tall, tanned, blonde, Carolyn West, was wearing a stylish white Versace dress with pearls and Fendi Handbag.

"Jade, what happened to your hand."

"I punched a concrete wall, that's what happened." Snapped Jade, as she went to the fridge.

Carolyn West scoffed. "So tell me, what did the offending wall do to you? Did it learn its lesson?"

Jade ignored the comment, pulled out an ice tray from the freezer, sat down at the table and started to dump the ice cubes in a plastic bag.

"Where are you and dad going?" Jade asked, a few moments later.

"Out, your father and I are having dinner at the Ryerson's. They've even invited Sir Gerald Smith-Park and his wife Eleanor to join. It should be a wonderful evening. They are distant cousins of the queen you know."

"Translation, we're going to try to advance our social status by kissing up to old money and distant royalty." Jade sneered.

Jade detested her mother's materialism and constant attempts to improve her social status, by meeting the right people. It wasn't enough the woman owned her own real estate agency, she needed more.

Carolyn West, glared at Jade for a moment, then sat down. "Let me see your hand."

"Why?"

"Because I'm your mother. Now hold out your hand."

Reluctantly Jade held out her hand, which her mother carefully examined. Jade was in obvious pain, but her mother seemed to ignore that in her examination.

"You're lucky; you bruised the hell out of your hand, but luckily didn't break anything. Take aspirin and keep it iced. It's already starting to swell. Not to mention stop punching walls."

Carolyn helped Jade finish the icepack and placed it on her daughter's hand. "Care to talk about it Jade?"

"No. I don't want to talk about it."

Carolyn leaned back and put a finger on her chin with a mischievous expression. "Ummmm….let me guess. Tori Vega. That girl you rant about at least twice a day."

"It's not her!" Bellowed Jade, as she instantly stood up from the table.

Carolyn laughed. "You've got it bad."

"NO I DON'T!"

Carolyn rolled he eyes. "Fine, whatever. But maybe if you'd perhaps wear a nice dress and not that dreadful black funeral garb and be nice to that girl, you'd get somewhere. But you're playing super hard to get by acting you hate her."

"It's too fucking late. She's found someone else." Jade said as she lowered her head.

"However could that be? I thought your plan to hate her constantly was working so well, you mean it's not gotten you into her pretty little pants." Mocked Carolyn.

Jade sighe. "She's found an even darker and paler Goth to hang out with. That ivory skinned demon, stole her right out from under me. And I think she knew I liked her all along."

Carolyn's face, grew serious for a moment. "So you're just going to give up and punch walls. To be brutally honest, that's downright pathetic." Carolyn said dismissively, as she got up and started to walk away.

"What should I do, then?" Spat out Jade in a flash of anger.

Carolyn West paused. "If you give up, you get nothing. If you actually act a bit nice to her and stop acting like a gloomy weirdo, you' may score some points."

"So that's it?"

Suddenly the voice of Jade's father could be heard from near the front door. "I'm ready honey. Let's get moving, we can't be late."

"Pretty much." Carolyn said, before saying somewhat cryptically. "Just watch your back."

With that Carolyn walked off and a few moments later, the slamming of the front door could be heard.

As Jade got up to head to her room, she chuckled. "Like I need to watch my back."

Jade's POV

I arrived at school the next day, prepared for the worst. That their date went well and they would be all gazing into each other's eyes. My hand was bruised and still hurt like hell.

Sure enough I walk in and see Tori standing with Wednesday at their locker. I do need to make points, but I think some tact is needed.

If I'm all nice Tori will get instantly suspicious, probably because I'm not nice. Not to mention, darko the clown, who will also get suspicious that I'm going to take her would be girlfriend. So I need to be cool about it.

So I quickly went to my locker got my stuff and then casually walked up to Tori and Wednesday. As I approach I hear part of Tori talking about last night.

"I can't believe I saw the graves all those famous people. Clark Gable, Alan Ladd and Nat King Cole. So interesting. Thank you so much Wednsday, I loved it."

Fuck, she's taking Tori to cemeteries, that just pisses me off.

"Did I hear the word Graves?" I say with a smirk.

Tori turned to me. "Wednesday and I had our first date. She took me to the Forest Lawn Cemetery, in Glendale. Showed me all the famous graves. It was such a great time."

"Is that so? Not sure if that'd be your thing." I say looking skeptical, making sure to focus all my attention on Tori and none on Wednesday. Though out of the corner of my eye, her expression looks a bit more annoyed than normal.

"Oh yes." Tori rambles in rapid fashion, which something she does when she's very excited. "It was so romantic, she told me about how everyone died and she knew all the details. It was so fascinating."

I scoff loudly. "I suppose you had your first kiss in front of Jimmy Stewarts, grave too."

Tori smirked back. "Actually it was David O Selznick, you know he produced….."

I was already pissed off, but that really irratated me and I promptly cut Tori off. "Yeah…yeah….Movie producer, produced Gone with the wind and Rebecca and won academy awards for both of them."

I then turned to Wednesday and glared momentarily. "Oooohhh a Goth taking a girl to a cemetery, real fucking original. Then I pointed to her left cheek. Oh yeah, your clown white is smudging."

I hoped that my rant would get some sort of reaction out of my rival, but she stood there looking very unimpressed. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Tori looking at me very disapprovingly, which only made me angrier.

"I'll take your childish and insulting rant into advisement, thank you. I wish to continue to plan, tonight nights date with Tori, so you may go now." Wednesday said, in a monotone voice.

By now, I was painfully aware that I had both lost control of both the situation and my temper.

"NO ONE DISMISSES ME. I LEAVE WHEN I WANT!" I shouted with fury, before storming off.

I was in a most foul mood at this point, which wasn't helped any when further down the hallway I encountered Robbie and Rex.

"Hi Jade." Said Robbie,

"Hey there sweet cheeks. Your looking rather mad and sexy today." Rex said in a particularly smarmy voice.

At this point I yanked Rex from Robbie's arm's and proceeded to bite Rex's ear off. I then shoved the ear in my pocket and Rex in the trash can.

"REX!" Shouted a panicked Robbie, before I shoved him against a locker.

"NEXT EAR I'M TAKING OFF SHAPIRO, IS YOURS!" I screamed at the terrified Robbie before I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Come on babe, calm down!"

It was Beck, and his voice was somewhat calming. Despite we're no longer dating he still can manage to talk me down. You don't date me for 2 years and not learn how to diffuse my anger. If he hadn't, he wouldn't have survived very long.

Beck held up a cup of coffee from Java express. "Ease down champ! Come on. It's almost time for class. Here you can have my coffee. You like coffee."

I let go of Robbie before growling at him and grabbed the coffee greedily.

As Beck eased me to class, I could hear Rex shrieking about his ear behind me.

Beck who knew how to handle me, spoke in an even calm tone of voice. "Care to talk about it. I sense something's bother you. I can tell merely by the way you threatened to remove his ear. It's a bit more intense than your normal threats of bodily harm."

I took a huge drink of my coffee and answered sharply. "NO!"

"Well, all I can say is to step back and give your problem some real thought and how best to approach it. Don't just rush into whatever it is. Whatever it is, it has really gotten under your skin. So calm down."

I muttered thanks and proceeded to class, which sadly was Sikowtiz's class with both Tori and Bozo the clown. I sat as far away as I could and did my best to focus on my studies.

Thankfully both Tori and Wednesday, who sat with each other, ignored me.

Robbie and Rex showed up a bit late, with Rex having a bandage over where his ear was. Rex kept saying how much he looks like Picasso now.

He did until an annoyed looking Sikowtiz told him, it was Vincent Van Gogh who cut off his ear.

Both my mom and Beck were right, as much as I hate to admit it.

My mom is right that I needed to do something, simply punching walls and treating Tori like garbage was getting me nowhere.

Beck was right in the fact that I needed to calm down and think it over. My attempt to charm Tori this morning, if you can call it that, was an utter disaster.

So for the rest of the day, I kept to myself and kept one eye on Wednesday. Just what is she all about anyway? I ate by myself at lunch in the broomcloset.

Wednesday's probably not even a real Goth anyway. I'll bet her room's walls have posters with Taylor Swift and one direction or whatever boy band is popular this week, on them.

Arriving home, I got yet another surprise, as the foyer was filled with several suitcases, none of which were mine.

As I stood there looking at assembled luggage, my mom came down the stairs.

"Oh good, you're here. I can go over the rules before your dad and I leave."

"Leave?" I said, with a scowl.

"One day, that scowl, will just stay on your face. But back to business, your dad and I are leaving tonight on that 3 week cruise around South America we told you about."

"You didn't tell me about that?"

Looking slightly irritated, my mom briefly made a fist. "That's what I forgot. I knew it was something. Oh, your father and I are leaving on a 3 week cruise around South America. Sun, Fun and all you can drink. We'll be on the MS Queen Victoria, one of the most luxurious cruise ships in the world.. Only the best for your father and I. The Itinerary and 250 hundred dollars for food are on the kitchen table. We'll be back on the 17th. No parties and if you break it, it's coming out of your college fund."

For once I wanted my mom around so possibly she could help me with my problem and she goes on a cruise they forgot to tell me about; how revolting.

Letting my disappointment show, I huffed. "I hoped for some advice with my Tori problem."

A honk from a car could be heard at this point from outside, causing my mother to shout. "Dear, the airlines van's here to pick us up. Let's go."

As my dad came bounding down the stairs my mom said. "Dear, I know what we forgot."

"What's that?" said my dad as he grabbed a suitcase.

"We forgot to tell Jade."

He frowned. "Oh. Sorry. You know we're leaving right?"

"I do now."

There was a knock at the door and my mom went and opened it. On the other side was a burly man.

"I'm here to take Mr. and Mr. West to the Airport. Do you have any bags you need carried?"

My mom pointed to some suitcases stacked on the floor. "Could you grab those please? Thank you."

The man took the suitcases, put them on a small hand truck and soon went out the front door. At the same time, my parents each grabbed a bag and headed to the front door.

"By Jade, stay safe."

I was still very irritated and before my mother could leave, I barked. "I have relationship problem and the one time I need help, you run off on vacation.

My parents briefly looked at each other, before my mom put down her bag and vanished into my dad's study.

She emerged a moment later holding a black covered book. "Now, this is not a horror book so I know you're already turning up your nose at it. But in my experience this is the best dating and relationship book that's ever been written. Read this, assuming you can actually read something that doesn't have the words scissoring in it. You can have Cat help you with the big words. But this will help."

That's my mother, helpful, sarcastic and mocking all at the same time.

She handed me the book, kissed me on the cheek. "I'll bring you one of those, my parents went on vacation and all I got was this t-shirt, t-shirt."

She knows perfectly well I hate touristy crap, like t-shirts with cute sayings on them.

"Bye Jade." Said my dad and mom in unison as they slammed the door, leaving me alone.

A second later, as I looked down at the book in my hand I muttered. "I wonder what kind of feel good crap, did she give me this time."

The cover of the book read.

THE ART OF WAR BY SUN TZU

The ancient Chinese book of military tactics and philosophy

It was all so absurd, from Wednesday Addams, to my parents going on vacation without telling me, to my mom giving me a book of military strategy as dating advice.

It was so absurd, that all I could do was laugh…..

The book "The Art of War" is a classic book of Military tactics and strategy written some 2000 years ago. It is considered by many to be one of the finest works of its kind and influenced many prominent military leaders. Many have also taken its lessons and used them in business, sport and other activities.