Chapter Four || All Over Again


After a couple of days had passed, it was time for Sikowitz's play assignment. Robbie had the stage lighting ready to go, Cat finished all the costumes and was about to start makeup, Andre was setting up the stereo with the instrumentals to the songs, and Tori was going over the script one more time with Beck and Jade. Unfortunately, their fights had not been resolved yet. They were arguing the whole time they rehearsed, and the group of friends was getting worried.

Robbie gave Tori a small nudge. "Do you think they'll be able to perform?" he asked, looking at Jade and Beck arguing.

Jade gave Beck a glare and crossed her arms. "If I'm too much to be around, then we don't have to do this play together."

"Fine by me," Beck said, walking off stage.

Tori turned to Robbie. "Yeah, I don't think they're performing tonight," she said, watching Beck walk to the classroom chair and sit down with a frown.

Cat came running towards them from another room. "Guys, I'm ready to do makeup!" She grinned as she looked around the room, then her smile faded. "Did I miss something?"

Andre had finished setting up the stereo with the prerecorded piano instrumentals, but he stayed in the corner so he wouldn't get involved in whatever was going on with Beck and Jade. Now that Jade knew Andre wrote a song for her, he was mortified, to say the least. He figured he'd give it some time for it all to blow over. After a week or two, things would be back to normal.

As he kept himself busy fiddling with the bass and treble on the stereo, the others were frantically trying to get Beck and Jade to work together. "Come on, we have an hour left until we need to perform. It's only a five-minute scene," Tori pleaded, desperate not to fail their assignment.

"I'm not working with him," Jade snapped, gritting her teeth. She didn't care that she might fail the assignment. Beck was being a jerk, and she knew they wouldn't be able to play a couple in love at this point.

Beck shrugged, not saying anything. He was rarely ever this upset, but this was one of their bad fights that would probably last another week or two.

"Alright, um... What if Cat fills in for Jade?" Tori asked, turning towards the redhead.

Cat looked at the others with wide eyes. "I don't know her lines, but I know the song! That reminds me of one time when my brother-"

"Okay never mind!" Tori exclaimed quickly.

Robbie looked at Tori. "Why don't you fill in for Jade?"

"I have a cold, I can't sing right now."

"Okay, then I'll fill in for Beck, problem solved."

"Robbie, you're in charge of lighting. No one else can do it but you."

"And you can't sing, man," Rex chimed in, making Robbie look down in shame.

They all looked around at each other trying to figure out what to do. Tori looked over to Andre and a smile grew on her face. "I almost forgot!" She ran over to him. "Andre, we need you."

He looked up at her, confused. "Need me for what?"

"I'll run lines with you, and you already know the song!" Tori pleaded, putting her hands together. "Please, Andre. We can't fail this assignment. You need to fill in for Beck."

Andre looked up at Tori with fear. Sing a song with Jade? After she found out about his old crush on her? This had to be his worst nightmare.

"You're joking, right?" he asked, letting out a nervous laugh. He fiddled with the wires to the stereo, trying to think of an excuse as to why he couldn't perform with Jade for the play. "I-I mean, my arm's been feeling kinda weird. I don't think it's a good idea for me to go up there and... sing. My arm might... you know..."

Tori groaned and crossed her arms. "Come on, you're not still scared of her, are you?"

"I'm not scared, it's just..."

He looked over at Jade and examined her angry demeanor. She was livid. Andre silently gulped, thinking about sharing a stage with her. Tori raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to Andre. "You're not feeling 'wonky' about her again, are you?" she whispered, making sure no one else would hear.

"No, it's not like that!" he exclaimed in defense. Everyone turned to look at him after his outburst. He realized that if he didn't fill in, it would start looking suspicious. "Alright, alright, I'll run the lines with you." He stood up and walked with Tori to a different room to go over the script.

Meanwhile, Cat adjusted the costume for Andre and started on Jade's makeup. Beck went to get some fresh air, telling the group he'd be back in time for the play.

Andre's costume was fitting for the part of a 1960's couple who was going from being rich to losing their home. He had on gray slacks and a white long sleeve shirt with a black blazer over it, along with a black tie and leather oxfords. It was five minutes before the play, and he finally got his lines down with Tori.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, smiling with a sigh of relief. "I think we're going to be okay."

"We got this, Tori. Don't worry," Andre reassured her. But Andre himself was internally freaking out. There wasn't much time to process anything before he was basically rushed onto the stage.


The scene started out with Andre sitting on a single wooden chair in an empty kitchen. The only other thing in there was a lone Christmas tree with white lights and an angel on top. He was reading a letter, looking obviously distraught about it. Jade walks in from the right of the stage, quietly. She glances around the kitchen in with a puzzled look on her face.

"Thomas?" Jade's character asked, walking closer to where Andre was sitting. "Where is all of our furniture? The entire house is just about empty."

Andre shook his head, letting out a sigh. "Our house is being sold, Caroline," he said, and then looked up at Jade. Andre was taken aback by her appearance. Instead of her usual goth getup, she was wearing a black, plaid tweed coat and skirt with a pair of gray gloves and short black heels. Her hair was held back by a hairband and the ends of her black hair had been curled up. Even her makeup was vastly different from what she usually wore. Cat had given her a dramatic, black cut crease with eyeliner and emphasized her lower lashes with mascara, finishing the look with a pale-pink lipstick. It was a look straight out of the '60s, just like Andre's costume. Jade was incredibly stunning. Andre had to catch his breath and try hard to remember his next line. "The landlord has notified us that we must be out by midnight."

Jade looked at Andre, shocked. "Dear, midnight is only a couple of hours away. Where will we go?"

Andre dropped the letter to the floor and rubbed his temples. "It's all my fault, Caroline. If I hadn't lost my job last week, this wouldn't be happening to us. I've failed you as a husband."

"I can only imagine what the neighbors will say," Jade replied, walking closer to him now. "Thomas, you have a plan, right?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I know I've ruined Christmas for us."

"Thomas..."

Jade stood in front of the Christmas tree and turned away from Andre, crossing her arms. The stage lights dimmed, focusing on the two in the room. Andre knew this was the cue for their song. He slowly stood up and faced her direction. Once the piano started to play, he started to sing.

"Stay with me, my love, my dear. Underneath this tree," he began, inching closer to Jade. He put a hand on her shoulder, causing her to turn around and look him in the eyes. He couldn't help but feel his heart beat faster as he looked at her. Her eyes looked glossy and there was a hint of sadness in them. Andre wasn't sure if she was just a great actress, or if something was making her upset in reality. "We only have tonight, I fear. Just this Christmas Eve."

Jade was having a tough week, though she wasn't admitting that to anyone. As much as she hated the script Tori wrote, she couldn't help but feel a little emotional after her fight with Beck. Feeling alone in a room full of people was one of the worst feelings, and that's exactly what she felt at that moment. It was hard to keep her eyes dry. She knew she had to sing her part next, so she toughened up and did just that. "How could I ever leave? Where else would I go?" For that line, she had to step closer and grab his arm, looking up into his eyes. Something about his warm, brown eyes was comforting. She couldn't put a finger on it, but it was a look of sincerity. Sure, it could've been due to the fact that they were acting in a short play, but she sensed that he knew she was having a hard time today. It's like his eyes were saying "you'll be okay". She continued singing."Without you, I couldn't be. Who else could I call home?"

For the next part, they had to sing together. They gently placed their hands in each other's as they began their next lines. "Stay with me, oh, stay with me. This last night..."

Andre pulled Jade closer, both of their hearts racing now. Jade couldn't help but look at Andre with wide eyes now, not sure as to why she felt her heart beating fast and her legs feeling weak. Andre felt that same feeling when he last witnessed Jade singing. She looked breathtaking and her voice was strong, yet soft and sweet.

"This Christmas, Eve..." They harmonized on the last note, foreheads nearly touching. It was probably the closest their faces had ever been to each other. Andre looked down at Jade's light pink lips, wondering how much more he'd have to lean in before their lips touched. Jade noticed Andre's eyes examining her, yet she didn't know how to feel about it. She had the urge to pull him even closer, but if their lips touched in any way, they would fail the assignment. Not only that, but she shouldn't have been thinking about anything like that. Andre was her friend, and Beck's best friend at Hollywood Arts.

Before they knew it, the lights were brightened and applause rang from the classroom. Andre and Jade slowly separated from each other, making sure they were a couple of feet apart before breaking eye contact. "Wonderful job, children," Sikowitz cheered while clapping for the students. "In fact, your play was nearly identical to a hallucination I had last week after drinking fermented coconut milk." Students looked at Sikowitz with confusion as they continued clapping.

The first of the friends to run on stage was Cat, beaming with joy over their performance. "Jade! Andre! You guys looked amazing!" she yelled, hugging Jade first, and then Andre. "And the play was amazing!"

Tori and Robbie came onto the stage next. Robbie gave them a smile and said, "We're definitely passing this assignment with an A. That was great."

Tori nodded in agreement. "It was perfect, guys. The script really came to life," she commented with a grin.

Jade fiddled her fingers at all the praise. She was too distracted by her emotions to come up with a sarcastic comment or anything else to deflect the kind comments she was receiving. Andre felt like he couldn't keep still. That performance was electric. It was almost like he could feel sparks radiating off his skin.

Cat got closer to Jade and Andre, putting a hand up by the side of her mouth to whisper something to them. "It's almost like you two are actually in love," she said silently, giggling afterward.

Andre and Jade faked laughter at her comment, both feeling unsure and uncomfortable. Jade never thought Andre was capable of making her feel this way. And Andre thought that his crush on Jade was a one-time thing. Nevertheless, here it was again a year or two later. All the two could think about was getting out of there as fast as they could.