"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Jade screamed as she threw the mannequin across the room with a loud clatter as it knocked over a small end table.
The offending mannequin in question was simply a bystander to the exchange Jade was forced to have between her manager and father, Cyrus West, the top music agent in New York City. Ever since Jade expressed an interest in music at a young age, her father indulged her talent and pushed her towards greatness. He gave her piano lessons, vocal lessons, guitar lessons, dance classes, and anything else she wanted to become a famous singer like the ones her father worked with. But now that she was a grown woman, she was regretting the path she had taken to get here.
Jade West was not a common name that was well known in most households, but her stage name, Miss. Luna could fill a stadium with ease! Jade hated everything about this way of life and hated her father even more for cornering her with a contract she didn't fully understand. When she took to the stage, she was known as a world-class pop star, adorned in sparkling outfits and outrageous costumes that caught everyone's attention and sang repetitive earworms that had very little substance aside from a catchy beat and limericks.
Miss. Luna was a cute idea and one that held a special place in Jade's heart, but it was an idea she came up with when she was nine! When she started performing on a larger scale with her father's help, he encouraged her to take the name to protect her, little did she know that she was taking the role permanently. Now she was locked in the eternal struggle and argument with her father and her stupid contract as she tried to break free to explore new opportunities that would free her from the cage she unknowingly entered.
"Jade, sweetie, it's just a costume," Her father said on the other end of the phone, "What's so different about this one?"
Jade kicked the head off the mannequin and scooped it up by the hem of the disgusting lime green sequin skirt and said, "It's fucking ridiculous Dad! I can't keep doing this shit! I'm twenty-seven! These outfits make me look like a fool!"
"Hey if Lady Gaga can sell-out world tours dressed like this, why can't you?" her father argued in a calm and collected tone.
"Dad!" Jade screamed back, "She at least altered her look! Why can't I?! I want to do new things! Just let me play you the demos—"
"Jade, honey," her father said as he checked his watch as his flight was called, "How about we talk about this when I get home? I'll see you in a few days, okay love you! Bye!"
The young singer screamed at her phone and threw it across the room into a vase that shattered and started to tear apart the outfit on the mannequin until it was reduced to nothing but ribbons and scraps. She collapsed on the ground next to it and started to cry as she weakly punched the torso of the dummy as she lamented ever going into show business. As much as she loved performing and meeting those she inspired and those she rose money for, the price seemed too great since she could never have a shred of dignity.
Every time she was forced to put on these stupid outfits matched with outrageous amounts of makeup that made her feel like a noble in a French court and prance around pushing products and performing for the masses. Luckily, with her father out of the country for a couple of days, she finally had the chance to be herself, just normal Jade West.
She gave the dummy one last strong kick and made a dent in its hollow chest before going off to her massive room and got dressed in her favorite clothing and made her makeup how she wanted it to be. Today, she decided to use a natural lip gloss and very little blush but used a darker purple eyeshadow and blended it with her winged eyeliner and smiled, genuinely, in the mirror before tossing open the doors to her wardrobe. After searching through several tops, she finally found one that she liked. It was a tight-fitting blue and black striped shirt with long sleeves and the back was a thinner, mesh-like material with a tree design down the middle of the spine. She quickly put it on and paired it with her favorite jean jacket and a pair of black jeans with various zippers where the pockets were and her favorite pair of black combat boots.
She gave herself a once over in the mirror and smiled before grabbing a black beanie and put it over her brown hair and made sure her blue highlights were visible before grabbing her phone, purse, and old bookbag and went out the door. On the way down she made sure to have her glasses on so there was a better chance, no one would recognize her. She exited her building in the Upper West Side of Manhattan and walked several blocks through the busy streets to Central Park where she frequently visited to clear her head. Once there she sat on one of the benches and pulled out her sketchpad and started to draw the skyline and some of the random people that passed. She was by no means a true artist but her sketches were very good and they made her happy, so that was what mattered.
After killing an hour or two there, she set off down one of the paths heading south and wandered over to the Modern Art Museum and bought a ticket and explored the various pieces and exhibits that adorned the halls. By this time, it was the late afternoon and Jade made her way out of the museum after exploring it and went down to the subway and took a ride down to the Lower East Side. Her usual favorite place to be due to the nightlife and the large number of theaters and galleries, where she felt she could truly blend in and just be herself, or where she felt she could try and find herself maybe.
Either way, she was drawn to this area of New York City and could never explain it, she wandered the streets and visited the locales, each time finding something new to explore. Block after block she wandered until she started to get hungry and looked for a place to eat and lay low from the evening crowd that would soon come out for some fun. Using her phone she started to pull up local places to eat but as she stopped at the corner of one of the intersections to get her bearings, she looked up and across the street could see a tiny run-down diner with faded white paint adorning the signs that read 'The Boheme.' Jade's attention was instantly drawn to it as it stood alone on the corner of the street with its door facing the intersection and it appeared to be a part of a three-story complex. The windows to the diner were either tinted black or the blinds were pulled down so she couldn't see much inside but her curiosity got the better of her and she found herself opening the door and wandering in.
The walls were brick and lined with playbills and pictures of famous performers and writers, while the tables were old and stained much like the lining on the booths. There was a bar with an older man with wild, manic hair in a hippie outfit flipping through a newspaper and chatting with a customer about something in the pages. She was about to approach him about a booth but out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a blur of red and backed out of the way as a young woman, most likely her age or very close, zoomed by on a pair of roller skates with a laugh and said, "Hi hi! Welcome to Boheme! You hungry?"
Jade looked at her and saw she wore no standard uniform except for a grey hoodie with the diner's name on the front which made her vibrant red hair stand out even more, to the point that it seemed to glow! Jade nodded as she looked her over and said, "Yeah um, just me if that's okay!"
"Aww, do you want me to sit with you?" The woman asked her with a large concerned frown on her lips.
"Wha-? No, no thank you," Jade said, "I'm fine."
"Kay kay! This way!" the young woman said with a smile and pushed off of a table and skated over to a corner booth that looked over the rest of the diner and said, "Right here! You want anything now or should I come back?"
"Just a water please," Jade said as she followed after her and slid into the booth.
"Kay kay!" the woman said and started to skate away but as she did, she seemed to realize she forget something and the older hippie man held out his hand for the redhead and without looking away from the person he was talking to, spun the redhead around and sent her back to Jade's table. "By the way, my name's Cat! Just call me if you need something!"
The pop star nodded which made Cat giggle as she skated away again and gave the hippie a high-five as she passed through a set of swinging double doors. As she pushed through them, Jade was surprised to hear loud music, singing, and laughter coming from, what she assumed to be the kitchen. By the number of voices she heard, she assumed there may be a full club back there with how loud they were being.
The gentleman at the counter waved goodbye to the hippie and went out onto the street, leaving Jade completely alone in the diner minus the staff. As she briefly watched the gentleman walk away down the street, she turned back around only to be briefly shocked to find the strange hippie man sitting in the booth across from her with a very keen and curious look on his face as he examined her. "I don't recognize you….is this your first time here?"
Jade nodded slowly as he leaned back and gave a small nod back but then reached across the table with his hand and said, "Erwin Sikowitz, and you are?"
She cautiously reached across and shook the man's hand and said, "Jade West, you work here?"
He gave her a hearty laugh and said, "Nope! I own the Boheme! Pop quiz!"
He stood up and spun on his heel and pointed back at Jade and asked, "Boheme—what does it mean?"
"Wha—oh, umm it's French," She said, partially grateful that her father had paid for a top-notch education, "it basically means an artistic person who doesn't care about societal conventions."
Sikowitz broke into a wide smile and clapped his hands and said, "Correct! What did you order?"
"I haven't yet—"
"CAT!" Sikowitz said in a loud shout as he turned back to the kitchen doors.
A moment later, the ditzy redhead came barreling through the doors, the loud music echoing behind her and the sound of people laughing emanating from the kitchen, as she skated around a couple of tables to the booth as she said, "Hey hey!"
"Cat, my sweet, sweet child," Sikowitz said as he patted her head and turned her towards the table, "what is missing here?"
Jade couldn't help but try not to laugh at the strange exchange as the redhead woman looked at the table and back at Jade and then to the wall for some reason and then to the rest of the diner until she finally screamed, "Oh no! Your water! I'm so sorry! I'll be—"
"Wait, what?!" Sikowitz said as he looked at the clear table and finally took notice that Jade still hadn't even gotten a drink yet. He facepalmed and shook his head and said, "Cat…take the order for this very smart young lady and go get her drink…please."
"Kay kay!" Cat said as she sat in the booth next to Jade and looked at the menu with her and said, "So what are you thinking? I can suggest some stuff! Oh, this one time, my brother got—"
"Actually, could I just get this bourbon butter burger?" Jade said as she pointed to the item on the menu and Cat nodded and quickly jotted it down and ripped off the paper from her pad and skated away back into the kitchen.
"Sorry about her," Sikowitz said as he shook his head but wore a very sweet smile as he said, "She's not the sharpest but she's the sweetest person you'll meet in this part of town. Anyhoo, I'll leave you to your meal so if you need anything, feel free to ask, I'll just be over there."
As he turned to walk back to the bar, Jade found herself stopping him by saying, "Actually…I had a question."
He turned back to her as he crossed his arms and gave her a curious look and said, "Yes?"
"Would you like to sit with me? I-I don't have many friends in the city and could use the company," she said. It wasn't entirely a lie but not exactly the truth either but she watched as he smiled brightly.
"Actually…how about this," he checked his watch and said, "One second!"
With that, he rushed over and flipped the sign on the door to say they were closed and dashed over to the kitchen doors and kicked it open and said, "Hey! We're locking up early! Who wants some grub and to hang out?"
From the kitchen, Jade could hear the sounds of cheering and the clattering of dishes as the music grew louder as the kitchen staff emerged from the back and took over the dining area! Cat was first and had Jade's food on a plate as she skated over and slid it onto the table with her drink. After her were two dark-skinned men, one who was her age and carried a radio over his shoulder who went by the name of Andre, while the other one was around Sikotwiz's age and was called Lane.
Behind them came an annoyed Hispanic man with his hair tied back in a ponytail and a chef's outfit who stopped at the door and said, "Why are we all coming out if I still have to cook everything eh? What do we want?"
Sikowitz patted the man on the back and said, "Festus just get the stoves going and I'll come back and help you in a moment! We'll get the good wine out too!"
That seemed to brighten the man's mood as he smiled and turned back and pushed past three more individuals all wearing garb that had The Boheme logo on it. The first was a very handsome tan skin man with long black hair that framed his chiseled face who Jade learned was named Beck, followed by a quirky and somewhat dorky-looking guy with large glasses and a mop of curly black hair and a bright smile named Robbie. The last person though caught Jade's full attention.
In her mind, this young woman, who looked no older than her was absolutely stunning! She had sun-kissed skin and long brown hair tied back in a braid that reached her slim waist and long slender legs that she showed off in a pair of jean shorts. She had a crew hoodie on and was smiling, showing off a perfect set of teeth, and had a deep, hypnotic pair of caramel brown eyes, that Jade felt she could get lost in.
They all gathered around at the various tables, Andre sat on the counter as he set up the radio and said, "Sikowitz, you sure, what about the woman in the corner booth?"
"Jade here is new in town and needs some friends so she'll be joining us this evening!" Sikowtiz said as he took a notepad from Cat and jotted down orders from everyone, "Get comfy and feel free to have some wine if you want—but don't use the good glasses!"
He yelled that as the kitchen door swung close behind him as he joined Festus in the back to start cooking. Jade sat awkwardly watching the staff interact with one another as they joked and chatted amongst themselves while pushing some of the smaller tables together. Beck and Robbie ducked behind the counter and grabbed some glasses and wine bottles and started to hand them out as the beautiful woman came over to Jade and offered her a hand and said, "Hey, I'm Tori. Wanna join us at the fun table instead of sitting here all alone?"
Jade didn't even realize she nodded but the next thing she knew, Tori took both of Jade's hands and pulled her up and hugged her before guiding her over to the head of their impromptu grand dining table and grabbed her food a moment later. "You can dig in if you want," Lane said as he tapped her shoulder and offered her some silverware and a wine glass, "the rest of the food is coming…you're old enough to drink, right? Sorry, that was impolite. Would you like to have a drink?"
"Umm are you sure it's alright?" Jade asked as she took the glass.
"As long as you're comfortable, I know they can be…a lot," Lane said as he looked over each of them. He laughed as they all flipped him off and mocked him, "My point exactly."
Jade laughed and relaxed a bit more as she sank back in her chair and watched the strange individuals start to join around the table and invited her into their conversations, asking her about her life and what she did in the city. She skimmed on the details and alluded that she worked in the music industry as a sound engineer which made Andre immediately smile. She learned that Andre was an aspiring musician, just like Tori who wished to become famous by singing and dancing. Beck was an actor and a model, not surprising to Jade in the slightest, while Cat was a freelance artist and did some singing on the side, and Robbie was a comedian who had the long-term goal of dipping into voice acting.
"Hey Lane, what about you, Festus and Sikowitz?" Jade asked curiously as she took a sip from her water, wanting to pace herself with the wine, just to be safe.
"Hmm?" he asked as she caught him off guard as he was sipping from his wine glass. He nodded and wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, "I used to be a counselor but needed a break. I still volunteer at clinics and things like that when I have time. Festus," he said as the man emerged with a trolley loaded up with food, "is a chef through and through! Best one I know!"
"You're damn right!" Festus said as he came around and slid a burger over to Lane who gave him a high-five.
"Sikowitz used to do Broadway, believe it or not," Lane said. Jade's jaw hit the floor as he continued, "Used to direct a lot of small-time things and did numerous small parts on the big stage but got bored of it. So—"
"So now I run a top-notch diner while teaching community acting classes in the summer," Sikowitz said as she came out of the kitchen with a few more plates, "and I help those lost, aspiring thespians and other various performers find their calling and send them in the right direction."
"How so?" Jade asked as she watched Sikotwitz pass out a couple of dishes before taking a seat at the other end of the table.
"Well look around," he said as he motioned to the group, "all of these gifted people were once lost or looking for their shot in the big city and I helped them by guiding them to my old friends and contacts that can help them get to where they want to go. But for some reason even though I help them, now they feel the need to stick around!"
They all laughed and shouted back at him, Tori even threw a napkin at Sikowitz as Andre looked to Jade and said with a smile, "He's helping us but we all needed to pay the bills and all that jazz so we each ended up working here since it was an easy fix…now," he looked at them all before saying, "now this is just sort of our new family."
Jade nodded and took in the scene before her. A group of strangers coming together through diverse walks of life all looking for their shot at fame and happiness but ended up finding a new family during the process. She chuckled to herself as she sipped her wine and thought, "Sounds like some cheesy Lifetime movie."
Tori nudged her with her elbow and said, "What's got you in such a cheery mood?"
"Nothing, just admiring you all…its different from what I'm used to," Jade said as Tori leaned in, offering her an understanding smile.
"Rough home life?" Tori asked.
"No," Jade said as she shrugged, "I'd say…just distant. You know, like not on the same page."
"Jade," Tori said with a smirk, "you're talking to a woman who comes from a line of devout Catholics, I know all about not being on the same page."
Jade laughed a little and nodded as Andre hollered and pushed back from his chair and came around to the radio he left playing on the counter and turned up the volume to the max! The vibrant samba music filled the diner as everyone at the table smiled brighter as Andre twirled and stepped to Tori and offered her a hand which she eagerly took. Robbie moved his chair out of the way and sat next to Jade and said, "You're in for a treat now!"
Jade didn't even need to ask for clarification as Tori and Andre performed a full improved samba dance right there in the dining room, complete with twirls and high kicks and fast-paced swaying and spins. She was instantly blown away by how talented they were, Tori especially since she moved with such grace and passion that she easily outclassed any dancer Jade had worked with before in her professional career. Festus joined in as well, as he switched off with Andre who took Cat's hand and got her up onto her feet and started to dance with her as she glided around on her skates. Lane joined in and before Jade knew it, she was swept onto her feet and was dancing with Beck for a little bit and laughing before she was spun around and ended up in Tori's arms.
"Hey there," Tori said with a smirk that Jade could only describe as absolutely sexy.
"H-hey," Jade managed to stammer back as Tori laughed and placed her hands over Jade's and guided them to her hips.
"Relax," Tori said, "Just let yourself have some fun."
The pale pop star nodded as she cautiously placed her hands on Tori's hips and held her as if she was a finely made sculpture, ready to break at any point. The tan-skinned woman rolled her eyes and went with it as she spun in Jade's arms and bent down and snapped back up, letting Jade take in her beautiful body as she danced. Towards the end of the dance, Jade's mind was blown was again as Tori backed her up against the counter as they stepped around each other and threw her leg up onto the counter, and trailed a hand up her leg to her thigh before she spun around and tapped Jade on the nose and said, "Thanks for the dance."
Jade couldn't tell if her quick breathing and the red on her face were from the dance or Tori, and part of her was afraid to find out. She quickly took her seat back at the table as the gang all went back to talking and dug into their food as the music continued to play. Jade kept her head low but kept taking glances at Tori who was currently in a debate with Beck over something to do with different music genres and how they work in film but the pop star was too flustered to focus.
As she finished off her food and tried to distract herself from these weird feelings she was experiencing, she glanced down at her phone and was shocked to see it was already one in the morning! Although she lived alone in her apartment and didn't have to worry about being home for a curfew, especially since she was a grown woman, she did still have responsibilities. And one of those responsibilities required her to be up at six in the morning for some magazine shoot she didn't bother to remember the details for.
She quickly hopped to her feet and went over to her bags and started to get them together as she said, "Hey, thank you so much for tonight but I didn't realize it was so late, I have to get going. I'll pay for—"
"Nope, on the house!" Sikowitz said as he came around and gave Jade a pat on the shoulder. "I'm sorry for keeping you, I didn't know it was so late. Why don't we have someone walk you home?"
"It's fine, really, I just need to make it to the subway," Jade said as she shouldered her bags and adjusted her hat.
"Nonsense, it's still late at night in New York City and I can't in good conscience let you wander the streets alone," he said as he looked back to the table, "who can walk Jade back to the subway?"
Andre raised his hand and said, "I'll do it, I could use the air anyway!"
Cat chimed in and said, "Oh yay! Evening trip! Let's go!"
Beck, Robbie, and Tori all ended up getting roped in as well and Jade soon found herself walking and talking with the weird group of misfits on the way to the subway. Before she left the diner, she thanked Sikowitz for the fun evening and slipped a couple of twenty-dollar bills under her plate, hoping that he'd find it while he, Lane, and Festus stayed behind to clean up the dishes and lock up.
On their walk back, Jade was given all of their phone numbers and was invited back to the diner anytime she was in the area or when she wanted a place to hang out. As they descended the subway stairs, each one of her new…acquaintances? Friends? She was unsure what to call them but she was given a hug by each of them before she swiped her pass to get through the gate but before she could depart, Tori grabbed her wrist and said, "Hey one last thing?"
"Yeah?" Jade asked curiously as she adjusted her shoulder strap.
Tori smiled and pulled her in for one last hug and squeezed her tightly as the rest of the gang made their way back up the stairs. As Tori glanced back at them, she turned her head back towards Jade and planted a soft kiss on the goth's cheek, and said, "Don't be a stranger, it was fun hanging out with you."
Jade felt as if an entire swarm of butterflies was unleashed in her stomach as she nodded and stumbled with her subway pass as she swiped it and backed up through the gate as Tori waved her off and gave her a wink. She waved back and then turned and walked down the platform and waited for the train to arrive before shuffling on and finding a place to sit as she began the trek back home. While riding, she passed the time by sketching the visage of each new person she met at the diner and wrote their names under them, but she took extra time to make sure every detail of Tori was captured perfectly. She ended up ripping out a couple of pages of her sketchbook as she became frustrated and put them in her pockets to throw away later.
When her stop was finally called, she packed up her belongings and quickly exited as the doors opened and jogged up the stairs and went to her building and went inside without any issue. Before she knew it, she was unlocking the door to her apartment and setting her bags down, and passing the head of the mannequin that remained amongst the shattered remains of the expensive vase. As she passed by the kitchen, she grabbed herself a glass of water and tossed her hat and keys onto the counter, and started to empty her pockets to throw away the scrap paper from her sketchbook. She tossed them into the nearby trashcan but as she threw them, a couple of twenty-dollar bills drifted to the ground with a small piece of paper wrapped around them. Her curiosity got the better of her as she knelt down and scooped them up and unwrapped the bills and found they were bound by a receipt. Jade smirked as she looked on the back and found a simple note written in elegant cursive that said:
Better luck next time. Can't wait to see you again.
-Tori
Author's Notes:
Hello and surprise! I kind of needed a bit of a break from Unsaid and Galway and ended up watching a lot of tv and listening to music and well...this was the result. I ended up getting inspired by a couple of things, which I'll list below. But anyway, this is a completely AU of the Victorious gang all finding one another in New York.
To be honest, I had a lot of fun writing this since it was so laid back and it felt like things just naturally flowed as I went along. I doubt I'll add onto this in the future but it is definitely possible if I come up with something else, or if you all seem to really enjoy this dynamic. Either way, I hope you like it and let me know what you think!
Songs Used for Inspiration:
1. Tik Tik Boom-trailer (watch the first few seconds and you'll see what I mean)
2. Everybody's Fool by Evanescence
3. Young Volcanoes by Fall Out Boy
4. La Vie Boheme from Rent
