Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from Victorious, and the title of the story was inspired by Avril Lavigne's song Things I'll Never Say. Also, the play that is mentioned in this chapter is based on the book The Full Catastrophe by David Carkeet.
It's been really nice to see how supportive everyone has been about this story. Thank you all so very much! Anyway, this was a fun chapter for me to write so I hope you guys enjoy reading it.
Chapter Six
It was lunchtime on another ordinary Tuesday at Hollywood Arts. Ordinary being that Lane was going around shaking hands with students to show off his new ranch-scented lotion, and Sinjin was creeping from table to table asking if anyone had seen the laughing cow meme that had gone viral on SplashFace.
Almost a week had passed since the first rehearsal for The Full Catastrophe and, much to everyone's surprise, the rocky tension between Beck and Jade had gradually eased to mild civility. Though rehearsals were running more smoothly, the sudden change in Jade's temperament had everyone slightly on edge.
Tori sat at a table with Beck, Andre, Jade, and Robbie (and Rex). Throughout lunch, Tori had the peculiar feeling that Jade was watching her more vigilantly than usual. Setting her paranoia aside, Tori quietly ate her sandwich and listened while Andre talked to Beck about the latest song he had written.
"Can you believe what Mrs. Reed wrote about my creative writing piece?" Robbie exclaimed, looking up from his paper.
Rex snickered. "I believe it 'cause I know you wrote it."
"'An uninspired, mind-wiping snooze-fest,'" Robbie read aloud.
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Rex said.
Robbie sighed dejectedly. "How am I supposed to fix this before her class this afternoon? I don't even know where to start!"
"I can help you," Jade offered.
Silence plummeted to the table like a bomb as everyone stopped what they were doing and slowly turned to look at Jade.
"Hold up," said Andre, glancing around warily. "Am I dreaming? 'Cause I swear I had a dream like this before and it didn't end well."
"What? I just said I'd help Robbie."
"Yeah, and your head didn't explode," said Rex. "What's in it for you?"
Keeping her temper in check, Jade rolled her eyes and snatched the paper from Robbie's hands.
"Hey, I– " Robbie started.
"I took Reed's class last year," Jade explained, flipping through the pages. "I know what she looks for."
Robbie turned to his friends with a puzzled look, but they simply shrugged in response. This new agreeable side of Jade was like an uncharted territory for them; they had no idea how to navigate it. After spending a few minutes looking through Robbie's story, Jade grabbed her backpack and got up from her seat.
"Come on," she said, motioning to Robbie.
"Where are we going?" he asked, suddenly worried.
"To the library to salvage this mess." She arched her eyebrow critically at her curly-haired friend. "'Irresistible earlobes?' Really?"
"Robbie thinks Cat's earlobes are cute," Rex blurted out, which earned Robbie a line of judgmental looks from his friends.
"I–she–Rex!" stammered Robbie as Jade thrust the paper to his chest.
"Save it for the story, lover boy," she said.
And with that, Robbie (and Rex) followed Jade as she headed off in the direction of the library, leaving Tori, Beck, and Andre at the table, speechless.
The dismissal bell rang, signaling the end of classes, and the halls were once again filled with students eager to go home for a lazy afternoon. Jade was putting some books in her locker when Robbie approached her with a cheerful spring in his step.
"Hey, Jade," he greeted. "I just wanted to say thanks for all your help. Mrs. Reed actually liked the new draft! I think the part about the disfigured cat disturbed her a little, but overall, she thought it was great."
Robbie was panting with glee from the mouthful of words that had just spilled from his lips. Jade eyed him warily, unsure if he was finished spewing out his gratitude.
"You're not going to hug me, are you?"
"Can I?" Robbie asked with his arms wide open.
"No," Jade curtly replied, slamming her locker shut and walking away.
Who was she kidding? Sure, she was trying to be nice, but not that nice.
Tori was standing with Andre by his locker, watching the whole scene play out. She wondered what could have prompted the unexpected changes in Jade's behavior. During class, Jade had directed just one cheeky remark towards Tori; a far cry from her usual onslaught of insults.
"It's gotta be those corndogs from last week," Andre said, following Tori's gaze. "Made her all wonky in the head."
"Or Jade could actually be turning over a new leaf," Tori suggested, smiling optimistically.
"Oh yeah? Have you told her about what happened with Beck?"
Tori hit the back of her head against the locker and groaned in exasperation.
"No," she said with a small pout. "But it doesn't really matter anymore, does it? I mean, it's been weeks since it happened and Beck and I are just friends."
Andre gave her a skeptical glance. "And how's that working out for you?"
Before Tori could answer, Beck came up to them.
"Did you guys see Jade just now? Robbie thanked her and she didn't try to make him cry."
"I'm telling you," said Andre. "It's those corndogs."
Beck shrugged. "Or she really has changed. She's been a lot easier to work with at rehearsals."
"Exactly! See?" Tori agreed, poking a finger at Andre.
"Alright, whatever you say," Andre said as he pulled out his phone to check the time. "Sorry guys but I gotta bounce. My grandma needs help soaking her feet in oatmeal. You two have fun agreeing with each other."
Before he left, Andre gave Tori a playful nudge. She narrowed her eyes at him as she watched him turn a corner and disappear. As soon as Andre was out of sight, Tori turned to Beck with a charming smile.
Beck smiled back in a subtly shy manner asked, "So are you hungry?"
Tori's eyes brightened. "Yeah, sure. Do you have a place in mind?"
"We did miss out on sushi last week," Beck replied. "And karaoke night at Nozu usually starts at five."
"Did someone say karaoke night?" came a male voice.
Tori and Beck turned to see Cat and Robbie coming their way.
In her usual bubbly manner, Cat hugged her books to her chest and asked, "You guys are going to Nozu? Can we come?"
Tori and Beck exchanged uncertain glances as they tried to mask the disappointment on their faces. The truth was they had both secretly hoped to spend some one-on-one time with each other, especially since the last few days had kept them apart with homework, projects, and rehearsals. In spite of themselves, Tori and Beck relented.
"The more the merrier, right?" said Robbie.
"Right," replied Tori and Beck with half-hearted smiles.
The scene at Nozu was busier than usual. Luckily, Tori and her friends didn't have to wait too long for an available table. To appease the restless crowd, the owner of Nozu, Mrs. Lee, decided to begin karaoke night earlier. Everyone watched as the charismatic host got up onstage and made the call for volunteers to sing the first song.
"So that's one Tuna Tundra, two Mahi Mayhem, and one Shrimp Yaki Yaki," the waitress confirmed, as she scribbled the orders down on her notepad.
"Yeah, that's it," said Beck.
"Okay, I'll be right back with your orders."
When the waitress left, everyone turned their eyes to the girl onstage, who was in the middle of finishing the song Tattoo by Jordin Sparks. As soon as she hit the final note of the song, the crowd applauded and the host quickly reclaimed his spot onstage.
"Thank you, Meredith," he said in a booming voice. "So let's keep this train rolling with our next song…Things I'll Never Say by Avril Lavigne!"
"Hey, isn't Avril Lavigne Canadian?" Robbie asked Beck.
"Maybe Beck knows her," Cat said, smiling excitedly.
"Cat, I don't know Avril Lavigne."
"Oh…" Cat's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Canada must be a big place then."
Beck just shook his head and sighed as he turned his attention back towards the stage.
"We'll go ahead and change the song if no one's up for the challenge," the host said, scanning the room. "Last call for takers going once…"
"Tori, you should go up and sing," suggested Cat.
Tori shrugged and smiled hesitantly. "I haven't heard this song in a while. I probably don't even remember it."
"Twice…" echoed the host's voice.
"Don't be silly," urged Robbie. "Come on, it'll be fun."
And just as the host was about to make the final call, Cat sprang up from her seat and yelled, "My friend Tori will sing it!"
"Cat!" exclaimed Tori.
"Sold to the girl with the amazing cheekbones!"
It was too late. The crowd already had its eyes on Tori, and she had no choice but to slide out of her seat and grudgingly make her way up onstage. The host peered closely at Tori, and his face lit up upon recognition.
"You're Tori Vega!" he said into the microphone.
With a tight-lipped grin and small wave of her hand, Tori replied, "Guilty."
A loud applause sounded throughout the restaurant as the host happily shook Tori's hand.
"You were great in the Platinum Music Awards!"
A sincere smile spread over Tori's face. "Aw, thanks."
Back at the table, Beck gazed at Tori and was captivated by the cuteness of her mannerisms whenever she got nervous or put on the spot. After a grand introduction, the host handed the microphone to Tori and cued the DJ to start the song.
"Knock 'em dead, kid," he said before exiting the stage.
The lights dimmed as the music became increasingly louder. The lyrics began to scroll up the monitor in front of the stage. Tori took a deep breath and brought the microphone up to her mouth.
I'm tuggin' at my hair, I'm pullin' at my clothes
I'm tryin' to keep my cool, I know it shows
I'm starin' at my feet, my cheeks are turnin' red
I'm searchin' for the words inside my head
[Pre-Chorus]
I'm feeling nervous
Tryin' to be so perfect
'Cause I know you're worth it
You're worth it, yeah
[Chorus]
If I could say what I want to say
I'd say I wanna blow you away
Be with you every night
Am I squeezing you too tight
If I could say what I want to see
I want to see you go down
On one knee
Marry me today
Guess, I'm wishing my life away
With these things I'll never say
As Tori was singing, she couldn't help but feel embarrassed, knowing the song was practically a reflection of her feelings for Beck. Her face flushed red as she tried to avoid his gaze from within the crowd. She inwardly griped about the cliché nature of the situation; it was like something out of a TV sitcom.
It don't do me any good, it's just a waste of time
What use is it to you what's on my mind?
If it ain't comin' out, we're not goin' anywhere
So why can't I just tell you that I care?
[Pre-Chorus]
[Chorus]
What's wrong with my tongue
These words keep slippin' away
I stutter, I stumble
Like I've got nothin' to say
[Pre-Chorus]
Guess I'm wishing my life away with these things I'll never say
Tori finished off the final chorus. After successfully hitting the last note, she bent over in a graceful bow before a roaring audience.
"Tori Vega, everyone!" the host exclaimed with a wave of his hand as Tori exited the stage. "Let's give her and her incredible bone structure another round of applause!"
Tori was showered with flattery and praise as she made her way back to the table. After receiving a hug from Cat, she took her seat next to Beck and heaved a deep sigh of relief.
"I'm glad that's over," she said.
Beck smirked. "I thought you said you didn't remember the song."
For a brief moment, their eyes locked and Tori started to feel herself becoming unglued once again.
She chuckled nervously and replied, "I guess I had it in me all along."
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