Jade checked the time on her phone. It was 8:47. Her group was supposed to film the final scene of the movie that night. Jade was already in costume, wearing a crocheted black tank top, black skinny jeans, a spiked belt, her favorite combat boots, and a necklace with a heart-shaped pendant. The pendant had two fang bite marks in it.
The doorbell rang loudly. She dropped her phone on the couch and walked over to the door. As expected, it was Beck and Tori.
Jade casually opened the door. "It's about time you showed up."
Beck stepped towards Jade. "Sorry, hun, I was dri-"
Jade glared at him, cutting him off. "I don't want your excuses. Tori? Why did you come with my boyfriend?"
Tori looked down, a little nervous. She took a few deep breaths before explaining, "Trina was going to drive me here, but our car broke down, so I had to call Beck to tow it. I was going to take a cab. Beck drove me here anyway."
Jade frowned, then let the other two into her house. Beck took a seat on the couch and pulled out a copy of the script. Tori slowly walked in behind him, looking around the room as if a trap could spring on her at any moment. Jade saw a need in Tori's eyes.
"Can I help you?" Jade asked with as much pleasantness as she could muster.
Tori turned to face Jade. "Um, yeah, actually... do you know where I could change into my costume?"
Jade pointed down the hall. "Bathroom. Second door to the left. Don't touch any of my makeup."
"Thank you!" Tori's chipper voice echoed slightly as she darted into the hall.
Sighing, Jade sat down on the couch next to Beck. She took the script out of Beck's hands. Quietly, she went through the blocking and lines. Beck looked over his girlfriend.
"That's an interesting necklace. Is it new?" Beck did his best to sound casual and dismiss the tension between them.
Jade put her fingers on the pendant. "It was on sale. I haven't been able to wear it. I keep being told it's 'too gory for school.'"
Beck faked a laugh. "And apparently it's not too gory for a school film..."
"Exactly. I'm not the real me, so it doesn't count." Jade stated, examining the pendant's fang marks.
With her point made, Jade continued to read the script. Beck would occasionally look over her shoulder, checking to make sure Jade would be okay. After one too many checks, Jade caught him.
"What are you doing?" Jade's demeanor turned icy.
Beck was taken aback by Jade's temper. "I wanted to make sure you were okay with the script. You've got some long li-"
Jade glanced over. "I am doing perfectly fine on my own."
"Are you sure you don't want me to help you with your line read? You don't have to work alone."
"I choose to work alone."
Beck put his hand on Jade's shoulder and looked straight into her eyes. "You know if you need me..."
"...You'll always be there and love me no matter what. I already know. You don't need to remind me like I'm five!" Jade shoved the script into Beck's hands. "But if you want to read the script, read the script. It's not like you're in this scene or anything."
Beck smiled and nodded. "In this movie, I'm going to be the person filming, so I still need to know what's happening. In the real world, I'm your boyfriend and I want you to know I care about you."
Jade crossed her arms. "I already know that. I've been with you for a very long time."
Beck sighed. "You don-"
"Hey guys!"
Tori smiled as she leaned over the back of the couch. She had changed into a frilly pink polka-dotted dress, white leggings, a pink and white friendship bracelet, silver hoop earrings, and pink high heels. She waked around the couch to show off the outfit.
"What do you think?" Tori did a cute pose.
Jade sat up, eyes wide. "You look great. I mean, the costume looks great for the part."
Beck smiled. "You look pretty. I mean, Jade is obviously prettier..."
"In this costume? I'm not meant to be pretty." Jade scowled.
Tori put her hands on her hips. "Well, you may not be pretty, but you're cute."
Jade stared at Tori in disbelief. "Now you're just screwing with me."
"I'm not, Jade." Tori pulled her phone out of her pocket and gasped. "Guys, we should probably start filming now. It's going to be really late by the time we're done."
Beck put the script on the coffee table while Jade got her camera. Tori checked her appearance, using her phone as a mirror. When Jade came back, camera in hand, the others were ready to start filming. Jade gave the camera to Beck so he could film their scene. The trio walked to the door, and Tori slipped outside. Quickly, Jade shut the door in her face and walked away. Tori made an annoyed face, then laughed. She knew the only reason Jade had shut her out was because she needed to open it when they were filming. Though she didn't have to shut the door so rudely.
In a second, the door was open, and Jade was in the middle of her line. Tori looked up sheepishly and fumbled for her response.
Jade put her hands on her hips. "And Tori is an idiot! Back to one."
Tori sighed as the door was closed again. She struggled to focus on her line and the perky expression she should have on her face. When Jade opened the door for the second take, Tori was ready.
She looked straight into Jade's eyes, beaming. "You wanted to meet me here. I was the one who called you earlier about Alan."
Jade looked down on Tori, a disgusted sneer crawling upon her lips. "How true. Why don't you come in?"
Jade stepped to the side so Tori could skip through the door. Jade looked over at the kitchen counter, where her scissors lay.
"Cut!" Beck pressed the record button on the camera. He watched the footage, paying careful attention to the details. "It's good!"
He could get a close-up of the scissors later, so he took another angle of Tori skipping into Jade's house. Afterwards, the girls moved on to the next shot. After Beck positioned himself for a full-body shot, Jade lead Tori to the kitchen, turning her sneer into a clearly fake smile. Tori, as Jill, ignorantly hummed at tune to herself. For the next shot, Beck went for a mid-body shot of the two girls.
Jade put her arm around Tori's shoulder. "It's Jane, right?"
"Jill," Tori corrected.
Jade's fake laugh rang through the room. "My mistake. Sometimes I make silly little mistakes around silly little girls."
Jade tapped Tori's head, making Tori wince. As they entered the kitchen, Tori noticed a sheet of cookies sitting on the stovetop. She ran over to the cookies and picked one up.
"Ouch!" Tori dropped the cookie as fast as she picked it up.
The camera fell as Beck rushed over to check on Tori. Jade stood there, surprised. "I thought the cookies were cool."
"They are cool!" Tori held up her unburned hand.
Jade looked away as if she never knew anything happened. Beck lifted his camera hand and started filming again. Jade regained her composure.
Jade smirked again, getting back into character. "Yes, be distracted by those cookies. Stupid girl."
Jade casually walked over to the counter to stand in front of the scissors. She picked up the scissors without looking. At the same time, Tori picked up the cookie again and joyfully began to eat it.
Jade stepped towards Tori. "Enjoying those cookies?"
"Mmm..." Tori finished chewing. "The's cookies are great! They're really soft and chewy and..." She saw Jade's face was inches from her own. "Your eyelashes are really pretty."
"Sweet, stupid girl," Jade whispered as gripped her scissors tightly in her hand.
Tori took another cookie from the sheet, acting completely ignorant of Jade's glare. Jade watched Tori's every move. Taking a deep breath, Jade swung the scissors over her head. Tori looked up just in time. She shrieked, dodging as the scissor's blades came down at her. The scissors bounced off the stove. Beck moved his foot out of the way so he didn't get struck by Jade's preferred weapon.
"Why are you doing this?" Tori asked, shuddering.
Beck changed the shot, opting for a close-up of Jade's face. The light of the setting sun made the shot more striking.
Jade looked right into the camera. "Because I love him. I love him, and you took him from me. I love him, and you took him from me, and now I'm going to take you from him!" Jade ran full-sprint at the camera. Beck jumped back, covering the camera in case Jade couldn't stop in time, which she could not. She bumped into Beck's arm.
Tori braced herself for the stage fighting scene. The scene began with Jade running at her, knocking Tori down. Jade attempted to pin Tori down, but in the struggle, Tori managed to slip out. Jade grabbed Tori's leg. She dragged a screaming Tori back. Jade's hands wrapped around Tori's neck, choking Tori. Tori, as Jill, summoned her courage and kicked her assailant. Jade recoiled as Tori took off again. Jade stood up and tackled Tori again. This time her pinning was successful. Jade grinned wildly as Tori gave up her struggle. Tori allowed Jade's hands to cover her neck, closing off her throat. All this time, Beck ran around the girls, taking many different shots from many different angles.
Jade stood up, moving out of the way. Beck sat beside Tori, who lay in perfect position. The camera zoomed in as Tori shuddered. Tori gasped twice. Her eyes widened for one moment before closing them. She stopped moving. Beck pressed the "record" for the final time, stopping the recording process.
Tori sat up. "Did you get a good death shot?"
Beck nodded. He watched the last few shots one last time, and Jade peeked over his shoulder. She caught Beck smiling as he watched the last shot.
"What on earth are you grinning for?" Jade glared at Beck.
Beck looked over at Jade as if Jade was five. "It's a good shot."
Jade scoffed, but Beck's glowering look silenced her. Tori was going to ask to see the shots, but she decided not to interfere.
Beck looked over at the clock. "It's really late. You should get started on the editing."
Beck handed the camera to Jade, who immediately turned it off.
"You two should get home right away," Jade set the camera down on the coffee table. "I hear there's a chance of accidents if you don't."
With a hint of distain in her eyes, Jade watched Tori and Beck walk to the door, making small talk. They seemed so much more happy than she was. Beck was his usual stoic self, though in the back of his mind, he was still looking out for his girlfriend. That was reassuring, though something else was as far from reassuring as possible. Even at night, when she expected Tori to be worn out from the day's events, Tori was still a bright, shining beacon of joy. Her eyes lit up in a way Jade could never match. Her demeanor was light. Yet, Jade wasn't concerned about Tori stealing her boyfriend away. It was something else entirely.
Jade pulled out of her thoughtful state when Tori waved a cheerful goodbye, and she realized they were leaving. Jade only grudgingly allowed Beck to kiss her cheek.
"Are you okay?" Beck asked. "You seem a bit off."
"I'm fine." Jade turned away. She composed herself before she went to the door and held it open for the others in her group. Tori waved at her again, and she waved back. The moment Beck's truck started up, Jade closed the door and allowed her annoyance to sink in. She had three ideas about what would happen later on that night. First, Beck would call her sometime. Second, Beck would chastise her about the way she'd been acting. Third, Jade would have to put her feelings against Beck's.
Jade looked at the ceiling and muttered, "This night can't end well."
Author's Notes: Remember how I said I had three chapters written in advance? That's because I want to keep updating even if I don't have a ton of time to write. I will be updating once a week on the Friday. Keep an eye out for a new chapter in your inbox every weekend! If you need a fix before then, check out my other Victorious story, "Still My Brother".
Some of you may have noticed a pattern in the chapter titles. If you haven't figured it out yet, don't worry, the titles will have the same pattern for as long as I've planned them (13 chapters and counting!) If you have figured it out, let me know. You can also suggest scenarios that could appear in upcoming chapters.