Mystery Chapter 3
A/N: Wow….it's been so long the fandom is almost all but gone. But meh I still love Jade/Tori. I don't think I can EVER get over reading Jori stories from people. I am sorry for the long rut in updates, I have been quite busy with work, life and creative blocks. I've gone back and read few of my favorites like Streetlights by weirdprince, She is the Sunlight by Starryright, Just a Stage Kiss by WellWishes, Rock and Roll by C-Unit, Get Up by Jamsk16, Tightrope by dontyouwannadance, Paper Planes & Fireflies by DevilsThunder, Sexual Tension at its Finest by Aigerim Lehane, The Best Worst Year series by frogchik090, Roadwork by Azkadellio, Playing House by Love Esters, Tuna Fish Tachos by Yonz, and basically ANY story by Quitting Time(I want to do a co-op with them on a story one day lol I've actually told them about this one lol). There are several other stories I love but alas that would take this entire chapter to list em all. Anywho I can only hope I write a story just as good. Provided I stop taking so long to update….pretty sure this fandom is on it's last legs :( this makes me sad. Anyway Special shout out to Invader Johnny, You practically own the comments section on every story in this fandom. If anyone's a super Jori fan, that would definitely be you. And thanks for your comments on this one. On to the story!
Disclaimer 1: I don't own Victorious, I never will, I wish I did cuz then Jori would most definitely have happened.
Disclaimer 2: I'm So Sick is a song by Flyleaf. But for the purpose of this alternate universe, Fallen Valkyrie will be the ones releasing it. BUT IN REALITY, Flyleaf owns all rights and so on so forth in regards to this song.
NPOV(italics other than song lyrics, represent thoughts)
*V Records*
I will break into your thoughts
With what's written on my heart
I will break, break
I'm so sick,
infected with
Where I live
Let me live
without this
Empty bliss,
Selfishness
I'm so sick
I'm so sick
If you want more of this
We can push out, sell out, die out
So you'll shut up (shut up)
And stay sleeping
With my screaming in your itching ears
I'm so sick,
Infected with
Where I live
Let me live
Without this
Empty bliss,
Selfishness
I'm so sick
I'm so sick
Hear it, I'm screaming it
You're heeding to it now
Hear it, I'm screaming it
You tremble at this sound
You sink into my clothes
This invasion makes me feel
Worthless, hopeless, sick
I'm so sick,
Infected with
Where I live
Let me live
Without this
Empty bliss,
Selfishness
I'm so, I'm so sick
I'm so sick,
Infected with
Where I live
Let me live
Without this
Empty bliss,
Selfishness
I'm so (I'm so)
I'm so sick (I'm so sick)
I'm so (I'm so)
I'm so sick (I'm so sick)
"Alright let's take a break guys." Vicky announced as the band finished their newest song.
"It's about time…we've been running that song all morning since 6am. It's already almost 12pm!" Eva complained as she flopped herself over her drums letting her arms dangle off the sides. "I can't feel my arms…"
"Yeah what crawled up your ass and died, that we had to come in here early, on a Saturday no less, and go through this Spartan recording session?" Kate asked, setting her guitar down and picking up a bottle of water to drink.
"I just wanted to do a damn song, quit making such a fuss about it. We were due to release something this week anyway." Vicky explained while wiping her sweat away with a towel. Now if you don't mind I'm going to go take a breather."
Vicky left the studio and walked outside, she felt a lot better now that she got her aggressions out in the song. She pulled out a pack of smokes from her pocket and lit one up. An elderly woman walking by gave disgusted look and looked at the girl. Muttering something about it being such a shame the woman shook her head and continued her way down the sidewalk. Ami came out and almost automatically Vicky held out her pack, while the bass guitarist took one of the cancer sticks and also lit up. The two were the only smokers in the group. Though Vicky didn't smoke much, she only smoked when she was really irritated about something or when she was drunk off her ass. She could go months without a cigarette without any repercussion. Ami however on the other hand couldn't go without one for more than a few hours. Something her girlfriend Eva didn't mind. Seemed the ditsy little drummer loved the taste of smoke on their kisses.
Ami took a drag on the cigarette and blew the smoke out. The two friends and band mates just sat there enjoying the breeze. Ami knew something was wrong with Vicky, she chose not to talk until the girl was ready though. She patiently smoked her cigarette while she waited for the sign when the singer was ready to talk. Vicky growled under her breath, she could feel the woman's eyes on her, and she knew the girl was looking for anything out of place that would indicate what's gotten into the half-latina. Vicky closed her eyes and sighed as though she were releasing all the stress in her body at once. Ami seeing the telltale sign nodded to herself and took another drag.
"So you gonna tell me about it?" Ami asked, her voice cutting through the silence finally. "I assume this has to do with that Jade chick you go on about sometimes."
"..." Vicky opened her mouth then closed it almost like she forgot how to word the thoughts swirling through her head. "She just pisses me off sometimes."
"Sometimes? More like all the time. So tell me what did the wicked witch of the West do to you now?" Ami smirked at her own play on Jade's last name.
"Stop! Don't make me laugh" Vicky found the play on Jade's last name quite funny and nearly broke out in a chuckle. She got herself under control and looked at her band mate. "It's actually really stupid. She basically insulted my singing and I took it harshly, I was hurt so I got up and left. Looking back on it now I kinda overreacted."
"You got up and left…..." Ami asked her eyes wide with shock. "After she insulted your singing? If anything I'd say you under reacted. I remember when someone said you sounded like Trina singing and you stone cold clocked the guy with your purse knocking him out, or this other time when a girl said she could sing better than you even if she had strep throat and you hauled that bitch off by her hair and threw her out of the building, or the time you punched that music critic who said your songs were-"
"OK, OK I get it!" Vicky said shaking her head. "I may not have overreacted to you, but to them I may have just a teeny bit. It's different over there, I have to act a certain way and be a certain prissy someone to get people to like me enough to stay in that school. Heaven forbid I come back and deal with you people."
"And what turn back into yourself and not another Taylor Swift?" Ami joked nudging the singer with her shoulder.
"Oh god no…." The color drained from the singer's face as her eyes stared out unfocused as though she were imagining herself as Taylor Swift.
"Hey you are just a few pop songs away from doing so," chuckled Ami.
"You know very well I don't wanna sing pop."
"Mhm so back to the topic, you were irritated that Jade insulted your singing, instead of wild'n out and clocking the goth you got up and left. I fail to see the overreacting part…."
"Well…..I shouldn't have gotten mad; I mean the girl always insults something about me. I shouldn't have taken it so personally this time."
"You love singing and you love when people praise you. Your issue is that you hate when people say they didn't like it. It's like a trigger that brings out your inner monster."
"Yeah I just see red when they insult my singing. Insult me about anything else but family, friends and singing." said the half latina, smiling to herself.
"But somehow you were able to see through the red enough to not hit Jade?" Smirked the bass guitarist. "Have anything to say about that? You even looked all proud and in awe watching her preliminary entry."
"What are you insinuating?" The half latina narrowed her eyes at the taller woman.
"That perhaps the thespian has bigger hold of your heart than you seem to be leading on," Ami said unperturbed by the so-called menacing look on the lead singer's face.
"I do no-" The half latina began to argue in her own defense before she was interrupted by the taller woman's girlfriend.
"Ami! What are you doing? You guys have been out here forever." Eva complained while she wrapped her arms around the bass guitarist's waist. "Oh yeah Vick, your sister called and said the company wants you to send them the copy of today's release."
"Ah just send them that last recording we did, it was perfect anyway." Vicky said waving off the enthusiastic drummer.
"Okie dokie" She kissed Ami, and the flounced inside to send the recording. Ami followed after the girl leaving Vicky to think alone about her own feelings. Vicky was about to stop the girl and refute her earlier observation, but stopped herself. She's wrong, right? There's no way I feel that way about Jade of all people….Did really have that kind of look when we watched Jade's entry? Why am I even thinking about this? I don't like Jade in that way!...do I? Vicky shook her head of all thoughts of the actress and went back inside to shower off the sweat from the morning's session, in the studio's shower. While Vicky washed her hair she couldn't help but think about it again. Do I like Jade like that?
Later on in the band's private room, Ms. V dropped in to inform them that the song they released would be aired later that day.
"So do you guys know what you want to do for the second round? You already had them sing what do you want from them next?" Ms. V stood next to the couch where Ami and Eva were cuddling and watching a documentary on some old rock bands. Kate meanwhile was on the computer playing some fantasy game that had to do with elves and dwarfs. Magicy stuff and all that. While Vicky was reading a book by the window.
"We could put them in a ring and let them all fight it out and take the last one standing" Eva said looking up from girlfriend's arms. Ami rolled her eyes and smacked her girlfriend's forehead with her hand. "Owwie"
"Let the grownups talk, just sit there and be adorable ok babe?" Ami smiled while her girlfriend pouted and crossed her arms, though she didn't move an inch from Ami's body
"Why not have them dance? You know, to show us their moves?" Ami asked turning her head towards their manager.
"You guys aren't a dancing group. You never have been. Just cuz you guys will reveal yourselves, and do concerts from now on, doesn't mean you guys will dance on stage. Also, your music isn't exactly the dance type," Ms. V Replied quickly shutting down that idea.
"Well we do need to see if they will be ok towards the public, most people get to embarrassed or nervous when they are surrounded by cameras and judging eyes." Vicky said. "How bout we do something to test the mettle of our contestants?"
"Like how?" Ms. V queried.
"I have an idea…" Kate said, shocking everyone in the room turning to look at her. When Kate games she is almost dead to the world. You could scream right in her ear and she wouldn't even notice you were there. "What? Anyway, how bout we do this….."
(Across town in Jade's room)
What the hell was with Vega yesterday? That voice and that cold demeanor she had was definitely not her and yet it seemed to oddly fit her. But that can't be right, this is the same Vega that helped me get back with Beck when broke up and I showed up crying on her doorstep. Vega couldn't do cold and detached if her life depended on it. It must have been my imagination, probably added to the guild I was feeling about how I treated the little princess I must have projected an image of Vega treating me like that. What the hell? Do I have some kinda freaky fetish about how I'm treated with Vega?
Jade was in her room thinking about Friday's events, while she was thrilled she got into the second round of the contest, she was more puzzled by Tori's uncharacteristic attitude in the Black Box. The Contest had said they would continue the second round sometime that weekend, so Jade had woken up early so as not to miss anything in case something got released to the public. She basically brought the small radio she had with her everywhere she went, waiting to hear news of the second round. As she was doing all that, her mind had wandered to the half latina inadvertently. For the life of her, Jade couldn't figure out what about the singer, seemed to have her so wound up. But ever since the first day that Tori had transferred in the half latina hasn't left the goth girl's mind alone. Jade tormented the girl on her first day by pouring coffee on the half latina's head. She went on to torment the girl more by faking being hit by a stage prop, stealing a pint of the girl's blood. Ruining the girls 'Prome'.
At the same time Jade could honestly say she did like Tori. When she needed help after she and Beck broke up and she wanted to get back with him, Tori helped her. When she was feeling low or sad Tori would attempt to cheer her up. Though she never said it out loud she was definitely considering Tori as a friend. Naturally, Jade couldn't admit these things to herself, much less out loud. So she kept her facade up and made sure to tell Tori they weren't friends. She was vaguely aware that Tori didn't believe a word she said whenever she denied their friendship, and yet she continued to deny it, it was just how Jade was meant to be. Jade didn't like letting people in. It had a habit of blowing up in your face if you did. Jade wasn't going to make that mistake again.
When Jade was around 8 her dad had said he would always love her mother and go to every play that Jade was ever in. Because of those words Jade had thrown herself into acting wanting to give everything she had to make her dad proud and make him watch everything she was in. However, a few years later her parents started to fight, and over time the fights got harsher and harsher until her father had enough and moved out of the house at the start of her first year at HA. Her father never did go to any of her plays. Since Jade was only interested in acting for her father she had to find something else to interest her. She took up a few minor things like singing, dancing, and even kickboxing. She never stuck with any of the activities for too long, bouncing from one to the next in search of an activity that could challenge her. She finally found her calling in script writing. Jade would love to paint the big screen with a story of her own making. After Jade's dad left, she felt abandoned, she felt like she had failed her father's expectations. She figured if she worked hard enough and became the best she would be able to get her father back. Soon Jade was the top student in the school, landing all the main female leads, out singing most of the kids in the singing department. But it wasn't enough to bring the man back to his family, as he never saw any of this. Feeling bitter and betrayed, Jade began to wonder; what's the point in making bonds when even family members are so willing to cut them. The already dark, bitter teen became even more so when Tori started at HA and one by one started to get the accolades that were usually reserved for Jade. The main female lead, performing at award shows, performing on stage at HA. Jade panicked at first thinking Tori was taking her spot and if she did, then Jade's father would never come back. So Jade began to pick on and bully Tori relentlessly. However, in light of recent events concerning the Latina, Jade has begun to back off and look at the half-latina in an entirely new way. Despite how Jade treated her, Tori was a saint. She was patient, caring and nice to everyone who met her. Tori practically lit up the room whenever she walked in. The school's princess.
After Tori had helped Jade on several occasions, Jade's opinion of the girl changed drastically. Tori wasn't out to get her, she was just a better performer. Tori didn't want to be friends to humiliate her later; she just really wanted to be friends. Though Jade's opinion had changed, she wasn't going to just wake up the next day and be all happy and coco puffs with Tori. Jade kept her snarky attitude and snappy comments, but otherwise her bullying antics had all but ceased. Tori was now someone she could rely on, trust and lean on. That was until Friday when Jade had insulted Tori's singing and Tori had somehow become a cold, emotionless detached person. Course like Jade thought it might have been her imagination. There's no way Tori could be like that after all. She will probably find out Monday. Since when did I think about Vega so much?
"It is now 4pm and it's time for another new Fallen Valkyries' song! This one comes hot and fresh out the oven, here is…..I'm So Sick by The Fallen Valkyries!"
Thoughts of Tori vanished from the thespians mind as she sat back and listened to the new song. It was another good; she loved it just as she had loved all the other ones before it. Jade zoned out while listening to the words of the song her head slightly nodding in tune with the song until the song came to an end, and Jade sighed at the loss of the song.
"That was The Fallen Valkyries' latest song I'm So Sick. We have some good news. The second round of the The Fallen Valkyries' New Singer competition is about to start! If you are contestant you are going to want to listen! We have the topic of the next round!" Jade's eyes snapped to the radio, "And we will give them to you right after these words from our sponsors! So don't touch that dial!"
Jade groaned and banged her head back on the wall behind her as she sat on the bed. Stupid commercials…..Why did they even bother announcing it if they were just going to cut to commercials? Now I have to actually sit here and listen to this crap instead of zone out just in case I zone out too much and miss the announcement. Jade wondered for a moment if Vega was also listening to the radio waiting to hear the news. For some reason the thought of Tori doing the exact same thing as her made Jade feel at peace. Like a connection of sorts. This confused the goth. After all why would the thought of Tori doing the same thing as her, sitting on a bed listening to the same radio station, cause her to feel so at peace? Before she could dwell some more on this, the commercial break was over.
"And now for all you contestants out there that are still in the running to be the next Fallen Valkyrie. Here is your assignment. All submissions must be turned in within two weeks. You will not be mailing this rounds submissions….you will be sending them as a digital file. You are also required to post your submissions on your Slap account for all your friends and family to see. Got your attention? This next round is to test your mettle and courage in the face of the public. So your task is…..Post a video of you doing something….Daring in public. Please keep all submissions PG-13."
Jade stared wide eyed at the radio, no longer hearing what the DJ was saying. Post a video of you doing something daring in public? Well if you want to see how people do in front of crowds I guess there are worst ways to go about it. Jade really wasn't expecting this as the topic of the next round. She wasn't nervous or scared though. Daring was Jade's middle name. Ok no not really, but still, it wasn't like Jade would be scared to do anything daring. Tori however…...Jade smirked to herself. This might be the little latina's undoing.
"How daring can you be Vega?"
A/N: and that's chapter 3. More of a peek into how Jade and Tori see each other after Jade's insulting of Tori's singing than anything else. By the way should I do any back story on the new girls? The band mates of Vicky/Tori? Do you guys care to want to know anything about them? Also for those wondering Ami's name is pronounced the same way as Amy. Ok? Alrighty then have a good day! I'll be updating Eternity next, hopefully within this week. As for this one….I may have another chapter soon. See ya.