Tori was working on the lyrics to the third of Andre's song worked on that afternoon. The half Latina was secretly worried for her friend. He used to be so good at lyrics, churning out songs at an amazing rate. Somewhere along the way his confidence was shot, and he reduced himself to only writing the music. 'Except when he's into someone. That's when he gets lyrical.' She thought. Still, he was her best friend, and she felt it was time for him to be included in her plans.

"I'm gonna seduce Jade. Well, seduce is too strong a word. Lets just say, if Trina's plan works, Jade will be my girlfriend by Sunday." Tori said. 'Please don't judge. Please don't judge. Please don't judge.' became the silent prayer repeated in her thoughts.

"What now?" Andre asked. Just like that, his perfectly relaxed weekend was shot. After they'd finished working on the music for the day, he was going to go to the mall where he worked part time and scope out the beautiful ladies. Maybe find his next bit of inspiration. Anything to get a break from all the music he was writing. Not that he didn't like writing music, but there were only two love songs in the play, and he wasn't so inspired to write music that was going to be wasted on lyrics about working in an office or trying to move up the corporate ladder.

Jade's play was about a guy who, through a series of accidents, moves up the cooperate ladder to a position he is totally unqualified for, only to discover that he can do the job anyway. While it has it's own fun moments, like how most of his promotions are due to the political manipulations of those around him, most of the dozen songs needed weren't love songs. Worse, they needed a few of the songs to be funny. So Andre was sitting with Tori trying to write the words, while deciding what music goes with each set of lyrics.

So, there they were, taking some time after school to work on the music, and Tori just blurted out the only thing that could throw him completely off his game. However, Andre was Tori's best friend, so he knew it was his duty to do whatever he could to help her through this time of need. Putting his own prejudices aside, he steeled himself so he could be there for her.

"Are you out of your mind? Jade's dangerous! You know, 'Jade is a mean, vicious person, with deep psychological problems.' And now we know she was a professional fighter. This cannot end well." Andre ranted.

"What? She's single now, and I didn't start going wonky over her until Trina pointed out she developed an interest in my... well me." Tori defended herself. "Besides, we all know I'm doing everyone a favor by dating Jade. She dates me, she doesn't act as crazy, and more people get to live. It's all good."

"You're the one who told me I couldn't be interested in Jade." Andre said. "For the very reasons I quoted back at you."

"I'm also the one who asked you to date her, you know, when she wasn't attached to one of our friends. There's a difference here. Also, Jade's working with my sister, and at a community center where my father spends far too much time. I know I'm going to be helping them out by making her mine." Tori said. "Now will you help me, or are you just going to judge?"

"Tori, I'm your best fried, and it's my job to call you out when your being ridiculous. Yes, Jade's hot, and I'm not judging the girl loving. It's even possible that you two have the right connection, if the mandatory screenwriting class is right about that kind of adversarial relationship. It's just you and Jade have so much history. Do you really think it could work?" Andre asked.

"Andre, it's gonna work. I've enlisted the help of the best flirt at school, and we've set the groundwork. Tomorrow Jade's going to be helping Trina with her training, after their morning class at the community center. That's when I'm going to strike. I just need your moral support. You don't have to be anywhere near us when it goes down. And after, it'll probably be best if you stay away, and then check in on Sunday. Are we cool?"

"You got help from the best flirt in school? I don't think so, cause I don't remember helping you." Andre half joked.

"Okay, then I've been getting pointers from the second biggest flirt in school. Are we cool?" Tori asked.

"That depends. Who's been helping you?" He asked.

"Crystal Waters." Tori replied.

"Big mistake." Andre said.

"Why? I mean, it's been working." Tori replied.

"Because your trying to win a girl. As macho as Jade is, she is definitely a girly type. She's gonna want you to make the first move, and probably all of the ones after that." Andre told her.

"But Crystal said I needed to be subtle, use my femininity to draw her in..." Tori was sounding confused.

"And it worked, right? Except Jade said on the slap she hates when someone asks if it's okay to kiss her, and wishes that they just would. Only problem is she's the kind who'll rip off your lips if you try it, so most guys wouldn't risk it. No, if your going to date Jade, you need to man up and take control." he sounded confident.

"But she's bossy. You see the way she is, the way she was with Beck." Tori said.

"Exactly. Bossy as she is, she was always letting Beck make the decisions. She would let him know she was hungry, not tell him where to go. She was relying on him to keep her under control, so she didn't go to far." Andre said. "Now, while she's doing it herself, she really wants someone else to remind her of those social boundaries, someone to help her feel safe."

"I'm going to keep her safe? Jade's a one woman destruction crew. She almost beat Shelby Marx. You know what that girl can do, and Jade almost beat her. How the chiz am I supposed to keep her safe?" Tori asked.

"You see, that's why you need me. I'll help you though the rough spots, help guide you through the jungle and into the world where you and Jade can take turns being the man the other needs. The biggest thing to remember is that Jade is incredibly insecure. She's the one your protecting her from, all the doubt and worries in her head. I'll bet her family doesn't even know how lonely she is sometimes. So once you start dating, and she trust you, she's gonna want to see that you can handle her crazy, so she can rely on you to keep her sane." Andre said.

"And where does this wisdom come from?" Tori asked.

"I've dated a lot more than anyone else in our little group. I think I know a bit about crazy." He said.

"Your grandma told you?' Tori joked.

"Yea, my grandma told me." He confessed.

Trina, meanwhile, was freaking out. She was in her room getting ready for her date. With Tori busy helping Andre, she had to call in the one person she knew would help her. Jade was also there, giving Cat a ride and just being there for moral support. She was also getting along with Cats roommate Sam. The three girls were busy getting Trina ready for her date, with Cat doing hair, makeup, helping choose an outfit, and just about anything else that Trina needed. Jade and Sam were in the background offering words of encouragement.

"Relax Trina, I think Scotty kinda likes you, or is far more afraid of me than I originally thought. He told Lane I didn't threaten him, so I think he's genuinely interested." Jade told her. "Just relax and be yourself. On second thought, be the you I see at the community center. I think that you is far easier to get along with. And Trina, while this is about getting to know each other, keep some mystery. Like, all those stories you tell your other dates, don't. Tell him about your life, how you like certain things, but leave out performance unless he asks, and in general remember, guys like it if you take an interest in them."

"Yea, and guys like it if you show a lot of interest. Most of the guys who date me seem to love it when I talk about them." Cat said.

"Most of the guys you date are closet pedophiles." Jade said.

"Really?" Sam asked.

"You don't see it? They may seem normal, but look at her. Do you really think they believe they're dealing with anything close to an adult? No, she seems child like and easy to manipulate. I swear, I have to threaten most of the guys who ask her out just to keep her safe." Jade said.

"Whats that supposed to mean?" Cat said, but her friends seemed to ignore her.

"Well, that's my job now." Sam said. Despite that minor conflict, the two got along great. Sam was happy to know a former professional fighter, and Jade was happy to know someone with a similar personality. Cat was worried about how much the two of them were getting along, but didn't have to be. There were a couple of major difference between the two girls. Jade was an A student, while Sam was the type to barely pass her classes. Jade wasn't gluttonous, and her laziness was countered by her drive to succeed at whatever she set herself to accomplish. Both were unnervingly intelligent, but Sam was unable to overcome her laziness enough to have it affect her grades. Still, they were a good fit as friends, even if Cat was worried they'd one day unite their abilities and try to take over the world.

The girls went on talking about whatever and offering Trina advice as they waited for Scotty to show up. As the time for their date approached, Jade, Sam and Cat all started trying to figure out where they should be when he got there. Cat wanted them to hide, or at least be inconspicuous. Sam was curious what this guy looked like, and wanted to know more about him on general principle. Jade just wanted to be there to intimidate him, letting the boy know to treat Trina with respect. The black belt was aware that she was doing the fathers job, but once again he wasn't there for his daughter, so she felt, as Trina's mentor, it fell to her to scare the boy straight. Everyone was waiting for Scotty to arrive.

:}

I swear I plan of getting g to the date soon. I do like what Andre said, and I think it's good advice. Drawing jade in was the easy part. Now she has the tools to make her play for Jade's heart. Tori isn't so over her head now.

What are you hoping for in their date? Please remember the rating of the story in your reply.