A/N: This next one was one of the first ideas to pop in my head and was probably the reason behind me finally pulling the trigger on getting this anthology started.

This should give you an idea where we are going with this series. Some tales will be Tori-centric, some will be Jade-centric and others will include both of them. Plus we will see regulars from the show as well.

Here we have a Jade story and she has...questions that need answering.

SONG:

"Does Your Mother Know" was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.

"Jade?"

"Jade?"

"JADE?"

Snapped out of la-la-land, she turned to the left with her fist raised. Jade came to her senses when faced with a cowering Sinjin, holding his book like a shield.

"Don't hit me!"

"Sinjin, god, you startled me."

The boy with scraggly hair looked confused.

"But I didn't scare you. I've actually been here for a minute trying to get your attention. At first I thought you were thinking hard but then I wondered if aliens were feasting on your brains."

"What?"

"Just looked like you were in a trance," he shrugged.

They both instinctively looked at a poster of Lady Gaga that hung on the wall across from where they stood. It was made by one of the graphic design students, Kyle Pullman, who was becoming in hot demand by much of the student body. Whether it was a band working on an album cover or a school play wanting to advertise their show, they looked to Kyle to design the artwork or take a pass and give notes.

The poster of Gaga really captured her likeness and her image was awash in all the colors of the rainbow like somebody threw different buckets of paint on the wall. It looked really cool.

Sinjin was a prodigy in tech and various niche stuff but he wasn't by any accounts a detective. He didn't put it together that Jade was ogling the poster in question. Jade was gaga for Gaga and hoped that playing stupid was working.

"I was just thinking...about..."

Sinjin stood up and straightened his shirt.

"You texted me this morning that you wanted to see me?"

"What?" Jade asked, one foot in this reality and the other in another place entirely. "Yes! You can help!"

He adjusted his glasses.

"Okay, what?"

"I need a fake ID from you," she demanded. "Like right away!"

Sinjin knew better than to ask Jade what she needed it for so just kept with the relevant details.

"Alright, I can have it for you Monday first thing."

"NO!"

He jumped back a couple feet. Though much taller than Jade, he was downright terrified of the goth.

"Sorry," Jade said, looking apologetic. "It's just...I can't wait a whole other week."

"What do you mean?" Sinjin asked.

Jade shook her head.

"Never mind. Listen I'd really appreciate it if you could expedite this. I need it ASAP!"

The boy sighed and cleared his throat.

"Okay, Jade. I'll do it. I can have it ready this afternoon. I'm gonna need a photo; where's your school ID?"

Jade stiffened.

"No, that's uh...too old a picture. Here..." she then held up her phone in front of her and took a selfie. "I'm texting you this photo. Make sure to use this one, okay?"

"Oh, uh, okay," he replied.

"And don't go nuts with the date of birth. Just make it so I'm in my twenties. I can pull that off."

Sinjin looked troubled.

"It's starting to bug me Jade. What are you planning to do with this?" He then gasped. "Are you buying fireworks?"

Jade didn't have the imagination for this right now.

"Yes, Sinjin. I'm going to buy fireworks. I thought Clowns Don't Bounce was missing something in the finale."

"Cool," he nodded. "Just make sure the show moves to outside."

Jade gives him the finger gun as he walks away.

(Amazing. He actually bought that.)

That night, Jade got herself dressed up for the evening. She hid her simple black dress from last year's Halloween dance into her bag. It was her backup when the original Black Widow wedding gown fell apart after getting saturated with the fake blood. Lousy cheap costume materials. Along with that were some makeup and hair accessories.

Jade wanted to make her parents think she was going over Cat's but it was a ruse.

Her plan was to drive over to the diner on Hollywood Blvd where she would order a coffee and use the bathroom to change into her dress and get dolled up for her true destination.

Then she would leave her car there and catch a cab since she didn't know of the parking situation. Jade wasn't trying to get towed and stranded in a strange part of town at night.

The taxi showed up after ten minutes and took her right to HIJINX.

Jade tipped the driver and she let herself out of the cab. She watched a couple of women, holding hands and laughing as they entered.

"Okay, West. Let's do this."

The volume of the synth pop music hit her as immediately as the air conditioning. The neon lights: green, blue, pink, orange lined the walls. There were small tables around the floor but they come to a point where the area was left completely clear for dancing. Some sat and drank, some hit the floor and others were seated at the bar.

Jade found an empty stool and planted herself at the end of the bar. She wagered that this was probably a good spot, able to take in the room and maybe (just maybe) catch the fancy of someone else.

"Can I help you, cupcake?"

Jade spun in her stool and saw the really tall, muscular bartender. She had platinum blonde hair in one long braid.

(Damn, Elsa been hitting the weights.)

"Um, wow" Jade stammered. "Can I have a...Coke?"

The amazon gave her a dubious look.

"I'm with..." Jade started scanning the room and pointed to a random table with four girls maybe late twenties. "With them. I'm the designated driver. And the only one who's single so...I'm...that's why I'm here."

"ID?"

Jade looked caught off guard.

"For a soda?"

"Look, cupcake, I've never seen you before. I always card the newbies. So hand it over."

She put her purse on the counter and fished out her wallet and took the ID and handed it to the bartender.

"Mmmm,"

(Oh, shit. The jig is up.)

"One rule at my bar," she said, returning the ID. "DD's drink for free."

The large woman then opened a cooler beneath Jade's sight and produced an ice cold bottle of Coca-Cola. She then with courtesy she pried off the bottle cap and passed over the drink to Jade.

She could feel the chill overcome her hand from the ice when she picked it up.

"Thank you," Jade nodded.

"Don't get discouraged, kid. You may be the fifth wheel tonight but it can turn around for you."

Ever since coming to terms with what romance was, Jade had harbored the occasional lady crush here and there. But nothing serious came from it. Things have become complicated lately. This year Jade was having more conflicting emotions and wasn't sure how to process them. That was the main catalyst for breaking things off with Beck for good. It was fun and he really was a good guy.

But Jade wasn't sure what she wanted anymore.

Then one day, Jade had an idea. Rather than dating a girl at school and have it end in disaster; why not test the waters at somewhere neutral? Checking online, Jade saw this gay bar in Hollywood called HIJINX. The only downside was that it was 21 and over, so Jade needed to get a fake ID. But it worked out for the best because since nobody young could get in, Jade wasn't going to run into somebody from Hollywood Arts.

Now she can chat up a girl or two, maybe do a little flirting, to see if she responds to the idea of being bi.

This was new territory for Jade in more ways than one. She was the big fish as far as Hollywood Arts was concerned but here she was but a guppy. A hopeless sapphic guppy.

(Why did I add that I was single? Did I really need to sprinkle in that extra bit of pathetic?)

"Hey, is this stool taken?"

The throaty voice grabbed Jade's attention and she saw a stunning sight.

She was shimmering from the lights. The sequins in her long dress captured the glow of the club and made her appear ethereal. The mysterious woman was probably late 30s, early 40s at best. But she leaned into it. Curly blonde hair framed the gorgeous and confident face of a mature woman who had the world on a string.

Jade was speechless.

"Is anyone sitting here, dear?"

"I think she's trying to say no. It's free."

The bartender gave her a wink and then turned to the other blonde.

"How's it going, Bea?" she asked the barkeep.

"Same old same old," what'll it be?

The statuesque blonde sat on the spot right next to Jade, making the brunette highly nervous.

"I think...a cherry bomb."

"You got it," Bea said as she got to work on the mixed drink.

The newcomer had noticed Jade and while she intended to attract someone's attention, she immediately regretted it.

"What's your story?" she asked Jade.

The brunette just downed her soda so quickly that she almost choked and coughed.

(Good job, Jade. Real smooth.)

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Jade's eyes widened when she looked directly at the woman sitting near her.

"I'm fine...just fine."

"I'm Ashley. What's your name?"

"Jade."

(At least you didn't fumble THAT question.)

"Cute name," Ashley nodded. She gestured toward the half drunk Coke. "Not much of a drinker?"

Jade shook her head.

"Nope, I'm the designated driver."

Ashley raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Where are your friends?"

"Over there," Jade pointed. "By the dance floor."

Ashley turned and saw the laughing foursome. They seem to be paired off.

"That's nice of you to be the DD. Looks like your friends ditched you."

Jade shrugged her shoulders.

"It's fine. I'm used to it."

"Doesn't it get lonely?" asked Ashley.

"It was," Jade grinned, looking sweetly at the older woman.

(Holy shit! Am I flirting? Did I just successfully flirt with a woman?)

Ashley graciously accepted her bright red drink with a slice of lime on the glass.

"It's cool you don't drink. To each their own. Hope you don't mind I do."

"To each their own," Jade said.

As she drank it, Jade noticed the real cherries on the bottom of the glass.

"What's in that?" she asked.

"Oh this? Rum, grenadine, its really sweet."

"Looks like it might be my thing. I'll have to try it sometime. I can't do beer or tequila shots. I like my drinks to be sweet."

Ashley nodded.

"I like sweet, too."

(Pretty sure she's flirting with me and I can't deal.)

It was awkward at first but the conversation rolled naturally as Jade felt more confident. She made up that she was a junior at UCLA looking into acting. Ashley surprised her with the mention that she was in the entertainment business and maybe they might cross paths sometime.

Their topics dovetailed into small talk; new movies, the heatwave, etc.

It was at this point Ashley invited Jade over to the dance floor.

Feeling weak in the knees, Jade accepted.

Luckily they never played anything slow the whole time they were out there. So they were able to keep separate. Jade was pretty sure she would drop dead if Ashley put her hand on her waist.

They shouted a few more things at each other over the music, mostly commenting on their outfits and dance moves. Ashley made Jade blush when she made her aware that she caught her looking at her chest.

(Jade, what are you doing? Play it cool!)

The blonde laughed it off when she saw how uncomfortable it made Jade. Trying to break the ice, Ashley suggested they return to the bar because her feet were getting tired.

Jade happily obliged.

They refreshed their beverages and talked some more. The time was really flying by. It was almost midnight. Jade couldn't believe it.

"Well," Ashley said, looking at the time on her phone. "I'm gonna have to cut this short. Have to report to the office for a special meeting."

"On a Saturday?" asked Jade, seeming disappointed.

"Afraid so," she admitted. "But it was fun talking with you and sharing a dance or two."

Jade nodded emphatically.

"Guess this is goodnight," Ashley said, grabbing her purse. "Walk me out?"

Jade followed her. She looked back briefly and Bea the bartender giving her the thumbs up.

Outside the club, Ashley waved at an oncoming white towncar. It parked and the driver got out to open the back door for her.

Jade's jaw dropped.

"You have your own driver?"

"What can I say, I'm a busy woman. Sometimes I don't get enough sleep if you know what I mean. Too dangerous to drive myself, especially after having a few."

"So this is goodbye?" asked Jade.

"Yes ma'am."

Jade stared at the ground, her mind reeling. She then turned to Ashley and leaned in with her eyes closed.

"Boop!"

The brunette's eyes opened when she saw Ashley touching her nose.

"What are you-?"

"Sweety, I got to come clean," Ashley shrugged. "I know you're not really a college student."

Jade looked around like she was on a hidden camera show.

"Yes, yes I am!"

"I've been here for almost a half hour before you showed up. Those friends of yours have already been there long before that. And I've seen them before. They double date all the time. Never saw you with them. And you didn't seem to notice they left without you."

"So what?" spat Jade. "People lie all the time. Maybe I didn't want to look like a lonely girl."

"That isn't a problem. But I'm a talent scout. I've been to Hollywood Arts before. Last year, in fact. I thought I recognized you. Yeah you were in the showcase of promising hopefuls. You were the scary one if memory serves."

"Uhhh..."

"Gotta admit, you should thank whoever made that fake ID. You fooled Bea. But for the sake of her license, please come back when you're older okay?"

Jade covered her face with her hands, absolutely humiliated.

"Oh God, I'm an idiot."

"You're not an idiot. We've all been there. Curiosity gets the best of you; you want to know what its like. I've done stuff in my youth that make me cringe. You'll look back on this night and shake your head."

Ashley got into her car and the driver shut the door for her.

Jade looked up when the window rolled down.

"Jade, you're sweet and its been a slice but I think you're much better off dating someone your age."

The tinted window came back up, hiding the woman and the car sped off.

The goth was left in front of the bar, in awe like she had just had an audience with a superhero.

"That woman's everything I want to be," said Jade.