Based on S1E9 "A Film by Dale Squires"!
Thanks to Lucifer143, Boris Yeltsin, Zeroastai, and Guest for their comments! Very appreciated! :)
Now, enjoy!
...
"So ... are you mad at Cat?"
Jade turned around from rummaging through the Vegas' cupboards looking for a clean glass, and frowned at Tori, affronted by the question.
"What?"
"Why'd you slap like that - and so much?"
Jade looked over at Cat, who was rubbing her pink cheeks after having shot her final scene in the group project short film. Jade shrugged.
"Like I said, that was what I believed my character would do in that situation."
"Are you sure you're not mad at her?"
Jade huffed. "What would I have to be mad at her about, Tori, as your so stuck on that idea?"
"Well, she did just kiss your boyfriend."
Jade shrugged. "Yeah, in a scripted stage kiss. Between the only two people I would ever trust not to do something to hurt me - like you did. I knew to expect it and I'm okay with it."
"But you hurt Cat!"
Jade shrugged. "Not really. It..."
"You slapped her, like, twenty times in total!" Tori argued. Jade tilted her head to the side, watching Tori become a bit angry and enjoying it. Finally, Vega was showing some backbone in a non-boyfriend-stealing way. Good. It was about time. Still, this was an annoying thing for her to be getting all defensive about. It was not as if Tori had known Cat as long as Jade had. Although they might be new friends, Jade and Cat were old friends and Jade wasn't going to have anyone infer that she cared less about Cat than a Vega did. Although, on a second, reluctant thought, it probably did not hurt that Cat had more people looking out for her. It was a full-time job!
"She's fine," Jade said succinctly. "Did you see her protest?"
"She didn't exactly seem to want to lie down to let you do it!"
Jade shrugged. "She listened."
"Because you demanded in that 'mom voice' you get with her sometimes. She'd have ridden a tiger if you told her to!"
At that comment Jade felt a smile dancing right behind her lips, but held it back. It was better to look bored and disinterested. Tori might not be as bad as she had originally thought she was, but Jade did not want to give her more unintentional encouragement to act like they were friends. She did that at an uncomfortably high level already. Jade did not think she could handle any more. And on that note...
"I didn't give her anything she couldn't handle. Seriously, Tori, after that stage fighting seminar..." - Why did I just bring that up?! - "Anyway, there's ways to make it look like I'm hitting her harder than I am. There was contact, yeah, but she'll be fine."
"Maybe she just didn't react to the pain because she's a good actor. But you shouldn't hurt your friends."
Jade found some lemonade in the fridge and pouring a glassful for Cat. "She is good at acting, at least most of the time. And, yeah, she would have felt a tiny bit of pain. But seriously, Tori, if Cat couldn't handle at least a bit of pain she wouldn't be my friend by this point. She's no china doll and she likes to do a good job on projects. She'll be happy in the end when our film turns out well because I gave a convincing performance and she took it like the corpse she's supposed to be."
Jade had told the truth - she had not hit hard. Cat did have a lower pain tolerance than Jade but it looked like she was currently being consoled with some pretzels from Beck, Tori's ice pack, and Robbie's joke involving a giraffe and a tangerine. If she had truly been hurt, she would be sobbing instead of giggling. Jade felt at peace with her creative choices.
Jade turned to Tori and smirked a little, diving into an impromptu monologue. "If what you're actually worried about is if I'd slap you like that if you were the one in that role" - she let it stretch out, wanting to terrify Tori for a few seconds before giving an honest explanation - "no, I wouldn't. As much as slapping you in real life would be really fun - especially if you even thought of trying to kiss Beck again - if we were acting I'd probably slap you lighter than I just did with Cat. That's not because I care more about you more but because you're not my friend and I wouldn't trust you not to freak out over natural acting components. I don't want to be sued over some accidental scratch, and besides, I don't think you'd be able to lie there and take it without reacting like Cat just did. And the end result wouldn't turn out as well because then I'd have to be pouring energy into 'protecting' you rather than being my character. Cat's good, not just because she listens to me when I tell her to take it, but because she trusts me not to actually hurt her. And I didn't - much. I'll buy her waffles next time we go to the waffle place. That'll make up for what little it did hurt."
"Waffles?" Cat piped up, having started wandering toward her two friends. Jade held out the glass of lemonade.
"Drink up. And yes, next time we go, I'm paying to compensate for any trauma that you've suffered tonight, Cat. Happy, Vega?"
"Yay! Waffles! When can we go? When?" Cat demanded excitedly.
"Soon. Now drink the lemonade. Do you want a low-dose pain killer with it?"
"Why? I'm fine. Now, Jade, pleeeeease tell me when I can get my waffles!"
Jade smiled a little, then raised an eyebrow at Tori, who put up her hands.
"Okay, okay, I believe you!"
Cat, still crazed with excitement over the idea of "soon" waffles, dove into Jade for a hug. As Jade slowly returned the embrace, worried that it was "softening" her image in front of the others, it was Tori's turn to smirk.
"There's some things you can't take too well either," she quipped to Jade as she squirmed out of Cat's grasp. She shut up when Jade glowered at her, but still walked away laughing to herself as Cat went back to begging for waffles like a six-year-old.
"Pleeeeeeeeeeease, Jade?"
...
Hope you enjoyed! I'm hoping to post something somewhere at least once this weekend. :)
