A/N: Things feel much easier these days punching out the chapters now that we've introduced everyone. Well, almost everyone.
From this point forward, we won't go day by day, we will be a bit vague until we hit specific dates. It's just this week was all about getting to know people so once we get done with this chapter, consider Alice's first week in school in the can.
Now we can plunge ahead for more character moments and backstory.
The bell rang and the students for Acting I sat patiently waiting for their instructor.
It would seem that something might have happened to their substitute.
Suddenly, the door burst in and entered their regular teacher.
"Hello, students!" the tall man with glasses exclaimed. "Excuse me for my absence. Family emergency but everybody's good now."
He leaned over his desk, looking out into the crowd.
"Was Mr. Hill fine in my stead?" he asked.
Murmurs of indifference ran through the teens.
The teacher tilted his head and squinted.
"You there, in the back" he pointed.
Alice could feel all eyes on her, and it made her apprehensive to no end.
"I know a new face when I see one. Sorry I wasn't here for your first day."
He gestured for the freshman to come up and introduce herself, but she looked stiff as a board, barely standing.
The educator had kind eyes and nodded as if her understood.
"How about I introduce myself," he smiled. "I'm Mr. Shapiro. Welcome to Acting I. I also teach Acting II for you future sophomores, so if you get tired of me...sucks for you."
Everyone giggled at the teacher.
Mr. Shapiro turned the attention of the class to himself, letting Alice off the hook. For now.
"Alright, let's pretend that the last two days were a warmup and today is the actual lesson." He then pointed upward to emphasize, "Nothing against Mr. Hill."
More chuckles from the class.
"Now, see how I have all of your attention. Eyes on me, right? Ears open, mouths shut, right?"
Everyone nodded.
"That is the endgame of any actor. You want to hold the audience; keep them enthralled. I good actor can make the audience suspend their disbelief. A great actor can make them accept the impossible. I see potential in every single one of you. But we all approach things differently. Some of you might go method, like DeNiro. Maybe you can just turn it on like a child who uses their imagination. Whatever your approach, the point of this class is to make sure that when you walk onto those boards, or step in front of the camera, that the fourth wall never comes down unless you want it to."
Shapiro started to pace back and forth.
"Descartes once postulated: I think, therefore I am. But what the heck does that mean?"
Alice looked like she wanted to answer but thought against it and lowered her hand.
Another student, a redhead, answered.
"It means that we exist because we have consciousness, or whatever."
The teacher nodded.
"Okay, that's one interpretation. I like to believe that it means everything we see, hear, feel, taste is what makes reality. Really think about it, guys. You only know the world exists by your own experiences. If this world wasn't really there and it was all a manifestation of your mind; how would you know? Your observations are no doubt truth, but are they reality?
One student with a shaved head stood up with a tense expression.
"The world's a simulation, but they won't get me!"
Next thing everyone knew, the troubled lad screamed as he jumped out of the first-floor window and took off running.
"The fuck...?" mouthed Alice.
"Oooooookay," sighed Mr. Shapiro. "Excuse me one moment, I need to make sure somebody fetches Mr. Keel."
(Never fails. Every year, there's always one!) he thought.
Mia opened her locker and put away her notebook.
Once she closed it, there was Savannah Gilmore looking smug.
"Huh, I thought you were expelled."
Mia shrugged and spat back, "Thought you would have a shiner."
The platinum blonde instinctively touched her face.
"Whoops, sorry" Mia smirked. "That's just your face."
The tan girl's peripheral vision caught sight of Patricia holding out her phone very conspicuously.
(Oh, I get it. You're trying to bait me. And your lapdog is going to film me?)
"You should really take it easy on the newbies," added Mia. "I mean picking on freshman, that's low. Even for you."
Svannah looked enraged, not just because of Mia hardly backing down but her resistance to say or do anything incriminating.
"You think I'm upset," she said. "But I'm really not. I mean, I expect your kind to be violent."
(Go ahead, you bigoted cunt. I'm not biting.)
Mia rolled up her sleeve and Patricia got excited, thinking she was going to get video of a fight.
But the brunette kept her arm lowered.
"Don't be jealous that you have to spend hours in the booth to get this good a tan."
She then smirked and walked past Savannah, making a point not to come physically near her.
"Enjoy your stupid band of losers!" the blonde shouted.
"Enjoy your skin cancer!" Mia shot back.
The mean girl stomped her foot and motioned for Patricia to follow her to her car outside.
Lauren walked through the door to the music room and saw Chase hunched over his guitar.
He was strumming a bit from "Mother Nature's Son" by The Beatles:
"Sit beside a mountain stream
See her waters rise
Listen to the pretty sound of music as she flies..."
She politely knocked and he was knocked out of his session and looked up, surprised.
"Hey!" he smiled, nervously.
"That was really good," she said. "Didn't know you liked older stuff."
"My uncle was born years after the Beatles broke up. They still ended up being one of his favorite bands because he heard it all the time growing up. He would tell me that the more meaningful musicians are the ones who look backward and forward."
Lauren was impressed.
"That's very wise. Kind of like how they were influenced by the R&B and jazz from America."
(She's amazing.)
Chase cleared his throat and stood up to put his guitar away.
"I thought that maybe you would want the piano," he said. "Here's the music."
He handed her the pages, and the staffs were there with all the notes precisely arranged.
"How did you make this?" Lauren asked.
"I found a program that helps you take the notes and print them into professional-looking sheet music. My uncle helped."
"You two sound very close," she nodded as she sat on the bench.
"Yeah," Chase chuckled. "He's pretty fun but I dunno, it's more than that if it makes any sense."
Lauren put the papers up in the holder. The pages were numbered so she set up the first two side-by-side to begin.
She took a moment to get her hands just right, hovering over the ivories. Lauren often took her time to get started, especially when going off sheet music. Chase just hung back a few feet, almost in awe of how poised she was and in deep concentration. She reminded him of an Olympic athlete psyching themselves up before the big moment.
"Alright," she whispered.
Lauren proceeded to play masterfully, as in tune as Chase was when he was holding his guitar.
Nearly at the end of page two, Chae had the next pages at the ready, so she didn't have to stop. She gave him a little smile and continued on.
Once at the end, Lauren breathed like she had been holding it forever.
"So, what do you think?" he asked.
"It's great, really. But if I could make one small suggestion; here towards the end, I think we can close with a more somber sound. You have a lot of energy throughout but maybe..."
"Maybe bookend the song with a smaller sound," Chase finished.
"Right," Lauren pointed. "Build up and then fade out. Otherwise, I really liked it!"
Chase rubbed the back of his neck.
"Heh heh, you did?"
She nodded enthusiastically.
Then Lauren took the sheet music and made some notations in the margin of the top of page one and the below the end of the song on page 4.
"There, we're not changing; we're adding."
She played a few notes at the beginning now with her additions and it progressed very naturally.
"What do you think now?"
Chase's eyes were ready to pop. She actually made it better!
"You're a genius!" he blurted out.
Lauren blushed.
"Not a genius," she said shaking her head. "You made this delicious sundae. I just added the cherry."
"More than that," he argued. "You're gonna be the one to sing it...I mean...if we get picked."
She put her hand on his arm, and he practically froze in place.
"Competition would have to be pretty stiff if they don't pick this. And I would be proud to sing this...if I could...see...those...lyrics..."
Her hand was out as her voice faded.
Chase took a few extra seconds to process what she had asked, and it then clicked.
"Oh, yeah. The lyrics!"
He dug through his bag and pulled out some lined paper torn from a yellow legal pad.
The boy nervously handed it to her.
"Sorry; I couldn't figure out how to print the lyrics with the music yet."
"It's okay."
She read through the couple of loose papers, mouth parted. Lauren was mentally singing the song to herself as she took in the words.
Lauren made a similar expression when she finished playing after absorbing the lyrics.
"So?"
The girl massaged her hair as if she needed to soothe her brain which was going off the charts.
"This is amazing!" Lauren said standing up.
Chase was caught off guard and nearly stumbled with the sudden movement.
"Get your guitar," she ordered. "I need to hear these together right now!"
He nodded and prepared his axe and sat by the piano, facing away from the massive instrument. Lauren remained standing. If she wasn't singing along with playing, she preferred standing up.
Lauren drank from a bottle of water she brought and cleared her throat.
Chase nodded as he began playing.
Telling myself, "I won't go there"
Oh, but I know that I won't care
Tryna wash away all the blood I've spilt
This lust is a burden that we both share
Two sinners can't atone from a lone prayer
Souls tied, intertwined by our pride and guilt
(Ooh)
There's darkness in the distance
From the way that I've been livin' (ooh)
But I know I can't resist it
Oh, I love it and I hate it at the same time
You and I drink the poison from the same vine
Oh, I love it and I hate it at the same time
Hidin' all of our sins from the daylight
From the daylight, runnin' from the daylight
From the daylight, runnin' from the daylight
Oh, I love it and I hate it at the same time
Tellin' myself it's the last time
Can you spare any mercy that you might find
If I'm down on my knees again?
Deep down, way down, Lord, I try
Try to follow your light, but it's nighttime
Please, don't leave me in the end
The stark end to the music made Lauren stop.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
Chase blushed, indebted to the leather strap that kept the guitar on his person. Had he let go, it surely would have smashed onto the floor.
"That was...beautiful."
The red in his face intensified when she walked over to him and took his hand. If she had her way, Lauren would pull the country boy up to his feet, but he understood the gesture and followed along.
"Let's go," she smiled. "We have a contest to enter!"
Jade was typing on her blog, fielding some questions from her fans.
She allowed herself a small window once a week to either answer some readers directly on social media or just sign some autographs.
$40 for a hardback copy with the signature was available on her website. With free shipping that's a real bargain. But when somebody came up to her in person with their own copy in hand, Jade signed it right then and there at no charge. And the added bonus was she will give a personal dedication if you'd like.
Jade actually preferred this because she knew someone wanted it for themselves. The others who just wanted her signature and nothing else usually just got it so they could turn around and auction it off on eBay.
The former goth stretched and logged off her site.
She closed her laptop as the door opened.
"Hey mom!"
"Hey, girl. Another day?"
Alice nodded.
"Anything interesting today?" Jade asked.
"I met my acting teacher. He was really nice."
"That's cool," she nodded.
"Then some kid had a nervous breakdown and made a run for it. I heard they found him in a tree."
Jade looked quizzically at her daughter.
(Damn, this place was wackadoo in my day and sounds like it hasn't changed much.)
"Oh, hey, I almost forgot..." Jade then handed Alice a few stapled papers. "Finally read your short story."
"Really?" she breathed.
"Come here..."
Alice went up to her mom who brought her in to a bug bear hug.
"It was so good! I'm so proud!"
"You think so?" she beamed. "I mean, nothing wrong."
"Just a spelling error here and there but we can fix that. My biggest problem is I want more! I couldn't get enough of Jilki the Elf."
Jade looked at her daughter with pride.
"You know I could talk with my publisher, see if there is some kind of fantasy collective. Get your name out there."
"That would be cool but I'm gonna be busy for a while."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Doing what?"
"Oh, that's right! I forgot to tell you last night. I'm part of the school play!"
"Hey, that's great" Jade smiled. "You got the lead?"
Alice shook her head.
"No."
"Oh, then who are you playing?" Jade asked.
"Nobody," Alice answered. "I'm the production assistant."
Jade was a bit surprised.
"Oh, and that's what you want?"
Alice nodded, "Yeah. This will be cool; I get to work with the cast and crew. I can see everything and I dunno, it would feel good to help."
Jade knew her daughter was bad with public speaking and being put on the spot, so acting was never something she pushed her toward. She was proud of Alice's work as a budding writer and figured that going to Hollywood Arts would help nurture that. Even if she never became an actor like she was back in the day, Jade wished that Alice would at least get over this "stage fright" in the sense that the world is a stage.
She is sweet but that made Jade a little worried that she would be able to survive out there in the real world.
Jade would go full mamma bear mode if any of those slick showbiz types tried to chew her up and spit her out. They would have hell to pay! But she's not always going to be there. She's grateful that Alice was beginning to make friends, even if one of them is the spawn of her old nemesis Tori Vega.
But Alice will need to be able to handle herself.
"What did you want to do for dinner?" Jade asked.
Alice put her feet together and made that scrunchy thinking face. According to her dad, she did the exact thing when she was little after someone asked a question.
"Sandwiches and soup?" she suggested.
Jade smirked and stood up.
"Sounds good. Get your homework done and meet me in the kitchen."
"Okay," Alice nodded and went up to her room.
Tori sat a whole stack of papers in her outgoing, ready for the IOM envelopes to be delivered the following morning.
She sighed and checked her phone.
No new messages.
She flashed back to her unexpected running into Jade. It had been years; they haven't even spoken. Any updates were found out second-hand from either a mutual friend of theirs like Beck or Cat, or from the trades.
Jade who was a talented actress and singer surprised everybody by running off to become a New York Times bestseller.
(At least her career is going well.)
Tori was genuinely happy for her old frenemy that she didn't have a brief day in the sun like she had. Jade was thriving and deserved her success.
But the Latina was tired of reading about her and just wanted to talk to her.
She snapped her fingers and looked her up on The Slap. After all these years, the social media of preference for Hollywood Arts alumni was still going strong. While other platforms were bought, sold, renamed, The Slap was still up.
Tori found Jade's profile and indeed it hasn't been updated since 2011, the year they graduated.
There was the ice queen's old scowl. The face that either sent you shivers out of fear or out of lust. It was remarkable that Jade could evoke such a range of emotions from one glare. Other than a few subtle lines, Jade looked pretty close to how she looked in the old days.
(She certainly took care of herself.)
Even down to her signature strand of color standing in contrast to the rest of her jet-black hair. Only instead of pink or blue or green, this was grey. It arguably looked good on her. Jade always had that air to her that she was an old soul, so she aged like wine.
Tori shook her head and sent the (former?) goth a private message.
It was simple; just: hey, wanna catch up sometime?
(This was a long shot, you know. What are the odds she even checks on this thing? Even if she receives notifications, chances are good that she changed her email. Jade is in the public light after all.)
Jade got a ding on her phone, and she did a double take.
"The Slap? Direct message? Seriously?!"
She figured it had to be Cat or something. That girl probably lost her phone and couldn't remember Jade's number.
Opening it, she was startled to see that it was from Tori.
"Huh?"
"You okay, mom?" asked Alice, looking up from her chicken noodle soup.
"What? Yeah, I'm...I'm fine."
(Meet up? You don't quit do you, Vega?)
Jade closed out of the app and played one of her mobile games, tapping her fingers on the table.
"Mom? Mom? Hey, mom!"
"What?"
"You're doing that thing when you're stressed."
"I'm not stressed, Alice" she sighed. "I'm just...thinking."
The teen shrugged and went back to her meal.
(Sorry, Vega. But I can't do this. I'll just have to avoid her until I can think of another excuse.)
Friday evening, Jade was typing a reminder to herself to contact the bank in the morning. This app on her phone was really handy for keeping her on task with meetings and doctors appointments and errands.
A new email then appeared, and Jade clicked on the icon immediately.
Two things that show up in her inbox make her drop everything: an email from her publisher and an email from the school.
And this wasn't from Frank, her publisher.
Jade opened it up to read more, and it said:
HOLLYWOOD ARTS - PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
Wed. Oct. 9 at 6:00 p.m.
Attendance is mandatory for parents and guardians of new students!
Hope to see you there!
- signed, Tori Vega-Larson, Principal
Jade slunk back into her chair.
"Welp, so much for avoiding her."
A/N: I'm not talented enough to write a song so I used an existing one for Chase's. It's "Daylight" by David Kushner and it slaps. Listen to it if you haven't, I recommend it. Came out this year so hopefully I didn't pick something that would date very much, since this is set in the near future.
Also: I'm aware that Victorious ended in 2013 but I'm going off of Victoria and Liz's birthdays and ideally, they would have graduated high school in 2011. That is my timeline and I'm sticking to it. That being said, both of them are about 37 at this point in the story. Alice is currently 14 and Mia is 16. And to iterate, Mia and her friends are juniors, so they are in their third year.