Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious or any of it's characters. I doubt Nickelodeon would treat them like this, but then again, we never know now, do we?"
:}
Jade was pacing, uneasy. "We need to leave soon." She complained. "And we should just get tickets. They won't let us in."
"Relax." Trina tried to calm the dark goth. "I've done this before. Just hint that you're interested in being friendly, and never promise anything. Oh, yea, and drop the neckline on that top. We want it just shy of illegal. No nipple, but plenty of promise."
"I can't believe this is how you get into clubs." Jade whined, again. "And Why couldn't they be playing some place that allowed under age patrons?"
"They do, sometimes." Trina chimed back. "But not tonight. Tonight, it's an adult audience, so don't act all high school. And lose the tude, cause I'm not getting thrown out. Not tonight."
"So are we going? Are we going? Are we going?" Cat asked, interrupting the conversation.
"And someone's going to need to keep an eye on her." Trina continued.
"Sam's coming." Jade said, pulling the neckline down on her top as far as it would go. The top wasn't designed to go that low, but Jade knew how to make it stay. 'Tape on the tits hurts, but you do what you gotta.' She decided. "She's meeting us there." The goth added. "So shouldn't we be going?"
"We do better waiting for the last minute. That's when the security is distracted." Trina pointed out. "You miss half the opening band. Bit whoop. They're not who were looking for."
Jade nodded. She may have heard of the opening band, but they never did anything for her. No, tonight was about crashing the after party and maybe getting noticed. Jade looked over at Cat, and her mind spun. "Cat' you look kinda Sweet Lolita."
"What?" Cat asked.
"It's a thing, where girls dress up in Victorian inspire clothing. Kinda like a dolly." Jade explained. "And while we're at it, why is she dressed all cute baby doll and I'm dressed up as a funk me leather girl?"
"Cause that look works on her." Trina said. The Latina was in a tight dress that accentuated her curves, especially her breasts. "The point is to get there a little late and flirt our way in. But remember, give nothing away. Rock stars don't sleep with girls who sleep with the help."
Jade rolled her eyes. "Then lets go. I've waited long enough."
"How's Sam going to get in?" Cat asked. "She doesn't exactly exude sex appeal."
"She was on iCarly." Trina said. "That should get her into the club. Now lets get going. I need to find a parking space, and get something for Jade."
"What now?" Jade whined, walking slowly towards the door.
"You'll see." Trina said, smirking. "Just some insurance, in case we can't flirt our way in, or back stage."
The three girls piled into Trina's car. Cat quickly took the back seat, letting Jade take shotgun. Trina took off as soon as she was in the car, not bothering to put on her seat belt.
"I'm calling Robbie." Cat said. "I wanna ask him if he wants to join us."
Two voices dueled from the front seat. Jade's warning screech of "CAT!" and Trina's simple "NO!"
'Why not?" Cat asked.
"We're about to sneak into a club." Jade explained. "One we're too young to go to."
"And one where there will be men, as opposed to the boys we know at Hollywood Arts." Trina added.
"And if you tell someone, they might give us away." Jade added.
"Plus, our way in, it doesn't usually work for the guys." Trina finished. "So no, they just get to think we're having a girls night."
They sat in silence for a bit. "Cat, did you text about this?" Jade asked. "Maybe post something on line?"
"Noooo?" Cat said.
"Caaaat!" Jade warned.
"Maybe I did say something about sneaking into a club, but I didn't tell anyone where we were going." Cat defended herself.
"CAT!" Trina snapped.
"You didn't tell?" Jade asked, looking at her friend. "You didn't tell because you don't know. I told Sam not to tell you where we were going."
"So?" Cat shot back. "That doesn't change that I didn't tell. Just like I didn't tell you what your roll in this is."
"What roll?" Jade's voice was a glacial wind, lowering the temperature in the car.
"Like you didn't know." Trina shot back. "I needed a sacrifice, and as I said, I wasn't going to get one of the guys in this way. Maybe Beck is pretty enough, but the bouncers weren't going to let him through. We both know what 's going to happen. I'm just cutting out the BS."
The girls would argue for the next ten minutes as the car rolled towards their destination. They arrived at one of the more exclusive clubs on the sunset strip, and got out, getting ready to make their way in. Jade had stopped arguing, but was still fuming. 'If I didn't know it was going to happen, I swear...' her thoughts turned to truly dark thoughts as her, Cat and Trina made their way to the club. Sam was waiting for them outside.
"What took so long, and why do you look like menu choices from an on line brothel?" The blond asked..
"Have you seen what the girls are wearing inside?" Trina asked. "Okay, just to be clear, we walk to the stage door and flirt our way in. Sex appeal, but no sex. Let them see enough, but not too much. No tits unless we absolutely have to show them. We're after bigger fish."
"And what am I supposed to do?" Sam asked. She was wearing jeans and a tee shirt.
"Just be famous, and see if you can get anyone else in too." Trina instructed her.
Jade was dragged along to the back door, where the guard proved to be difficult to move. Trina was right, there was only one guy there, watching the door as chaos slowly overtook the inside. Sam was sent first, and managed to get herself in. Then Trina led the others, and the flirting lasted almost five minutes. The guard never budged.
After trying for five minutes, including offering a peek at the good, Trina shifted tactics. "You're gay, aren't you?"
"Too many people were seducing their way in back here." He said, shrugging. "And guys rarely try it."
Trina sighed. "Plan B." She said, and moved forward. The Latina had already rubbed herself on the guy enough to see the complete lack of response, so it looked like she was trying another futile attempt.
"You can't convert guys." Jade said, feeling like this evening had been a complete waste of time.
"Okay, you're in." The guard said. "But I have people on the inside, and you'd better be telling the truth."
"Would I lie about that?' Trina said, smiling. "Need to see my ID?"
"Yes." The guard said, taking Trina ID and looking it over. Then he handed it back and said "Show me the other one." Trina reached into her small purse and pulled out a second ID. The guard looked it over, smiling. "This is good work. You all have these?"
"Yea," Trina said, "We know someone who knows a guy."
"You all have these?" The guy asked. As soon as Jade and Cat pulled out their fake ID's, the guard stepped aside. "As long as we can claim you had good fake ID's, we're covered. Now go, and remember what you promised."
The were backstage, and walking towards the stage area. They all had enough familiarity to find their way around, and this club was high end enough that the back stage was connected to the stage. "What did you promise him?" Jade asked.
"What do you think?" Trina replied. "Now, here is where we split up. Cat, stay near Sam until we I rejoin you."
"What about Jade?" Cat asked, glancing towards the stage where Sam was watching the opening band.
"I made a promise." The older girl said. Jade huffed, but followed Trina out onto the floor, and across towards the VIP section. As they neared, the bouncers sensed their approach and massed a human shield to prevent their entrance. Trina said "Tell Mason I'm not trying to push my way in, but I have a delivery."
A girl near the rope walked back to the main table and addressed the famous and powerful music producer. Seconds later, his assistant walked over to confirm the delivery. "That's her?" He asked.
"Yep." Trina replied.
Jade rolled her eyes again. It was madness. Mason couldn't be responsible for minors in the club unless they were talent. Since Jade wasn't signed to him, she was not talent, and even he couldn't get her into the club legally. And if he brought her in with a fake ID, he was still criminally liable. So his only hope was to have her somehow snuck in. Trina had agreed to do so in return for passes to the after party, which would be held at a hotel room, and thus be easier to get minors into.
Then there was the very real problem of what Jade was there for. The goth walked into the VIP section, where the alcohol flowed like water. Seconds later, she was sitting next to Tori. "So," Tori said over the music, "You're spending the night?"
Jade deflated. It wasn't that she wasn't willing. Her and Tori had managed to see enough of each other to grow close. It was that she was the payment that got her friends into this club, this performance, and the after party. Some big name band was playing, but Mason wanted to look at one of the opening acts. Apparently he was looking for a backup band for Tori, and this was one of the choices. So Tori was here, watching one of the hottest bands perform a rare club date.
Tori stood up for a second, and moved to sit on Jade's lap. "Shouldn't I be on your lap?" The goth asked.
"And let people continue to stare at whats mine?" Tori asked back. "No Jade, but if it makes you feel better, feel free to feel me up."
"Don't think I won't." Jade snapped. But the goth was too embarrassed, too ashamed, about how she'd come to be there, that she just sat under Tori, hand around the girls waist, and watched the show.
The next couple of hours were a blur of music and performances. The opening bands weren't anything to write home about. With a big named band playing a stealth gig, no openers of their own, the club went pay to play, and charged the other bands to open for the main act. It worked, kinda, since Mason was there. But Mason wasn't that thrilled by most of what he heard.
Then The Clash at Demonhead played, and the club went wild. Jade had to admit it was quite a show. The music touched her dark soul, and the performers were everything she'd ever heard. Talent and training mixed to make a hell of a show. No cheesy special effects beyond the lighting shifting colors, yet it was better then many of the more expensive shows. But the big thing was it was live music, with all the energy and rebellion inherent in live music. "Want to meet them?" Mason asked. Tori nodded, and Jade let her go. "You're coming too." Mason said, pulling Jade out of her seat.
The band wasn't bad. They talked, acting like the rock stars they were, but still were willing to just hang out with an up and coming star like Tori. "I heard your debut song." Envy said. "Wasn't crazy about it. Lacked balls."
"It's popular music." Tori said, not sure why Envy, or any member of that band, would care.
"I guess." The blond singer said. "Still... You;'re going to the after party, right?"
"I heard you don't go to the after parties." Jade said, more a statement then a question.
"Only losers hoping to rub elbow's with corporate types go to the after parties." Todd said.
"Or bubblegum princess." Lynette added.
"Good thing Tori here is both of those." Jade said, chuckling. Then her smile dropped, and she let herself enjoy the casual, but boring, after performance meet up.
They arrived at the party and immediately Jade felt off. It hit her soon enough that everyone knew she was Tori's date. Dressed like she was trying to seduce her way into the party, and she was Tori's date. 'At least it can't get any worse.' She told herself. That's when the paparazzi showed up.
Jade found herself alone with Mason sometime during the party. The producer seemed to like the party even less then she did. "So why at the club?' Jade asked. "Why not at the party?"
"Why would I introduce Tori to a band that played that kind of music?" Mason asked back. "Or did you think, for one moment, that I wasn't going to get my money's worth out of you. By tomorrow, everyone will be wanting to know who you are. Then I have my people remind them that you were the alternate for the opening slot of the Platinum Music Awards, and you and Tori were, and I'll use this word, 'Friends.'"
Horror spread across Jade's face. She wasn't going home tonight. She was spending the night with Tori. Trina would have dropped her overnight bag off by now and everything. As soon as Tori could stop making the rounds, they'd leave, together, and wake up together in the same bed. And the paparazzi would be waiting. Watching.
"You'll be famous, and I'll have no problem signing you to a contract too. Your first album will, of course, include a hard balled, dedicated to Tori." Mason smiled. "You and Tori will be able to hold hands in public, and do who knows what in private. And me, I'll have both of one of the hottest couples in Hollywood signed to Neutronium. Two styles of music close enough for you to collaborate, yet distinct enough to sell to different audience."
Jade wanted to be thrilled. It was one was to get to her dream. She'd ride the fame, make movies as she had time, and let her talent transition her from rocker to movie star. Only, she didn't want it this way. However, the girl had let herself be used, thinking all she was doing was giving in to the girl she'd already been growing close to. No, this was Masons plan, and the price for Jade's night out was not just being with Tori, but the non-scandal that would follow, placing both girls firmly in the public's eye.
"Fuck me." Jade mumbled.
"That's Tori's job." The music mogul said, smiling. "Time to head out. Remember, your part is to look good, and enjoy. Tori isn't savvy enough to get to involved in this plot."
"But Trina…" Jade started.
"Has a future in public relations." Mason finished. "Just as soon as she finishes school, we're offering her a six figure salary to help manage the images of some of our up and coming talent. Girls gonna more then make up that pay grade." He nodded to Tori, who had just finished a mini-interview with Perez Hilton. "Good time as any." he glanced at Jade. "Showtime. Try to enjoy the attention, and the sex you already agreed to. Time to earn this night out."
Tori was already taking her hand, in full view of the on line gossip, leading the girl upstairs to her room, and the only thing about that night Jade actually had agreed to.
:}
Just another something I found on my hard drive. Thoughts?