It seemed as though Andre had woken up with the burning desire to incite the irritation of every woman on earth. Despite living with three women, it was clear that he hadn't yet grasped the quality of shutting his mouth and keeping it shut, particularly on women's issues.

"It can't be more painful though, because people choose to do it again. Plenty of women have more than one baby but no guy wants to get kicked in the nuts multiple times. It's just logic." Andre said, shrugging.

Beck wasn't even sure how this conversation had started. They'd been talking about their weekend plans and the teachers they were most annoyed with, and then suddenly the conversation was entirely centred on whether being kicked in the nuts was more painful than giving birth.

"Logic that Jade won't agree with." Beck chuckled.

"She can't argue with those facts though."

"She can, and she will."

"I'm just saying, I think she would be more likely to want to give birth again than I would be to want to get kicked in the nuts."

Beck laughed. "You don't get the baby after getting kicked in the nuts though."

"Even better." Andre remarked and Beck shook his head, grinning.

"Hey, would you ever have another?" Tori asked suddenly.

"Me and Jade?" Beck asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"No, obviously-" Tori stammered. "I mean, just you." Tori replied.

"That a proposition?" Andre laughed, reaching for the next slice of his pizza. Tori glared at him and knocked the slice out of his hand, much to his distaste.

"So would you?" Tori said, returning to her question.

"Jeez, Tori, the first one isn't even one yet." Beck replied, shaking his head.

"I know, but just out of curiosity, would you?"

Beck shrugged. "I mean, probably, when I'm older."

"Would you not want them to be close in age?"

Beck looked at the girl, sceptically. "I think I'd rather prioritise being financially stable to be honest. I'm still 16; I'm too young to be talking about my first child, let alone my second."

Tori mulled over that, unable to argue with his sense.

"I think I'd like to have more than one, though." Beck continued. "I'd always imagined myself with two or three. I was always a bit older than 16 in that dream though." He chuckled, demonstrating clear self-awareness. "It's not really up to me though, anyway."

"Why not?" Asked Tori, confused.

"Not me that gives birth." Beck shrugged, as though it was obvious.

"But wouldn't you end up with someone that also wants more kids?"

Beck remained silent, chewing his lip. Andre seemed equally pensive, as though they both knew an answer that Tori did not.

"I dunno." Beck replied, finally. "But, whatever, it's her body, her choice. She has to do all the heavy lifting so she gets to choose."

There was something uncomfortable un-vague about Beck's use of 'she' that Tori chose to ignore.

"Really?" Tori asked, quizzically. "You don't think you have any say?"

Beck shrugged. "I have some say, but at the end of the day it affects her the most so it would be mainly her decision. I wouldn't want to pressure her into anything she didn't want."

Her was just a theoretical woman, of course.

"Huh." Tori mulled over this. "So, like with Toby, you both wanted the baby?" Tori asked. It was one of those questions where you know you've stepped over the line, but curiosity gets the better of you.

Beck took a long intake of breath whilst, beside him, Andre's eyes widened in alarm. "I think that's a conversation for another day." Beck replied with a faux chuckle which did little to mask the stony conviction behind his statement.

"Okay," Tori replied, awkwardly. "I was gonna ask Jade the other day because-"

"Don't do that." Beck interrupted, surprising Tori with the forcefulness of his statement. "Seriously, Tori, she won't want to talk about it. Don't ask Jade."

"Don't ask Jade what?" Came a voice from above the trio, soon accompanied by the slam of a water bottle and tray against the table and the girl in question coming into view. All three members of the prior conversation froze. No one spoke.

Jade had sat down by now, and, whilst her first question had been rather casual, she was now becoming unnerved by the silence she had been met with. The only noise came from an oblivious Cat. Completely forgotten in the prior conversation, she had begun to wobble her jello from side to side in the sun, giggling to herself at its movements.

"Um, did you losers not hear me? Don't ask Jade what?" Jade reiterated, becoming impatient.

"Uhh, don't ask Jade... if it's more painful to give birth or to get kicked in the nuts. Andre's sure it's getting kicked in the nuts." Tori spluttered quickly. Beck seemed to breathe a sigh of relief whilst Andre shot her a slightly panicked glare across the table.

"Andre said what now?" Jade spat, her eyes widening and her head turning almost mechanically to face the boy in question. Andre gulped.

"I just... I thought... because, y'know, some women have multiple kids whilst men don't wanna get kicked in the nuts multiple times." Andre replied, stumbling entirely over his words.

Jade's glare seemed to intensify, if that was even possible. "That's your logic?" She spat, angrily.

"Uh, well, I obviously hadn't... um, may I go to the bathroom?"

Jade shook her head and leant back in her seat. "Do you know how long the average woman is in labour for?"

"Oh, I know this from health class! It's eight hours!" Cat replied, excitedly.

Jade blinked, swaying between apprehension at the brightness of Cat's response, and the fact that this was the first time in days that the redhead had actually spoken to her. She turned back to Andre, who had now begun to sweat and tremble.

"Well, mine was 16 hours. Does that sound fun to you?"

Andre shook his head rapidly.

"No, it wasn't. And that's after nine months of long, painful, exhausting pregnancy. Does that sound fun?"

Andre shook his head once again.

"So, do you really think that getting kicked in the nuts is worse?"

"No, definitely not." Andre said, timidly.

With that, Jade broke into a sickly sweet smile. "It's good to know that we're on the same page." She beamed, picking up a carrot stick and beginning to eat her lunch.

"One time, my brother stole a page from this book in the library-" Cat began, and the conversation moved on.

To Jade's sly glee, and Andre's fear, it wouldn't take long before she had an opportunity to take revenge. Getting on Jade's bad side, even in her current, noticeably weaker, state, was asking for trouble.

Andre was just unlucky that Sikowitz chose then to suggest one of his zany schemes, which conveniently landed Jade as the director of a method character for Andre. Given five minutes to pick, Andre felt himself sticking to his chair with sweat, and spent so much of the allocated time preoccupied with the fear of Jade's choice that he had to come up with his character for Tori on the spot. A police officer obsessed with raisin bran wasn't his best work, but in fairness, it did align with the vibe of the other misfit characters.

Left until last, Jade smiled sweetly at Andre, holding the paper that contained his fate. Andre felt his neck prickle and his stomach sink. He could really do without puking at school.

"For Andre, I've chosen a guy who is running the Boston marathon..."

Well, that could've been worse.

"...who is also nine months pregnant."

Ah. Of course.

"How creative." Sikowitz commented, his brow furrowing as he tried to discern from Jade and Andre's respective reactions, what on earth he had missed. "Now, to truly test your method acting capabilities, I want you to arrive at my house at six o'clock sharp this Saturday evening, in full costume, in full character."

The group did little to conceal their shock. Sikowitz was a fan of random acting exercises, sure, but this was another level. Was it even legal for them to go to his house?

Jade, predictably, was the first to argue. "No can do, Sikowitz. Beck and I have no one to look after Toby."

Beck nodded in agreement.

"Ah, well in that case, perhaps the sweet little farm girl can have a sweet little farm boy with her, or the British man can bring his little British baby."

Beck chuckled, but Jade only shook her head.

"We can't bring him. That'd be way too inconvenient and would mess up his routine."

"Well, that is a pickle." Sikowitz replied, with a foreboding lack of sympathy present in his tone. "It would be a shame for you to have to do something inconvenient."

Jade rolled her eyes.

"I'm afraid, however, Jade, that the acting industry is full of inconveniences, and it would also be greatly inconvenient for both me and you if I had to fail you for not completing this assignment."

"Is that a threat?" Jade hissed.

"Why, not at all." Sikowitz laughed. "It's just the facts of the matter are that this assignment is a key part of this class, and therefore contributes towards your grades."

"So we have to do it or we fail the class?"

"I didn't say that." Sikowitz shook his head. "But yes, most likely."

Jade could've crushed her teeth under the weight that she was gritting them.

"So I suggest that you all get cracking on your costumes, and your method acting chops!" Sikowitz beamed, and ushered out the children, all of whom had thoughts of their characters looming over them, and one who also had the heavy conflict of her respective responsibilities dragging her down.