The storm raging through Los Angeles seemed unusually intense for the city. Raindrops hit the windows of Jade's apartment with an insistent rhythm, almost as if they were impatient to get inside. The dim light from the lamps created long shadows on the walls, giving the place a calm but charged atmosphere, as if something interesting was about to happen.
Jade was on the couch, legs crossed, a half-eaten bowl of popcorn on her lap. Her black t-shirt, with a metal band print barely visible from wear, fit her personality perfectly: dark, intense, and a little intimidating. She was wearing a pair of sweatpants that she probably wouldn't admit to buying because they were "too comfortable." Tori, on the other hand, sported brightly colored pajamas with a cartoon print that screamed "childish" and "adorable" at the same time.
"Why do you have to be so… you?" Jade muttered, glancing at her as Tori dug through a stack of VHS tapes like they were treasures.
"What does that mean?" Tori asked, not looking at her, completely focused on finding the right tape. "'Me'? Does 'me' mean charming and energetic?"
Jade let out a snort. "It means you're a nuisance. A lovable nuisance… but a nuisance nonetheless."
Tori turned her head with a smile so bright that Jade had to pretend she didn't notice. "I knew you thought that."
"Sure, whatever makes you happy," Jade replied sarcastically, though her tone lacked any real venom.
Finally, Tori chose a tape and inserted it into the old VHS player Sikowitz had loaned them along with a portable player. A classic movie studio logo appeared on the screen, followed by the unmistakable black-and-white faces of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Laurel, thin and with a perpetually confused expression, stared into the camera as if he expected the audience to help him out of his latest mess. Hardy, stocky and haughty, displayed a patience that crumbled little by little with each scene.
Jade tilted her head to the side, frowning. "Is this what we have to imitate? Two guys in old-fashioned suits tripping all over the place. How exciting."
"It's physical humor, Jade! It's a lost art," Tori replied, her eyes sparkling as she snuggled under the blanket next to her.
"Yeah, well, maybe it got lost for a reason," Jade replied, but she didn't look away from the screen.
The first scene showed Laurel trying to carry a massive ladder while Hardy tried to direct it, only to end up both caught in a tangle of wood, hands, and flying hats. The timing was impeccable, but Jade barely flinched.
"This is… ridiculous," she muttered, popping a handful of popcorn into her mouth.
"Ridiculously funny!" Tori corrected, laughing as Laurel unsuccessfully tried to fix the situation and only made it worse.
As the tapes progressed, something changed in Jade's demeanor. At first, she just watched indifferently, throwing in sarcastic comments here and there. But soon, she began to pay more attention. There was something hypnotic about the way the two actors moved, as if they were part of a perfectly rehearsed comedy ballet.
"Okay," she finally said, after a scene in which Hardy ended up covered in flour. "Maybe they have some talent. But it doesn't mean I like him."
Tori looked at her with a satisfied smile. "I knew it! You're starting to enjoy them."
"Please don't get too excited," Jade replied, though the slight blush on her cheeks said otherwise.
"I think we should try it," Tori said after the third tape, jumping to her feet.
"Try what?" Jade asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Imitate a scene! Come on, it'll be fun. You can be Hardy and I'll be Laurel. I think I can do the tripping."
"You know how much I hate tripping, right?" Jade replied, but Tori was already dragging her off the couch.
Jade sighed, but relented. Tori pulled a chair into the middle of the room and began to awkwardly walk around it, pretending to trip as Jade watched her with a mix of skepticism and amusement.
"That doesn't look anything like Laurel," Jade commented.
"Oh yeah? Why don't you try it, then?" Tori challenged, crossing her arms.
Jade lifted her chin confidently. "Okay. Watch and learn."
She positioned herself next to the chair, adopting a stiff and arrogant posture, very Hardy-esque. When she tried to pick up the chair to move it, she "accidentally" dropped it on her foot, letting out an exaggerated "Ouch!"
Tori burst out laughing. "That was perfect! You're Hardy!"
Jade pretended to rub her foot, but the smile she was trying to hide betrayed her satisfaction. "Sure. I'm Hardy. But you... you still need work, Laurel."
They both finished the night laughing, practicing moves and lines. The last tape played in the background as they improvised scenes and made fun of each other.
When they finally plopped back down on the couch, Jade stared at Tori for a moment. "Okay. Maybe this isn't so bad. But if anyone asks, I'll say I hate it."
Tori smiled, resting her head on Jade's shoulder. "Whatever you say, Hardy."
And as the rain continued to hit the windows and Tori began to fall asleep, Jade allowed a small smile to linger on her face. Maybe Laurel and Hardy weren't so bad after all.
But even if they were, any excuse to spend a night like this with Tori was enough.
Sikowitz's classroom was more chaotic than usual. The class had been transformed into a small makeshift stage, with worn red curtains hanging from a couple of brackets and a spotlight barely illuminating the front center area. Students sat in rows of mismatched chairs, murmuring and giggling as they waited for their turn.
At the moment, Cat and Robbie were finishing their comedy routine as Lucy and Ethel, recreating the famous chocolate factory scene. Cat, in a bright pink dress that looked two sizes too big, was desperately trying to stuff chocolates into her mouth and hat while Robbie, in an awkwardly tied apron, was shouting something about "keeping up."
"Cat! The chocolates don't go in your bag!" Robbie exclaimed, clearly more stressed than his classmate, as she continued to eat enthusiastically.
"But they're so yummy!" Cat replied with her mouth full, causing some pieces of chocolate to fly into the audience. The class erupted in laughter.
Even Jade, who was sitting in the back next to Tori, couldn't help but smile sardonically. "That was... exactly how I imagined it would be. Chaotic and scary."
Tori, wearing a Laurel-inspired suit with suspenders and a slightly askew bowler hat, looked at her in amusement. "Oh, come on. Cat was adorable."
"Cat is always adorable. It's annoying," Jade grumbled, adjusting the tie on her Hardy outfit. Her black jacket and baggy pants were perfectly rumpled to give off that air of sophisticated dishevelment that Hardy always projected.
Tori nudged her lightly in the ribs. "Relax, Hardy. We'll do great."
"Sure thing," Jade replied, though her expression betrayed a slight nervousness that only Tori seemed to notice.
"And now, thank you, Cat and Robbie! Great job!" exclaimed Sikowitz, who appeared on stage wearing a bathrobe and a cup of coco in his hand. "Let's move on to the next duo... Laurel and Hardy, played by Tori and Jade!"
Jade and Tori stood up from their seats in unison, drawing curious glances from their classmates. As they walked towards the stage, the sound of their shoes echoed through the classroom, creating an air of anticipation.
Jade and Tori, perfectly dressed, didn't just imitate Laurel and Hardy: they embodied them. Jade, with a big top hat, an oversized coat and a look of utter discomfort, was the perfect Oliver Hardy. Tori, with her bowler hat, suspenders and eternally naive smile, was the spirit of Stan Laurel.
Jade walked onto the stage with firm steps and a stoic expression, while Tori deliberately tripped on the edge of the curtain, drawing the first laughs from the audience. "Oops! Sorry! Those steps are tricky!" Tori said, adjusting her bowler hat and smiling innocently.
Jade, perfectly adopting Hardy's haughty, resigned posture, put a hand to her forehead, letting out an exaggerated sigh. "Why did I agree to do this with you?"
Tori turned on her heel, leaning towards Jade with a mischievous smile. "Because I'm lovely. And because I asked you please!"
The audience, especially Cat and Beck, burst out laughing while Jade rolled her eyes with a drama worthy of a silent movie.
The performance began with the two recreating one of Laurel and Hardy's most iconic scenes, when they attempt to carry a heavy trunk up a flight of stairs.
Tori took the lead, holding the trunk at the lower end, while Jade remained at the top, giving her directions.
"Lift, Laurel!" Jade shouted in an authoritative, but also slightly exasperated tone.
"I'm lifting, Hardy! The trunk doesn't want to go up!" Tori replied, her voice rising in a tone of comic frustration as she pretended to wobble under the weight.
"It's not the trunk, it's you! Do it right for once!"
Tori deliberately let go of the trunk, letting it fall down the stairs and ending up at Jade's feet, who pretended to almost be knocked over by the impact. The audience exploded in laughter.
"What are you doing?" Jade yelled, shooting her a withering glare as she regained her composure.
"I thought you said so!" Tori replied, shrugging with her best innocent face.
"Of course not! How are we supposed to work together if you can't follow directions?" Jade began to pace in circles, muttering to herself as Tori tried to pick up the trunk again, only to trip again and fall to the floor with an exaggerated thud.
The timing was impeccable. Every gesture, every movement, even the comic pauses, were perfectly rehearsed yet felt natural. Jade nailed Hardy's controlled exasperation, while Tori shined with Laurel's endearing clumsiness.
In the final act of the scene, Jade attempted to pick up the trunk on her own, showing with her posture that she was "fed up" with depending on Laurel.
"Get out of the way! If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."
Jade attempted to carry the trunk, but Tori, playing the role of Laurel, stood by her side making faces and trying to "help." In a synchronized move, they both ended up letting go of the trunk at the same time, causing it to "accidentally" open and release its contents: a cascade of ridiculous clothing that landed on both of them.
Jade, with a polka dot shirt hanging over her head, looked directly at the audience, breaking the fourth wall with an expression of complete resignation.
"And that's how you lose your dignity," she said in a dry tone, drawing laughter and applause.
As the audience continued to laugh, Tori leaned over to Jade, smiling widely. "See? I told you it would be fun."
Jade glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, unable to hide a slight smile. "Yeah, well… if you mention this outside of class, I'll deny everything."
With a final bow, they both received a rapturous ovation as the makeshift curtain closed.
As laughter and applause still echoed through the classroom, Jade and Tori stood on the small stage, slightly disheveled from the final scene with the trunk. Jade's jacket was askew and her tie had come loose, while Tori's bowler hat hung precariously over one of her ears. Both looked triumphant, though, their faces lit up with the satisfaction of having won over the audience.
"That was amazing!" Tori exclaimed, still wearing a big smile as she waved energetically to the audience.
Jade, on the other hand, remained motionless, crossing her arms in her classic "I don't give a damn" stance, but the slight blush on her cheeks betrayed how much she had enjoyed it. "Yeah, sure. It was... decent."
Tori turned to her, placing her hands on her waist, the bowler hat now falling to the floor. "Decent? Jade, it was great, and you know it. Admit it: you loved playing Hardy!"
"Are you accusing me of something?" Jade replied, arching an eyebrow, but with a playful spark in her eyes.
"I'm accusing you of being brilliant!" Tori retorted, moving closer.
The audience, led by Cat and Beck, began to playfully chant, "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!"
"Oh, shut up!" Jade growled, glaring at them, though the intensity of the moment between them had silenced the rest of the noise in the room.
Tori, always willing to push the boundaries, leaned into Jade with an expression of playful defiance. "Come on, Hardy. What would Laurel do right now?"
Jade blinked, surprised by the question. "She'd probably… trip over something," she replied dryly, trying to maintain her composure.
"Exactly," Tori muttered, and with an unexpected movement, she pretended to stumble towards Jade, her hands grabbing her arms to "keep from falling."
But this time it wasn't just any stumble. In the process, Tori deliberately dropped all traces of humor and looked her straight in the eyes. There was a vulnerability in her gaze, a raw emotion that contrasted with all the comic chaos of the scene.
"And Hardy would be there to catch her," Tori said quietly, barely audible to the others, but enough for Jade.
Jade stood still, as if someone had stopped time. Her façade of sarcasm crumbled completely as she looked at Tori, losing herself in those eyes that seemed to be asking for something more than laughter.
"That would be... logical," she finally muttered, not looking away.
And then, in a move that surprised both the audience and Tori, Jade reached down and picked up the bowler hat from the floor, placing it back on her head. "But Laurel always needs a dignified ending, doesn't she?"
Before Tori could respond, Jade grabbed her waist and, to the delight of everyone present, leaned Tori back in an exaggerated imitation of Hardy and Laurel's classic endings. But this time, instead of laughter, Jade dropped her façade completely and kissed her.
The kiss was slow, sweet, laden with everything they couldn't say in words. A perfect mix of comedy and romance, of chaos and connection, as if they were a lost scene from Laurel and Hardy, but much more real.
The audience erupted in cheers and applause, some even whistling. Cat shouted, "That was the most romantic thing I've ever seen!"
When they finally broke apart, Jade couldn't help a slight groan. "This doesn't mean I like old comedies," she said, returning to her usual tone, though her soft smile betrayed her words.
Tori laughed, resting her forehead against Jade's. "Whatever you say, Hardy."
Jade rolled her eyes, but didn't pull away. "And you, Laurel, need a little more practice. But… it wasn't that bad."
"Was that a compliment?"
"I'll take it however you want."
The two of them walked off the stage hand in hand, leaving behind a class completely in awe of their performance.
That night, as they walked out of the school under a sky full of stars, Jade finally admitted, only to Tori, "Maybe Laurel and Hardy aren't that bad. But don't tell anyone."
"Your secret is safe with me," Tori replied, intertwining her fingers with Jade's.
It was the perfect ending, worthy of any great romantic comedy.