Tori could be a little tone deaf, but maybe Andre was more patient than most, because he kind of let her off for it. Sure, it grated on him sometimes that she didn't quite understand that not everything was easy for everyone, but when her whole life had moved smoothly could she really be blamed?

Ultimately, despite her flaws, he saw her as a nice girl. Someone who deserved to be happy, because she was a good person.

He truly, honestly, did not want to sleep with her, although he was pretty sure that she thought that was the case. Aware of that, he'd tried not to five her any odd signals, distancing himself as much as necessary. But there was no part of him that considered this when she turned up on his doorstep in a flood of tears.

"God, Tori, are you okay?"

She simply shook her head, a hand to her mouth to quench the sobs. Andre opened the door and motioned for her to come inside, an instruction which she dutifully followed.

He led her to his room and sat her down on his bed, purely to avoid his grandmother. He hoped that the metre of space he left between them would indicate he wasn't making a move. In her state of upset, however, Tori barely batted an eyelid. After fetching some hot cocoa, Andre asked what had happened.

"Jade hates me." Tori sniffled.

"Jade hates everyone." Andre replied, in a manner he hoped was comforting.

Tori shook her head. "Not like she hates me."

"What did she say?"

"She said that I'm awful."

"Why?"

"My mom called and said that Trina had to be in the play."

Andre winced.

"I know, but it's the only way she'll keep funding it."

"Jade didn't take it too well."

Tori shook her head. "Not well at all."

Andre sighed. "Jade's a perfectionist. It's not personal, although it doesn't justify her calling you awful."

"She thinks I'm trying to take credit for her work. I hadn't told her that I'm going down as the director."

"Tori..." Andre chastised.

"I know, I know. I meant to... I just... I don't know. I always feel on edge around her. There was never a good time."

Andre bit his lip in thought.

"But I'm not trying to take credit for her work, I promise! I would never."

Andre nodded. "I believe you."

"I really was trying to help, but I just feel like I've made everything worse. She told me that I didn't understand her, that I didn't work hard, and that she didn't want to be my friend."

"That sucks, Tori, I'm sorry. She could at least recognise your attempts to be kind."

Tori nodded. "That's all I wanted. We might never be friends, but I don't want an enemy. I've never been that kind of person."

Another tear trickled down her cheek, creating a navy splash on the blue of her jeans.

Aw, screw it.

Who cared if it increased Tori's belief that he had feelings for her - Andre knew that right then what she needed was a hug, and he'd be damned if he wasn't going to help out a friend in need.

He pulled Tori into his side and the pair sat in a comfortable silence, only broken by the occasional sniffle of a girl realising that she couldn't be liked by everyone.


Andre waited not 24 hours before confronting Jade. She was allowed to be upset about Hollywood Arts rejecting her play, and she was certainly allowed to oppose the idea of Trina being in it, but that didn't excuse her behaviour towards Tori. Jade might've been going through a hard time, but she wasn't wholly callous, and Andre believed that she was better than how she'd been acting.

This school year, she'd often been hard to track down, frequently skipping class and disappearing in between periods. However, Andre managed to spy her in between math and creative writing, retrieving a bunch of folders from her locker, and went directly over.

"So, what's this about you shouting at Tori?" He asked, his tone aiming for purposeful nonchalance, but landing more at unsteady anger.

Jade practically ignored his inquisition, continuing with her task, and only turning to Andre once she'd collected all her books, and closed the locker.

"We had words, if that's what you mean."

"Words? We both know what that means with you."

Jade sighed. "Let's skip the introductions, Andre, I don't have time. What are you trying to do here?"

"I'm trying to get you to act a bit nicer to someone who's put their neck on the line to help you!"

"She hasn't put her neck on the line - she's barely stepped in the same room as the guillotine." Jade scoffed.

"She's lied to her parents, Jade. That's not something Tori does, but she's done it so that you have the opportunity to put on your play. The least you could do is show her some gratitude, rather than telling her that she's an awful person that you never want to be friends with."

"We weren't made to be friends! We're too different - why would I force it?" Jade exclaimed in exasperation.

"I don't know, to be nice? You're part of the same group - does it not take you more energy to be horrible to her than to be a little politer?"

"No, Andre. Making an effort with people is so, so exhausting. She and I will never be friends, so what's the point?"

"The point is to be a decent human being! You're better than this, Jade!"

Jade sighed. "Maybe I'm not. I don't like Tori - I'm not going to act like I do. Why can't you just accept that?"

"Because it's not fair, Jade. You're a good person, and so is Tori. I want you to recognise that she doesn't deserve this treatment. You're getting to stage your play because of her - why are you so angry at her because of the things she's had to do to allow that?"

Jade stood for a moment in contemplation. "I invited my dad to the play."

Andre's brows shot up.

"I thought... I thought I could give it one last try, you know, before I give up. Show him that I'm not a complete failure - that I've done something other than get pregnant. Anyway, he said yes."

If they weren't already at the top of his forehead, Andre's brows would've reached record-level heights.

"I sent it to the secretary at his firm. He cares about his image so..." Jade said, by way of explanation.

"So, yeah." Jade shrugged. "Forgive me for not being too thrilled that my dad, who already thinks I'm a stain on his reputation, has been invited to a show that he will think I've lied about directing, and which will probably be horrific with the addition of the talentless ape that is Trina Vega. Oh, and I can't use a play supposedly written and directed by Tori to showcase my 'superb talent' for the Vaulks scholarship. So, that's also fucking fantastic."

Andre didn't have an immediate response to that.

He truly believed that Jade was a good person, who'd been completely unfair to Tori, also a good person. But, hearing this, he couldn't really question why. All he could do was act.

"I- I'll be right back." He said, raising a finger to Jade as if to keep her in once place, a request she naturally did not obey, before rushing off into the depths of the school.


Tori was much easier to find than Jade had been. She had a very loud, sort of imposing air, as though she wanted everyone to be aware of her existence. Almost shocked at this internal admittance, Andre conceded that perhaps Tori irritated him more than he'd realised. Although, on this occasion, the annoying trait was actually rather helpful.

"So I talked to Jade." Andre said, a little breathlessly, once he had taken his seat next to Tori in class. Admittedly, he really hadn't needed to rush off after her, given that they both had English with Miss Pieters the following period. But he was here now, and his hasty exit had hopefully given Jade the impression that he was trying to help.

"And?" Tori asked, nervously.

"So, she's been unfair to you, of course. But she has a reason."

Tori scoffed. "Yeah, that she's annoyed things aren't going her way. That's not a good reason to scream at me when I'm trying to help."

Andre shook his head. "No, no, there's a bigger reason. Look, Jade has a... complicated relationship with her dad. It's not my place to explain but it's not... it's not good, Tori. Anyway, she invited him to the play, but now that it'll be billed as your work, it's really not going to help matters."

Tori shrugged. "Why can't she just tell him she wrote it?"

"It's not that simple. Jade's dad isn't a big fan of the arts... or Jade. I think he would have to see a really incredible production, with Jade's name all over it, to have any faith in her."

Tori mulled over this. "That doesn't excuse her behaviour, though. And it sounds to me as if its her own doing - presumably she's lied to her dad in the past and that's why he won't believe it's her play."

Andre winced. He was sure Jade had lied to her father in the past, knowing that she straddled the complicated line of wanting him to give a shit about her existence, whilst also not wanting to let him into the private corners of her life. "I know. I told her she's in the wrong, but you've got to try and understand her side, Tori."

"Her side? You mean her horrible, bullying side that won't accept acts of friendship?"

"Look, Tori, we need to find a solution here. Jade's never going to be nice to you if this situation leaves her her looking like a fraud in the eyes of her dad. I'm not saying that's fair, but it's the truth. So what are we gonna do?"


After already being accosted once by Andre today, Jade wasn't thrilled to see him returning to her during her all-too-short lunch break, especially with the infuriating mini-Vega in tow.

"What?"

"We have a solution." Tori proposed, hopping between the balls of her feet.

Jade sat back expectantly.

"So we have to put on the play as my parents want-" Tori began and Jade rolled her eyes and began to pack up.

"Wait, stay, stay!" Tori pleaded. Jade paused for a moment before uncharacteristically obliging.

"So my parents have to see the play as they want it, but who says they have to come every night?" Tori looked to Andre in support, and he eagerly kicked into gear.

"We thought that the play can be staged as you originally intended, with you advertised as the director, on the night that your dad's attending, and get the Jane Vaulks people out on that night too. Then, the remaining nights, it can be as Tori's parents want it. So, this way you get to show everyone you need just how good your play is, but Tori's parents won't pull the money." Andre said, with a hopeful smile.

Jade ran her tongue over teeth, in a manner that Tori hoped was simply pensive, rather than a demonstration of their sharpness.

"So, Tori still gets two-thirds of the credit? And my play gets butchered by Trina in front of crowds of people? Yeah, thanks but no thanks. Your way might let me show my play to the people you think I need to see it, but you don't know what I need." Jade spat, beginning to gather up her possessions once again.

"But Jade-" Andre began, despairingly.

"Oh, and Andre? Next time, I'd appreciate it if you didn't run your mouth about my business to people I don't like." Jade said, shooting a glare at the pair. "Bye."

"Wait!" Tori yelled after her. She wasn't sure what had made her so desperate for Jade's friendship, but it was clear for everyone to see. "You can have the money from the ticket sales."

This caught Jade's attention.

"From the night that it's done your way. You can have all the profits and I just won't tell my parents."

Now here was a conundrum. Jade's pride was telling - no, screaming - at her to reject Tori's pity and tell her to fuck off. But the sensible mother in her, the one that considered Toby above all else, and thought about how his undersized babygrows were already halfway up his calves, knew that she had only one option.

Jade sighed. "Fine. But I want that in writing."

"Yes, yes of course." Tori replied quickly.

Jade nodded. "Well, see you at rehearsals, then."

She was out of the room before Tori had time to register what had happened.

"Are you sure about this?" Andre asked, concerned.

Tori gulped. "Yeah. Maybe I'll get a thank you next time."


Tori hadn't expected things to fall in place as quickly as they did. The little agreement she and Jade had formed didn't appear to face any hiccups; Trina even agreed to miss the opening night of the play once a date with Mark McCallan had been secured for her on that day.

It seemed they'd barely started rehearsals before they were over and the play was being advertised at the theatre. Jade became increasingly untraceable at school, seemingly sorting out last-minute details on a constant basis.

Tori watched in barely cloaked awe at the way that Jade was able to organise every little thing. Clearly, this had to be perfect. And for once, Tori found herself hoping that things did actually fall in Jade's favour.

By the time the playbills were all printed and the audience had begun milling in for the opening night, Tori was almost as stressed as those actually involved within the play. Things needed to go well, both to protect her from her parents' wrath if they found out that she'd lied to them, and for her to have any chance of ever becoming Jade's friend.

She'd had ended up waiting in the wings with Jade, who seemed far too nervous to remember that she couldn't stand being in Tori's presence. Whilst it wasn't Tori's ideal position, Andre had asked her to keep an eye on Jade. This was presumably on Beck's orders, although why either of them would think she was the best person for the job, she didn't know. It was nice to see, however, that Beck saw her as a nice, calming presence, even if his frequent absences meant that this was largely conjecture.

Speaking of, she'd barely seen Beck at school recently. He seemed to almost constantly be on set. Whilst on a personal level, this was less than ideal, she had to admit that it hadn't been a great show of partnership on his end. He was a noticeable absence in the crowd, with Sikowitz, Robbie, Andre and even Sinjin all chatting in the front row, whilst Cat was actually in the play.

Tori also found it a little odd that none of Jade's family seemed to be there. She knew that her dad must be on his way, but she had heard no mention and seen no evidence of the arrival of the remaining members. She knew that Jade had at least one brother and sister apiece, and that she lived with her mom and stepdad, so where were they? Jade herself had said that she would be stepping nowhere near the theatre for the remaining two nights of the play, so there was no chance that they'd be coming then. This was their only opportunity to watch, and they were nowhere to be seen.

Beside Tori, Jade took a sharp intake of breath, and Tori immediately looked between her and the crowd. In Jade's eyeline, there was a smart, suited man, with greying hair and a slight paunch. His face was stern but not in the way that Jade's often was; instead, he looked utterly grey, as though he felt as though the people around him were giving him diseases. He lowered himself into a seat at the end of the aisle, in a somewhat calculated, rather than restful, manner. Tori noticed a ring on the left hand, grasping a playbill which he did not open. Instead, he looked straight forward.

Tori gulped.

Jade was wringing out her friends, more preoccupied than Tori had ever seen her.

"That's my dad." She said, softly, when she caught Tori's eye.

"Oh. He looks very... smart."

Jade shot Tori a look of indignation.

"It's nice of him to come watch. He must've seen you in loads of plays." Tori said, trying to repair the conversation.

Jade said nothing.

"Are you guys doing anything nice afterwards? Is he spending some time with Toby?" Tori asked, one final attempt at geniality.

Slowly, Jade turned to Tori, her blue eyes appearing impossibly dark. She uttered one word.

"No."

And that was that.

Tori was glad for the commencement of the show, despite the fact that she could probably recite it line by line at this point. At least it gave her respite from the awkwardness of trying to fill silences that she found uncomfortable but that Jade had clearly intentionally left.

After the first scene drew to a close, Tori took a peek out into the audience to gauge reactions, and almost let out a sigh of relief as she realised that just about everyone seemed enraptured by the performance.

She glanced back at Jade, who had seemed to register the same thing. For a moment their eyes met and, so quickly that Tori half-thought she'd imagined it, Jade's mouth curled up in a smile. Jade had actually smiled at her. Tori was beyond stunned, her face growing hot as she realised how obvious her reaction to such a small gesture must have been.

Nevertheless, she would take it. It was a small gesture, certainly, but perhaps it was a sign that she and Jade might have a future as friends. And that Tori was, as she had hoped, universally likeable.

She turned her attention back to the play and continued to watch.