Chapter Text
Tori entered the doors of Hollywood Arts for the first time since June, stepping in to be welcomed by the sound of overlapping conversation, laughter and a multitude of instruments being tuned and played. It was bittersweet, her last first day. In just two years at Hollywood Arts, her entire life had changed. Tori realized that she had talent, made new friends and became a much more confident person with big dreams. Like it or not, this school was probably the best thing that had ever happened to her. And she didn’t know what was supposed to come after. It seemed like everyone knew what they were going to do after high school.
Andre was lining up an internship with a producer at a hugely successful record label, Beck was applying to a prestigious acting studio, Robbie was already interning at TMZ, Cat was running a babysitting business with some chick from iCarly, and well, Jade was Jade. She didn’t care about Tori enough to tell her about her plans, if she had any. Tori felt behind. Even Trina was getting acting jobs after her graduation earlier in the year. Trina acting. Those two words should not go in the same sentence, but Trina had it going on. Everyone seemed to have something going for them. And Tori had nothing. Senior year was her last chance to make an impact, to be remembered.
“Hey chica!” Andre’s bright voice interrupted Tori’s thoughts as he pulled her into a hug. Tori beamed at the sight of him and welcomed his embrace.
“Andre!” He eased out of the hug and grabbed her hand.
“Come on, everyone else is already here,” said Andre as he led her over to the Wahoo Punch machines, where the gang was crowded. Beck gave her a lazy two-finger salute and a smile. Cat squealed. Robbie waved. Jade looked her up and down with open disgust. Everything felt the same as it had always been.
“Tori!” Cat bounced up and down excitedly. “Did you hear?”
“Hear about what?” Tori asked with a grin, placing her hands on her shoulders to steady the redhead.
Cat scrunched her nose in confusion. “Did you hear when I said your name?”
“Oh,” chuckled Tori awkwardly. “Yes, I did.” She looked up at the rest of her friends. And Jade. “So, senior year, huh? How are we feeling?”
Jade scoffed. “Big fucking whoop, Vega. It’s just another day in this shithole. Nothing special about it.”
Tori rolled her eyes. “Seriously? You’re not feeling anything about our last year before we are violently thrown into adulthood?”
Jade turned to Beck without looking at her. “I don’t want to talk to her,” she said flatly, and took a sip of her JetBrew coffee.
“I think that what Jade is trying to say is that nothing has changed. We’re here to do what we always do.” Beck shrugged. The rest of the group nodded in agreement.
Wow. Maybe I’m more alone than I thought. Tori forced a smile and shook it off. The bell rang, and they were off to class. ______________________________________________________________________________
“And that’s why tableau is essential to theatre!” Sikowitz exclaimed, coconut in hand. It was nice to be back in his class, Tori’s safe space. He was her favourite teacher after all.
“Anyway, let’s talk about something exciting.” Sikowitz had a playful glint in his eye, and he knew he had captured his students' attention. Jade’s head snapped up from her PearPhone, curious to hear what he had to say. “We will be starting to prepare for the fall play a bit earlier than normal. Starting this week.”
This announcement prompted murmurs of excitement from the class and shared looks between peers. Preparation for the fall play usually started during the fourth week of school, not the first.
“It is a new play, written by a former student of mine. It will be challenging, but it is a lovely story, and I am confident that all-” he paused and frowned at Robbie’s eager grin. “...that some of you will be able to pull it off.”
“When are auditions?” Andre asked, leaning forward in his seat, hands clasped together in excitement.
Sikowitz grinned. “No need. I’ve already chosen the casting.” There was a chorus of groans from around the room.
“How is that fair? You can’t just-” Jade’s sharp voice began, but Sikowitz cut her off.
“Jade West will be playing the lead role of Chloe.”
“That is a brilliant idea,” said Jade immediately. “I approve.” Jade quickly changed her tune.
He grabbed a stack of papers from a podium off to the side of the stage and began to distribute them around the room. “This handy-dandy little package reveals the cast, the plot, who’s in love with who, blah blah blah. All that nitty-gritty. Ooh, and it also has important dates in it. Let the drama begin!”
Tori anxiously grabbed a paper and smiled, seeing her name second on the list, meaning she was a main character. As she skimmed over the paper, her smile fell. This couldn’t be happening. “Sikowitz, I think you made a mistake here. It says I’ll be playing Chloe’s lover.”
“Nope! No mistake there.” He grinned. Tori turned to look at Jade, who had an expression that was a cross between anger and disbelief.
“Again? We had to play a married couple last year, and I wanted to throw myself in front of a bus because of it!” Jade roared. Her sharp blue eyes were furious, fingers slowly crumpling the package in her grip.
“Hey! You’re not so pleasant to work with yourself.” Tori shot back, angrily throwing her hands up in the air. Jade responded by sticking her tongue out at Tori, but stopped when Beck placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered something to her. Jade rolled her eyes and her jaw tightened, but she leaned back in her chair and looked away from Tori.
“I can’t do this again. Please, can I switch with Cat or something?” Tori begged Sikowitz.
“I’m Cat!” Cat announced brightly, oblivious to the tension around her.
“I can play Jade’s lover!” Robbie exclaimed, raising his hand and shooting up out of his chair. Sikowitz looked at him sideways and decided to ignore what he was saying.
Jade turned her head to look at Robbie slowly, bellowing, “No!”
“I’m sorry Toro, but all roles are final. First rehearsal is today, after school, in the black box theatre. Don’t be late!” Sikowitz shooed them out as the bell rang.
“It’s Tori!” She snapped over her shoulder.
Jade stopped in front of Tori in the hallway and cocked her head to the side. “Well, I guess I’ll see you after school, Tori,” she said coolly, sending a shiver down Tori’s spine. She had a smile on her face that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She whipped around and walked away, hand in hand with Beck.
Tori watched her walk away as her figure receded into the distance. “She’s going to kill me, isn’t she?”
“Nah, I…you’ll be…yeah, Tori, you’re screwed.” Andre attempted to reassure her, but ended up shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans and staring at his shoes as he admitted his worry.
“Oh chiz.” Tori sighed, running a hand through her hair. First day of the school year, and she already had a target on her back.
Andre placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly at her. “Come on Tori, let’s go to one of the practice rooms. We can come up with a plan of action or something.”
“Maybe I can just run away to Mexico. Wait, no, Mexico is too close. Somewhere in Europe.” Tori plotted as Andre steered her towards a vacant practice room, dismissing her mumblings in the process.
“Here, take a seat, woman,” instructed Andre as he shut the door behind them and gestured at the small couch in the corner of the room. Tori plopped down on the couch with a sigh, dropping her bag on the ground below her. She wondered if she could just hide out in here with Andre all day, away from Jade and Sikowitz, the play and her responsibilities. The chances were slim.
“This blows.” Tori snapped, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.
“Why don’t you tell me how you really feel?”
Tori rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms. Did he really have to be sarcastic while she was having a freak-out?
“No, Tor, I’m serious. Something has been up with you since this morning by the soda machines. You know you can tell me anything, right? That’s what friends are for.” Andre’s brows furrowed in concern, a frown shaping his lips.
Tori was grateful to have a friend like Andre. From the first day that she met him, he was sweet and friendly, treating her with respect and kindness. He genuinely cared about her and had stuck up for her many times in the past. She had had other friends before, but none like Andre. She knew she could always count on him, and he could always count on her. In many ways, Andre was the reason she got into Hollywood Arts, the reason that her life changed in such an amazing way. He believed in her and championed her, even when he had barely known her. Looking into his worried eyes made her feel bad, and she decided to be honest about the anxieties she had been feeling.
Tori sighed. “So like, I’m really excited about senior year, right? I want to make my impact, leave a mark on this school. I just…I don’t know. Everyone seems to have something cool lined up or planned for after graduation, and I’m just floating here like a loser with no prospects.”
Andre looked at her with disbelief. He scoffed. “A loser? Tori Vega, stop being self-pitiful for two seconds and think.” He placed his hands on her shoulders and shook her gently. “You’ve written and performed so many songs for so many people, some of whom are crazy big in the industry. Not to mention the plays that you have written and acted in, the choreographies you’ve made. Hell, you basically directed a movie while Dale Squires sat on his ass the whole time!” Tori smiled gently, appreciating the pep talk. “You have so many amazing opportunities waiting for you out there. There are a bunch of different avenues you could choose from. Honestly, I’m kind of jealous!” He exclaimed, and Tori laughed.
She felt comforted by his bright smile and warm brown eyes. “You’re right, Andre. Thank you. I’ve just been kind of in my head about it. I feel like senior year is my last chance to do something worthwhile, and this play was going to be my chance. Now Jade is going to do everything she can to terrorize me and ruin it.” Tori confessed.
“Listen, you’ve worked with her so many times before. You probably know how to handle her better than anyone aside from Beck. It’s just different with you two. What worked last time? When you played husband and wife?” Andre asked earnestly.
“Well, we were forced to hang out, and then these guys were bothering us and we kind of bonded over that, I guess.”
“Okay, well, why don’t you hang out with her?”
Tori laughed obnoxiously, raising her eyebrows at Andre. “You are so funny, Harris. Seriously, I think I’m going to pop a rib.”
“Come on, girl! Find something that she likes and try to bond over it with her. Go see a horror movie, or scare babies or something,” Andre suggested.
Tori thought about this. Maybe it wasn’t the worst idea. Jade would probably turn her down, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. She might see that Tori was making an effort and appreciate that. Or she would get pissed off and throw something at her. Tori had to deal with it either way, and she figured that it would probably be better to try.
Tori smiled at Andre. “You know what, you’re right. Time to plan my funeral!”