A/N: Sooo... It's been a long time, huh? I was thinking of ways to explain myself, maybe lie about my laptop being stolen, lie about moving to Antarctica or maybe lie about having a social life (Ha! Imagine that). But lying isn't nice, right? It's absolutely undignified and immoral, so I am here to reveal the naked, disgusting, and horrifying truth on why I'm just updating now.

There was this guy and he asked for my help. So, being the kind person that I am, I helped him. He was a paid assassin and was being hunted by other assassins because he failed to do his job: to kill an innocent, little girl who is a daughter of a Japanese mafia leader. Also, she is not so innocent and little seeing that she's twenty and is the one leading the other assassins while wielding a really sharp katana and machine gun. (Maybe her petite size and 5'1 height means that she's technically little? Is that how it works?)

Also, come to think of it; maybe he was just an incompetent assassin and is just being punished. Huh, maybe there's a clue somewhere when that girl kept shouting about him being an 'incompetent dufus', a 'manipulative asshole', and a 'thief' when they were chasing us.

Questionable motives and dubious backstory aside, I still lend my hand so he could escape. But in my attempt to help, I was dragged into an adventure full of guns, swords, martial arts, crocodiles, sharks, and, for some reason, break dancing.

I know, I know. T'was awful, indeed. We barely escaped with our lives and dignity intact—they were asking us to TWERK! The HORROR! So, as a devoted writer to this site and a spiritual channel of fanfiction writing, I updated first before going to the hospital for my injuries. I got it from break dancing. But it's okay: at least I didn't get it from twerking.

It was a long journey, but I'm here now. So enjoy, my readers. And yes, the truth had set me free.

PS: Also, he borrowed my share from that prize money that we won in that epic dance battle. As I'm typing this, I realized that it's unlikely that he pay me back. Also, I don't know if my insurance will cover my medical expenses. So I think I'll be an assassin now: that girl said that it comes with great benefits.

Disclaimer: Victorious and its characters belong to where it legally belongs, i.e. not me.

Chapter Seven:

"Good morning, Anton!"

"Good morning, Ms. Valentine. Your keys, please?"

Cat smiled at Martin as she gave him her keys, the teenage boy smiling back with a blush.

"Follow me," the butler requested and the redhead skipped behind the old man as they both walked into the usual foyer.

"Okay!" the redhead chirped with a smile as they walk past the familiar statues, vases, and paintings. After a while, her attention was captured by the paintings. Again.

Every time she's walking inside the mansion, her eyes always fall to the impressive amounts of paintings that decorates the foyer. She was particularly partial to the one done in black, white, and red of a mermaid. And every time she sees it, she can't help but hum a favorite tune under her breath.

"'...up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun...'"

"Ms. Valentine?"

Cat stopped humming as the butler gestured to the large table in front of them, and the redhead's eyes widened at the assortment. There's a variety of sliced fruits, salad, different kinds of pastries as well as jams, bacons, pancakes, waffles, etcetera.

"That's a lot of food..."

The butler smiled slightly at the wide-eyed expression of the redhead. "It's just enough, Ms. Valentine," he explained. "The staff usually eats with Mr. West first thing in the morning so this breakfast is not as excessive as it seems."

"Oh..." the redhead just said before she saw how one maid bring a platter of sausages before standing behind a chair as two others bring more food. Then there's footsteps behind her and she turned around to see Martin, two gardeners, another maid, and two woman in a chef attire.

"Good morning, Ms. Valentine," a voice boomed as David West walk towards the table. "Come sit beside me," he gestured for a chair beside him as he sat at the head of the table.

The redhead nodded with a smile and walked beside Mr. West's chair. She had already eaten breakfast, but she can't refuse out of good manners. Her Nona taught her as much.

"My daughters are yet to come down," David explained—after gesturing the staff to sit down—when he noticed the redhead's wandering eyes.

"Oh," she just said before digging into her waffles. She moaned appreciatively at the taste: it was a little better than her Nona's waffles.

"So, Ms. Valentine," Mr. West started as he sipped on his coffee, the soft clatters of utensils in their background. "Have you discussed with your grandmother on when the two of you will move in here?"

"Oh! Yes, sir," Cat replied, nodding enthusiastically as she sipped on her juice and David almost chuckled at that. "Nona said that we'll move in tomorrow. She's just finishing with boxing our things."

Mr. West nodded. "Excellent. Do you need any help?"

"No, sir. We can handle it," the redhead declined with a polite smile.

Mr. West just nodded again, not pushing the issue further. A few moments of silence as they ate—Cat is now on her second helping of the delicious waffle—when soft footsteps was heard, followed by a slightly faster footsteps.

"Good morning, everyone!"

A cacophony of greeting was heard from the table as Emerald West beamed on them before sitting down on her seat opposite of Cat. As usual, she's just as chirpy as ever, as if trying to compensate for the moody disposition of the pale, older girl trailing behind her.

Jade West just grunted a barely indiscernible greeting before plopping down on her seat. She looked at the redhead with slightly narrowed eyes. "You're half an hour early."

Cat froze mid-bite, glancing at the pale girl's squinted eyes directed at her. "My Nona needs a ride to her friend's house and I drove her. I just thought that since I'm in the vicinity, I'll just go straight here."

The pale girl just grunted in reply before starting on her breakfast, piling sausages and pancakes on her plate. The redhead observed the less-than-graceful movements and noticed that her boss isn't a morning person.

"No, I'm not. And I told you to stop calling me that."

Doe eyes widened at the statement before realizing that she said her thoughts out loud. Besides Jade, Cat saw Emmy giggling over her french toasts and Mr. West sporting an amused smile as he sipped again on his coffee mug.

The pale girl looked at her again with squinted eyes. "And stop smiling too much. You're creeping me out, just like Emmy every single morning."

The blonde girl playfully punched at her sister at that, but Jade just shrugged her off and continued eating. Not backing down at the comment, Cat just smiled. "Mornings are awesome. And what better way to start your day that with a smile?"

Emmy's giggled louder at that and Mr. West's hid his chuckling with another sip. Jade just quirked an almost-amused eyebrow at the still-smiling redhead.

"Your facial muscle will seize for too much smiling, you know?"

The redhead tilted her head on the side, humming. "That's not a bad thing. I mean, at least they won't deteriorate due to lack of use," she stated with shrug and a smile, and she knew that the pale girl—by the way her lips twitch in a small smile of amusement at the redhead's response—can see through her innocent facade and tell that she's just joking.

"I have to go finish preparing," Jade just said as soon as she finished her breakfast. She stood up and walked towards the door.

"C'mon, Cat! Let's go play piano while we wait," Emmy said, pulling her upward as both of them finished with their waffles. Cat spared a glanced at Jade's retreating back as the pale girl goes up the fancy stairs, thinking that it's just another day of her new job as she smiled down at a chattering and excitable Emmy on their way to the music and arts room.

"Sooo... no chainsaw?"

"No."

"How about machine guns?

"No."

"Wait... is someone going to die in this?"

Jade rolled her eyes. "No. No one's going to die in my script."

"Huh," Sikowitz just said, his face scrunched up in confusion. "So wait, are you saying that Jade West just submitted a script entitled 'A Cinderella Nightmare' and it's not about Cinderella going on a killing spree?"

The pale girl groaned in frustration. "For the tenth thousand times, it's not a horror movie."

"Hmmm, not even a Cinderella Zombie?"

"No."

"So what is it, then?"

"Rom-com."

Silence...

"...am I dreaming? Is this an alternate universe?" the teacher whispered, eyes slightly bulging in disbelief. He raised his hand, putting his coconut in his eye-level, squinting suspiciously at it while Jade just huffed in irritation. "Is this even a real coconut?"

The girl pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sikowitz, work with me here."

"Am I really Sikowitz?"

"Sikowitz..."

"Stop confusing me, you alternate-Jade!"

"Sikowitz!"

"What world is this?!"

"Calm down!" Jade exasperatedly exclaimed, rolling her eyes at the crazy teacher who is now crouched atop his desk. She gestured the man to sit down again and he did, albeit still squinting at his coconut. "Look, I know this is different. But I have my reasons, okay?"

Sikowitz glanced at Jade and nodded in compliance before humming, then sipping on his suspicious coconut. "Explain."

Jade huffed before she sat down. "Do you remember Lotus Dagger?"

The teacher chuckled before shaking his head, his demeanor now screaming amusement at the inquiry. "How could I forget? How could anyone forget?" Seemingly forgetting his existentialist drama earlier, he sipped contently at his coconut before continuing. "I daresay it is ten times worse than the winter musical."

The pale girl smirked in amusement, remembering Trina's disaster again. "I actually read that script," she started, observing the Sikowitz' faraway look, aware that the teacher is currently reminiscing one of the most embarrassing class project in the history of Hollywood Arts. "It was nicely written and would've been a great movie."

"But it wasn't," Sikowitz interjected.

"But it wasn't," she repeated, nodding in agreement at the teacher. "The movie became tacky and laughable. But that was expected from a script that deals with a period piece in a high school production."

Then Jade leaned closer, putting her enclosed hands atop the wooden desk, before continuing. "The thing is, we're still in high school," she reasoned, and Sikowitz nodded again. "Yes, this is Hollywood Arts and all that," she added with an eye roll, one hand waving dismissively, "but we do need to concentrate on other areas of our education. With a simple script such as this," she then pushed the script closer to the teacher, "we can make a decent movie without sacrificing too much."

"Huh," Sikowitz replied as he picked up the script. "Good point. But why rom-com?" He inquired before putting the coconut down and skimming over the content.

Jade shrugged. "I wanted to do something different."

The teacher hummed in reply, now concentrating on the script. "Stay there," he absentmindedly stated, and Jade complied as she watch her teacher. Sikowitz may be unconventional, but she can admit that he is good at his job.

What's up with his hair and clothes, though? she mused, for the umpteenth time, as she observe how Sikowitz is scratching his head every now and then—the coconut looks empty now so it seems that teacher needs something to occupy his hands—while humming.

Jade remembered, a few years ago, how she and her friends have debated whether or not Sikowitz is actually a hobo who got his job by killing someone and impersonating a washed-up actor with a degree in Theater Arts—that was Jade's theory anyways, which she insisted is very much plausible.

Some of the theories involve a handsome and younger Sikowitz who got into drug and alcohol addiction, hence the getup and the weird obsession with coconuts (signs of latent addiction according to André). Then his career plummeted, so teaching became a source of hope to regain his dignity from his destroyed carreer.

It was such a movie cliché, but she wouldn't really be surprised if that's really what happened.

"Wait..." the teacher trailed off, his eyebrow shooting high. Jade was snapped back to reality (she was remembering the time when the group's curiosity got so intense that they almost hired a private investigator to dig up Sikowitz' past). "A show choir?"

"Yes." Jade deadpanned before quirking an eyebrow. "Is that a problem?"

Sikowitz reached for the empty coconut and threw it somewhere under his desk while he get a new one from under the same desk. While the teacher reads again, Jade's mused over all the possible coconut-based alcohol that isn't Piña Colada. "Is this going to be like High School Musical?" he asked, his tone carrying amusement as he flipped a page.

The pale girl rolled her eyes, inwardly thinking that maybe it was drugs, not alcohol. Though he may look like a drunken hobo most of the time, Sikowitz doesn't really smell like one. "Not like that," she insisted, crossing her arms in her chest as she made a mental note to check different drugs in the internet. "It's part of the plot. Look, I added that so the actors could show their capacity as a performer. Two birds in one stone."

"Huh..." the teacher nodded, acknowledging that it is a good idea. By combining acting and performing into one project, the actors' capabilities will be portrayed. "This is good..." he murmured as he continued flipping the pages and Jade smirked at that.

She's Jade West, so of course it is good.

A few minutes have passed as Sikowitz continue to read, with Jade's eyebrows furrowing at the thought of the CIA possibly branding her as a drug addict if she ran a Google Search on drugs. "A love triangle?" the teacher asked.

The pale girl shrugged. "To add more drama," she answered, thinking that she won't tarnish her name in the government's eyes out of idle curiosity. She'll just assume that it's drugs.

"Well," Sikowitz chuckled as he placed the script back to the wooden desk. "I didn't think I'll see the day when Jade West would submit a script that's not similar to Texas Chainsaw Massacre."

"Someday," Jade replied with a smirk. "Maybe in college."

The teacher nodded before reaching for his (possibly) drug-filled coconut. "I'll pore over this and I'll announce tomorrow the results," he said before sipping his coconut again. Jade understood that she's being dismissed, so she stood up and walked towards the exit.

She was about to open the door when she heard him stop her. "Wait!"

Hand still on the doorknob, she looked back with a raised eyebrow and saw Sikowitz with a serious and contemplative expression.

"Are you sure there won't be any dancing mouse, at least?"

Jade rolled her eyes before roughly turning the doorknob and opening the door, but not without hearing the teacher's final words that made it absolutely certain—at least for her—that he's really regularly on drugs.

"It's cute! Rex can play it! He's a good actor!"

Glancing at her wristwatch for the last time, she sighed in relief when she saw the pale girl emerging from the faculty building. Her boss still has thirty minutes to spare for her lunch and she was worried that it's not enough time to eat.

It's Jade, not boss, she reminded herself again as she observed the pale girl. Blue-grays flitted towards her—she's currently sitting on one of the benches near the entrance—and nodded, which is Cat's cue to trail behind her.

"Hey," she greeted with a smile, and her smile widened at the almost-smile—well, it was more of slight twitch of lips—as they walked towards the open-spaced cafeteria. "How did it go?"

The pale girl shrugged. "It was fine," she answered, before furrowing her eyebrows in thought. "Why are you here?"

The redhead just shrugged with a lopsided smile. "I was waiting for you," she replied simply, which translated to 'I was doing my job'.

The pale rolled her eyes. "Did you at least eat?"

Cat nodded—she ate a burrito in the bench while waiting for Jade—as they continue their walk towards their usual table, but not before noticing a haggard-looking Tori carrying a stack of fliers in her hands.

"...will be fun!"

"Sounds tedious and boring."

The tanned girl rolled her eyes. "Nobody asked you, you campfire wood," she snapped, and the redhead noticed how Jade's expression morphed onto something akin to worry. The pale girl then hurried her footsteps with the redhead copying her faster walking.

In her observations, Cat had the impression of Tori being an easy-going girl—at least compared to both Jade and Trina, which isn't really a difficult comparison now that she thought about it—so it seems that the half-Latina's current disposition is out-of-character, at least for me. Although with Jade's worrying, it seems that her observations are accurate.

As they both neared, the redhead could clearly see how tired-looking Tori is. Underneath her brown eyes, there's a purplish tint and the clothes, although fashionable like most of the student population of Hollywood Arts, seems less put together.

"Ohhh, feisty Latina. Are you also like that in be-"

Unexpectedly, Jade reached out when they finally reached the table and wrenched the puppet away from Robbie's hand—with Robbie squeaking in surprise at the sudden intrusion—before throwing him far away, impressively landing on a trash bin.

Cat mused about the possibility of Jade managing a perfect, three-point shot across the court in a basketball game as Robbie stood up and ran towards the puppet (again). Then Jade calmly sat down with the redhead following suit.

"What's wrong?" the pale girl asked almost gently, and the redhead smiled at that. Though callous, it seems to her that her boss truly cared for her friends.

It's Jade, she mentally reprimanded herself as tired, puppy eyes looked at both of them before Tori sighed. "This fundraising is too much work. I've only had fifteen participants so far, and I need to complete the quota of fifty participants," she explained, running her hands tiredly on her ruffled, slightly disheveled hair. "It's driving me crazy."

The pale girl sighed, almost irritably in Cat's opinion. "It's driving you crazy because you're letting it drive you crazy. Why not assign others for this?

"I told you, I already assigned them with different task. This is my job."

"Fine," Jade almost snapped, and the redhead saw it's not towards Tori, but rather frustration towards the half-Latina's stubborness. The pale girl then glanced on the tanned girl's left and saw another tanned girl who is busy texting. "Why aren't you helping your sister?"

"Not my job, not my problem," Trina replied nonchalantly, although the redhead didn't miss her imperceptible, worried glance towards said sister—who is currently resting her head atop her arms at the table, seemingly void of energy.

Apparently, Jade missed the glance because she just rolled her eyes and muttered 'useless banshee' under her breath. Cat scrunched her face at that: it seems a bit unfair, because she can see that Trina is just as worried as Jade. "Where's André and Beck, anyways?"

Tori peered at her. "Library."

Jade raised an eyebrow at that, at Cat surmised that it's something the pale girl doesn't hear everyday. The redhead then glanced towards her wristwatch and her eyes widened: it's twenty minutes before class and Jade hasn't eaten yet.

"Hey, I'll just get you your food," she chirped at Jade who raised an eyebrow at that.

"I'm perfectly capable," the pale girl deadpanned, mildly insulted at the statement.

"I know," she replied in a placating manner before pointedly glancing at the still-moping Tori, who still has her head down.

Jade sighed before nodding reluctantly, getting the message.

"Hey, can you also get me some fries?"

Jade scoffed, narrowing her eyes at the older girl. "She's not your slave, Trina."

"Oh, sorry. I forgot that she's yours, right?"

"Okay! I'll go now!" the redhead chirped before standing up, wanting to get away from the bickering that has started as she went to get Jade's food.

After five minutes, she went back with some veggie burger and iced tea (she also got some fries) when saw that the whole gang is complete, including Robbie who is busy picking some lettuces on Rex' tiny polo shirt.

"...no one's going to die?" she heard as she neared the table.

"No," Jade tersely replied, accepting the tray that Cat put in front of her before the redhead sat again beside her.

"Not even a Canadian?"

The pale huffed at that and the redhead is thoroughly confused on why they're talking about a dying Canadian.

Aren't they talking about Tori? she wondered and glanced towards the tanned girl who is currently sporting an amused smile.

"For the hundredth time, no it is not a horro- Hey!"

"What?"

"These are my fries!"

"Don't be selfish- Ow!" Trina glowered at Jade as she rubbed the spot on her hand that Jade slapped away.

Beck, not wanting things to escalate (again), pushed his own fries towards Trina. The older girl smiled at him sweetly before glowering back at Jade, who is glowering back. The boy cleared his throat before continuing. "Well, you always submit scripts that are horror-themed, so you can't exactly blame us for wondering."

Ahh, it's about Jade's script, Cat thought, mentally taking note. She doesn't know what genre is Jade into as a scriptwriter, but knowing that it was horror makes sense to the redhead.

Although it is obviously not the case in this script as Cat observed how Jade nodded in acquiesced. "Fair enough, Becky."

"So what is it?" André asked, absentmindedly reaching for Beck's (now Trina's) fries and squealed in sudden pain when his also got slapped away.

The pale girl rolled her eyes before mumbling something.

"I'm sorry, what?" The redhead thought she was the only one who didn't hear, but apparently that isn't the case when Beck furrowed his eyebrows and asked.

Jade sighed irritably, seemingly annoyed at the current conversation. "I said, it was a rom-com with a little bit of musical."

Silence...

It started with snickering, then turned into laughter. Confused, Cat look around the table and saw that all of them, including Robbie (who is mostly afraid of even chuckling for fear of Jade), is laughing out loud. On her periphery, the redhead saw how some students looked their way, but otherwise didn't bother the continuing raucous laughter on their table.

She has a feeling that they're used to it.

"Okay, that was funny as hell, Jade. You got us," André said, wiping tears on his eyes. Still confused, the redhead saw the the laughter is winding down. "But seriously, what is it really?"

"I meant what I said," Jade almost growled, glowering at him.

Silence again...

"Wait, you serious?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes!"

Silence again...

The redhead didn't know what to think when laughter erupted again, so she just focused her eyes on Jade is huffing and puffing and currently red with anger (and possibly embarrassment, Cat thought, but murderous rage is a possibility, too).

"Okay guys, knock it off. We had our fun," Tori reprimanded the group, though she's still chuckling herself and the redhead is glad to see that the half-Latina's spirit has been lifted a bit. "Why, Jade?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I suppose to explain? I thought you're all busy making fun of me to even listen."

"C'mon... You have to admit that it's unexpected," the tanned girl quipped, her earlier sullen mood has drastically improved now. "We all thought that you're going to submit a different genre."

"Yeah, and I was already practicing my 'Here's Johnny!' piece as my audition," André quipped"

"And Rex is excited to audition as Chucky."

The puppet gasped out loud. "Traitor! That's our secret!"

Robbie gasped, too. "You never said it's a secret!"

"Tsk, what a friend you are, Robbie."

"See! Even Trina understands the value of trust as a foundation of any friendship!"

"I thought I wasn't your best friend?"

"We were getting there! But not with this betrayal, you're not!"

Cat is giggling as she watch Robbie and Rex bickering. She doesn't know if this is serious or not, but it still involves a puppet so it seems amusing to her.

"Anyway..." Tori said, letting the two fight as she refocused her attention on Jade. "Is that your final script?"

"Yep," the pale girl said, popping the 'p'. "I had my reasons for the genre," she added with a glare, and the group just collectively shrugged in reply, obviously accepting her vague reasoning.

"Do you have any idea who you want to be as your actors, though?" the tanned girl asked coyly, and Cat noticed how hopeful and sing-songey she sounded.

Jade rolled her eyes before smirking. "You have to audition, just like everybody else."

The tanned girl mock-gasped at that. "Why, I never! What do you take me for?" she asked with a faux-English accent.

"A snoop and a gossip," the pale girl quipped, finishing her burger, and everyone at the table snickered (except Robbie and Rex who is still bickering about the value of friendship). "Besides, I'm still not sure if Sikowitz will pick me," she added as she sipped on her iced tea.

"C'mon, Jade," Beck said, shaking his head a bit as he sipped on his frappé. "You're the best scriptwriter in our class and Sikowitz knows it."

Jade just shrugged noncommittally before the bell sounded, signaling the end of lunch. All of them stood up and collected their trays and trash, with their bags slumped at their shoulders and backs, and dumped the contents of their trays at the nearby trash on their way to the main building.

As they're about to walk towards their respective classes, Cat spared a look at her schedule again and saw that she has Piano Composition in her next class, which she will share with Robbie when she asked him earlier on how to get there.

"Wait!" Cat suddenly said to Robbie before running, remembering something important, towards Jade who has her next class on the opposite direction. "Where's your next class?" the redhead asked, slightly out of breath and inwardly thinking about needing to go to the gym more.

"Art. It's on the other side of the building," the pale girl replied. Seeing the slightly confused expression on the redhead, she sighed. "You can always ask Robbie to accompany you, okay? You're both in the same class next and we'll all be at the same class later, anyways."

Cat just nodded and turned around as the other girl walked away. But then she remembered something odd and turned back, but Jade, Tori, and André are already gone.

"Huh," she just shrugged, wanting to ask Jade how she knew Cat's schedule. But then she saw Robbie waiting and just skipped towards him, excited for her next class.

"I know I'm your friend and all, but it's asking too much."

"What? How is tha- Jade!" Tori whined when she saw the smirk on her friend's face. "C'mon, it'll be fun!"

"Handing out fliers is not fun, Tori. I already agreed to participate in your lame marathon and I already helped you with the give-aways."

"Friends help each other!"

"Friends aren't slaves, Ms. President."

"Urghhh..." Tori whined again before slumping on her side, her elbow almost landing on her wooden palette that's currently neglected on her side table. She looked at Jade with her sad, puppy eyes, which looks pretty pathetic in Jade's opinion.

Still, it's getting to her like always. She felt it as she concentrates on her painting—another mermaid, but their teacher can't complain seeing that she's always using different techniques no matter how similar her themes may be—as she tries to ignore 'The Look'.

"Please?"

Jade sighed irritably. "Tori, stop whining and do your shit. We got another half and hour to finish this thing."

"I'm done."

"No, you're not."

"I am!"

Jade rolled her eyes before standing up and looking at her friend's canvass (deliberately ignoring 'The Look'). "Are you trying to be funny?"

"What?" the tanned girl asked with wide eyes, looking all innocent when Jade knows it's just a ruse.

"This," she deadpanned, pointing at the canvass. It's a drawing of a dog with its head tilted a little on its side, which would've been impressive (Tori has a talent in sketching that surpasses even Jade's if the tanned girl really tries) if it weren't for the speech bubble that says 'I'm so cute, so why won't you help me?'.

"Excellent work, Ms. Vega!" the teacher praised as she passed by their area, which earned a smug smile from Tori that she threw at her scoffing, glaring friend. "The cartoonish approach both expresses a sense of innocence and the quirky allure of this artwork. Very refreshing!"

"Why thank you, Ms. Tanaka."

"And Ms. West, I see you drew another mermaid."

"Consistency is artistry," she shrugged, although she is smirking slightly at their teacher's conflicted reaction to her work. On one hand, Jade has been told countless of time that she should 'broaden her horizon' and pick another subject. On the other hand, she is consistently the best student in this class (Tori could've been the best, but she's rarely serious with her art) and displays a variety of technique that she polished over the years.

"You know what my critique will be," Ms. Tanaka started, and the pale girl nodded at that. "Still, I can't deny that this is a beautiful work."

The piece is a very simple use of watercolor, but with a twist. The color itself is tastefully messy, but the detail on the mermaid is what stood out which she did with oil paint. It was a bit... bolder than usual—Jade saw Milo Manara's work and tried to practice his style—but she knew that it is one thing she has never tried, yet.

"The fluidity of movement in this is very realistic. Have you had much practice in nude painting?"

A flush creeped on her face and neck as the pale girl thought about all the naked pictures of girls she looked at in her attempt to emulate Manara.

For art, of course.

"A little," she lied, not wanting to blurt out how and where in the internet she looked and how much she had seen.

Because she had seen plenty enough.

The things I do for art... she mused, her blush subsiding a bit as the teacher continue to appraise her work.

"Hmmm," the teacher hummed, impressed with the work despite her criticism on the consistency of mermaid theme. "Carry on," Ms. Tanaka just said, noticing that the pale girl is still not done with her artwork, but also not noticing the blush that resulted due to her inquiries.

"Nude painting?" Tori asked, amused, as her eyebrow quirked. "What site, pornhub?" She asked as soon as the teacher left, while sporting a lopsided smile.

"Shut it," Jade hissed, painfully aware that she did stumbled on that site. A couple of times.

For art, what else? "Do you want me to help you or not?"

The taunting smirk morphed into a hopeful smile. "Wait, you're going to help me now?"

Jade sighed as she picked up her brush, finishing her work. "Whatever. As long as you stop bugging me about it."

Then came squealing as Tori bounded over hear, hugging her—paint splatters and all. the pale girl just huffed as she impatiently wait for the other girl to calm down.

"On one condition, though..."

"That was awesome, Cat!"

"Thanks!" she chirped at the compliment. "Where's Rex?"

The bespectacled boy sighed, tinkling at the few piano keys. "He doesn't like piano, so he usually never comes here. And we had a fight, too, so I don't know if he'll want to stay at Sikowitz later."

Cat hummed, tinkling a few keys and trying to harmonize at the lazy way Robbie is pressing the keys. She doesn't really know what to say to that: no matter how childish she may seem, it is still odd to her how everyone treats the puppet like it's a real person.

Her harmonizing piqued Robbie's interest. And soon enough, they're doing a four-hand piece again, and Cat is giggling when it became faster and messier.

"Shapiro! Valentine!" a voice boomed, and the fast tempo of the piano suddenly halted with both Cat and Shapiro sporting widened eyes. Around them, other students also stopped, looking curiously at the unfolding scene.

"Are you finished with your classical composition?" the teacher asked, looking pointedly at the messy, empty papers strewn on the top of the piano.

"As a matter of fact, yes, we're finished, sir." she replied when she saw how Robbie cowed at the teacher's stare, mumbling incoherent apologies beside her. It seems like he wasn't used to being singled out, and he's retreating to his usual, awkward self.

She doesn't like how Robbie do that. She just spent almost an hour coaxing the awkward boy into a conversation (they were having fun, too, as Robbie tells her some stories about the gang), and she won't let him revert to his shy state just because the teacher is reprimanding them.

The teacher peered from his glasses, narrowing his suspicious eyes at the two students. It is obvious to the redhead that he doesn't believe them and just thought they were goofing off. "Show me, then."

Cat nudged the boy beside him, who almost jumped out of his skin. The redhead smiled before positioning his hand over the keys: the same one that they've been playing earlier before they 'goof off'.

The redhead started slowly, taking the role of the main tune with Robbie as the bass. The bespectacled boy confessed earlier that he's better at guitar than piano, so his finger aren't as accustomed when it comes to the more complicated tunes. With that in mind, Cat managed to composed a short piece by memory alone with Robbie doing the repetitive harmonizing, completely forgetting the composition papers. She's not used to writing compositions and mostly relies on memory.

A few minutes went by and they were done, the redhead making sure that Robbie's part is the focus of the final notes, modifying the earlier tunes with little to no effort. They both looked up—Cat with a smile and Robbie with wide eyes—and waited for the critique.

The teacher hummed. "It needs more work, but it's acceptable," the teacher said, a bit dismissively, before turning his attention to the other students.

Murmurs broke in that class, but the teacher's glare shut them up into working again. On their area, the redhead furrowed her eyebrows and tilted her head, confused, because she's not sure what more work is needed on their piece.

The boy nudged her and she turned her attention to him, confused at his bright smile.

"We're the best one so far, probably ever," Robbie whispered excitedly to the redhead's confusion.

"Best? But-"

"He never deemed anything as acceptable. At all," the boy explained, looking happy. "If he said it's acceptable, then that means we impressed him. You impressed him."

"Shut up," she replied, playfully punching at him—although she doesn't know if she punched too hard because Robbie winced. "It's a joint effort."

"But aren't you the one who composed it?"

"Well, I did, but you're the one who's going to write it all down," she said before sheepishly smiling. "I don't usually write it down, so an expert at composition will be helpful," she chirped before handing him all the papers.

The boy chuckled, and the trace of awkwardness is now gone. There was only a twinkle of delight behind the spectacles as the two musician bond over their newfound friendship.

"So," Robbie said with a smile, his hand poised with a pen atop the music sheets. "Let's hear the first couple of notes..."

"Seriously?"

"What?"

"I don't know about that..."

Jade huffed, throwing the new fliers down at Beck's desk as she stood beside his chair. They were the first ones to Sikowitz' class. "Do your part, Becky."

The long-haired boy groaned. "But Jade..."

"Look, it's not that hard. And you'll be helping Tori before she crash and burn, whichever comes first. Because it will happen sooner at this rate."

"But-"

"But what?"

"Why does it have to be me?"

The pale girl quirked an eyebrow at that. "Gee, let me think. Who else in this whole goddamn school has an obsessive, stalker-ish fan club?"

As the class stared to trickle, Beck is still moaning and whining on how he can't handle those girls, let alone ask them all to pass fliers and join the fundraising marathon. He keeps on groaning on how the girls will ask something of him in return (maybe a hair strand or even a finger).

Jade scoffed at that, knowing the worst thing he'll get is a shotgun wedding. And the best thing—or probably still a worst thing, depending on Beck's perspective—is a hot, attractive, single girl asking him to spend a night with her. Alone.

"Look here, Becky," Jade trailed off, pinching the bridge of his nose as she started to get annoyed at his incessant whining. "Either do this freely or I will tie you up and gag you before throwing you to them, completely helpless and at their mercy, then asking for their help in return. Your call."

Dark eyes widened at that, and Beck just nodded in reply, knowing that the pale girl will follow through with her threat.

"It's a deal, then?"

The long-haired boy sighed. "Yes, it's a deal. I'll talk to them," he acquiesced, although it's not that really that bad when he thinks about. At least he's helping Tori, even at the expense of his dignity and possible loss of virginity.

The pale girl smirked triumphantly at that. "Good boy," she cooed sarcastically before going to her own seat beside Beck.

A few minutes later and Robbie came in, followed by Trina and Tori. Jade gave them the new fliers as they pass by: first Robbie, whose eyes widened at what he saw; Trina, who rolled her eyes before muttering 'tacky' under her breath; and Tori, who just sighed as she read the flier, already knowing what it will say.

"Hey," she called as she saw Cat coming over, seemingly confused to where she should sit. "Here," Jade said, pointing at the empty chair on her right.

Cat beamed at the offer before skipping towards them—Jade can't help but roll her eyes at that—and sitting at the empty chair. Beside her, Beck nudged her and she roll her eyes at his teasing smile.

She just shrugged nonchalantly, aware of the implication. So she's making the girl's job easier. What's the big deal? So the girl's kinda growing on her: she seems alright As her new shadow.

"What's that?" the redhead asked after a few moments, pointing at the stack of new fliers.

"This," the pale girl started with a smirk, "is the new flier for Tori's fundraising marathon."

Cat's eyebrows furrowed at the new flier, a bit confused at the content thinking that it was some sort of poster for a movie or a new game.

"...zombies?"

"Zombies."

"So..." Cat trailed off, reading the information on the flier. "We'll all dress up as zombies?"

"Well, yeah. Us and the all council members, but we're not participants."

"We're not? But how..."

"It's a sort of scavenger hunt were we, the zombies, will hold some flags and the participants will need to take it from us as they do the marathon. The more flags, the more prizes."

"Okay..." the redhead trailed off, processing the information. A little later, a beaming smile broke into the surface, and Jade almost chuckled at the now excitable squealing. "We'll be zombies!"

"I don't know about that, Ms. Valentine, because I always peg you as a Disney princess," a voice behind them said, and all turned around to see Sikowitz at the back, contently sipping on his coconut. "Something aquatic. Must be your hair..."

The pale girl squinted at the teacher who is comfortably sitting behind her, mumbling about talking fishes and finding Nemo. "When did you get here?"

"Just a few seconds behind the last student, actually," he shrugged before standing up and strutting towards the front. "I'm trying to make a point here."

"You're always making a point, you bastard."

"Ah, Rex, good to see you back," the teacher beamed, pointing at the puppet who bowed down in acknowledgement. "As I was saying, I was trying to make a point about breaking away from the norm."

The class just looked blankly at him (except Jade who chose to roll her eyes) and waited for him to continue.

Sikowitz just calmly sipped on his coconut before pointing at the windows. "How many times this year have you seen me enter through that window?"

"Always," the whole class answered in unison.

The teacher nodded. "And the ceiling?"

"Sometimes," the whole class answered again.

The teacher hummed. "And the door? How many times before now?"

There's no immediate answer as the students tried to remember when was the last time.

"The answer is never. Not counting this time, of course," he stated before sitting down atop his desk. "You are all so busy expecting the usual oddity that you fail to register the unusual normality."

"So for today, we'll tackle how performers break away from their common, comfortable roles and be given unusual ones. We'll deal with the common feeling of uncertainty that each performers feel about these new roles and how to perfectly execute them."

"So I will give you all half an hour to think about what you are as a person, then try to break away from the expectation that were given to you by yourself and by the people around you. For example," he looked around and spotted a blonde-haired girl in front. "Come here, Luanne."

The blonde girl stood up and faced the front of the class.

"What's the defining aspect of your personality?" the teacher asked.

Luanne paused, thinking. "My charm?" the girl quipped, smiling brightly. In her seat, Jade hummed in agreement: the girl sure is charming and persuasive.

Sikowitz chuckled. "Okay, so that's your thing, right? That's what people see and expect from you, so what could you possibly do that will be considered unexpected?"

The blonde girl shrugged. "Maybe if I act uncertain?"

The teacher nodded. "That could work, but you still have time to think it through," he replied, motioning for her to sit back again. "As for the rest of you, you have exactly half and hour to surprise me with your... unexpectedness. This is a groupwork, so find your groups and think of a scenario that will showcase the lesson."

Everyone scrambled to find their respective groups and settled down to brainstorm for ideas, the noise of chatter is enough to lull the teacher for a half-an-hour nap.

Twenty minutes later and Jade, Tori, Trina, Beck, André, Robbie (plus Rex), and Cat is still debating on what to do.

"Why are we agreeing to your plan, again?"

Jade groaned for the umpteenth time. "Because this is easier, Trina. And half an hour is not exactly a lot of time to mull over some existentialist shit before coming up with a good scene."

"But switching personalities?"

"Why? You scared that you can't pull off a Tori?"

"Stop making my name sound like an acting technique."

"Well, all of our names will sound like acting techniques in this lesson."

"Wait..." André trailed off, and Jade looked over at the three boys (plus puppet) who all look a bit confused. "Who are we, again?"

The pale girl almost growled in annoyance. "You Medusa will be Robbie, Becky will be you, and four-eyed Geppetto will be Becky. Got it?"

The dreadlocked boy raised his arms in compliance. "Got it."

"What about me?"

"You termite-infested driftwood will be the manager. Just listen to Cat's description."

Ten minutes later and they heard a shrill ringing, and all of them looked at the teacher's desk to see a yawning Sikowitz clad in a star-patterned jammies. He lazily slammed a hand on the alarm clock, a fluffy pillow on his arms, and looked blearily at them

"You all done?"

Everyone just nodded, all silently wondering how Sikowitz managed to changed his clothes and where he got the huge pillow.

"Okay, then! Let's begin!" he said, standing up and clutching at the hem of his pajama and ripping it off his body accompanied with the sound of tearing velcro. He then grabbed his pillow and stashed it away underneath his desk, and Jade wonders how spacious that desk is given that it's where he also stashes his coconuts.

Oh, speak of the devil, Jade thought, rolling her eyes when Sikowitz' hand emerged from under the desk carrying another coconut. "Who's first?"

After a few moment of choosing the order of performance (Sikowitz just closed his eyes and pointed randomly), Jade's group was last to perform. As their classmates perform in front of them—a shy kid from a fairly religious background is currently spewing profanities while acting inappropriately towards the girls, the pale girl felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Is this really okay with you?" the redhead whispered as Luigi, one of the smartest kid in their year, kept shouting random, nonsensical sentences.

"It is, but is it to you?" Jade asked, glancing at the girl beside her as scripted laughter was heard in the background.

Cat hummed, looking thoughtful before she furrowed her eyebrows. "It's just that... You were really, really angry at me when you accidentally slipped. So why reenact it?"

"Well for starters, you'll be the one who will 'accidentally' slip this time," Jade pointed out with a smirk and an air-quote. "Second..." she trailed off, looking thoughtful herself.

"...you're not that bad," the pale girl finished with a shrug, looking pointedly at the performance to at least maintain her 'unapproachable' image and not seeing the toothy, giddy smile on the redhead's face. "And Emmy, my friends, and even my Dad likes you enough, so that makes you at least tolerable."

Jade heard the happy giggling beside her, and she just rolled her eyes at that. "Just don't get too chummy, though. I'm not that type of person," she warned, still not glancing, but without much malice in her voice.

"Okay," she heard the redhead say and Jade didn't comment further. They just watch the performances, enjoying the slight cognitive dissonance that came as they watch their peers act in a way that's unexpected of them.

"We're next!" the redhead chirped beside her as the second-to-the-last group is finished, and the pale girl resisted rolling her eyes again at the eagerness. Because she knew that the moment they all stepped on the stage, she'll be Cat, and Cat will be Jade.

And that means everything is forgiven now.

"...and then she shouted something about having a restraining order. But that's unfair! I mean, Rex is the one who told them last time about getting it on with each other and then filming it to be sold on 'Girls Gone Wild'," André whined, perfectly doing a 'Robbie' as the group reenacted the scene that started it all...

"Well, that was unexpected."

All eyes turned to Robbie, whose own bespectacled eyes widened in surprise at all the accusing looks. "What? I was keeping up with the theme here!"

"Funny," Jade deadpanned at the boy, who cowed in embarrassment at the not-so-appropriate quip. "You'd think you'll be more worried when the first girl who voluntarily talked to you is in the clinic right now for possible concussion. Instead, you're here spewing stupid one-liners."

The boy bowed his head in shame, knowing that the pale girl is right. "Sorry. How is she?"

The pale girl sighed. "Okay, I think," she replied, glancing at Tori's text message earlier:

VEGetA: She's waking up now. The nurse said that she'll be okay, though she commented about Cat having a weak constitution.

Jade chuckled again at the text message, remembering how Cat fainted on her first day at Hollywood Arts and was sent to the clinic.

"She does seem a bit unsteady on her feet," Beck commented with a thoughtful look. "I think this is, what, fourth time she fell since we've met her?"

All of them nodded at that as they, still in Sikowitz' class, waited for Tori and Trina to come back with a (hopefully) concussion-free Cat.

"It seems like it," a voice interjected, surprising the three boys—except Jade, as usual—when Sikowitz spoke up behind them, always a coconut in one hand. "It must be her aquatic nature," he added with a faraway look that has, in Jade's opinion, clinched the drug theory.

"You're a weirdo, Sikowitz," she deadpanned, and the teacher just ignored the comment in favor of sipping loudly on his coconut.

"So, how're you all feeling?" he asked a few seconds later, looking at the forming bruises on their bodies. "That was a bit intense for an acting."

Jade huffed as she tried to cross her arms petulantly, wincing a bit at the dull, throbbing pain as she moved. "It wasn't in the script. It was an accident," she insisted, a nagging thought forming at the back of her mind.

Maybe I was right, the pale girl thought as she mentally pinpoint all the painful parts of her body from the fall, maybe Cat could really potentially kill me.

Or at least painfully, painfully maim her.

It was supposed to go smooth, but the moment that the 'pasta slipped' was reenacted, the redhead flailed too much that she took the three boys with them, sparing only Tori and Trina from the onslaught of pain as the five of them stumbled painfully on the hard, wooden floor.

"Hmmm, too bad. It could've been a good scene. I almost felt the scripted pain of the characters on stage. Like I said, intense."

"That was real pain."

The teacher waved his hand dismissively. "Po-tay-toe, po-tah-toe. It's the same as my method acting on how to properly fall down the stairs," he stated, sipping on his coconut as he school his face in a pensive expression. "The pain became my muse, and it was worth it."

"Now, if you're all feeling fine and dandy, you four can go back to your seat," he chirped, slapping a good-natured hand on André's shoulder. The boy winced at the impact, still feeling the earlier pain from their performance.

"Listen, class. Before you're dismissed, I have an announcement regarding extra-curricular activities," Sikowitz stated as he walked in front of the class. "I'll be giving away extra points if you participated in a school-sanctioned, school-wide activity."

The students, still reeling from the intense acting earlier, perked at the words. "What is it?" Sinjin eagerly asked.

"Let's see..." the teacher trailed off, messily rummaging on his pocket before taking out a crumpled, folded piece of paper. "If you participate in this..." he squinted at the paper, "...weird zombie marathon thing," he announced, showing them one of the fliers that Jade printed out earlier, "you'll get points from me. Which, if you remember, is important if you decided to pursue Theater Arts in college."

Chatters broke at that, and the four friends—who are still in slight pain—are visibly surprised at the announcement.

"Why is he doing this?"

"I don't know! Did you bribe him, Jade?"

"What? No!"

"Wait a minute..." André whispered, bending down and picking up a piece of paper from the ground. Upon closer look, Jade noticed that it was some sort of gift card. The dreadlocked boy then read the content. "It says 'Coconut Palooza Limited Edition Gift Certificate'. Is this Sikowitz'?"

The three gave him a look that says 'Duh'. "There's an attached note in the back," she observed, pointing at small piece of paper that's glued on the back. "Read it."

André cleared his throat before reading. "'Sikowitz, enclosed is a limited edition gift certificate that also serves as a ticket to Coconut Palooza this coming weekend. This is yours if you helped Ms. Vega in acquiring more participants in her fundraising marathon. If completed, another ticket will be sent to your house for the second and final event of Coconut Palooza in L.A.'."

"Wow, who do you think sent this?"

The pale girl ignored the question, her blue-grays a little wide as she stared at the handwritten note. She snatched the gift certificate without preamble and stared at the note more, still somewhat dubious at her discovery.

What do you know, she thought, a lopsided smile emerging as Beck stood up to give the gift certificate to Sikowitz, the glued letter now gone so he won't get suspicious of them, the useless banshee does care for her little sister.

"You're right, Robbie," Jade said a little later as they got out of class and walked towards the clinic. "This really was unexpected," she added, chuckling a little. The bespectacled boy just nodded in reply, a little weirded out by the uncharacteristic twinkle in Jade's eyes.

Man, what a lesson, he thought as they all crowded at Cat's bed, with Jade sarcastically asking if the redhead memory is still intact.

As Beck offered himself as a driver to the two, the bespectacled boy wonders if his gran-gran would like to go get some pasta at Giovanni's later.

To be continued...