Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from Victorious.

So I'm happy to say that I was able to crank out another new chapter for you guys to enjoy. It was really nice to hear all of your thoughts and kind words about the story, so thank you so much for sharing them! Happy reading!

Chapter 9: The Ex Factor

Jade West sat before the vanity and applied a deep red color to her lips. Bustling footsteps and eager chatter filled the hallway outside the dressing room as Jade checked the time on her pear phone. It was 6:30 on the dot. In about half an hour the limelight would be hers. Nevermore's growing popularity meant greater demands and more bookings. At one point in her life, Jade would've gladly welcomed all the praise and attention. However, these days she found herself missing the more intimate walls of the coffeehouses she used to perform at before being discovered. Suddenly, she heard knocking and looked up to see the reflection of a lanky young man in the mirror.

"What is it, Sinjin?" she asked without turning around.

"Just wanted to let you know that Tori and Beck are here to see you," he replied as he fidgeted with the bulky headphones around his neck.

Jade made eye contact with Sinjin's reflection in the mirror and said, "Tell them to come back."

With an affirmative nod, Sinjin disappeared from the doorway and returned a few minutes later with Tori and Beck in tow. He gestured them into the room and took a quick glance at his clipboard before stepping out.

"Twenty-five minutes to curtain," he reminded Jade before rejoining the commotion in the hallway.

Jade got up from her place at the vanity only to be met with a pair of incredulous looks from her two friends.

"You actually have Sinjin working for you?" Tori asked with slight amusement.

"Yup," the dark-haired girl replied. "Hired him as my sound-tech guy."

Beck smirked. "Does the job pay well?"

"Well it promises a nice warm bed to sleep in and fresh water in his bowl every morning, so I'd say it's a pretty good deal."

Beck gave a light chuckle then reached over to give her a hug. He was happy to see that her biting sarcasm hadn't run dry after all this time.

"It's good to see you," he said.

"It's good to see you too," Jade said with a sincere smile. "Even you, Vega."

Tori's stomach twisted in knots when Jade's gaze shifted on her. Jade had clearly matured over the years, but there were still traces of that inner goth-girl in her judging from the tattoos on her arms and her preference for black clothing. And if there was one thing that definitely hadn't changed, it was Jade's cold steely gaze, which was now being directed at Tori. The brunette tried to mask her unease, but only managed to let a nervous laugh escape from her lips.

Tori cleared her throat and sputtered, "So it was really nice of you to invite us to your concert."

"Don't mention it," said Jade, shrugging nonchalantly. "It's not even really a concert. The club owner just wanted to put on a private show for a hundred of his 'closest' friends. Anyway, my drummer had connections and hooked us up with this gig."

"That's awesome," Tori said, wracking her mind for some way to diffuse the awkwardness of their current situation.

"How long are you gonna be in town for?" Beck asked, sensing his girlfriend's hesitation.

"Just a couple of days. I thought it'd be a good idea to get in touch with everyone and do a little catching up."

She smiled knowingly at the couple, as if waiting for one of them to make the first move in acknowledging the obvious elephant in the room. But before Tori could say anything, Jade grabbed her phone to check the time.

"I'd better get on stage," she said as she took one last glance at the mirror before heading towards the door. "There's going to be an after-party at my band's hotel suite after the show. It's nothing big. Just some close friends and couple of people from our record label. Let the others know when you see them."

After bidding Jade good luck, the three of them went their separate ways. Tori and Beck in one direction, and Jade in the other. As they were making their way down the hall, Tori glanced back at her friend whose jet-black hair bounced lightly on her shoulders as she headed towards the stage. Much to Tori's surprise, Jade glanced back as well. Their eyes locked instantly. Caught off guard, Tori just gave a tight-lipped grin. Though Jade returned the smile, Tori knew that the night was still young and there were still things that needed to be said. She was determined to hash things out no matter how hard it was going to be. She owed Jade that much.

The show was a phenomenal success. The seats that Jade had specifically reserved for her friends were surrounded by big-name people in the music industry and Hollywood elites, some of who even recognized Tori, Beck, and Andre from previous events and gatherings. The music set that Jade and her band, Nevermore, had prepared consisted of mainly of old and new original songs and some covers. Jade's voice was hauntingly beautiful and the band displayed great energy. Later that evening after the concert, the gang reconvened at Jade's hotel suite for the after-party. The suite nearly covered the entire span of the seventh floor and offered a breathtaking view of the cityscape below. As Jade had said, only a select number of people had been invited to the gathering. While the gang spent most of the first hour going around mingling with the other guests, Tori and Beck were careful to refrain from showing any public displays of affection. After some time, Tori and her friends found a quiet little nook near the living room for the whole gang to sit and catch up.

"Hey guys, did you see the chocolate fountain in the other room?" Cat asked; her eyes sparkled with childish delight.

Robbie trailed behind her with a small plate of fruits in one hand and a sizeable bowl of chocolate in the other. As they took a seat on the couch, Cat took the bowl of chocolate from Robbie and scooped a spoonful of hot melted chocolate into her mouth.

"Um Cat…" Tori began, with a slightly sickened look. "How many bowls of chocolate have you had?"

"This is only my second bowl!" Cat argued as a trail of chocolate dripped from her chin.

"Don't worry," Robbie said, producing a napkin from his pocket to wipe Cat's face with. "I'm making sure she stays hydrated between each bowl."

"Maybe that chocolate fountain was a bad idea in retrospect," Jade chimed in before taking a sip of her rum and coke.

Andre chuckled. "Ya think?"

As the night went on, Tori and her friends went back and forth sharing stories and jokes about anything and everything – well most of everything – that was going on in their lives. Robbie talked about his time spent studying abroad in London, and Cat raved about how she was recently offered a permanent position on the costume design team at her internship site. Andre had big plans in store for his first demo, and asked Jade if she wanted to collaborate on a song with him to which she gladly agreed. And of course, Tori and Beck shared their excitement for their sitcom's upcoming premiere. The only thing that was still left unsaid was the one thing on everyone's mind that no one knew exactly how to bring up: Tori and Beck's new relationship status.

As Tori was contemplating a way to pull Jade aside without drawing too much attention from the others, a metallic clanking sound suddenly filled the space around them. Everyone glanced at Cat, who had thrust her bowl at Robbie before shooting up from her seat.

"I almost forgot!" she exclaimed. "Bathroom time!"

"She's so cute when she forgets to use the bathroom like that," Robbie sighed with fondness.

Jade simply rolled her eyes in exasperation, while Tori and Andre exchanged uncertain glances.

"I'm just surprised that Cat managed to hold out for that long," Beck said, eyeing the six empty glasses on table that had been filled with water just minutes before.

"Well," Andre said, getting up from his seat. "I'm gonna get some more of these kabobs. Anyone want a refill?"

"I'll go with you," Beck offered, grabbing his and Tori's empty glasses.

Tori quickly realized that with most of everyone gone, this was the perfect opportunity to pull Jade aside for their talk. Just as Beck and Andre walked off, however, Sinjin approached the group and latched onto the back of Jade's chair to keep from stumbling. A goofy smile was plastered on his face, which was almost as red as the drink he held in his hand. Curiously enough, a small silver harmonica was immersed in the fruity liquid.

"Hey guys," he greeted, trying to remain steady on his feet. "Does anyone wanna see me put this harmonica in my mouth and make it disappear?"

Jade sent him a piercing glare before snatching the drink from his hand. She knew all too well that he was quite the lightweight when it came to alcoholic beverages.

"Sinjin, what did I tell you about this stupid harmonica trick?" she barked, recalling Sinjin's last disastrous antics with the instrument.

"Oh c'mon, Jade," Sinjin argued, his words slightly slurred. "Lighten up. It's just magic. There's nothing stupid 'bout magic."

"If you try pulling this damn stunt again, I'll make this harmonica disappear up your ass," she threatened, grabbing him by the shirt collar for emphasis.

At length, Tori mustered enough courage to reach out and tap Jade lightly on the shoulder.

"Uh hey, Jade," she said, her voice slightly wavering. "Do you think we could go outside and talk for a bit?"

Jade narrowed her eyes at a quivering Sinjin before finally releasing her grip and following Tori out on the balcony. From such a high altitude, a cool gust of wind blew through the balcony, nipping at the girls' skin. The faint sound of metropolitan traffic could be heard from below as the city lights flickered like stars in the distance.

"So," Jade started, crossing her arms over her chest. "What did you wanna talk about?"

"Well I…" Tori said, clearing her throat. "Um…you see–"

"Just spit it out already, Vega!"

Tori flinched and in one breath hastily blurted, "Beck and I are dating and I'm really sorry and I just hope you can understand and not shave me bald with your favorite pair of scissors."

Jade cocked an eyebrow at her winded friend and remained decisively silent. Tori stood and wrung her fingers together nervously as Jade gauged her with her piercing blue-green eyes.

After a while, Jade leaned on the railing of the balcony and asked, "Is that all?"

Taken aback by her friend's unexpected reaction, Tori shot her a curious look. "Aren't you mad?"

Jade shrugged. "Should I be?"

"I just thought since you guys have history and all that maybe you'd–"

"Tori, it's been like five years since we broke up," Jade bluntly stated. "Maybe five years ago I would've been wazzed off. But that's all water under the bridge now."

Tori could hardly believe what she was hearing. Knowing Jade, she felt convinced that there had to be a catch.

"So you're really okay with us dating?" she asked for good measure.

"Can't say I didn't see it coming."

Tori's brow knitted in confusion, prompting Jade to wonder if she was really that oblivious.

"As if you don't know," Jade said, staring at her pointedly. "I'm pretty damn sure the reason why Beck and I never worked out was 'cause there was always a part of him that wanted to be with you."

Tori blinked in surprised. "Really? So then this whole time I've been worried for nothing?"

"Yup, pretty much."

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"And miss out on the chance to torture you?" A devious smile spread over Jade's lips. "Couldn't pass that up."

"Of course," said Tori, rolling her eyes.

In spite of Jade's little mind game, Tori felt a wave of relief wash over her. It was probably the first time all week where she felt as light as a cloud, for once unburdened by any fears or doubts about her relationship with Beck. Tori almost wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. At length, she looked Jade straight in the eyes and gave a sincere smile.

"Thanks for being so cool about this."

"Just do me a favor, Vega."

"Yeah, sure. Anything."

A cool gust of wind blew dark locks of hair into Jade's face, and she simply reached up and tucked them behind her ear. She was silent for a moment, as if trying to gather her thoughts.

"For some ridiculous reason, you seem to make Beck happy," she said without looking at Tori. "Either way, he chose you for a reason. Don't screw that up by doubting yourself and wondering if you'll ever be good enough for him."

It soon occurred to Tori that Jade had a good point. Beck made the choice to be with her. All this worrying about other women vying for his attention suddenly seemed trivial in light of this realization. After contemplating Jade's words, Tori smiled and gave a small nod. A kind of mutual understanding seemed to pass between the two girls then as Tori began to develop a newfound level of respect for her old high school friend. With the night becoming later and chillier, the Tori and Jade made their way back inside to rejoin in the festivities with their friends, both happy to resolve what was once an irresolvable rivalry.

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P.S. So as you can see, the Tori-Beck-Jade love triangle has been put to rest in this chapter, but I guarantee there are still more surprises to come! Keep a look-out for some new chapters coming your way :-).