West & Vega: The Untold Jori

A Big Night

All things considered, I felt pretty great. After three weeks worth of long days on set and in the editing bay, endless hours of sound mixing, and watching the same moments over and over and over again, it was finally time for our movie premiere.

Shorts don't often get that honor in Hollywood, but Liz insisted. She rented out a small theater for us and a few family and friends. She even invited the press, though we had no way of knowing if anyone would show up. She also took Tori and me out to shop for a premiere night dress, which she paid for herself. I wasn't entirely comfortable taking the handouts, but Liz tends to get her way. And I'd helped people in that state before, so I figured it was karma or something coming back my way.

I went with a floor-length dark purple gown that hugged all my curves. The plunging neckline revealed a little more of the girls than I would normally prefer, but it was tasteful. The slit in my dress was almost invisible; it helped me move more easily without showing too much, which I liked. But from the right angle, someone might catch a glimpse of my right leg up to about mid-thigh. Sexy, but subtle. That was always my preference. Add in some highlights that matched the dress color, and I was satisfied. Oh, all right, I looked freaking hot. But I was humble about it.

I didn't see the dress Tori decided on. She wanted to keep it to herself for some reason. I was fine with that. I had no doubt whatever she chose would be amazing and she would pull it off with grace and style and blah blah blah.

Oh. Yes, Tori was still in town.

Originally she came out to film the role and then leave. Stepping in and helping find the crew gave her a sense of ownership, so she felt like she should stay to see it through. She also felt a sense of ownership from being the star, as any quality actor should. This was her baby, too. She wanted to see it through. Fortunately, she was able to finish up her classes online prior to the Thanksgiving break. That break was fast approaching; it kicked off the very next week after our Friday night premiere.

Even though nothing more was said about her comment from that first night of shooting, I spent a lot of time thinking about it. I wondered if she truly believed I hated her, or if it was just a hypothetical situation she cooked up to tap into those emotions. If it was the first thing, then she was way off. I never hated her. I didn't like her much, and we've spent a lot of time exploring why. But hate? Never. In fact, the more time I spent with her, the more I felt...

Well anyway. If it was a hypothetical situation to tap into her emotions, then I wondered why my approval carried such weight. Believing I hated her brought out intense sorrow out and propelled her to the best performance she'd ever given.

I was exhausted with this. After three weeks of the emotional insanity, the back-and-forth, I was ready for it to be done. I just wasn't sure what "done" meant in this case. I tried to back off my harsh criticism and complaining, at least a little. I listened to her on-set and found she had a lot of great ideas. The more time I spent...

It was a battle against my inner nature, but when Jade fucking West picks a fight, she wins it. Even if it's against herself.

We're getting off-topic. Liz's final, amazing surprise for us was picking us all up in a limo. Oh, man. It was gorgeous; a pink Hummer with tons of room in the back and stocked to the brim with food and drinks. She had already picked up Sinjin and Andre by the time she got to my place. Then we grabbed a few more members of my "macabre mob" before heading to the Come On Inn to get Tori. Our ride drew a lot of attention in that neighborhood, not all of it good.

Much to my confusion, we drove right past the hotel.

"Liz, that's where Tori's staying," I said.