STAGE LIGHTS: Victorious

Ep 1: The Big Showcase

I need to pass this class. Which is why I just about tore Trina's hair out when she waltzes in and kicks Tori and my partner out. And I wish I had because now I'm stuck watching Tori help her and this kid named Andre rehearse for some big showcase at their school. You see they go to Hollywood Arts, which is this performing arts school that's pretty hard to get into.

My cousin Jade has been trying to get me to audition for ages but I always chicken out because you have to be crazy talented to get in. Or in Trina's case just plain old crazy. I'm pretty sure she threatened the dean and the teachers to let her in, because there's no way she got in on talent. Trina sounds like a dying cat when she sings but she's convinced she's the greatest singer out there.

BowieWest
I think my ears are bleeding..... Thank you Trina! 😕

Andre had stepped out to take a call from his grandma and in the time it took Tori to pour each of us a drink and take him one Trina had changed. She had put on this sky blue and white ruffled dress that screamed middle school dance.

"You guys, come on!" Trina calls out to Andre and Tori. "So what do you guys think?" She asks them once they've walked through the back door. "Fabulous, right?"

"You really need to wear that, just to rehearse?" Tori asks.
"A performer needs to feel the part to be the part." She taps Tori's nose.
"I thought we talked about you not tapping my nose anymore."

"That's why my cousin always carries around a pair of scissors with her, she's really into The Scissoring. And that's the kind of stuff she's into performing." Everyone turns towards me in confusion.

"Your cousin doesn't happen to be Jade West, does it?" Andre asks cautiously.
"Yeah, why?"

"Nevermind that," Trina interrupts. "Okay, we got the comedy stuff down. So let's start with my song."
"And by "your song" I'm guessin' you mean the song that I wrote." Andre says.

"No one cares who wrote the song." Tori and I both share a look before rolling our eyes. "Now, take it from 'When I make it shine."

Andre does as he's told and we all almost immediately regret it as Trina begins to sing. When she asks how she did Andre only turns towards Tori and asks for some aspirin. She had been prepared and dumps a handful out from the large bottle she holds.

BowieWest
Getting dragged along to the big showcase by Tori... anyone have earplugs?🙉

A loud moaning sounds throughout the auditorium over the sound of the music and crowd. It sounds oddly like Trina and as we all look at each other in confusion a man squeezes his way through the crowd towards us.

"Excuse me," he says as he gets Officer Vega's attention. "You're Trina's parents?"
"Yes?" Officer Vega says.
"Why?" Mrs. Vega asks.

"Please come with me." The four of us follow the man backstage where we find Trine surrounded by people with her tongue out. Her swollen tongue.

"Mah tong!" She screeches around her swollen tongue.
"There she is."
"Trina!" Their mom shouts.
"What happened?" Officer Vega asks as he and his wife rush over to the girl.
"Un thins ong ith ah ung!"
"Oh my god it's huge."
"Umbah-ee oo thumpthin!"
"Does anyone know what happened?" Their dad asks everyone.
"The chinese herb gargle!" Trina realizes.
"Eth! Eth!"
"Wait, what are you talking about?" Officer Vega asks.

"She found this website that shows you how to make this special chinese herb gargle that's supposed to help you sing better."
"I told her it was a bad idea, but did she listen? No." I mutter after Tori's explanation but no one hears.

"Well she must have had an allergic reaction to it," the nurse says.
"Ah outh eels oooge!"
"Will she be okay?" Mrs. Vega asks.

"Well her tongue is obviously engorged and-" The nurse cuts off as she goes to touch Trina's tongue. "Oh. It's throbbing erratically."
"Throbbing erratically?"
"Ih ithz obbin awaddakwee!" Trina shouts with her fingers holding her tongue.

"Anyway she'll be able to perform today?" The man who led us back to her asks the nurse.
"Of course not."
"Eth ah an! I thwea da od ah ah!"
"Stop talking! Your tongue could burst!" The nurse yells as Trina grabs onto her shoulders.

"I'm sorry sweetie," their mom tries to comfort.
"Next year," Their dad assures.

"I'm gonna take her over there and massage her tongue," the nurse says as she begins to lead Trina away from the crowd that's gathered.
"Massage ma tong?"

"I guess my grandma came here for nothin'," Andre says.
"Wait," the man from before says. "Does anyone else know Trina's part?"
"Her sister does," Andre says with a grin.
"Me sister? No, no, no, no I just helped them rehearse. I'm not even a student here, I couldn't go onstage-" Andre cuts her off by dragging her away to which she grabs onto my arm to pull me with her.
"You know this whole thing inside and out-- the song, the choreography-- you can do this, come on."
"Uh, uh."
"She said she'll do it!"

"No. No, I did not say I would do it."
"Whoa, whoa, she can't go onstage wearing that."
"Excuse me."
"Go get her something cool to wear."
"I am not going, okay?"
"Bring her."

"What are you doing?" Tori yellows as she gets dragged off and grabs onto my arm to pull me along once again. Everyone scatters to resume getting ready."

Tori escapes and begins dragging me along as she makes a run for it. Andre doesn't allow her to get far before he's got his arms around her and pulls her back. Bringing me with them.

"Okay, okay. Fine. I'll do it," Tori relents. "But Bowie has to go on with me." We're in a dressing room now and there's a group of students doing hair and makeup.

"Woah now, I didn't agree to that," I say.
"Please Bowie? I can't do this without you?" The look of pure panic on her face has me nodding reluctantly with a sigh. She squeals and someone rushes off to find me something to change into as well. I guess the jeans and tshirt I'm wearing aren't 'cool' enough.

Twenty minutes later we're being pushed into stage. They've dressed me in a purple sequined dress but let me keep my converse on. Tori's struggling against the man pushing her on stage so I grab onto her and yank her next to me. We face the crowd as the music begins to play.

( Tori Bowie Both)
Here I am, once again
Feelin' lost
But now and then
I breath it in
To let it go

We motion over to Andre and the band to pick up the tempo a little.

And you don't know where you are now
Or what it would come to, if only someone could hear
When you figure out how
You're lost in the moment, you disappear

You don't have to be afraid to put your dream in action
You're never gonna fade, you'll be the main attraction
Not a fantasy, just remember me
When it turns out right
'Cause you know if you live in your imagination
Tomorrow, you'll be everybody's fascination
In my victory, just remember me
When I make it shine

At some point during our performance I make eye contact with a guy in the crowd. He looks to be about our age. His hand reaches up to run through his long hair as he sends a smile my way. When I go to look for him after the last note rings out I see he's disappeared, and I feel disappointed wash over me. It doesn't last long though, since as soon as the curtains close everyone from backstage rushes towards us.

"Excuse me?" A man in a balck vest pushes through the crowd on stage to us. "Who are you guys?"
"I'm Tori Vega, and this is Bowie West. Who are you?"
"This is Mr. Eichner, our principal," the man from earlier says.
"You guys don't go to school here?"
"No, we just-"
"Do you want to?"
"Us? Well, should I?" Tori looks at me and then around to everyone else.

"I'm down if you are," I tell her.
"Yes!"
"But the kids who go there are all like crazy talented."

"Yeah, so are you." Andre assures.
"But what if I'm not good enough?" Everyone groans.

"You're kidding right? That was insane, Tori! You were so good out there!" I tell her as arguments break out and Andre leaves to pull the curtains back up. The fighting stops once everyone realizes the audience can see them.

"Hey!" Andre calls out.
"Hey, Andre!" His grandma calls out from the crowd. He pulls Tori out of the group on stage to the front.

"This girl doesn't know if she's good enough to go to school here. What do you people think?" The auditorium fills with cheers. "Well?" He asks Tori.
"Okay. Okay!" I rush over to pull her into a hug as the others do the same.

BowieWest
dear cousin I have a surprise for you-- super excited!😁