Hi. Just a short one. Might have another chapter, or maybe I'll just leave it to your imagination. Anyway, apologies for the contrived set-up, but this is Jori after all. The song in question is 'Would you…?' by Touch and Go - it just happened to be on the radio this morning (which is why you've ended up with whatever this is. Sorry).

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"No. Absolutely no way."

"Oh, come on. You can do it."

The lyric challenge had been Andre's idea, to while away a boring afternoon. It was simple. Pick a target, start up a conversation, and see how long it takes them to realize that your side of the conversation made no sense at all, because it was just the lyrics to a song. Each chose the song and the target for the other, and the winner was whoever got the furthest before the victim caught on and walked off in disgust.

Or slapped them in the face, as one of Andre's less successful but more entertaining attempts had demonstrated.

"I'm giving you a chance, here."

Andre was winning. He'd gotten almost all the way through 'Yesterday' before Sinjin had made his excuses and run away. Tori had the wooden spoon, barely making it through the first line of 'I am the Walrus' before Beck had tried to take her to the school nurse. By mutual agreement, they'd excluded Cat as being too easy a mark.

"It's only three lines. You get through this, you've won. First one to complete a song."

"I don't think this even is a real song," Tori protested.

"Look it up."

"But I can't say this to someone! What if they take it the wrong way?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't want them to think I'm... you know." Tori shifted, uncomfortably.

"So you're giving in?"

"I didn't say that!"

"Sounds like it to me."

"But-"

"And I could do with the money."

"Urrgh." Tori didn't even have fifty bucks, a fact that she was unwilling to reveal to Andre. "Right, fine. Who?"

Andre looked around. "There. By the stairs."

Tori followed his gaze. "Oh, no," she said, firmly. "No, no, no, no, no."

"What?"

"I'm not saying that to her!"

"Why not? At least she won't take it the wrong way."

"That's not the point!"

"What's the worst that could happen?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Andre shrugged. "Fifty bucks. Your choice."

"Please?" Tori gave him her best 'Bambi' eyes, but it made no difference. She gave up. "Okay," she said, glumly. "I'll do it."

"Good girl."

"But this is the last one."

"Absolutely."

"And I totally win."

"Yes, you do."

"Okay, here I go."

There was a short pause. "Yeah," said Andre, when she failed to move. "The thing is, chica, you have to actually go, otherwise it's not going to work. Unless you want to shout it across the hall?"

"What? No!"

"Then shift your butt. Go get your girl."

"Okay, I'm... wait, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Just a joke."

"Right." She took a step, before turning back to him. "Andre," she said, hesitantly, "if-"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," he said. "I'll tell them you love them and you died for a noble cause. Now scoot."

"Right. Well, here I..."

"Don't start that again." He gave her a shove in the direction of the stairs. She glared at him, took a deep breath, and crossed the hall.

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Jade West was sitting at the foot of the stairs, reading a book, when she heard the click of boots. She glanced at them as they stopped in front of her.

"What do you want?" she said, without looking up.

There was no response for a few seconds. She turned the page. Finally she heard a voice from somewhere above her.

"I've... noticed you around."

She carried on reading. "Well, that's not real surprising, Tori. I go to school here." There was another pause.

"I find you very attractive."

She froze.

"Would you... go to bed with me?"

She looked up slowly, and blinked. Tori's face had gone a peculiar shade of pink, and somewhere in the distance there was the sound of laughter. She held the other girl's gaze for a little longer, and then shrugged.

"Sure," she said, returning her attention to her book. "When?"

Tori was thrown for a moment. That wasn't quite what she was expecting. "What?"

"Tonight?"

"Well-"

"Okay." She snapped the book shut and slid it into her bag. "Eight o'clock. My place." She shouldered the bag and headed for the door. "Don't be late."

"But..."

And she was gone. Tori was still staring after her when Andre came up. "Well?" he said. "Did you do it?"

Tori nodded, mutely.

"Was she mad at you?"

Tori shook her head.

"So what did she say?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, I bet she... What?"

"She said yes," Tori murmured, still gazing into space. "She wants to see me. Tonight."

Andre was dumbstruck for a minute, then laughed. "Oh, man," he said. "She played you."

Tori snapped out of her trance and turned to him. "Played me?"

"She called your bluff," Andre said, as if it was obvious. "Rolled you over. She's probably laughing at you right now."

"She..." She looked back at the door, and her face scrunched up in realization. "Dang it!" She stamped her foot.

"Burn."

"Shut up."

"Sorry." Andre grinned. "I guess you're just going to have to take it. She's going to be pretty smug tomorrow." Tori's shoulders sagged. "Unless..."

Tori turned, sensing salvation. "Unless what?" she said, hopefully.

"Unless..."

"What?"

"Unless…"

"Tell me!"

Andre shrugged. "Unless you call her bluff."

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This is stupid, Tori thought as she stood shivering outside the unfamiliar house. There was no way this was going to end in anything other than total humiliation. But it was a testament to her inability to let anyone down, and moreover the guilty fascination of actually being invited to Jade's house - even if it was under false pretences, and knowing she'd be as unwelcome as she was unexpected - that she reluctantly stepped up to the door. I'll just knock, she told herself. I'll just knock, and as soon as she answers, I'll wink and tell her I know it was a joke. Say something funny. 'Bet you weren't expecting me, Miss West'. Or, you know, something actually funny. And then maybe we'll have a laugh about it, and she'll invite me in for coffee, or... or maybe she won't. Maybe I'll just walk home in the rain. But the important thing is... I don't know what the important thing is. Crap. Why am I doing this?

The sound of the doorbell startled her, and she looked in horror to see that her hand had pressed the button without waiting for her to finish the preliminaries. She straightened her clothes, hitched her bag higher onto her shoulder, and waited.

Eons passed, civilizations rose and fell. Distant galaxies collided in a cataclysm of ice and fire in the age it took before the door finally opened. And when it did, Tori felt as though she'd been caught in the blast. Jade stood there, wearing just a silk robe, hair loose and tumbling across her shoulders, a glass of wine in her hand.

"Hello, Tori," she said, her voice low and husky. "Right on time. I like that."

Tori's mouth opened, but nothing came out.

"Come on in."

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Andre whistled as he made his way home. He didn't mind losing the challenge.

It was fifty bucks well spent.

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Not his fifty bucks, of course...