Chapter One
"Would you like to come to the dance with me?"
"…What?"
He gave you a strange look, though not one that was offending. "Is there something wrong?" the boy asked. He had captivating blue eyes and dark brown locks of hair. You had heard that in his past years he had worn glasses and his hair was always a mess, but when puberty finally hit Robbie Shapiro it hit him hard. He had replaced his glasses with contacts, and always made sure that he looked put together. Senior Robbie Shapiro had become popular among the ladies, right next to the likes of Ryder Daniels and Beck Oliver.
And he was asking you to be his date to the annual Kick Back.
What set him apart from the other boys was that he didn't really have the attitude to back up his looks. He had become more handsome but he was still the same sweet yet somewhat socially awkward boy. Every action meant something to him.
And so here he was, standing before you and your friends' table at the cafeteria with a bouquet of your favorite flowers in his hands.
"N-No, there's no problem," you replied quickly, straightening your jeans out of nervousness, "But, if you don't mind my asking…Why me? I mean, I'm nobody."
It was true. You had just transferred to Hollywood Arts from Northridge, of all places, and you knew what the kids in your new school thought of Northridge girls. You were nobody; compared to the people Robbie was friends with. Tori, Jade, Cat, Beck, and Andre were all stellar students. They stared in every play the school held and always had the best songs. They were the king and queens on campus and everyone knew it. Robbie was amongst them. He had always been the nerd of the group, but everyone else in school thought he wasn't so bad. He could sing, dance, act, and he could play the guitar wonderfully. Not to mention, he was a good composer, though the subjects he chose to make songs about were a bit questionable. He was smart and a good journalist too. It seemed like there was nothing Robbie wasn't at least average at.
"Please don't say that. I think you're somebody."
His tone was gentle and the words coming from his mouth were heartwarming enough to make you smile. Your smile made him smile, as he asked you one last question.
"So, (y/n), would you like to come to the dance with me?"
"Of course, I would love to."
It was going to be your first Kick Back at Hollywood Arts, and you were both excited and nervous. Nothing this cool ever happened at Northridge. An all-out party in the parking lot with live music and a chocolate fountain (it used to be hot cheese) sounded wild, and you felt underdressed for the occasion. You were wearing a crop top shirt of your favorite color, paired with high wasted jeans and shoes and a cap which matched the color of the top. Your hair was tied in a messy, low ponytail. Your makeup was minimal: just some powder, mascara, and lip tint. You liked to keep things fresh and airy.
"(Y/N), there's a handsome boy in the living room who would like to see you!" you heard your mother yell.
Robbie was already there to pick you up. You took a good look at yourself in the mirror, before gathering all of your things and heading towards your living room. You wondered when and how Robbie began to notice you. He was a full year ahead of you so you two didn't have any classes together, nor did you speak to each other before he asked you out. This was too good to be true. Maybe it was some kind of sick joke? You hoped not.
You couldn't help but freeze once you saw him. There he was, sitting on your couch in blue jeans, a white shirt, an open plaid polo, and some black vans. You awkwardly grasped onto the straps of your shoulder bag as he looked up from his magazine. Once he saw you, he sprang up, with the same goofy grin on his face as always. He walked towards you, offering his arm for you to hold onto.
"Well, shall we go Milady?"
You nodded your head, one hand grabbing onto his arm. "Mom, I'll be going now!" You yelled over your shoulder to your mother, who was busy typing away in her study. "You kids have fun!" She yelled back in response. You followed Robbie as he led you out the door and past your driveway a bit, where his car was parked.
"You never mentioned you had a car," you said as you gawked at his Ford. "I wouldn't be here without one," he pointed out as he clicked his keys, gesturing for you to enter. It was about twenty minutes from your house to school.
He started up the car and began to drive. You were expecting a shaky start but his driving as much smoother than you expected. There was silence between you two for a good five minutes, until Robbie spoke.
"So, how'd you get into Hollywood Arts?"
You stared at him, surprised. You thought he already knew. "Well, there was a play at Northridge that I was a part of and Mr. Sikowitz happened to be watching," you explained. You felt like you were the only one who called him "Mister" Sikowitz. "I see. What play?" Robbie asked. "Well, it's not exactly a play…I was in The Phantom of the Opera."
Robbie raised an eyebrow and nodded his head as he drove. He had only ever dreamed of being a part of a show like that. The Phantom of the Opera was a fantastic opera, and the production required only the best. "I'm guessing you were the lead," he said. "I was. Mr. Sikowitz came backstage after the show and told me to consider auditioning for Hollywood Arts, so here I am," you said, following up with an awkward chuckle.
The truth was, Robbie had been crushing on you ever since you had transferred. He saw how you were good at acting, dancing, and singing. In the junior class, you were probably one of the best, but because you were new, you still had second thoughts about performing in the school's dances and productions. You still had a lot to learn, and the Hollywood Arts veterans intimidated you.
"I'd like to audition for a role in Hamlet this semester but, I'm not sure," you admitted. "Why not? There's no harm in trying," he answered. He knew all of the right things to say, and every minute of the driving you were beginning to feel more and more open with him. "You know, I used to always be cast as an understudy or the gay guy in all the plays I auditioned for. I'm sure it won't be as bad for you."
You turned in your seat in disbelief of what you had just heard. Robbie didn't look like that kind of guy. "Seriously?" you asked. He chuckled a bit, and nodded in response. "Yeah. The only time I ever got the lead was in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and I was fairy named Puck." It was true. Robbie always came after Beck and Andre when it came to acting. Come to think of it, he came after Beck and Andre when it came to everything.
The thought saddened him. As soon as your laughter died down, you noticed his change in mood. He didn't say anything for the rest of the drive, which lasted for only five minutes. "We're here!" he exclaimed as soon as Hollywood Arts was visible. He parked his car outside and removed his keys. He jumped out of his seat and quickly ran around to the other side of the vehicle to open your door for you.
"Step this way, Milady!" he said enthusiastically, as if he wasn't sad just a few moments ago. You took his hand as he helped you down. "Let's go have some fun," he said, smiling at you as he led you to the parking lot. You had a few questions to ask as you two walked.
"Is it true that there used to be a hot cheese fountain every Kick Back?" you asked, assuming he would know. The question earned another goofy giggle from him. Seeing him like that made you smile. His happiness was so pure and contagious. "Yeah, there used to be," he said. "Why is it chocolate now?" you let every question running through your mind flow. "Well, two years ago Tori and Cat got into a little bit of a disagreement, and Tori ended up showering Cat in hot cheese."
You made a face of disdain. You had never spoken to her, but you weren't too fond of Tori Vega. She was the queen of Hollywood Arts. She always got the lead roles in plays and she was considered to be the best singer in school. For a while, you thought so too, until you heard Cat and Jade sing. She was perfect and idolized by other students and you didn't understand why. She always got things that she didn't earn, but since you didn't know her well yet and Robbie was her friend, you wouldn't say so out loud.
"It was a moment of anger. It wasn't deliberate," Robbie clarified. You only nodded your head. A smile formed on your face as you two neared the parking lot. The music was loud, the lights were blinding and everyone was having a good time. You couldn't wait to be a part of it. Robbie led you to some open seats, which was close enough to the dance floor and snacks for your liking. "I'll go get us some punch. You wait right here."
You nodded, and took a seat. You were swinging your legs back and forth as you looked around. There were the usual shruggers, just shrugging and reacting to everything that was going on around them. Beck and jade were making out in the corner. Tori, Andre, and Cat were singing up top. Robbie had just come back with your punch and some sausages in his hands.
"Thanks!" you yelled over the music. "You're welcome!" he yelled back. You took a sip of your drink, and then a bite of the sausage, which was really good. "Hey, this sausage is really good! What kind of meat is it made from?" you asked. "What? I can't hear you!"
"I said, THIS SAUSAGE IS REALLY GOOD! WHAT KIND OF MEAT IS IT MADE FROM?"
"OH. IT'S A MYSTERY!"
You gave him a thumbs-up. You figured you would just ask Mr. Sikowitz later on. Robbie gestured something to you, and he moved his mouth but you couldn't hear him over the music. "What?" you asked, pointing toward your ears, but before you knew it, Robbie was pulling you onto the dance floor.
He looked absolutely ridiculous dancing. He was doing it on purpose. Robbie was a phenomenal dancer when he wanted to be. Right now he was goofing off just to make you laugh. He was doing all sorts of things, but what took the cake was when he started shuffling and placing his hands between his legs.
Once he saw that you were letting loose and enjoying yourself, he started to move naturally: less shenanigans and more Robbie. You were having fun. You liked it. You were beginning to seriously like him. He was a lot of fun to be around, making you laugh and going back to normal at all the right times. He was a ball of pure energy when the song was fast and had a good beat, but when the song was slow and romantic he would take your hands and you two would sway with the beat. It was nothing too intense or romantic. It wasn't the kind of moment that would make you think, "Yep, I'm in love." It was just casual closeness, and a lot of fun. That was the way you thought it should have been, since you and Robbie weren't that close yet.
Sweat began to trickle down your skin, and Robbie had noticed. He suddenly pulled you closer, bringing his mouth up to your ear. "Let's go to the chocolate fountain," he said.
He took you from the dance floor to the chocolate fountain. There weren't any other people but you two. You reached out to grab a stick and a marshmallow, but Robbie gently tugged you past. "Aren't we supposed to get marshmallows?" you asked him. "We could. But I heard from a little birdie that strawberries are a lot better." He pulled out a plastic container of strawberries from seemingly thin air.
He handed you a strawberry. "Do the honors," he said as he bowed and gestured for you to dip your fruit into some chocolate, which you did. You two spent the next few minutes snacking on strawberries dipped in chocolate.
"Can I ask you something?"
"You ask a lot of things."
"Why did you ask me out? We've never really talked before tonight."
Your statements made him smile. Oh God, there was that beautiful smile again. "You're talented. You're pretty, and you're sweet," he began, dipping another strawberry into the fountain, "I was afraid you were going to reject me. Thanks for not running away from me." He finished with a light chuckle. "Reject? Run away from you? Why would I do that?" you asked. "Those are things other girls do," he said. "Well, I'm not other girls."
First he had given you your favorite flowers. Then, he had given you a fun filled night, and some strawberries.
You both left by midnight, and he dropped you off at your place, where your mother had fallen asleep waiting for you to come home. "Robbie, I really had fun tonight," you said as you unbuckled your seat belt, "I hope we could hang out like that again some other time." He smiled and nodded. "Any time you wish, Milady. Simply send me a text message and I shall reply. But for now, you should go rest."
There was silence. You two stared at each other.
"I really want to know what meat was in that sausage."
"So do I."
"Good night, Robbie."
"Good night, (Y/N)."
Author's Note: Hi everyone! Thank you for reading this far. This is my first Victorious fanfic so please leave a review so I know what I need to work on. I'm considering making some Bade, Cabbie, and Beck x Reader fics in the future. I did this Robbie x Reader fic first because of all the boys he's my favorite. He was really sweet and cute, and I feel like he was slept on.
I bet some of you are wondering where Rex is, why Ryder Daniels is still studying at Hollywood Arts after two years, and why Robbie and Cat aren't together in this fic. All of that will be brought up in later chapters, so keep on reading!
