A/N: Hellooooo, it is 2015 and I am Victorious trash. This is a weird AU that I thought of in the shower. Those crazy shower thoughts. Anyway, it'll be told entirely from Robbie's POV, because Robbie is my sunshine, and it features Rade best-friendship, along with sprinkles of Bade and huge chunks of Cabbie, simply because I am that much trash. I hope you enjoy! Also wtf I don't own Victorious or any of these characters, you're cray.
What's really funny is that at first, I didn't want anything to do with Cat.
She was introduced to me through Jade, and if I was honest, I wasn't sure if I trusted Jade's judgement. She liked to reenact scenes from The Scissoring, just for her own enjoyment. And she'd crashed our band practice, unannounced, with a tiny girl who had dyed her hair cherry red. They were a sight for sore eyes, but I didn't appreciate it, so I wasn't going to succumb to her matchmaking wishes.
Jade was always like this with me. In middle school, we were each other's only friends. Unlikely friends, I might add. She was the weird goth chick and I was a scrawny new kid who wore glasses that were too big, so naturally, we gravitated toward one another. Everyone thought it was weird that we associated with each other. I don't know what they expected, because it's not even like anyone else was trying to be friends with us. I didn't have the "cool kid" physique, and frankly, Jade scared people. I hate the term "outcasts" because it sounds cliché, but that's essentially what we were.
I think she let me stick around because I'm a pushover. She came over once, without asking, and said, "Shapiro, you'd be cute if you didn't dress like that." And then went to my closet, and looked around and said, "You need to be restyled." Like I was her Barbie doll or something. She took me to the mall, and when she got me in "cool" clothes, she realized I didn't suit them very well. Leather jackets and I don't mix well. Especially at fourteen. So we left empty handed, and I guess she learned to deal with my polo shirts.
That's not even the end of it, though. She would talk the entirety of our lunch period, and I would sit and listen, nodding my head every so often. She sometimes made me give her my chocolate pudding, or one of the Oreos that my mom had packed from my lunch. She made me sit next to her on the bus, and if we missed the bus, she made me walk her home. She made me take her to the school dance in the eighth grade. I kissed her. She didn't make me kiss her, but I did anyway.
We then became weird with each other after that. It wasn't an unbearable weird. It was just that we didn't really like each other that way. Not a whole lot, at least. But we would go on dates, and she would hold my hand, and sometimes kiss me. Looking back, we don't really know why we did this. And now, we don't speak of it. We're kind of embarrassed about it, I guess. Thankfully, our little summer romance didn't last long. It was just the summer before our freshman year of high school. That's actually why Jade ended it. She said, "Listen, Shapiro, listen, I just think that high school is going to present lots of opportunities." What she meant was, high school is going to be full of hot guys.
Jade auditioned for Hollywood Arts High School, and got in. That meant that we'd be going to different high schools. Which was okay, because she still lived down the street from me. But it also meant that we'd have different friends, and also it meant that I couldn't sit with her at lunch. I also wouldn't be able have a class with her, which meant we couldn't study for our tests together. Not that we really did that anyway, but now, we'd never have a chance of doing it.
I was nervous starting high school at North Ridge, if I was honest. Part of it was because Jade wasn't there. But that wasn't the whole reason. I soon met this guy named Beck, who was decked out in too much Abercrombie, and André, who dressed like a regular person. Us three hit it off, and I guess I'm just a magnet for unlikely friends. We soon found out that we can all play instruments, which maybe I should have this mentioned earlier, but I play guitar. Wow, I'm so cool and hip, right? Tell that to the people that can actually wear leather jackets, look hot, and know it.
I've been getting off track this whole time. Sorry.
Anyway, so I play guitar. And so can André, but he can also play the piano. And Beck can play the drums, and the guitar, and bass. Why aren't we going to Hollywood Arts? Seriously.
But yeah, so we can all play instruments, and we decided, how will we fulfill our fifteen-going-on-sixteen year old angst? Forming a band, of course. What we ended up doing was Beck recruited his buddy Finn, who could play drums a lot better than Beck could as he was in the school marching band, and who, unsurprisingly, also wore clothing entirely from Abercrombie. And Beck took bass, André took piano, and I took guitar. And thus, our band was born.
We didn't really have a name. Or songs. We mostly covered alterative songs that we liked and thought made us cool. But we rehearsed a lot. Every Thursday and Sunday from 4:00-6:00, we were set up in my garage, making mediocre sounds out of our instruments.
Now we're getting to the part where I first met Cat.
I'd told Jade, naturally, that I was in a band. I joked that I might not have time for her anymore, because the ladies were always all over us, but she didn't think it was very funny. She asked me more about the band, and when and where we rehearsed, and the next time we did, she showed up. And she'd brought Cat.
I didn't see them come in, and I was actually singing at the time. Oh yeah, we all took turns singing. Except Finn. He just liked to sit by his drums. André was the best, in my opinion. But anyway, I was singing. It was Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts by the Arctic Monkeys. We chose to cover that song because it said the word "fuck" in it. Also, because it was by the Arctic Monkeys, but it was in the lesser known to only semi-popular range of songs by them. At least we thought so. It wasn't I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor, because we weren't basic.
So there I was, singing a song that said the word "fuck" only once, but it was in front of a girl that I'd never seen before, and she had dyed-red hair, and for some reason, was at my house despite the fact that I didn't even know her name.
"Hey," I weirdly spoke to Jade from across the room after the song ended. That made Beck, André, and Beck's friend Finn all turn and look.
"Hey," Jade said back, taking a few steps toward us, Cat following closely.
There was a weird pause, everyone just staring at everyone until I said, "Guys, this is Jade. She's a friend of mine. Jade, this is Finn," I pointed to Finn, "And Beck," I nudged to Beck, "And Ahh—" I was about to say André's name, but I was cut off by Cat.
"André," Cat had said with a smile. I learned later that they went to junior high together, just like Jade and me.
"Hey, Cat," André replied with a grin, and that's how I learned Cat's name. "How're you?"
Before I could hear Cat's answer, Jade nearly lunged at me, pulling me by my arm over to the side, a yard or two from everyone else. "You're coming to my birthday party right?" she asked. It was next week.
"Yeah," I was rubbing my arm, "But asking me that question is not a good enough excuse to wound me."
"You're barely wounded," she said. "Listen—bring that bass player."
"Beck?"
"Yeah, whatever. Bring him, or don't come."
Knowing Jade, this meant she thought he was hot. Even in all that Abercrombie.
"Okay," I shrugged. I'm such a pushover.
There was barely a pause between us before Jade spoke again. "Ask Cat to hang out."
"What?"
"Come on, trust me. You're going to like her."
I could actually feel my cheeks flush red. And it wasn't even because I liked Cat, it was because this was the first time we'd spoken of my so-called "love life" since our weird summer romance. I was okay with talking about Jade's, but not mine. "No, I won't," I retorted.
"Yeah, you will."
"How do you know?"
"Because I know you, Rob. And I just think you'll do well together."
"I don't care."
"Rob."
"Shush."
Beck was coming over to where Jade and I were standing, his bass guitar in its case and his backpack over his shoulder. Finn was trailing behind him. Those two were almost a packaged deal at this point. "Hey, we're gonna head out," he told me, his thumb jetting backward to point to Finn, before turning to Jade. "Nice meeting you." He didn't even smile or anything.
"Nice meeting you, too," Jade's voice was chipper and even though Beck probably didn't know that it was different, I could totally tell. She was trying to seem as nice as possible.
Before I could comment on this, she turned back to me, a stern expression on her face. "Just ask her to hang out."
"Oh my god, no. That's weird. Fuck off."
"Why is it weird?"
"I don't even know her."
"Just ask her."
"No."
"Robbie."
"Jade."
She glared at me before giving up. I rarely ever stand up to her, sometimes when I do, I'm defeated, but other times, she lets me win. This was one of those times.
We returned to the now packed-up André catching up with Cat, and that's when André decided to take his leave, as well. We all watched as André left, before another weird pause occurred and we all stared at each other for a few moments. "Sorry she made you come here," I remarked to Cat.
Cat responded with a giggle, and Jade responded with a nudge to my side.
"It's okay," Cat shrugged, "You guys were good."
"Thanks."
Was that really all I could say? Thanks? I must have looked like a fucking doofus. Yeah, that's right. A fucking doofus. Again, there was a weird pause that resulted in all of us staring at each other.
"Okay, Shapiro, I know you're a ball of fun, but I'm bored. So I'm gonna go home," Jade broke the silence, taking a bit of a pause before adding, "Are you coming, Cat, or are you staying here?"
I sent Jade the best glare I could muster. Nu-uh. She wasn't the boss of me, and I wasn't going to hang out with her friend. Her recommendation. Whatever. Nope. Not happening.
Cat scurried by Jade's side again, shaking her head, "No, I'll go with you." She waved to me, though, a warm grin spread across her face, "Thanks for letting me come here. It was nice to finally meet you. Jade talks about you all the time."
It was then Jade's turn to glare, and it was at Cat, before she headed to the door. "Seeya, Rob." She muttered, pushing the door open.
"Bye," Cat waved again with a smile before heading out the door.
I was then left with the task of clearing up the garage, the faintest of a blush on my cheeks.
A/N: Hey wow that was a totally well written and not shitty start to this fic. Thanks for making it all the way through! I'll try to make it less shitty as the chapters go on, but not promises.
