Disclaimer; Sadly I don't own Victorious or we would have a whole new season on the CW ala Roswell resurrection and TV movies .-
It was a sweltering , blistering 106 in Hollywood and a sure sign that it was most certainly summer and a almost cool 92 at Venice Beach prompting beck Oliver and his girlfriend Jade West to declare that it was a perfect day for the beach.
Hollywood Arts had been out for the summer for only a mere two weeks and the group of friends were still trying to figure out how to make the most of their summer.
Texts and phone calls were made as everyone was on board with the idea of hanging out together at the beach so Beck and Jade had hooked up his uncle's truck once more to his silver Rv picking up Andre Harris, Tori Vega, and Cat Valentine along the way .
Cat's boyfriend Robbie Shapiro was tutoring a North Ridge girl in the morning and he would meet them later on .
The beach was starting to get crowded as the gang carried their gear to the sand and found a spot to set up . While the guys dropped their cooler and surfboards on the ground, Cat and Tori went about laying out the colorful blankets while Jade lifted her shades to survey the waves. The water lapped and flowed with the waves looking inviting .
" Looks good out there, babe " Beck came up behind her, nuzzling her neck.
A smile slipped into a smirk as the dark haired beauty allowed herself a moment to relax against him. " So what are we waiting for, Beck ," commented Jade , " the big , bad ocean isn't going to come to us "
" I thought you were going to help set up things .." Beck motioned to the umbrella that Cat and Tori were debating on where to place it into the sand.
" Don't know why you thought that," remarked Jade ," Vega and Cat have that …they can manage ..barely , but they've got it covered "
Tori jammed the oversized umbrella into the ground and faced Jade . " Fine , just go, jade "
" Whatever ….." Jade kicked off her flip flops, discarded her denim shorts and black tank so that she was down to a sleek, sexy black bikini ," Beck, you coming or what ?"
She grabbed her own surfboard and ran out towards the water as her boyfriend let out a groan and grabbing his own raced after her . " Thought we were doing this together "
Andre chuckling at the couple's bickering and took a swig of water . " Think I'll wait to make sure they aren't gonna drown each other before I head out there "
He enjoyed the surf but he wasn't nearly as good as his friends were .
" I didn't think they were fighting as bad ….more like the good type of fighting " says Cat, taking her sunscreen out of her beach bag along with her pear phone .
Tori rolled her eyes," Their fighting doesn't seem half as mean since they got back together this time ," agreed Tori, shedding her shorts to her own bright blue tankini ," Cat ! Are you texting Robbie ? He will be here in a couple hours …..stop it "
Cat sent the message and pouted ," I know but Robbie says my texts always brightens his day. This North ridge girl he is tutoring tries his patience and you know, he has a lot of patience, Tori "
" Only with you, Cat " added Andre, stealing a sidelong glance at Tori . The blue suit did amazing things against her gorgeous skin and he had to keep reminding himself that they were no longer a couple.
Several months back a kiss between Tori and Beck had kicked their relationship in the gut causing Andre to break up with her. The kiss had been a mistake but Andre had a time forgiving both of them for it even though Beck had gotten back together with Jade .
Eventually , Andre and Tori had found a way to stay in each others lives and found a medium ground to friendship past the awkward .
Unfortunately , their problems hadn't done anything to dispel their feelings for each other or the electric current that still existed between them.
Both were coping with it in their own ways -pretending and avoidance .
" Robbie isn't here so you don't have to tease about him, Andre " defended Cat , smiling as she read the message that he had sent her back.
" Yeah, I do ," Andre couldn't resist as a pretty girl passed by him in a red bikini gave him the eye ," like getting you riled, Lil Red "
Tori sent the girl a look and turned to her former boyfriend. " Andre, " asked a hesitant Tori," you wanna go swim with me ? I'll race you…"
He met her gaze and studied her beautiful face and blew out a breath .
God, she was tempting !
It was just swimming but his mind was screwing with him and he was afraid of what an innocent swim with Tori could turn into .
Damn .
" Not right now ," managed Andre , finding his voice ," maybe in a bit. Think I'm going to go scope things ..out "
" You mean, watch girls?" brought up Cat, curiously .
" Yeah .." answered Andre and with a quick wave at the girls , he ambled over to the crowded volleyball court nearby and the assorted girls that surrounded it.
Peeved and a little hurt , Tori kicked her sandal towards Cat and moaned in distress, " Thanks a lot, Cat ! "
" Your welcome ," Cat folded her arms across her knees, " what did I do ?"
" Andre and those girls….grrrrr ! " Tori straightened up her towel , settled on her elbows and glanced out to where Andre was making his way among the group of bikini clad girls and tried to fight the slow stir of anger and the hurt that she still felt .
" Well, look at all those grunches hanging all over him ….and you know once he starts being all charming , it will be worse "
Cat giggled then caught herself ." I'm sorry, Tori, I know it isn't really funny but its mostly harmless. I don't think Andre has even flirted with any girls since you and he broke up and its been a long time cause Robbie and I have been together almost three months now …"
She couldn't remember a time before she and Robbie had fallen in love when she had been this happy . Her Mom said that he was good for her and Cat thought this was true .
Tori sat back up and tried to tamp down what she knew was jealousy . " I know," admitted Tori with a disgusted sigh ," guess he's making up for it now "
She knew she had no right to feel this way towards him still especially since it was mostly her fault in the first place but it still hurt .
Andre was handsome and charming ….and oh, he could turn a phrase to make a girl weak in the knees .
He could charm the pants off of any girl he wanted which is what bothered her and…oh man, she didn't even want to go there .
Put really bad images into her mind .
" Guess Andre can date , if he wants to date " admitted a disgruntled Tori," none of my business anymore …we're just friends "
Cat was sympathetic ," Ah, don't be sad ," says Cat ,softly ," you and Andre could always still get back together , Tori "
Tori shook her head." Too much has happened ," she said , a touch of cynicism in her tone ," we're not like you and Robbie or Beck and Jade. If we tried again ,it would just end in disaster and then this friendship we managed to salvage would be ruined "
" You don't know that , Tori " says Cat , checking her phone ," I think we should just relax and try to work on our tans . I want to go play in the water when Robbie gets here …I wish he would get here soon . "
" I still cant believe Robbie is tutoring in North Ridge," commented Tori, lifting up her sunglasses ," especially after what happened with Roxanne "
Robbie had dated Roxanne Morrison , a North Ridge snobby snob , before he and Cat had fallen in love . It had turned out that the girl had been using Robbie as an elaborate part of a plan to get revenge on Cat through him compliments of Tara Ganz and Haley Ferguson .
" It was just a silly threat ," dismissed Cat , not liking to discuss his mean ex-girlfriend at all ," she really didn't do anything to hurt Robbie's tutoring , Tori. Besides Robbie has been tutoring Mindee for a couple of years now …she isn't so smart to almost flunk summer school too. She pays Robbie really good and you know he is the best tutor .."
" Your not worried about Robbie spending time with another girl, Cat ?"
Cat's brown eyes widened in surprise ." No and he isn't spending time with her ," explained Cat , simply ," he is teaching her school stuff . Why would you say that , Tori ? Robbie is working …you know he tutors and he has even helped you and nothing went on there ! "
Tori leaned up on her elbows ." I'm sorry, Cat ," groaned an out of sorts Tori ," I shouldn't have said that. I don't know why I said that…Robbie loves you to death . I think with my parents separated and this whole counseling thing, I cant think straight still. "
Gosh, I've turned into Trina and she is me . That's scary ! "
" You should just stop worrying about all the bad stuff for a little while and enjoy the beach ," says a positive Cat ," why didn't Trina come ? I invited her …..Jade wasn't real happy about it but I thought she would have fun too "
" Trina's trying to find a summer job that is cool ," declared Tori," Dad put his foot down about her credit card spending since she graduated now and told her that she needs to be an adult . Except so far Trina hasn't found anything that is glamorous to do…."
" Why does it have to be glamorous ?" asked Cat , curiously .
" You know my sister ,' shrugged Tori," she would rather be a reality star than work in food service . Trina is trying to get noticed rather than just taking the job at Jet Brew so I don't know what kind of job she actually expects to find …."
" I don't actually understand that "
" Who does ?" agreed Tori, turning over so that she wouldn't burn and roast in the sun.
Just then Cat's phone went off and she quickly read the text , a warm smile crossing her lips .
One more hour and then I'm yours . Love you , Robbie .
Cat made a little excited noise and typed a response back to him with a hear tand some x and o's .
" Let me guess ," chimed in Tori ," its from Robbie again "
" Yes ," answered a smiley Cat ," he is the best boyfriend . Robbie is so …."
" Sweet ," repeated a bored Tori ," we all know how sweet he is and pretty sure he has gotten a million times sweeter since the two of you got together . I get the point, Cat "
" I really didn't have a point but if you don't want for me to talk to you about my relationship with Robbie , Tori, then I wont bother you anymore " Feelings hurt , Cat slipped on her shoes ," I'm going to go to the bathroom "
" Cat, I never meant I didn't want to hear about you guys " protested Tori but her friend wasn't paying her any attention .
" Maybe I should just let Jade drown me before I become my own worse enemy "
Meanwhile an hour away from the beach, Samantha Puckett and Freddie Benson had just gotten out of the Galaxy Con convention and were making their way hand in hand to the car. Freddie was still waxing with excitement over having met the all famous NUG-Nug and Sam listened with amusement as he prattled on in his nerdish way .
" This has been epic ," declared Freddie , " Shapiro is gonna freak when I tell him. I cant believe we managed to get tickets and Robbie didn't ..especially since the dude lives here "
" That's cause Mama knows people …." Sam leaned in to kiss him," and now that you've met the King Dork, take me for food . I'm starving and I think I saw a diner up the road …..I need some meat. That corn dog was hours ago…."
Freddie stopped to smile lovingly at her . " How about we get a burger to tide you over, babe ? Robbie and his friends invited us to meet them at the beach to hang and ..and I said we would meet up with them "
Sam rolled her eyes in disgust . " Freddie , man, why ? I've hung out with your nubbish friend and his weird girlfriend for 2 days already ….if it wasn't for the cake I would have beaten the girl with a butter sock "
Since their arrival in L.A., Sam and Freddie had met up with Cat and Robbie at the Olive Bargain for supper then Karaoke Dokee for some dancing .
Sam and Cat were pretty much opposites and tended to clash most of the evening as the redhead was super sensitive over every little thing which annoyed the blonde too death.
Robbie and Freddie had tried to keep the peace when Sam had started tossing out the insults which had made Cat want for them to leave .
It hadn't been a fun evening and she would have rather had her teeth yanked out .
" No butter sock on this trip ," warned Freddie ," you promised me "
" The ditz is sweeter than Carls ," argued Sam ," makes me wanna vomit and then beat her . No one can be that nice …..and she and the geek are gross "
" They are in love ," Freddie pulled her close ," like we are , Sam. So, what if Robbie and Cat are more affectionate than we are ….I think its nice ."
" You are such a girl " remarked Sam , but got pulled into the heated kiss he was giving her which made her lose her train of thought if only for a few seconds .
" They are my friends , Sam ," reminded Freddie , imploring her , quietly ," and I don't get to hang with Shapiro that often as it is . Come on, you like the beach and it will be fun …..Jade and Beck will be there . You two got along …."
" Scissor girl ? " recalled Sam, who had only met Jade once or twice before .
" Yeah ," answered Freddie as they climbed into his car ," why don't we get some hamburgers and fries and talk about it some more on the way "
Sam was reluctant ." I really don't want to spend the day with more of the puppet geek's strange friends "
" Will you at least do it for me ?"
She slid her gaze over to his handsome face and found herself weakening over his puppy dog eyes that he was giving her .
" Fine, whatever, but I want a shake and pie too " added Sam, as an after thought .
" Thank you " Freddie kissed her quickly ," if I buy you two desserts, will you try not to pick another fight with Cat ? Robbie said you hurt her feelings the last time …"
" She needs to grow thicker skin "
" Sam "
" I'll try but no promises ," agreed Sam ," now go before I die of starvation "
Freddie squeezed her hand and started to drive towards the aforementioned diner nearby .
Meanwhile back at the beach, Andre was trying to make time with a hot Briarwood girl by being as charming as he could and flashing his trademark smile but found that though the girl was clearly interested, he wasn't as into it as he should be.
He knew he should be over Tori by now but was finding that it wasn't so easy .
Andre resisted the urge to turn around and watch the brunette , who looked just gorgeous and hot in the simple blue tank suit .
It wasn't skimpy or flashy but then neither was Tori and as always he was struck by her beauty .
It really wasn't fair that the girl be that attractive .
Despite everything that had happened between them , the whole just hanging and staying friends thing with Tori wasn't really working for him.
Once he had done some serious thinking, Andre had forgiven Beck and Tori but with her folks having problems, she needed him and it was important that he be there for her .
They had mostly gotten through the awkwardness but now he was coming to realize he wanted more with Tori.
Andre knew they could never go backwards cause that wasn't a good idea at all but they could start fresh and new .
Beck and Jade were proof that it worked and Cat and Robbie had the new thing going fine .
He just didn't know if Tori was in the place just yet as she tended to still freak out over the weirdest things that never bugged her before and sometimes she just wasn't her normal Tori self, which had him worrying about her .
He didn't know how he would even go about bringing up the subject of them again without it making it seem like he was being pushy and insensitive towards her .
Hey Tor, I was thinking since we're better now," thought Andre to himself ,' how about we give us a take two ? I think we could work better this time '
He sighed and knew he just couldn't go up and say that to her .
Not yet and not now .
Andre would just let it sit for a while and let his feelings simmer till he could figure out if Tori still felt the same way for him as he did for her .
Robbie Shapiro weaved in and out of the crowded beach, brown eyes scanning the area for signs of his friends as well as that of his pretty girlfriend . Cat had sent him a text saying they were hanging out somewhere in the middle and she was wearing pink.
Cat had bought a bright pink bikini styled in a retro way that just suited her so much .
He spotted Cat's red hair against a bright pink and white blanket and moved towards her, blocking the sun from her .
" Oh the sun went out "
" Is this spot taken , miss ?"
Cat lifted her brown eyes and her face lit up with a bright smile lighting her face when she spotted her boyfriend standing in front of her .
" Robbie ! You're here ! " she leaped up from the ground , launching herself into his arms and holding on tight to his neck," I didn't think that you would ever get here ! "
Robbie laughed ," Sorry, sweetie , I did hurry but Mindee had questions then traffic from Galaxy Con was a big mess "
Cat brushed her lips over his, once , twice, a third time ." I just missed you "
" I missed you too, Cat " Robbie held onto her waist and kissed her hair.
Tori sat up and leaned around to speak to them. " Aw, we don't care ," remarked Tori, sarcastically ," you already told her that in a text, Robbie "
" Cat and I are very open and honest in our relationship, Tori," explained a matter of fact Robbie ," and we miss each other when we aren't together. "
" So the traffic from North Ridge was a mess ?" asked Tori , noticing that Andre was ambling back over towards them, alone .
Which made her feel just slightly better .
" Yes ," answered Robbie ," but I expected it to be . Gosh, I really wish I could have gone to the Galaxy con this year but I just didn't have the cash to go …."
He let out a sigh," There is always next year "
" I'm sorry, Robbie ," Cat kissed his cheek as she took his hand and led him to sit with her on the oversized blanket ," maybe I can get you tickets for your birthday next year "
Robbie kicked off his shoes and wrapped his arms around her ." Cat, the tickets are extremely expensive . Its sweet that you would want to do that for me but I wouldn't want you to….too much money "
" You do nice things for me all the time " muttered Cat, softly .
" I just think its too much ," replied Robbie, knowing that Cat did odd jobs like housecleaning, babysitting , house/dog-sitting to earn money . She didn't have the funds to be spending a ridiculous amount on something for him and he didn't expect her to .
" Hey Rob," greeted Andre, pulling a water from the cooler and tossing Tori one as well, " how did the tutoring go ?"
" Good ," explained Robbie ," Mindee passed the math course that I helped her with last semester but completely tanked English ." He shook his head ," She cant go vacationing with the girls to Cancun unless she passes the English tests that I give her . "
" That'd be a shame " chuckled Andre, taking a swig of the cold water .
" She really , really wants to go too ," went on Robbie ," she's doubled what she is paying me so I'm making really good money this year "
" Cool " nodded Andre , scanning the water for Jade and Beck, " whoa, look at that chizz ! Beck just wiped out ! "
" Oh ,he did ," commented Tori ," that still looks scary. I don't think I want to learn how to surf ….do the waves hurt ?"
" Just a little sting, Tor ," assured Andre ," you would be fine "
" I don't know ," hesitated Tori , noticing the strength and definition in his chest and arms and felt her tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth ," not a fan of pain "
Their eyes locked and held ," I could teach you "
" I'll think about it ….." said a distracted Tori , picking up the lotion and handing it to him," you should put on sunscreen so you don't burn, Andre "
" Right ..sunscreen " Andre blew out a breath and thought maybe he needed to throw himself into the water .
He hoped like hell the water was freezing cold .
Cat played with the buttons of Robbie's shirt . " Tori and I have been tanning ," says Cat ," do you want to hang for a while cause I thought we could go play in the water ?"
Robbie rested his chin on her shoulder. " You smell like coconut "
" That's the lotion, silly " Cat pressed her nose against his ," take off your shirt and I will put some on you. I don't want you to burn, Robbie "
" I do look like a lobster when I burn …" said Robbie , removing his shirt and placing it on top of his girlfriends beach bag ," why don't we hang for a few minutes then we can hit the water "
" Kay kay " murmured Cat, pouring a small dollop of sunscreen in her hand, turning around in his arms, and tenderly rubbing the lotion on his shoulders ." I brought a Frisbee cause I thought that would be fun too "
" I enjoy the Frisbee " Robbie stole a kiss ," Mindee wanted me to tell you hello . She thought that my girlfriend was very pretty when I showed her the picture of us and told her about you, sweetie . "
" You told her about me and us ?" Cat paused , her hand on his chest .
" Roxanne had spread some ,er, well, nasty rumors around North Ridge about me after what happened ," went on Robbie , nonchalantly ," but I've been tutoring Mindee since she was a 7th grader so she didn't believe them. She asked if I finally had a nice girlfriend naturally I told her about you …"
" That was awfully nice of her " admitted Cat , pleased that not all North Ridge girls were mean ganks like Roxanne," I'm glad your not helping out a nasty girl , Robbie "
" Mindee is a little slow but she isn't a gank " assured Robbie ," and Mawmaw is in her grandmothers bridge club or canasta night . One of those clubs ….anyhow , how about we go swim, sweetheart "
Cat tossed the lotion on the blanket as Robbie took her hand and they ran together into the water .
" OOOhhhhhh soooo cold " squealed Cat, as the water splashed all around her .
" Thought you wanted to swim …." teased Robbie , grabbing her around the waist and lifting her up and running with her through the water .
" Robbie ! Put me down ! " giggled Cat , holding onto his neck ,' your crazy "
Robbie spun her around as the water splashed around them, getting them both wet .
" you wanted to play ! " Robbie stilled long enough to drop a kiss on her lips .
" Yeah ….still " Cat bent down , scooped up a handful of water and splashed him in the face , making him shake his head and making her laugh even harder .
" Caterina Valentine," declared Robbie , mischievously ," I am going to get you for that, sweetheart "
Cat giggled ," Catch me first, Robbie "
Blowing him a kiss, Cat ran through the water as Robbie tore off after her, catching her around the waist as they both went under the water , courtesy of a wave .
Giggling , laughing, and sputtering water, Cat touched the side of his face with her hand and wiped the water from his cheek . " I love you "
Robbie drew her into a deep kiss. " Love you too "
" Dorks " noted Jade as she and Beck passed their friends , surfboards tucked beneath their arms ," watch out for the jelly fish . Think I read somewhere they like pink …wouldn't want them to nibble your toes off, Cat "
Cat made a face and clung to Robbie ." Jade, they don't eat toes !"
" Only ones that are painted pink " tossed back Jade , teasing her as she and Beck rejoined Andre and Tori," hey when did rob get here ? We saw him and Cat doing their lame mushy stuff in the water already …." She tossed her board on the ground and accepted the water from Andre ," you guys catch the show ? Beck completely bit in out there …the waves kicked his ass. I saw an 8 year old little kid surf better than him "
" It looked rough out there " commented Andre , " things like this happen "
" Thanks, " Beck ran a towel against his hair, drying it and made a face at his girlfriend ," it was choppy out there , Jade . You were barely riding the waves as it was , I saw you paddling with your hands "
" Whatever, I don't care ," dismissed Jade ," I'm not the one who claims to be the Zen of all Surfer Gods, oh wise Beck "
" Will you give it a rest ?" asked Beck, tossing her a towel and kissing her , quickly .
" Is this a private fight or can anyone join in ? " demanded Sam, " cause I'd be happy to do some royal fizz -bin on one of you guys . New blood is always fun chizz …"
" No but I just sharpened my new scissors if you wanted a fight " quipped Jade, her red lips curving in a smile .
Her boyfriend gaped incredulously at her . " Babe, you bought scissors to the beach ?"
" You know I bring scissors everywhere " retorted Jade ," besides figured I'd need them if Vega got too annoying …snip here , snip there "
" Your threats don't bother me anymore " shot back a good -natured Tori .
" We didn't know you guys were still in town ," commented Andre, inviting them to grab some sand and sit ," figured you'd gone back to that cool weather in Seattle "
" Tonight ," told Freddie , putting his arms around Sam and felt her relax a bit ," Robbie invited us to come hang after Galaxy Con but I had to feed my woman first …"
" Nerd conventions make me hungry "
" Oh , that's the stupid convention that Robbie has been whining about for weeks " dawned Tori ," with the spaceships and the ganky woman in the skin-tight suit . Thank God, Cat found a way to distract him from his weirdness over that chizz …"
" It was awesome ," exclaimed Freddie , looking around for his friend ," where is Shapiro ? He is going to die when I tell him that Sam hooked me up so I could meet the one and only Nug -Nug …"
Beck nodded towards the sand where Cat and Robbie were walking hand in hand .
" I'll go get them before Cat decides she wants to bury Robbie in the sand or something "
Sam noticed the cooler with curiosity ." You got any food in there ?"
" We do ," answered Tori ," Cat made sandwiches and all kinds of stuff . I think she made cookies too ….but I thought you said you just ate "
" That was like 30 minutes ago ," commented Sam," toss me some cookies "
" Uh sure , glad to …." Tori opened up the cooler , found the baggie and handed Sam a few chocolate chip cookies ," so, how's everything going with icarly ?"
They didn't really know Sam and Freddie all that well but the dude and Robbie were friends . It was cool that they knew people that had a really successful web show .
" Good ," told Freddie , making conversation ," we left Carly and Gibby back home to deal with the show. I think they were going to rerun some vintage stuff till Sam and I got back …."
" Benson ! " greeted Robbie , rejoining them ," glad you made it . How was the Con ? Did you get in on the panels ? How much was that limited edition phaser ,dude ? "
Cat moved to stand beside her boyfriend and noticed the arrival of the couple .
" Hi '
" CatNip "
Cat bit the inside of her lip. " I'm not an animal "
" Thought you liked pet names and all that chizz ," Sam tried for polite ," had to listen to you and the nub the second call each other all kinds of sickening sweet things all the freaking night "
" I don't know why you have to be rude ,' countered Cat ,under her breath ," You can call your boyfriend whatever you like because that is your business but please don't call Robbie names . "
" My man and yours are both nubs ," pointed out Sam," it's the sad sorry truth that they are part of the same nerd army , Cat "
Cat held onto Robbie's arm and fought back her anxiety.
This girl always made her anxiety act up and she didn't much care for it or her .
" Cat , Sam ," replied a careful Robbie ," it would be really nice if we could all just get along and enjoy the day together . Without the insults and the hurt feelings … "
" Sam ?" Freddie stared pointedly at her .
" I was being …..nice " warned Sam, " don't push me, Benson "
Cat pressed her face into Robbie's arm. " We were having such a good time , Robbie "
Robbie kissed her nose . " Sam is only slighter meaner than Jade ," told Robbie , quietly ," and you and Jade are good friends . Just ignore her , cutie "
" Jade isn't evil "
Jade settled into the crook of Beck's arms and took offense . " Hey, Cat ," interrupted jade ," I am too sick and evil. Don't go giving the edge to Puckett - like a chizzin butter sock could hurt anyone . I made a freaking bonfire out of Rex ! "
" Jade ," hissed Beck, nodding towards Robbie ," why are you being horrible ? You promised not to mention what you did to the puppet after the funeral …."
Robbie blanched and stared at the dark haired girl. " Y..you burned him ?"
" What ? I took care of the puppet for you " defended Jade ," dudes never coming back again ..really never . I was helping you, Rob , doing you a big favor "
Cat glared at her . " Jade ! You weren't supposed to tell him ! "
" Then don't be making me seem goody goody ," tossed out Jade ," that's you "
" I think now would be a good time for us to have some food " interrupted Andre , before the girls decided to have a chick fight or a throw down or some fighting .
" I could use food " agreed Tori, accepting a sandwich from him, grateful .
After the sandwiches and veggies were passed out , Robbie and Freddie resumed their conversation about the Galaxy Con , much to the dismay of everyone else .
" The Con was awesome," explained Freddie in his element ," the panel rocked . You wouldn't believe what they let out that is coming up, dude . I don't even want to ruin it for you …its that EPIC. Not as epic as meeting Nug Nug was ..seriously , Sam got me in to meet him and he is freaking awesome . "
" You met the NUG NUG ? Dude , don't lie to me ? How did you manage ? "
Freddie smiled at his girlfriend and tightened his hold on her waist . " It was all Sam ," boasted a proud Freddie ," she has her ways which are awesome "
" I am "
" What about the phaser ? I have been watching three different ones on eBay for like sixth months but it always goes too high ," admitted Robbie ," last one went for like 800 bucks . I just couldn't afford to spend that much …"
" There was a replica for like 200 but it just doesn't look as good as the real thing "
" Oh God , " groaned Sam," I know where I can get you nerds a taser for 30 bucks "
" I have a taser " added Jade , red lips curving in a wicked smile ," look none of us really care about your dork party over here and I have news "
" Beck knocked you up for real this time …." chuckled Andre , avoiding Beck's glare and the vicious death stare that Jade was giving him, " so, still not funny "
" No "
" Have you guys heard about the Shakespeare Festival and the Emerging young talent competition that is connected to it ?" brought up Jade, pulling a flyer out of her bag and handing it to Tori to read .
" Is that the same festival that Lane and sikowitz were talking about ?" asked Andre
" Yea ," answered Beck ," it's a gathering where performers and fans alike can be a part of the festival by creating and performing a skit or a play . Jade and I have always wanted to act out some Taming of the Shrew together " He sent her a sexy smile ," Jade makes a good shrew …"
" OH, I can turn you into a shrew, Beckett " retorted Jade, sharply .
He ignored her .
" I've been trying to talk Jade into submitting Loves Lament ," explained Beck, pointedly ," its some of her best work and it is really good. The world needs to see how talented Jade West is and we could break it down to accommodate the rules of the contest "
Jade leaned back into his arms . " A road trip might beat the doldrums out of the summer ," said Jade , considering ," Harris, Vega, you guys be interested in being Roland and Ana ? It'd be cool to show the whole Morgana and Samuel love story with a witch and the moor and the daughter of the town mayor …what do you say ? "
" I'm cool with it " Andre stole a cautious glance at Tori and could see her wrestling with the decision ," and where are we going? Cause I love my grandma but I could use a vacation and my cousin is in town so sign me up…."
Tori bit her lip and felt all eyes upon her . " Mom has been wanting more family time ," brought up a weary Tori ," but I could really use a break. I just don't know if dad will let me go ..without adult supervision "
" It's Seattle , not Yerba ," retorted Jade , pointedly ," I'm staying with Beck in his Rv but you can get a hotel room, Vega. The guys are all 17 and I don't really think we need to drag Sikowitz along to keep us out of trouble this time ..unless your planning on getting thrown out of the festival for protesting the violence, Tori "
" Can you just ever give it a rest , Jade ?" asked Tori , seriously .
" No "
" What about me and Robbie ," brought up Cat in a small voice ," we want to go too "
" Sure , Cat, you want to make costumes ," said jade ," Rob, you do set dressing and like the lighting ? I was thinking you and Cat could do all the backstage stuff for me …"
" I can so do that ," enthused Cat ," yay! I am sooo excited now ! "
" Yuperdoo ," stated Robbie ," Cat and I will still have to ask but I don't foresee a problem. My father has been on this kick about me being more responsible since I'm almost eighteen and he never really had a problem with what happened when we went to Yerba "
" So, we've got like a week or so to get things lined out " told Beck ," and we can take my RV there ….."
Sam looked at her boyfriend . " Isn't that the talent thing t
hat Carly 's been yammering on about us doing some skit so it will look good on her college transcripts or some chizz like that ?"
" Think so," answered Freddie as Sam swiped the rest of his cookies from him," Robbie, if you and Cat are going to be in Seattle, you ought to come and hang with me and Sam while your there . We could show you around and it'd be cool …"
" Sounds like a plan , " agreed Robbie ," we could visit with you when we're not helping with the play. " He looked at his girlfriend ," Cat , what do you think ?"
Cat recognized the hopeful expression on Robbie's face and knew he was already looking forward to the idea of it and even though Sam wasn't her favorite person or anything , she couldn't say no to him. " Sure , Robbie, that sounds really fun "
Sam rolled her eyes ," Just what I've always wanted to do…"
" You could always stay at my place ," went on Freddie , working it through in his head ," and I bet if I asked Carly, she wouldn't mind if Cat stayed with her so that would save you guys the cost of having to get a hotel …"
" Would she mind if I stayed too ? " interceded Tori," Mom might be more okay with the idea if I had a better place to stay then Beck's Rv or a hotel …."
" I'll have to ask Carly but I wouldn't imagine it being a big deal or anything "
" Sure, Carly will appreciate you volunteering her apartment as Hotel Shay, Fredwardly "
" Oh, Carly wont mind " dismissed Freddie , knowing how good natured their friend was .
" Cool " grinned Tori," then sign me up too, Jade "
" Whatever, I'm bored now " Jade turned her head drawing Beck into a hot kiss and making Tori slightly uncomfortable as she avoided Andre's gaze and blew out a breath.
" I'm going to swim now " Tori ran into the water , restlessly .
Andre took another swig of water and wished it was something stronger . " Tori, wait "
Against his better judgment and his instincts, Andre followed after her into the ocean.
Robbie drew the bright pink towel across Cat's shoulders, gently rubbing the water from her as she leaned it to rest her head against his and gave him a soft smile.
" I'm sorry you missed your galaxy convention, Robbie "
" Those are the breaks but I'd much rather be here with my girl anyway " He dropped a light kiss on her nose ," you want to play some Frisbee now?"
" No," murmured Cat , leaning against him," how about ice cream?"
" Ice cream sounds good " declared Robbie, taking her hand and helping her up ," Freddie, Sam, you want to join me and Cat for ice cream ?"
Sam jumped up," I never turn down ice cream "
" Or food in general " quipped Freddie , " lead the way , Shapiro, then we really need to head back home . I don't want stuck driving in that insane L.A. rush hour traffic any longer than we have to be …"
" Bubble head, the cookies rocked ," Sam addressed Cat ," you make them "
Robbie squeezed Cat's hand and answered instead," My girlfriend makes the best chocolate chip cookies on the planet "
" Thanks, Robbie , and yes, I made them "
Sam met her gaze and nodded . " They were good "
" Thank you " says Cat , primly as they passed a group of college age guys hanging near a cabana listening to music and partying .
" OH my God ," spoke up a muscular , tall, dark, and handsome young man in red board shorts ," Cat ! Is that you ? "
Cat and Robbie stopped walking while Sam and Freddie hung back watching with mild interest.
" Uh, Cat, you know this guy ?" asked Robbie , self -conscience of his lack of muscles.
Cat stared at him. " Ummm, …I don't know ….oh, maybe "
" It's Nate ," he spoke up, flashing her a sexy grin," I know its been like a couple years and all but you hung out with me and my friends. Right here . We danced and I bought you a cherry frozen ice ….ring any bells ?"
" Oooooh, right , now I do know you " says Cat with a warm smile," hi "
Sam leaned forward ," He's hot ..did you date the dude ?"
" No " declared Cat , shaking her red hair ," we just hung out that one time "
" So you want to maybe hang out with me , Cat ? " asked Nate , " its just me but we could catch up and I could take you out afterwards "
Cat felt Robbie flinch and tugged on his shirt , urging him closer to her .
" No, I don't want to ," says Cat , always polite ," Nate , this is my boyfriend, Robbie "
" I'm Robbie " He extended a hand , determined to not be intimidated ," nice to meet you "
" Sure ," said Nate then he looked at Cat ," this geek is your boyfriend ?'
Cat cuddled up happily to Robbie . " Yes "
" See you around …" Nate turned and walked back to rejoin the rest of his party .
Robbie wrapped his arms around her waist . " So, one of the ..hot guys you hung out with while the rest of us were dying in Beck's RV ? "
" Uh , yes, and it was a long time ago, Robbie so don't be silly " Cat kissed him," or jealous . I was just being nice to him ….I'm with my fella "
" I know …." Robbie swung her hand ," how about I get you that ice cream now ?"
" Two scoops cause I was thinking chocolate and strawberry sounds really yummy "
" Can we share ?" asked Robbie , swinging her hand , playfully .
" Of course " Cat and Robbie began to walk towards the ice cream shop , together .
" Suzy sunshine and Robo the nerd make me want to beat them with sticks ," muttered an annoyed Sam, under her breath ," can we please buy me some ice cream so we can get out of here . We've spent time with your nerdy friend and now its time to leave , Freddie "
Freddie tugged on her hand . " Thanks for doing this for me, Mama "
Sam gave his polo a yank and pressed her lips to his in a quick kiss . " You can make it up to me ..later "
He grinned against her lips ," I will "
While Sam was gorging herself on ice cream , Freddie said their goodbyes to Robbie and Cat and making plans to be in touch soon regarding the potential Seattle trip, Benson and Puckett headed to his car for the trip back.
Tori cited that it was family supper night at her house and she needed to get back home soon so everyone packed it in and loaded into Beck's Rv once again except for Cat who was going with Robbie .
The day at the beach had been fun and now something new , different , and excited loomed ahead of them all for the rest of the summer and they couldn't wait . . .