Normally I do not let a story go this quickly and I really wasn't planning on writing this but as many of you must know, tonight was Victorious' last episode so I wrote this in record time for two hours straight. Victorious deserves it. The fandom is probably going to be overflowing tonight so I may as well add my love. It may be extremely cliche and not very well written, but Victorious deserves a proper ending and I'm going to give it a possible one. As funny as the episode was, it didn't end the series and Dan even knows it, it is not his fault.
So yeah, here. It may not be Schneider-worthy (not even close) but perhaps it will bring some kind of closure or enjoyment.
Disclaimer: If I owned Victorious, I would somehow get a proper ending for it but I don't so I don't know what will happen. I also can't take credit for the songs referenced: "I'll Always Remember You" by Miley Cyrus, and "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day which was (Fun Fact!) my school's fifth grade graduation song. You probably weren't begging me to know that but yeah too bad, now you know.
Here's to Victorious.
As the crowd began to filter out of the parking lot where the band was beginning to set up, they made their way over to the lunch tables currently sporting brightly covered cloths to dress them up, smiling up at the 6o students staring down at them. The graduating class had just walked up the long winding stairs many of them had climbed to prepare to perform or to make announcements in the past and were now finding the seat that literally had their name on it.
As Tori sat between Cat and Jade (Sinjin graciously had switched with Cat to sit next to Burf), she glanced down the row to look for the guys she had grown so close to after three years together. All the seats were filled, but she didn't see them anywhere; Gardner, Genamis, Hindstein—no Harris she mentally checked. Beck and Robbie were no where in sight as well, there was McAlister and Olm and Schneider and Sherman but Oliver and Shapiro were as invisible as Ponnie seemed once.
"Looking for someone?' She suddenly heard from Jade's side. She turned to see Beck slid in next to Jade, and Andre and Robbie with Rex in hand behind him grinning at Tori's surprised expression.
"You couldn't think you would graduate without us did you?" Andre asked winking at her, "There are perks to Sikowitz making the seating charts."
Tori smiled joyfully at her friends, glancing back and forth as she tried to hold back the tears that were threatening her makeup's downfall. Man did she love those guys.
"Ew you aren't going to cry aren't you?" Jade asked her indignantly. Her words became greater motivation for her tear defenses and Tori was able to sniffle them back in. Her hand tightened on the paper crumpled inside.
"No," she huffed. "I wasn't going to cry."
Cat squeezed her hand. "It's okay Tori." She had tears in her eyes as well. "I'm going to miss you too!" She smiled at her friend, who hugged her silently. Seattle, Cat was going to Seattle. Tori reminded herself sadly. The gang was splitting as collage and work was driving them across the country- as well as planes. Beck and Jade were going to New York City, Andre was going to Florida for the summer before coming back to L.A, Robbie was going to Minnesota of all places to work for his dad and to go to collage and Tori would remain in California as Mason had recently asked her to sign for a record deal along with Andre. They would start recording in the fall and in the meantime, she would be helping out at Camp Hollywood Arts for a few weeks.
Ironic that the last of the gang to join the school would be the last to leave.
Tori was jolted out of her thoughts by the sound of people clapping and cheering. Eli, the boy she had done her first piece of improve with, had left the school for a year but returned for her senor year. Now he was the valedictorian and had just finished his inspiring and sweet speech that left most of the crowd in tears. Except for Tori who had no idea what he had said.
"Wasn't that a great speech?" Jade asked her, smirking after seeing the glassy look in Tori's eyes along with the small bittersweet smile that adorned her face.
"Yeah," she said, changing her smile to a more nervous one. Jade smirked again and grasped her boyfriend's hand, who squeezed back encouragingly.
The ceremony went quickly- literally, as Hollywood Arts did not believe in long ceremonies as they grew boring.
After a very interesting speech by Sikowitz in which he completely and most obviously improvised; comparing them to hairs on the coconut he was holding, everyone began to stand to get their diplomas. Thanks to the small class size, it was only a matter of a couple minutes before she, along with her other friends were standing in line to graduate.
Valentine, Caterina Lane called, smiling. Cat giggled and shouted "Yay! My turn!" She stood up and cleared her throat.
"For what it's worth it was worth all the while" she sang into the microphone in front of Lane.
See that was the Hollywood Arts catch. In order to graduate, each student had to recite/sing/dance something from their favorite artist/actor/composer. Tori ran her lines over again in her head as Cat squealed and grabbed her diploma. Tori took her place taking a deep breath.
"I'm so thankful for the moment, so glad I got to know ya
The times that we had I'll keep like a photograph
And hold you in my heart forever"
She smiled in relief and tears as she finished to the sound of everyone cheering; she could never get used to that. She didn't love Miley Cyrus, but the song always got to her. As she held the diploma in her hands, she looked down into the crowd. She could see her parents and Trina, who had stayed at home still trying in vain to get famous, sitting up front. Trina was holding up a sign: "Almost as good as mine, not bad little sis, not bad." She was smiling proudly, something Tori didn't see often and she waved down to her family.
Her friends, one by one joined her, grasping their own diplomas. Jade, who was determined to go last and had slipped behind Robbie, (something about being the one everyone would remember) had just gotten her diploma rather quietly-Tori was expecting more of a bang from her, and had joined the small huddle of newly graduates.
"Everyone, the class of 2014, entertainment's future!" Lane announced proudly. Tori looked around at her friends and classmates. Somehow through all the craziness they had made it, they had survived. Andre's hand slid to find her's as together they threw their voices to the wind along with their lines of graduation. They tied the paper to a balloon and cast them to the air, singing gleefully. Then everyone rushed down the stairs in excitement, greeting their families and embracing their friends for what seemed at the moment for the last time.
Tori stood there chattering with her parents until she was dragged away by Cat. Shooting a final glance to her parents, who waved her on, she raced after her friend. As Cat let her free, she stumbled, falling into the arms of Beck.
"We gotta stop meeting like this," he told her chuckling. She was about to respond when Robbie, who had just joined them after setting Rex down, did for her.
"We did it!" he crowed. "To new starts!" Jade punched him in the arm. "What was that for?"
"To still being an idiot!" she told him. Her gesture couldn't hide her joy though.
"To new adventures!" Cat cut in, bouncing up and down and hugging Robbie at the same time.
"To new opportunities," Tori cheered along.
"To old friends," Beck continued.
"And new ones too," Andre smiled at Tori.
"When did graduating make us be so cheesy and soppy?" Jade asked, folding her arms. To answer her, Beck gave her a small peck on her smiling lips.
"Come on babe, don't fight it."
"Okay… maybe... I might miss you guys." She responded with her caring smirk that only Jade could pull off. Cat pulled her into a big hug, despite her protests and attempts to push the small girl away. Tori joined the hug from behind Jade, and the boys quickly followed suit.
Maybe they were going to be separated for some time but not forever, no one would let that happen. It was a new act starting in the place it had basically begun.
Here's to us. Tori couldn't help but think as she and Andre took the stage set up in the parking lot for the last time. For a split second, she had a déjà vous moment and suddenly felt the parking lot become a theater and her clothes change as she saw her swollen-tongued sister standing with her parents and her soon to be friend Robbie holding an enormous and creeper Rex back stage. She turned to look at Andre who continued to nod encouragingly and age a bit as the theater morphed back to the parking lot. Tori smiled and closed her eyes.
"Here I am, once again…"
Back where she had started, though miles further at the same time.