Woohoo, onto Cabbie story #3! I don't know why I'm even bothering to keep count, but whatever lol.
I know that a lot of people have been writing Cabbie fanfics about The Blonde Squad, most of them having to do with an alternate ending. I also have seen at least three named "I Think You're Swell." Geez, couldn't people have come up with better names for their stories?
So yes, I am writing a one-shot about Cabbie in The Blonde Squad just like everyone else- but not quite. I've decided to separate myself from the crowd by focusing on a completely different back story- "The Wig Master," as I will now introduce Robbie. This will be a regurgitation of TBS with a few missing moments- and yes, an alternate ending. And it will be longer than most one-shots that you've read because I am just a very wordy person XD I hope you enjoy it, especially the amazing pairing Dan created called Cabbie X33
His fingers slid across his guitar strings and the notes obeyed his every command. Everything was going as planned. The chords were in tune, the lyrics were almost finished. He was in the zone… until he hit a sour note that made him wince. Still got some work to do, he thought.
Robbie furrowed his eyebrows in frustration and sighed. Man, writer's block sucks… or musician's block, as he liked to call it. He placed his guitar and his music sheets on top of his bed and made his way over to his computer, which was against the wall opposite his bed. He decided to take a break from songwriting and check TheSlap for any new updates.
Instantly, he saw that Cat had "slapped" him in a new photo album. What could this possibly be? He clicked on a picture called "The Wig Master" and it showed a picture of him with his wig-fixing tools strapped around his waist. His eyes scanned over the caption Cat had written underneath: "I think Robbie wanted to be the wig master because he wears a wig."
Upon reading this, a thought slammed into his head and bounced around his brain. He groaned, leaned his chair back, and squeezed his eyes shut. If only you knew, Cat. If only you knew…
In theory, Robbie is the ultimate "Wig Master." He has been wearing a wig for as long as he can remember. Not a real one, of course… although Cat seems to think otherwise.
He uses this so-called wig to hide his feelings, his true thoughts from everyone he knows. How does he feel whenever someone doubts his masculinity or calls him a dork who will "never get a girl to save his life?" What does he want to say when he is constantly put down by everyone around him, drowning in their wicked, hurtful words? Unless one is able to pull his wig off, no one will ever know.
That's right- no one will ever know about how he truly feels… but that may soon change for him. For there is only one person that can possibly make him tear the wig right off of his head- the one person that makes him go absolutely insane. And boy, does he know it. He knows the end is near.
He just has to try and hold onto it a little while longer before he says something he regrets.
(Flashback)
"But why can't I just fix her wig?" Tori whined.
"Who is the Wig Master on this film?" Robbie demanded.
The girls groaned. "You are," they chimed simultaneously, except for Cat who said "Robbie is," instead.
"That's right, and only the Wig Master touches the wigs!"
Tori sighed and backed away. "Fine! Fix her… 'Wig Master.'" She mocked him with a bow and went to talk to Jade.
Robbie got out his comb and got to work on Cat's hair, brushing the curly strands out of her petite little face and loosening the wig with just the slightest touch of his palm.
"Hey Robbie?" Cat piped up and looked at his face, which was stiff with intense concentration.
"Mm hm?" he murmured with the comb still in his mouth. He was so deeply involved with her wig that he didn't bother to stop what he was doing.
"Why do you call yourself the Wig Master?"
Robbie stopped what he was doing, startled by her question, and took the comb out of his mouth so he could answer her clearly. "Why do you ask?"
Cat giggled. "Because it's a funny name."
Robbie sighed. "There are a lot of reasons for that, Cat."
"Tell me!"
He paused to think. "Um, because I'm a master of… wigs?" he said lamely.
"Ah hah!" she shouted. "I knew that!" She giggled some more and covered her mouth with her hand. "Wig Master," she repeated, shaking her head in utter amusement.
Robbie shook his head also and continued to work on her wig. He couldn't tell her the truth. She wouldn't understand. No one understood him. And he didn't want Cat to think of him differently if she by the slightest chance even was able to comprehend what he was trying to say.
He didn't want people to think that he was weirder than he already was.
The next day, Robbie sat in the Blackbox Theatre with his guitar in his hands. He sang the last few lines of his song softly, this time hitting all the right notes. When the last note reverberated around the theatre, he grinned in satisfaction and wrote a few last notes down on his paper. Perfect.
He strutted out of the theatre whistling a happy tune and saw Tori and Trina chatting around the corner. "Well, if it isn't the Vega girls!" he announced with a smile beaming across his face.
Trina grimaced, her back still facing him. "Gross."
"You're in a good mood," Tori commented.
"Yep, because I've finished the song I've been writing."
Tori groaned. "Oh no, is it another song about worms?"
Robbie's smile faltered a little bit in his excitement. "Not this time."
"Hate this guy," Trina muttered under her breath.
"This song is about a girl," Robbie said dreamily and leaned back against the lockers. He thought about her pretty red hair, the way she smiled at him when they talked, the cute little dimple on her chin…
He was rudely interrupted by Trina, who had to be egotistic enough to assume that the song was about her. They argued for a little bit before Trina stormed off in the other direction.
Tori looked at him and waited for him to elaborate about the song he wrote but heard a squeal behind her before she could get that chance.
"FREE HUGS! Who wants a free hug? !" Robbie watched as Cat hugged a random girl tightly before running up to Tori and twirling her around. Robbie shook in anticipation as he watched Cat's act, knowing very well that he was next. Cat turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and Robbie lifted her up a little bit.
"Wow, someone's a happy Cat!" he exclaimed as he set her down.
"Yeah, me!" She jumped up and down in her spot.
"Wait, is this about that guy you met last night?" Tori asked.
"Uh huh!"
As soon as he heard that, Robbie's stomach dropped. "Oh, you… you met a fella?" he said awkwardly and stuffed his hands uncomfortably into his pants pockets.
"Yeah! His name is Evan..." she trailed off, drifting into a daydream about the handsome blonde man. "And I invited him to come see the screening of Beck's new movie tonight!"
"Oh yeah, that is tonight! I heard it came out awesome!" Tori said while shutting her locker.
"I was the Wig Master," Robbie chimed, hoping it would make Cat laugh again. Instead, she and Tori just gave him weird looks.
"So," Tori said, changing the subject and walking Cat away from her locker. "What did Evan say when you told him that you were wearing a blonde wig?"
Robbie's eyes widened. She wore his wig on her date? How dare she! His wig moved a little but Robbie stuffed it back on.
Cat stared at her in confusion. "What?"
Tori gave her a questioning glance and repeated her question. Cat looked down in shame. "That did not come up."
Robbie stared at her incredulously. Crap. This was not good. "You never told him you were wearing one of my wigs?" He couldn't help the hurt ringing in his voice as he said it.
"…I guess not." Cat looked at him worriedly. They later found out that she had not mentioned the blue contacts to Evan either.
"So you spent like five hours with this guy and he still doesn't know what you really look like?" Tori asked.
"No. Oh my god!" she cried and started to hyperventilate. "What if he hates girls with red hair and brown eyes? !" she said, turning to Robbie.
"Don't worry, he won't!" Tori reassured her.
Robbie's heart ached as he saw tears pooling in Cat's eyes. He hated it when she was sad. "Are you crying?" He gently touched her elbow.
"Yeah, I can't help it!" Cat cried and Robbie winced as Cat slapped his arm away and grabbed Tori's underwear out of her hand. "I cry when I'm scared!"
He watched them talk about Tori's underwear, reeling from the fact that Cat had rejected his comfort. He understood how upset she was, but still… His feelings had still gotten hurt in the process.
Tori eventually stormed away and this time, Cat let Robbie rub her shoulder. "What am I going to do?" she wailed and buried her face into Robbie's chest.
Robbie placed his hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Tell him the truth. You're not a blonde- you're a sweet little red head that loves red velvet cupcakes."
"I can't! What if he doesn't like me!"
"You're being ridiculous! What guy wouldn't like you? !" Robbie's tone hardened in frustration.
"I'm going to lunch!" Cat brushed past Robbie and stormed down the hallway. Robbie sighed and followed her. He wished she could see how beautiful she really was.
Meanwhile, the wig slid down further, slowly exposing his true feelings about Cat. He bit his tongue in frustration and put it back on. There's no way Cat would fall for a guy like me.
"I'm so upset," Cat moaned at the lunch table.
Jade glared at Robbie, who was fidgeting nervously with his hands. "Did you try to play pirates with her?" she said in an accusatory tone.
Robbie glared back at her. "No!" he exclaimed.
Tori explained the situation to Jade and Jade looked surprised. "You didn't tell him you were wearing a blonde wig?"
"I forgot! What if he hates red-headed girls?"
"He won't!" Tori consoled her.
"You're being silly!" he told her, his heart breaking even more at her anguish. He could feel his wig starting to slide off, but he ignored it for the time being.
The girls talked about the guy and he rolled his eyes at his name: Evan Smith. What a typical name. How boring was that? And ugh, Briarwood. That school was incredibly snobby. Robbie could already tell that this guy was bad news. Robbie's frustration escalated as he heard Cat go off on a tangent.
"If he sees what I really look like he's gonna be disappointed and-"
"That does it!" he shouted and threw his water bottle on the ground, making the three girls jump in surprise. "Catarina Valentine, I will not sit here anymore and listen to you talk bad about yourself!" He looked at her with misty eyes. "You're adorable. Any guy would be lucky as cheese to go out with you." The wig slid down further as Robbie's anger continued to grow stronger.
"Thanks, Robbie, that's really sweet, but you don't know how guys think," Cat responded.
Robbie felt like she had punched him right in the gut. He was a boy! He sure as heck knew how guys thought about girls! Look at him- he's been crushing on this girl for a whole year now and she has the nerve to tell him THAT? He couldn't believe how insensitive she was being to him when he was only trying to help. "What? Hah- how could- Good day!" He picked up his backpack, practically leaped off of his seat and stormed out of the Asphalt Café.
"Cheese is lucky?" he faintly heard Tori snicker to Cat.
"Yes!" he shouted, and once again he repositioned his invisible wig. He never should've said anything in the first place.
What did he ever do to deserve this kind of torture?
"Hurry Robbie, he's already here! You have to put the wig on now!"
"Okay, okay! Don't rush me, I am a Wig Master and I need to get this just right!"
He clenched his fist tightly around the comb in his hand. Why, oh why was he doing this for her? Did she really have to be just so darn cute? He felt like a fool helping the girl he loves get another guy.
"And… done," he said a few minutes later. Standing in front of him was a blonde-haired beauty with sparkling blue eyes… but it wasn't Cat. No, Cat was the red head whose eyes melted like chocolate, not this faker who was waiting for his opinion on how she looked.
"What do you think?" she said, twirling around a little bit and giggling at the blonde locks flying gracefully behind her neck. "Do I look gorgeous and blonde?"
Robbie sighed and looked down at his shoes. "Yes Cat, you look great."
Cat noticed the change in his mood. "What's wrong, Robbie?"
"Nothing," he muttered. It was killing him not to look at Cat, but he couldn't… not when she was acting like this. "I just like your red hair better, that's all."
"What's that supposed to mean!" she yelled. "I'm not pretty? !"
"No, no!" he said quickly. "Just… different." His wig was now askew as he made himself look at Cat. "This isn't right."
"Why not?"
"You're lying to him!" Robbie cried. "Why are you changing yourself for a guy you've only known for five hours?"
"I don't know, okay!" she shouted back at him. Her eyes suddenly got teary. "I just want him to like me."
His expression melted in sympathy. "Aw, come here, Kitty," he said, using her pet name that her brother usually called her. He offered her his arms and she barreled right into him. "Of course he'll like you. Everyone likes you, Cat. I like you," he whispered, and the wig almost blew off of his head.
She sniffed. "Thanks, Robbie. For everything. I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier."
He patted her shoulder and motioned to the stage door. "Don't worry about it. Go have fun."
Cat gave him one last teary-eyed glance before wiping her eyes and walking into the theatre.
Robbie quickly tidied up his work area and made his way over to Jade and Tori, who were staring at Cat's transformation with astonishment. Upon seeing Robbie, Tori's disbelief turned into anger. "Hey!" she said, pointing over at Cat, who was happily sharing popcorn with Evan. "Did you do that to Cat's head?"
Robbie sighed. "I couldn't talk her out of it," he said sadly.
"You helped her? !"
"Do you see this belt? I am a Wig Master! Helping people with their wig needs is my duty."
He winced mentally as he felt his emotions start to slip out of control. In just a few moments, he might not be "The Wig Master" anymore. One more blow and he would be done for. The real him would be out there for everyone to see. He shivered in horror at the sheer thought of that happening.
Tori rolled her eyes before pulling on Robbie's belt and snapping it back into his stomach in anger. Robbie cried out and stumbled back a little bit, then regained his composure and sat beside, who looked less than happy to see him.
As the film started, Jade leaned her head in Robbie's direction. "Can you spy on Cat's date for me?"
Robbie pretended to be surprised, even though he had already thought about doing that in the first place. "That's just rude and sneaky! Why don't you do it?"
"Because I want to enjoy the film. And I know you like her," Jade said bluntly.
Before he had a chance to react, Jade whisper-screamed "Just do it!" into his ear, making his heart stop and he almost wet his pants.
He tried to enjoy the film but kept glancing back every few minutes to check up on Cat and Evan. Ugh, he thought as Cat munched on popcorn and snuggled into Evan's shoulder. His arm was around her shoulders and they kept looking at each other more than the movie. Too much PDA.
Suddenly, he heard a flapping noise behind him and saw Larry on top of Cat's head. He then glanced over at Evan, who didn't even seem to notice what was going on with his date. "That douche bag," he muttered under his breath.
"Larry! Oh my word, stop the film, stop the film!" Andre ordered. "Cat, whatever you do, don't move."
However, Cat didn't get the message in time. "I gotta go freshen up!" She screamed and ran towards the bathroom.
At first, Robbie couldn't help but laugh at the spectacle unfolding in front of them. Andre's hands were flying everywhere, and Robbie noticed that Evan wasn't going after her. He smiled. Maybe the bird was a sign that she and Evan weren't meant to be.
But then Robbie's face fell and he followed Tori as she ran out of the theatre after Cat. No matter how selfishly happy he was about how things had turned out, he felt bad for her. She didn't want her to hurt any more, and he was determined not to let her get hurt again.
"Please fix it Robbie, fix my wig!" she begged him once again.
"Okay," he said reluctantly, but Tori stopped him. "No!" She pointed a finger at Cat. "This ends now," she said in a spooky voice.
Cat gave her the puppy dog eyes that had fooled Robbie once before in 7th grade. "Tori…"
"Cat," she whined and grabbed her shoulders. "You are a beautiful girl with a beautiful personality! Any guy would be insanely lucky to go out with you."
"Lucky as cheese!" Robbie added, again receiving annoyed glances by both Tori and Cat.
Tori kept reassuring Cat, telling her that Evan will still think she's amazing. "You really think he will still like me?" she asked.
"Absolutely."
Robbie nodded in agreement. "Come with me," he said gently and took her wrist.
"I don't know about this," Cat worried as Robbie led her towards the nearest bathroom.
"It's okay."
"But I don't like controversy!"
"I got you."
Cat twirled a piece of her red hair as she looked nervously at herself in the bathroom mirror. Robbie smiled as she bit her bottom lip- he thought she looked absolutely adorable. He smiled at seeing Cat's hair again. There's the girl he knew that he was in love with. "Do you think I should do this?" she asked softly.
"Yes, I do. It's time for Evan to see the real you."
"But what if-"
"Cat, stop it! You've asked us that about twenty times today! He. Will. Love. You." Robbie accentuated each word in the last sentence as he talked. "And you guys will kiss and date and live happily ever after, okay? Stop doubting yourself!"
Cat jumped at his sudden explosion and Robbie felt his wig hanging by a thread. "You really think he would go out with me?" she said wistfully.
Robbie smiled sadly. "Yes Cat, I do. Any guy would be-"
"Lucky as cheese, I know," she interrupted him and giggled.
He then looked her square in the eyes. "-to go out with you," he said and finished his thought. "I would go out with you."
Cat looked up at him in surprise. "Really? You would?"
"In a heartbeat," he answered her honestly.
Cat's bottom lip quivered and she hugged Robbie tightly around his waist. "Thank you for believing in me," she whispered. Her sadness almost tore Robbie to pieces.
"Anything for you," he whispered back. "Now go out there and win Evan's heart." He let go off her and gave her one last look of hopelessness. "He'll be the luckiest guy in the world to have you."
Cat, speechless at his kind words, gave him a peck on the cheek and trotted out of the bathroom.
Robbie listened through the bathroom wall as Cat and Evan talked and a wave of emotions barreled down upon him. His hands shook and his heart beat fast in his chest as Cat explained her whole disguise to Evan. His fists clenched and he held back tears as Evan told Cat that she was beautiful. And then… he heard Evan drop the bomb.
"But I'm really into blondes. Later." Robbie's eyes shot up and he and Cat gasped at the same time. He rubbed his forehead with his hands as he heard Andre chase Larry around again and Cat's frantic footsteps head towards the Blackbox Theatre.
Oh no, Cat's going to be devastated, he lamented to himself. Then, he got an idea. He sprinted out the bathroom door and ran to Sikowitz's room to get his guitar. He snipped a few strands of the thread that the wig was holding onto ever so tightly.
This ends now.
Robbie took a deep breath and walked out from behind the curtains after he heard Tori leave the room. "Hey," he said softly as he set his eyes on a dejected Cat. God, she was so cute even when she was upset.
"Hi." She continued to stare down at her giraffe, Mr. Purples.
Robbie looked down at his guitar and prepared what he was going to say next. "I think that Evan guy is dumb for not seeing how great you are." By now, his wig dangled behind his back, miraculously hanging on by the thinnest two strands ever to exist.
She didn't say anything; she just looked up at him and gave him a small smile.
"Do you wanna hear the new song I've been working on?"
"I don't know if I'm in the mood to listen-"
"Please?" For the first time ever, Robbie's voice tugged on her heartstrings and she looked up to see his pleading expression.
His eyes begged her to answer him, to give him a chance to play her his song. " 'Kay."
Robbie put the strap around his neck and looked at the girl he now knew that he loved more than anything in the world. This song was about her. It was true- he was officially in love with this girl. She needed to know how he felt about her- and at this point, the sooner the better. He didn't want to risk losing her again like he almost did just minutes ago.
With his inspiration right in front of him, Robbie sang the song. This time, there were no imperfections. His voice grew stronger and he became more confident as he saw Cat blushing and laughing along with the lyrics. He smiled widely and continued to sing as he sat down beside her. He could hear his voice bouncing off the walls, but he didn't care- all he could care about at the moment was the angel sitting right in front of him.
"And I think you're swell," he finished. He looked at Cat's expression, which was a mixture of delight and speechlessness, and glanced back down nervously. He pursed his lips together and waited for her to react while feeling his wig pulling him down with that one last tiny thread. She needed to know. She needed to figure it out. But how would she react? He started to panic. What was going to happen now?
"Hey!" Cat said and placed a hand on his arm.
Robbie jolted out of his thoughts and looked at her hopefully. His eyes lit up as he stared deep into her brown orbs. He wanted to kiss her so badly. Just do it, he told himself. Stop being a wimp and just do it. He leaned in closer but stopped halfway through as her words came crashing into his ears.
"What if I just dyed my hair blond?"
You have GOT to be kidding me. Please Cat, tell me you're joking.
He squeezed his eyes shut and put his head into his hands. "Unbelievable," he muttered.
"What did you say?" Cat asked, looking at him worriedly. "Do you think that's a good idea?"
Suddenly, Robbie snapped. He just lost it. He tore the wig off of his head and threw it down onto the ground and stomped on it. He was done- he was done playing games. No more compliments, no more songs… just the clear, utter truth. "No, Cat! It's an awful idea! How could you say that?"
"Maybe Evan would take me back if I did," Cat said sadly and played with her giraffe nervously.
She jumped as she saw Robbie stand up abruptly and his guitar clattered to the floor. "I cannot believe you, Caterina!" he yelled, using her full first name for the second time in a week. "You still like him after he treated you like chizz? He doesn't deserve you! Don't be an idiot and go crawling back to him like some weakling. You're better than that, Cat!"
He paced around the room in a fit of anger. "You are the most amazing girl I've ever met. I'm done hiding my feelings for you. I like you a lot, Cat. And when we 'stage-kissed' that one day at lunch a year ago… I fell in love with you. I care about you more than anything in the world… and yet you still want a boy who only likes blondes and doesn't give a damn about personality at all? !"
She whimpered as he walked closer to her. "Robbie, I-"
"Well congratulations! Go have fun with Evan; I've officially given up on you, Cat Valentine. Good night."
"But Robbie!"
"I SAID GOOD NIGHT!"
Robbie turned around and stormed out into the hallway towards Tori's locker. He sat down on the floor and buried his head into his arms. He felt tears streaming down his face and did nothing to stop them from doing so.
He wanted so desperately to put the wig back on- to go back to the days where he admired Cat from afar and kept his feelings to himself. But no. The girl had broken him down- she was the one that had the power to remove his wig. It was her all along.
Meanwhile, Cat held back tears and finally got her thoughts together. She knew what she had to do. She had to go find Robbie.
She had something important to tell him.
"Robbie! Where are you?" Cat shouted.
She stopped to catch her breath and saw him against the lockers. She tugged on his arm vigorously, begging him to get up. "I need to ask you something!"
"Go away," he mumbled.
"Please?" she whispered. Hearing this, he gave in and let Cat help him up.
"What do you want? Why can't you just leave me be?" Robbie moaned.
"Just listen to me!" Cat took a deep breath and took Robbie's wrists into her hands. "Do you think I'm beautiful? Do you like me the way I am?" These were the questions she had thought about asking Evan tonight but failed to do so because she was too scared to ask him in the first place. "Are you really in love with me?" The last one was meant for only Robbie to hear.
His mouth gaped open and he placed his hands on her shoulders. "A million times yes to all of them." His voice started to crack. "You're so special to me, Cat. How can you not realize this? I know I'm not your type, but-"
He was interrupted as Cat pressed her lips to his. Robbie let out a startled squeak before he realized what was happening. Oh my god. She's kissing me! Robbie felt like he was floating on air.
His gut reaction was to slide his hands around her waist and pull her closer. Robbie moved his hand up to stroke her cheek as they broke apart. "I…I don't know what to say," he stuttered.
Cat giggled at his reaction. "So does this mean we're dating?" he asked.
"I think so." She hugged him tightly and nuzzled her chin against his neck. "I'm so sorry, Robbie; I didn't mean to hurt you! I never knew you felt that way."
Robbie smiled. "It's okay, Cat; you're forgiven. I'm so glad to have you back." Cat felt her heart flutter as Robbie's eyes stared deeply into hers. "I promise I'll never, ever hurt you like Evan did."
Cat's mouth dropped open and she covered her mouth in surprise. "Okay."
She smiled shyly at him but frowned as something in her pocket buzzed. She took her Pearphone out and Robbie laughed as she let out a delighted gasp. "Ooh, it's my brother! I have to go!"
She kissed him again on the lips and he shivered as her lips barely grazed his ear. "Call me," she whispered before heading towards the door.
Robbie stared at her, frozen in shock. Did that really just happen? Did he really just get the girl of his dreams?
"Oh, and Robbie?" the red head called, snapping Robbie out of his trance.
She smiled widely at him. "I'm glad you took my wig off. And I'm glad you took yours off, too."
Wait… what? ?
There's no way. Robbie shook his head as he made his way out to the parking lot. There's no way she could've known. He thought about asking her about it tomorrow, but decided against it. That was another story for another day.
Cat was right- his wig was gone. He was no longer the Wig Master who hid himself from everyone else. His well-earned title was gone.
He was now Robbie Shapiro, the guy dating the most amazing girl he had ever known- and he was determined to keep it that way.
So that's it! Again sorry for the length. Let me just explain a few things first.
ROBBIE'S WIG IS NOT REAL. It is merely a symbol of what keeps him from being the person he really is. Another way to think about it could be that the wig is Rex, since he always seems to be holding Robbie back. Whatever way you want to interpret it is fine by me.
Cat never knew about Robbie's "wig." She was just being her naïve little self and thought that Robbie had worn an actual wig.
Thanks for reading!
Review pleaseeeee! Por favorrrr! It's 2:30 in the morning and I'm going crazyyyyy! ! !