I do not own any characters from Victorious, or any other references from the show.
Cat smiled at her reflection, brushing her red hair one more time. Her heart was beating against her chest. As she gave herself the once over, she concluded that she did look good, better than she had before summer vacation.
She had left Hollywood Arts a short, dumpy, friendless brunette that hid herself away and kept her talent to herself. She had no confidence, and going to San Francisco to stay with her Uncle and Uncle for two months seemed daunting. Scary, even.
She was glad she had done it now. On her first night there, she had walked into a lamppost and knocked herself out, ending up in hospital with a mild concussion (that part she wasn't so pleased about, but it was what happened afterwards that made it all alright.)
In hospital, she had made friends with a male nurse named Jon, who offered to show Cat around the city as soon as she felt better. Over the summer, they became inseparable, and Cat felt herself open up for the first time in her life.
With Jon's help, she had managed to lose some weight and tone up - an issue she'd been wanting to address ever since the new girl - Tori - had arrived at Hollywood Arts the previous year.
With her new slim figure and clothes for emphasis, Cat decided she needed to do something crazy. Something new, something that would make her stand out.
She dyed her hair red - the same red as a velvet cupcake.
Cat sighed, admiring her red locks. She felt so content with herself, like an open book, waiting for someone to take a good long read. She had Jon to thank for that.
Jon. She had spoken to him on the phone every night since she had gotten home, but she missed him a lot. Her first friend. At seventeen-years-old, she decided that statement may seem a little lame, but it was true after all.
Ok, not entirely true. In kindergarten she had made friends with a boy named Beck Oliver. They used to lie next to each other at naptime and share cupcakes at lunch. While she played with her plastic ponies, he would made his action figures ride them like steeds. They were a team, just like young Beck and Cat.
When Beck started to grow up, Cat became less important to him. He was interested in dating and soon started seeing the popular, if slightly mean girl, Jade. It stung Cat every day to see them together. Eventually, she faded into the background of their love story, wallowing in her misery.
Well, not this year. It was senior year, and she was going to get Beck back, no matter what it took.
Grabbing a slice of toast from the kitchen table, Cat said goodbye cheerily to her family, and rushed outside into the sunshine. She loved the fresh morning air on her face and was excited to go back to school.
It wasn't too far a walk, but she liked to saunter and take in everything around her. Usually, she would stare up at the clouds, trying to distinguish animals from the shapes they made. Today, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was perfect and blue.
When she arrived at Hollywood Arts, she was greeted with the sight of students everywhere. It was a sea of people wearing extravagant clothes and singing, dancing and playing instruments on the grounds. Some were connecting with their friends and others were bustling to find their lockers. The freshmen (who were easily spotted) all clumped against the gates, too scared to go anywhere and too unsure to make a display of themselves in front of the whole school.
Cat skipped to her locker, letting her back pack slide down her shoulders. Her sundress swayed against her legs as she moved. She felt radiant.
"Hey Valentine," An unusual, female voice said from behind her.
Cat turned round, cocking her eyebrows when she realised that Jade was standing unceremoniously behind her, her arms folded and her black boots tapping against the ground.
"I thought that was you," Jade added.
Cat opened her locker and began emptying the contents of her bag into it. "I didn't think you knew my name," She said shyly, not looking round to meet the other girl's gaze.
"Of course I know your name," Jade replied irritably, "What happened to you over the summer? You look so different."
Cat was almost ready to fire back her signature 'what's that supposed to mean?' but she stopped herself. She didn't need to know what Jade's snaky comment meant. She didn't want to know.
"I needed a change," Cat answered instead, closing her locker and smiling at the brunette. "Do you like it?"
For a moment, there was silence between them, then Jade's lips curled into a small smile. "I do. It's different, like you."
Cat wasn't sure what to take from that, but decided to nod and accept it as a compliment. It was probably the closest she'd ever get to one from Jade.
"How was your summer?" She asked, glowing inside. She was having a real conversation with someone! A conversation that wasn't part of a class project or a play!
Jade practically growled, then looked at the ground, her fists clenching at her sides. She counted to herself, trying to calm herself down. When she raised her head up again, her eyes were water glazed. "Beck split up with me," She told the redhead. "Right at the start. Said this wasn't what he wanted anymore. So it was tough."
Cat frowned. She wasn't quite sure why Jade was telling her this, but she felt bad for her. It seemed like Jade needed a friend, someone to confide in. And as popular as she was, she hadn't seemed to find that person.
In the back of her head, there was a voice telling her that Beck was available, a free man. She ignored it, pushed it away. That wouldn't be right. She wanted her friend back, nothing more. She wasn't a man stealer. She wasn't.
"I think it's Tori. I think he wants to be with her."
Jade seemed to be having a hard time talking. To her credit, she refused to cry. Cat found that admirable. At least three times a day, she would cry for reasons far stupider than Jade's.
"Why would you think it was Tori?"
No sooner had the words left Cat's mouth, the girl in question strolled towards them, flipping her hair as she went. At the other side of the hallway, Beck was fiddling with his locker, half listening to something Andre was saying to him.
"Hey Jade, how was summer vacation?" Tori asked brightly.
Jade grunted, then promptly spun on her heel and walked away.
Tori's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What's her problem?"
Cat shrugged, she didn't want to upset anyone, especially people that she hardly knew!
"Aren't you that girl in my acting class, Caterina?"
Cat smiled, "Cat, yeah that's me!"
"Wow, your hair is so red. It looks great!"
Cat blushed almost the same shade and mumbled a thank you.
"It looks really great."
Cat's heart slowed down. She could have sworn she felt it stop altogether. Time slowed, her palms started to sweat. Beck was next to her now, too, saying how he liked her hair.
He had hardly looked at her since the end of kindergarten and now, here he was, commenting on her hair and smiling at her the same way as he did back then.
The school's unique bell sounded in the air, startling her back to reality.
Cat swallowed, trying to stop all the words in her head from falling out her mouth. With a wide, toothy smile, she practically ran to her first class, feeling butterflies in the bottom of her stomach.