A/N: Ok, so since my very enthusiastic friend CrazySmiley asked me to continue this, I will! It will be a multi-chapter event because I'm walking on eggshells for ideas. So, R&R and enjoy!
CrazySmiley this one's for you! ;) PS-The German will come in later-
One Year Later-
"I cannot wait! Ah! The showcase is only two days away and Cat and Andre are gonna rock it!" Tori said, quite loudly, while she threw her hands about. Andre blushed and Cat jumped up and down while clapping her hands.
"I know! And my parents are gonna record it so my brother can watch from his special home!" Cat proceeded to screech and bounce while everyone else looked at each other in that special way that was reserved for when Cat says something...special.
"That's great Cat!" Tori eventually got over the awkwardnes to congratulate the redhead.
"Yeah, he'll love it Lil' Red!" Andre said, fidgeting with his tie.
"Yeah Cat, he'll probably put it on replay!" Beck added in his 2 cents.
"Totally!" Robbie hopped on the bandwagon as well.
"Woooow. You guys are pathetic." Rex commented. Everyone's eyes flew to Cat. Said redhead stopped her hopping about and glared at him furiously.
"What's THAT supposed to mean?" And then she ran off in the direction of the girls bathroom.
Everyone turned to look at the puppet int Robbie's arms.
"What?" Rex was kind of on edge from the way they were all glaring at him. And then they attacked.
"You should know better by now Rex!" Tori said in exasperation.
"Not cool man." Andre was shaking his head.
"You need to shut up every once and a while!" Beck angrily ran his hand through his hair.
"Rex, you can't have any pudding when we get home." Robbie said thinking of a quick punishment for the little man.
"Ugh, fine then babies I'm gonna go get a soda." Robbie rolled his eyes. "Bye guys."
Beck sighed as Robbie and Rex left.
He turned back to Tori and Andre.
"So Tori, you planning on making a killing at the Senior Showcase Friday?" She looked at Beck and giggled.
"Haha, no." Beck raised an eyebrow. "And why not?"
Tori put a hand up to her mouth as if that could somehow stop the boys from hearing her laugh. "I have plans."
Beck exchanged a glance with Andre. "Um Tori, you alright?" She laughed again.
"Never better. I'm gonna go find Cat and make sure she's alright." And then she walked off leaving both boys confused.
"What the hell just happened?" Beck crossed his arms and turned to look at Andre. Andre shrugged.
"Man, I gave up on understading women a long time ago. But I will admit, every since lunch Tuesday she's been really weird." Beck slowly shook his head as realization dawned on him.
"Yeah, right after that phone call." The boys slowly looked up to meet each other's eyes and then smiled.
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Andre asked Beck.
"Only if you're thinking about what I'm thinking." Andre nodded. "Ok, so when we gonna get it?" Beck bit his lip and looked around anxiously.
"I say 4th hour." Andre laughed. "When she has Instruments?" Beck nodded.
"Perfect. SO we'll meet right before lunch at her locker. You gonna get the combo?" Beck laughed.
"Why get the combo when I can get a screwdriver?" Andre and Beck smiled and shook hands, then walked off in separate directions.
Meanwhile, Cat and Tori were in the bathroom primping.
"Are you sure you're ok Cat?" Cat finished putting on her lipgloss and then nodded. "Yeah. Even though Rex is mean, he's still my friend. I forgive him." She smiled brightly into the mirror.
Tori finished touching up her blush and glance over at the petite girl. Sometimes she felt like Cat had no idea what was actually going on, and sometimes she felt like Cat knew just a little too much. One of these days, Tori was gonna figure out what was up with Cat...and then try to sort out her brother.
"So are you still gonna wear that pink dress to the showcase?" Tori asked to try and change the subject. Cat squealed.
"No! I found a new dress at that place Jade took us to last year." If not for Cat's happiness over the dress, she probably would've started too cry over how much she missed her best friend. Tori, however, was almost happy that Jade was gone because she could finally stop being afraid of everything all the time.
"Really? But I though your heart was set on that one?" Cat nodded slowly. "Yeah, but then I saw this dress and I just knew!" Cat's smile was taking up a large part of her face, in fact it was so huge Tori had to laugh at how happy the shorter girl was.
"Alright then, whatever makes you happy. Let's head over to Sikowitz's class, we don't want to be late." Cat gasped.
"No! He might hit us with a ball! Or a coconut!" And then both girls scurried out the door because coconuts hurt.
"Ugh, my day is ruined! Thank you Sikowitz!" Tori shouted in exasperation. By the gloomy looks on her friends faces, they felt the same way. Cat, Robbie, Rex, and herself had plopped themselves and their lunches uncerimoniously onto their regular lunch table after the drama the was Sikowitz.
Sikowitz had requested everyone make up a murder scene with a partner of his choosing and act it out at the end of class. When everyone had finished however, Sikowitz was staring dejectedly at the ground. Beck had clapped his hands in an effort to wak up their teacher, and when he did, Sikowitz had shouted, "Pathetic! Those were the most predictably drawn-out deaths I have ever seen!" And then he sighed.
"If only Jade was still here. Yes, Jade West! That would've been amazing! I would've been able to actually feel the pain and release of death!" Sikowitz finished sipping whatever he drinks from those coconuts and then walked out the back door of the classroom. And then the bell rang.
Beck, Andre, Cat, Torri, Robbie, and Rex didn't get up out of their seats. Jade was still a sore subject around them; everyone had lost a friend. Then Cat got up and ran out of the room crying. Beck got up and followed her out.
Which brought everyone right back to how they were right after Jade had left...
Beck was depressed for months. He hardly said anything and reguarly skipped Sikowitz's class, just because he knew Sikowitz would call on him regardless. For days on end, he wouldn't come to school; just stayed in his RV listening to songs Jade had recorded and looking at pictures of the two of them.
Cat became the major cause of everyone's anxiety. She dressed in dark colors, started to fail some of her classes, and for started fights. She didn't smile, or laugh, and all of the random sayings that made up Cat, were gone from her vocabulary. A couple of times, Cat had to spend the night at Tori's because her parents kicked her out for fighting.
After Jade left, the two had gotten closer over the loss of their friend (afterall Beck had been her boyfriend and Cat her best friend). A few weeks before the premire of Jade's German show, about two months after Jade had left, Cat had come to school crying with her makeup smeared all over her face. Beck went up and hugged her and the duo spent the entire day in the janitor's closet talking about Jade.
For a few weeks Andre walked around in a sort of haze with his headphones in his ears, listening to the playlists Jade had made for him one day when she found out he had no idea who Anti-Flag was. He started to read books about anything and everything. He lost his passion for the music.
Tori kind of drifted away from the group; just kept to her school work and the group's weekly movie nights. She made more friends and the time she didn't spend with the gang, she spent with them. Jade's absence hadn't really affected her in a major way; the girl terrified her more than aything.
Robbie kept to his studies and puppetering and became President of the AV club. Sinjin and him got closer as friends becuase they cared about Jade, but she didn't necessarily care for them back.
It wasn't a good time for anyone in the group; Jade hadn't been the nicest person to be around, but she was still a crucial part of their friendship. It got better when her show aired though.
They started to have weekly airings over at Tori's house, watching their friend live out her dreams. Eventually the weekly airings turned into everynights at someone's house. And then those turned into everydays and lunch, and then things went back to how they were before Jade left. Almost at least.
Tori shook her head to get rid of the past. Everyone was better now. She smiled into her tuna sandwhich about her earlier conversation this week. But Beck and Andre still hadn't showed up and she was starting to get a little antsy..
The rest of the gang half-heartedly dug into their food still reminiscing of the past and Jade West.