How Robbie Knew That Cat Kept Candy in Her Bra
Chapter Two: The Bird Scene
A/N: Thank you for all of your nice reviews! Answers to some questions in the Author's Note at the bottom.
Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. If I did, Cat would probably be the main character and the show would be called CompliCATed or something like that.
"Betsy! Betsy!" Jade exclaimed in her fake Southern accent. "That animal's delicious flesh can keep us all alive for another week!" she motioned to the comically large artificial pig in Cat's hands. Cat was struggling not to drop the heavy stuffed animal, but she made sure to stay in character.
"I don't wanna be alive without Pauncy," Cat gushed, trying to match her false accent with Jade's. "This pig is everything to me that my daddy never was! And I'll be—" her line was cut short as Sikowitz threw a teal-colored rubber ball at the girl, causing her to scream in a mixture of surprise and pain and fall to the ground.
"Sikowitz!" Jade burst out in annoyance, to which her crazy teacher replied dully as if he did nothing of significance. Cat rubbed her cheek with her hand and huffed. Her face stung where the ball had hit her, and she wasn't happy with Sikowitz in the slightest, no matter what the reason he threw that stupid ball at her.
Cat stood up next to Jade, her brown eyes wide. "You hit me in the face with a ball!" she accused, rubbing her cheek with her hand yet again.
"Oh, come on," Sikowitz yelled, waving his arms all around. Surprisingly, he wasn't carrying one of his precious coconuts that morning. "A truly great actor can stay in the scene no matter what's happening around him!"
Cat crossed her arms and knit her eyebrows together. "But it really hurts!" At that moment, the school's odd-sounding bell rang, signaling that it was time for the current class to end, and free period to start. "Ooh, lunch. Yay!" she cried out in delight, completely forgetting about what had just happened, and after swooping up her backpack and tossing it over her shoulder, running out into the hallway.
Robbie quickly caught up to her and grabbed her arm. Cat turned around and glared at the boy who had disrupted her from running to the Asphalt Café before they ran out of salads. "What do you want?" she hissed, still angry at him for the confusing way he had treated her back on Tori's first day.
"Please just talk to me," Robbie pleaded, all the while contemplating if he should put Rex down for this conversation, but ultimately deciding not to. "I'm tired of chasing you around everywhere. I just want to talk to you and figure out why you're so mad at me."
Cat rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, flipping her straight magenta hair behind her shoulder. "You honestly don't know why I'm upset?" she asked, the spite in her voice completely evident. "Wow, Robbie Shapiro. I thought you knew me better than that." And without another word, Cat turned around and started to head back towards Sikowitz's classroom.
"Wait!" Robbie called, his eyes squinting with sadness and befuddlement. "Where are you going?"
"I have to ask Sikowitz a question about the homework," she answered dryly, beginning to walk back down the hall. Suddenly, she remembered the salad. Not wanting to have to eat peanut butter and jelly for the third day in a row, she started to run. "Hey Sikowitz," Cat began as she found her way to the door leading to his classroom. "I forgot to ask you a question about the homework…"
But for the second time that day, Sikowitz chucked the teal rubber ball at her head and she screamed, running once again down the hallway and straight into Robbie. He caught her in his arms, saving the tiny redhead from crashing to the ground. "Whoa," he exclaimed, tightly gripping her by shoulders. "Why in such a rush?"
Cat looked up at Robbie and blew a stray piece of hair out from in front of her eyes, seeing the amused expression on the face of the boy who was holding her. A silent moment passed and then Cat started to giggle, and not being able to help herself, burst into full-out laughter. It was ridiculous, all this ball-throwing! And it was even more ridiculous that Robbie was the one to save her from crashing into the tile floor. Sort of like Prince Charming, isn't he? the voice in her head pointed out. But Cat dismissed the thought and kept on laughing.
Robbie started chuckling along with her, and helped Cat steady herself once again. When the joyful noise faded away, Cat gazed up at Robbie questioningly. "Where's Rex?" she asked, honestly wondering.
Robbie zipped open his backpack and took Rex out. Rex didn't have a comment like he usually would, and Robbie put his index finger up to his mouth in a shh gesture. "Don't tell anyone," he winked, and Cat giggled at his silliness. "Hey, Cat," Robbie started again, positioning the puppet back on his arm. "I told Andre and Beck I'd go eat lunch with them, do you mind if…" he trailed off, but Cat just smiled.
"Go ahead," she told him, waving her hands around. "I understand. Go have fun." Robbie smiled and said a quick 'thanks' before he started off down the hallway yet again. "Hey!" Cat called out to him, and he turned around to look at her. "I'm glad we made up. And thanks for catching me back there."
Robbie grinned and waved to his friend. "No problem. And I'm glad we did too."
Later that week in between class periods, Tori attempted to figure out what she did wrong with the Bird Scene. While she was busy bothering Jade and Beck, Cat and Robbie walked together and started talking. "I wish we could help Tori," Cat admitted sadly, looking over at her friend who was desperately trying to squeeze some information out of anyone who would listen to her.
"You know we can't do that, Cat," Robbie reminded her, turning the corner and coming to a halt a bit to the left of Tori's locker. He grinned slyly, a plan forming in his brain. "But that doesn't mean we can't have some fun with this." Tori began to walk their way and Robbie glanced at Cat. "Play along!"
Before Cat could ask him what he was talking about Tori exclaimed, "Oh, come on! How am I supposed to do the scene right if no one will tell me what I did wrong? I thought you guys were my friends." A defeated look on her face, she slumped over toward Robbie.
"I'm not your friend," Jade sneered from behind her, pulling Beck over to the vending machines.
"I was hoping we could be more than friends, hmm?" Rex suggested tauntingly.
This must be what Robbie was talking about! Cat thought to herself, quickly thinking up something to say. "It's so gross how he's always hitting on every girl," she conjured up at once, smiling to herself on the inside for being so quick on her feet. Improv had always been her thing.
"I've never hit on you," Rex countered.
Cat's brown eyes widened and she threw her arms up mock embarrassment. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Tori rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically, the attention focusing back on her. "You guys!" she exclaimed frantically. "My problem?"
"The number one rule of the Bird Scene," Beck cut in, walking back over to the group from where he and Jade had just been standing. "No one is allowed to help you."
"No one," Rex echoed. After that, Cat sort of tuned out for the rest of the conversation, only adding her input when no one else had anything to say. Bored, she went off to find her locker and grab what she needed for her next class.
Cat walked slowly up the staircase in the commons area, texting away on her cell phone. She had almost fallen asleep during her sixth period class, so she asked if she could be excused to go take a nap in the nurse's office. She was still contemplating taking that nap… just not with the scary old nurse watching her. Cat had never been one to skip classes, but for some reason she was feeling rebellious today.
"Cat," said a familiar voice. Cat snapped her head up, only to find her friend Tori walking down the staircase to her left.
"Hey," Cat replied, putting her phone back in her pocket.
Tori grinned deviously and reached into her purse, pulling out a shiny metal object. "You have to try something," she stated.
"Handcuffs?" Cat asked as she was able to get a good look at the object Tori had pulled out of her purse. She raised an eyebrow in suspicion but didn't say anything further.
"Uh huh," Tori confirmed, motioning toward Cat's hand. "Put them on one wrist."
"Okay," Cat said, not questioning what was happening. Why should she question it? Tori was her friend, and she'd never do anything to intentionally hurt Cat. Right?
Tori grinned. "Good. Now lock the other part around here." The brunette girl shut the clamp firmly on the handrail next to the stairs.
"Fun," Cat said innocently, staring off into space as Tori pulled yet another item out of her purse. Must be a big purse, Cat thought dismissively.
Tori held a small white box in front of her and flashed a smile. "Okay, now try these."
Cat looked down and her expression immediately brightened. "Ooh, candy!" she exclaimed and held out her hand eagerly. Tori poured some of the candies into Cat's hand and the redhead popped them into her mouth, not having a clue what they really were. "Mm, these are so…" Realizing what she had just ingested was definitely no delicious treat; Cat waved her hand in front of her mouth in a vain attempt at cooling it down. "So hot! What are these?"
"Chuchu peppers," answered Tori slyly, not seeming to care a bit that she had just duped one of the nicest girls in the entire school.
"Ugh, they're burning my mouth!" exclaimed Cat.
Tori smirked and held up her water bottle. "I know…" she mocked the tiny girl in front of her. "Want some water?"
"Yes!" Cat practically screamed.
Tori backed up and a serious expression spread across her face. "Tell me the secret of the Bird Scene!" she demanded, a determined look gleaming in her eyes.
"I can't!" Cat cried desperately, still in disbelief that Tori would pull something so mean like this on her. And like a total idiot, she had fallen right in the trap. She silently cursed herself before remembering the horrible burning sensation in her mouth. "And I need water!"
Tori sighed in a defeated manner and handed Cat the water bottle. "Fine!" Cat started to take a drink, and then looked up to see Tori leaving.
"Wait, Tori!" she called out, not wanting to be trapped on the handrail forever. The temporary relief of the water had lost its effect by then and Cat needed more. "…water!" she took another gulp before taking a breath and realizing that she was now completely alone in the hallway.
"Unbelievable," Cat muttered under her breath, finally being able to put down the water and look around for help. As if on cue, the bell for the end of the period rang and Trina Vega, Tori's sister, came bolting down the stairs. "Hey, Trina!" Cat began hopefully, doing her best to face the girl, but struggling against her binds. "Can you help me? I'm handcuff—"
Trina continued to run down the hall, her heels clicking and clacking against the tile noisily. "Sorry! Got to get to lunch before they run out of Panini's!" she exclaimed, not even stopping to turn around.
Not knowing what else to do, Cat fished her cell phone back out of her pocket and scrolled through her contacts, looking for someone to help her out of her current predicament. She stopped scrolling when she came to Robbie, and weighed her options for a moment or two before continuing on with clicking his name and sending him a quick explanatory text.
She waited for a moment, but he didn't reply. Feeling utterly lonely, Cat attempted to sit on one of the stairs, but she could only do so if she held her left hand up over her head. She shrugged and lifted up her arm, resting it on the handrail. Why did Tori do this to me? Cat thought sadly. She knows we're not supposed to tell her about the Bird Scene. What she did to me was so mean! I thought I was her friend…
"Cat?" a voice down the hallway echoed, and Cat was certain that she knew who it belonged to.
"Robbie!" she called back, standing up excitedly. "I knew that you'd come rescue me!"
The boy shrugged, walking into the tiny girl's field of vision. Puppet in hand, he pulled a small key out of his pocket. "What are friends for?" he dismissed, putting the key in the lock and turning it slowly, hearing the slight click as the handcuffs released Cat's thin wrist. "Tori gave me the key. I saw her when I was walking down here and I explained what I was doing," he informed, sticking the key back in his pocket.
"Did she apologize for leaving me here?" Cat asked hopefully, but her friend just shrugged in response.
"Not a word," he replied, putting his arm around Cat's shoulders when he noticed her sullen expression. "Come on, let's go get some coffee."
A/N: Thanks for reading! I wasn't sure exactly what Tori said the pepper's name was, but it sounded like something along the lines of "Chuchu" to me, so that's what I put. I searched for it on Google, but nothing came up... I didn't really know what else it could be, so I just put that anyway.
The more I re-watch these episodes and try to see things from Cat's point of view, the more I realize that Tori does some very selfish and kind of mean things. This was just another example. :\
To answer some questions I received, this is going to be as true to the series as I can be. If Cat and Robbie fight in the episode, they will fight in my chapter for that episode. I'll just have some inventive back story as to why they are. I will change some things (as minor as possible) for the sake of the story, so I hope you don't mind. I would like to think for myself and be a little creative.
Review if you read! I'd love to get feedback. Thank you!