Hollywood Arts was completely abuzz the next morning. Tori had been mobbed by students like a celebrity fighting of paparazzi. "Did you paint it?"
"No!"
"Who did?"
"I don't know!"
"Do you think it's a love note?" You smiled at that—well, that question was oddly specific. It was also accurate. Leave it to Cat to be the most insightful person of the group.
"I don't know," she responds, clearly bewildered. "I didn't know anyone was in love with me. I mean, I really like it a lot. It's a creative way to say you love me, but… why didn't he sign it?" Your heart sank. "I mean, how do I know if I love him back if I don't know who he is."
"Maybe he's just too shy to say something to you," André offers. She looks at him and smiles. Your heart sinks further. If she thinks it's André, you'll never forgive yourself for that coda.
"Aww, is it you, André?" Her smile is entirely too genuine and affectionate.
"Sorry Tor, it's not me." She frowns, and her brow creases.
"Who could it be?" The question hangs in the air as the bell rings and you all slog off to your classes.
You manage to make it through most of the day without getting crushed again, but then you see her in the bathroom and she's humming to herself. You think you recognize the tune.
"Oh hey! What's up?" You shrug in a nonchalant manner that's a little out of place for you.
"Using the restroom?" It comes out more of a question than an answer. You decide to push a little. Maybe you can steer her from the heteronormative thought process. "You're getting a lot of attention today."
"I know, it's crazy! Did you see the picture of me painted on the warehouse?" Did you see it? Of course you did. "Some guy painted like, a ten-foot portrait of me and didn't sign it with anything but a coda. No one has any idea who it was!" No one but you and Officer Vega, that is. Of course, you weren't going to tell her that.
"Who says it was a guy?" you ask in an effort to buoy your soul. She looks at you with wide eyes. You know you're acting out of character, but to try and save face, you tack on, "maybe you have a crazed fan. You remember what that one crazy girl did to the iCarly crew." She laughs nervously, and then her eyes darken.
"You think…?" but you're already leaving the bathroom before she can figure out it was you.
This has to come to a conclusion. You're waiting outside the Vega residence for him, just so you can talk to him about his daughter and how you want to graffiti her face all over Hollywood. Soon enough, he comes walking outside to head to the police station. "Officer Vega!" He turns.
"Hey, what's going on?"
"I'm doing it again. Tonight. My message apparently went over her head."
"You need to talk to her," he warns again. "There may be something you don't know about her." You look at him curiously, but he doesn't elaborate. Without another word, you take off, and this time, you plant your creative seed a little closer to Hollywood Arts. Graffiti allowed you to blow off a bit of steam sometimes, but cryptic cops? Not so much.
Four and a half hours later, you have two Toris, one at a three-quarter angle, with the other looking dead on at you and emerging from the first Tori's hair. You sign this time, "Love," before the coda symbol. Your "Love" has such flowing, beautiful script that it couldn't be denied it belonged to a woman. And this time, you'd make damn sure she knew you were her coda.