A/N***Thank you to all that have reviewed and favorite and followers it has helped a lot to know that I'm not just writing to pass the time. I do have problems with updating I have a job that takes a lot of my time and I had a surgery on my left arm that made it hard to work and write. My job is writing as well and I went from two hands to one…anyway done crying, I'm back, my partner is back and we are ready to work so here we go Chapter 10 and the end of this story.
Chapter 10
Jade and Beck had written a play during the slow times with Cat. Sikowitz loved it and wanted to put it on in the Black Box Theater immediately. Of course, he had to get the OK from the rest of the board. However, now that everyone knew about Cat and that he was planning on having this be a class project that Cat would be involved with, the board unanimously approved without deliberation moments after Sikowitz told them.
Lane announced the board's decision, and grinned without his slight condescending attitude towards his colleagues.
Sikowitz was still bitter from when they had turned Jade down and made her find another venue to put her play on. He believed that all Hollywood Art students should have the same rights to put on their plays at the school and not be forced to find other venues because they are unliked by someone on the board. The board should have been a scheduling committee only, and it was nice to see it working that way.
Sikowitz walked into his classroom without a word to say. He was wearing a nice button up shirt with a stylish pair of dress pants. On his feet was a pair of nice shiny black dress shoes. Topping it all off was a tweed sports coat with patches on his elbows and his usual fly away hair was brushed flat and back. They all looked their teacher over, stunned into silence. Tori was the first to react. Rising from her seat, she made her way to stand before the teacher. "M-Mister? Sikowitz…um…what the hell?"
"I had a meeting with the board today about Jade and Beck's play and I wanted to make sure they would listen to me."
"What, by dressing like a horny door-to-door salesman?" Cat asked, picking at her fingernails.
"No, I thought I'd shock them by looking like a professor. I just want to make sure that we can do the damn thing." He walked over to his desk, where he sat down and started pulling off his shoes.
"Okay, so now that the board knows you, quite sadly, have the same fashion sense as Barry Manilow does, are they going to let you do it?" Cat asked. She tossed her legs onto the lap of an unsuspecting kid next to her, drawing a strangled gasp of pain as her heels crashed down.
"Yes, they are going to let us do it, so I'm going to need Jade, Beck, Tori, Andre, Robbie, and Cat. The rest of you, get out," he said as he pulled off his shirt to his white t-shirt. As the other students left the room, he shrugged into a Hawaiian shirt so colorful that it clashed with itself. One quick scruff of his hand, and his hair flew away to its rightful place.
"What about me?" Rex asks. Sikowitz gave the puppet a look, rolled his eyes and grabbed his coconut.
"I never need you, Woody. Now get out."
In the Black Box Theater a few days later, Tori and Andre were on the stage running the music. They didn't plan any musical numbers, but even without singing, the play had an impressive sound track and they wanted to make sure their timing was right. Robbie and Cat were doing hair and make-up, laughing at each other, and generally being horrible flirts with one another, much to the discomfort of the actors, who had to endure their thinly veiled "Let's fuck soon" comments. Jade and Beck were running lines with the cast. Jade tore down all mistakes, while Beck brought a gentle smile and kind word for all the successes.
All in all, they did their jobs, getting the play to bed. But of course, everyone was watching Cat. They would look a little too long or ask her if she needed anything one time too many, and it was bringing Cat down. She honestly told herself she didn't want much to do with the play. But she couldn't pull herself away from her friends. They were looking at this as a way to prove that life was normal. Cat even found herself wishing that life would go on like this forever.
However, when school was out and the play was wrapped for the day, the gang would all meet over at Cat's. Even Sikowitz would make his way to her house from time to time. He was a friend of the family from when Cat's brother went to Hollywood Arts. In fact, it was Sikowitz that had sent him home the day he was killed. For the longest time, he had felt like Cat's brother's death was his fault. If he had just let the boy stay at school, then he would still be alive. It wasn't until after Cat came to Hollywood Arts that Sikowitz heard the full story of how her brother was killed. They were in the Black Box getting ready for a play and everyone else had left for the day but this was Cat's first time as makeup lead and she wanted to make sure she had it right. She was sitting in the dressing room chair with pictures of the cast and writing the colors that she would need when Sikowitz came in and sat with her.
"You know, you blame yourself when it would have been me or him," Cat told the teacher without looking up from her task.
"No, if I had told him to stay then…" Sikowitz had begun.
"Then I would have been killed, not him," she said, matter of factly. "You see, my brother was killed protecting me." She turned and looked deep into his eyes with tears running down her face. "I was the one that should have died that day. And now Fate is getting its chance."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, funny thing, I was saved from being shot one day to die of cancer another. I was told last week."
"What can done?" Sikowitz asked, horror playing across his face.
"Nothing. It has spread too far. I just have to play my part until I get to see my leading man again," Cat said as she gathered her pictures and lists. "You're not to blame…the person that is to blame is the person that shot my brother." She gave the man a kiss on top of his head like he has done to her many times before, and walked out of the theater, leaving him alone to his own thoughts.
Now at Cat's, everyone was sitting around talking about the play and how great it will be to have the final play of the year. They wanted it to go as well as it could. Jade walked into the kitchen where she found Cat taking her medicine with Tori close by helping her. Tori was there for the injections, Cat could not do them herself. As Tori readied herself, Jade sat down at the table and without thinking she got the bandage ready for Tori. "So Cat, do you think you will be up to the long hours? I mean, I can move some things around so Robbie can take most of work."
"Please, Jade, don't. I have always done the make-up on your plays and I'm not going to let someone else do it now," she told Jade, with one tear rolling down her face.
Jade couldn't be sure if the tear was from what she had said to Cat or the injection. "You're right and I wouldn't want any other way. Just forget that I said anything." Jade gave her a small smile and left the kitchen.
Tori watched with a heavy heart. She knew that Jade was worried about Cat, but on the other hand she knew that Cat didn't want to be taken off the play. Tori wanted to go comfort her girlfriend and she wanted to make sure that Cat wasn't overworking herself. With just a few moments of thought, she came up with a plan.
"Hey Andre, Beck, keep Cat happy. Got it? Jade, Sikowitz, we need to talk." Tori took Jade and the teacher into the kitchen. "Okay, I know you're worried about Cat. So am I but she's a jackass right. Too stubborn for her own good. Anyway, we need to find work that she can bring home. A lot of it is just sitting around, so she can just bring that home and still be part of the play." Tori was trying to convey every feeling she had for the girl and her friends. She just wanted everyone happy, and she wanted Cat to feel needed and wanted.
"I think that's a great idea. She has lots of work that she can do here," Sikowitz told her.
"Oh baby, I think she'll like that. I know she's been feeling like we might replace her." Jade shook her head, trying hard not to let the tears run.
"Well, I would never let that happen. I would stop the play before that would happen," The teacher said, getting upset and leaving the conversation.
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The play went off without a hitch. Cat had taken her work home, having the actors come to her house where she could rest and still apply their makeup. She had also spent a lot of time talking with Jade to make sure her part of Jade's vision was accomplished. On opening night, Cat had received a standing ovation when she was acknowledged before the start of the play. A great many faces in the crowd were streaked with tears, and Cat herself cried as she waved at the audience, moved beyond words. The play's beginning was delayed for a few minutes as the cast pulled themselves together. No one even commented that the makeup for the first scene was runny.
The play was scheduled to run for only three nights but by popular demand it ran for ten whole nights, twice on the weekends. This of course made the cast very tired and put five times more pressure on Cat. She was becoming more tired with each show and very weak. Tori had all but moved in over at her house to help with the hard times and any work she could.
Trina had told her mother the play was not the only reason Tori was spending so much time with Cat's family. She had also told her that Jade and Beck were spending a large amount of time with them. Holly being the quintessential mom she made sure that all three kids had everything that they needed to make things easier, from getting Tori's father David to make sure that Tori's car was running properly in case of an emergency to washing their clothes. She would give Tori money to buy groceries so the Valentines were not paying for everything and she herself would go over two times a week to clean and make sure everything would run smoothly for everyone. She would make sure that all the kids had someone to talk to. When Tori and Beck were busy doing other things, Holly had sat on her couch with Jade and let her cry while she held her. Holly had always had a soft spot for the young redhead and it broke her heart the day Trina told her how bad Cat was. She didn't know what to do, she started to pull the rest of the kids around her.
The friends and Sikowitz gathered at Tori's house for an end of the play cookout. Tori's parents had even invited Cat's folks over to get them out of the house.
While things were being cleaned up the kids moved into the living room to sit and talk about what they would do for the summer. They all hoped that Cat would be well enough to go on a small road trip. As they talked Cat stood up from the couch and moved to the hard wood floor. This is something she did a lot. The floor was hard, but it provided support and relief to her back muscles. With a small pillow, Cat was usually quite comfortable. Tori moved to sit with her, then Jade followed by Beck. It was a classic move for all four to be sitting on the floor together.
Cat laid on her back with her head in Tori's lap, a hand on Jade's leg and one of her legs on Beck's lap. Tori ran her hand gently through the redhead's hair, while Jade stroked her hand. Andre and Robbie pulled the couch up behind them where the two boys and Trina sat and talked to them.
This felt different, though. The circles under Cat's eyes had deepened to a distressing shade of bluish purple. She coughed frequently, and Beck was wiping her lips with a many time bloodstained cloth. Cat finally slumped down, falling into a short doze. Her breathing rasped in a way that Tori had never heard before. She locked eyes with Jade.
Jade began to get a heavy feeling in her chest. She looked down at Cat who blinked herself awake. She smiled weakly up at her. Cat raised her hand, untangling Tori's fingers from her hair and smiling at her. One tear slipped down her cheek. "It's time to take my last bow." Still smiling, Cat looked everyone in the eye as more tears fell. Finally, she looked over at her mother. "You directed a wonderful performance. Thank you." Then, with a deep shudder, she took her last breath.
The three friends held Cat, letting their tears fall onto her lifeless body. Trina swooped up both Robbie and Andre, and holding each other, the three grieved.
Cat's mother stood unsteadily, being supported on both sides, by her husband on her right and Sikowitz on her left. Looking over her daughter, she repeated over and over "You're welcome, baby."
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The Valentine family stood to leave the church. As soon as Jade stood, she nodded her head, then took Tori's hand and the music started.
Na na, na na na, na na
I miss you, miss you so bad
I don't forget you, oh it's so sad
I hope you can hear me
I remember it clearly
The day you slipped away
Was the day I found it won't be the same
Oh
(Pause in the song)
The pallbearers moved to their places. Beck, Robbie and Sikowitz on the right side; on the left, Tori's father, Lane, and Sinjin carried the casket to the hearse. Closing the door, Beck broke down. He stumbled and fell into Sikowitz's fatherly arms and cried.
The motorcade slowly made its way through the streets of Hollywood to Cat's final resting place. At Tori and Jade's request, after the motorcade came to full stop and the men had removed the casket from the hearse, Cat's last rights were said on the way to the grave site. As Cat was lowered into the ground, the rest of the song played.
Na na na na na na na
I didn't get around to kiss you
Goodbye on the hand
I wish that I could see you again
I know that I can't
Oh
I hope you can hear me cause I remember it clearly
The day you slipped away
Was the day I found it won't be the same
Oh
I had my wake up
Won't you wake up
I keep asking why
And I can't take it
It wasn't fake
It happened, you passed by
Now you are gone, now you are gone
There you go, there you go
Somewhere I can't bring you back
Now you are gone, now you are gone
There you go, there you go,
Somewhere you're not coming back
Jade was as strong as she could be, but when the casket was lowered all the way, she fell apart. But Tori was by her side, holding her just like she promised.
The day you slipped away
Was the day I found it won't be the same no…
The day you slipped away
Was the day that I found it won't be the same oh...
Na na, na na na, na na
I miss you.
THE END
*(Slipped Away – Avril Lavigne)
Well this is it I hoped you liked it. It has been fun and painful in many ways to write this. Please review I would really like to know what you think. I have been working on another story and hope to have it up by the end of the weekend.