Chapter Nine

"We hardly ever see you anymore!"

Slamming his locker door, he turned around to see a perky brunette leaning casually on the locker to the left of his. Well at least he understood why she wasn't leaning to the right… lean on Jade's locker, and it probably would be the last move you ever make.

It was true, he hadn't seen Tori, Jade, André or Beck in what seemed like a lifetime and it wasn't because he didn't want to. No, it was because all of them were a package deal, you want to see them, you had to see Cat Valentine.

See Cat Valentine: you have to spend time with Liam Stanson.

Robbie had made a promise to himself after Tess had revealed to him her very valid reason for despising Liam. He told himself that he would never find himself in his presence again, because he didn't think he would be able to control his temper around him. To know that he had hurt Tess, someone he now cared about, and that he was about to repeat it with his Cat… it just made shake with rage.

It happened to Tess two years ago, and she was still broken over it, no matter how many she tried to claim that she was fine, that she hadn't even thought about it in years…

He knew it broke her heart every time she saw him.

Cat had enough going on in her life; Robbie really was the only one who knew to what extent. He often wondered how she was getting on without his tutoring, how her monthly appointments with her psychiatrist where going.

He was becoming increasingly worried about her. He lay awake at night, unable to let sleep claim his body, because his mind was too alert, constantly coming up with terrible situations that the little redhead could find herself in if her relationship with that disgusting tyrant continued.

Tess may have been foolish when she was younger. But clearly she had learnt from this mistake, so much so that she hadn't let another boy touch her since the incident. She was a strong person, but even she distanced herself any form of relationships, friendships or otherwise. She did not allow herself to get close to anyone.

But Cat, she was completely different to Tess in every way, shape and form. For one thing she was almost 18 now, and she still had the mental capacity of a child. She just exuded this lack of knowledge about the world that made her the perfect target for people like Liam, and from the conversation Robbie had accidently heard a week ago; he couldn't help but wonder how many girls he had coaxed into revealing themselves to him.

These could have been girls who weren't at all like Cat… meaning that they weren't as trusting, or as innocent. They just found themselves trapped like Tess, desperately clinging on to a relationship that was crumbling before their eyes. It just meant that Robbie could be certain that Cat would more than likely fall into this trap.

Meaning she would end up in the exact same situation as Tess. She would be cast out of this school, her potential career as an actress or singer would be forever tainted by an exposing photograph. Her future would be completely ruined by a silly mistake she made when she was seventeen.

And he just couldn't let that happen, because it was just so tragic, it would crush her with such force and dexterity. That Robbie didn't think she would be able to survive it.

It would destroy her.

But he couldn't just come out and tell her and he had made a promise to Tess that he wouldn't report Liam to police. He had wanted to go the police station with her as soon as exited Nozu's, but she had literally tackled him to the ground and ordered him to keep it between them. He tried to argue that it might give her some closure, but she had a good defence.

"High school is a torture chamber Robbie." She had stated coldly, "And I can't have anyone else find out about my past, they will find the photo… I'll have to see it again and I just can't go through it again. I won't."

He had to respect he wishes, because she had a lifetime of people not respecting hers. He wanted more than anything to help her, to repay her for what she was doing for him. She didn't realise just how much Robbie had needed someone like her in his life a month and a half ago when he felt like the world was going to implode and suffocate him. She would never know just how much Robbie appreciated her telling him the truth, because it allowed him to open up to someone who wasn't an immediate family member.

But right now he had to deal with the irritably perfect brunette beside him, who was tapping her foot impatiently, waiting for his reply.

"Are you going to eat lunch with Cat today?" he asked her as he picked up his schoolbag.

"Well yes." She said bashfully, "But I know she wants you back Robbie, I know she misses you as a friend, if only you would just apologise."

"There is no way I am apologising." He said, his voice unintentionally harsh. Spotting her offended expression, he ran his hand through his hair as he sighed in annoyance, "Okay I will apologise to you for speaking so bitterly just now. But I refuse to apologise to Cat."

"But then we can all be friends again." Tori mumbled, "Everything goes back to how it was before."

"I don't want to it be like it was before." Robbie muttered, "I'm sorry Tori, but until Cat finally wakes up and realises what a mistake she is making… I can't be around you if you are with her."

Then he turned his back on the Latina and strode off. He didn't even have an urge to glance back at her hurt expression, because he knew this was for the best. He couldn't let Cat think that he was letting her win, because then there was no way she would ever break up with Liam. Dodging out into the Asphalt Café, he jumped over the barrier and made his way up the staircase.

Just like every study period, Tess was on the roof space, adding pieces to her mosaic. She had her headphones stuck into her ear, so it wasn't until Robbie was practically towering over her did she realise that she was no longer alone. She greeted him with a slight wave as she continued to paint, her tongue sticking out in concentration. Robbie sat in the only corner that was void of all paintwork by his friend and stuck on a pair of sunglasses. He enjoyed his time with Tess, even if it mostly was in silence; this roof space was now an escape for both of them, a section of the school that no other student dared to enter. He lay back, his head resting on his bag as he let his eyes flutter shut, maybe he could get some shut eye before his next class.

"You know they are announcing who got the parts today?"

That got his attention.

"What?" he demanded as he sprung into a sitting position, "When, what time, who told you this?"

"I heard Sikowitz telling Lane about it when I walked past them earlier this morning." She replied casually, "So, what's plan B if you don't get the part?"

Robbie shrugged, "I don't have a plan B."

"Very confident aren't you."

"You're coming with me aren't you, to see if you got a part in it too, right?" he asked.

"I only auditioned because Lane told me that I had to partake in more of the school extracurricular activities." She admitted, "So I'm not really bothered if I don't get the part."

"I have to ask, because it's been annoying me for ages." He said, "Why are you even at this school if you don't want to be an actress?"

"Got a scholarship." She mumbled, "Wasn't going to turn that down, not when I needed to get out of that school, and I can draw, act and I sing a little. But I just don't like broadcasting it to everyone; people in this school are so hyper-competitive."

"Well I hope you get the part and not Tori." He said in an attempt to encourage her, "Don't get me wrong, I really like Tori." He said when she eyed him suspiciously, "But why does she always have to get a major role in every play? It's just fair for people like you who are talented and never get a chance to show it."

He thought he saw her smile before she turned around and grabbed another pot of paint; she threw a paintbrush in his direction, whacking him in the stomach. He picked it up and his fingers around it.

"Are you just going to stare at it?" she asked, "Or are you going to help me paint."

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It took so much coaxing and tugging of her sleeve.

But after his period of study break, which included next to no studying… he managed to get Tess off the roof space. Just in time too, because the lunch bell had just sounded, meaning that they would be greeted with students any second. Tess pulled his hand off the sleeve of her shirt and scowled.

"I don't eat down here Robbie." She said scornfully, "I don't like to integrate with the students here."

"Well today you do." He said humbly, "You agreed to fake date me, so they have to see us together or else this isn't going to work."

She huffed as she pulled out her ponytail, letting her soft beach-wave hair to lightly kiss her shoulder blades, "I didn't even get my midday smoke."

"Maybe that's not a bad thing." Robbie said under his breath.

The students began to join them, some of them waved at Robbie, while the other glanced at Tess questionably, wondering why someone like Robbie would even want to associate with the odd loner girl.

"Leaving."

She turned around, but Robbie grabbed her hand and pulled her back, "Staying!"

She groaned, "You better be buying me lunch."

"I didn't realising I was paying to date you." He muttered as they made their way over to Fetus' truck.

"Oh yeah it's part of the service." She murmured, "A free lunch every time you force me to communicate with people in this school."

He laughed as they reached the truck, letting go of her hand as soon as they reached their destination. It was the perfect amount of time for people to notice that perceived small gesture of affection. Tess ordered feast compared to Robbie's meek little salad, she turned her nose at it as they walk over towards an empty table and sat down.

"Why don't you ever eat anything besides rabbit food?" she asked before taking a large bit of her chicken wrap.

"It's a set meal." He told her, "They give you a diet plan when you leave."

She dropped the matter as soon as he mentioned his past treatment, an unspoken pact between them to not press each other on topics that referred to their pasts. Focusing on devouring her wrap with such speed that Robbie could only assume she had a mouth like a python, her jaw and ribs hinged with tissue that stretches readily, allowing her to swallow her meal in three bites. Robbie smiled as he watched her eat with no regard to her eating habits, so unlike other girls who wiped their faces' with napkins after every miniscule nibble.

"Your girl has entered the arena." She muttered, "Don't look though that would be too obvious."

"Okay." He said, unsure whether he could resist turning his head to see who she was with, "Well then tell me what's happening."

"She just sat down beside a very sardonic faced girl and a guy with very nice hair."

"Beck and Jade." He filled her in on their names, "Okay so what's happening now."

She laughed warmly and threw a piece of chicken (that apparently had survived her attack) at him playfully. Robbie wished she would give him some warning when she was going to transform into this giggling, flirty Tess… because it really creeped him out.

"I take it she is staring." He concluded as she plastered a huge smile on to her face.

She placed her hand onto her cheek and leaned on it, still smiling sweetly at him, "Oh big time."

"Will you stop that." He hissed, trying to keep his voice low, "You look like a scary doll or something. I think I prefer it when you frown."

"That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me!" she gushed, her voice so laced light-hearted and pleasant that he wasn't sure if she was being sincere or not.

"Sarcasm?" he asked uncertainly.

"Nope." She replied, "How much longer do I have to do this?"

"I don't know! I am new to this whole, make a girl jealous thing." He admitted sheepishly, "So I don't really know how to act."

"Just act you way you do when you go on dates." She said like it was the most obvious thing in the whole world, "Method acting Rob."

His cheeks flushed pink as he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Tess' eyes bugged as she set down he drink.

"You have been on a date before?" she asked, suddenly unsure.

"Define a date."

"Oh Robbie." Tess looked at him with pity, "Seriously? You wasted your whole time on Cat when you could have been out living!"

"That's not true." Robbie said sadly, "Girls didn't notice me before, they all looked at me like I had a really disfigured face. They only look at me now like I'm datable."

"I don't believe that." Tess argued, "Maybe you were just looking at the wrong girl. There is someone for everyone."

"You know when you talk like that you sound like a wrinkly 700 year old sage right?"

She smiled, truly laughing for the first time, "Don't get testy because you know I'm right."

"You aren't right." He debated.

She grinned as she shook her head, "I'm always right."

"No you aren't"

"Eurgh." She moaned, "I hate it when you do that."

"What?"

"Speak."

"Very funny." He stated sourly, "You are hilarious."

She grinned as she swung off her seat, "Cat's stomped off in a huff, shouting something about people being so mean to her."

"So wait?" Robbie said as he rose, "Where are you going?"

"My job's done Shapiro." She said with a shrug, as she shot him a military salute with her forefinger and middle finger, "See you."

Then she was gone, melting into the background as she slipped away into the school building. Robbie was tempted to follow her, he almost did. That was until his table was bombarded by his old friends. André was the first to sit down, he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Robbie as he jabbed his thumb back in the general direction Tess had exited from.

"Who's the girl?" he interrogated, as he was joined by Beck and Jade on either side of him.

"That's Tess." Robbie said nonchalantly with a small wave of dismissal, "She's a friend…"

Beck cocked an eyebrow, "Really." He said, his tone inquisitorial, "because a little birdy told me that you two where eating dinner together at Nozu's yesterday."

Robbie scoffed, "Are you sure it was a bird that told you, or may it have been a cat?"

"Maybe." Andre smiled as he slapped Robbie on the shoulder, "Good job man, you got yourself a girl!"

Robbie nodded, feeling suddenly strange about his arrangement with Tess. I mean sure, they knew it wasn't real, but it was weird that he was about to say the words out loud.

"Yeah, she's my girlfriend." Robbie said, "But don't make a big deal about it." He added hastily when he noticed their gleeful faces, "We are taking things slow."

"Okay man." André responded respectfully, "Your secret is safe with us."

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But apparently, "us" only referred to André and Beck, because Jade West certainly had other plans with this new found information. As Robbie wandered through the halls of Hollywood Arts that day, he saw Tess storming over to him, her habitual frown forever marking her mood as a surly. Robbie waved as she approached him, expecting a hello at least.

He had not accepted the sudden scrape of her sharp nails against his skin as she grabbed his wrist. Robbie was forever being surprised by this girl. She was stronger than she appeared as she dragged him into the janitor's closest.

"What is the matter with you!" she hissed, "You told people I am your girlfriend!"

He stared at her, flabbergasted, his mouth slightly ajar as he searched for something to say.

"How did you find out so quickly?" he asked, "People don't speak to you!"

She scowled, "I am aware that people don't speak to me, I preferred it that way. Now I have all of these hormonal girl's wanting to know all about you and asking me all kind of disgusting questions that I will not repeat."

"Right." Robbie said, unsure of what to make of that statement, "But how did you find out?"

"The slap!" she said as she thrust her phone to his eye-line, "Some skank named Jade West just posted a photo of us at lunch."

"It's not that bad." Robbie tried to calm her.

Her frown deepened, "I don't do photos Robbie."

He shook his head, suddenly feeling like an idiot, "Right of course."

She crossed her arms, "Well it doesn't matter now, I just didn't think we were going to define the fake relationship."

"Well they asked!" Robbie said defensively, "What else was I going to say?"

"That we are casual!" she bit back, "I don't do relationships!"

"Well it's a good thing it's not real then!" he reminded her.

"I know that!" she shouted.

"Then why are we fighting?"

"Because this is how we communicate!"

Then the door swung open, and Tess acted quicker than Robbie could have ever anticipated. She jumped him, pushing him to the back of wall, burying her fingers into his hair, her lips hovering just above the skin on his neck.

Of course it was Cat, giggling as she pulled Liam in to this renowned make out area in the school. Robbie almost felt sorry for the janitor, how many teenagers did he have to beat out of this room with his brush, where they all really that driven by hormones?

Cat gasped when she spotted the pair, her laugh dying instantly. Tess remained locked on Robbie, as stiff and cold as a statue carved from block of ice. Robbie understood why completely; she didn't like being in such a suffocating area, especially not with their unexpected company. He had to control himself, the sight of Liam's lazy grin made his fingers curl into a fist instinctively.

"Sorry." Robbie muttered to the couple, "She's embarrassed we got caught… do you mind?"

Cat nodded mutely as she swung open the door and rushed out, leaving Liam with no option but to follow suit. As soon as the door swung shut again Tess jumped back as if Robbie was suddenly as hot as a furnace.

She pointed at him accusingly, "You never speak of this."

"Okay."

But he wouldn't forget it, not easily at least. He wasn't imaging it, he had felt her shivering as she pushed herself him away from her.

It was the most vulnerable he had ever seen her, and it sickened him even more to think about how that could one day become Cat.

A group of students had started to linger around the janitor's closet, but they had no choice. They had to exit it, because staying there for much longer would look very bad indeed. They both emerged, neither of them able to look at each other as they walked towards their lockers.

"Shouldn't have agreed to do this." He heard her mumbled under her breath, " I should not have agreed."

Without overthinking it, he took her hand.

There wasn't anything remotely romantic about it. He could have been lying on his bed, holding Maddie's hand as they listened to their parent's argue, their voices so loud that they managed to travel through the thin floorboards, it was that platonic. He gave her hand a squeeze and she desisted muttering to herself. It was comforting; he was trying to express in this gesture what he couldn't in words; that he would be for her, no matter how much she tried to resist it, even if she was rude to him, even if she tried to push him away.

He was going to get her to stop repressing her feelings towards Liam, towards the horrible ordeal he put her through.

He was going to help her grieve.

I think I may have to add OC to the list of people in this, because Tess is slowly becoming a permanent (and my favourite character I have ever written) addition to this story.

Oh of course it was only going to be platonic! Reviewers who may have doubted my intentions, I like there back and forth arguments to jeopardise that! Although I see why they could have worked well as couple… it ain't going to happen! Those who have already reviewed are correct, they work better as friends, and Tess is just too messed up to be a relationship with anyone.

Major trust issues with that one!

Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, I am building to Cabbie so I beg you to please stick with it!

Sweeney7760