Hi!
Here's the next chapter and I thought I should use this chance to warn that the timeline doesn't work all that well if at all from this point on. Just keep in mind that Benji's birthday is in the beginning of March, so every chapter until then will take place in January, February and the beginning of March somehow. ;)
Thank you so much to alicheriee again for sending me a message about this story.
Everyone, have fun reading this chapter!
They are barely back in school for the new year, when they promptly all get detention. It's on Saturday.
Of course, not one of them really wants to (except possibly Cat) but here they are now. And Dickers is the one who's supposed to watch them.
He sends them into the library, gives them a short talking to and then wants to collect their phones.
"Why?" they ask and Dickers answers: "Because in detention, there are no phone calls."
"We need to be reachable in case something happens to our son though," Beck immediately says.
"They can call the school's number," Dickers says but Jade sarcastically adds: "Because there's someone sitting at that phone the whole time."
Dickers looks at her angrily but obviously he also knows that's not true. And Dickers totally is an ass and noone likes him but... he seems to have a heart somewhere. At least, he says: "Put all the phone in this box and I will put the box over there." He points to the cupboard. "If I see any one of you on a phone or a phone out the box without it being an emergency involving the son of the both of you, you will all have another detention. Clear?"
They all nod and he says: "Then get them in here."
They do, even though Jade rolls her eyes about it. And it's not like everyone else is happy about it. No phone also means no texting, no internet and no games. This will be a long day.
"Now, I'm gonna put your box of phones right here," Dickers repeats and puts the box on the cupboard as promised. Well... Tori wonders how often he will come check up on them. Maybe, they can still use their phones a little bit without him even noticing.
Then, Dickers says after Robbie's question that they will have the tuna next to their phones to eat. But they obviously can't eat that and when they say so he says he can care less. Which naturally isn't what he means, so they correct him until he gets angry and decides that he doesn't want to hear another word.
"Word," Jade of course says and Dickers gives her another Saturday detention. Jade must make another 'smart' remark which gets her yet another detention and that finally makes Jade apologize. She does seem honest about that – probably because she absolutely doesn't want another two Saturday's worth of detention.
So, when she gets another detention for the apology, Tori has to defend her: "But she was apologizing."
And she gets detention for that one, which is unbelievable. But her reation gets her another and her reaction on that yet another. Gosh. Now, Jade and she both have three.
"You wanna try for four?" Dickers asks her and Tori can't help but say: "I really don't."
But of course that gets her the forth. Dickers asks: "You want five?"
"Yes," Jade says on her behalf as Tori does her best to not say another word. She already will spend every Saturday for a month in detention.
But Dickers does give her a fifth one for Jade's answer. Tori tries to defend herself and is glad in retrospect that she hasn't gotten a sixth for that. But that probably also is the case because of Rex suddenly chipping in.
After Robbie has gotten a detention for that, they are finally all silent and Dickers leaves them alone.
"Asshole," Jade says and kicks against the leg of the table violently.
Beck puts his hand on her arm gingerly. "We will make sure you won't have those other detentions."
"Of course you will, almighty Beck," Jade spits out sarcastically and slaps his hand away.
Beck doesn't seem offended. He rarely is when Jade talks to him like that. "You got those detentions out of ridiculous reasons. I bet your mom will come up to school and give them a piece of her mind for that."
Tori instantly knows she will also tell her parents and that many detentions for such a small thing? Without a doubt, her parents will also talk to their principle and make sure she will have one more at best or something.
"As if she will care," Jade now says. "It's not like your parents or mine cared about us having to be here today. They just said it's our own fault."
Tori already knows that Jade and Beck have asked the school to get detentions on different days as they would be even more bored then but at least one of them could take care of their son – whom they were explicitly told would not be allowed in detention. But the school obviously denied them that.
"We saved Robbie from choking," Tori reasons. It isn't really their own fault that they got late to class.
"Did your parents believe that?" Andre asks with raised eyebrows. Well. No, they didn't really.
"I think my mom believed we went somewhere to make out," Jade casually says, implying Beck and her. Beck shrugs almost in a way as if to say that would also be possible.
"But we all have detention," Robbie says confused. They can't all have gone somewhere to make out.
Jade smirks. "Maybe, we had an orgy."
"That's weird," Tori says honestly and suddenly, Cat pipes up: "I want to draw something."
It's as if she's talking to Jade, who actually gets a paper and a pencil somewhere out of her clothes and throws it over to Cat, who hums happily as she starts drawing.
"Anyway..." Andre continues, turning back to Jade and Beck. "Usually you're parents are all very onto having at least one of you there to take care of Benji as much as you can, aren't they?"
"Yeah, usually," Beck agrees. "They saw it differently this time. I mean... Usually, they complain if we do the same play but detention at the same time is apparently fine."
Jade changes her the tone of her voice as if to imitate someone, but with a very disgusted undertone: "It shows us that our bad behaviour also affects our son. Ugh."
That doesn't sound nice at all. They really must think that Beck and Jade got late to class for very stupid reasons.
But there's another thing that Tori's mind stopped at. "They complain when you do the same play?"
"Yeah," Beck says and adds with a shrug: "We naturally do a lot of the same stuff as we are in a lot of the same classes but they prefer it if one of us is with Benji. They do want us to be the parents of him after all and not behave like his siblings."
Tori furrows her brows. "In what way?"
"Gosh, you're nosy again," Jade says annoyed and Tori feels a little offended. It's not like she's nosy. She's just curious. And she also never really has questioned Jade all that much, just that once when Beck has been in Canada.
She quickly defends herself now: "I'm only interested in your situation."
"Ugh," Jade makes but Beck rubs her back soothingly and actually answers Tori: "Well, our parents obviously take care of Benji financially but they want us to be there for him emotionally, actually be there with him, spend our time with him and everything. Because we're supposed to be his parents, not just his siblings or other people who live in the same house or whatever. Though of course, financially speaking... every time one of us does any job, we also give the money to your parents but... yeah... we don't have to do much on that front."
"Which some of our relatives critize," Jade adds dryly, suddenly answering as well, "saying they should let us be totally responsible, as it's our mistake. Let us earn the money as soon as possible, having to possibly give up on school and everything."
"That would've done more damage than anything," Andre gently says. He and Robbie listen to Beck's and Jade's explanation as well though Tori doesn't think it can be all that new to them. On the other hand... They probably also didn't ask all that much back then, especially if Jade ever called them out on being nosy. They both are a little afraid of angering Jade after all.
"It would have," Beck confirms. "We would have never managed, wouldn't have had enough time for Benji at all, would've soon hated our lives and possibly even Benji because of it."
"That would've been sad," Cat pipes in. She looks up from her drawing with a pout. Well, apparently, she's also still listening.
Beck shoots her a light smile before he continues: "Our parents knew that and therefore have taken care of the money from the very beginning. But they have always made us do most of the rest. They also could've taken over, you know, and could be fine with us being away. Because they definitely knew better than we did back when Benji was born, how to handle him. And it would've been easy for Jade and me to just let them do it. But they pushed us to do everything ourselves, left us alone with Benji..."
Jade looks at him with a smirk. "You didn't even know how to change a diaper back then."
"You did?" Tori asks surprised and Jade seems annoyed at her again but answers casually: "I have a younger brother." Oh, of course she does. A brother that is so much younger that she would have been able to change him already when he was small.
Beck continues again: "I was a mess but luckily, Jade also didn't take that out of my hand. I would've never learned it if everyone would've just taken over. Which is true for everything else as well."
Now, Robbie speaks up again, amused: "I remember how you freaked out when he had the snivells for the first time."
"Oh, yeah," Beck nods, now also seeming amused which he probably wasn't back then. "That was bad. It must be for all first time parents, I guess." He turns to Tori, getting back to her original question once again: "Our parents remained calm, suggested what to do but never forced us to behave in a certain way. They knew how to hold Benji to make him cry less but they still gave him back to us every time. They let us run to the doctors, even though they knew Benji also was fine at home. They made sure we started trusting our instincts though they certainly helped us find those. We were allowed to do what we thought was right, even if it wasn't what they necessarily deemed right, you know? And they of course still want us to be with him most of the time. As you know, they sometimes push us to go out or something, to still be teenagers" – Tori does know that, has remembered their trip to Venice beach over half a year ago, last June, as soon as Andre has mentioned the snivells. Surely, Beck's parents have asked them to go out then, that they would take care of their sick child but yes, it has been Beck's and Jade's decision in the end. – "but they do want us to be with Benji most of the time. At least one of us. They want us to remain being his parents and never get into the sibling role. They want us to keep being the primary caretakers of him, you know?"
"That makes sense," Tori nods because it does.
Tori also guesses it would've been easy for Jade and Beck to slip into some kind of sibling role. She knows that her mother herself had problems with her parents in law who have always liked to take over with Trina and Tori when they have visited. Her mother still often suddenly vanishes when Tori's grandparents come to visit, because they are just so dominant in a sense.
Jade suddenly cuts in again, bored: "Ugh, I feel like you have taken hours out of my day with this talk but barely fifteen minutes have gone by."
Tori feels offended yet again but Andre also nods: "Yeah, it's gonna be a long day."
It turns out to be a long day until about 11am when they finally find their way out in a sense, 'eat tacos' (which Tori isn't sure, Beck or Jade should do with a child at home but they don't seem concerned at all) and suddenly, the time goes by pretty fast and they have a good day together.
.
Tori's father goes to school on Monday to ask about those extra detentions because her parents also don't understand those. He comes to school with her in the morning and in the afternoon, he tells her that she won't have to do her detentions anymore. Robbie's extra one and Jade's extra three are also suspended. Jade's mother has apparently been in school as well, with Benji, so that Tori's father now also has met the little boy. They didn't have to get too much into it as their principle Helen quickly said that of course there wasn't any reason for those detentions. Tori tries to find out what Jade's mother otherwise was like as she didn't see her at all and naturally she wonders who Jade's mother might be, but her father shrugs and says that he has already said all he has gotten to know about the woman – which is nothing.
.
.
Tori has another audition coming up which she's really happy about. Sikowitz and her friends help her prepare for it and tell her she needs to appear more ready to take risks, more dangerous, more on the edge.
On Wednesday evening, her friends come over to her place to play poker. Tori doesn't even remember how they got that idea but somehow they did.
Jade and Beck bring Benji of course but they seem to be pretty unnvered by each other again. They have already seemed like that in school but Tori would've bet it would be fine again by evening. It isn't. They don't even sit next to each other around the table though they otherwise always insist on that.
Benji has a toy train with him that has several cars which he can put together himself and with which he runs through the whole living room. He runs it over the floor, the couch, his mother's leg and pretty much over everything he can find and seems to have great fun with that. And while he seems to be so sensitive about people his mother hates, he apparently doesn't notice the bad mood between his parents now – or is successfully ignoring it like their friends are trying to do.
Tori tells her friends about her decision and about what Sikowitz told her about taking risks and they actually agree, saying she's boring and everything.
Trina interrupts their talk, asking for a package because she expects Frazini shoes.
She almost accidentely walks into Benji as she starts calling about her package and the boy looks up to her with all his dignity and says in a tone that sounds so much like his mother: "No."
"Get out of my way," Trina tells him and Tori sees how Jade turns around with a glare because definitely nobody is allowed to talk like that to her son, especially not Trina.
But Beck quickly says: "Benji. Why don't you come to me for a sec?"
"Okay," the boy promptly decides, runs past Trina with his train in his hand and to Beck.
Jade now also glares at Beck which she doesn't do all that often, not like that: "She should've stepped aside, not him."
Beck looks a little unnerved but he doesn't say anything back, instead he puts on his smile as he pulls his son onto his lap. "Wanna help me win this game?"
"Yes!" Benji says and Cat pouts: "N'aw, that's mean. Of course you will win now."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Robbie says with a smile and nods in Benji's direction. Sure enough, at that moment, as they all look to Benji, he grabs one of the sweets they use as poker chips and eats it, lying his train next to Beck's other poker chips.
Trina is long back to her call and Andre now says Jade's name to prompt her to do her next move.
Jade does and Tori, Cat and Beck instantly decide to fold. Robbie and Andre meanwhile make a bet with Jade to be able to do the round – of course Jade wins. Tori is sure you should never make a bet with Jade because she wouldn't do it without being sure she would win. But well... Now, Andre and Robbie "get hammer time".
Jade's extremely gleeful about that before Tori gets back to her audition problem and Beck explains to her why you have to take risks to be a good actor: "Because acting is about stepping outside your comfort zones. About pushing your emotions to new places."
Jade immediately does a very bad impression of him: "Oh, I'm Beck. I know about acting. I say words."
Tori feels uncomfortable. She feels even more uncomfortable as Benji squeals out of glee because of his mother's impression of his father. Gosh. This can't be happening.
Beck looks at her deadpan while he of course keeps holding Benji, and Jade even smirks at Benji, obviously happy that she has made Benji laugh with something mean against his father.
It's Cat's voice that cuts through the awkward mood, innocently: "I don't see why we can't just pretend to be pirates."
She has talked about pretending to be pirates before they have started playing. They all have dismissed that idea without hesitation. They also dismiss the idea now and Tori gets back to her problem, decides that she has to learn to take risks after all, even if she doesn't fully get it.
Benji has grabbed his train again and runs it over Beck's cards and his candy, making tooting and crushing noises as he does so, which makes all of them stop for a second in their talk and watch him with smiles.
Then, Jade suddenly suggests: "Why don't you take her to the Gorilla Club?"
The others say that they can't do that, but Tori is on board. She has to do something after all and with the way they react, this sounds definitely like the place she should go to.
They get interrupted once again by Trina who still tries to track her package and then gets to know that that package will be delivered this very second – which it does.
Luckily, she doesn't unpack the shoes inside the living room and instead runs upstairs and into her room to properly check how well the shoes look on her the first time she wears them.
"Okay. So, where is this Gorilla Club?" Tori then asks and Andre shakes his head: "We can't let you go there."
"Not alone," Beck agrees and Tori says: "Then take me. Come on. Please."
Andre and Beck exchange a look and Tori keeps on pleading: "Just let's go there tomorrow. All of us. Come on. Please, plase, please."
In the end, they do promise and not long after, Benji lies in Beck's arms exhausted. It's already late anyway and Tori has been surprised he was up for so long.
"You should get to bed, huh?" Beck asks him softly and Jade says: "You should take us home."
Even with them fighting, they still came together. And Beck now also doesn't seem annoyed at Jade telling him to bring them home. Instead he nods: "Sure. So, we need to be dealt out."
They kind of let them take some of the sweets (with Cat putting some of hers directly into Benji's hand) and then leave together, even sharing a kiss as they finally meet next to the table again, as if nothing has ever been wrong. Well, that's how they work.
.
.
School on Thursday is uneventful. Beck and Jade do seem to be fine again though they don't spend as much time together as they sometimes do. They don't try to be with each other for every break or something and they don't touch too much. But they do have phases like that. They do have phases when they aren't doing all too good, so Tori isn't worried. She has even experienced that two times for a few days each during summer break.
On late afternoon, after she has been home to change and eat something small, Beck comes to pick her up. He, Andre, Cat and Tori all go to the Gorilla Club together. It's the birthday of Robbie's mother which is why he isn't there, while Jade has apparently decided to be with Benji who isn't allowed inside the club as he's too young.
Tori remembers how Beck and Jade have told her just the last Saturday that their parents regularly insist of at least one of them spending their time with Benji. Obviously, they are still fine with Beck and Jade going to the beach alone every now and then or going to school events but possibly, Jade wasn't able to go because their parents didn't want that. Though, she can't imagine Beck just leaving girlfriend and son alone like that, especially if Jade doesn't want it that way, but he's also a good friend and knows how desperate Tori is about all of this.
So, of course she tells him: "If you want to be with Jade and Benji, it's fine. Andre and Cat are with me."
Though she doesn't know yet if Cat will be a big help.
Beck shakes his head: "Don't worry. Jade is fine with me helping out. She decided to stay with Benji though. She loves to have him alone every now and then – just as I love it every now and then. And not only the night."
Tori accepts that, also knows it's the truth because Beck wouldn't lie about it.
And then she gets too distracted by this club anyway.
Beck drives her home afterwards and also comes inside with her. She now does the scene again and Beck gives her a few pointers what to remember from the club (though she hasn't really done anything there, of course she has experienced something new), what feeling to gather when she reads that scene. It helps her a lot. He only drives home late that evening.
.
.
In school on Friday, she shows Sikowitz the scene again, with Robbie and Andre also watching. They still aren't satisfied, so she decides to go back to the Gorilla Club with Sikowitz promising her to be available over video chat the whole weekend to judge over her scene again.
She finds Beck alone at his locker after the decision and directly walks up to him: "Hey. Could you possibly go with me to the Gorilla Club another time?"
"You sure you wanna?" Beck asks and Tori nods: "I need to. Please come with me?"
He is the one, whom she trust most. He also was the one who didn't leave her standing there yesterday while Andre and Cat went to do their own thing. And it's not like she believes Robbie will be of much help to her there – or Jade who would help her break her neck but nothing else. Beck will support her, stay with her and still also protect her, she's sure of that.
He nods, running his fingers through his hair. "Well, sure. We can meet up there after school."
"Thank you," Tori happily says.
.
.
Beck brings Jade home but then they do meet up at the club itself and go inside together.
Tori does the Balls of Pain again and succeeds this time. And she does feel different now. She asks Beck to come to her place again to also judge over her scene. He agrees.
Tori is surprised to find Cat in her home when they get there. But she has met up with Trina, just to talk apparently. They weirdly have become friends on that ride over half a year ago to Grizzly industries.
Now, Trina has to leave for a small role she has gotten and she will film this evening. Cat stays and Tori also manages to reach Sikowitz, so she shows those two and Beck her scene again.
They do praise her for the scene but then Sikowitz has to leave the video chat with them again as some woman calls him. Well, okay.
They don't talk among themselves that much longer because then, the door bell rings. Cat decides to open the door as she loves them because they are like presents – which totally doesn't make sense to Tori but whatever.
"Oh, look it's Jade and..." Cat starts to say as Jade already passes by her. She has Benji in her arms and looks pretty pissed. Benji also seems slightly grumpy; Tori doesn't know if that's because of his mother's mood or because of something else.
"Out of my way," Jade tells Cat and then already asks Beck: "What are you doing here?"
Beck seems slightly exasperated as he turns to her. "I'm just helping Tori rehearse for her audition, like I told you."
"You said you would go to the club with her, not come here afterwards again," Jade says.
Beck sighs. "I texted you. And what difference does it make? If I'm helping her here or at the club?"
"That's three nights in a row," Jade says and that's not entirely true. Yes, Beck now is at Tori's home for the third evening in a row but they have played poker on Wednesday, all of them, Jade included, so... Beck has spent Thursday's evening at Tori's home though, alone, and now today.
Tori bites her lip with a guilty conscience as she looks at Benji, who can't have seen his father much today up until now – and won't see him all that much as he probably has go to bed soon. He also can't have seen him all that much yesterday. And just because Tori asked Beck for help and Beck is such a good friend.
Jade continues before Tori can even get the idea to apologize though: "I know she's bad but does she need this much help?"
Beck only rolls his eyes before he takes Benji out of Jade's arms and goes into the direction of the kitchen, leaving Jade just standing there. "Hey, little buddy," he says.
Tori meanwhile steps up to Jade. "He's teaching me about taking risks." She just wants to make clear what's going on and wants to explain that's it's a temporary thing.
"Oh," Jade says though and... gosh. She totally misunderstands.
Cat cuts in quickly: "It's true. Today she went to the Gorilla Club and beat the Balls of Pain."
Of course, Tori immediately has to confirm proudly: "That's right. 'Cuz I'm a surpreme risk taker."
"So, you got past the gorilla?" Jade dryly asks.
She hasn't. She tries to pride herself by having used the bathroom there but Jade of course knows she hasn't even sat down. And somehow, Jade makes her say that she will take up the gorilla after all.
"Let's do it right now," Jade decides and Tori says yes before she knows it.
"What will we do with Benji?" Beck asks though and Tori feels like she should thank him on her knees. Benji is a good excuse to not go. He won't be allowed in the club and Beck of course would want to come to make sure nothing too bad happens while Jade obviously wants to come to see Tori getting hurt.
Jade answers cooly: "Your parents are home, aren't they? We'll bring him there and then drive to the club. Or you could go home with him as you have barely seen him today anyway."
She says that last part very harshly and Tori promptly bites her lip again, guilty.
Benji gets slightly uneasy in Beck's arms and he starts rubbing his back soothingly as he shrugs: "Fine then. We will bring him home and then drive there."
Cat calls Andre and Robbie because she says they shouldn't miss that. She actually acts like this is a great game. Tori wants nothing more to draw back by now but Beck and Jade are already on their way (first to Beck's home, then to the club) and it's not like she wants to back out of a challenge with Jade. Jade wouldn't let her ever hear the end of it.
Beck and Jade seem fine again when they arrive at the club though they haven't seem all that fine back at Tori's house. But Tori has barely time to appreciate them being okay again.
Robbie and Andre truly do also come to watch her but by the time they arrive Tori isn't really able to notice anything anymore.
She does beat the gorilla in the end but also almost breaks her spine and doesn't get the role because of that.