As always I thank you for your lovely reviews, they really do continue to make my day, and they inspire me to get writing more...
...Thanks again...
A few days after Tori's movie thing happened Jade and Cat's relationship went back to how it used to be. They talked everyday again, and Jade told her everything that was going on completely with her dad and everything.
And now they were currently sitting at the lunch table with Beck, Andre and Robbie.
"Ooh," Robbie said sitting up excitedly, "there's Sinjin with the bike."
"Bike?" Jade furrowed her eyebrows, "I thought you couldn't ride one?"
"He can't." Rex muttered.
"Stop." Robbie mumbled standing up, "I don't wanna talk about it." He directed toward Jade.
"Well, neither do I." Jade retorted taking a drink of her water as Robbie walked away.
Cat looked at her with a smirk as the other girl gave her a wink.
"Hello, your attention please." Sikowitz said from the stage in the Asphalt Cafe. The students continued to talk. "Up, here." He said, "I'm waving." He began to wave, "see my hand moving to and fro." His voice was clearly getting annoyed. "Please."
"Everybody shut up!" Jade hollered out after standing on the table. bench.
"Aw, Jade," Sikowitz said looking down at the girl, "so sweet and feminine."
Jade only looked at him before sitting back down.
"And now I give you a man who needs no introduction...he was born beside a river in Kentucky way back in 19-"
"Sikowitz give me the mic." The principle said reaching toward the device.
"What-blah, principle Eikner." Sikowitz smiled before stepping away.
The cafe filled with applause. "Students and faculty, it is with a heaving heart that I tell you that as of today...I am resigning as principle of Hollywood Arts." As the crowd began to murmur he continued, "okay, now, shh, please hold your murmurs...it's not that I don't love running this school, I do. But I've fallen in love with a Grecian woman." Said woman patted his shoulder and he held her close. "And I wanna spend time with her and her people." Sikowitz then took the woman's banana which she had been holding and as he walked away someone muttered, "he took her banana."
After a few short moments there were tires screeching and a red vehicle pulled up Robbie yelled "jump!" As he, Tori and Sinjin jumped out of the way and the car hit the yellow bike causing a loud crash.
"Give me back my money!" Robbie exclaimed, "Sinjin!" He said a sthe other boy took off with the cash.
"You uh, shouldn't park your bike there." The woman who owned the car said as she stepped up to Robbie and Tori.
"Wha?-I shou-maybe you should watch where you're going." Robbie remarked.
"Maybe you better watch that mouth." She growled back.
"Excuse me!" Tori exclaimed, "but you were the one who came speeding here like a maniac and w..."
"I put my blinker on and I told you I was coming and yo..."
"Okay, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" Tori stopped. "Who are you?"
"My name is Helen." The woman said, "I'm the new principle of Hollywood Arts."
Tori looked astonished before she looked at Robbie, "you shouldn't park your bike there." She said before walking away.
"If the car was just a little bit faster." Cat heard Jade mumble, making her look toward the girl. Jade shot her a grin when she realized she was being watched.
She wasn't sure what exactly was going on between the two of them, but whatever it was Cat was totally enjoying it all.
Sikowitz's class that day was filled with another acting challenge as he took the stage, "Cat!" He called out, "to the stage please."
The redhead stood from her chair and walked up to him.
"Okay, sit down." He said pointing to the chair he had brought onstage.
Cat did as he directed, she felt it odd that she was facing the board instead of the rest of the class. Sikowitz stood in front of her placing a bonnet onto her head.
"All right, Tori and Jade," Sikowitz said as he tied the bonnet onto Cat's head, "you two are going to play husband and wife."
"I'll be the wife." Cat heard Tori say as she faced the other direction.
"Yeah, no kidding." Was Jade's reply.
"Now here's your brand new synthetically redheaded baby." Sikowitz grinned turning Cat around in her chair.
Cat looked at him, "wait before we start, I was just wondering, I have three questions-" She was cut off when Sikowitz jammed a binky in her mouth.
Sikowitz clapped stepping off the stage, "all right now, your dialogue should all be friendly and happy." He was dancing around a little, "but your subtext is anger so you must say your happy lines angrily." He then stepped up into Jade's face, "action!"
"Hey!" Tori exclaimed looking toward Jade as Cat looked behind. "I'm so honkin' happy that we got married and then had this cute little baby!"
"Ditto to that." Jade agreed in a manly tone. "I tell ya there's nothin on this planet warms my cockles more than looking at this magical pile of baby there."
Cat pulled the binky out of her mouth exclaiming, "goo!" Before placing it back into her mouth once more.
"Aw! Did you hear that goo!"
"Excuse me." Helen said a she entered the room. "I hate to interrupt, but I'm gonna do it anyway." She looked around. "Hello children." She said before getting serious with her, "Sikowitz."
"Helen." The man replied in the same slightly bitter tone.
"Well, I'm just stopping by all the classrooms to say hello, introduce myself personally, you know get a feel for the vibe of the school..." She then looked at her assistant, "you see, that's the spazzy boy who's bike I ran over." She pointed to Robbie.
"Hehe, spazzy." Rex laughed.
"So, Helen." Sikowitz said, clearly a bit uncomfortable, maybe slightly annoyed. "Maybe you'd like to tell the kids a little bit about your...background."
"Oh, glad too." She smiled, "as a child I starred in the television program Happy Times-"
"Oh, my God!" Tori exclaimed, "you were the little girl who always said, 'that's not my job.'" She imitated snapping her fingers.
"Helen laughed, "yes, yes I was...and most recently I was senior manager at the Premiere movie theatre in San Diego...uh, is that child sucking on a binky?" She looked at Cat skeptically
Cat only looked around, still seated in her chair.
"Oh, I was just teaching the kids about subtext. In terms of acting." Sikowitz explained.
"Oh, well, carry on then. I'll see you all at the re-auditions." She then turned away.
"Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa." Andre said.
"What?" Tori stepped forward.
Cat took the binky from her mouth exclaiming, "huh?" As Jade stepped forward a little, "wait, what?" She asked.
"What do you mean re-auditions?" Robbie asked.
"To stay in this school." Helen stated. "Next week you gotta perform a scene, sing a song, do a dance, bang a drum, tickle a banjo. I don't care. Just show me some talent."
"You know, all of us already auditioned." Beck stated.
"That's how we got here." Cat agreed.
Helen then looked at her, "you auditioned for the old principle, not for me."
"Wait," Tori said nervously, "so you mean like, I sing a song for you and if you like it, I get to stay at Hollywood Arts?"
"Mmhmm, and if I don't, bye-bye." Helen stated.
"Uh, no offense Helen." Jade started, "but what do you know about singing a song."
Helen cleared her throat handing her clipboard to her assistant before looking at Jade.
'Hey, you need to shut your mouth
Open up your eyes and see
That you don't know nothin', nothin'
Nothing about me'
Jade made a small face knowing she had been upped and she shuffled around a little as Beck slowly clapped for Helen looking around a little as the woman left and no one else clapped.
"Who else is frightened by her?" Sikowitz asked.
Everyone's hand went up excluding Jade's, she only rolled her eyes and walked behind Tori.
"Re-audition?" Cat wondered, "I mean, what does that even mean...I mean how can I re-audition into this school. It was so hard for me to get into the first time and Helen completely frightens me, how am I supposed to impress her?" She sighed shutting her locker facing her best friend, the love of her life.
Jade smiled, "you'll do fine." She said. "You made it in the first time piece of cake, you'll do it again just as easily."
"No, your audition was easy." Cat told her, "mine drove me crazy for a span of three whole days, I freaked out for three whole days!"
"Baby, relax, you'll be fine." Jade assured her rubbing her shoulder.
Did she just call me baby? Cat looked into Jade's sincere eyes, if the girl had actually said that she mustn't have realized.
"You okay?" Jade questioned after a moment. "You kind of spaced out for a moment there?"
"I love you." Cat whispered before saying, "what should I do for my audition?"
Jade stepped forward saying, "I'm not really sure what you should do, Cat, maybe you should sing?"
"Singing's good." Cat nodded as she saw Beck walking over to them, tossing his keys from hand to hand as he did so.
"Whatever you choose to do will be fantastic though." Jade smiled, "you're really talented Cat and anything you do will blow her away."
"Hey, babe." Beck said wrapping an arm around Jade's shoulder, "you ready to go?"
"Yeah." Jade said looking at him before she smirked at Cat, "don't let the nerves catch up to you." She told her, taking the hand that dangled over her shoulder.
Cat waved goodbye as she watched the couple walk away.
Jade had totally called her baby.
"Next!" Helen's voice boomed backstage.
Cat's heart thumped against her chest as she took a deep breath and bounced on her feet walking out into the Blackbox theatre. "Um, hi." She smiled slightly.
"Hi." Helen said, "and you are?"
"Caterina Valentine." She smiled, "but you can just call me Cat."
"Okay, Cat." Helen stated, "what are you going to be doing for us today?"
"Oh, well, I'm gonna do a scene that I really practiced a few days ago, it's between two people so I'm doing both the male and female parts."
"Okay." Helen smiled.
"Um, and then I'm gonna do some juggling, and then I'm gonna sing a song from my favorite musical." Cat explained.
"Baby, you got ninety seconds." Helen told her. Baby; it wasn't the same when it came from someone else's lips.
"But it's a five minute audition." She said her nerves building back up.
"Action!" Helen snapped.
"Just marry me!" Cat exclaimed as she began her audition. "'But I'm supposed to marry somebody else!' 'You know you don't wanna be with him.' 'I don't know what I want anymore.' 'I think you do know.' 'Why do you always have to complicate my life.' 'I love you.'" She then took a deep breath before exclaiming, "juggling!" She then ran over to her helmet and her juggling supplies. She then stood in front of Helen again before she began her juggling, laughing as she did so. After a moment she threw the materials down, putting the helmet down she then came back. "Song and dance!" When the music didn't start she whipped her head around tapping into her inner Jade growling, "hurry!" To the kid who was playing the piano.
'Bright smile that always glows
Pearly whites with a button nose.
And I knows, everyone is gonna love me now.
A life on a stage is a nail on the head
It's better than fixing a roof but instead,
It's probably packed, and they're probably singing along.
Oh, what a girl. What is she singing? This is my song.
I'm the biggest bang with the mostest zing.
If you're the hand I'm the diamond ring.
By the way, I'm here for the song and the dance.'
At the end she jumped up landing in a pose.
And that was it, that was the only part of the audition. As soon as she finished she swallowed nervously, looking toward the older woman.
"Next!" Helen called out sending Cat a small smile before she pointed toward the door.
Cat didn't hesitate to run out of the room.
She ran right into Jade.
"Whoa." Jade grabbed her arms, "what's wrong?" She asked.
"Scared." Cat whispered shaking her head a little, "just scared."
"Scared?" Jade questioned, "of what?"
"She just yelled." Cat said, "I finished the audition and she just yelled."
"Oh." Jade shrugged, "it's okay...it doesn't mean anything." Jade said, "that doesn't mean you're getting rejected...she just decided to move onto a different person...I'd be doing the same exact thing...just sitting there watching lame audition after lame audition, it's gotta get boring." She shrugged taking in Cat's dejected look, "not that your audition was lame." She quickly covered up, "I'm sure you were very entertaining and creative." She said comforting the shorter girl. "Relax, I know you're gonna get in."
"You know?" She asked.
"I do." Jade nodded.
"No, no!" Jade shook her head laughing at the girl in front of her, "I won't do it, you can't make me." She shrugged, "just won't do."
"Come on," Cat pouted, "for me, Jadey, dance with me?"
"You call that dancing?" Jade huffed, "you're not even...you're like, th-that's prancing, that's what that is."
"Prancing works too." Cat told her, "come on, you said I should get my mind off the auditions, and that's what I'm trying to do." She shrugged, "dance with me?"
"How about we go back to thinking about the auditions?" Jade questioned. "Totally worth worrying about."
Cat frowned, "dance." She requested one last time.
"Cat." Jade sighed, "there's no music."
"There's always music." Cat whispered grabbing her hand and beginning to move with her, "it's in my heart."
Jade gave her a smile as she finally began to move freely with the redhead.
They danced together in the silence of the living room for about ten minutes before Jade's home phone began to ring.
"You can let it go to voicemail." Cat suggested, tightening her grip on the girl.
"No." Jade shook her head, "it might be the school."
"But if it is, they won't tell you whether or not you got in." Cat told her, "remember they have to speak to parents."
"I know." Jade nodded letting go of the shorter girl, walking over to the phone and picking it up, "hello?" She asked.
Cat watched as Jade nodded, "yes, she's here, I'll get her." She then put her hand over the phone a moment clearing her throat before she put it back to her ear and mimicked Ms. West's voice perfectly, "yes?"
Cat rolled her eyes with a bright smile. She should've known Jade would do something like that.
"Really?" Jade said, "that's lovely, thank you. I'll let her know." She continued with her mother's voice before hanging up and putting the phone down. "I got in." She said, her tone back to normal. She looked at Cat, her eyes shining brightly, "that movie I did was totally impressive, I knew it'd freak her out, and get me back in."
Cat closed the distance between the two of them with one swift motion, wrapping the taller girl in a hug, "I'm proud of you." She said in the other girls shoulder.
Once Cat pulled away, Jade noticed a look in her eyes, "hey, why aren't you smiling?" She asked.
"What if I didn't get in?" Cat asked.
Jade shook her head, "lo-"
"No," Cat waved her hand, "you've got talent, and you belong out there in the talent world, but me...Jade if I can't go to school everyday and see you ...I don't think I could do that...I don't think I could go to a school that you're not in."
"Good." Jade said, "I wouldn't let you." She shrugged, "Why are you doubting yourself Cat?" She shrugged, "you're just as talented as me, if not more...and you got in. I know you did."
"But what if-"
Jade chose that very moment to kiss her, it was short but it was sweet. Cat looked at her with confused eyes, "Jade, I-"
"If they don't let you back in, it won't change anything about us." Jade told her, "there will always be an us."
Cat was going to say more but her phone vibrated in her pocket, she let out a small giggle because it totally tickled, however she pulled it out quickly and looked at the screen, "it's my mom." She said looking to the other girl.
"Answer it."
Cat nodded clicking the talk button and pressing the phone to her ear, "mom?"
"Cat, honey your school called." Her mother sounded weird.
"Oh, God." Cat whispered. She got a weird look from Jade, but she ignored it.
"No, honey." Her mom, let out a laugh, "it's good news."
"What?" Cat was bewildered.
"I knew you were at Jade's and I figured you'd want to share this moment with her...well, that and I really couldn't wait until you came home to tell you the good news...Honey, you got in! You're staying at Hollywood Arts!"
As she hung up, Cat almost screamed, almost.
No sound could actually escape her mouth.
She looked at Jade and gave her the biggest smile before she leaped into the other girl's arms. "I got in!" She exclaimed, peppering kisses all over Jade's face.
When she calmed herself she was placed back on the floor (Jade had caught her and held her up), "thank you." She smiled at the taller girl.
Jade only shrugged, "for what?"
"Being here." Cat whispered (even though they were at Jade's house, so it made sense that the girl was there) before she hugged the girl again.
"I'm leaving." Tori whispered standing with her friends at her locker, "I just can't even accept the thought that my Hollywood experience is practically over."
"I don't understand." Cat shook her head, "how did Andre get in, but you didn't?" She wondered, "you sang the same song, and you sang it together."
"I don't know." Tori shrugged, "it doesn't make sense, I just...I guess I let the nerves get to me."
That's because you didn't have Jade to calm you down, Cat thought as she eyed the girl across from her.
Jade actually seemed bored as she stood beside Beck.
After closing the locker Tori clicked the button off causing 'Make It Shine' to no longer shine, "I made it dim." She said.
"I don't get it." Robbie said, "they can't just kick Tori out of school."
"Yeah they can." Andre said.
"Okay, well, I'm going home now." Tori said, "forever."
"No." Beck said grabbing her arm and pulling her back, "you're not leaving this school."
"Well, she has too." Jade objected looking at him. Everyone including Cat gave her a disapproving look. She glanced at Cat and Jade tried to redeem herself, "I mean, I feel really bad about it seriously, but you know-" She then smirked, "bye."
"I think I'll miss you least of all." Tori told her honestly.
"Wait, what do you mean she's not leaving?" Andre asked Beck , turning the subject back around.
"I mean we're all gonna talk to Helen about this right now." Beck explained.
"Yeah, let's." Robbie agreed.
"Yeah." Cat agreed. Though she was looking toward Jade.
"Yeah, let's do it." Andre added.
"What are you guys gonna say?" Tori asked.
Jade crossed her arms looking toward Cat.
The girl stepped forward, "that if you have to leave Hollywood Arts, I'm leaving too."
"You would do that for me?" Tori asked with a smile.
"Cat then stepped back shaking her head, "no...I really love this school."
"Well," Jade sighed, "I'm gonna go get some gum."
As she left Beck looked toward the others, "come on, let's go and find Helen."
"Yeah, let's go." Tori agreed.
"Yeah." Andre clapped.
"Yeah, find Helen. Find her." Cat agreed.
"Let's get that girl." Robbie agreed as they all walked away.
"It's this way." Robbie exclaimed as they all turned around walking in the other direction.
"Yeah she is."
"Come on."
They then stopped in their ranting as they found the woman in the hallway.
"Hey," Tori greeted as they all cautiously stepped back.
"Did you all want something?" Helen wondered.
Andre looked behind himself and pushed Beck toward the woman.
The boy smiled at her, "heh, we don't think Tori should be kicked out of this school."
"Uh, Tori?" She questioned enunciating the girl's name.
"Vega." Tori replied raising her hand.
"Oh, yeah. Tori Vega." Helen said grabbing the PearPad from her assistant, "the notes say she was kicked out because she was untalented and irritating."
"Excuse me," Tori interrupted, "but a lot of people think that I am talented."
"You?" Helen wondered, "oh you are, and pretty as a pickle."
"Now, why are you children asking me about Tori Vega?" She wondered.
"I'm Tori Vega."
Beck pushed her forward pointing toward her.
"No, no, no, no." Helen objected, "this is Tori Vega." She said.
Her assistant showed her PearPad which had a picture of Trina.
"Duh-duh-duh!" Rex said, causing Cat to look him.
"No." Tori said, "no, no, no. That's my older sister, Trina Vega."
"Oh." Helen looked at the woman next to her, "you mixed up the names."
"Oh, I have personal problems." She returned.
"I knew it was a mistake." Cat smiled.
"You get to stay." Andre agreed happily.
They all showered her with happy comments. "Wait, wait, wait, wait." Tori exclaimed. "You can't kick Trina out of Hollywood Arts...right guys?" She looked at her friends.
"Oh," Beck said looking at ceiling seemingly distracted.
"I'm sorry. What was the question?" Andre squeaked.
"Look, I'm sorry," Helen began, "I'll call Trina myself and give her the news-"
"No, no, no." Tori interrupted the woman, "don't. I'll tell her."
"All right." Helen then smiled, "bye!" She began walking away before calling, "come on," to her assistant who hurried off.
Tori looked at her friends, "you guys I don't wanna be alone when I tell Trina she got kicked out of Holl-" She cut off as Beck, Andre, Cat and Robbie all dashed off in different directions.
"Tori's staying in Hollywood Arts!" Cat squealed as she found Jade in the Asphalt Cafe later that day.
Jade looked over her shoulder saying, "oh," though it was barely above a whisper.
"What's wrong?" Cat asked her smile fading.
"Nothing." Jade shook her head sitting on one of the bench's at the table, "so why's Vega staying?"
"It was Trina they meant to kick out, not Tori." Cat took a seat across from her.
"Why not just get rid of both of them?"
"You're being bitter." Cat said grabbing her hand, across the table, "are you worried about something?"
"You stuck up for her." Jade mumbled.
"She's my friend." Cat honestly didn't understand what she did wrong, "Jadey? I don't get what's going on with you."
"I'm just...you and Tori are so, I don't know...I mean, you guys are-are-your relationship with Tori is-"
"I love you." Cat said cutting her off, she knew it was hard for Jade to sit down and talk about her feelings, it was obvious with all of her stuttering. "I have no relationship with Tori...well, nothing above friendship, I mean."
"I-" Jade stopped herself, straightening her posture a bit, "I guess I have nothing to worry about then, huh?"
Cat giggled, "never." She smiled at the girl across from her, the smile only grew wider at the loving grin the taller girl sent her way.
And there we go, thanks again to all of you who are reading, and please feel free to review if you'd like to, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story; like if it's getting better or worse...
...Thanks again!