A:N/ I want to send out a huge thanks to ABEDFAN for keeping me motivated to continue my writing. Also want to send out a huge thank you to emilaysjonas for all her reviews. You have no idea how much your reviews inspired me to keep writing. So thank you!

As always, thank you to all who read, follow, favorite, private message, and review this crazy story of mine. I'm so happy that most of my readers seem to enjoy my writing of this complex character that I love.

Cat's New Boyfriend

Part Two

"So Shapiro was at my house yesterday," Vega says after all of us sit down at the lunch table on Thurday afternoon. For once she decided to sit by Cat instead of me. The past couple days have been kind of weird since we all met Daniel. Vega's been her normal overly cheerful self- but it seems to me that she is forcing that facade. No one else seems to notice it though, so maybe Beck is right. Maybe I AM just looking for drama where there is none.

"Why?" asks Cat, taking a bite of her salad.

"I don't know! Trina won't tell me," Vega complains, and pops a french fry in her mouth, and then makes a face. "But they must be up to something. I just need to figure out what."

"Oh, I know!" I tell her excitedly.

"What?"

"No one cares," I say in my normal voice.

"That's not fair!" Vega complains. "Cat does," she says, turning towards my best friend.

"I really don't," Cat admits with a shrug, and I can't help but chuckle.

Vega pouts for a minute and then eats another french fry. "Hey, can you pass the salt?" she asks me.

"Why should I?"

"Because my french fries aren't salty enough," Tori replies.

It takes everything in me not to make a joke about her liking salty things in her mouth, so I just groan instead. Beck would be annoyed if I did, and Cat wouldn't understand, and I really don't feel like explaining about what a certain bodily fluid supposedly tastes like to her right now. I'm trying to eat. I move the salt to Vega's side of the table with a bit more force than necessary.

I ignore whatever Vega is saying and focus on Daniel coming up behind Cat and covering her eyes.

"Guess who?" he asks, and I can't help but notice Vega's scowl..

"Um…..is it Beck?" Cat asks, and I can't help but exchange a look with Beck. Sometimes I really wonder about Cat.

"What?" Vega asked, perplexed by Cat's stupidity. Even though in my head I was wondering the same thing, I'm annoyed that Vega said anything about it.

"I'm sitting right next to you," Beck almost laughs. "I don't-"

"Oh yeah. Hey Beck!" Cat says, putting her hand all over his face.

"No. No, it's me," Daniel says, and Cat spins around in excitement and kisses him. I notice Vega rolling her eyes.

Yeah, she is definitely not okay with their relationship. It's like she isn't even trying to hide her jealousy anymore.

"Daniel, what are you doing here?" Cat asks, as he sits down next to her at the table.

"I had a half day, and I thought I'd come visit you for lunch," he says with a smile.

"Awwww," Cat says, clearly touched by his sweet gesture.

"Well this is so nice," I say in a sicky sweet voice. "Daniel gets to have lunch with his new girlfriend, and his used girlfriend." I continue to smile at Vega.

"You can try to make this awkward all you want, but it's not going to work," Vega says, "because unlike you, everyone at this table is mature." Beck nods his head once at me in agreement with Vega. "And by the way, I dumped him, so HA!"

I just raise my eyebrows at her and continue my knowing smile. This is just eating her up inside, I know it. If she would just admit it I would probably let it drop-since it's Cat and all- but the fact that she refuses to acknowledge that it is at least weird makes me want to give her even more shit than usual.

Beck slides over close enough to me that our thighs are touching. "Be nice," he says to me quietly under his breath.

"So, did you invite Daniel to the kickback?" I ask.

"Oh my God, I forgot," Cat exclaims.

"Kickback?" Daniel asks, and Cat explains to him what it is while Beck throws his arm over my shoulder and we thread our fingers together.

"Live music, cheese fountain," Beck tells him.

"Cheese fountain?" Daniel echoes.

"Cheddar," Cat tells him with a smile. "Will you come?"

"Yeah," Daniel nods. "Totally."

"Tori, will YOU be at the kickback?" I ask.

"Yes Jade," Vega forces herself to smile at me, "I will be."

Well, this Saturday night should be interesting. Vega can barely keep it together right now, finding out Daniel likes Cat's brownies. "I bet that's not the only thing of Cat's that Daniel likes," I whisper to Beck.

"Shhh," he laughs in my ear.

"Try one," Cat says, fishing out a brownie for Vega, who wipes it out of Cat's hand.

Tori angrily takes a bite.

"How is it?" Beck asks.

"I gotta go," Vega says instead of answering the question, slams down the brownie, and walks off in a huff.

"Looks like Little Miss Perfect has a jealous streak to her, huh?" I can't help myself from saying.

"We were over a long time ago," Daniel turns to Cat. "I mean, it's been almost a year."

"I know," Cat smiles at him and puts her hand on his chest. "Don't worry, I trust you Daniel," she says, and grabs the brownie that Vega left on the table and takes a bite out of it. "So Jade, are you planning on performing at the kickback?"

"I don't think so," I answer Cat.

"Why not?" she asks me, and then turns to Daniel. "You should hear Jade sing."

"At least not a solo. I've been too busy working on my screenplay," I explain. "But maybe we could perform the duet we've been talking about doing?" I ask her.

"Oh yeah! That would be fun!" Cat exclaims and turns to Daniel. "We've been working on this song 'Give It Up', do you know it?"

"Doesn't Ginger Fox sing that?" Daniel asks.

"That's the one," I tell him, narrowing my eyes as I notice him scanning the Asphalt Cafe in the direction that Vega went .

"Hey, do you guys think Tori is going to sing at this Kickback thing?" Daniel asks.

"Probably," Cat says. "Why?"

Daniel shrugs. "I've just never heard her sing before."

"Really?" I ask. "I find that hard to believe. Vega performs every chance she gets here."

"Well, it will be interesting to hear her sing," Daniel says, and then turns to Cat. "Of course I can't wait to hear you perform," he gives Cat a quick kiss, and then clears his throat and glances back to where Vega disappeared.

I look between Cat and Daniel. I've got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach about this.

"So you think it's a totally normal reaction to have?" I ask Lane incredulously.

"I don't think it's unheard of," Lane tells me. "How would you react?"

"To finding out my ex was dating a friend of mine?" I ask him and let out a short laugh. "How do you think I would react? I'd want to kill the both of them." I wander over to the chair that's hanging from the ceiling and carefully sit down in it. "I certainly wouldn't be telling everyone that I am 'totally cool with it' when I'm obviously not."

"Well you and Tori are very different people Jade," Lane says.

"Thank the gods for that!" I tell him with a smile.

"Jade, you still haven't answered my question from earlier," Lane says, suddenly becoming for serious, and leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

I stop smiling. "Which one," I ask him, glancing at the clock above his head. "You asked me a lot of questions," I say, knowing exactly which question he is talking about. Only ten more minutes of our session, and then I can leave. I can handle another ten minutes.

"Your mom told me you woke up the whole house last night screaming," he says, and I dart my eyes to the closed door, longing to be able to open it and escape this kind of questioning. "What was your nightmare about Jade?"

"Why does it matter?" I reply. "It was just a dream. It's not like it was anything real," I hug my knees up to my chest, making the chair swing back and forth. I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment, and I can see the face that haunts my dreams in vivid detail.

"Soon Jadey," he says mockingly, his eyes wild, as he drags a thin blade down my throat.

I shake my head, trying to erase the memory of the nightmare.

"Sometimes our dreams do mean something," Lane tells me. "It's a way for our subconscious mind to make connections that our conscious mind might not see."

I abruptly put my feet down and stand up. "It was a stupid nightmare. It doesn't mean anything," I tell him, and bend over, grab my backpack and swing it over my right shoulder. "You're an idiot if you believe that a nightmare is going to foretell the future," I tell him as I walk to the door and put my hand on the doorknob. I turn back to Lane. "I'll see you next week," I open the door and start to walk out.

"We've still got five minutes Jade!" I hear Lane call out to me, but I refuse to turn around.

My parents can force me to go see Lane all they want. What they can't do is force me to open up to him.

Or anyone else.

A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed the latest chapter of Victoriously Jade. Please review and let me know what you think!