August 3rd
Lane makes a visit to Cat/Cass's house
"hey girls, can I talk to Cat" says Lane
"about what she just woke up from a nap, seeing you here will give her enough of a startle" says Jade
"the new building is almost done, Eichner wanted to put in a Cat corner, you know since it's being dedicated to her and all, she gave us the go ahead, I'm here with her official Hollywood arts laptop, per Ivy's suggestion we're going digital lockers" says Lane as Jade goes to check up on Cat
"what's digital locker mean" asks Tori
"it means it's a lot easier to customize the lockers, basically there is going to be a small computer, single board computer really, according to Robbie, basically teachers can email assignments to students and the students will be able to see current assignments in their locker at a glance, it's actually a really cool system, we'd planned to upgrade to this two years ago but didn't have the funds, with Jade giving us that five million and having to build from the ground up we can afford it, none of Jade's money is going to the rebuild itself, the school board is paying for that thanks to insurance, Jade's money is specifically for student upgrades, laptops, school emails, and the super cool new locker setup, is Cat ok" says Lane
"a lot of trauma has come up lately, sometimes she barely gets out of bed she's so scared" says Tori as Jade walks back over
"she wants to know if you have to leave soon, she was hoping to talk over lunch" says Jade
"I'm here for a week, right now Cat's corner is Eichner's main concern, school is opening late this year and until Christmas it's remote so we have enough time to finish the structural work and painting, green tile patches like earth and patches of blue to represent water and cloud ceiling tiles" says Lane
"that seems like a child's room Lane, that is not ok for a highschool" says Tori clearly annnoyed
"look its clear that you think you're something special and have the right to talk down to me but trust me you don't" says Lane
"right because I do in fact, I'm velvet Starlight, you clearly didn't do your research Lane" says Tori angrily as she walks off
"you didn't seriously just piss off Tori Lane, she is in fact Velvet Starlight, a glowing review from her could make Hollywood Arts internationally famous, if she gives Hollywood arts a failing review all that money I gave you guys would put you in debt with me, your students would leave like the plague" says Jade
"she doesn't look like Velvet Starlight Jade" says Lane
"funny thing about that is Velvet starlight was an anonymous sensation till last month Lane, she'd racked up trillions in revenue just waiting to find her, She has a point about the layout Lane, it's very child-like" says Jade
"the schoolboard approved it, I have no say in the matter I'm only a relay person Jade" says Lane
"the problem Lane is Cat has ZERO interior decorating experience, she could make a million dollar dress in her sleep but when it comes to decorating a building she goes with what she likes, the design you told Tori about is a perfect match for the LA general hospital pediatric cancer ward, where Cat was treated for her cancer" says Jade
"people are going to hate it aren't they, the school board is obviously giving Cat way way too much say if what you say is true" says Lane
"look to be quite honest if done right it could be a really cool idea, the truth is that Cat refuses to work through her trauma right now, she's been in her 'little' mode for almost two weeks at this point and it's wearing Tori down, Tori's near done with Cat it's that bad, Tori said if Cat doesn't work on it soon then she will take a flight to LA and never come back, for Tori seeing her favorite school being turned into a glorified pediatrics ward could be the final straw, if I can't calm Tori down she will leave and Cat refuses to believe she could push Tori away so easily" says Jade
"ahh I see the problem, you should know that Deborah, Cat's deceased mother had given Cat up for adoption within hours of her being born, it took Deborah nearly six years to realize she'd made a mistake and brought Cat back into their lives, Cat's never really let that go, Cat believes for her to be loved she has to act stupid, it's caused many problems for her, Andrew molesting her only solidified that, she could have all the romantic fantasies she wants but to her it doesn't mean people should love her, then you took her under your wing and everything changed, as it obviously turned out you guys chose to love her, even with all her faults, if Tori walks away Cat may permanently choose to be a little, out of sheer self hatred, after that I don't know if it can be fixed" says Lane as Tori walks out the front door with luggage packed
"and Tori's gone" says Jade
"just like that" asks Lane
"Tori is a very sexual person, Cat refuses to kiss or make love to either me or Tori when she's in little mode, Tori takes that to mean she's not cute enough for her, whether that's Cat's intention or not that's how Tori sees it, unless Cat deals with her trauma and breaks through out of little mode Tori is unlikely to come back, I agree with you but Tori's mom cheated on David since the day Tori was born, Tori has rights in this relationship too, I can handle it only because my mom never hugged me genuinely ONCE in my entire life, I don't crave Cat's attention the same way Tori does" says Jade as Cat walks over crying
"T-T-Tori said she's done with me… I-i-I-I was gonna propose, now I don't feel like I have enough to propose, Jade you're fun and all but Tori completes the package" says Cat as she kisses Jade
"so you're not in little mode anymore" asks Jade
"shock can do wonders Jade so no but I'll probably slip right back into it without Tori, Lane I can't do anything I promised without Tori, Together Jade and Tori are what keep me sane, Jade alone doesn't have the will to keep me stable" says Cat
"I'll pay for your return ticket Lane" says Jade
"nobody can return to California right now, there is a major virus outbreak, the entire state is locked down, LA is the least infected area so I was able to get on the last flight out" says Lane
"did you get tested" asks Jade
"the whole plane and crew did yes, luckily everyone tested negative, it's the same virus that closed New Zealand last year so it's testable, Tori's going to find out quickly that she can't get back to LA and freak out and come back, she won't have a choice, for as long as I stay here Cat you and Tori will mend the issue if it's the last thing I do, the design may be childish but the school board sees it as letting out your inner kid" says Lane
"see I don't understand how people don't see that's what I wanted, in order for kids in that school with all that pressure to feel ok they have to connect with their innocent side, everyone has one, even Ryder, as bad as he is even he has a soft innocent side, the reason he is so bad is because he was taught, like most men and boys, that they aren't allowed to be emotional around other people, that creates emotionally stunted adults, my methods of fixing that aren't normal, maybe I go too far but I believe everyone should feel safe in a school like that, I DIDN'T feel safe there after Andrew, even with Jade there I was terrified, then when Tori got accepted the next year I got so calm I was showing them a side of me I'd never shown anyone except my dad, the dress up and makeup side of me has never felt secure because of people like Andrew and Ryder, I feel that making the school safe for littles or those with CPTSD is a good move, having someone interested in their fears and interests like Sikowitz is a good thing" says Cat
"Sikowitz didn't train to deal with those kinds of people Cat, though he agreed to have his new classroom in Cat's corner, the corner all about you, a locker that students can open and email you or find out more about you, Eichner finds that a bit odd, the part about Sikowitz letting himself be associated with you" says Lane
"see that's what I'm talking about, Sikowitz may be crazy but when it comes down to it he's the teacher that will sit and listen, I spent MANY MANY weekends at his house complex thing but never IN his house, he acted like he didn't like me because he knew that if you guys knew he was spending weekends with me you'd take it the wrong way, my dad being a lawyer was never home when I needed to talk to him about my trauma, as comforting as Jade can be, even back them you can't replace the validation an understanding man gives, he validated my fears and always came up with a solution, he made me feel safe when nobody else wanted to" says Cat
"Validating fears doesn't seem like a good idea" says Lane
"ANDREW MOLESTED ME on school grounds Lane, had Andre not told you I'm sure he'd have kept doing it, put yourself in my shoes Lane, I'm tiny and can't easily defend myself, Would you rather have someone lie to you and tell you that you can or someone who tell you the honest truth and find ways to avoid as many scary boys as possible" says Cat angry as Tori returns cuffed accompanied by Officer Valentine
"what happened" asks Jade as Tori stays silent
"she found out that she couldn't get a ticket back to LA and tried to jump off a bridge into the river Thames" says Marissa
"Tori….. how could you" cries Cat
"I didn't want to disappoint you anymore, nothing I tried could get you out of little mode, I was beginning to feel like leaving was the best idea, if I couldn't help you heal then maybe I couldn't provide enough love" says Tori as Cat runs over and kisses her
"NEVER think you're not enough, it takes two to pull me out of that, if you haven't noticed I'm being bombarded with traumatic memories by helping rebuild the school, sure maybe my design is childish Tor but there are more traumatized talented people who went to that school than you realize, like me none of them felt safe, as a result most of them became victims of Ryder, none felt it was safe to say no to him, my design choice is purely to let people know they can let out their inner child, that all people have, that bullying and the rapes like what Andrew and Ryder did will not be able to stay in this environment, that it will let a calmer environment grow" says Cat as she kisses Tori
"so my inability to pull you out of your trauma state isn't my fault" asks Tori
"not in the slightest babe, the problem is that when I'm in my little mode I don't realize I'm hurting people, all I'm doing is trying to lessen the pain I feel, it's an automatic response and I can't stop it from happening, the only other way to stop it is to let Ivy take over completely during the trauma time, meaning you guys would be spending time with her instead of me, Ivy doesn't believe it's fair to do so, so she doesn't" says Cat
"Ivy is a leader, she leads by example, as hard as it might be Tori we need to work through this together, as a trio if we don't this relationship won't last long" says Jade
"also what's been weighing on me is the prospect of never being able to call you and Jade my wives Tori" says Cat
"oh I spoke to Isabelle about what the government might do if we tried, apparently her dad Brian, before he passed was working on an exception and it apparently just passed into law, basically in a lesbian or bisexual trio we will be allowed to marry on the rule that we never let a man romantically into our lives on a permanent basis, meaning we could get donated swimmers from him or them and they would legally be the father but he would not be allowed to live with us, it opens the door for people like June who would kill to get married to Vanessa and Cassandra, none of them have any intention of letting a man into their lives, Isabelle is stuck, if she decides to marry Andre there is no way for her to add a third and Smiths are kind of known for being with more than one, at least northern Norse and Swedish smiths are" says Cat answering her own question as Anna walks out of the basement
"you DID NOT just insult our mother or MY SISTER CAT" says Anna
"admit it Anna your family has never been stable" says Cat
"our mother was the ONLY stable one in her family, Isabelle was hated, she's the one who's unstable, even if only slightly, Norse Valentines have never gotten along with Roman Valentines" says Anna
"just because I was born in Rome doesn't make me a ROMAN Valentine Anna, I grew up in LA, Cass is the Roman side of the Valentine not me, my parents were on their honeymoon in Rome, spending time with Cass and her family, trying to mend the wrongs of their ancestors, my lineage was of the ones that went west, your lineage went north, Cassandra's went south but not south enough, my parents wanted to make right, you and Isabelle being here is tough for me, my mom was the negotiator not me or my dad, I don't know how to mend bridges, we are all that's left of the core of the Valentine family, the five of us, you, Isabelle, Cassandra, me and my brother who wants nothing to do with you guys till tensions are dealt with, he is seriously unstable, rarely is henry ever fronting more than five minutes a day, he cycles through his alts like candy, they're all vying for attention, I should be glad that Ivy cares, that Cassandra's Jackie cares enough to let the public at least see us for us instead of as insanity or possessed girls, he doesn't have that luxury, the first person he spoke to when he got here was Cass and people who saw then chat called him a rapist, without even talking to him, Henry is many things, a rapist he is not" says Cat
"you know leaving my family was the hardest thing I have ever done Cat, as I've told everyone who asked, I could not support his choice, the move to England was to help Isabelle, the choice to run for office was to help Isabelle and people like her, the moment we left Myre Cat he stopped caring about me, how could I support him if he didn't want to help invisibly disabled people like me or you Cat, sure he did good but all he did was make people like me or you suffer more" says Anna
"I didn't know that I'm sorry, I guess I need to think before I speak" says Cat
"we're family Cat if you can't be honest with family then who can you be honest with" says Anna