November 20th
Grand re-opening of Hollywood Arts
"welcome to the Grand Re-Opening of Hollywood Arts everyone, here to cut the ribbon is Cat Valentine, Tori Vega and Jade West" says Principal Eichner
"before we cut the ribbon I'd like to say a few words regarding the design, it is modeled after the Pediatric cancer ward in LA General Hospital where I was treated for my brain cancer last year, I chose the design because a school like this, it can be stressful, I'm an survivor of abuse, I'm not saying what kind, it is my belief that everyone has an inner child, the design is interactive meaning it can be interacted with, some very specific floor tiles are actually buttons, some activate disco mode, one in particular activates nap mode in where bean bag beds… yes I said BEDS will come out from under the stairs, camera's will determine the number of students in the hallway, identify them and you can and are expected to nap for half an hour, it can be triggered at ANY time of the day, including during after school events like cook outs or dances, each locker is equipped with a button that can NOT be tampered with that when pressed will send you a text with the number of a therapist or cop and is only to be used if you are on the receiving end of abuse, be it sexual, physical or even emotional abuse, it doesn't have to be a student doing it either, parents can be outed as an abuser too though the button is mainly for students, boys or girls who try and make you do things you don't want to do for instance rape, ala Ryder Daniels, any questions" says Cat as Sabrina raises her hand
"yes Sabrina what's your question" says Sikowitz
"what about Cat's corner" asks Sabrina
"that's where a custom hologram of me is, it has pre-programed answers to questions, if you would like to have a personal conversation with me during school hours and would like a hologram response you enter Sikowitz classroom during lunch or any time when he isn't teaching acting classes, there you can have your question hologram beamed to me where I will use your chosen name or pronouns in my response, the response will be beamed to your specific locker the moment I send it, sound will be off for any questions regarding touchy subjects" says Cat as Anabelle raises her hand
"yes Annabelle please keep this short" says Eichner
"how does one simply come out as gay, I'm asking for a friend, she's very vulnerable and nervous that people will hate her here" asks Annabelle
"I'd like to discuss this with you and your friend in Cat's corner, please know students of Hollywood arts this is a zero tolerance space, any bullying or shaming of anyone who is bi, gay or trans I'm assured by the school board that any such actions will result in immediate loss of privileges, this school is a safe space, actors, actresses and singers and such come in many packages, not all are familiar or seen as socially acceptable, what the greater society sees as acceptable isn't always right, the people that make those decisions are NOT always right, everyone is valid here, rape and or any such abuse will not be tolerated here" says Cat as they cut the ribbon and allow students their first look at the school
"wow this is amazing" says Annabelle amazed
"this is officially the coolest school I've ever been to" says Sabrina
"ok I LOVE disco mode" says James
"looks like it's a hit, your design ideas aren't exactly what I'd call normal Catarina however I can't deny the reviews, as long as it remains popular I will keep it, however I'm hesitant about the whole nap function being abused to skip class" says Principal Eichner
"I had concerns myself but I was promised it could only be activated two times a day and not by the same person both times, they have to be unique activations and no makeup or face paint will fool it" says Cat as they walk in
"I officially love this school" says Sabrina
"Annabelle you and your friend follow me" says Cat as Annabelle and Sabrina follow Cat
In Sikowitz Classroom
"is this going to be a lecture" asks Sabrina
"no, I had a feeling it was you Sabrina, if you could date any girl who would it be" asks Cat as Annabelle darts her eyes nervously
"Annabelle but she doesn't work that way, she doesn't like girls" says Sabrina as Annabelle continues to dart her eyes nervously
"her reaction says otherwise Sabrina, does Annabelle live in a house with people who don't believe being gay is ok" says Cat as Annabelle starts hyperventilating
"how would I know, I've never been to her house, I only moved here last year, she's my only friend" says Sabrina
"my parents disowned me, said if I applied to Hollywood arts that all my stuff would be outside after school" says Annabelle
"what makes this school so special that they'd disown you" asks Cat
"you, they see you as a freak" says Annabelle
"looks like I'm giving them a piece of my mind, text me the address Annabelle, in the mean time if you have feelings for Sabrina spend as much time with her as possible today and DO NOT go to your house, go to hers" says Cat
"how'd you know I had feelings for her" asks Annabelle
"just the way you said asking for a friend, it's the same way I came out to Tori, seriously though go to Sabrina's tonight, oh and spread the word that the beanie bed button is twice a day only though Cat's corner is open to those who absolutely need time away from others it is not a hideaway from classes, if anyone has issues with a fellow student or a teacher you tell councilor Lane or Sikowitz first" says Cat
"so like you're not going to kill them are you" asks Annabelle
"no that's not my thing, I'm going to have Velvet expose their rude attitude to the world" says Cat
"W-wait you know Velvet Starlight…. I can't afford to watch her streams I thought she was nicer than that" asks Sabrina
"she can't make music by herself, the person that helped her make the music was separated from her for long enough that fans started leaving, she has some music planned but it's hard for her to be open about the subjects her music is about this time round, it is making her jittery, which is why she started streaming to begin with, she has stage fright, very few people watch her streams as it is, she writes down names and puts them on a list to get a free album sent to them, if you haven't guessed yet Velvet Starlight is Tori Vega, she donated ten million dollars to Hollywood Arts so that lunches could be free and so those troubled students, like me with C-ptsd can get the additional help we need, also believe it or not admission to Hollywood Arts was half a grand except for a lucky few like Trina and Tori who got a cops daughter discount, Tori's donation makes admission free for all students for three years, anyway I have some butt kicking to do, you guys stick together, you are stronger together" says Cat as she leaves
At Annabelle's house with Velvet Starlight and David
"excuse me who are you" asks Ryan(Father)
"I'm Velvet Starlight and I heard that you disowned your daughter because she likes girls and managed to get into Hollywood arts" says Velvet
"ya so, she's a creep" says Ryan
"no she isn't actually, I'm THE Velvet Starlight and I went to Hollywood Arts and I'm dating 'a' girl, I'm mega successful, plus I recorded that for all my fans to see, good luck getting a job" says Velvet still recording
"what are you going to make her one of you stupid brain dead popstars" says Ryan
"only if she wants to be, besides I'd hire anyone brave enough to make it through the stress of that school, now kindly put your hands out" says Velvet as Ryan rolls his eyes
"you can't make me, Annabelle is my daughter and my property" says Ryan as David cuffs him
Back at school during lunch
"good news Annabelle, your dad isn't in the picture anymore, he was arrested" says Cat
"if you cornered him he will be out in a few days like always" says Annabelle
"not this time, they searched the house, they saw your room, the rope and cuffs, he won't get out this time" says Cat
"but he didn't rape me, just tied me up so I could be 'clean', like I said he will be out of jail as always in two days" says Annabelle feeling defeated
"trust me he will not, torture of a minor is plenty to keep him in custody, repeat offences could, plus he called you his property meaning he believed that he could do anything to you, cops take that language very seriously, have you two kissed yet" says Cat
"yes we kissed, we thought we were alone in the hall, turns out half the school was watching, they cheered, it was deafening but also really calming" says Sabrina
"does Annabelle feel the same way about that" asks Tori
"actually yes madam Starlight, after we kissed everyone bowed, like we were royalty, then we walk out here to the food truck and before we can say we want to wait we're ushered into the front of the line, it's a nice change from my old school where I was ignored in every sense, most teachers marked me absent even if I raised my hand and said 'I'm here', every teacher here is so nice, l feel so calm, I hope dad really doesn't get out" says Annabelle
"he won't, my dad just texted me, your dad confessed to intent to rape, which legally is as Bad as rape considering he also confessed to tying you up naked, so he's not going to be free for a long time, since he essentially pled guilty he's going straight to jail forgoing a trial, you are a minor Annabelle, what he did was wrong Jade is talking to other students, she says that as far as she can tell everyone is willing to protect you" says Tori
"why did she come in that bloody dress, that is scary, she probably scared them into saying that" asks Sabrina
"it's from her favorite movie 'The Scissoring', we live in London, we were there on Halloween, she didn't get to celebrate, Halloween is the only time she wears it, given she couldn't wear it there she's wearing it here, she's not as scary as she seems, in fact she's the reason the school had the funding to do all the cool things they let Cat request, especially Cat's corner, it's main feature is a room where couples can spend their lunch cuddling, having dates, or having naps together, sex is the only thing against the rules on school grounds and especially in Cat's corner when it comes to relationships, as for Jade forcing them to keep you guys safe she doesn't do that for anyone unless she benefits from it, helping Cat opened up the door to love, which as much as she denies it she craves, helping you doesn't help her unless you pay her, she's helping you because it's the right thing to do, good people don't need much convincing, that's what she's learning here, she told me that when she asked the first person they nodded within a minute, not because she scared them but because they genuinely care" says Tori
"really" asks Annabelle
"surprisingly yes, that's what I hoped to grow here, a caring environment where people feel safe, the button tiles are a game, the ceiling tiles painted like clouds are calming, Robbie after I told him my bean bag bed idea came up with a way to make them roll out from under the stairs with a button press, the whole goal of my design is calming people down, I was molested by a guy less than a month into my first year of school here, even with Jade protecting me after it happened I never felt safe, I made a promise to myself that if I had a chance to change things I would, when my suicide attempt went wrong and burned down the school I expected the school to come after me, then Ryder the man who pushed me there was arrested, I came to realize there was a void that needed to be filled, what surprised me most was when the school, knowing I was halfway across the world called me and said Jade had asked the school to be dedicated to me, I was angry at Jade for putting me on the spot but the School Board says as Principal Eichner said, as long as it remains popular and nobody exploits it to miss class then it can stay" says Cat
"I like it, Robbie is a good friend for helping you" says Sabrina
"he tries, he didn't have the best home life so he could be easily lead astray by false promises of love or friendship, granted he comes through when we need him but he can be oh so awkward, and that's coming from me the nerdy nerd queen who had to hide every aspect of my nerdy side to avoid being a victim again like I was with the person who molested me, I forced myself to act stupid so people would protect me from the bad guys, I had to lie about so many things to keep myself safe, as much as it traumatized me having to go through my most traumatic moments to find ideas for the school to be a safe place it was worth every moment" says Cat