August 15th

"so Cat you gonna swim" asks Jade

"nuh uh I can't swim that deep and I don't have floaties" says Cat

"and you didn't mention this earlier because….." asks Jade

"I didn't want to seem weak" says Cat

"Cat we were literally JUST at the store where we could have gotten you some floaties" says Jade

"maybe I'm afraid of more than just sinking Jade, Chemistry has never been my strong point and I set up the pool, I put the balancing chemicals in it, may I remind you that I FAILED chemistry TWICE back in LA" says Cat

"Tori was in it this morning and she's fine" says Jade

"Cat if anything you follow directions better than anyone, so you failed chemistry, every other class you rocked, Chemistry involves a different part of the brain, I knew someone from Sherwood that would fail Math over and over no matter what the teachers did to accommodate him yet excelled at Chemistry without fail, nobody could explain it and luckily enough nobody tried to, he was just himself and he didn't need a reason to be the way he was, Following directions is one of the things you do best Cat, those chemical labels told you to do something till it hit a certain point and you followed it to the letter" says Tori

"you sure it's ok, your bikini, it's Uhh falling apart" asks Cat

"ya I didn't exactly buy the best bikini's while I was at Hollywood arts, they're meant for the beach not pools, even then I skimped out and bought the cheapest of the cheap, I only own two good pairs, I could have sworn I'd packed them but I can't seem to find them" says Tori

"so they're falling apart because they're just bad, not because of the pool" asks Cat

"exactly Cat, they'd fall apart in the pool back at my house in LA too, it's just you never saw them, mainly because I was afraid of what you'd think" says Tori

"I don't understand" says Cat

"I was afraid you'd….. you know touch me, you always joked about liking my body, sure I knew it was light hearted and meant as a comment but it still affected me" says Tori

"oh…., I'm sorry I did that, I thought I was helping you mend your body image after Dean, he was a real bad man" says Cat

"it showed me I can't pick good men, he was very possessive and quite abusive Cat, no amount of compliments will ever fix the self doubt he drilled into me, what's even worse is that by the time I realized I needed to get out it was too late, there was no voluntarily leaving that relationship, if I'd tried he could have killed me, my dad taking matters into his own hands is what saved me" says Tori as she pushes Cat into the shallow end of the pool

"how did that happen anyway, I heard there was a gunshot involved" asks Jade

"it was at dinner time, one of the few times Dad actually made it home for dinner and I'd made a point of complimenting Cat's performance in the school play that month and Dean grabbed my hair and started choking me, telling me that Cat was evil and didn't deserve the compliments, my dad got up just as I blacked out and proceeded to choke him, apparently he begged for his life, say whatever you want about my dad, he definitely cares, he took pictures of all my bruises and cuffed him right there and took him outside where he killed him" says Tori

"is that why he's not a cop anymore" asks Sadie

"yes, no charges were pressed against him because of the proof of abuse Dean gave me daily but the police had to fire him" says Tori

"why not press charges against him instead of killing him, it seems a little extreme, even for someone as bad as dean" says Jade

"my dad feared that because Dean was able to get into my head and twist truths around that he'd do the same to the jury and get away with it, even with the proof of abuse, plus I'm half Latina, the courts are known at least in the states to bias towards the white person regardless of evidence" says Tori

"did he really have that much control over you" asks Sadie as everyone else gets into the pool

"yes, he'd basically brainwashed me, made me believe things that were so obviously not true, I spent those six months in complete utter fear" says Tori

"how did he get to you, you can be as hard headed as Trina" asks Cat enjoying the pool temperature

"that's exactly how he did Cat, all he had to do was push me till I cracked and my mind was his, after that happened I'd believe literally everything he said, then my brain would slip into gear and I'd be almost normal for a second, only to have him choke me till I was under his control again, all I remember is Trina suddenly changing and trying to convince my dad something was up, that something was wrong, Dean and my dad always got along well so he didn't believe it till I had that slip about complimenting you Cat, above all my dad hates people who fake things which is why he took action the way he did, I was extremely terrified for weeks after that, to this day what he did affects me, it will affect me for the rest of my life" says Tori

"there's something else bothering you isn't there babe" asks Sadie

"Andre promised me a duo if he got a record deal, most if not all the songs we sang at Hollywood arts were MY idea, my words, my voice and the moment he got signed suddenly I was this person he had no idea existed, he completely cut me out of his life" says Tori upset

"his family risked everything to get him into that school Tori" says Cat

"it doesn't matter Cat, that first day of school for me at Hollywood Arts, he made me feel like I was worth something, that I deserved to be heard, you don't understand what it's like for me to have had him just ghost me like that, he was often the one encouraging me to sing, to have him suddenly not care about me, it hurt so bad, there was always this tension between us, I felt like I'd have kissed him if he'd asked for it, I asked Dean out because he seemed a lot like Andre, right up to being musically inclined, had Andre gotten to me first I'd have been with him right now instead of Sadie, my confidence in my voice was solely because of Andre, not Beck, Andre built me up from the nervous wreak I was after being accepted into Hollywood arts, and in one move he destroyed it all" says Tori

"so he doesn't talk to you at all" asks Jade getting angry about it

"he blocked me on everything" says Tori

"ok that's it I'm giving him a call" says Jade heading to the master bedroom

"Andres in troubleeeee" says Cat

With Jade

"he better pick up" says Jade as Andre picks up

"what is it Jade" asks Andre

"do you have any idea what you've done" says Jade

"huh" asks Andre confused

"with Tori, you've destroyed her confidence in her music" says Jade

"that can't possibly be true, she's amazing, surely she's gotten a record deal by now" says Andre cluelessly

"no she hasn't, she's been rejected every single time, she says you promised her a duo" says Jade

"they didn't want her" says Andre

"she had a crush on you, that's why she dated Dean, he was so much like you, just white instead of African American, you should have rejected the offer when you realized they didn't want Tori too, she's with Sadie now but that's besides the point" says Jade

"I'll go talk to her" says Andre as he hangs up

With Andre driving to The "Vega" home

"ugh why am I such an idiot, why didn't I notice she was crushing on me" says Andre arriving and knocking on the door

"a little late there bud" says David answering the door and letting Andre in

"I don't understand" says Andre confused

"they're in Sicily, they followed Cat to make sure she was ok, why are you here anyway" says Trina having just arrived back home the day before

"I was hoping to talk to Tori, did you guys know she was crushing on me" says Andre

"it was blatantly obvious yes, it was a pattern, you were the only boy she ever willingly let into this house while she was alone, Tori doesn't just do that" says Trina

"I guess it's too late to admit I liked her too" says Andre

"even if you did admit that to her face, after blatantly cutting her from your life I doubt she's believe a word of it, Dean shredded every chance you had, he was like an evil you but nobody realized it till she was already his pawn, I was the first person to try and talk some sense into her and she defended him, told me she'd been bad and that's why he beat her up all the time, sure my dad killed him but there was no other way to free her from him, she was so trapped by fear and maybe brain damage by that point that she'd have defended him till her last breath, as it stands Robbie is the only dude she trusts right now from your friend group, if there was any way of gaining her trust it might be through Robbie, or maybe Jade" says Trina

"if she doesn't trust me now I'd never have a chance, besides Jade says she's with Sadie now, I shouldn't try and inject myself back into her life" says Andre

"DUDE, Tori is good at keeping secrets, she could have hidden her crush on you from them for decades, Sadie had her bring it up for a reason, Sadie and Tori go way back sure but Sadie lacks the ability to motivate, and yes from what Sadie is saying they're open to a throuple, Tori would have lied about who she had a crush on if she'd wanted to, she chose to tell the truth for a reason, it's time you chose Andre, is your music more important than Tori" says Trina

"I signed a contract, I'm their artist for four years Trina, I can't just break it" says Andre

"if Tori is more important than you can and you will Andre, I risked my job for her safety, I didn't want to believe Dean could be that bad, then I saw it for myself and I knew I had to take action Andre, the label you're with is one of the companies that discriminated against her, they called her an idiotic moron who's just a pretty face with no talent, believe me when I say it hurt her that they'd say that, I'm sure Jade would fund any legal battle Andre, the West family is mega rich, like Trina said its your choice" says David

"they really said that to her, that's pure evil, I think for now I'd rather just stay here, I can't go back to that lavish house they bought me, not now" says Andre

"you're not going to fly to Sicily to try and show Tori you care" asks Trina

"how can I, she thinks I hate her, why would she believe anything I say, no, if the connection between Tori and I is to be born again then the news has to come out first, without my involvement, then and only then will I venture out to meet her" says Andre