Disclaimer: I don't own. Schneider's Bakery and Nickelodeon own everything but my original characters, the concept, and who knows, parts of Europe. This is for entertainment purposes only, and buys only my sanity.
:}
Trina worked her way through the crowds, finding people of all types huddled together in the various parts of the home, enjoying the multitude of amenities their host had provided. Trina tried the various snacks and foods provided, even as she watched out for her sister. Eventually She found Tori and Cat, together, enjoying the music while Andre was near by hitting on some girl. Next to him Robbie was also trying to win some girls attention, in his awkward, nerdy way. Robbie had brought Rex, and was carrying the puppet around, oddly having more success then Andre at getting girls phone numbers. Overall, it felt like everyone was having a good time, enjoying the music and the atmosphere.
"Hay Treen." Tori greeted her sister, yelling just a little to be heard over the pounding music.
"Ha ha ha, Treen." Cat echoed. "Oh, hiiiiiiiiiiii Trina."
"Cat. Tori." Trina greeted them both. "You guys okay?"
"It's a party." Tori pointed out, her hand swinging around as if she needed to present the event. "Why wouldn't we?"
"Some guy tried to tell me that I had to let him feel me up to get in." Trina told her sister. "There are a lot of creeps out there, and with this many people here, they blend right in. Just saying, stay close to your friends, and have fun. Just, be alert."
"Wow, that darkened the mood, fast." Tori said, offering her sister a short hug. "But we'll be okay. Maybe you should try dancing. We got the same DJ we had last time, and the music is off the hizzy."
Cat glanced over at Tori. "Sinjin's right, you shouldn't try to sound street. It just comes off as lame." Tori seemed upset that the petite girl would say something like that, but didn't get to feel that way too long, as Trina distracted her.
"So, where's Jade?' Trina asked.
"She's helping Beck with something." Tori said, trying to sound as if she didn't care.
"You know, the only people who know you here already know about you two." Trina said to her sister.
"We're not out yet." Tori insisted, whisper yelling while glancing around.
"Okay then, who all knows about you two?" Trina asked.
"Andre, Beck, of course, Cat, Robbie…" Her eyes still looking around the room. "Maybe Snjin. And Burf..."
"So basically everyone in your social group, and everyone in mine." Trina said, smirking.
"We really didn't tell anyone." Tori tried arguing.
"Trina!" Mitch said as he approached. "Man, lots of people here tonight. Wasn't sure I was gonna find you."
"And who's this?" Tori asked.
"Tori, this is Mitch, he's in my theater economics class." Trina said, making introductions. "Mitch, this is my Little sister, Tori."
"I've heard about you." Mitch said. "Okay, it's kinda hard not to have heard about you and your friends."
"And he's someone who doesn't know your dating Jade." Cat added.
"Wait, what?" Mitch asked.
"So, you two an item?" Tori asked her sister.
"Tori is dating Jade." Cat repeated, smiling an innocent smile.
"This is kinda the first thing we're doing together." Trina told her sister. "But he did ask my help in learning how to write comedy."
"So their lesbians?" Mitch asked the group. "Sorry, you're a lesbian?" He looked at Tori, his mood almost muted.
"Why'd he ask you?" Tori asked her sister. "Wait, I'm a what?"
"Lesbian." Cat said. "You know, a chick who dates chicks."
"CAT!" Tori screeched at her small friend.
"Tori, it's okay." Trina comforted her sister. "Everyone who counts already knows. Besides, it's not that big a deal."
"How is this not that big a deal?" Mitch asked. "I mean, she's gay. That's like, a major sin, right? Something to be ashamed of, maybe hide."
"You don't like the gays?" Trina asked, eyeing the boy in a different light now.
He deflated, showing a slight embarrassment. "It's not that, but being gay, that's like a choice, right? You can choose not to be gay?" A moment of fear crossed his face. "If I pray hard enough, then I can be straight, the kind of man's man the kids from my old school would accept, right?"
"What about your dad?" Tori asked. "Would being gay get you in trouble with him?" She seemed not to be taking offense at his statements. Instead, her natural caring shone through. The same caring that had won her many friends, as well as the love of a slightly psychotic goth.
"Tori, I'm sure his father would understand." Trina defended the unknown man. 'That, is I hope he would. Boys coming out, and that's got to be hard. I.. Lets not add to his...'
"My dad would understand." Mitch insisted.
'Whats this now?' Trina thought as the boy continued. She'd been having trouble with her own thoughts, but his words were bringing him back to the present.
"It's one of the reasons they hired him here, in this city." Mitch said. "This is Los Angeles, Hollywood. If you're homophobic, your fighting a loosing battle. Not a place for the preachers who'd call them sinners and deny them a seat in the church. My Dad, he sees them as more of gods children, and wants nothing but the best for them. Even planning on holding the church's first gay marriage."
"Then why..." Tori started.
"Because people can be cruel." Trina cut her sister off. 'Like I almost was. Of course he's gay. Makes sense, cause what kind of loser would be interested in me.' Trina's darker thoughts were banished by the comforting words she offered this boy she'd just barely met. "But hay, don't worry. Lots of gays in the comedy circles. I think, from what you've been holding in, we can find the stuff to help make you funny. Accepted." Her hand brushed across his should as she offered what comfort she could. Inside, she was feeling oddly better at that simple act of kindness.
"Wow, first guy to show interest in you in quite a while, and he's just looking for a push out the closet." Rex said. Trina tensed, ready to tear herself some wood.
"Duds, not cool." Andre scolded the puppet.
"But hay, Mitch, I'm secure in my heterosexuality, and I'm cool with you loving the dudes." Rex added, showing an understanding often missing in his treatment of Robbie. It did succeed in calming the older Vega girl down a touch.
"Is Rob…?" Cat almost sounded worried.
"Used to think so, but not really." Rex said, much to Robbie's relief. "But the boys is bi-curious."
"Um, not that I'm not happy about this turn of events, but do you think we can maybe make a deal?" Tori cut in. "Mitch, you can come out all at once, cause Hollywood Arts is like totally accepting, or you could come out in stages. And if you do come out in stages, why not hang out with Trina here. I mean, maybe, if the other boys saw Trina with a hot boyfriend, they'd see her in a different light?"
"Driving straight boys gay?" Rex asked. "Tori, please, the best thing for Trina to do is be Mitch here's friend, and let events move as they are."
"REX!" Robbie cut the manikin off.
"Well, maybe it's just a hunch, but I'm thinking it's gonna happen, and soon." Rex told the nerdy boy. Robbie just shushed the poppet, once again, and sat down, refusing to answer questions. And from the eyes of several of his friends, it seemed there were a lot of questions. Almost like Rob and the puppet knew something the others didn't.
"Hang with us, and we'll figure out the whole coming out thing slowly." Trina offered, smiling at the new boy. "And, just because, I need to ask, you have made sure, right?"
"Dated a boy back in Sac." The tall boy said. "We were both very closeted, but the feelings were real. Too real. I broke it off when it felt like things were gonna get real. Wasn't ready to be honest with anyone, cept maybe myself, about what I was feeling. I just, back then, it was a rural community, full of people who would judge. I didn't feel right about being gay, being a preachers son and all."
"No one is gonna judge you here." Tori assured the boy. "Come, a party awaits. And, just so you know we're good, I'll confirm, I'm dating Jade."
"Where is she, anyways?" Cat asked.
"I'll find her." Trina told them. When Tori raised an eyebrow at her, the older Vega pulled out her cell phone, and opened the tracing app.
Trina walked through the party, not really in any hurry, but still wondering how she could have attracted such a great guy as Mitch, and yet screamed beard. 'Figures, the hottest guy at school to ask me out, and he's into dudes. Whats that say about me?' The thoughts were back, yet not as dark. Instead, she wondered about the message she'd been sending. 'I'm hot, I dress like I know I'm hot, so how is it I keep getting… WAIT! It was just one boy. Not like every guy into me turned out to be a friend of Dorothy. Heck, Jax wound up with Chloe, and she's definitely a girl. Not even possible to think of her as anything but a girl. So how is it I attracted someone like Mitch?'
Trina let herself forget that thought, the fear that maybe she wouldn't find someone, as she got her party on. It was a night to let loose and have fun, and she wasn't about to let her own insecurities get in the way of that. She did hear, from one person or another, that some scary goth chick had passed near by, arguing with a hot dude about chiz. Jade followed that lead, but not too quickly. 'By now, Jade's probably already back with Tori. Or, I could look for her. I mean, I have the app and all. But, yea, lets hope she's okay. Got the feeling it'd be better to find her later, once the party gets into third gear. Doubt anyone's trying anything sketchy this early. Not when there's no real reason for anyone to be drunk yet.'
Eventually, Jade came by, grumbling about how stupid people could be. Trina chalked it up to the handful of creeps at the party who probably hit on the busty girl. 'Guys just see the boobs, not the resting bitch face, or the death stare, and somehow miss that this may be the last pickup line they ever try. Okay, Jade, lets see who did what to wazz you off this much.'
"Trina, Maddy needs a friend." Jade tossed out as soon as she noticed the girl, then sat down and tried to lose herself in a bottle of water.
"No punch?" Trina asked.
"Only a matter of time before someone spikes it, and there are too many creepers around." Jade replied. "With Sam out of town, I'm the one watching my girls."
"You know where your girls are?" Trina asked, hoping to avoid the inevitable joke. Jade gave a token glance at her chest, only to shrug, and pull her phone out.
"I have the same app you used." The pale girl said. "They're near, and with friends. Give me a moment, and I'll go find them. Just, right now, I need to rest, let shit go, and you need to go comfort Maddy.
"Text me if you run into any trouble, okay." Trina instructed, then headed off to find Maddy. 'Since Jade has the app, I should have placed a tracker on myself, given her the ID code. That way, she could have found me easier. Hell, if someone slipped me a micky, then I'd know she could find me, and that would be a major comfort knowing I would be safe. Just hit the emergency button, and hope they hear the ping over the music. Right, set the phone for vibrate. Gotta learn from lady Gaga.'
Because of the size of the house, and the number of people, it took Trina over half an hour to find Maddy. When she did, she wished she hadn't. She was with Beck, in a side room, talking.
"...Yet you still want to pretend this is working." Beck was saying. Trina understood how bad this was, despite the even voice the handsome boy was using. Jade had commented on it, many times, on how, no mater how frustrated he was, Beck didn't yell. He just made you feel like he had. "Maddy, I get it..."
"NO YOU DON'T!" The tall girl screamed. Her voice, normally melodious, cut through the air, ripping at the dulled music that still vibrated the walls to the rhythm of a dance beat.
Trina stopped just outside the room the two had found, listening in while pretending she was just waiting for the right moment to enter. 'Maybe this isn't the right time to be barging in. I'll just wait here until they're done...' She gave evil eyes to anyone else who wanders too close, keeping guard on this private moment. A decent enough excuse for her being there, waiting, listening in on something she hoped had noting to do with Tori. 'Not even tangentially.'
Maddy continued in a much more reserved, but still loud, voice. "Beck, we haven't given it enough time. We need to give it more time. Maybe, after a little longer, things will work out..."
"One of the things I learned from Jade is, some people, they need that emotional connection." Beck countered. His voice, despite being soft, echoed. It was heavy, carrying a load of emotions that slammed into Trina like a revelation. "It's why Jade and I died. We'd lost that connection. And for us, you and me, it's why we have such a hard time in bed. Madeline, for all our effort, all your effort, you just don't love me. And as much as I wish I could change that, I can't." The sadness in his voice tore at the air, ripping holes in the assumptions Trina had about the handsome boy and his near perfect romance. "Maddy, I do care about you. I care enough to tell you, I lost. I love you, but I know who my competition was, is, and I lost. I realized it, even when you refused to admit it…." He sounded like he wanted to continue, but was cut off by the normally sweet girls outrage.
"Competition? COMPETITION? I NEVER CHEATED…!" Maddy hesitated, sounding like she was gulping down air for the next outburst, or to calm herself. "Beck, I don't cheat. I never cheated. There was no competition." Her voice was still angry, but it also was now edging on sorrow.
"Not intentionally." Beck said, holding his own. "No, you never cheated, just let yourself fall in love with someone else. I saw it. Tried to deny the truth, even as I watched you falling. I, I see it... I saw it, and I Realized what was happening, and I know, now, I have to let you go." Trina could imagine him looking the blond in the eyes, his brown eyes showing sincerity beyond his years. "If I don't, then neither of us will ever be happy."
"Oh..." Maddy sounded mad, hurt, confused, so many emotions mixed together in her voice. Trina could hear the fear in the models voice when she asked "Who?" A moment passed in silence. "Beck, you say I found someone else, fell in love, and I don't know who your talking about. So tell me, who is this guy I'm supposed to have fallen for? Who, tell me his name, so I can at least know who you thought could take your place." Her calm was breaking, and Trina felt maybe she should slip away. She leaned closer. "TELL ME HIS NAME!" The last scream echoed despite the noise of the party, and Trina knew that it was now time to go, before she hear something very private. Only, the need to know who Beck thought Maddy was crushing on kept her near, holding hr breath.
'This is the weirdest fight I've ever eavesdropped on.' The Trina thought, trying to convince herself to leave. 'I should go. Maddy will tell me who Beck's talking about, assuming...'
Her thoughts were broken by a single word. A word Beck said with as much compassion as a jilted lover could offer. "Trina."
With that, Trina felt the need to run, far stronger then her previous need that had kept her feet locked in position. Only the fact that she was wearing ridiculous heels, in a darkened, unfamiliar hallway, full of who knows what, prevented her from immediately dashing off. That, and the fates had a cruel sense of timing. Her phone went off, blaring "Make it Shine", Tori's ring tone. The older sister found herself juggling her phone, trying to answer it, or mute it, anything to prevent the sound that ripped it's way through the otherwise quiet hallway and alerting Beck to her presence.
"What?" She whisper yelled, angry at being outed by her sister.
"Tori's drunk." Jade's voice cut through the embarrassment, fear and even her classic anger, raising a new rage to cloud her mind.
"How?" Trina's voice was louder now, a dangerous tone, filled with frozen fire.
"Someone spiked the punch." Jade replied. "Scratch that, they put some punch in a bowl of booze, and dangerously left it out for people to party with. I think we're dealing with at least one hundred proof, and that's diluted." There was a moment. "I'm guessing it tastes enough like fruit punch not to be noticed, at least not by people without a very defined scene of taste." There was a growl. "This is dangerous. People may get sick, hurt, because they didn't know what they were drinking. That can lead to alcohol poisoning for dozens of people, just because they have no idea how much punch they can drink."
"Tell security." Trina instructed.
"On it." Jade replied. "But the sharks are already circling, and I think they got Cat too."
"Cat?" Trina asked. "How'd you know?"
"She just flashed me. Gotta put a stop to this. I'll call you right back." Jade hung up.
Trina texted Jade.
Jade (From Trina): Don't bother calling, just get Tori, and Cat, out of here. I'll let Beck know.
Trina (From Jade): Puppies! Cat just showed us her puppies. Little ones. Teeny tiny puppies. Or should they be kitties, since she's Cat! [Winky emoji]
"Great, Tori has Jade's phone." Trina groaned.
"What that?" Beck asked, startlinjg Trina, letting her know the two she'd been eavesdropping on had discovered her.
"Tori's drunk." Trina said, using one truth to hide behind another. "Cat too. Someone spiked the punch. Probably replaced the existing punch with some of their own, and it's like heavily alcoholic. I told Jade to let security know, and she said she'd take care of it, just as soon as she lets the creepers know to stay away. Probably was an or else in there..."
"I'll deal with this." Beck announced, but he hesitated before walking out. "Um, Trina, could you take Maddy home. I'll probably be a while, what with talking to the police and all."
"It's still early." Trina objected, only the handsome Canadian was already gone. The Latina shifted nervously, from one foot to the other, looking for an excuse that would get her away from the tall blond. "I-I should go, check on Tori..."
"Tell Jade to bring her here." Maddy said, her voice commanding. "We have this room, for now, and if we don't lose it, we can use it as a safe place to let them recover a bit." She flashed a devastating smile. "Better then going home drunk, right?"
"My dad's a cop." Trina reminded the former model. "Beck's gonna report this, cause he has too, so my dad's gonna find out anyways. No, it's better for us all if we get Tori home, let dad know it wasn't anyone's fault. I'm gonna tell Jade to just get them home. Tell the boys not to drink the punch, cause they're in charge now."
"Then we set this room up as a triage, a place where the girls too drunk for their own good can be brought to recover, and we make sure no one does anything to them they wouldn't want done." Maddy declared.
"Oh, okay.." Trina agreed, even as she called Tori's phone. As soon as someone answered, she spoke. "Get Tori and Cat out of here. We'll take care of everything else."
"On it." Jade replied.
"And get Cat to stop flashing people. It's dangerous." Trina added.
"She's only flashing her bra, but I totally get it." Jade said. "Hold on, I'm calling in the cavalry. I'll call you before we leave."
"Can you get out, or do you need a safe place to hang?" Trina asked. "We're using the room Beck and Maddy were having their discussion in as a safe place. Take any girl too drunk for her own good here to rest, then arranging a ride home for them."
"We're near the door." Jade informed her. "I'll spread the word, you get yourself set for whatever comes next. That many drunk girls in one place, gonna be a magnet for the creeps."
Trina got busy getting the word out, sending a text to Robbie, Beck and Andre. Dre texted back, letting her know they were setting up a similar safe space for the boys, and Robbie was going to be there for a bit. Then she found out that security had ejected Jade, given that she'd decked an overly friendly boy who'd goosed her, and another who tried to talk Cat into following him someplace private to pet his puppy.
Trina (From Jade): The good, they ejected me with Tori and Cat. The bad, we're outside, trying to get to my car. The best news, Cat's friend Goomer was near.
Trina (From Jade): Cat's on her way home, protected by a professional fighter. I'm off to see your parents. Oh, I got my phone back.
Trina didn't have much time to celebrate, as the first wave of drunk girls was arriving. Trina helped Maddy get drunk girls up to the safe room, wondering why there wasn't one on the ground floor. But the dozen or so girls drunk off the spiked punch were soon sleeping it off in the now crowded room, and Trina found she didn't look forward to spending the party playing guard for the girls.
"Um, Trina, how much of my conversation with Beck did you hear?" Maddy asked. They were resting now, waiting for things to get better before they felt okay to leave.
"Oh look, I got another text from Jade." Trina said, ignoring the question.
Trina (From Jade): The boys will handle things once set up. Get out as soon as you can, or they'll leave clean up to you.
"Jade says we should find some way to get out of cleanup duty." Trina said, smiling.
"Already taken care of." Maddy said. "I've got rides coming for all these girls, and a system set up to take care of the rest. Jade said Tori met this guy, gay as anything, but willing to help, who's gonna take over as soon as we get the last of these girls out of here. So, how much did you hear?"
"I heard Beck say that maybe you might, I don't know..." Trina really didn't know how to address the accusation.
"He said he felt like maybe I was crushing on you." The tall blond was being unusually direct. "Thing is, after working next to you, I suspect he's right." She was shifting, nervous energy keeping her from standing still. "Trina, I get that you don't feel the same way, but for the first time in my life, I want to do the nasty with another girl. And I've done it, in a couple of menage a trois."
Trina looked up into the buxom blonds eyes, lost for just a second in those deep violet pools. "I..." She tried.
"Maybe it'd help me if I got to kiss you?" Maddy suggested. "Dispel the illusion?"
'That has to be the worst idea I've ever heard.' Trina thought to herself, even as she leaned forward, just a bit, inviting the blond to close the distance and kiss her. Before she knew what she was doing, Trina found her arms wrapped around Maddy, pulling the taller girl into a tight embrace. Her lips were peppering the other girls lips, face and neck, and her body was reacting in a way it had never reacted for any girl before. Trina was aroused. Ready for whatever might come, she continued to kiss the taller girl for what felt like far to short a time before they were interrupted.
"Wow, guess I wasn't the only one in need of coming out of the closet." Mitch said. "Oh, this is Kevin, or as he likes to be address, queen Kevin." Mitch introduced an attractive African American boy, the type who looked like he played football.
"Yo, we got this." Kevin said. "Why don't you two girls find yourself an empty room and get your freak on." He glanced sideways at Mitch. "I would, but I had to meet a preachers son, and we don't do that kind of chiz on a first date."
"You're a preachers son?" Trina asked.
"Southern baptist." Kevin replied. "My dad isn't too thrilled, but hay, I'm one of the first drag queens to sing gospel, so it's all good, right?"
"Queens Kevin's your stage name?" Maddy guessed.
"No, Sista Surprise." Kevin said. "I just don't like how people assume, because I'm big, I can't be a queen." In three arm motions, he snapped out a Z.
"Guessing we should go?" Maddy said to Trina.
"Yea!" Kevin cheered. "Go get your freak on. Me and Mitch here will be doing the lords work, keeping these girls safe from those dirty boys."
"Is Sista Surprise supposed to be a preacher?" Trina asked as she started heading for the door.
"I'm gonna go to school, get my degree in divinity." Kevin informed her. "Maybe Mitch and I can both go, get married, and work in neighboring churches. Bring a whole new meaning to open religion."
"And we're out." Maddy said. "Um, Trina, Beck was my ride. Can you take me home?"
"Like that wasn't suggestive." Trina said.
:}
Did you see it? It was kinda subtle, but I gave a hint as to whom Trina was supposed to wind up with. Any guesses.
Thoughts on Mitch, Kevin, and the others. Lets me know in your reviews.