CHAPTER SEVEN
Cat knew she'd probably get in trouble for it, but she ditched school today. It was Friday, so it wasn't like she was missing much. She figured since she was home, she might as well help Sam baby sit even though it wasn't her usual babysitting hours. She slightly regretted that decision though, because the children they were babysitting were terrible to watch. They were rude, they were annoying, and she prayed to God her baby wouldn't end up like that.
After hearing them fight over a stupid game system, Cat hoisted herself up from the couch and yanked the game cords out of the TV, earning glares from Max and Chloe.
"Hey!" Chloe said. "We were playing that!" she stomped her foot.
"No, you were not playing it, you were fighting over it and I'm tired of listening to your high pitched voices get higher and higher," Cat snapped. "Go find something else to do while I feed the baby. Something that isn't annoying."
"You used to be the fun one," Max said.
"Yeah well, I grew up. I can't always be fun, now can I? Go do something else," she said as Sam walked into the house from the back porch.
As the kids walked past her and went outside, the blonde looked at Cat for a few seconds as the redhead got a jar of baby food from the fridge. "Sooo… Why are you being mean to kids?" she asked.
Cat furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm not, they're just annoying the hell out of me—why do kids have to fight over stupid shit like video games? If they aren't both winning then they're pissed off at who is winning, and the one that's winning rubs it in the one that's losing's face and they start yelling and screaming and I'm sick and tired of it—"
"Okay, I get it," Sam said, putting her hands on Cat's shoulders. "Feed the baby, calm your nerves."
"I'm working on it," Cat grumbled, spooning some of the baby food into Darby's mouth.
Sam sat on the couch. "So, when are you gonna tell me you're getting married?"
"When I'm damn good and rea—how did you know?" she asked, looking at the blonde.
"Um, there's an engagement ring on your finger."
"…I wasn't hiding it, I just forgot to tell you."
"Is it the nerdy dude?"
"Robbie," she corrected Sam as she gave Darby another spoonful of food.
"Why?"
"Sam."
"No, I'm generally curious. What is it about him that makes you want to marry him?" Sam asked, walking over to the redhead and taking the food from her, giving the baby another spoonful.
Cat smiled and shrugged. "Everything… He's smart, he's sweet, he's nice. He does everything he can for me, he know when I'm upset and he knows how to cheer me up, he holds me when I'm sad or cold or don't feel good, he supports everything I do even if he doesn't agree with it… he's just the greatest guy, yanno?"
"Sounds pretty special."
"He is. Don't you have someone like that?"
"My best friend. Carly. She does all that."
"It's nice to have best friends like that," Cat said. "What about that Freddie guy?"
"He's different. He's a dude."
"It's not different—he's your Robbie. Carly is your Jade—"
"No, I am Carly's Jade."
"Yeah, you're both kinda mean."
Sam snorted. "Kinda."
Cat walked over to the couch and sat down. "Do you think you'll ever have kids?"
"No way. I don't like kids."
"But we're babysitters."
"It's an easy job. You do most of the work anyways."
That was true. Cat did do a lot more work babysitting than Sam did. She didn't mind it, though. She loved the kids so she did what she could to make sure they were taken care of to the best of her abilities.
Cat started playing on her phone but smiled when she got a text from Robbie.
Robbie: Hey beautiful. How are you?
Cat: I'm good. Fat and lazy.
Robbie: You're not fat; you're pregnant. And gorgeous.
Cat: You're too sweet. Stop it.
Robbie: Baby's doing good?
Cat: Yeah. Really good. Not making me sick.
Robbie: I thought you didn't get sick anymore?
Cat: I do sometimes, it just depends on what I'm eating and whether he or she liked it.
Robbie: I have a question.
Cat: Okay. What is it?
Robbie: Wanna go to dinner tonight?
Cat: Sure. Where to?
Robbie: I was thinking Bots. It's a pretty cool place.
Cat: I love Bots! The red one is always so mean… Kinda reminds me of Jade.
Robbie: I like the blue one. So around 7?
Cat: Yeah sounds great.
Cat gasped, dropping her phone in her lap and placing her hand on her stomach. This got the attention of Sam, who stared at her for a few seconds.
"No, no, no, you can't already be in labor," Sam said.
"I'm not—the baby just kicked I think," she said lifting her shirt above her belly. She watched for a few seconds and saw her belly move, making her gasp again. "Oh my god! Look at this!"
Sam gave Darby the last scoop of food in the jar and picked him up from the high chair before walking over to the couch and sitting next to Cat. She watched Cat's stomach for a few seconds and her eyes widened when it moved again.
"Woah, that is some major kickage, kid," she said, patting Cat's stomach.
Cat picked her phone up and recorded her belly moving for a while before sending it to Robbie. She looked over to Sam, who was surprisingly playing with Darby by clapping the baby's hands together. Smiling, Cat took a quick picture and put her phone down before grabbing a diaper and wipes from a diaper bag on the coffee table.
"Someone needs a diaper change," she said.
"That's your territory," Sam said, passing Darby to Cat.
"Of course."
"I'll just go see how the kids are doing that you so kindly snapped at," she said standing up from the couch.
"They were annoying me. You say worse all the time," Cat said laying Darby on the couch.
"I'm allowed to, I'm Sam. You're sweet little Cat, you're nice. Stay that way."
Cat giggled and got Darby's diaper changed before the baby started rubbing his eyes. She lay down on the couch and laid the eight-month-old down in her arms, letting the little boy's belly rest against hers as Darby's head lay on her chest. She watched him slowly drift off to sleep as she patted the baby's diaper.
Every time she held a baby her heart just swelled with joy. Even before she got pregnant. She loved kids, but especially babies because they always loved with their heart instead of with their mind. They were innocent little people that had no reason to judge anyone and she loved that. Babies don't think she made bad choices. Babies don't think she's stupid. Babies don't think loving Robbie is gross or weird. Babies just love her and accept her because that's just how they are.
After a while, Cat ended up asleep herself and didn't wake up until she felt a sweet, sloppy, drooly kiss on her cheek. She opened her eyes and smiled, looking at Darby before running her hand over the little boy's head.
"Hey, sweet girl," she said. "Did you have a nice nap?"
"He did," Jade said, startling Cat.
The redhead tilted her head back just enough to see Jade sitting in a stool with Tyler in her lap, who was happily playing with his big sister's car keys.
"When did you get here?" Cat asked.
"About twenty minutes ago," Jade said.
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Because you need the sleep. Besides, the baby was still asleep too. He woke up about five minutes ago."
Cat sat up carefully with Darby and ran her hand through her hair to get out any tangles. "You want a bottle, mister?" she asked, standing up.
"He was pulling at your shirt, I think he wants more than a bottle," Jade said, turning around in the stool and standing Tyler up on the counter, holding onto him.
"Yeah well if it was Tyler I'd totally do that, but I don't know Darby's mom like that so that's awkward and weird."
"And breast feeding a child that's not your own isn't awkward and weird?"
"I'd do anything for Tyler, you know that," Cat said putting Darby in the high chair. "Besides Mom would totally be okay with it if need be. Hi Tyler," she said, kissing Tyler's cheek. "How you feelin', buddy?"
"He's been good. He hasn't had any more seizures but we're prepared if it does happen again."
Cat got a bottle out of a cabinet and was just finishing mixing up Darby's bottle when Robbie walked through the door.
"Hey Cat," he said. "Are you ready?"
Cat's eyes widened and she looked at the clock. "Oh my god! I—I fell asleep with Darby and I didn't know what time it is. I'm not ready yet, but Sam's not home yet and the kids are still here."
"We can wait or do it another night."
"Um…"
"Go get ready," Jade said. "I'll watch them until Sam gets back or their mom comes to pick them up. If she gets here before Sam I'll just say you guys had an emergency and asked me to take over until you got back."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Go get dressed. I got it," she said, taking the bottle from Cat and handing it to Darby.
"Okay… I'll be back."
Cat laughed as Robbie threw a french fry in the air to catch it with his mouth. He caught it, but he choked on it.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Robbie coughed and took a drink of his soda before nodding. "I'm good."
Cat snacked on the fries she had left on her plate and her eyes widened when she saw a Northridge girl that she used to be friends with. "Oh no…"
"What? Is it the baby?"
"No. It's Lindsay White."
"From middle school?"
Cat nodded just as Lindsay walked up to their table. "Cat Valentine and Robbie Shapiro. How'd I know you two would end up together after all?" she asked.
"Guess you could call it fate," Robbie said.
Lindsay smiled. "Sure. Fate. That's what it is," she said before turning to Cat. "And you're having a baby? Or… are you just fat?"
Cat sighed. "I'm pregnant."
"How'd I know that would happen before graduation?"
"You said it would happen before 8th grade graduation, not high school."
"You still got knocked up."
"Not by choice."
"Oh so whose fault was it that you opened your legs and let Robbie tap it?" Lindsay turned to Robbie. "I can't believe you hit that to begin with, she was a slut in 7th and 8th grade."
"She wasn't and isn't a slut," Robbie said.
"Oh, she wasn't? Is that why she was hooking up with guy after guy?"
"I wasn't hooking up with anyone," Cat said.
"What do you call making out with every guy you got your hands on, then?"
"Making out?"
"And dry humping them?"
"Just a little friction action—look, I wasn't having sex in middle school. I wasn't you. So take you and your fake self away from my table before I do it for you. I'm tired of your shit, Lindsay."
"Are you gonna make me?"
"Cat," Robbie said shaking his head. "She's not worth it."
"She's not worth a lot of things, but it'd make me feel a whole lot better," Cat said.
"I'm not going anywhere," Lindsay said. "Everyone knew you were gonna end up a slut in high school. I bet that's why you go to that high class richy bitch school, isn't it? All the hot guys are there."
"The only rich bitch at our school is Jade West—who I'm sure you remember since she's the reason you had to have a nose job when you were twelve. Our school doesn't require a ton of money, all it requires is talent—which is something you obviously don't have since you failed your audition to get in," she said, smirking at the look Lindsay gave her. "Yeah, I was there. I was after you. I saw you walk away crying. Trina Vega has more talent than you do."
"And she's the most talentless person we know," Robbie said.
"Go on with your bad self, Lindsay. Call me names, shit talk me, do whatever. It makes you feel better about yourself. You know what makes me feel better about myself? Giving other people inspiration, thinking about how much joy and sweet memories my baby's going to bring as soon as he or she is born, spending time with my fiancée, and doing what I do best—ignoring judgmental bitches like you."
Lindsay stared at Cat for a few seconds. "I hope your baby comes out retarded."
Cat got out of the booth and stood up, staring at Lindsay. "Say it one more time, I dare you."
"Cat," Robbie said.
"I hope your baby comes out retarded. Did I talk too fa—"
Before Lindsay could finish her sentence, Cat gave her a good swift punch in the nose, sending the bratty blonde to the ground.
"Cat!" Robbie said, standing up.
"What the fuck, you psycho!" Lindsay said, standing up slowly. "It's no wonder you were sent to so many homes growing up!" she snapped before leaving the restaurant.
"I wanna go home," Cat said, walking the other way to exit the back of the restaurant.
"Cat," Robbie said following her. "Cat, hey," he said, finally taking her arm gently as they made it into the alley.
"What!"
"What the hell were you thinking? You don't just punch people, you're Cat, and you hate violence."
"She was asking for it."
"Cat, you can't let people bother you like that—you can't be fighting! Our baby is in there, if you make one wrong move or someone else doesn't care that you're pregnant, it can get seriously hurt, Cat, you can't fight like that."
"I'm tired! I'm tired of being talked about! I'm tired of being known as the only pregnant girl! Trina has a kid too yanno, and no one ever talks shit about her!"
"That's because only us that go to Tori's house know about her daughter, Cat… You cannot get in fights. That's not you, that's Jade."
Cat's eyes filled with tears and she let out a sob, running her hand through her hair. "I'm not as strong as I seem, Robbie—I'm broken on the inside and no one understands that. I'm mentally fucked up for the rest of my life, my heart is shattered because my own family betrayed me, my baby is probably going to have serious birth defects and I know deep down in my heart I should have had an abortion to keep it and myself from suffering, but I didn't have the heart to kill an innocent baby, even if it had been a better choice—"
"Abortion is not a better choice for you, Cat. If you'd done that, you'd be a lot more screwed up in the head than you already are. You're perfect just the way you are, Cat, don't let some snobby prude's words ruin that for you…"
Cat wrapped her arms around him, crying into his chest. "I want it to be like old times… No baby, no foster care, just me and you and the gang and flirting and kissing at dances and having weird dreams where kids eat me—I just want to go back to when I was happy…"
"You weren't happy back then," Robbie said, rubbing her back. "I've known you since we were four—you were a mess back then, you just never showed it… Look at me," he said, lifting her chin up. "You might be a little weird in the head and some people might think you're stupid or just a ditz, or people might think you're a slut, or that you're easy, or that you could find a better guy to marry… but the only thing that matters is that you know the truth about yourself and everyone else's opinion isn't important."
"Jade's opinion is important…"
"Okay, Jade's. But no one else's. Just yours."
Cat sniffled. "Just mine?"
"Just yours."
