The Trouble With Love Is…

"Hey Cat!" Robbie Shapiro came down the hallway with a small bouquet of half a dozen flowers in his hand. He grinned childishly and handed them to her. "Here you go! For the most gorgeous girl in the world!"

Cat took the flowers and sniffed them, smiling. "Thank you, Robbie." She closed her locker and turned to Robbie fully and he saw half of her face swollen. "Don't say anything, please."

"But Cat, what happened?" Robbie asked in fright. "You're limping, your face looks like it's been punched, and there's always something physically wrong with you!"

"Stop yelling at me!" Cat screamed.

"Hey!" Beck came over with anger in his eyes. "What's happening here, Shapiro?"

"Chill out, Beck." Robbie glared. "I'm just worried about Cat."

"Don't be." Beck put an arm around Cat. "She's fine. We got things under control. Leave her alone."

Robbie rolled his eyes. "She's a single girl, Beck! She can speak for herself!"

"She's not single!" Beck growled, losing his cool.

Cat squeaked. "Ssshh!"

Robbie's eyes went wide with hurt. "Oh…Cat, you're seeing someone?"

Beck made an 'o' with his lips as he looked to Cat, who looked up against a wall. "Um…yes."

"Who is it?" Robbie asked.

"Umm…" Cat looked to Beck, who bit his lip. "Tug…"

Robbie raised an eyebrow. "Tug?"

"Tug…" Beck mumbled, realizing how horrible of a liar Cat was.

"You've never mentioned Tug before." Robbie pressed the subject.

"Yeah…he's a football player and he works at Bed, Bath, and Yonder…" Cat kept going on, looking at the floor. "So…yeah…we're dating."

"Oh, okay." Robbie's shoulders slumped and he walked away, looking like a kicked puppy.

Cat let out a breath of relief as she looked to Beck, who blinked at her. "What?"

Beck shook his head. "Tug?"

Cat smacked his arm. "Oh, hush!"

As the two walked towards Cat's class, Andre came around the corner, reading a text message on his phone. He spotted the two and glared to Cat. "You're dating a guy named Tug? I had to find this out on text message from Tori?"

"How did Tori hear already?" Beck asked in surprise.

Andre's eyes went wider. "So it's true?"

"No!" Cat whimpered, leaving Beck's arms to Andre's, wrapping her arms around his torso tightly. "I'm not dating Tug! I don't even know who Tug is!"

"Babe, I don't even think there is a guy named Tug." Beck added on, running a hand through his hair. "Especially who plays football and works at a lotion store."

"Wait…I'm confused" Andre ran his fingers through Cat's hair. "What's going on, girl?"

"Robbie was hitting on me, Beck told him I wasn't single so he couldn't do that, but then I had to make up this guy named Tug who I'm now supposedly dating, when I'm really dating you and Beck, but like you guys said…you're not ready to come out yet." Cat let out a breath. "I'm feeling stressed."

"Aw, sweetheart." Andre pecked her head quickly. "I'm sorry I yelled. I shouldn't have. I know you're faithful to us."

"But now what?" Cat asked the two boys. "Everyone thinks I'm dating a guy named Tug?"

"I have no idea." Beck sighed. "Just keep saying you are and if people ask questions, I'll steer them away."

"But I don't want to date Tug." Cat pouted. "I want to date you guys."

"You are, girl." Andre told her with a smile. "Right now, we just need to keep our relationship under wraps until graduation."

"Do you realize how far away that is?" Cat asked them. "Over 2 years!"

"Sssshhh, I know, I know, but this is what we got to do to survive." Beck told her. "If we come out now with the truth, we'll be bullied and mocked for the rest of high school."

Cat sighed. "I wish we could run away."

"Me too, Cat, but financially that's not an option right now."

"But we're trying right?" Cat asked.

"Yes, the three of us are doing everything we can." Beck told his girlfriend, remembering what he and Andre were fighting for. Their freedom to be happy…and seeing the bruise coming through on Cat's makeup made his spirit want to fight more. "We're going to get you out of that house."

Cat smiled to both of them and hugged them. They held her close, rubbing her back. Suddenly Cat got a peek of Jade coming around the corner and let them go. They looked at her with surprise, but Jade stepped before the three of them and they understood. "Hi, Jade." Cat said shyly.

"Tug Wilson?" Jade bluntly asked. "From Burbank High? The quarterback? Who works at Bed, Bath, and Yonder? He's had a crush on you for years, yet he's never had the balls to ask you out."

Cat's jaw dropped. "WHAT?"

"Glad he finally did it." Jade gave a smirk to Cat. "If he's so great at football, imagine his way around a girl."

Beck and Andre let out growls as Jade walked away. Cat turned to them in shock. "We have a problem."

"I can't believe there's a football player named Tug who works at Bed, Bath, and Yonder!" Beck exclaimed. "Oh my god."

Cat sighed. "Well…at least if I had to have a fake boyfriend, it's a quarterback."

The two boys glared at her.

A/N: Thanks for your guys reviews. And Digidestend Angel, my wife, can't update right now because she's not feeling too good. This second pregnancy is rough on her. –Thomas