Disclaimer. I still don't own the source material.
:}
It was now a Friday, and the last day of school for the whole weekend. Kids were talking about their plans, and for anyone cool enough, that plan included attending the opening of the Chaos Theater, Gideon's new club. Most were blowing smoke, you needed the password to get in, and that only went to the really cool kids. And of course, if you were one of the cool kids, you didn't just give out that password. Robbie knew that most of the people talking about the opening wouldn't have a prayer of getting in, but it made Gideon seem that much cooler.
Robbie hated him.
The nerdy boy had his own plans. As much as he wanted to face the G-man, he couldn't. Mister Graves was absent that day, supposedly to finish preparations for his grand opening. So Robbie had to settle for crashing the party that night. Also he needed to dress right, look his best, since he'd be in the company of three hot girls. The G-Man would never know what hit him.
But as the morning wore on, things started to shift. He'd expected some kind of counter from the G-Man, but someone with money and no morals can work fast. It started with Sam.
"Robbie, just to let you know, I won't be able to make it tonight. They needed a last minute replacement on this pod cast, and I've been asked to fill in, based on my ICarly experience. If it goes well, I could get a regular gig out of it. Sorry, but paying the rent and keeping Mama in pork has to take priority. Good luck." Sam told him. Robbie shrugged. He had two strong fighters left.
Andre was the next to approach. "Rob, dude, I know you've got problems with Gideon, but he's asked Tori to perform at his club tonight. That huge. I was just hoping you wouldn't ruin this for her."
"Trust me, I'll do whats best for Tori." Robbie replied. "You playing with her?"
"Me and my band." The Musician replied.
"Well, good luck to you then." Robbie said. That had been expected.
Trina wasn't. "Robbie, you'll never guess what happened. This guy saw my hit show, you know, ¡Divertisimo!. Anyways, they want me to audition for a soap opera, but I have to fly to Mexico, tonight." Trina's excitement was palatable.
"That's great news." Robbie exclaimed. "I hope you knock 'em dead. I know you'll do great. Good luck, and tell me how it goes."
He smiled. Gideon had found a great way to take away his fighters. As much as he wanted to take Gideon out, he couldn't, in his heart, wish them any bad breaks. The G-Man had the kind of influence to give them a break, and if they made it, so much the better. Besides, he still had his fiercest fighter, and she had a movie she'd be in control of, that was if she could take Gideon down. Jade wouldn't be so easy to bribe.
By that point, it was lunch, and he walked out looking for Jade. She was the only one of his fighters who'd still attended Hollywood Arts, so she was the one he could talk to about what was happening. He kinda hoped Gideon had tried to buy her off, just to see what he'd offered.
On the way, he was confronted by Cat. "Robbie, why are you doing this?" She asked, hurt in her voice.
"Doing what?' He asked.
"People are getting hurt, and you're responsible." The red head said. "And Gideon says you're doing it for me. Why?" She was tearing up. "I never asked you for help. Instead, people got hurt, and my friends are facing possible jail time."
"Jail?" He asked.
"Yea. I heard him talking to the police, about maybe arresting Jade and Sam and Trina for assault and trespassing and all kinds of other crimes." She said, tears tearing into her voice. "Even worse, some of his friends are in the hospital, and their hurt, bad. Why?"
He was taken aback by what she was saying. "Robbie, I know you like me, but let me go." She continued. "If you keep trying to win my love, this way, you'll end up getting hurt, and maybe more of my friends as well. Please, just let me go. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."
Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of Lane arguing with Jade. "Jade, listen, this is bad. You have detention today, plus all of tomorrow, and you still might get kicked out." Jade was walking away from the counselor. "Damn it Jade, You're facing charges. I had to tell your father." Jade stopped.
"What?" She asked, her eyes screaming murder.
"Jade, your on the edge. You father was talking military school." The counselor said, in a calming voice. "Please, just do the detention, and keep your head down. If someone says something you don't agree with, then let it go. It's not worth it. Just let it go. This is your future we're talking about..."
Jade looked at Robbie, her eyes had changed, and everything about her seemed to say 'I'm sorry.' She slumped her shoulders and walked with Lane towards the lunch detention. Jade was all but disappeared from the school for the rest of the day.
"You're hurting people." Cat said, reminding him she was still there. "Let me go, before more people get hurt."
The rest of the day, Robbie sat alone, and in class he sat towards the back, silent. His teachers seemed to know something was going on, but no one bothered him. It seemed he was defeated. Slowly he drifted towards home. Each step was heavy, as if his feet were covered in cement over lead.
Once Robbie was home, he said hi to his sister, and walked to his room. In his room, he just sat in the dark for a good fifteen minutes as the world seemed to move around him. They'd come so close.
His phone rang. It was Gideon. "Hi Gideon." He said.
"Look, Robbie, I really didn't want any bad blood between us, so I was thinking, why not be the bigger man and invite you here, to my new club, tonight. They just did a sound check for Tori, and the acoustics here are amazing." Gideon singsonged the last word. "I'll even spring for a coke, okay? Just don't make yourself too obvious because, you know, it might get awkward." He said.
"Maybe I'll show up them." Robbie said, but heard the click and dial tome a second later. He'd been hung up on. "Prick didn't even give me the password."
"Like we need it." Jade said. She was sitting on his bed, next to Sam and Trina. "But think about it, just for a second. Do we really want this fight? I mean, he's giving Sam and Trina great opportunities that go away if we fight him, and Cat made it clear she doesn't want to be saved."
"Did I thank Lane for siding with us?" Robbie asked. Jade nodded. "So, when did you become so understanding?"
"I'm not." She replied. "I'm just trying to be a good friend. Even if this movie doesn't happen, there are people in the industry interested in me now. I'll be okay."
"Will you?" He asked, he shifted to address the others. "Trina called and found out the big roll she was looking at was a dancing girl, showing her goodies in the background of some talk show, while Sam's pod cast is a one off that was easy to delay. It took Mason Thornsmith maybe fifteen minutes to find that out. This fight isn't about me any more. Tori and Beck are going to wind up dependent on the G-Man if we don't do something to stop him. He'll take us out or make us his toys, one at a time, just to feel like he's in control."
The room was silent. "This isn't about me any more. It's about my friends. It's about me being an adult and looking out for my friends. And I know that Jade will have her movie, and Sam will have her pod cast, and Trina will have her break, as will Beck, Andre, Tori AND Cat, all if I can stop Gideon. And I can. I just need to be able to get to him." He fixed the girls in his room with his eyes. "I need you there, just to get me to the final fight. I'll take it from there."
"But your not that tough." Jade said. "And I really want to kick the tar out of him."
"You can, if I lose. Until then, let me handle this. And it has to be tonight, at his club, in front of all his investors and friends. It's the only way to break his power, and set everyone free." Robbie said. "Lets get dressed, we need to look good tonight. But also, you know, be ready to throw down."
"I use the shower first." Jade said.
"We need to shower?" Sam asked.
"You're last." Trina told the blond.
:}
Okay, almost done. Review, and enjoy. Maybe even read. And cause I like you, you can do it in whatever order you want.
