A/N: Good news, or bad news: the end of this story will wither be today or tomorrow, depending on how much time I have later. Glad that you guys liked my portrayal of Sinjin and Trina in the past chapters. (Also, this chapter is only long because of the quotes in the end.) Enjoy!
Tori, Cat and Trina indeed spent the whole night at the deck talking, laughing, and planning on what they would do when they'd face their friends in the morning. Beck and Sinjin eventually rejoined the girls, bringing them all coffee mugs. They stayed out until the sun came up, and by then, they fell asleep outside for a few hours.
Jade stepped outside of her cabin but stayed at the steps, wondering where her roommates were the entire night. It seemed as if Andre and Robbie had the same idea as she spotted them opening their cabin door and scanning the area. They waved at each other, a simple good morning sign, and three locked eyes on their targets.
Luckily nothing was weird; the three girls had fallen asleep together while the two guys slept sitting up on the other side of the deck against the wooden poles. Tori was first to wake up, yawning and stretching her sore muscles from the barely two hours of sleep and balled position she was in. Everyone else woke up one after the other, dawning on them that it was morning already.
Before Jade, Robbie or Andre could be seen watching them, the three had already gone back into their cabins to start their days and head over to the main hall for breakfast.
"Get up you guys, it's morning," Tori said to them.
"Yeah, but what does it change about last night's happenings?" Beck grunted. Clearly he was not a morning person.
"Nonsense, Trina said standing up. "It's a new day. Anything can happen."
"Well can that anything be breakfast because I'm starving!" Sinjin's stomach grumbled.
"Good idea," Trina said.
"I second that," Beck raised his hand.
"Oh I hope they have waffles!" Cat chirped.
"No syrup for you, Cat. You know what sugar does to you in the morning," Beck warned her.
"Phooey."
"We'll see you ladies in the hall."
"Kk," she skipped to her cabin with Tori and Trina to change her clothes.
"I think I've made a decision," Tori announced to Trina and Cat.
"About what?" the redhead wondered.
"About her future, Cat. Goodness, pay attention!"
"I'm sorry, I can't think straight when I'm hungry," she defended.
"A person can't always be hungry," Trina joked.
"Hey!" Cat actually understood and was slightly offended.
"You guys, come on I need help."
"With what?" the older Vega asked.
"With how I'm going to fix things with Andre. Just talking to him won't suffice."
"Then tell him in a way he'll understand," Cat said.
"Thank you Cath- I mean, Captain Obvious!"
"You were going to say Catherine again, huh?" Trina smirked.
"..Yeah…" Tori was embarrassed.
"Who's Catherine?" Cat wondered.
"Nothing," Tori said. "Anyway, I need to tell Andre how much I care about him in regards to my decision. He's the reason for all of this."
"Well, then show him he's the reason," Trina said.
In the main hall, Tori and Cat walked in.
"Ah, Ms. Vega. Just the person I want to talk to," Kojak appeared before her.
"Kojak, hi."
"Can we talk?"
"Uh, one moment. There's something I have to do first." She turned to Cat, "You know what to do."
"I'm on it!" Cat dashed off and Tori left Kojak standing alone for the moment.
Trina stepped in shortly after and found Beck and Sinjin sitting at a corner, whispering to them Tori's plan.
"What's Trina doing here?" Jade said to Andre and Robbie as they sat at their usual table across from the entrance.
"Maybe she's visiting Tori," Robbie suggested.
"No chizz, Rob. But it's Trina and Tori. They rarely get along," Andre speculated.
"Andre Harris?" He heard his name from some place above him. Looking up and across the room, he spotted Tori, who had stood on the stage. When she locked eyes with him, she spoke again. "I need to tell you something."
"I don't want to hear it," he mumbled to Jade and Robbie. "I'm out." He got up and started toward the door. This was Cat's cue. She ran towards Andre and jumped on his back.
"What are you-? Lil' Red, get off of me!"
"Wee piggy back ride!"
"Come on, I ain't playin'. Get off of me."
He sulked his way closer to the door when Beck and Sinjin stood in his way.
"Are you kidding me?" Andre grunted.
"Andre, please. Just hear me out," Tori was desperate.
"She's you're best friend, man," Beck reminded him.
Andre pinched his nose and settled down.
"Cat you can get off me now, I'm not gonna run."
"run? I thought this was a piggy back ride?" she was genuinely confused.
"No… it's not," Andre shook his head.
"Oh. Kk," she got off him and sat next to him.
Tori took in a deep breath and hopped off the stage. She sat on the piano bench and started to play a very familiar tune.
I don't want to make a scene
I don't want to let you down
Try to do my own thing
And I'm starting to figure it out
That it's alright
Keep it together wherever we go
And it's alright, oh well, whatever
Everybody needs to know
You might be crazy
Have I told you lately that I love you?
You're the only reason that I'm not afraid to fly
And it's crazy that someone could change me
Now no matter what it is I have to do, I'm not afraid to try
And you need to know that you're the reason... why
Everyone cheered. Andre admitted she performed real well, though he was not quite sure why she even performed, knowing this was the song that got Kojak to sign her. After the applause, Tori walked over to Andre instead of Kojak. She needed to talk to him first and foremost.
"So?"
"So… Nice performance, but why? Are you trying to let me down easy?"
"No of course not, 'Dre. Listen," she began her explanation. "That song was what got me into this mess in the first place, it was my 'ticket' per se, into stardom. But it means so much more. I know it was for Trina, and that's special, but it was the first song you and I wrote together and that means a lot to me. Because after that then we wrote many other songs like Beggin' on Your Knees and Tell Me That You Love Me."
"I get it; the song started our partnership. It means a lot to me too, Tor," Andre showed his first sign of compassion and the crooks of his mouth folded up, faintly revealing a smile.
"I know that if I took this offer, you would support me all the way, and I might just make it if I don't get too scared. But I don't want a 'might' or an 'if', I want a for sure answer."
"I'm not sure I'm following you, Tori," Andre tried to understand.
"Kojak, can you come here for a second?"
He walked over to Tori, the whole time waiting patiently where she left him.
"So Tori, are you ready to dot the T's and cross the I's?" Kojak grinned holding up a contract.
"Actually Kojak," Tori stepped forward. "Thanks but no thanks."
"You're declining my offer?" he was speechless.
"Yes, I'm turning it down."
"You're what?!" Andre shrieked.
"Wait, what did she say?" Jade and Robbie had walked over to Cat, Beck, Sinjin and Trina by now.
"She's turning down Kojak's offer," Cat practically yelled in her ear.
"I know that Cat," Jade was annoyed that she nearly deafened her.
"Then why'd you ask?" she giggled.
"You guys, shh," Beck whispered.
"Ms. Vega. You understand that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, a guaranteed ticket to stardom."
"Yes, I understand. But, I'd rather be discovered with my best friend. I may look like I fit in the spotlight, but I'm more than comfortable sharing it with Andre. For now, I'm happy singing in school events and local shows with him than at award shows and concerts all by myself."
"Very well. I guess it's both our losses then," Kojak folded the contract and placed it in his coat pocket. And walked away.
"No, I don't think I lost anything," she turned to Andre. "Friends?"
He stared at her in disbelief. She actually turned Kool Kojak down.
"Are you kidding me? Asking if we're friends after all this?" he left her with momentary suspense. "I must be crazy as chizz not to be friends with someone like you," he beamed and gave his best friend the biggest hug. "You going to be ok, Tori?" he asked her.
"I did consider the offer, but I was going to turn it down. I guess I was just scared to hear what you would think and scared of Kojak hating me. But I'd never be where I am today if it weren't for you – and Trina."
She winked at her sister who, along with their other friends, had been watching them.
"You Vega's are all right," Andre chuckled.
"Yay you're best friends again!" Cat cheered.
But she had disregarded the other tension in the room.
"You guys, I know there are still some unresolved issues."
"Thank you for stating the obvious and wasting my time," Jade remarked. Tori disregarded it.
"But, we have a bigger issue at hand and we need to put our differences aside."
Robbie, Jade, Beck and Cat slightly nodded. That's all Tori needed for a compromise.
"Before we do, uh… Trina, why are you here?" Andre asked.
"I'm here to help."
"With what?" Jade asked.
Trina nodded at Tori to continue.
"There's a reason why we're here at this moment right now, there's a reason why we're even following our dreams with this amount of confidence. Just one reason. And his name is Sikowitz. Now, we owe it to him to give him the one thing he wanted this summer, which is the final number for the Final Curtain."
"Oh chizz. We forgot all about that," Andre was taken off guard.
"Tori's right," Beck said.
"Yeah, I hate to admit it, but we promised Sikowitz. And I respect him," Jade stated.
"Uh.. that's the spirit, Jade," Tori replied.
"So what do we do?" Cat asked.
"He wants us to Sing Here's 2 Us. That's what we're going to do. We've got two days to come up with a routine, a nice mix, and costumes," she explained.
Andre stepped up trying to ease the situation. "Tori and I know the song, we'll make a collab version for Jade and Cat to have solos too. And Trina has agreed to help us with the dancing. She may not be a superstar, but she's a way better choreographer than all of us combined."
"Thank you?" Trina answered.
"Cat, you can do costumes and guys, get Sinjin and Burf to help you with any stage direction," Tori assigned.
They verbally agreed to the plan.
"So, here's to Sikowitz," Tori put her hand in, following every other person's hand.
The Following Evening
"All right from the and the last 8-count we did, guys you gotta lift the girls and spin a full 360 before putting them back down. So in the line here's to us, here's to u-u-u-s. That's when her feet should be back on the ground. Got it?"
"Yep."
"Got it."
"Yupperdoo."
"Robbie," Beck and Andre glared at him. They were just trying to get him to man up.
"Sorry, I mean, yeah."
*ring*
"Oooh it's my director. Take five you guys," Trina said before taking her call.
"Man your sister's intense," Andre said plopping on the bench.
"Yeah, I never realized how good she's been getting at dancing too," Robbie said out of breath.
"I guess her senior year did her good then," Tori smiled at their positive remarks toward her sister. "But hey, in just one day we got a whole routine down. Gotta hand it to her."
"Yeah in 24 hours when we perform tomorrow, it's gonna be legit."
From another bench, Jade was checking her phone for any messages. Beck took this opportunity to try to communicate with her. After the talk he had with the girls and Sinjin the night before, he was a bit clear with what he had to do to make things right with Jade.
"Hey Jade," he started.
"Beck," she acknowledged. She was too exhausted to retaliate or do anything else.
"Are you uh, are you comfortable with that lift that Trina added for the routine? I just want to make sure."
"It's a performance Beck. You say it yourself, great actors can make it look believable."
"Right, I said that."
"We'll be fine so long as you don't drop me," she slightly smirked. Was she softening up? Beck wondered. He seriously couldn't read her. But he decided to give it a shot anyway.
"I won't drop you. And I don't plan on it. Ever."
She turned around, trying to figure out what he meant. They locked eyes, and that was all she needed to get lost in his trance. He took a step forward, and when she didn't retort, he cupped her check and capture his lips to hers. It was barely two seconds when he pulled apart, and inside Jade didn't want him to.
"You can't just go kissing random girls whenever you want." There's the bitter Jade he knew and loved.
"Well you're not just a random girl."
"T-then you can't just kiss me whenever you want, Beck. I'm not your girlfriend."
"Do you want to be?" he asked.
"Don't play with me."
"I'm not playing. I'm asking you an honest question. Do you see a future with me?"
"That wasn't your original question," she delayed answering.
"Ok fine, answer my first one, then answer my second. But I need to know if what I feel for you is reciprocated."
"But you don't feel for me, Beck. You don't see a future."
"No, I was scared of not having you in my future, babe."
"What did I say? Don't soften me up, and don't call me babe," she said in almost a whisper.
"Do you want to be my girlfriend still? Because I still want to be yours. And hopefully maybe your husband one day," he blushed. That was something Jade never saw, and she kind of liked it – a lot. "And I may not be a psychic so I can't see ten years from now, but I do now that I can see tomorrow with you and as many tomorrow's as you'll let me be with you."
"That's so cheesy," Jade blushed.
"But did it work?" he wriggled his eyebrows.
She answered him with a kiss.
"Aw yay Jadey and Beck are back together!" Cat cheered.
"Cat."
"What-y?" she asked her Goth friend.
"You hang around Tori too much. Don't ruin the moment," she glared at her best friend. But the perky girl ignored it and kept smiling, hugging the couple.
"She doesn't mean that Kitty," Beck tousled her hair.
"I know," she smiled.
"Say Kitty-Cat." Jade knew babying her would get her to do anything.
"Yeah?!" Cat was excited, like a puppy waiting for its command.
"Why don't you go make happy talk with Robbie. He looks lonely over there. That way I can make out with my boyfriend."
Cat looked back and forth between Robbie and Jade. She was a little hesitant to approach him, but she was in a cheery mood that she decided to do so anyways.
"Kk!" she skipped off.
"I thought she'd never leave," Jade said.
"You know, you're going to be a great mom some day," he grabbed a hold of her waist.
"Is that so?" she coyly smiled wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Yeah."
"And how would you know?"
"Because my mother says I'd be an awesome dad one day. Actually, Cat's said that to me too… but back to my point, my future kids only deserve an awesome mom… like you."
"Well I guess just this one time, I'll have to agree with your mother," she grinned cheek to cheek.
"Let's face it, you're stuck with me forever and ever," he said, their lips almost touching.
"Well, I'm not complaining," she smiled into his lips pressing against hers, capturing a kiss that promised wherever their future would take them, they'd always have each other.
Cat skipped over to Robbie but as she came closer, she suddenly panicked and decided to turn around. She squeaked and did a complete 180 on her heels. Robbie heard that squeak and ended his chat with Andre to find Cat about to turn and run away.
"Cat!" he caught her just as she was about to dart off.
She froze, and then slowly turned back around to face him.
"Hi Robbie!" she said cheerily.
"Where you heading off to in such a hurry?" he smiled at her enthusiasm, especially so late at night.
"Uhhh… Canada?" she failed to cover up.
"Canada?" he was confused.
"Yeah, Canada. You know, where Beck is from? Heh," she nervously chuckled.
The air between them grew awkward. The could both feel it. Cat was fiddling with her shoes and Robbie was nervously scratching the back of his neck.
"I'm sorry," they both said.
"No I'm sorry," they said again.
"Hehe," Cat giggled. "It's like you read my mind!"
Robbie chuckled. He took a hold of her arm and led her to the bench so they could sit and talk.
"Look, Cat. I'm sorry for not being reasonable."
"It's ok, Robbie. I deserve it. I'm indecisive."
"Everyone's indecisive," he chuckled. "But that's nothing to be sorry about. Why are you sorry?"
"Huh?" she furrowed her brows.
"I'm sorry for taking things out of hand. What about you? What's your sorry for?"
"I don't remember," she said. "Oh wait! I remember now!"
He waited.
And waited.
And waited.
"And…?" he finally asked. He made a mental note to himself to let Cat talk first next time. Though he wished there wouldn't be a next time to have to apologize to her.
"Oh, right. I'm sorry for not being fair to you and for making us lie a lot. I really am sorry Robbie."
"No, Cat. It's fine. I didn't meant it when I said I didn't want to talk to you if you didn't want to be with me. Well maybe at the moment, but I could never go a day without my best friend. You make my life interesting."
"I'm still your best friend?" she was hopeful.
"The best of the best," he said.
"Yay!" she put her hands in the air. Though she held them up awkwardly, not knowing what to do.
"Cat you can hug me if you want," Robbie understood offering his arms as well.
She hugged him and closed her eyes, savoring the moment.
"But Robbie, it's still not fair that I'm throwing us in the friend zone."
"It's only not fair if one of us doesn't agree."
"But I thought-"
"Look Cat, I'd rather have you in my life as a best friend than not have you in my life at all."
"That's so cliché," she giggled.
"I know," he said in his typical Robbie way. "But it's true. You're right; it's a risk to be in a relationship. Beck and Jade, they're like one in a million, so maybe they don't count. But Andre and Tori, they're the best of friends, just like you and me. And I'm good with that."
"Really?" Cat asked.
"Really," he reassured her.
"Aw yay, now we're ALL ok!"
"You see, Tori ruins every good moment!"
A/N: Chapter Song title - Don't You Forget About Me - I like the song, and it suits well with the final theme of this story. You can't forget the reason why you're chasing your dreams, and you can't forget the people who have helped/are helping you along the way.
Now for the girls. Here are my favorite lines and the running gags. I feel like Dan gave most of them to the girls (with the exception of Robbie and his many doctors/ointments)
Running Gags
Cat - Some of the things she loves:
"Yay! I love excitement!"
"I love mass texting!"
"I love mushrooms!... I hate mushrooms?"
"I love that panicky jittery feeling!"
"Yay! I love candy!"
Her infamous brother:
"I get nervous when my brother eats things that aren't food. Seriously, I think he ate my charm bracelet."
"One time, my brother painted part of his body purple... He had a job interview... He didn't get it."
"One time my brother was in Vegas and he fell out of a fourth story hotel window and landed on the roof of a shuttlebus." Tori: And he was ok? Cat: No Tori: But he's okay now? Cat: No. He's seriously messed up.
"That's what my brother calls it when he and his friends hang out together and eat meat... A 'meating'. Get it?"
"I like Japan...Except my brother got stabbed there once. It was an accident. He's better now. Are Buffalo Nuggets spicy...?"
Jade's Running Gags
Everytime she yells 'No!' to something Cat/Tori does (Tori & Jade's Playdate, Andre's Horrible Girlfriend, Terror on Cupcake Street, Prom Wrecker)
Any time she imitates Tori with her southern belle accent. ANY TIME. Especially in Beck Falls For Tori when everyone decides to poke fun at her.
Does anyone notice that she also says 'oh' the same way Andre says 'Well' like their apalled? Love that.
Trina -
"But we might I'mplode!" (Stage Fighting)
"For so many years I prayed every night to be hotter... this isn't what I meant!" (Survival of the Hottest)
"Boo Bye!" (Ice Cream for Ke$ha)
"Hey Foonie girl I've got some dingy feet for ya!" (Who Did It To Trina?)
"If I could somehow suck out a little bit of talent from me, and sprinkle it one you, I would seriously consider doing that." (Helen Back Again)
"Picture me sitting on a pony wearing a bright purple hat. I was wearing the hat not the pony. Did i even make pony hats? Anyway, i was looking fabu!" (The Wood)
Cat -
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"One time, when I was 7, I was at the beach and I made a sandcastle and I called it 'Cat's Castle'... True Story." (A Film By Dale Squires)
"My hair color has nothing to do with my psychological problems." (The Birthweek Song)
"Good heavens! There's a dead cockroach in my brassiere!" (The Bird Scene)
"Is it true that sweat and pee are like... cousins?" (Survival of the Hottest)
"Bonk bonk bonk-ity bonk bonk bonk! I am a cube fist man!" (Rex Dies)
"I joined a prison gang!" (Locked Up)
"No offense Mr. Butterfly but... I sure wish you'd die." (Tori Fixes Beck and Jade)
"What if...okay, what if the theme was like space pirates, you know from outer space, oh and there could also be kangaroo babies! Yeah, yes!" (Prom Wrecker)
"Tori is being mean to me. Hashtag: cramps?" (The Slap Fight)
Jade -
"I'd rather slam my tongue in a car door." (Sleepover at Sikowitz)
"NO! 15 years ago your mother gave birth to the wrong thing!" (Tori the Zombie)
"How is the truth not fair?" (Tori Goes Platinum)
"Talk shows are for tourists and Canadians." (A Film By Dale Squires)
"I bet that soda felt disgusted and ashamed." (The Slap Fight)
"Cat's been acting weird lately. Like, Sinjin weird." (Star Spangled Tori)
"I can't imagine Robbie without Rex. It's like Sikowitz without his clown pants, or Tori without that stupid monster purse." (Robbie Sells Rex)
"My grandfather's nose was blown off in the war, so that song is a filthy lie." (The Diddly Bops)
"Look, I'm not going to just stand here and be accused of something I clearly did!" (Tori Gets Stuck)
"Way to go, Tori. You broke Sikowitz." (Tori Tortures Teacher)
Tori -
"You broke character! You lost! I am a police officer, and I am Victorious! Enjoy some raisin bran, you freakish brit!" (Sleepover at Sikowtiz)
"Wait they have foam?" (The Worst Couple)
"My throat is my instrument, I'm a throat player." (Stage Fighting)
"So she gets an A- and I get a broken eye and a black nose." (Stage Fighting)
"Love me? Love me now? Yeah you do. Come on, give Tori a squeeze." (Wok Star)
"Yo, yo, yo! Whattayaknow? This is To - Re - Me and you are on my page here at " (The Slap Fight)
"That's right. Drink the garbage coffee." (The Birthweek Song)
"You know what, I am happier with the five real friends that I have at this table that I would be with 20 million friends on a computer that I don't even really know." (The Slap Fight)
"I hate everything." (Ice Cream for Ke$ha)
"I don't talk like that! Do I talk like that? 'Do I Ta-' I don't talk like that!" (Locked Up)
Joint Quotes -
Tori: "Well tough tooties!"
Jade: "Don't you ever say tough tooties to me!" (The Slap Fight)
Tori: Hey, what time is it?
Jade: I'm not your clock. (A Film by Dale Squires)
Trina: Well, you know my friend, Molly?
Tori: Little Feet, Big Thighs?
Trina: Mm-Hmm. (The Birthweek Song)
Trina: you know my friend, Lindsay?
Tori: Lindsay doesn't like you.
Trina: So, I know her! (Beggin' on Your Knees)
Jade: Sweating is gross, so I don't do it.
Tori: So what? You're just like... cold blooded? (Survival of the Hottest)
Tori: It's not my fault!
Jade: Then whose fault is it?
Tori: Mine! (The Slap Fight)
Cat: Hey, you'd better come help Jade.
Tori: With what?
Cat: She can't get her boobs in the hamburger. (The Diddly Bops)
Jade: Why were you sleeping on the stairs?
Tori: 'Cause Andre stayed over at my house last night and played the piano until four in the morning, so I didn't get any s...
(Jade walks away) I wasn't done talking!
Jade: I was done listening. (The Bad Roommate)
Cat: One time, I ate a hamburger and then like an hour later I started sneezing, but I don't think it had anything to do with the hamburger.
Jade: Maybe, your red hair dye seeps through your scalp and into your brain.
Cat: Can that happen? (A Film By Dale Squires)
Jade: Think fast, 'cause here he comes.
Cat: Quick, hide me!
Jade: Where, Cat, in my bra? (One Thousand Berry Balls)
Cat: Robbie texted me last night saying he wants to talk to me, and I know he's gonna ask me to be his date.
Jade: Gross.
Cat: Don't say gross, I like Robbie!
Jade: So go to the dance with him.
Cat: No, gross! (One Thousand Berry Balls)
Cat: Oh, let's think about how many different kinds of hunks there are. I like the one that's, like, "meep-meep!" You know like the bird does it in that cartoon?
Jade: The Road Runner?
Cat: No, I don't like him, he's always so mean to that dog.
Jade: That dog is a coyote.
Cat: Oh my god, was that racist? (Opposite date)
Tori: Stooop! It's not a date!
Cat: Riiiigght! (winks from eye to eye over and over)
Tori: Stop doing that with your eye! We're just hanging out as, you know, friends...
Cat: Oh, so I can tell people you're going out with Beck?
Tori: (sighs and turns back to Cat) We are not going out!
Cat: So you're staying in with him?
Tori: (laughs uneasily) No!-
Cat: I see you girl!
Tori: Just, don't tell anyone!
Cat: 'Kay... I'll keep your dirty secret! (walks away and winks at Tori) (Opposite Date)
Jade: Five!
Cat: Oh, God!
Jade: Four!
Cat: Don't count!
Jade: Three!
Cat: Oh, I love three!
Jade: Two!
Cat: Have you heard about the new PearPads with the slightly better screen?
Jade: One!
Cat: Okay! (Opposite Date)
Tori: Cause, haven't you ever wondered what it's like to be a blonde?
Jade: No.
Cat: I've wondered that. I've also wondered why lemonade is a drink and first aid is for the injured. Like, what if a thirsty person gets injured? Do you give him first aid first and then lemonade? Or lemonade first and then second aid? Lemonade.
Tori: So sushi?
Jade: Let's go! (The Blonde Squad)