CHAPTER NINETEEN
May 29th
"All graduates please report to the auditorium," the intercom sounded. "All graduates please report to the auditorium."
Cat sighed, looked at Robbie. "Are we finally graduating?" she asked, wrapping her arms around him.
"Seems like it. It's about time," Robbie said kissing her head. "Where's the baby?"
"April was showing her off to some people."
"I stole her," Beck said, making his way up to them with Ashley in his arms. "She's having a blast. She especially likes hanging out with Uncle Beck."
"Of course she does. Hi, girly. Are you chillin with your uncle?" Cat asked, kissing Ashley's cheek. "God, she's so big..."
"She's two weeks old, she's not that big."
"Shut up and give me my baby."
Beck kissed Ashley's head before handing her over to Cat, who laid her in her arms and swayed back and forth lightly.
"Hi, baby girl. I feel like you were gone forever," she said.
"Shapiro, Oliver, Valentine - you should be in the auditorium," Helen said as she walked up to the group. "Well hello there, aren't you just bright eyed," she said to the baby.
"I'll go hand her off to my mom," Cat said. "I'll meet you in the auditorium. See you after graduation," she said kissing Robbie's lips. "I love you."
"I love you too," Robbie said.
"Keep her with you," Helen said. "We have a surprise for you."
"But... I'm walking across stage," Cat said.
"You're gonna walk with her, just do what I said and get your butts to the auditorium."
As Helen walked away, Cat and Robbie looked at each other in confusion. "What's going on?" Cat asked, looking at Beck.
"Don't ask me. I don't know anything about this," Beck said before walking away.
Cat looked at Robbie. "You guys are lying out of your asses."
"I'll see you in line," Robbie said before following Beck.
Cat looked at Ashley for a few seconds. "Everybody's in on this. Something is up. Do you know anything about this?" she asked. "Didn't think so."
Roughly twenty minutes later, Cat was lined up by the steps of the auditorium stage like the rest of the group, gently bouncing Ashley to keep her calm and keep her from fussing.
"Andre Jamal Harris... Beckett Elijah Oliver... Robert Everett Shapiro..." Helen said, each friend walking across stage. "April Celine Valentine... Katrina Alexandria Vega..."
Cat's brows furrowed and she looked at Tori. "...She just completely skipped my name, what the hell is going on?" she whispered.
"I don't know," Tori said.
"Victoria Elizabeth Vega," Helen said.
"Are you kidding me?" Cat asked, her attention turning to Jade. "Do you know what's going on?"
"No, but if you don't shut up I'm gonna miss my name," Jade said.
"She skipped my name. I should have been after April."
"Jadelyn August West," Helen said.
Cat watched Jade walk past her and she scoffed, looking down to Ashley, who was quietly looking around. "Mommy suspects something."
"Caterina Hannah Valentine."
"There we go, that's better," she whispered before making her way up the steps and across the stage, stopping in front of Helen. She was handed her diploma like everyone else and shook Helen's hand, but unlike everyone else, when she started to walk to the other side of the stage, Helen stopped her.
"We have a very special graduate here with us tonight," Helen said. "Miss Valentine here has been through a great deal this year. She went through a difficult pregnancy and went into labor several times before finally bringing a beautiful baby girl into the world, right in this very school. Cat had a rough ride, but thankfully she and her little girl are happy and healthy and were able to walk across stage tonight," she said before looking at Cat. "You're the first student to give birth in this school and the staff of Hollywood Arts commends you for being so brave and so strong and doing practically the seemingly impossible. We're all very proud of you for sticking to your guns and completing school all while going through the most difficult time of your life."
Cat smiled and looked at Ashley for a few seconds before turning her attention back to Helen when the woman started speaking again.
"Because of all you've been through and your baby being the first and hopefully only baby born in this school, we'd like to honor her with the title of Honorary Graduate of Hollywood Arts and we hope to see her back when she's old enough to attend. That being said, Caterina Hannah Valentine, I also award you with the honorary certification of graduation for Ashley April Shapiro," Helen said, handing Cat a second diploma.
As the auditorium clapped and cheered, Cat hugged Helen before making her way across the rest of the stage and going straight to Robbie, hugging him after receiving a kiss.
"The graduating class of Hollywood Arts of 2017, congratulations. You did it," Helen said. "Can can now move your tassels over."
The entire auditorium cheered, all graduates moving their tassels from one side to the other, and the group of eight friends huddling together in a group hug.
July 4th
"Oh my god!" Cat shrieked as a firecracker exploded next to her. "Jade!"
"What? You were in my target zone," Jade said.
"You could have thrown it in the pool!" she said before another went off next to her, making her jump. "Are you serious!"
"Wasn't me."
"My bad," April said.
"Don't you know how to fucking aim?" Cat asked.
"Why are you so bitchy?"
"Because you dumb asses think it's funny to throw fireworks at me. Where's my daughter? Did you even think to look out for her first?"
"She's with Trina, don't trip."
"Well watch what you're doing. If she gets hurt because you two were being stupid I'll scalp both of you."
"Take a chill pill. You need a fuckin' nap."
"I need you to stop throwing fucking fireworks at me. I'm not in the mood, April."
"Alright, girls - that's enough," Tara said.
"Jade, I'm on call for firework related injuries," Grace said. "If you're the cause of any of them you're grounded."
"I was just -" Jade started.
"I don't care. Just don't do it."
"Fiiine."
"April, you stop throwing them at your sister," Tara said.
"It was a joke, it was harmless and I threw it far enough away that it wouldn't hurt," April said.
"I don't care. She wasn't feeling good last night, she was up and down so give her a break."
"Sounded like she was feelin' pretty good to me. "Oh, Robbie" and "right there" and "oh yeah baby, do it harder"," she said with a malicious grin towards her sister.
Cat rolled her eyes. "Shut up, April. I can hear you too."
"Inside," Tara said, looking at Cat. "Right now, young lady."
"What did I do?"
"Now."
"What the fuck..." Cat muttered, making her way inside while Tara followed her and closed the back door behind her. "What?"
"Are you having sex?"
"I've been having sex since I was fourteen years old, so yeah."
"Have you not learned your lesson? At all?"
"Oh my god Mom, stop being so paranoid."
"Caterina Hannah Valentine, if you end up pregnant again before you and Robbie find your own place, you're going to have to make other living arrangements."
"Are you - are you seriously trying to kick me out?" Cat asked, brows furrowed. "Are you seriously fucking going there? And for what, because I'm not the perfect little girl you always imagined me to be? I have other places I can go, Tara. So if you're just gonna kick me out from the get go, then let me know right now and I'll find other living arrangements. I'll go back to the apartments and live with Sam again. Give me the word and I'm gone, but I hope you can live with kicking your grandchild out on the streets."
"I didn't say Ashley had to leave. I said if you get pregnant again, you'll be finding somewhere else to live. I will not sit back and watch my seventeen-year-old little girl ruin her life because she wanted to feel good and have unprotected sex."
"I'm not gonna blow this up. I'm gonna go back outside and I'm gonna go get Robbie and we're gonna talk. And then I'll let you know what I'm doing and you'll never have to deal with us again," Cat said, walking towards the door.
"Cat, what's going on?" Robbie asked as Cat pulled him into her room.
"We have to leave," Cat said.
"What? What happened?"
"Please Robbie, just help me get the baby's stuff together, okay?" Cat asked, pulling a diaper bag out from under the bed.
"Cat, tell me what's going on. Why do you wanna leave all of a sudden?"
"We just have to, Robbie, please just help me. Please," her voice cracked.
Robbie took Cat by the arms, turning her to face him. "Talk to me. Right now. What happened?"
Cat's eyes filled with tears and her chin trembled. "Mom said if - if we get pregnant again, she's kicking me out."
"Okay? That doesn't mean we have to leave right now, though. If you want out that bad, we'll figure something out, I promise."
"We have to leave, Robbie. Please," she sobbed.
"Why so sudden?"
"Robbie..."
"What? What's going on?"
"We fucked up... we fucked up so bad, we should have - we should have waited until Ashley was older, we screwed up so bad..." she whispered.
"What are you talking about, Cat?"
Cat let out another sob. "I'm pregnant."
Robbie stared at her for a few seconds. "Oh my... god..." he said, pulling her into a hug as she sobbed into his chest. "Shh..." he said, rubbing her back. "It's okay... we're gonna be okay..."
TO BE CONTINUED...
I plan on writing a sequel to this for sure. I know this wasn't the greatest chapter. I don't know when I'll start on the sequel, but I left this story this way so there would be a good cliffhanger to continue from. I have another story in mind that I hope I'll have the first chapter up in the next few days. Let me know your thoughts on this ending!