Chapter Five:
Hollywood Arts High School - Sikowitz's Class
"Alright settle down, settle down." Sikowitz instructed, making his way to the front of the class. He waited a moment to ensure he had the attention of all his students before continuing, "Now as you all know or may have heard, we are going to be producing a new play written by Samuel Holt. He has been kind in letting us perform some of his new work so I want anyone thinking of auditioning to make sure they can be fully dedicated to the play."
"What's the play about?" Tori asked, curiously.
"Good question," Sikowitz clapped, "It is about a astronaut that has been trapped on space and returns to town only to find it overrun by aliens. The astronaut meets another survivor and they embark to save the Earth."
"Cool." Robbie exclaimed, excited by the sci-fi plot.
"You thinking that's cool is the reason why you don't get any ladies." Rex pointed out, earning the puppet a couple laughs from surrounding students. Robbie slouched in his seat a little, but regained some confidence upon seeing Cat giving him a reassuring smile.
"Any more questions? No? Good!" Sikowitz stated, ignoring Freddie raising his hand.
"I am going to believe you didn't see me." Freddie called out, "But we know that isn't true."
The barefooted teacher looked at the boy, " No you are right Freddie I did ignore you intentionally." The boy gave an irritated look as he awaited further explanation, "You see you can't be a part of the play."
"Why not?" He questioned, looking at his friends who gave him a look as if they were hiding some key information from him.
"Because you haven't passed the bird scene." The strange teacher explained, taking a sip of his coconut water, "Ah! Nothing better than coconut water from the old man selling behind the dumpster."
Jade shot him a disgusted look before turning to her half-brother, "The bird scene is this big Hollywood Arts tradition. You have to perform the piece and pass. Once you do you are allowed to audition for plays."
"Precisely." Sikowitz agreed, grabbing a script and handing it to the boy, "Now don't worry, you get as many tries as you need until you finally pass."
"How many tries did it take you?" Freddie questioned, looking at his friends.
"One." Jade admitted, "Unlike, Tori. She was a slow learner." The pale girl shot the brunette a wicked smile and was responded by a pair of rolling eyes.
Tori pondered snapping back but instead asked, "So where do we sign up for an audition?"
"Well auditions aren't until Wednesday, but you are all free to sign up on the sheet posted at the front of the class - after the end of the period." Sikowitz added, noting the eager students jumping out of their seats before slumping back down.
"Now that we got that out of the way, it's time for some improv acting. You are all fish out of water. And action!"
Shay Residence
The brunette web hostess scrolled down the page as she read the various updates and posts. She managed to stumble upon The Slap and found out that the students attending Hollywood Arts used it. Her heart skipped a nervous beat when she saw an icon for The Slap profile of one Freddie Benson. For the last half an hour the brunette read every post and update from the boy and other teenage kids that looked to be his new friends.
The idea of him having new friends stung her a little as there was once a time when she was his best friend.
"I still am." The brunette insisted, trying to convince herself it was the truth, "I just need to show Freddie that he was wrong."
As if the brunette boy could hear her thoughts, an icon popped up showing a new update to his profile page. The web hostess clicked quickly on the update and her heart sank even further. It was a picture of Freddie with a girl that oddly looked like Shelby Marx resting her head on him.
"Is that Shelby Marx?" A voice questioned, startling the brunette girl. She turned to see her beat friend making her way inside her room.
"Don't you knock?" Carly questioned, despite knowing it was useless to even ask.
"Why are you stalking the nub?" The blonde instead asked, plopping onto the bed next to the girl.
"I'm not stalking- OK maybe I am." Carly conceited, looking at Sam's glance that she made when she knew Carly was lying.
The blonde rolled her eyes as she looked at the picture, "That chick probably felt bad for the little nub and took a picture with him out of pity."
A new comment appeared from Tori Vega and the bruentte read it our, "We totally need to have another beach day ASAP." The girl clicked on the profile page of the girl and felt a bit of jealousy seep through her veins.
"She is clearly taking advantage of him. That bitch." Carly seethed, taking even Sam by surprise. For some reason seeing the way Freddie held the girl reminded her of how he used to look at her. It bothered her a lot to see him act like she never existed or meant anything to him. A part of her knew it was her fault for that, but she wasn't going to blame herself for it. It was just as much his fault as it was hers.
"He dumped me." She assured herself.
"Don't worry Carly." Sam replied nonchalantly, "That girl is going to break his little nub heart and he is going to come crying all the way back to Seattle to us. Now come on, we have to go rehearse for iCarly." Carly glanced at the picture of Freddie and Tori one more time before shutting her laptop.
Hollywood Arts High School - Asphalt Café
"This is ridiculous." The boy thought to himself as he read through the script for the bird scene. He tossed the script aside on the table with a hint of disgust, realizing how stupid it was to let one scene influence whether you could audition for other plays or not.
"You looked like me when I failed the bird scene." Tori noted, taking a seat in front of the boy. Freddie glanced at the songstress before shaking his head.
"I don't mean to sound like a whiner or anything, but I just think it's kind of stupid you know." He explained. The younger Vega nodded in understanding as she chewed on her food.
She swallowed before exclaiming, "I know it may seem stupid, but trust me you will pass. You are confident and that's all that matters."
"I'm not sure what me being confident will do in helping Sikowitz decide whether or not to pass me."
Tori simply gave a small grin and whispered, "More than you think." Freddie nodded his head slowly still a bit confused. He knew Tori was trying to hint at something, but it just seemed to go right over his head.
"Sup lovebirds." André greeted as he joined the pair. Both rolled their eyes simultaneously, but the songsmith noticed each of them turning slightly red.
"Harris." Freddie nodded, noticing his excited expression. The brunette also seemed to take that into account as well as she asked, "Okay what's up? You seem like you want to say something. "
"What makes you say that?" He asked, wondering what made it so obvious.
"Dude, you're bouncing more than a kangaroo." The boy pointed out, noting André's inability to stay still. André noticed it himself and gripped the table to stay still as he gave the pair a semi embarrassed expression.
"So... Are you going to tell us about what's up?" Tori asked, waiting for the songsmith to give them the news.
"Tell you about what?" Jade asked as she made her way to the table with Beck. They took a seat as all eyes went towards André.
"So you guys know Keenan Thompson?" He questioned as the group nodded excitedly.
"Are y'all ready?" André shouted, bouncing in his seat.
"Yes!" They all exclaimed, Jade with a hint of annoyance.
"He invited me to a party!" André finally revealed. The group all groaned as they realized that it was not as big of a deal as they first made it out to be. The musical virtuoso took note of this, "You didn't let me finish. You see he invited me, but he also said I could invite a small group of friends."
"Shut up!" Tori exclaimed in disbelief.
"What I have been trying to get you to do since you came to Hollywood Arts." Jade teased as Tori simply ignored her remark.
"So where is this party anyway?" Beck asked, knowing it was useless trying to get between his girlfriend and friend.
"Did someone say party?" A voice questioned. The group turned to see Trina making her way towards them.
"No." André stated as casually as he could, "Party? I don't know what you are talking about."
"Harris." Trina said glaring at the teen, "Tell me."
He looked at the older Vega and let out a sigh, "Fine, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else."
"You can trust me André. I am the best friend anyone would want." She assured, earning her disbelieving looks from the group sans Freddie.
"OK. Keenan Thompson invited me to a party at his house this weekend. Now you have to promise not to tell anyo-"
"KEENAN THOMPSON!" Trina screamed surprised, "Oh my god, I have to tell all my friends." Before André could say anything the girl walked away tapping away on her cellphone
"Great, now the whole world is going to know before the end of the day." André groaned, "Keenan is going to kill me."
"I wouldn't worry about it." Jade casually remarked, "I highly doubt Trina has any friends." Freddie gave his sister a disapproving look and she simply shrugged.
"Well anyway." Freddie noted, standing up and grabbing his things, "If you will excuse me, I am going to go to class."
"Later." André waved as the rest of the group stated similar goodbyes.
Hollywood Arts High School - Main Stairwell
The brunette boy blew out a breath as he walked down the stairs to the main floor. He felt pretty tired and thinking about the work he had waiting for him made him groan slightly. The tech wiz made his way to his still yet to be decorated locker. He had been meaning to do something about it, but he still wasn't sure yet.
"Cat wait up." He heard a familiar voice shout. He turned to see the redhead storming away from Robbie who tried to keep up with her. His pursuit was cut short by the girl locking herself in the janitor's closet.
"Cat I can explain." Robbie said exhausted. He turned to Freddie who gave him a neutral look as he wasn't sure what happened between the pair.
"What happened?" Freddie finally asked, taking a seat next to the boy on the bench near the closet.
"None of your business, Benson." Rex chirped.
Freddie glared at the puppet and then it's handler before whispering, "Robbie, I've held back on some of the crap you've said through Rex, but right now I am not in that same mood." Robbie looked slightly nervous, but bowed his head not wanting to explain. Freddie shook his head and signed, "Fine, I guess I will just have to find out through Cat."
The pair got up from the bench as Freddie made his way towards the closet while Robbie went in the other direction not wanting to stick around for the revelation.
"Oh and Robbie." Freddie called out. The curly haired boy turned to face him, "If I find out you did something to hurt Cat, you and I are going to have a talk."
Robbie gulped and nodded slightly before walking away hurriedly. Freddie turned his attention back to the door.
He knocked on the door lightly, "Cat it's me."
"I don't want to talk to you Robbie." She replied, her tone laced with annoyance.
"It's not Robbie, Cat." The boy replied.
"Freddie?"
"Yes, now would you please open the door." There was a brief moment of quiet before the tech wiz heard the the doorknob click. He opened the door slowly to reveal the redhead sitting on a table looking visibly upset.
"Are you okay?" Freddie asked softly, taking a seat beside the redhead. She simply looked at him and shook her head.
"He said I was a mistake." She finally whispered, earning the confusion of the boy.
"What?"
"A mistake." She reiterated, feeling her eyes well up again, "I walked in to see if Robbie wanted to hang out after school when I saw him with some girl. I didn't want to interrupt them so I just stood a good distance away and tried not to make myself present. They started talking and he said that he really liked her, but she asked about me."
"Why would she ask about you?" Freddie asked, trying to catch on.
The redhead let out a small breath and noted, "Robbie and I dated." The boy looked at the girl a bit surprised, but now was not the time to start asking questions.
"It didn't work out." The girl continued, filling the boy in on the rest of the story, "But anyway, so she asked him about me. I guess she figured we still had feelings for each other. But... he said I was a mistake. As if whatever we shared together meant nothing to him. Like I meant nothing to him." Cat couldn't hold it in any longer as she began to sob again. The boy wrapped his arms around the girl as she cried on his chest.
"It hurts I know." Freddie whispered, "But you can't let it get to you. You are a talented and smart girl Cat and you shouldn't let your ex convince you otherwise."
"Why would he say something like that though?"
The boy shrugged his shoulders as even he questioned how one could betray someone like that. His thoughts trailed back to his former friends in Seattle. How could they have treated him like that? What did he do to deserve it? He could feel some anger seep into him, but he let it pass as he turned to the redhead.
"Some people just want things so bad that they don't care about the people they have to step on to do so." He explained, "Robbie just wanted that girl's attention. If he thinks that she is worth more than what you two had not only as a couple but as friends then maybe it's best you found out now than later. I wish I could have."
"You didn't deserve what happened to you in Seattle." She whispered, looking at the boy who now had pain emanating from his eyes.
"No one does." He agreed. He turned to the girl and asked, "Are you ready to go?" She blew out a breath and nodded as she got up from the table. The boy followed suit as they exited the janitor's closet.
"Come on, I'll give you a ride home." He offered, extending his arm. She smiled softly and took it as he led her to his car. He opened the passenger door for Cat and let her take a seat. He closed the door and made his way to the other side when a familiar face caught his eye.
"I'll be right back." He said to the girl, before making his way towards the person.
"Is she okay?" Robbie asked.
"Is she okay?" Freddie hissed, "You have a lot of nerve asking that when we both know you are the reason she was upset in the first place."
The curly haired boy raised his hands in defense, "Look, I didn't mean for that to happen. It was a misunderstanding."
"You mean the part where you got caught saying that Cat was a mistake?" Robbie bowed his head in shame not able to look at the eyes of Freddie that sent beams of disappointment.
"I didn't mean that." He mumbled.
"Well whether you did or not, it is something that you should not have said. I get that you two aren't dating anymore and I lack the full story on that, but as her friend. Why would you say something that could potentially hurt her?" Freddie questioned.
Robbie scratched the back of his neck and let his arm drop back to his side, "I don't know. I just can't explain it. She was just hesitant because of Cat and it made me upset. Maybe it was because I realized what happened between us wasn't how I wanted it to go. When Cat and I broke up we never really talked about it, but just went back to being friends. I tried hard to go back to normal, but I just couldn't. So when she brought her up, I wanted to brush those feelings aside as fast as I could, but just not the way I intended to. You have to believe me when I say that I instantly regretted what I said."
Freddie sighed, "I don't know why I should believe you, but my inner feeling to see the good in people makes me. Maybe I'm a fool for it, but I don't think you're a bad guy Robbie. Believe me I have met bad people and I just think you made a mistake. A pretty idiotic one, but a mistake nonetheless."
"Thank you." Robbie noted, pleased someone understood him, "I'm sorry for what happened."
"I'm not who you should be saying sorry to. But understand that if you ever hurt her again I will break you." He noted before making his way back to his car, leaving Robbie standing by himself to ponder how he was going to get Cat to forgive him. The tech wiz took a seat in the driver seat of his car as the redhead looked at him curiously. He gave her a half smile and turned the key in the ignition.
The ride back to Cat's home went in comfortable silence. Freddie put the car in park as he looked at the redhead.
"You sure you are alright?" Freddie asked, concerned.
Cat looked at the boy and nodded slowly, "It might take some time, but I think I will get over it. What you said was right. I thought about it during the ride back. I was just some girl to Robbie. I thought I meant something to him, but I guess I know the truth now."
Freddie winced a little as he realized the advice he gave Cat, stemmed from the issues he had with the people back in Seattle. He inadvertently applied it to the situation between Robbie and Cat without even realizing it.
"Listen, Cat." He started, "What I said may have come from a bad place."
"I don't understand." She exclaimed, confused.
The boy blew out a breath as he explained, "When you asked why he would do something like that, it just brought back memories of Seattle and what I had gone through there. What I didn't realize is that Robbie and you are nothing like Carly, Sam, and I. You two were legitimate friends and even a couple at one point while I was just a punching bag to Sam and a lap dog for Carly."
"But he said-"
"I know." Freddie interrupted, "You felt betrayed and hurt which you have every right to feel, but I think he made a mistake. A pretty idiotic one as I put it to him, but a mistake nonetheless. You may not think so at this very moment, but he still cares about you and you probably care about him still too."
"I just don't think I can forgive him that easily."
"I understand." Freddie agreed, thinking about the people he avoided, "All I am saying is give it time and give him a chance to make up for what he said. From there it is up to you to decide what you think is best for you. That is most important."
She nodded her head taking in what the boy said, "I'll keep that in mind."
"That is all I can ask."
She got out of the car and walked towards the driver side window. She bent over and said, "Thank you. For being there."
He gave a knowing smile, "No problem, happy to be there for a friend."
She smiled before a thought crossed her mind, "Will you ever forgive them? Carly and Sam."
He frowned upon noting he wasn't sure whether there was a definitive answer to the redhead's question.
"They say time heals all wounds, so I guess we will see. Right now though I can't be certain we will ever be good." He explained. The redhead gave a small nod before the pair parted ways. The redhead going inside and Freddie driving back to his hotel room.
Benson Hotel Room
Freddie laid in bed as he stared at the photo in his hand. It was a picture of Carly, Sam, and him taken at a party. He let out a small smile seeing one moment where the trio were all genuinely happy. The boy frowned as he realized those days were long gone.
"One happy moment doesn't overlook years of torment." He thought to himself placing the photo aside.
Hollywood Arts High School - Sikowitz's Class
"And scene." Freddie exclaimed, looking at his peers. He performed the scene as best as he could, but judging by the reaction of the other students and Sikowtiz, he would of thought he failed. The boy noticed the lack of applause even from his friends, although Tori gave him a look that said she wanted to but couldn't.
"Well did I pass?" The boy asked, awaiting any form of response. The room was currently in a state of pin drop silence following his performance.
"Nope." Sikowitz exclaimed, "You failed."
Tori winced involuntarily, remembering those dreaded words when she had to take part in this tradition. The boy raised his brow as he looked at his strange teacher and asked, "May I ask why?"
"You just failed. Nothing more to say." Sikowitz answered bluntly. The boy looked a bit frustrated when he glanced at Tori. She let out a small smile and mouthed, "Confidence."
He let out a small smirk as he looked back at his teacher, "Well I thought I did great."
"But you failed."
Freddie shrugged his shoulders, "No offense, but I don't care what you think. I thought I performed that piece as best as I could. If no one else liked it, so be it, but I for one am proud." He gave a boyish grin as he looked a Tori who gave him a nod and a smile.
"Well done, Freddie." Sikowitz exclaimed, "You my friend have just passed the bird scene." He started clapping as the rest of the class followed. The acting teacher made his way to the front of the class as he noted, "You see my goal is to teach you actors and actresses to be confident in your work. You are always going to run into someone who says you're not good enough, but you will only ever fail when you think you aren't good enough."
"So that's why you told me to be confident!" Freddie exclaimed as Tori simply nodded.
"Well now that we have gotten that out of the way, I think you've now earned the opportunity to sign up." Sikowitz pointed out, handing the boy the sign up sheet for the play. The tech wiz let out a small smile as he wrote his name on the sheet.
The rest of the day went by like usual. As the day progressed the boy's happiness continued to escalate. Seeing Cat and Robbie exchanging in small talk brought a small smile to his face. It wasn't much, but it was a start for them to get back on track to becoming friends again. As the final bell tolled, Freddie met up with Tori, Beck, André, and Jade.
"So how about we grab some food." Freddie exclaimed, "My treat."
"As tempting as that sounds, I got some work that I need to do for class." André declined, glumly, "Maybe another time?"
"Sounds cool man." Freddie noted as the pair exchanged in a one arm hug.
"By the way that gym offer still stands. You should join Beck and I some time." The songsmith exclaimed as he walked away from the rest of group.
"Well what about you three?" Freddie asked, turning towards the couple and Tori. Jade let out a small smile as she formulated a plan in her head.
"Yeah that sounds go-"
"WE CAN'T." Jade shouted, interrupting her boyfriend. She gave him a look that she knew only he could understand, "We have that -uh test to to study for right?"
"Right." Beck noted, understanding the look Jade gave meant to play along and she would explain later.
"Well I would be happy to join you." Tori exclaimed, earning her a boyish grin from Freddie and a weird smile from Jade.
"Great, well have fun you two." Jade noted, giving a playful look at her half-brother before taking Beck's hand and walking away as he gave a small smile that showed he was somewhat confused.
"Well that was weird." Tori pointed out, raising a brow.
"You can say that again." Freddie agreed, "Well, I guess it's just the two of us."
"Yup." The girl noted as the pair stood around, their eyes wandering to their surroundings. For some reason there was a weird tension between them that they just couldn't explain.
"We should go." Freddie hastily exclaimed. The girl nodded in agreement, sort of happy it wasn't only her that felt a bit strange. The pair made their way to the car as they pulled out of the school parking lot. Thankfully the pair were able to exchange in regular conversation on the way to the restaurant. Any strangeness they may have felt was gone and it left them both assuming it was just a random feeling that was gone.
"So tell me something." Freddie started, getting the attention of the songstress, "How were you able to get that mask off?"
The girl took a sip of her drink and laughed, "Well Cat and Trina quickly ushered me off stage and applied the remover while Beck and the others stalled the performance by doing some improv dancing."
"And then you finally got it off."
"Yup. You have no idea how much of a relief it was. I mean now that I look at it, the mask made it seem like an extra creative touch, but at the time I just wanted that dreaded thing off of my face. It was so hot underneath that thing."
The pair chuckled as they continued eating their meals. Tori swallowed her food and asked, "So what about you? You got any crazy stories?"
"Too many to count." He recollected, "Being on iCarly we did a lot of crazy things, granted some were pretty stupid, but it was a lot of fun. I guess you could day those are some of the good memories I have from Seattle with Carly and Sam."
"Have you tried talking to them since leaving?" Tori asked, before regretting the question, "I'm sorry, it's none of my business."
"Don't be sorry." Freddie waved off, "You are trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together like everyone else. I can't say I blame you for being curious. Everyone seems to be interested in the life of Freddie Benson as long as it has something to do with Carly and Sam."
Tori sighed as she noted, "You're right. I am interested in what happened, but not for the same reason as everyone else." The boy looked at her as he awaited further explanation, "I care about you Freddie. You are a good guy and... It just bothers me to see you looking so sad all the time. Today was one of the first days since you were here that I thought you were truly happy."
Freddie opened his mouth to argue, but shut it when he realized she was right. Tori took a breath as she continued, "I want to help you Freddie."
"How?" He asked, before quickly stating, "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate what you are trying to do. You are probably one of the only people that seems to care more about how I feel than the story attached to my departure from Seattle, but... Even you have to admit I am pretty messed up. I don't think anyone including you can help me."
"You're wrong." She whispered firmly, placing her hand on top of his, "I know what you went through in Seattle is hard to let go of, but it isn't impossible."
"What makes you so sure?"
She rubbed her thumb on his hand and looked at his eyes, "I'm not sure to be honest, but... That isn't going to stop me from giving up."
"Why are you doing all this for me?" He asked, trying to figure out how someone like him managed to find a person so caring as the girl in front of him.
Tori shrugged her shoulders, "Like I said, I am not like the others. I want you to find peace with your past." The boy took the hand Tori had placed on his and planted a quick kiss on it.
"Thank you." He whispered.
She simply smiled in return as the pair went back to eating the rest of their food. One again that tension between them arose, but this time they didn't mind it. Both of them understood what it meant and wish they could act on it, but now was not the time.
Benson Hotel Room
The boy laid his keys on the table before taking a seat on the couch. He was happy to have some quiet after a very busy day. Freddie opened his laptop sitting on the coffee table and opened up The Slap. He read some of his friends other posts, some invoking a couple chuckles, more so from the posts of the excitable redhead.
The Galaxy Wars ringtone removed any calm built up as the boy sighed and answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Hey."
"Jade?" Freddie asked, curious as to why the girl was calling him, "What's up?"
"Do you mind if I come over?" The boy glanced around his hotel room and kind of winced. It wasn't the best place to meet he had to admit, but it was a place to stay nonetheless.
"Sure, but how about I come to you." He suggested.
"No it's fine, just give me your address and I will be on my way." She insisted. The boy complied and the call disconnected shortly after. The boy quickly cleaned up a bit before the knock of the door came shorty after. Freddie walked over and opened the door to reveal his half sister.
"Hey." He exclaimed, moving aside to let her inside.
"So this is the famous Benson hideout." She remarked walking inside towards the small sitting area.
"I know it's not much." Freddie agreed, closing the door and making his way towards the girl, "But I guess it serves its purpose for me."
"You know I've always wondered what hotel living would be like." Jade exclaimed, "I dreamt as a kid that I would be a famous singer that would have world tours and the works."
"Well let me tell you the hotel life is not as glamorous as they make it out to be." He admitted, "That is unless you are interested in trashing the place."
"Very funny." She replied sarcastically, before letting out a small chuckle, "Have you tried finding an apartment or something like that?"
The boy nodded as he took a seat on the couch beside her, "I've tried everything. Asked kids at school, friends at work, even found myself searching online, but most usually don't have anything or the small portion are just... Strange. If I do so put it."
"Welcome to Hollywood. Home of the freaks and geeks." Jade pointed out.
He nodded in agreement before asking, "So what brings you here anyway?"
"We might have a problem." She exclaimed, standing up.
"And what is that?"
"Beck is starting to get really curious about us." She admitted.
"What do you mean by curious?"
She glanced out the window as she noted, "I don't know. He just thinks it's weird that I don't hate your guts."
The boy couldn't help but let out a small laugh, "Hate my guts?"
The girl nodded more seriously as she retook her seat beside the boy, "You see I am not a big fan of new faces. I guess you can call me narrow-minded or whatever, but it's really hard for me to let people in and Beck knows that. With you though for some reason I was pretty darn friendly and after finding out about our "special" bond, we are even more close. "
"I guess I understand why he might find it weird, but I spoke to him that day at the beach. I mean he understands that we are close because we can understand each other."
"I know but, he just seems to be really curious as to why." Jade replied, "I read online that couples have a better ability of understanding each other. It's probably a bunch of crap, but I know when something gets on Beck's mind, he won't stop poking around until he finds out."
"You mean look into my past." Freddie exclaimed, understanding the issue at hand.
"Sometimes I think it is easier to just come clean and tell everyone that we are half siblings." She groaned, rubbing her temples.
"That is exactly what we are going to do." Jade's eyes popped back open as she realized what it was the boy had said.
"Are you sure?" She asked, following him towards where his camera bag was.
"I am if you are." He admitted, unzipping the bag and pulling out his trusty camera, "Hello old friend." He whispered, before looking back at his sister and saying, "Why should we hide that we are related? All it does it raise suspicions from others who will make up stupid rumors."
"I can handle them." Jade pointed out, understanding she was the alpha female at school. It was something she admitted she took a great deal of pride in being. It just ensured that no one bothered her.
"I know you can, but I am just tired of hiding." The boy pointed out, "I am already hiding my past in Seattle, but I don't want to do the same to my life here in L.A. This is my chance to find a better life and I don't want anymore secrets. I wish I could just scream from the roof of this building and say what happened in Seattle, but that doesn't involve only me but everyone else back there. As angry as I am at them I know it might ruin their lives and I wouldn't anyone to go through what I did."
"Okay, Freddie. Let's do it." The pale girl agreed, giving an assuring smile to her half-brother, "How are we going to do it?"
"Well I was thinking about posting a video on The Slap with the two of us and letting that be it. From there people can come up with whatever theories they want. We can further explain the story to our friends if we want, but otherwise we aren't required to really say anything else."
"At least those rumors will fade away." The girl pointed out, remembering the brief period where people thought she was cheating on Beck with Freddie. She involuntarily winced just thinking of that prospect.
Ok, just need to plug in this wire and we should be good to go." Freddie exclaimed, connecting the wire to his laptop. He took a seat on the couch beside Jade after positioning the camera on the tripod to record them.
"You ready?" He asked his half-sister. She gave a nod as he tapped a few keys and the camera began to record.
"Hi I'm Freddie Benson."
"And I'm Jade West."
"Now you're all probably wondering what is that we are doing." Freddie exclaimed, "Well we have decided that we were tired of the rumors spread about us.'
"We're talking about the morons like you Todd341." Jade exclaimed, remembering he was the person that kept spamming her message box calling her a cheater.
"So I guess it's best to just come out and say it." Freddie said to Jade.
"Might as well." She noted before whispering to him, "Should you say it or should I?"
"Let's do it together." He noted, earning him a small smile from the pale girl, "In five, four, three, two... We are half-siblings." They both declared in unison.
"Now I know you are all probably wondering how on Earth this is possible, but that is none of your concern." Jade pointed out.
"Well that's all there is to it." Freddie noted, "So goodbye."
The pale girl simply leaned back on the couch in satisfaction as Freddie ended the recording and exclaimed feeling a bit nostalgic,
"And we are clear."
AN: And that is the end of the chapter. Thanks for reading. My goodness it feels amazing to FINALLY be able to release another chapter. I apologize for leaving you all hanging for so long. The story has become more popular than I had expected and I cannot say enough how appreciative I am of all of the support you as readers have been giving me.
If you have any comments or feedback I would love to hear from you and I will get back to you in the following chapter.
Challenge King: Thank you for your review. Freddie has been through a lot in his life which is why I think he is able to give good advice. You can see in this chapter however he is not always the best person to seek advice from as he is going through some struggles himself.
Austin: Thank you for your review. I am happy to hear you have been enjoying this story thus far. Hears hoping your joy for this story only continues to be greater. Just a quick question, What has been your favorite part of the story thus far?
Stars r fallin: Thank you for your review. As a reader I understand the difficulty of having to wait for an update. I try my best to be able to post chapters consistently, but as you can see from the gap between this chapter and the last it is not always possible. I do hope that the gap between chapters won't be as long as this one was.
duskrider: Thank you for your review. When I came up with this story I was originally unsure of how the sibling dynamic would work between Freddie and Jade. The pair have always been show in other fanfics as close friends or as a romance. I am glad to see that my unique twist on the pair has been taking positively. I hope I can continue to be creative as the following chapters come out.
Stay tuned for the next chapter.