AN: Just a little reminder guys, the only POV you're seeing is Cat's. So you're only seeing the situation from Cat's eyes. But that may change…
*(not immediately)
Cat's POV*
I was at my locker when André approached me. "Hey Dré" I said, smiling at him.
"Hey, kitty Cat. So I've been thinking…" he began. I turned to him, listening to what he had to say.
"Are you thinking of going to the dance?" he asked.
"I have to go, I'm singing remember?" I said. "Why?"
"Well, considering you can't go with who you really want to go with, and I can't go with who I really want to go with, I was thinking we could go together? As friends?" he said, smiling.
"That's so clever! Why didn't I think of that?!" I muttered under my breath.
"Well it doesn't matter now, because I've thought of it. So will you go with me?"
"Oh André, I'd love to. I just wish you'd told me sooner…"
"Why?"
"Because, someone already asked me. And I said yes" I said, wringing my hands and looking down at the ground.
"Who?" he asked.
"Nobody. It's a surprise" I said quickly. "I have to get to class" I said, shutting my locker and walking away.
"But we've still got 20 minutes until class starts!" he shouted after me. I ignored him and walked quicker, keeping my head down.
I had managed to keep from telling André all day. It's not that I was embarrassed about who I was going with. It's just…André might be a bit disappointed with me. I closed my locker door and my heart stopped at who was leaning on the locker next to mine. For a minute I thought it might have all been a horrible nightmare, and everything was fine. Because Robbie was stood right there. I blinked and shook my head and he was still there, raising an eyebrow at me. I looked around to see that the hallway was empty, nobody else but us. Nobody to help me. I was about to speak when he interrupted me.
"Is it true that you're going to the dance with Danny Forth?" he asked.
"How did you find out? I haven't told anyone" I said quietly.
"Jade" he said, simply. I rolled my eyes and walked away. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back to face him.
"You can't seriously be thinking of going to the dance with Danny boy?!" he said.
"His name is Daniel" I said, finding some confidence and pulling my arm back. "And why do you care?!"
"Because he's no good for you! He'll treat you like crap!" he shouted.
"Oh because every other boy has treated me perfectly!" I bit back, glaring at him.
"He's a cheater" he said. I rolled my eyes and walked away. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back again. "He's no good" he said quietly.
"Why does it affect you?" I asked, sighing.
"Because I…" he began, tripping up on his words. "He's just a jackass waste of space. You shouldn't go with him" he said, the dark returning to his eyes.
"Look Robbie, you're just going to have to accept it and not try and ruin things for me. I'm asking you to respect the fact that I'm going with Daniel, just like I do with you and Tori even though I feel like screaming every time I see you together" I said, my voice cracking on the last word. I gave Robbie one last look before turning around and walking away. He didn't try and stop me that time.
Talk about mixed signals. Robbie Shapiro was the king of mixed signals.
I looked over my outfit in the mirror. A short pink dress, simple make up and a date. A cute date. A cute date who had managed to not upset my dad yet. I took a deep breath and picked up my clutch, walking out of my room. As I walked down the stairs, Daniel looked at me like I was an angel.
"How do I look?" I asked, smiling nervously.
"Perfect" he said, breathily. My dad frowned at him and I giggled, carrying on down the stairs to meet him at the bottom.
"You ready Miss Valentine?" he asked, sticking out his arm. I got a flashback of Robbie on our dates and shook my head furiously.
"You okay?" my mom asked, frowning at me.
"Yeah" I said, a fake smile plastered on my face. "Let's go" I said to Daniel, dragging him out the house. All the way there I sang in the car, warming up my voice whilst he complimented me. We arrived at the dance and he jumped out of the car before I could even comprehend he wasn't there anymore, and he ran round to my side and opened the door for me. I stepped out and smiled gratefully at him. We walked into the dance and I could feel everybody's eyes on us but I ignored it, just wanting to enjoy myself.
I was sat at one of the tables with a plate of chocolate-covered strawberries in front of me. I had danced with Daniel for a bit and it was fun, although I had to try really hard to block out the whispers, and he had gone off to get us both drinks. I waved to him over at the drinks table and he waved back and then somebody stood in front of me and blocked my view. I looked up to see André looking down at me, an unreadable expression on his face. I tensed up and looked at him nervously when he sat down.
"How come you didn't tell me you were coming with Daniel Forth?" he asked, looking slightly hurt.
"I didn't know what you'd think about it. I thought you might think I was a bit trampy for moving on to a new guy and I know a lot of people think he's too cocky for his own good and I…" I trailed off, biting my lip nervously. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, are you mad?"
"Of course I'm not, I'm glad you're not letting Robbie hold you back kitten" he said, smiling at me.
"Well I'm putting on a good show, doesn't mean that I'm not still upset" I replied, looking at him pointedly.
"It'll get easier. So have you thought about what you're going to sing tonight?" he asked.
"I've narrowed it down to 'Never can say goodbye' by the Jackson 5, 'Make you feel my love' by Adele and 'Don't speak' by No Doubt."
"Well that's a depressing line up."
"Well I'm sorry, but they're songs that I can really relate to right now."
"I have a better idea. Keep the Jackson 5 one, because it's got a good beat and everyone loves it. But change the others to 'Jar of hearts' by Christina Perri-" he said, handing me some sheet music.
"Because that's so much happier" I muttered sarcastically.
"It's not the happiest song, but it's about sticking up for yourself against someone who's just going to mess you around" he retaliated, looking at me pointedly again.
"And the other song?" I asked quickly changing the subject.
"The other song is a song called 'Break free'. It's by some English singer called Annabel something, she's only 19 but she's got an amazing voice and when I heard her singing it just reminded me of you. Plus, the song is about being strong and standing up to someone again…I think…" he trailed off and I raised my eyebrow at him. "It's a good song and it's got a good party feel to it because we are actually at a school dance" he said, giving me another sheet of paper and his phone. He stuck his headphones in my ears and pushed play and an EDM dance beat rung in my ears. I listened to the whole song and André was anticipating my answer when I looked at him.
"I can't deny it's a good song and she has an amazing voice but…" his face fell. "Singing is really therapeutic for me and it's a way of me expressing my feelings. And right now I'm feeling Adele, not EDM" I said, handing him his sheet music back with a sympathetic look before walking off to find Daniel.
I walked up to the microphone and cleared my throat, wringing my hands nervously. People all around the room began to look at me and the music and talking died down until all focus was on me.
"H-hi, I'm Cat Valentine and I'm going to be singing tonight. The three songs I've chosen are all songs I can relate to right now and-" I was cut off by somebody entering the hall very noisily. I looked over to see Robbie smirking, attached to a confident looking Tori in the dress that I made her. I swallowed and tried to slow my rushing heart, turning back to the microphone. "Um, enjoy, I guess" I said, mentally smacking myself for my lack of confidence. I heard a few sniggers around the room but ignored them and focused on the upbeat, bouncy tune ringing out the speakers and into my ears.
"Never can say goodbye…" I began to sing. I quickly got into the song and judging by the people around the room who were swaying, they were enjoying. I had managed to avoid looking at Tori and Robbie the whole song, until they climbed up on a table and began to dance along the music, right in my eye line.
"I never can say goodbye boy,
I got to have ya, never can say goodbye to you, ohhhhhh,
Yeah yeah yeah, yeah yeah yeah"
I finished the song weakly, muttered a thank you into the microphone and rushed off stage to the double doors, which led to the school courtyard outside the gym. I passed a girl who was smoking and went to sit on one of the benches, bouncing my leg up and down and trying to calm myself. Then his familiar voice rang through my ears.
"You're Lucy Sprig yeah?" he asked the smoking girl.
"Y-y-yes" she stammered, shocked that the oh so great Robbie Shapiro was talking to her.
"Didn't you used to go out with Daniel Forth?" he asked, and my ears perked up even more.
"Yeah, why?" she said, hesitantly.
"Just wondering why you broke up. I've heard rumours but I wanted to double check. Like to know what's going on with the student body."
"An old girlfriend from his home town came to visit and he slept with her while we were still together. Said that he really loved her and he couldn't be with me anymore whilst she was around" she said, a hint of bitterness in her tone.
"Interesting" Robbie murmured, and I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. There was a beat of silence and he continued. "You can go now."
"Oh…o-oh okay" the girl stammered and I heard her rush inside. I sighed quietly and realised I would need to go inside because Daniel would be looking for me. I stood up and quickly walked towards the doors with my head down. But Robbie grabbed my arm and pulled me to face him.
"Did you hear that?" he said, his face twisted into an evil smirk. "Little Danny boy is a no good cheater."
"His name is Daniel" I said, frowning at him.
"Danny cheats on his girlfriends with his exes. That's not the kind of guy you should be going to school dances with" he continued, ignoring me. Rage bubbled inside me and I pulled my arm away from him, scowling.
"What boy should I go for then, huh Robbie? Someone who I give everything to and completely fall for only to find out that he doesn't even like me and would rather get in my friends' pants, but still won't leave me alone?!" I snapped. He growled and pushed me up against the wall, hands on my hips and lips centimetres from mine, our breaths mingling.
"Danny is bad news" he muttered.
"Well I like him, he makes me feel good about myself and hasn't tried anything on yet. Why do you even care so much Robbie? You go on and on about how you never cared about me and make the effort to try and destroy me yet you get all crazy when I'm with Daniel. It's almost like you're jealous" I whispered.
"I'm not jealous" he growled.
"Then leave me alone" I snapped, pushing him as hard as I could. It took him by surprise and he staggered backwards slightly, so I rushed away from the wall and ran towards the doors. I slowed and turned around, approaching him slowly again. He was scowling at me but I swallowed my fear and replaced it with all the rage I was feeling.
"There shouldn't be students who can intimidate students and get them to do whatever they want, thinking themselves better. This school needs to change and I'm never going to stop trying to change it. Starting with this. You are a bully, Robbie Shapiro, and I'm lucky to get away from you. Daniel is a kind guy and he makes me happy, happier than I've felt in a while. And you don't have the right to tell me whether I can see him or not. I'm not scared of you Robbie. I'm not scared of you, or Jade, or Rex, or Beck. A group is only as strong as it's leader, and that's you. I don't know how much of our relationship was real, but I saw a side of you which very few people have seen. And you don't scare me anymore. I'm true to myself, something which you never are, which means that I'm stronger than you."
I finished my speech and walked back inside the building. I spotted André on the dance floor with some girl from our year. Lisa, I think. I gave her a quick smile and asked to borrow André, dragging him to the corner of your room.
"I need the sheet music and backing tracks for those songs" I said immediately.
"Really?" he asked. I smiled and nodded. "What made you change your mind?"
"I'm Cat Valentine, Little Miss Sunshine from the sunshine state of Florida and I'm not going to let one boy get me down. Yes, Robbie broke my heart and Tori did too but I'm not going to let that ruin me. I'm going to use it to make this school a better place, and that starts by showing everyone that I am over Robbie Shapiro."
André grinned at me and gave me a massive hug, kissing the top of my head. He reached into his pocket and handed me a sheet of crumpled up paper which had the songs on each side. He then also handed me a CD. Just then, I was called up on stage again. I took a deep breath and walked up to that stage with confidence I hadn't felt in a long time.
"Hi everybody" I said into the microphone, a huge grin on my face. "I hope you're all having a good time tonight and I'm going to sing you another song in a second. But fist I'd like to apologise…to my date, Daniel. I keep disappearing tonight and leaving you on your own and I'm sorry, but I promise you're all mine for the rest of the night." I heard a few wolf whistles and giggled. "Okay guys, cool it. Grab a guy, grab a girl, and just dance" I said, as the slow melody began.
I got through the first two versus and choruses fine, and then I looked eyes with Robbie who was looking at me over Tori's head. But I stood up straighter and kept his gaze. I'm stronger I said, internally.
"And it took so long just to feel alright
Remember how to put back the light in my eyes
I wish I had missed the first time that we kissed
Cause you broke all your promises
And now you're back
You don't get to get me back"
He broke eye contact to look down at Tori and I looked around the room again, my eyes locking on André and Lisa dancing together. I smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up, and he did the same.
"Who do you think you are?
Who do you think you are?
Who do you think you are?"
I finished the song and everyone clapped. I bowed slightly and stepped off the stage, where Daniel was waiting. I acted on impulse and kissed him on the cheek.
"What was that for?" he asked, smiling at me.
"An apology" I replied, shrugging. "Come on, lets go and dance." I dragged him by the hand to the dance floor, not noticing Robbie walk by us and Jade not far behind him.
Jade's POV
"Shapiro" I said, entering the bathroom behind Robbie. He jumped and turned around, staring at me.
"Jade, you can't be in here, it's the boys bathroom" he said.
"I do what I want" I said shrugging. He frowned at me slightly and turned to get some loo roll to blow his nose. "What are you doing?" I asked.
"Bit rich coming from the girl in the boys toilets, but I'm blowing my nose" he said, smirking and turning to look at his reflection in the mirror.
I ignored him and carried on. "I mean what are you doing with Cat?"
He froze up and turned to face me. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"You say you never cared about Cat but you were way happier with her than you are now. And when you were dating Cat, you found Vega just as annoying as I did but now you're locking lips at a school dance." I stared him right in the eye and refused to look away, so his eyes drifted to the bar through my eyebrow which he had been doing a lot lately.
"Cat was a lot of fun and now I'm having fun when I'm with Tori, it doesn't ever have to mean anything if you don't want it to" he said, unconvincingly.
"You'd better hope it's just fun with Daniel, or she'll be gone for good" I replied, as I turned around and walked out the bathroom.
Cat's POV
I was dancing with Daniel and was called up on stage for the last time.
"Good luck" he said. "Not that you need it". I smiled and squeezed his hand before rushing on to the stage.
"Hello everyone!" I called into the microphone. "The night's almost over and we've reached the last song, and whilst most people would choose a slow song I want people to leave happier than they came in. So here it is."
The EDM beat rang through my ears again and everybody in the hall started to dance.
"If you want it, take it,
I should have said it before,
Tried to hide it, fake it,
I can't pretend anymore,
I only want to die alive, never by the hands of a broken heart,
Don't wanna hear you lie tonight, now that I've become who I really am,
This is the part when I say I don't want ya,
I'm stronger than I've been before,
This is the part when I break free,
Cause I can't resist it no more…"
My eyes locked on Robbie as the next lyrics came out of my mouth.
"You were better, deeper,
I was under your spell,
Like a deadly fever, yeah babe,
On the highway to hell,
I only want to die alive, never by the hands of a broken heart,
Don't wanna hear you lie tonight, now that I've become who I really am,
This is the part when I say I don't want ya,
I'm stronger than I've been before,
This is the part when I break free,
Cause I can't resist it no more…"
As I sung the next part I walked off the stage and on to the dance floor, heading for Robbie.
"Thought on your body I came alive,
It was lethal, it was fatal,
In my dreams it felt so right"
I walked right past Robbie and up to Daniel.
"But I woke up, every time…"
I grabbed his hand and dragged him to the middle of the dance floor, dancing along with everyone whilst still singing.
"OH BABY!
This is the part when I say I don't want ya,
I'm stronger than I've been before,
This is the part when I break free,
Cause I can't resist it no more,
This is the part when I say I don't want ya,
I'm stronger than I've been before,
This is the part when I break free,
Cause I can't resist it no more…"
The tune began to play out and I danced with everyone around me. The music died down and they all began to cheer. I did a little curtsey and didn't even notice Robbie storming out of the room, dragging a nervous looking Tori behind him.
Daniel walked me up to my door and I turned to look at him.
"I had a really good time tonight" he said.
"Me too" I replied, smiling up at him. He reached out and tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear, trailing his fingers down my arm lightly to hold my hand. He then pulled me towards him slowly and leant down to kiss me. His lips were nearly on mine when I spoke up.
"What happened with Lucy Sprig" I squeaked. He froze and stepped back, looking down at me with a slightly confused expression on his face.
"We were dating last year" he sighed, scratching his head. "I had just moved here and she was really nice. I broke up with my ex-girlfriend because she was pregnant, got an abortion and never told me. I was happy with Lucy and I cared about her, but I think I can honestly say now I didn't love her. I went back to my old town for Christmas break and saw my ex again and just couldn't stay away. But Lucy was so nice and I found it really hard to break up with her, I just couldn't bring myself to do it, so I carried on seeing them both. When they found out, they both dumped me and I had no one" he finished, a sad but also guilty look on his face.
I stood there in silence, trying to process everything he'd told me.
"You still love her though? Your ex?" I concluded, in a small voice.
He nodded, looking even sadder. "Don't think I've ever stopped to be honest" he admitted shrugging.
"Then fight for her" I said, throwing him a sad smile.
"Wha-?" he began, looking confused.
"You love her. Go get her. And don't give up until you do" I told him. "Thanks for a great night, you've really helped me. Good luck" I said, kissing him on the cheek and opening the door.
"Cat?" he asked as I was stepping inside. I turned to look at him and he continued. "Do you still love him? Robbie?"
I didn't say anything and went inside, shutting the door behind me. I took a deep breath and went to walk up the stairs when my mom called me from the kitchen. I went in there to find her sitting at the table.
"Was it a good night?" she asked, smiling at me.
"Yeah" I nodded. "I sung really well and had a good time."
"Good, and…how was the date?" she said, waggling her eyebrows at me.
"Meh, I don't think it would work. We're both looking for something else" I replied shrugging.
"Oh well, better luck next time" she replied. "Oh, somebody left this at the door for you" she said, handing me a white envelope. My heart sped up when I recognised the hand writing on the front.
"Who's it from?" she asked.
"No idea" I lied. "Goodnight mummy." I kissed her cheek and went up to my room, shutting the door behind me. I ripped open the envelope and pulled out the contents. It was a picture of Daniel and some girl kissing, with 'no good' written on it. I growled and ripped the picture up, flushing it down the toilet.
I can't let Robbie Shapiro get to me. I'm stronger.
AN: I'm finally back! And I'm so sorry it's taken so long, I've been swamped under with college work and my job and I turned 18 and I did my grade 8 ballet exam so it's all been very crazy.
I tried not to put too many song lyrics in here because I know that can make a song a little bit boring, but the lyrics to break free seemed to really relate to the situation so I had to!
Thank you everybody who's stuck around for this story, I truly am so grateful. Please keep reading and hopefully my next update won't take so long. Please R&R.
Mwah!
chuckyshmucky -xo