AN: Wow, okay, it's been a really long time. My pitiful excuses are at the bottom of the page. Just a warning that there's some bad language in this chapter.
Cat's POV:
I finished off my text to Gibby and sent it, looking up from my phone to see Tori and Andre walking down the corridor, laughing between themselves. The corners of my mouth twitched watching them, they had been getting so close and flirty recently and they couldn't even see it happening. If I wasn't terrified of being a third wheel for the rest of my school year then I would have locked them in a closet and forced them to admit their feelings for each other.
"Heyyyy Lil' Red" Andre said as they approached, tugging on the end of my red velvet hair. Tori and I decided to dye it back as a middle finger to Robbie, and I felt like my old happier self with my true friends and my red hair.
"Good day?" Tori asked, putting her books in her locker.
"Yeah" I confirmed, grinning. "Classes were all super fun today, lunch lady Dorothy gave me extra pudding, and nobody has said a bad word against me this week!"
The week after the spaghetti incident was awful. Tori and I couldn't walk in the halls without somebody calling us names and we had food thrown at us if we ever went anywhere near the cafeteria. Even Andre was getting caught up in the crossfire. It was getting harder and harder to not let it break us down, especially when Jade threw a strawberry shake at us. It stung 10x worse when it was people who I used to be so close to who started attacking me. She texted me an apology immediately after and Andre got us ice cream after school, so I wasn't down for long.
Then, there was a shift in the atmosphere somewhere. Robbie stopped coming to school so much and when he was in, it was like he couldn't actually be bothered with any of the golden stuff. He still used his status to skip classes when he wanted and people still stared at him in the halls, but he wasn't actively attacking people or acting like an arrogant asshole. And like everything in this school, when the goldens eased off the Vega-Valentine hate campaign, so did everyone else. With Robbie's odd behaviour and Principal Helen announcing her resignation to move to Hawaii with her new fiancé; Tori and I were old news and people soon lost interest in us. Which meant just a month after the spaghetti moment, we could go about our days without having to worry about food in the face or a parade of people calling us sluts or trash. Heaven.
"I know, I'm so glad that's all over" Tori replied. "Hey, do you guys want to-"
She was cut off by Beck and Jade walking past us, caught up in a screaming match with each other. Another thing that had changed over the past weeks. The couple who were so passionate and caught up in each other when they first got together, couldn't go an hour through the day without falling out about something.
"Jade, don't walk away from me, I'm not done talking about this!" Beck called after her as she walked to her locker.
"I am" she called back, not even turning to look at him. Beck clenched his fists and I could see his whole body tense with anger, which was unusual for the kind, calm guy who was the only one patient enough to listen to me talk about my life back in Florida. He breathed and walked forward again, lowering his voice slightly and trying to get Jade's full attention as he spoke to her.
"Look, I'm not saying I wanted a public announcement or a truck load of presents, but you didn't even know it was my birthday Jade. You're the most important person in my life and it would have been nice to have a little affection and care for one day out of the year!"
"You're so ungrateful, Oliver!" she yelled, turning to him. "I did wish you a happy birthday and I got you a present!"
"You got me a can of lemonade. 2 days late!"
"You like lemonade, and it was a gift wasn't it?! I didn't completely forget, or has it been somebody else who's been helping you plan this party?!"
"By 'helping', I assume you mean questioning me about my non-existent relationship with Alyssa Vaughn?!"
Ah, yes. Alyssa Vaughn. The pretty young socialite who's in the yoga class that Beck recently joined. They'd been seen together a lot, and Jade wasn't impressed with her boyfriend spending time with another girl.
"It's not non-existent!" Jade screamed at him. "She texts you multiple times a day and you're always out getting coffee with her! And I know for a fact that it was her idea to have this stupid party!"
"It was actually my idea, because having a party for your birthday is something that normal people do! So are you saying because you and I date, I can't be friends with other girls?"
"You can be friends with ugly girls. But not girls like her who are all over you all the time. Ugh, it's like having Vega back with us, drooling over you every second of the day!"
Everybody except Beck and Jade turned to stare at us for the first time in weeks and we all froze. Going bright pink and muttering something under her breath, Tori scurried off to the bathroom whilst Andre and I exchanged nervous glances. The couple continued their row and everybody's attention soon went back to them.
"No! I don't want her there!" Jade exclaimed.
"I don't care! She's my friend and it's my birthday so I'm inviting who I want!" Beck stormed past Jade and I felt my stomach drop when he started approaching us.
"Hey Cat" he said much quieter, a small smile on his face.
"Hi" I said, the horrible feeling disappearing quickly. My relief with the Robbie drama being done could often overshadow the fact that I really enjoyed spending time with these people and missed my friends now I couldn't see them so much. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, it's…its good" he lied. "So it was my birthday last week-"
"Happy birthday!" I interjected.
"-thanks. So I'm having a party at mine tonight to celebrate and I want you to come. You and Tori too" he said, turning to Andre, who just blinked in surprise.
"Ar-are you sure about that?" I asked. "Isn't that a little…dangerous?"
He chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair, shooting me that look that made even me go a bit weak at the knees.
"I'm a golden, right? What's the point if I can't invite my own friends to my own party?"
I opened my mouth a couple times but couldn't formulate a response.
"Besides," he continued, getting closer to me to mutter so none of the eavesdropping students could hear. "I'm getting sick of that family swanning around and treating everyone like dirt. Maybe it's time for a change around here"
That comment made my anxiety levels rise, and I panicked at the thought of being blacklisted because we'd gone against the system.
"Please Cat" he begged, grabbing my hands. "It's my birthday and there will be loads of people there. I really want you guys to come!"
I crumbled at his puppy dog eyes and sighed, squeezing his hands. "Okay, we'll come. What time?"
"Party starts at 7 but just whenever you want to come. You remember where I live right?"
I nodded in response.
"Amazing! You're the best, Cat" he said, kissing my cheek and walking out the school. I took a deep breath to calm my shattered nerves and dared a look over to Jade, who slammed her locker and stormed out of the school, growling at a freshman who watched as she went past.
Tori watched her retreating figure as she approached us from the bathroom.
"What was that all about?" she asked, a look of horror on her face.
"Cat is making us go to Beck Oliver's party tonight" Andre responded.
"What?!" Tori screamed.
"Dude!" I shouted at Andre. I looked at their unenthusiastic faces and got my negotiation face on. "Come on guys, it'll be fun! You were friends with Beck once!"
"Yeah, until he joined the perfect posse and started dating the she-demon!" Andre replied.
"Hey, Jade's okay when you get to know her!" I intervened.
"Um, no she's not. She was awful to me the entire time I was with them!" Tori cried.
"Pleaseeeeeee guys! Beck's nice and there'll be tons of people there, we can't be the only dumb pre-turds who don't go! Pleaseeeeeee!" I begged, seeing them start to crumble. I batted my eyelashes for good measure.
"Fine!" Tori snapped. "But if Jade West murders me tonight, I'm coming back to haunt you!"
I squealed and jumped around, clapping. I pulled them both into a hug which they loudly protested, but it fell on deaf ears.
The three of us sat in Andre's car on the road opposite Beck's house, looking at the huge structure where the music was thumping so loud it felt like the car was shaking, and the coloured lights reflected onto the trees outside, moving and changing in time with the music. It was actually sort of beautiful in the darkness of the spring night, and I'd take the time to admire it if I wasn't scared out of my mind. Which I was. Absolutely terrified.
"You know, we could just drive on?" Tori's voice interrupted my musings. "Go and get some food at karaoke dokie and then just hang out for a bit?"
Andre looked at her in the passenger seat then turned around to shrug at me.
"No, no way!" I protested, even though part of me did agree with them. "We have to go in guys, Beck asked us to come and he's our friend!" Andre scoffed at that but I ignored him. "It's a social event that we've actually been invited to, we can't back out now!" They stared at me, still looking unconvinced. "Look, we'll go in and show Beck that we made an effort, then if it's awful we can leave after like 30 minutes? Nobody will even notice we've gone it'll be so packed in there. Who knows, we might even have a good night?"
They shared a glance before sighing and getting out of the car. I grinned and got out my door, smoothing down my gold sequined dress and shaking my hair out so my curls fell nicely. Tori was wearing a black dress with a strap over one shoulder, and Andre was in some black jeans and a nice shirt. He held out both arms and winked at us. Tori and I shared a look and giggled, before accepting an arm each and walking towards the house. We all took a deep breath and a moment of calm, before knocking on the big wooden door and stepping back a bit.
"Cat! Hey, you guys came!" Beck shouted as he opened the door, sounding mildly surprised. Jade was hovering behind him, a slightly stressed look in her eyes that only people who really knew her would be able to pick up on.
"Well yeah, we couldn't miss out on your birthday!" I replied, handing him the gift we'd all pooled our money for.
"Aww, you didn't have to get me anything, thanks guys!" Beck replied, his thousand-watt smile filling his face. He patted Andre on the arm and then kissed Tori and I on the cheek, and I didn't miss the hurt on Jade's face out the corner of my eye. Tori and Andre obviously saw it too, and there was a short pause where Tori looked down at her shoes and Andre had a sudden and deep interest for some random painting in the hallway.
"So, where do we go to get a drink?" I asked, laughing nervously and clearing my throat at the awkward silence I had just broken.
"Oh yeah," Beck laughed, "all drink is in the kitchen, and there's some snacks and stuff in there as well so just help yourself to whatever you want. Do you remember where the bathroom and that is?" he asked us, and it occurred to me that Tori and Andre might have been to Beck's house in the time of their friendship before he became a golden.
"Yeah, thanks" I nodded, smiling at the obviously tense couple and grabbing Tori's hand, dragging her to the kitchen as Andre quickly shuffled behind.
"Was that awkward or what?" Andre asked, pouring himself a cola in a solo cup and taking a sip.
"Yeah, I can't believe they're fighting so much" I answered, taking two cups and filling them with vodka and lemonade. "They always seemed so comfortable and content around each other, even before they started dating."
"Really?" Tori asked, surprised.
"Yeah" I nodded, passing her one of the cups which she took with a grateful smile. "They were so sweet when I hung around with them, not that I would say that to Jade though."
"They used to fight when I hung around with them" Tori replied, and I tried to ignore the twinge in my stomach at the reminder of everything that had happened between us. "They would fight once every few weeks to begin with and they would do it when they were alone and then, like, pretend they were fine when they came back to the group? Then it got more frequent and they started doing it around us as well. I walked in on them once having a full blown row about Ro-" she stopped talking suddenly and coughed nervously. I looked up at her but she refused to make eye contact, taking a large swig of her drink and wincing at the burn of the alcohol.
"You can say his name, you know, I'm not going to burst into tears or rip your hair out or anything" I said, with a nervous and slightly irritated chuckle. We had done quite a good job of brushing over the fall out between us, but there were still moments where one of us would bring up Robbie and the air in the group would turn all cold and awkward.
"No, it's not that" she murmured, fiddling with a thread on her dress. She looked up at me and I raised my eyebrow, challenging her to continue and showing her I could take it.
"They were arguing about you," she sighed. "They were talking about the break up and how Robbie was treating you. Beck was getting really mad and saying it was unfair and Jade wasn't doing anything to help you, even though you were friends. Then he was saying how Robbie got away with too much and Jade should be doing more to stop him, but I left before I heard anymore because I felt really guilty for all I'd done" she finished quietly, downing her drink and refusing to look at me again.
I just blinked in surprise, shocked at this new revelation. It hadn't seemed like any of the others had been affected by all that had gone down between me and Robbie. Then I stopped to think about it, and remembered all the sad smiles I'd had from Beck and Rex in the hallways, over in a second but definitely there. And how Jade still sent me the odd text or private message to ask if I was doing okay. These people had been my friends and maybe they hadn't been as cool with everything that happened as I originally expected. I felt tears spring to my eyes at the thought and Andre quickly jumped in, not wanting me to get lost in my own head like I had so much immediately after the break up.
"Hey, come on amigos! We came here to have a good time remember?" he said, grabbing my free hand and smiling at us both. "Who wants to go dance with the finest guy in the room?"
I looked up at Tori and we both burst out into giggles. Andre. Lovely Andre, who stuck by the two of us even though we'd both thrown him under the bus countless times for Robbie fucking Shapiro. Not anymore. I downed the end of my drink and relished the burn as it went down my throat, putting my cup on the counter and linking my arm through Andre's. He led us to the makeshift dancefloor in the living room, me swinging my free arm in the air to the beat of the familiar song.
Our 30 minute taster of Beck's party had turned into 3 and a half hours, and countless vodka and lemonades, the measurements getting more out of balance as the night went on. Even Andre had started drinking a few beers, insisting if he got too drunk that we would get a taxi home and he'd pick his car up in the morning when he'd sobered up. We'd been dancing in the living room all night, me dancing with people who I mostly recognised from our school, smiling as I looked across the room and saw Tori and Andre getting closer and less 'just-friendly' as the night went on. I left them to their dancing and stalked off to the kitchen to pour myself another vodka lemonade, blinking away a sudden blur in my vision when I turned around too quickly. I shook my head to clear my vision and shook my hands out, trying to keep them steady so I didn't make a mess. I was pouring the lemonade in when I heard someone wolf whistle behind me, making me jump and sloshing the lemonade all over the counter.
"Shit!" I cursed, putting the bottle down and looking around frantically for something to clean up the mess. A towel appeared in front of me and I muttered a thanks, wiping up the mess and throwing the towel in the sink, washing the sticky residue off my hands. I turned to thank the other party guest and audibly gasped when I came face to face with a familiar face with messy dark hair.
"Rex?" I said in disbelief.
"Hey there, Valentine" he replied, smirking at me and walking closer as he spoke. "Long time, no speak."
"Yeah, it's been a while," I agreed, mildly cautious of him. "How have you been?"
"You know, life goes on. You?"
"Life is definitely going on. Hit a few bumps but its pretty smooth sailing now."
He smirked at me and nodded in agreement at my obvious statement, and I felt my stomach flutter. Since when have I been even slightly attracted to Rex Powers?
"Thank you, by the way," I continued, "for the towel."
"No worries, I shouldn't have made you jump."
"It's cool."
"Just had to show my appreciation, because you are killing it in that dress. Love the colour."
"Thanks, gold does look good on me doesn't it?" I flirted back.
"Always did" he said with a shrug, and there was a sudden shift in the mood of the conversation as he moved even closer to me.
"How are things in the perfect, sparkling world of the goldens?" I asked, daring to say stuff I wouldn't if not for the fogginess in my head and the alcohol traveling in my bloodstream.
"Not perfect or sparkling at all, actually. It's been pretty dull since Robbie fucked you over to be honest" he said, and my curiosity piqued.
"What's been happening?"
"Well he's changed since things ended with you. When he first moved here and formed the group, he was really harsh and moody. It was like constantly walking on eggshells around him, you didn't know if you were going to say something that was going to get you punched. He's so close to Jade that he would never hurt her, and Beck and I are lucky to be charming enough that people can't actually be annoyed with us," he smirked and I rolled my eyes and pushed his shoulder lightly, wondering when he'd gotten close enough for me to be able to do that.
He continued, "He lightened up a bit after a while though and would just go around with this cool arrogance, knowing how much pull he had in that school and not so much actively using it to attack people unless he felt they gave him a reason to. And he lightened up significantly when you showed up, you melted his icy heart. But then everything with you went to shit and he started bringing that Vega girl to hang with us and he was just like irritatingly arrogant. He would just act like an asshole all the time, so I started hanging out with them less when I could. Went for my Northridge girls, didn't I?" He winked at me and I scowled, pushing his shoulder again.
He chuckled and pushed my shoulder back, and I felt my breath catch when we made eye contact.
"Anyway," I said, clearing my throat. "You're arrogant. I'm surprised you didn't welcome the change."
"You wound me" he said, dramatically clutching his chest. "He was being a dick though. I am good looking and charismatic and I know it. He was just being unnecessarily cruel to you, as if you'd been the one who'd led him on for months and then dumped you without a legitimate reason."
"He didn't tell you why he dumped me?"
"He said he was leading you on, but he must be a solid actor because I believed he actually had feelings for you. Dumping you came completely out of the blue, and even Jade couldn't explain it? Then he goes and does exactly the same thing to Vega, who he's never even looked at twice? And since he dumped her he's just been all over the place."
"How do you mean?"
"Well he was doing his dickhead routine for a bit and actively going after you guys like every day, which I refused to be a part of by the way," he said, putting a hand on my arm. I smiled at him gratefully and nodded for him to continue. "Then, all of a sudden it's like he can't be bothered with it anymore. You must have noticed you don't go home with spaghetti sauce in your underwear anymore?"
I nodded in agreement, completely confused by all the new information he had given me.
"Well over the past couple weeks it's like he can't be bothered with anything anymore. He barely comes to school anymore and he just, has no enthusiasm for anything. Beck is fighting with Jade and Robbie hasn't even batted an eyelid about it; he doesn't care about you and Tori anymore; it's like someone has flicked a switch or something. I'm telling you Cat, the golden empire is crumbling."
"Really?!" I asked, genuinely shocked at what I was hearing.
"Yep" he nodded, running a hand through his dark hair. "Robbie can't be bothered to keep up the power thing and take advantage of it or anything like that anymore. Beck and Jade are falling apart, they are one big fight away from ending it and hating each other completely and I can't even explain what's changed between them. To be completely honest, nothing has been the same since you left. The rest of us were super pissed at him for how he treated you and it created an awkward atmosphere in the group, and he knew exactly why we were annoyed but he chose to ignore it. People are always talking about how you and Tori overcame all the shit he put you through and he's losing his power because less people are scared of him. Everyone can see that we're falling apart and soon enough people aren't going to care about us. Jade's already found out who the new principal is going to be and she doesn't think that he's going to let us get away with everything we do at the moment. It's the end of the goldens, Cat Valentine."
I blinked at him, overwhelmed and a mess of emotions as I tried to process everything he'd told me in my already foggy mind. He must have seen my expression and taken pity on me, because his face softened and he made the tone all friendly and flirty again, stepping closer and making my stomach flutter.
"I always thought he was an idiot for what he did to you," he said softly, lifting a hand and gently brushing a piece of hair away from my face. "You're sweet and funny, and so fucking pretty."
I'm not sure if it was the alcohol flowing through my bloodstream, the tell-all conversation we'd just had, or the fact that Rex had some kind of power that he could use to seduce girls; but I leaned forwards and closed the distance between us. Rex kissed back, putting the hand he had used to push my hair back on to my cheek and putting the other one around my waist. He pulled me closer and I gasped and felt him smile against my lips. I pulled back and looked at him, our mouths centimetres apart.
"What was that?" I whispered, breathless.
He shrugged with a smirk, his eyes glinting. "Did you like it?" he asked, thumb skimming my cheekbone. I didn't respond, just looked down at his lips and then back at his eyes. He smirked again and that was all the confirmation he'd needed, kissing me again and immediately deepening it. His other arm joined the first one around my waist and mine went around his neck, pulling him closer to me as he pushed me back against the counter.
"Rex," I muttered, hands on his shoulders as his lips trailed down my neck.
"Yes?" he said against my skin, nipping it and smirking as I gasped. I pushed him back and he got the hint, pulling away as his hands trailed from my waist down to the counter I was sat on.
Sat on? Oh yes, he'd lifted me and put me on the counter at some point whilst we'd been kissing. I felt his finger on my chin as he lifted my head and laughed at my dazed expression.
"Are you okay, Cat?" he asked, with a good natured chuckle. My brain was all fuzzy, a result of the vodka and the admittedly amazing kissing.
"Yeah, I just-yeah" I said, breathlessly.
"I'm going outside for a smoke, do you want to come?" he asked, holding out the pack of cigarettes to me.
"You smoke?" I said, blinking.
He chuckled again and kissed my nose. "You're so damn cute," he said.
I blushed and looked down at my lap, pulling down my skirt where it had ridden up.
"So you coming?" he asked.
"No thanks," I answered, shaking my head. "What time is it?"
"12:15" he said, checking the clock.
"What?!" I screeched. "Where the hell has the time gone?"
"Well they say time flies when you're having fun."
"Shut up," I scolded, hitting him on the arm. He just laughed and hit me back, and I breathed a sigh of relief that things weren't awkward or tense between us even after what had just happened.
"I should find Tori and Andre," I said. "They're probably wondering where I am."
"Okay, cool" he helped me jump down from the counter so I didn't fall. "Let me know if you want any more company, alright?" he said, looking me in the eyes.
"Yeah, sure" I said, still slightly blown away by this new side of Rex I hadn't seen before. He gave me a wink and then walked away, putting a cigarette between his lips and waving at someone as he went out the door. I shook my head in disbelief, trying to process everything that had happened in this kitchen.
"Tori? Andre?" I called as I walked through the hallway. I'd had absolutely no luck finding them downstairs and was now braving the upper level of the house. But I was terrified of what I could walk into in one of these bedrooms so I was hoping that standing in the hallway and calling for them would make one of them appear soon.
"Toriiii? Andreee?" I called louder, straining to hear a response. I waited and heard nothing, cursing under my breath as I got my phone out of my bag and tried phoning them. Voicemail. For both of them.
I knocked on the first door with a quiet 'hello', thinking the last thing I wanted to do was walk in on one of my best friends under someone else. Ew.
I pushed the door open and walked in hesitantly, and I noticed someone sat on the bed facing the opposite wall. They tensed up when they heard the door open and I knew immediately it wasn't Tori or Andre.
"Oh sorry, I was just…" I trailed off as the person turned around and I was looking into the dark eyes of Robbie Shapiro. Dark eyes which were rimmed red, tears clinging to his long lashes.
"Robbie?" I asked quietly as I shut the door behind me and entered the room fully. "Are you okay?"
The alcohol in my blood was affecting my ability to think things through before I made decisions. That had been paired with the fact that deep down in my core, I still cared about Robbie. And that is why I was walking toward him and standing at the end of the bed he was sat on.
"What are you doing here Valentine? You're not a golden anymore, you've got no right to be at this party" he sneered, but his voice didn't contain its usual bite and part of me felt like he didn't mean it.
"Beck invited me" I answered quietly, and he just scoffed. "Robbie, why are you crying?"
"I'm not cryi-" he turned to look at me and blinked when he saw my face. "Have you been kissing someone?"
"What?" I said, not able to form any other response for the complete 180˚ turn of the conversation.
He stood up and walked towards me, towering over me.
"I know what you look like when you've been making out with someone, remember?" he said, using his finger on my chin to lift my face just like Rex did. "Who was it?"
"Nobody" I lied.
"Liar" he said instantly, his eyes darkening.
"I'm not lying. Why are you changing the subject?"
"I'm not changing the subject" he said, dropping his hand and taking a few steps past me.
"Fine, why are you crying?" I asked again, turning to face him.
"I'm not."
"Well why have you been crying then?"
He turned to face me, looking confused. "Why do you even care? Any girl in your position would have slammed that door again."
I just shrugged and I saw the corner of his mouth twitch as he tried not to smile. My heart jumped in my chest as I tried not to smile as well.
"Are you going to tell me why?"
"I haven't been crying" he insisted.
"You forget I know your tells too" I said walking towards him. I closed the distance between us until we were toe to toe, and I saw his Adams apple bob as he swallowed nervously. I raised my hands to his cheeks and pulled his face close to mine, making eye contact. "I can tell when you've been crying Robbie."
I felt my heart jump as his eyes flickered down to my lips then back up to my eyes. What was I doing here?
"Tell me Robbie" I whispered.
"…" he blinked as he tried to fight his emotions.
"Matt-"
"Don't call me that!" he hissed, ripping my hands from his face and pushing me back against the wall, pinning my wrists by my side. I breathed heavily as we made eye contact, neither of us saying anything but both of us feeling the buzz in the atmosphere.
We both jumped out of our skin as we heard the sound of glass smashing. It was then I noticed that the music had stopped, but we'd been too wrapped up in each other to realise.
"JADE" that was the unmistakable sound of Beck's scream and it made Robbie go white as a sheet.
"Come on" I muttered, taking his hand and pulling him along behind me, not thinking how it would look.
We ran down the stairs hand in hand and pushed through the crowd gathered by the front door, through to the front garden, most people making space when they saw it was Robbie coming through. We got to the front of the crowd and my jaw dropped at the scene in front of me, as I squeezed Robbie's hand tighter.
Jade was brandishing one of Mr Oliver's golf clubs and had smashed the front passenger window of a yellow sports car. She had a look of despair and fear in her eyes and her face was streaked with tears and smudges of her make up. Beck was stood a few feet away from her, his arms out and stood in front of a pretty brunette.
Alyssa Vaughn.
Oh shit.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Beck screamed at her, ignoring the crowds that were gathered. I felt Robbie tense next to me and put my hands on his arm, stopping him from getting involved just yet.
"Why the fuck did you invite her?!" Jade screamed back, her hands shaking. "You knew I didn't want her here and you bring her here and rub her in my face?!"
"I'm not rubbing anything in your face because there's nothing going on between us! She's my friend and I invited her because I want to spend my birthday with my friends! I can't believe how jealous you get!"
"Well do you blame me when you're constantly flirting with girls left, right and centre?! Every single girl you've seen tonight you've kissed on the cheek as a thank you!"
"It doesn't mean anything! It's just a thank you!"
"How would you feel? If I kissed every guy at this party on the cheek?!"
"At least I would know you feel something! Feel enough to make me jealous!"
"You've been doing this deliberately to evoke a reaction from me?!"
"You've been so closed off Jade! You won't tell me how you're feeling or what's going on, you just scream at me and take out all your frustrations on me!"
"I…I-"
"Jade, I don't want to be your boyfriend if we're just going to fight all the time. I'm exhausted."
"So you wanna break up?!"
There was an eerie silence and Beck looked at her with tears in his eyes. He shrugged and a sob escaped her mouth as she dropped the golf club. I let go of Robbie and he rushed forwards, putting his arms around her and whispering in her ear. He led her away and I felt my heart break at the sound of a couple sobs coming from the usually ice cold Jade West.
I remembered her being all love sick when they first got together, and telling me about how he gave her butterflies and made her smile even when she was trying not to. I looked at Robbie's retreating figure and recounted everything that had happened with Rex and in the bedroom upstairs, and felt tears welling in my eyes.
"Get out" Beck murmured, as people whispered around him.
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!" he screamed, and people quickly grabbed their belongings and started leaving, scared of the violent reaction from the usually kind guy. I stood out the way and watched Beck from my position, hoping to catch somebody I knew as people were filing out.
"Please just leave" he whispered to Alyssa, as she stroked his arm. "I'll pay for your window but can you just go please. I don't think we should see each other anymore."
The girl looked at him, her expression a mixture of confusion and anger, but got in her car anyway and sped out of the driveway.
As the last few people were trailing out, I approached Beck, who hadn't moved from his position.
"Beck…" I said quietly and he looked up at me, despair on his face. "Can I do anything?"
He shook his head at me as tears started to run down his face. I sighed and walked forwards, wrapping my arms around his waist and feeling his head fall onto my shoulder. We stood there like that for a few minutes, and when he finally stood straight again, we were the only 2 people left in his garden.
"Do you want me to stay for a bit?" I asked.
"No thanks, I kind of just want to be alone" he said, holding my hand.
I nodded in acceptance and smiled at him, reaching up to kiss his cheek.
"Text me if you need any help cleaning up and I'll come by before school, kay?" I said. He smiled and nodded, a silent thank you, and then shuffled back to the house. I breathed a deep sigh to ground myself and got my phone out of my bag. No calls. No texts. Nothing from Tori or Andre, even after that show.
I walked out the garden and saw that Andre's car was still parked across the road. I walked over and leaned against it, phoning his number. It rang and went to voicemail, same as Tori's. I sighed in frustration and took my shoes off, putting them on the floor beside me and moving my feet around to try and stop them cramping so much.
Robbie's POV
I looked at Jade laying on the sofa and sighed. The strongest person I knew and she couldn't even bring herself to make full sentences right now. Her mum walked into the lounge in her pyjamas and took one look at our faces with a sympathetic smile.
"Rough night?" she asked, looking at both of us.
"He doesn't love me anymore Mummy" Jade croaked, a new set of tears welling up.
"Who doesn't, baby?" her mum replied, walking over and stroking her hair.
"Her and Beck broke up" I explained, as Jade started to cry again. "I'm gonna go."
"Hey, hot head! Don't go starting any fights with Beck. It's been an emotional month and they'll sort it out between them" she warned.
I nodded and forced a smile.
"See you tomorrow Jade. Bye Auntie Liz" I said, waving to them both as I left the house. I walked down the road, so much going through my head but one name and face popping up again and again.
Liz was right, it had been an emotional month. I felt like I was going crazy and I just wanted time to stop so I could process it all properly. I wanted to talk about it, and scream and cry, and get it all off my chest. And there's only one person I wanted to talk about it with. I'd been such an idiot.
I needed to find Cat.
Cat's POV
20 minutes. I'd been stood by that car for 20 minutes and there was absolutely no sign of Tori or Andre. Where were they?!
"Hey Cinderella!" I heard, and looked up to see Rex walking towards me.
"Hey, what are you still doing here?" I asked.
"I could ask you the same thing," he replied.
"I'm meant to be staying at Tori's and Andre was meant to be dropping us home but I haven't seen either of them for hours and I can't get hold of them either. So now I'm debating how mad my dad will be when I ask him to pick me up from this end of town at nearly 2am."
"I could drop you home?" Rex offered.
"Seriously?"
"Well yeah, I can't let you walk back on your own this late and I can't let your dad kill you so."
I laughed at him and picked up my shoes, walking next to him as we started the walk back to mine. We'd been walking for about 5 minutes when it suddenly hit me.
"Why were you still at Beck's? I thought everyone left ages ago?"
"I was going to see if he was okay. Boy is absolutely head over heels for Jade and it's all gone to shit. He's going to be devastated."
"So is she. She fell so hard for him, quicker than she expected to."
"Well, we'll have to be there for them then, won't we" he said, lighting the cigarette he'd gotten out of his pocket. I stared at him, still gobsmacked at this new side of him.
"You're staring" he stated after he exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"Since when were you such a nice guy?" I said, smirking.
"Hey, I can be nice!" he protested. "Yes I've kissed every girl in the school and most of Northridge too and I'm not very good at committed relationships, but if I care about somebody then I still want them to be happy and help them when I can." He took another drag as I processed what he said, slowing our walking as we were reaching my house.
"So that's why you kissed me" I said, laughing slightly. "Trying to get your perfect record. Jade and I were the only ones left right?"
"Actually, you were the only one left" he confessed, stubbing out his cigarette.
"You've kissed Jade?!" I hissed, well aware it was the early hours of the morning and I couldn't scream my disbelief.
"Yeah, I was her first. Like 6 years ago. Don't tell her I told you."
I zipped my lips as a sign of my silence and he chuckled.
"That's not why I kissed you though" he muttered, stepping closer and I felt the air heat up.
"No?" I squeaked.
"I thought you were beautiful the first time I saw you. I never said anything because I wasn't going to make a move on a friend's girl, but since Robbie has royally screwed it up with you…" His sentence trailed off as his hand rested on my cheek and his lips covered mine again. I deepened the kiss, my hand that wasn't holding my shoes going to the back of his neck. As we kissed, Robbie's face from the bedroom came into my head. All I could think about were the tears dancing in his eyes and how close we'd gotten to communicating again.
I pulled back from the kiss with my eyes screwed shut.
"Rex" I breathed against his lips. He hummed in response.
"I can't do this" I whispered, opening my eyes slowly.
He pulled back slowly, his hand dropping from my face as he sighed.
"You still love Robbie?" he guessed immediately.
"No!" I protested, grabbing his hand and he raised an eyebrow at me in disbelief. I sighed and shook my head, trying to word it correctly.
"I don't know if I'm still in love with him, but I definitely still care about him. We went through a lot when we were together, and I don't know if all of it was real or whatever but- Whenever we see each other, my heart speeds up and there's this connection between us, like we're the only 2 people in the world. It sounds super cliché and maybe it's all in my head and I'm just playing myself but I just believe that feelings this strong have to be reciprocated and I-I'm sorry". I took a deep breath after my rant and looked up at Rex, guilt clawing at my chest.
"He's a lucky mother fucker" he said, leaning down to kiss my cheek and I closed my eyes and felt my cheek warm under his lips.
"Stay brilliant, Cat" he called as he walked away, and I laughed quietly to myself.
Robbie's POV
Rex Powers.
Rex Powers could have any other girl in the whole school and he has to go after Cat. I felt the rage boil inside me as I saw him kiss her at the end of her road and her kiss back. I stopped myself from going over there and breaking his nose with the friendly reminder that I destroyed her, and the likelihood of getting her to even speak to me again is about as likely as Andre Harris giving up music.
I swore under my breath and went home, accepting the fact that I had possibly burnt my bridges with Cat beyond repair.
Cat's POV
I stood at my locker, getting my books out at a snail's pace. I felt very delicate that morning, and I couldn't put too much effort into a task out of fear of vomiting or passing out or something. I'd barely slept the night before, thoughts of Beck and Jade and Robbie and Rex all swimming around in my head. I needed to talk to somebody but Andre and Tori were still MIA.
I was on my phone by my locker for a few more minutes before I looked up and saw Tori approaching, head down and sunglasses on.
"Tori Vega" I said as she approached. "Where the hell have you been?!"
"Shhhh" she hissed, pulling her sunglasses on top of her head. "If I tell you something do you promise not to squeal or make fun or tell anyone?"
"I promise" I replied, instantly interested.
"Well last night, I had a bit too much to drink and I went home with someone."
"Shut up! Who?"
"Andre."
My jaw hit the floor and I stared at her in disbelief. I knew they liked each other and I knew they'd been dancing together but I never thought they'd actually do anything about it.
"Did you do the dirty?" I asked, wiggling my eyebrows.
"Cat!" she whined, hitting my arm.
"That's a yes" I said, laughing uncontrollably whilst she glared at me. "So where's the hunk now?"
"Cat, ew!"
"Well where is he?"
"He's got to go and get his car, he left it at Beck's."
"What time did you leave?"
"About 10 minutes after you went to get a drink" she replied sheepishly.
"Seriously?!" I exclaimed. "Damn horny people!"
"Cat!"
"Okay, I'll stop!"
She rolled her eyes at me but she was laughing so I knew she wasn't mad. She got out her books for first lesson and turned back to me, closing her locker quietly so it didn't make too much noise.
"Who even has a party on a Thursday?!" she moaned, rubbing her temples. "Did anything happen after we left?"
"So much." I stated, eyes wide. I explained to her what had happened at the party between Rex and me and the huge fight between Beck and Jade, knowing the whole school would be talking about it by that point. I kept the stuff about Robbie to myself. I felt like a private moment and I didn't want anyone else involved.
"Shit" she stated, eyes wide. "So they're broken up now?"
"I guess so, Rex said it was only a matter of time. He said the goldens are hanging on by the skin of their teeth and it's all going to come crumbling down."
"Wow" she said, processing everything I'd been told like I'd had to. "Wait a second; Rex?! Seriously Cat?!"
I started to blush and shushed her, not wanting everyone to hear.
"Shut up Tori! He's actually really sweet and he walked me home after you abandoned me! He also accepted when I told him my head was too all over the place for anything right now!"
She was still smirking at me so I opened my locker and slammed it shut again, ignoring the twinge in my head for the satisfaction of her groan. Her face dropped as she looked over my shoulder and I turned to see Beck, looking worse than us.
"I'm going to go and find Andre" she said, giving us both a small smile as she hurried away.
I smiled as she left and looked at Beck, sighing sadly. "You okay?"
"No, you?"
"I'm fine" I lied, smiling.
"Cat, I saw you arrive hand in hand with Robbie last night. I'm not going to ask what you were doing but just, be careful. He's still not sure what he wants. Neither of them are."
I looked at Beck and realised he was in the same situation as me. Whilst Robbie had closed himself off and pushed me out immediately, Jade had done it more gradually and worn down her relationship until it couldn't cope anymore. Although they were just cousins, they were closer and more similar than most siblings, and Beck and I had fallen in love with people who closed themselves off and pushed people away. I sighed sadly and reached up to give Beck a hug, tucking my face into the crook of his neck. He hugged me back, sighing too.
We heard the bell and stepped back out of our embrace.
"Are you going to be okay today?" I asked.
"Yeah, I haven't seen her yet today so I don't think she's coming in. I've just got to hope that Robbie doesn't murder me today" he joked and I laughed nervously, realising that I would probably see him at some point today as well.
"Well I should get to class, but I'll see you at lunch yeah?" I said, and Beck smiled at my invitation. He nodded and gave me a small wave as he walked off in the other direction.
I sat down in my seat for chemistry and opened my textbook, frowning at the piece of paper that was folded on the page for today's topic. I opened it slyly, feeling my heart race at the familiar handwriting.
'Janitor's closet, between 1st and 2nd. See you then.'
I should ignore it. I should throw it in the bin, focus on my chemistry class and then go on to social studies and avoid that area of the school all together. I ran through everything in my head during my chemistry lesson, barely learning anything about the topic at all, and found myself outside the janitor's closet as the last few people trailed into their second lesson of the day.
I took a deep breath and slowly lifted my fist, knocking on the door using the secret knock we used to have for our secret…meetings.
The door opened to reveal a pair of sneakers, and my eyes drifted up his body slowly until I met his dark gaze. I gulped and almost stepped back until he gently tugged me in the closet. I stood there awkwardly, shaking with nerves at what he could possibly want.
"Rex? Seriously?" he asked, sounding a bit gravelly.
"What?" I said, not even knowing what he was talking about and trying to get to grips with what was going on.
"You said you hadn't kissed anyone. And it was Rex?!"
I felt rage bubble inside me and tried to keep my cool, knowing that Robbie and I getting a full blown fight was the last thing anyone needed.
"And? You dumped me, remember?" I saw him wince but chose to ignore it. "Robbie, things were fine. You'd stopped treating me and my friends like garbage and everyone in this school was starting to leave us alone. Please do not drag all this up again because…I can't face it." My voice broke on the last sentence, and he looked up from where he'd been staring at his shoes.
I saw the tears in his eyes matched mine and I felt my stomach roll, wondering where all of this emotion between us had come from all of a sudden. I felt it all swirling around in my head and there were so many conflicting emotions; I heard the sob come out of my mouth before I even realised I was crying and I hid my head in my hands, trying to control it and not embarrass myself any more.
"Cat", he croaked, and when I looked at him he looked like he'd just kicked a puppy.
I felt myself crying more and he approached me slowly, with his arms out. I put my own out to stop him, not wanting this situation to be any more confusing than it already was.
"What are you doing, Robbie? You have spent the last few months terrorising me and making me feel like nothing, and now you're crying and trying to comfort me. I don't get it." I said, trying to control the flow of tears.
"You're right, I'm sorry," he replied, taking a step back and he breathed steadily, wiping the tears from his cheeks. "I have been an absolute ass and I'm going to leave you alone. I'm not being possessive or jealous about Rex. If you want to be with someone and they make you happy, then I wouldn't stop you. I do want you to be happy." I stared at him in confusion as he lifted his hand and used his thumb to wipe away some of my tears.
"You are the single best person in this entire town. You are kind, smart, funny and beautiful. Rex is like me, he's screwy. His head isn't right, he can't commit to relationships and treat people properly. So please don't be with Rex. You deserve 100x better than any of us 'golden' messes. You are the best, and you deserve nothing but the best. That's all I need to say."
He brushed my cheek with his fingers one last time, and walked past me out of the closet. I stood there, shaking. My eyes still watering, heart aching and cheek burning where he'd touched me.
AN: I doubt anybody is still following this story as its been 2 years since I updated it, but if by some miracle you are, then thank you so much! I lost interest for a while and went on an unannounced (lengthy) hiatus, but with Dynasty and Ghost Wars, I've been feeling very Victorious nostalgic and I wanted to try and finish this story! It might seem choppy, my writing style has probably changed a bit. I'm heading for the same ending but I'm going down some different routes to get there. There will only be a few chapters to go, and you will definitely find out what's going on with Robbie very soon!
I hope people enjoy the chapter, and I hope that a long chapter makes up for the fact that its practically been a decade since I updated.
chuckyshmucky -xo