Cat's POV:
I stood outside the West's front door, holding a tub of ice cream and Jade's favourite horror movie which had been released a couple of days before. The wooden door swung open and I felt my heart in my throat when it wasn't Jade's mum stood in front of me, but somebody who looked very similar.
"Hello Ms Shapiro" I squeaked, tugging on a strand of red hair, something I did when I was nervous or uncomfortable.
"Hello, Cat dear" she replied, a smile lighting up her face.
She stepped back and held the door open and I nodded a thanks as I nervously stepped into the hallway, looking at the familiar large mirror on the wall. I loved coming to Jade's house. It was a big gothic building on the edge of town, with wooden floors, high ceilings, and floor to ceiling windows looking out onto a small woods behind the property. It suited Jade perfectly, and somehow managed to be the perfect balance of large and mysterious but warm and homely.
"Are you here to see Jade?"
"Oh yeah, we're having a girly sleepover. Don't let her know I called it that though."
The woman chuckled at me and I felt a clench in my heart. She had the same laughter lines around her eyes that Robbie got when he would break into hysterical laughter. I'd always got on with Robbie's mother and we had fun teasing Robbie together, watching a pink dusting on his usually pale face.
"I've missed having you around the house, Cat. Robbie too."
I didn't say anything, just looked at my shoes and tried to ignore the lump in my throat.
"He-"
"Ms Shapiro, I really don't-"
"Cat!" I heard, and we both turned to see Jade at the bottom of the staircase, looking at us suspiciously. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes, Cat and I were just catching up" Ms Shapiro lied, flashing a brilliant smile which I tried to match.
"Oh, okay. Well are you ready?" Jade asked.
I lifted the DVD in response and her eyes lit up.
"Exclusive director's cut" I said, waving the disk around. She beckoned me up the stairs and I threw a small wave and a smile to Robbie's mum over my shoulder, ignoring her eyes boring into me until I was out of her sight.
"Sorry about Aunt Michelle," Jade said, closing the door of her room behind her. "What was she saying to you?"
"She was just saying how she misses having me around" I muttered, ringing my skirt between my fists and not meeting Jade's eye.
"Yeesh."
"Yeah."
"So come on, let's watch this movie" she said, jumping on the black sofa in her room and wriggling her hips until she got comfy. I put the disc in the player and sat on the other end of the sofa, like I did every time I came over for a sleepover. I picked up a bag of chips off the floor and opened them, looking up to notice the movie was paused on the opening titles. I turned to Jade and raised an eyebrow at her cold expression, slowly offering the bag to her. She slapped it out my hand and the chips scattered all over the floor.
"Jade!" I exclaimed, shocked.
"You know I hate people chewing when I'm trying to watch a movie!"
"They're all over the floor!"
"So?! We can get them later! Just shut up, I've been dying to see this!"
I huffed quietly and sat back on the sofa again, secretly hiding my glee that Jade seemed to be slowly getting back to her old self. She had lost all her bite the days following the break up and it was unnerving to see everyone I knew so well acting so completely out of character. I settled in and grabbed a pillow that I knew I would inevitably need to hide behind before this movie was even halfway through.
God I hated horror movies. I looked up to see the killer dragging a long sword along the wooden panels in the rich girl's house and squealed, hiding behind my pillow again. I refused to watch anymore of this movie, this was one of the worst ones I'd ever had the displeasure of being forced to watch! Beaten only by the scissoring. A fresh wave of terror rocked through me at the memory of that blood bath, and I squeezed my eyes shut tighter and buried my head deeper in the pillow. Then a sound made me open my eyes and my head shoot up. A sniff.
I looked to my left and saw Jade with tears in her brilliant blue eyes, her pale face sadder than I'd ever seen it. I looked back to the screen and saw the main couple of the movie, hiding in the girl's parents' bedroom, declaring their undying love whilst their unavoidable fate was dragging his murder weapon along the hall just outside. The couple; made up of a thin pale girl with long dark hair, and a taller tanned boy with untamed dark hair and a kind smile.
Oh boy.
"Jade" I whispered, unsure how she would react. "Jade," I repeated a bit louder, resting my hand on her arm. Her head whipped round to look at me and my heart clenched at the broken look on her face.
"Jadey…" I leaned in to hug her, feeling her wrap her arms around my waist and hearing her sob into my shoulder. After a few minutes she seemed to get herself under control, walking into her bathroom to grab some tissues whilst I cleaned up the chips from the previous incident and pushed all the pillows back on the sofa, taking my seat as she returned into the room.
"Sorry about that" she mumbled and I just brushed her off, shaking my head. She sat down right next to me and took a deep sigh, leaning her head on my shoulder. I linked my arm with hers and held her hand, stroking the outside of her hand with my thumb.
"If you miss him so much, why don't you talk to him?" I asked quietly.
"He dumped me" she croaked, "there's no way he'd want me back."
"Well he seemed heartbroken and desperate when he did it, like it was the last option for him…"
"All I ever did was fight with him, I was a rubbish girlfriend."
"You were perfect for him, from what I saw. He was over the moon."
"Yeah, and then I went all cold and kept pushing him away. If I'd just told him instead of trying to-"she cut herself off and sniffed again, pulling away from me and wiping her eyes.
"Told him what?"
"Nothing, it's not important."
"Well it must be quite important if it was responsible for your break up!"
"Cat-"
"Told him what, Jade?!"
"I can't say!" she snapped, looking frantic. "There is a lot of shit going on right now, but it's not my right to broadcast it to the world so I can't tell anyone! Not you, not Beck…"
She looked at her bedroom door and I somehow knew that she was talking about Robbie. I felt tears prickle my eyes and I looked back at her, shocked.
"Cat, please. I want to tell you, so badly, but it's really not my story to tell. I honestly believe he will tell you but I can't guarantee that he will, he's such a stubborn idiot. You know that something's not right with him, you've known since the breakup. Just give him a little more time."
"I can't spend any more of my time waiting for Robbie Shapiro to get his head out of his ass!" I snapped, lowering my tone when I remembered where I was and who was here. "It hurts so much."
"I know" she replied, and I heard the guilt in her voice.
"You should take your own advice Jadey. Talk to Beck. Even if you can't tell him everything, at least tell him something."
"He wouldn't listen."
"You and I both know that's not true. He worships the ground you walk on. He just wants to understand why."
She was silent for a long time, tearing the tissue in her hand into tiny pieces. She looked up at me and held up her pinkie, determination in her red rimmed eyes.
"We'll make a deal. I'll promise to swallow my pride and try to talk to Beck if you promise to give Robbie a chance, if he ever tries to explain himself to you. Deal?"
I bit my lip, unease shifting in my gut.
"Deal" I stated after a minute, locking my pinkie with hers and giving her a small smile.
"He will listen," I said after a while, the sound effects of gruesome murders still playing in the background. "He really loves you."
"I love him too. More than I've ever loved anything" she said softly, a small sweet smile on her face.
I woke up curled into Jade's side on her sofa, having fallen asleep watching a movie. I sat up slowly, gently nudging her awake.
"Jadey, get up. We fell asleep."
She gave me a half-hearted shove and groaned loudly, burying her face deeper in the arm of the sofa. I sighed and stood up, stretching my achy limbs.
"I'm going to get a drink" I whispered, not receiving any reply. I rolled my eyes and toed out of her room, trying not to make too much noise. I crept down the stairs, wincing every time I caught one of the creaky floorboards in the Wests' old house. I entered the kitchen and filled a glass with water, taking sips as I looked out the window into the darkness outside. I drained the glass and refilled it, heading upstairs when I heard voices coming from the dining room. I cocked my head and approached the doorway of the room, pushing the door ever so slightly and listening in.
I heard a lady muttering very quietly and the slight tinkle of her jewellery as she moved her arms. I pushed the door slightly further so I could look in and felt my stomach swoop.
Ms Shapiro was sat at the oak dining room table in her dressing gown, a tissue in her hands. Robbie was sat on the chair next to her, one of his hands on both of hers and the other holding what looked like a photograph.
"I knew this was all getting too much mom, you should have told me and I would have helped" he said quietly, a sad look in his eyes.
She raised her head and looked him in the eyes, placing one hand on his cheek as he leaned into her touch.
"I don't want you to worry about me baby, that's my job" she said sweetly and he closed his eyes.
"I'm always going to worry about you mom" he answered.
"You shouldn't have to."
"Well someone has to, and I don't mind. You don't have to be strong all the time mom, its okay to need help."
"Well the same goes for you, mister. Pushing away the people who care the most about you!"
He was silent at that, looking down as guilt clouded his features. She held both his hands in hers, encouraging him to look at her again.
"I will try my hardest to ask other people for help in all this, if you try to open up to people more" she said, in what I imagined is her best negotiation voice.
He just nodded, giving her a small but warm smile.
"We'll get through this ma, I know it. Now you need to go upstairs and get some sleep."
"So do you, peach face."
"Mom-"
"Uh uh, you'll always be my little peach face."
"Okay, okay. I love you."
"I love you too honey."
"Night."
I quickly walked back to the kitchen, not even registering the tears in my eyes until I was stood back at the window and trying to sort through everything flying through my head. I wiped at my eyes and took a deep breath, calming my frazzled nerves. I grabbed my forgotten glass of water off the side, and turned with all intentions of going back upstairs to bed.
The sound of a glass smashing mixed with my small scream as I turned to see Ms Shapiro stood in the doorway looking at me.
"Cat, I'm so sorry for scaring you!" she exclaimed quietly, walking towards me quickly.
"Mind your feet!" I replied, worried about the glass on the floor. She reached in the cupboard under the sink and picked up a dustpan and brush and handed me a roll of paper. We silently set about cleaning up the mess, and the silence dragged on as we finished and hovered about the kitchen for a few seconds.
"Well I'd better get up to bed" I mumbled, heading towards the door.
"Cat wait!" she called, stopping me in my tracks as I turned to face her again.
"I don't know what happened between you and Robbie but-"
"Ms Shapiro, with all due respect," I interrupted her. "I'm really not comfortable talking about what happened with you."
"Why, because my son was an absolute asshole?" she cut me off, shocking me into silence.
"I don't know what happened but I know that there was a change in my son. He went through some pretty rough crap just before we moved here, and he had to completely rebuild his life. After that, he was like a completely different person and although he was much more confident, I honestly wasn't sure if I actually liked this new side to him. But then you showed up on my doorstep with your red velvet hair and it was like a light had switched on inside him. He was lighter, he was happier, and he was more like the boy he used to be. Then one day he comes home all snarky and arrogant again and you're not coming round anymore. And judging by the fleeting comments and cold looks thrown by Jade, I'd imagine that it was Robbie's doing? Look Cat, I can't ask you to forgive him if he did something truly awful to you. I wouldn't. But I just want you to know that the person he's been in the past couple months is not who he truly is. Things went to absolute shit in our lives again and that doesn't excuse any behaviour of his, but I just want you to know that it's definitely not something that you did. You were perfect for him. Robbie is a good person. He truly has a heart of gold but he's really lost his way over the past few years. I don't expect you to want anything to do with him, but I just wanted you to know that."
I looked at her, completely gobsmacked. I had learnt so much about Robbie in the past 24 hours, and I was beginning to think that there was more to our break up than a heartless teenage boy trying to get more notches on his bedpost. Not knowing what else to say, I just wished the older woman goodnight and headed upstairs, hiding under Jade's covers and trying to calm my racing heart.
I woke up to the sound of my alarm ringing from across the room. I heard Jade groan in the bed next to me and couldn't help the giggle, knowing how bad she was at getting up in the mornings. My smile fell from my face as I remembered my conversation with Robbie's mom in the kitchen the night before, and suddenly something hit me. I looked to Jade and gave her a hard shove, feeling slight terror as she opened her blue eyes to shoot me a cold look. I shoved her again, encouraging her to sit up.
"What?!" she snapped, pushing her dark hair away from her face.
"How come Robbie and his mom were here last night?" I asked, not missing the guilty look that shadowed her face.
"They're living with us" she replied, trying to shrug it off as if it was nothing. I looked at her gobsmacked and hit her in the shoulder.
"Ow!" she yelled, not awake enough to be as angry as she normally would be.
"Why didn't you tell me?!" I hissed.
"Because I didn't think you'd have come! I figured we'd just spend all night in here like we normally do and you'd be none the wiser because they'd both be gone by the time we leave for school. Wait, how do you know they were here anyway?"
"I bumped into Ms Shapiro in the kitchen last night. We…talked."
"About?"
"About how Robbie is a good person and he's gone through some bad stuff. Is it the same stuff that you were hinting at yesterday?"
She didn't reply, suddenly interested on a loose thread on her black comforter.
"Jade?"
"Cat! I told you yesterday, it's not my place to say!"
"Well how long have they been living here?"
"A while. I dunno, like 6 weeks?"
I put my head in my hands as I tried to process this information.
"Cat, I'm sorry I didn't tell you" she said quietly, looking genuinely upset. I gave her a small smile and grabbed her hand, squeezing it. If you had told me at the start of this school year that the angry girl dressed head to toe in black would end up being my best friend I would have laughed, but she really was.
"It's okay. Come on, or we're going to be late for school."
I was doing last minute checks on my make up in the hallway mirror when I heard Jade come down the stairs and towards the door. I turned to acknowledge her and couldn't help the smile as I registered her outfit. She was wearing a low cut black cami with a short black rah rah skirt, paired with her signature tights and boots. She had curled her black and green hair and pulled the front two sections back.
"What?" she snapped at me.
"Nothing, it's just, you look really nice today."
"So yesterday I looked hideous?!"
"No that's not what I meant!"
"Usually I look like crap but today I just, got lucky?!"
"No! I was just…you always look nice but you've just changed it up a bit today!"
She scowled at me and grabbed her leather jacket from the hooks by the door.
"I love the skirt!" I said, smiling as brightly as I could.
She opened the door and went out to her car, throwing her purse in the back seat and getting in the driver's door. I squeaked in frustration and grabbed my backpack, closing the door behind me as I rushed around to the passenger's side of the car. Jade turned the key and the engine revved for a couple seconds before sputtering and cutting out.
"No, no, no, no" Jade repeated under her breath, turning the key again and again as the engine made the same pathetic noises.
"NO!" she screamed, smacking the steering wheel as I leaned into my door.
"Now what?" I said quietly, not wanting to aggravate her further.
We sat in silence for a few minutes until we heard a male voice that made my heart race and my stomach plummet.
"Jade? Do you need a lift?" Robbie called, jogging over to the car and slowing down when he saw me sat in the passenger's seat. "Uh, sorry, I just heard the engine and…"
Jade looked to me in the seat next to her and then back to Robbie, clearly lost for something to say. Of course we needed a lift, Jade's car was obviously not going anywhere. I couldn't call Beck because he and Jade hadn't spoken since their break up. I couldn't call Rex after mine and Robbie's conversation the other day. I couldn't call Andre because he rides with Tori to school and I did not want to sit in a car with Tori and Jade for 20 minutes. That just left-
"Yeah, thanks" I answered hastily, realising they were both staring at me. I got out of the car and headed over to Robbie's, parked further down the driveway.
"I'll just go and grab my keys" I heard Robbie say, and he went back into the house.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Jade hissed under her breath after she approached me.
"Yeah, it's just a lift" I lied, with a forced smile and got in the back seat when the car clicked as Robbie unlocked it. She rolled her eyes at me but said nothing more, sitting in the front. Robbie got in and started the car and we drove in silence for a few minutes, nobody knowing what to say. I looked to my right and recognised a blanket hastily rolled up and thrown in the back.
We were laid on a red plaid blanket on the top of Robbie's car, looking at stars whilst parked on one of the highest points in Hollywood Hills. Robbie knew some quiet backroad which was well hidden, so there was nobody in this particular opening. I looked at the sky and turned my head to see Robbie staring at me, propped up on his elbow.
"What?" I whispered.
"You're so beautiful" he replied, staring at me intensely.
"Robbie-" I giggled, trying to lighten the mood.
"I'm serious" he whispered, brushing a lock of hair away from my face. I felt my stomach swoop and offered him a small smile, pulling one of his curls between my fingers. He smiled back and leaned down to kiss me, slanting his lips over mine and holding my face with his hand. We kissed for a few more minutes until we finally pulled away, both of us breathless.
"I should get you home princess, before you turn into a pumpkin" he whispered, resting his forehead against mine.
I smiled and gave him a small push, sitting up and sliding off the top of his car. He rolled the blanket up and threw it in the back seat before sitting next to me in the front. He grabbed my hand and kissed the knuckles, before offering me a warm smile and starting the engine.
I felt my face heat up as I remembered that occasion, as well as other similar nights we'd spent in this car. We broke up 4 days later.
"Man, I hate awkward silences" Jade said bluntly, and I felt my face get even hotter dropping my gaze to my lap and refusing to look up again. She turned the radio up and I played with my fingers, just waiting for the ride to be over soon. The minute Robbie pulled into the school parking lot, I flew out the door and away from the car as quickly as my little legs would take me. I heard Jade walking behind me and slowed slightly, letting her keep up.
"Come on, let's go" she said, fluffing her hair just before we went in the doors.
"Robbie's not coming in?" I asked, noticing he was still sat in his car doing something on his phone.
"No" was the only response Jade gave me, pushing through the doors and into the busy corridors.
I sat down at the table that Andre was sat at with a loud sigh.
"Hard day?" Andre asked, quirking an eyebrow.
I opened my mouth to answer when a folder landed hard on the table next to me and I squealed loudly.
"You came to school in Robbie's car?!" Tori asked, sitting down next to Andre and staring me down.
"Dude! We said we were going to approach the situation in a calm manner!" Andre scolded his girlfriend.
"Were you talking about me?!" I hissed, glaring at both of them.
"Everyone's talking about you! You came to school in your ex-boyfriend's car! Your ex-boyfriend who hasn't been seen around this school for weeks. People also say that they saw you with him at the party coming from upstairs. Is there something you're not telling us?" Tori asked in one breath as I stared at her gobsmacked.
"You are a dangerous person" Andre stated after a couple seconds of silence. I took a deep breath and looked around at everyone staring at us, leaning in to talk to Andre and Tori in a quiet tone so people wouldn't be able to eavesdrop.
"I stayed at Jade's last night and when we left for school this morning, her car wouldn't start. We were debating who to call and Robbie offered to give us a lift. We were desperate and the whole ride was super awkward and silent and it meant nothing. Just a boy doing a favour for his cousin."
"And the party?"
"Tori, everyone was drunk! Who actually knows what they saw?! I was upstairs looking for you two, who ditched me by the way, and I heard Jade kicking off. I ran downstairs to see what was happening and he must have arrived at the same time as me. I don't even know where he was. It was just a coincidence". I felt bad for lying but I hadn't even tried to get my head around what happened at the party since our weird little moment in the janitor's closet, and I wasn't ready to face that mess yet.
"Okay" Tori drawled, a disbelieving look in her eye.
"I swear Tori, I was just having a sleepover with Jade. Watching movies, eating pizza, talking about boys, crying. The usual" I shrugged.
"Crying? Jade West?" Andre scoffed.
"Don't ever tell anybody that I told you this because she will literally squeeze me until I pop. She may be a tad…cold, but Jade's still a girl. And when a girl goes through a rough break up, she needs a good girlfriend, her favourite movies and a good cry to get the guy out of her system" I stated, completely missing the widening of Tori and Andre's eyes and missing the presence behind me.
"Jade's been crying?" Beck asked quietly, and I gasped, turning to see him stood behind me with a guilty look covering his face.
I didn't even register that he would be sitting with us today. When Jade was nowhere to be found, he would sit with Rex and people would whisper about how the golden table was looking a lot more empty these days. And on the days that Jade was in, he chose to sit with us and ignore the whispers that came with that as well.
"Beck…" I said, looking at him sadly. "It's not your fault, it's just what girls do when their hearts break." I winced at the expression on Beck's face as a result of my word vomit.
"Sit down man" Andre said quietly, as Tori patted his hand and I hid my head behind my hands on the table.
"Cat, how bad was she?" Beck asked, pulling my hands away gently.
"I'm not sure I should…" I trailed off, eyes darting around for Jade coming in to kill me for betraying her trust and portraying her as weak in front of her ex-boyfriend.
"Cat, please."
"We were watching that new movie about the guy with the machete and there was this moment between the two main characters, and she got a tad emotional. I feel like it's the only time she's cried since though, so maybe she just needs to get it out of her system?"
"I've never seen her cry" Beck mused. "I've seen her happy, furious, smug, even puking, but I've never seen her cry."
"Puking?" Tori asked with a grimace.
"She was really sick around the time we…a couple weeks ago" Beck said, breaking himself out of his little guilty trance.
There was an awkward silence that fell on the table at that statement, and we all began to eat our lunch to fill the time and give ourselves something else to do. After a while, I looked up to see Tori's lunch untouched and a look of realisation and horror on her face.
"Beck, were you and Jade sexually active?" she blurted out, and Beck gasped so hard that he choked on his burrito. I wailed at Beck's choking and Andre flew out of his seat and to Beck's side, patting his back hard. After a small coughing fit and some water, Beck had calmed down and looked to Tori completely confused.
"What?!" he asked.
"Well she was sick a few weeks ago and she got really upset and cried with Cat last night. And you said the reason you guys broke up was because she started acting really weird and freezing you out! Maybe she's…" Tori started and then trailed off, the implications of what she was saying hanging heavily over the table.
"Are you saying…?" Andre asked quietly.
"Could Jade be pregnant?" Tori whispered, looking at Beck cautiously as his face turned pale.
"No. No way!" I protested after a small silence. "She can't be!"
"She could be" Beck whispered sadly, and I wrinkled my nose at the undertone of what that statement meant. We turned to look over at the goldens' table and saw Rex talking to Jade, and then getting up to leave the cafeteria. She then got out a notebook and began to doodle. She couldn't be.
"Beck-"Andre started, but he couldn't finish his sentence as he was interrupted by the schools tannoy.
"Attention students. My name is Sarah, and I will be your new head teacher at Sherwood High School. I'd like to let you all know that I'm very excited to get to know you all and to help you grow and thrive into high-achieving adults! Before we start, there are a couple of things I'd like to get straight. The previous head teacher at this school seemed to be a little more…lenient than I plan on being. It has come to my attention that certain members of this student body believe that they are more important than others, and that the rules don't apply to them. Well let me tell you this. In my school, everybody will be equal. There will be no students that have royalties that other students are not privy to, and all students will obey the teaching staff and know their proper place in the hierarchy. I believe that this imbalance of power in the student body has led to arrogance and has affected students' grades, and has also led to some severe bullying. I will not tolerate it. From this moment forward, there will be no goldens at Sherwood High. You have until the end of day today to dispose of any privileges like lockers and tables. All students will have a regulation locker, follow all school rules and attend all required classes on their schedules unless they have a genuine reason not to. Anyone referring to themselves as a golden or using the old structure to hold power over any other students will face immediate exclusion. This school will be a fair place to work and learn, with everybody acting as equals. I look forward to working with you all."
The voice cut off and there was a minute of silence before the cafeteria exploded into a roar of noise as the students discussed the monumental change that just hit the school. I looked around the table at my friends who looked just as gobsmacked as I did. I turned to look at Jade clutching her pen so tight in her hands that her knuckles were white. Nobody on the table knew what to say, lost for words until Andre expressed what was on his mind.
"About time" he murmured, as Tori and I turned to him in shock. "Sorry man" he said as an afterthought, gesturing to Beck. But it's like Beck didn't even hear him, as he was still staring over at the goldens' table. I turned to look in that direction and saw Jade stomping out of the cafeteria, notebook under her arm as people parted like the red sea to let her through. Although it had just been announced that the goldens were powerless in this school now, a lot of people were terrified of Jade and her unpredictable temper. It would take a long time for that fear to wear off, if it ever did.
"I have to talk to Jade" Beck hissed, desperation in his voice as he flew out of his seat and followed her out of the door she'd just exited. We all looked after him and then turned back to look at each other, feeling the dozens of eyes on us to try and gage our response to the bombshell.
"What now?" Tori whispered, and the only response I could muster up was a small shrug.
The whole thing had just fallen apart and I was dreading the storm we were about to face.
AN: It's been a really long time again, but I'm determined to finish this story if it's the last thing I do! Thank you to anyone who still follows this story, I will try my absolute best to get it finished for you guys! We're nearly there, and next chapter you will definitely find out what's going on with Robbie and Jade. I promise it's not a teen pregnancy Jade story too, its just the sort of conclusion I would expect Tori to come to!
Disclaimer: Still don't own Victorious or the characters.
Thank you again for following if you still are and as always, reviewwwwwww :)
chuckyshmucky - xo