After a nice weekend, the group of friends was reunited once again in the main hallway of Hollywood Arts on Monday morning just like every other week. They were all at their individual lockers and met up once they were all finished just as they normally did.
"Hey!" Tori greeted as she walked up to the rest of her friends.
"G'morning." Andre greeted back.
They continued to small talk and chat about the rest of their weekend up until the bell rang. When they walked into Sikowitz's room, they saw that Mr. Bates was standing in front of the classroom once again. This time, he had several large bags filled with what looked like smaller plastic bags.
"Good morning class. So nice to see all of you once again! Before I get started, Mr. Sikowitz has asked the underclassmen to meet him in the parking lot for class today." Mr. Bates began.
As the seniors watched the rest of their class stand back up and head out the door they had just entered, they waited for Mr. Bates to continue. They would never know what Sikowitz had planned for the younger students, but that was fine with them, because they knew that if Mr. Bates was in the classroom, there was graduation business to attend to. Just knowing that each day they were in school meant they were also one day closer to the beginning of the rest of their lives was very bittersweet. They couldn't wait to be out on their own, but they would miss Hollywood Arts and all the crazy and fun times it brought into lives.
"Okay, now that all the underclassmen are on their way, we have some serious business to take care of." Mr. Bates continued.
"What are all those bags full of?" Tori asked, motioning to the large bags behind the man they had all grown familiar with.
"Those are the 'serious business' we have to take care of." Mr. Bates replied with a grin. He was always so pleasant, which bothered Jade, but made everyone else in the class feel welcome.
"So are you going to show us what they are or not?" Jade sassed.
"Yes, of course." Mr. Bates answered, pulling one of the bags closer to where he was standing.
He reached into the bag and pulled out a paper that seemed to contain a list. He looked it over and smiled before beginning to speak again.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce that your caps and gowns have arrived! All we need to do is approve they are all the correct sizes and if they are, you can take them home and keep them in a safe place until the big day. If they don't fit, we'll have to rush them back to the factory and make sure the right size gets made immediately." Mr. Bates announced.
The class cheered. Just hearing the announcement excited them even more and made graduation seem more real than it had ever felt before.
"What about all the things we ordered from the catalogue?" Robbie asked in a hopeful voice.
"Yeah, will we get those too?" Cat added.
"Yes, that's what that bag is for. You guys sure ordered a lot of keepsakes." Mr. Bates answered, motioning to a large bag up on Sikowitz's classroom stage.
Mr. Bates pulled a traditional black cap and gown folded in a smaller plastic bag out of the larger bag beside him. He began to call each senior up to collect their ordered items along with their cap and gown. Once he had gone all the way down his list and each member of the graduating class had been called, he began to speak.
"Okay, now I need you all to try on your robes just to be sure it fits. They are worn over your clothes anyway, so there's no need for the boys to be separated from the girls. Just try them on over your outfits. Be sure to take off any thick jackets or unnecessary layers to make it an accurate fit." Mr. Bates instructed.
The class did as they were told. They got up and unpackaged their gowns and slipped them on over their clothes. Because the black cap and gown seemed so plain for the anything but ordinary school, each student was allowed to pick the color of their tassel that hung from the top of their cap. Jade chose teal, Beck chose red, Tori chose purple, Robbie chose orange, Andre chose green, and Cat chose pink. They decided that they would try the cap on along with the gown just for fun. Just as they were all finishing up trying them on, a small sniffle was heard from the back of the classroom. When they turned to find out what it was, they noticed a weeping Cat crying into the sleeve of her gown.
"Cat. What's wrong?" Tori asked, concerned for her normally perky friend.
"Nothing, I'm fine." Cat lied.
"Cat, clearly you are not okay. What's up?" Jade asked in a stern, but soft tone.
"Yeah, what's going on little red?" Andre joined in.
"It's just that I—I…" Cat started.
Before she could finish her sentence, Cat stormed out of the room in tears. All of her friends looked at each other for what to do next. They weren't sure what was going on. She had just been fine this morning and when they got their cap and gowns just a short while ago. Tori looked up at Jade with a worried expression on her face.
"Should we—" Tori began.
"I got this." Jade interrupted, throwing her cap on the chair where the rest of her things were, and continuing through the doorway to look for Cat.
"Cat? Cat!" Jade yelled through the halls.
When she finally heard soft crying from inside the Black Box Theater, Jade opened the door, revealing Cat sitting alone in the front row of seats that were set up inside. Jade walked towards her with caution, not knowing why Cat had started crying.
"Hey, Cat. What's wrong? This isn't like you." Jade stated softly.
"I'm just sad, okay?" Cat claimed, still continuing to shed tears.
"Is it the cap and gowns? Look, I know they're not all frilly and pink like you like your clothes, but—" Jade began to assume.
"No. That's not it…I got into San Francisco State…" Cat announced with a sob.
"What? That's great, congrats! But...why are you so upset about it?" Jade asked, furrowing her eyebrows.
"It's so far and…" Cat started.
"And what?" Jade spoke up, eager to learn the reason behind Cat's tears.
"Everyone else is going to schools close by, but I'll be all alone in San Francisco." Cat explained.
"So find a roommate. You can't pass up an opportunity like this." Jade pointed out.
"Well, I will be living with my two uncles at first, since they live super close to campus." Cat continued, her tears now coming to a stop.
"See? You won't be all alone!" Jade said with a small smile.
"But…I won't have anyone else besides them to hang out with." Cat whined.
"Cat, I'm sure you'll make tons of new friends, and you'll forget all about us here in LA." Jade continued.
"I could never forget about you guys. Especially you." Cat began.
"Why me?" Jade questioned.
"Because…you're my best friend." Cat admitted quietly.
Jade just sat silently for a few seconds. No one had ever told her that she was their best friend. And Cat was so opposite from her. She wondered how someone as child-like and innocent as Cat could even tolerate her attitude, let alone think of her as their best friend. After a few quiet moments in deep thought, Jade spoke up.
"Well, if I'm your best friend, then listen up. I hear San Francisco has an amazing theater program. You cannot be seriously thinking of turning down the offer just to stay close to me." Jade stated.
"So you won't miss me?" Cat asked, wide-eyed.
"Of course I'll miss you." Jade replied.
"Really? You will?" Cat said, hopeful that Jade loved her just as much as she loved Jade.
"Yeah, I mean, who else is going to annoy me as much as you do with that bubbly attitude of yours?" Jade asked coldly.
Just as Cat was starting to feel Jade cared about her, her heart was broken yet again. Jade's words hurt. She didn't mean to be annoying. That was just the ways she was. But Cat didn't take Jade's words to heart. No matter what, she would always be her best friend.
"Oh…" Cat answered with a sad look in her eyes.
Jade saw the look in Cat's face when she finished her rhetorical question. She figured since they were alone, it wouldn't hurt to tell Cat how she really felt about her.
"And I guess….you're my best friend too." Jade admitted, looking up at the tiny red head with a smile.
"I am?! Really?" Cat asked excitedly.
"Really." Jade agreed.
Cat reached her arms out, hoping that Jade would accept the hug she was offering. When Jade saw the motion being performed by Cat, she lifted her arms to match Cat's and pulled in for a nice tight hug. The two—newly admitted—best friends stood back up and headed back to the classroom they had both walked out of. By now, the rest of the students had folded their gowns back into the bags they came in and placed their caps in as well. No one else knew what Jade had done to make Cat's tears stop, but they were glad she was back to her perky self. Cat was content in knowing that Jade did care for her. Jade was simply happy that her best friend knew how she felt.
Author's Note: Shout out to the review that suggested I write a Cade chapter. I just love these two, so I couldn't resist the request! Let me know if you'd like to see any other pairings. What do you guys think about Cat going to San Francisco? Thank you for taking the time to read this and as always, please continue to review(: