AN: Hello everyone and welcome to this latest chapter. I hope you are all well and have had a good week. As usual my thanks go out to those of you who read and reviewed last week's chapter.
Challenge King – yes we're seeing a little bit of Tori/Freddie growing closer as she integrates into the group and into life at Hollywood Arts; they're the boy-next-door/girl-next-door combination so it's not surprising that they get on well.
Fanfic-Reader-88 – As Tori's canon Slap update went: Never send Trina and Cat to do ANYTHING. Beck has his concerns; there are certainly issues for that couple to contend with.
Guest – I'm glad that you loved it. Tori and Jade got along better than canon because, unlike Dan, I didn't hit the reset button after Stage Fighting so their relationship has actually evolved a little already.
Pbow – The school probably should have rules for sharing lead roles around more fairly. In canon, though, Tori presumably never landed the Moonlight Magic lead as her resumé, in Beck falls for Tori, only contained one play (presumably Uptown, Downtown).
Agent-M - A little Teddie? I wouldn't mind that but, being me, I'd be very reluctant to break them up again if it happened.
OneHorseShay – yes Freddie and Jade are somewhat smarter than their peers so far; certainly both could take on that sort of a role for others when it was needed – despite Beck's ironic insistence on treating Jade like she was the child of the group. As I said to Agent M, me exploring Teddie? Moving beyond it would be the issue.
That's everyone, so just one more quick note - OneHorseShay updated We Love Each Other last night; if you've not already done so you should check that out as well. Now for the next part of the story.
Chapter 15: Cat's New Boyfriends.
Benson Residence, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California
Saturday, 20th March 2010.
Jade was relieved to spot Freddie's car in the driveway to his house; she blew out an irritated breath as she got out of her mother's car, headed up to the house and knocked on the front door. It had been a frustrating day for her as more than anything she had wanted to talk to the boy about the news that Cat had a boyfriend, particularly having spotted his reaction to the news from across the classroom the previous night; the brown-haired boy had been talking to Tori and was smiling before the red velvet-haired girl's announcement. Instantly she had seen his face fall and his demeanour change, though he continued to talk with the new student and seemed a little happier having done so; this was something else that intrigued his gothic friend.
Jade's quest to speak with her Seattle-born friend had been impeded by his, as usual for a Saturday, spending the whole day working at the Pear Store. She hadn't felt like disturbing him at work (suspecting that he was likely immersing himself in his job to avoid thinking about the news that they had received) and, anyway, she had wanted to have a word with Cat as well; when she actually stopped to think about it she was a little hurt that the previous night was the first she had heard about a new guy in her best friend's life – particularly one who the girl was openly describing as her 'boyfriend'. She had allowed herself one moment of satisfaction; Tori had seemed equally shocked by the news. At least, the dark haired girl reflected, this meant that one of her fears had not materialised; she had not been replaced in that capacity by the half-Latina.
The little red head had been Jade's first port of call that morning; she arrived at the Valentine home shortly after 10 (knowing her friend to be a late riser on a weekend). She side-stepped the family's exuberant puppy before being directed upstairs by Cat's mother, who informed her that the girl hadn't come downstairs yet today. The gothic girl headed to her friend's room and knocked firmly on the door.
"Cat, are you up yet?"
"Uh," came a muffled voice, "yeah, just a sec."
Her best friend opened the door a few moments later, still dressed in her pyjamas and with her hair unusually untidy.
"Late night?" Jade teased with a smirk.
"Oh, it wasn't too bad; we went for some dinner and went to one of the clubs nearby for a bit. It was a good night," the cupcake loving teen smiled, opening the door just far enough for her friend to slip past her and into the room; she strode over to the window and opened the curtains, causing Cat to wince a little behind her as her eyes dealt with the rapid change in light. Jade sat on the end of her bed and turned towards her.
"So," she began. Cat noticed her mood and gave a nervous, sheepish smile and sat on the bed, though as far from the other girl as she could; she didn't know why but Jade's demeanour suggested that she was in trouble. "Why didn't you tell me you were seeing someone Cat?" She kept her tone curious but with a side of hurt; the other girl knotted her brow in confusion.
"Didn't I?" she asked, studying her friend's features. "I thought you knew all about Daniel."
"You've never mentioned him to me," Jade replied, shaking her head.
"I'm sorry," the shorter girl wailed. "I meant to; I guess it was just with," she shrugged, "everything else going on – mom, dad, my brother, moving to Nona's… I must have just forgotten."
Jade nodded; she had made her point so she didn't press it, though she still felt a little upset with her best friend. She changed subject. "So what about Freddie?"
"What do you mean?"
"I thought you still liked him, but now you're dating someone else."
"Oh. I was waiting but then I met Daniel and he's a nice guy, he bought me a smoothie, we talked and well… here we are," she finished with a giggle. Jade continued to present her with her best, piercing stare and she felt the need to elaborate, "I do like Freddie but I don't think he likes me anymore – so I've moved on to someone else I like and who likes me back. Is that so bad?" she finished.
"I guess not," Jade was forced to admit. "So when are you next seeing… Daniel?"
"Oh, tonight. I won't be able to make the play; we're seeing a movie and going out somewhere after. But we could hang this morning and maybe a little this afternoon before you have to go to school?" he suggested.
Jade nodded her agreement; she didn't have any other plans for the early part of the day.
After finishing work Freddie had gone straight to school to meet the rest of the cast for the second night of Uptown, Downtown. This time the play had gone off without a hitch, Tori's face had lacked the monster make-up of opening night and the performance was well received by a capacity audience in the Black Box theatre. True to her word Cat hadn't been there and Jade had been frustrated and disappointed to see that Freddie disappeared almost immediately after the show.
So now she stood outside Freddie's front door waiting to be granted admittance.
Unbeknown to the gothic girl Freddie had offered Tori a ride home after the play, the lighter brunette having sought him out for a talk on his mood after the previous night just before it started; she had accepted but, en route, the girl had asked to hang with him for a while rather than him just dropping her off and leaving (she, too, clearly wanted to make sure he was ok after the surprise news surrounding Cat's personal life). With Marissa on nights he had invited her to his place for a while (neither teen wanted to have to deal with Trina). Her presence was something of a surprise for Jade as she entered the house.
"Tori?"
"Hey Jade," the girl smiled before dropping her voice to a whisper as they approached one another. "I guess we had the same idea then."
"What do you mean?" she matched the other girl's vocal volume but raised her re-pierced eyebrow (having removed the jewellery, and her hair extensions, for the performance) as they spoke; she suspected Tori's interests in the boy weren't 'just' friendly.
"Cheering Freddie up after finding out about Cat's new boyfriend," Tori spoke as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I guess so," Jade agreed, relieved but not fully convinced.
"Are you girls hungry?" the boy asked, joining them in the living room. "I haven't eaten since lunchtime so I'm starved."
"I could eat," Tori agreed.
"Pizza and a movie?" Jade suggested. "You call them and I'll pick it up."
They agreed; Tori surprised Jade (and herself a little) by offering to go with her to collect them.
"So what do we know about this guy?" she pressed the driver as they pulled away from the Benson home.
"I've no idea," Jade admitted, "I haven't met him."
"But you and Cat must have talked," she persisted. "You are best friends."
"She never mentioned him to me before last night: I think even she was surprised when she realised that – but no, she never said anything about him to me."
The pair returned shortly afterwards and the three teenagers were soon settling down to a nice horror flick (Jade's choice, inevitably) with a couple of pizza boxes open on the coffee table. Unfortunately for Jade she soon felt that her choice of movie could prove counter-productive to her long-term goal; it wasn't lost on the dark brunette that Tori was terrified by certain moments of the film. Far from taking pleasure in that fact, Jade noticed that she was holding tightly to Freddie's arm and trying to bury her head behind his arm at the scary bits.
"That was a good night," the lighter-haired girl gave a relieved smile as the film ended; the time was approaching eleven and they felt that the night needed to end, particularly with a matinee performance the following day.
"It was, thanks girls, I really enjoyed it," Freddie told them. "Do you need me to run you home, Jade?"
"No, I borrowed mom's car," she replied. He did, however, drive Tori back to her place and prepared to say goodnight in the doorway to her home.
"I hope I didn't hurt your arm too bad," the new girl was embarrassed thinking back on her reaction to the movie.
"It's fine," he gestured the arm towards her, "can't see any bruises," he finished with his boyish smirk in place before dropping it and turning serious. "Thank you for tonight, I appreciated the company."
"I enjoyed it," Tori insisted. "Goodnight Freddie," she whispered, giving him a quick hug before heading inside her home.
Hollywood Arts High School.
Monday, 22nd March 2010.
The warning bell had just rung, encouraging students to get to class for their first class of the day as Daniel walked through the main door; he was looking around, slightly lost, as he passed the lockers. Suddenly he spotted Tori; they both yelped in surprise.
"Danny," she greeted him weakly.
" Hey!" he sounded equally stunned. "You go to school here?"
" Yeah, you know I left Sherwood," she pointed out.
" Right, but I just didn't know where..." He looked around them, "I mean isn't this school for like talented kids who... " He stopped at the look on her face. "Ah... I did not mean…" he tried to apologise.
"No, no, keep talking; you're doing great," she replied sarcastically.
"Sorry."
"It's, it's cool," she laughed it off.
"So when did you get into performing?" He knew that she had never tried for a part in anything that Sherwood school had put on during their mutual time there; the girl began to try and explain the events of the Big Showcase.
"Oh, see, my sister's tongue got all big and swollen and here I am." Fortunately further floundering discussion was interrupted by the arrival of Beck and Jade.
"So who's that?" Jade asked curiously.
"Uh, this is Danny," her fellow brunette introduced the boy.
"Hey," he greeted the couple.
"'Sup," Beck returned.
"How do you guys know each other?" Jade was curious as to why the boy was talking to her.
"He goes to my old school," she explained.
"Sherwood," Danny supplied.
"He, he was my boyfriend," Tori continued in a slightly embarrassed tone.
"Girlfriend," the black-haired boy added, pointing at her.
"So why did you two break up?" Jade's eyes glinted mischievously.
"Jade..." her boyfriend warned.
"Can I guess? I can think of a LOT of reasons!" She grinned evilly at her 'rival', though the look and tone lacked any real malice.
"Uh actually..." Danny began.
"You don't have to..." she interrupted but he pressed on.
"Tori broke up with me."
"Oh," Jade was rather surprised to learn this. "So how did you celebrate?" The grin was back in place as Tori frowned at her.
"Jade," Beck chided. "So, what are you doing here?" he tried to change the direction of the conversation quickly.
"Yeah, what are you doing here?" It hadn't occurred to Tori to wonder that before now.
"Well," he began by way of explanation, "I've been dating this girl that, you know, goes here for the last few weeks and, uh, I was supposed to meet her..."
He was interrupted by an all too familiar female, high-pitched squeal.
"Daniel!" Cat cried, racing down the stairs to them and leaping into his arms.
"Hey, babe," and he kissed her.
"This is the guy I told you about after the play the other night. My boyfriend," she told them proudly.
"Ohh," Tori groaned.
"THAT'S Daniel?" Jade muttered.
"Daniel, these are my friends: Beck, Jade and that's Tori," the red-head introduced them.
"Yeah, we've met," Tori retorted flatly.
"Really, you know Daniel?"
"Oh, she knows Daniel." In spite of the situation, Jade smirked at Tori's discomfort.
"I'm confused," the red-head complained.
"Cat, um, I used to go to Sherwood, with Danny before I came to school here," Tori explained.
"Oh, so you guys were friends?"
"Yeah, they were good friends," Jade grinned, putting an arm on each's shoulder.
"I'm confused," Cat repeated.
"Danny and I used to date," Tori admitted.
"Uhhh," Cat gasped.
Beck, unaware of the whole story and simply seeing his girlfriend seemingly revelling in the situation suggested, "Hey, why don't we walk over to some other location?" and dragged an increasingly annoyed looking Jade towards the vending machines. Again the dark brunette was drawing unfavourable comparisons between her boyfriend and her close male friend.
"Okay, wait. So you and Tori were like..." Cat began.
"Girlfriend," Danny pointed at her again.
"Boyfriend," Tori returned the gesture.
"So..." Cat muttered awkwardly.
"Please don't feel weird about this," Danny urged his girlfriend.
"You really shouldn't. I mean, we broke up a year ago," Tori told her.
"Yeah, it's, it's been a year," he echoed.
"It's only been eleven months," the brunette snapped in annoyance.
"What difference does it make?" he demanded.
"Forget it," she shot. "The point is, I'm totally cool with you guys dating."
"And I'm totally cool that you two are friends."
"Well, okay then. It's all happy," Cat smiled.
"Yay," Tori didn't sound totally convinced.
Jade, meanwhile, was watching the conversation and thinking, I need to find a way of ending this so she and Freddie can get back together. She was distracted, however, by Beck claiming her lips and pulling her into a kiss.
"So how did you guys meet?" Tori asked the new couple, only to turn to them and see them making out. She turned to Beck and Jade. "Hey, do you guys want to go..." only to see them similarly engaged. "Yeah. I... Okay," she walked off and came across Freddie by his locker.
"Hey Tori, what's upsetting you?" he asked curiously as he observed the look on her face.
"I found out who Cat's new boyfriend is," she explained.
"Oh?"
"Yeah," and she pointed to the pair, still in lip-lock. "Danny. My ex-boyfriend from my old school."
"Oh," he muttered again, uncomfortably this time. "Well it's not like you can claim 'girl code' or anything is it if they met without knowing the whole story."
"No, but it's still a little awkward – especially if we might all end up hanging together."
"Cat and I dated for a while; no awkwardness for us hanging together," he shrugged. "Well, not anymore," he amended. "You'll figure it out in time."
She gave him a grateful smile, though he could see the doubt etched on her face. "Walk you to class," he offered her his arm. Her smile broadened as she took it and they headed to first period together (Cat was conspicuous by her absence during the lesson; they assumed that she and Danny had decided to blow off school for the day).
Robbie had been running slightly late this morning (he blamed Rex for oversleeping, something that the puppet vehemently denied). He happened upon Trina Vega, leaning casually against the bannister by the stairs; to the ventriloquists confusion there were a number of students gathered around her rubbing her right foot.
"That's right, feel it," she urged them.
"Wow," one student enthused.
"Like a cloud," another was in awe.
"It's like butter," a third commented.
"Yeah, I know. Doesn't my foot feel sweet?" Trina was, typically, encouraging the attention.
"Totally," a fourth, equally impressed, student agreed.
"Like a baby's butt, right?" the diva grinned.
Further foot fondling was halted by the ringing of the late bell.
"Oh, bye! Later guys," she called as the crowd departed, leaving just her, Robbie and Rex.
"Uh, why were they all feeling your foot?" the curly haired sophomore asked curiously.
"I could explain it, but I'll just let the foot do the talking. Feel it," she urged him, waving the appendage in his direction.
"What?" he was bewildered.
"Feel my foot," she repeated, almost as a demand.
"Feel the girl's foot, man," ordered Rex.
"Okay, but I don't see what the whole big deal about it." He bent down and ran his hand over the sole of her foot. "Whoa, smooth foot!"
"I know," she replied with a cocky smirk.
"Wow! Ooo-wee. Man, that is some creamy foot," Rex agreed. Under Robbie's direction he, too, was 'feeling' the elder Vega's foot.
"How'd you get your foot to feel like that?" Robbie was intrigued.
"Fish," she replied. Tiny, little fish."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Rex called as Robbie gave Trina a confused look; she smiled and nodded at him.
Beck Oliver's RV.
Tuesday, 23rd March 2010.
Jade leant back against the couch; her eyes were closed as she and Beck exchanged tender kisses. She sighed contentedly against his mouth as he brought his right hand up to caress her cheek; his left arm was wrapped around her waist with her hands resting against his sides. This is the way to spend an evening, she thought.
"Is everything ok?" Beck asked cautiously as they paused for breath.
"Yes, why wouldn't it be?" she asked tersely.
"You just seemed… upset when we met Danny yesterday," he observed. "And you were sniping at Tori worse than you usually do," he added a little darkly.
"I don't snipe at her," Jade shot back, anger rising a fraction. "We got off to a bad start; the incidents in Sikowitz's class and everything that went on with that. We cleared the air though over the whole her-hitting-me-with-a-cane thing and we talked afterwards." She still had not admitted to her boyfriend that she had faked the whole thing; Freddie wasn't going to betray her either. "I got her out of her punishments don't forget," she reminded him triumphantly.
"But you don't like Danny," he pressed.
"It surprised me," she admitted. "I didn't expect Cat to be dating someone without telling me – and to find out he's Tori's ex-boyfriend… it's just a little awkward." She sighed, less contentedly this time, under his questioning look, "And yes, it is fun to get under Tori's skin a little," she conceded with a smirk, "she knows I don't mean it though – we're good."
She got up, feeling that the mood was ruined for the night after his pressing and near-interrogation. "I'll see you tomorrow," she smiled, leaning in to give him one last kiss before striding across to the door and leaving, rather to his surprise at the abruptness of her departure.
"Bye," he muttered after her.
Asphalt Café.
Friday, 26th March 2010.
There were two surprises for Jade as she and Beck crossed the car park on arrival at school. The first was that Freddie's car was nowhere to be seen; this was unusual as he always beat the couple in.
"I wonder where he is," she commented as a lengthier look around still failed to yield the boy's car.
"Maybe he's just running late today," Beck shrugged; his girlfriend's concern for the short-haired teen was beginning to irritate him more and more as she persisted with it – it was a level of concern she never seemed to show for anybody else, apart from Cat on occasion.
The second surprise was a more pleasant one for the girl; Freddie had, as usual, been the first to arrive at school today and was sat at the gang's usual table; he smiled as they approached.
"Hey. I didn't see your car when we arrived," she observed.
"Yeah, it's being serviced today so mom dropped me off after we left it at the shop," he explained. "She'll be picking me up after school and then we'll go and collect it."
"See, I told you there was nothing to worry about," Beck muttered testily. Jade just shrugged while Freddie gave the exchange a curious look.
The week had passed fairly uneventfully for the gang. Cat had seen Danny in midweek and the two had caught a movie at the mall, though it hadn't been a late night with it being a school night (her parents had yet to find out about her skipping school to hang out with him earlier in the week, much to the little red-head's relief). Freddie, meanwhile, was delighted to receive 100% in his tech theatre exam; it was, of course, the school's highest ever score and the first time in Hollywood Arts history that such an achievement had occurred; his reward was a plaque bearing his photograph that was on display just outside the classroom. As usual he was also burying himself in work on a Monday and Wednesday (and would be working again tonight with no performance of his play to be involved in), his and André's gym session on a Tuesday and fencing with Beck the previous night (the songsmith had been unable to make it; it turned out that he had also come across Trina having her feet fondled and had was actually at the Vega home undergoing the same procedure). Tori had been forced to hide her disappointment at learning just how busy the boy's schedule was; she was eager to hang with him as often as possible, particularly with the spectre of her ex-boyfriend becoming more involved in her life again as he was dating Cat. The Seattle-born teen had been able to call around after work for a little while on the Wednesday for a 'study date' as they had dubbed it; she was hoping they'd be able to spend another Saturday evening together this week.
The Slap Mobile.
Tori Vega: Lunch at school = SALTY FRENCH FRY TIME!
Mood = Hungry.
Tori, Freddie, Cat, Beck and Jade were sat around the table. Beck, to his eye, still seemed a little less laid back and collected than usual, though he didn't want to press the issue and risk causing trouble for his friend in her relationship; he trusted them to figure it out for themselves.
"Hey, can you pass the salt?" Tori asked the darker brunette.
"I suppose so," she groaned theatrically and pushed the cellar across the table.
"Sorry to put you to that trouble," the half-Latina growled sarcastically; Freddie grinned at their exchange.
From the corner of his eye he saw a black-haired boy creeping towards the table. He was surprised when the boy stopped behind Cat and put his hands over her eyes.
"Guess who," the boy called playfully.
"Um, is it Beck?" Cat asked; the others exchanged startled looks.
"What?" an incredulous Freddie asked.
"I'm sitting right next to you," the Canadian-born pointed out.
"Oh, yeah," the red-head remembered and lifted her left hand to his face. "Hey, Beck," she giggled.
"And she's feeling my face," he noted.
"Uh, no. No, it's me," Cat's boyfriend released her eyes and she turned towards him.
"Daniel! What are you doing here?" she asked, giving him a hug.
"I had a half day and I thought I'd come visit you for lunch," he explained, taking a seat between his girlfriend and Beck.
"Well, this is so nice. Lucky Daniel here gets to have lunch with his new girlfriend and his old girlfriend," Jade pointed out in a forced happy voice.
"Yes, it WILL be nice," Tori grumbled in an annoyed tone.
"Nice to meet you Daniel; I'm Freddie," the tech producer offered the newcomer his hand; the Sherwood student shook it with a smile.
"Oh, Freddie. Cat's told me a lot about you." The redhead giggled at this.
"It's all lies!" the Seattle-born insisted with a grin.
"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" the girl yelped; Jade sought to defuse the situation.
"So, did you invite Daniel to the kick back?"
"Oh, my god, I forgot," she replied.
"Kick back?" he asked.
"Yeah. Once every semester, the school lets us have a Saturday night party right here in the parking lot," she explained.
"Live music, cheese fountain," Beck supplied.
"Cheese fountain?" he repeated.
"Cheddar," Cat whispered seductively. "Will you come?"
"Yeah, totally, Danny agreed.
"Tori, are you going to be there? It'll be your first kick back won't it?" Jade asked the other girl.
"Uh yeah, sure, Jade, I will be there," she answered a little distractedly, vaguely registering as she did that it was scuppering her hopes to hang with Freddie in quieter surroundings; she, of course, assumed that he would be there for the party.
"Ooh! Guess what I made?" Cat delved into her bag.
"Ah, what'd you make?" her boy asked.
"Brownies!" she called triumphantly, hoisting a bag of the goodies.
"Wow," his enthusiasm was limited.
"Sorry, Danny doesn't like brownies," Tori pointed out; the red velvet-haired girl was confused.
"Everyone likes brownies. Open," she demanded.
"Uh, yeah-mmmmm." He accepted the treat; his face brightened quickly. "Wow. These are really good."
"What?" Tori yelped.
Despite her annoyance at Danny's presence, Jade grinned at Tori's annoyance. "He said Cat's brownie is really good," she pointed out.
"I made you brownies twice and you told me you didn't like brownies," she argued.
"Yeah, but Cat's are different."
"Different how? What do you mean 'different?'" she demanded.
"Tori..." he tried to placate her'; Cat was quicker.
"Try one," she insisted, giving her friend one of the snacks.
"How is it?" Freddie asked with a smile.
"I gotta go," the singer muttered, getting up and departing; Cat offered one to the former iCarly member.
He nodded as he savoured it. "These are really good," he complemented her; she smiled in return.
The tech producer was waiting for Marissa's arrival after school; he had just received a text informing him that she was nearly there when Robbie came up to him; the boy was in an unusually happy mood and a number of students were on their knees feeling his bare foot.
"Hey Rob, how are you?" he asked, looking in slight confusion at the crowd gathering around the other boy's feet.
"I'm good, thanks Freddie," he smiled.
"I do like that," one of the students by Robbie's feet commented.
"It's like a baby's butt," a second agreed.
"I know. You guys ever felt a foot that soft?" the ventriloquist asked them.
"No, never," a third conceded.
"I didn't think so," the smug teen retorted.
"That is a quality foot," he was told.
"It really is," echoed another.
"Alright, see you guys tomorrow?" he asked as the final bell encouraged their departure.
"Later, dude," one of the kids called as he stood and left.
"Robbie, how come all those people were rubbing on your foot?" Freddie asked in bewilderment.
"Here, see for yourself," he offered it to him.
"Huh?"
"Feel it. Come on. Freddie, come on," he urged. Against his better judgement Freddie squatted down and began to feel the other boys foot.
"Dang, man, that's smooth," he complimented.
"Right?" Robbie agreed.
"Freddie Benson!" Marissa had arrived at the school. "Why are you rubbing that boy's foot?"
"You've got to feel it mom. Just try it," he urged her; Marissa looked suspiciously at the pair but did so, adding her own impressed comments as she did.
"How'd you get it so soft?" Freddie asked his friend.
"You want to know?" Robbie teased.
"Yeah," Freddie nodded.
"You want to know?" Robbie repeated, drawing out the moment.
"I just said yes. Weren't you listening?" the other boy snapped a little.
"Freddie..." Robbie continued to tease him a little; the Seattle-born was getting annoyed by now.
"Tell me, don't tell me, but stop asking the same question over and over," he snapped.
"Freddie, that's not nice - even if he IS annoying," his mother chided him lightly.
Fortunately for Robbie he wouldn't have to explain everything; Trina arrived at that moment.
"Hey, Trina, Freddie and his mom want to know about foot smoothening."
"Okay. I use pooka fish from Puerto Iguazu; they love the taste of dead human skin," she explained.
"Pooka fish?" Marissa has mildly horrified.
"How'd you get these?" Freddie was intrigued.
"I know a guy," the diva grinned. "Now, when you put your feet in the tank with them, the fish nibble off all the dead foot skin and calluses, leaving your feet insanely soft and supple."
"Soft and supple," Robbie agreed.
"Do you have ANY idea how dangerous that is?" Marissa charged.
"But feel my foot?" she offered it to them, nodding as they caressed it.
Vega Residence.
Marissa and Freddie sat with their feet suspended over the tank.
"You're sure this is safe?" Freddie asked.
"Sure," Trina was nonchalant. "You want to go around with gross feet, Freddie, 'cause let me tell you – girls don't dig that, especially my little sister," the untalented Vega sister teased at the end.
"Freddie?" Marissa was understandably curious.
"Oh c'mon," Trina urged. "It's so obvious that you're into her. I mean, I can't think why when I'm here and available but each to their own I guess." She bent down and picked up a bucket of water, containing the fish.
"I can't believe I'm doing this..." Marissa began as the girl poured water and the fish into the tank.
"Oh yeah," Trina smiled.
"Do it," Robbie urged.
"Do it," Trina repeated. "Dooo it," she almost sang.
Mother and son traded one last look before simultaneously plunging their feet into the water.
"Oh! Oh-oh! Ooo-hoo!" Freddie moaned as the fish worked their magic.
"Oooooo-ooohh! Ooohh! That feels good," his mother agreed.
"Awesome, right?" Trina grinned at the Bensons.
"Yeah. It's like my feet are getting a million tiny kisses. All right. Yeah, get 'em little fishy," Freddie encouraged.
"Ooh! Yeah!" Marissa echoed.
The pair couldn't stay long; they had to pick up Freddie's car in time for him to get to work so they left shortly after the 'treatment' was concluded.
"Here Freddie, take one of these and another before bedtime – and then three more tomorrow, finishing the course on Sunday," his mother handed him a packet of pills from her purse as they belted themselves into her car.
"What are these?" he asked curiously, turning the box over in his hand.
"Anti-venom pills," she explained. "The saliva of the pooka fish is riddled with toxins and I don't want you getting sick."
"Where do you get this stuff mom?" he asked in exasperated amazement.
"From the hospital," she smiled conspiratorially as she put the vehicle into drive and they headed for the garage.
Asphalt Café
Saturday, 27th March 2010.
The Slap Mobile
Tori Vega: My First KICK BACK at Hollywood Arts. Funnnnn!
Mood = Partyish.
The brunette was getting into the swing of things at the party; she had come across Freddie earlier in the evening, surprised to hear him singing her sister's praises as he talked about the foot smoothening procedure he'd undergone the previous night. Tori palmed her forehead at the news, wondering exactly what crazy scheme Trina was involved in now, despite her friend's insistence that it had worked well.
"Hey, Sikowitz," she greeted the crazy teacher as they spotted him; he wore an apron and was tending a barbecue grill.
"Tori! How are you enjoying your first Hollywood arts kick-back?" he enquired.
"It's really fun," she smiled.
"It's a great night," Freddie agreed, "I'd have expected it next week for the start of Spring Break though," he continued thoughtfully.
"Well a lot of kids and parents go away on the Saturday to get a bit more time together – some of the teachers like to do that too," Sikowitz explained. "Would you like a sausage?" the teacher then offered them; Freddie declined, having experienced Sikowitz's barbecuing at a previous kick back.
"Uh, sure. Okay," Tori agreed however.
"Excellent. Here's a nice fat one. I'll just impale it with this stick." He made a squealing noise as he did before handing it to the girl; both she and Freddie were giving the eccentric a confused look at his behaviour. "Here you go."
"Mmm, nice," she told him after taking a bite. "What kind of sausage is this?" The brunette couldn't place the taste.
"Oh, just sausage. You know?" Sikowitz was evasive.
"Yeah, but what kind of meat is it made of?" she pressed.
Sikowitz started laughing and dancing with her at this. She eventually managed to spin away and she and Freddie walked away.
"And that's why I said no," he grinned at her.
"Oh it's not that bad; I just don't know what it is. Oh."
Her gaze had fallen upon Cat and Danny dancing together and seemingly having great time. Jade walked up behind them, frowning a little to see them looking so comfortable together.
"Hey Freddie, hey Tori," she greeted them.
"Jade, how are you?" he smiled.
"Good thanks. Say, how long did you and Danny date for?" she turned to the half-Latina.
"A couple of months; it just didn't work out between us," she replied with a sad look.
"Oh hey, Jade – you've got to feel my foot," Freddie told her excitedly, bending down to remove his shoe and sock.
"Why would I want to feel…" she began before shrugging. "Alright," and she bent down towards the offered foot. Tori rolled her eyes and walked away from them.
"Wow, nice foot, dude," the gothic girl complimented him.
"Yeah, I know," he smiled.
"That really is some soft footage! Beck, Beck. You've got to come feel Freddie's foot," she called her boyfriend over.
He came over, looking rather confused, and joined his girl at his friend's foot. "Dang, dude. That's some soft footage."
"I mean really, let's be serious here. That's a nice foot," Jade echoed.
"It's something, yeah," the Canadian actor continued. Tori threw a look over her shoulder and shook her head again; she caught another glimpse of Cat and Danny dancing together and felt the sudden urge to be anywhere else, running into Robbie by the (now closed) Grub Truck as she made her way randomly away from her friends.
"Hey, Tori. Uh, have you tried the hot cheese fountain?" the ventriloquist asked her.
"No," she answered.
"They have a hot cheese fountain," he supplied unnecessarily.
"Okay," she responded weakly; Robbie nodded and she left in something of a hurry, heading towards the aforementioned fountain. Unfortunately this took her back towards Cat and Danny; they were making out close by it. Overcome by a surge of jealousy the girl turned the spray up, covering the kissing couple in cheese.
"What the hairballs?" Sikowitz asked as he hurried over to turn it down; across the parking lot, distracted by the commotion, Freddie put his shoe and sock back on before hurrying over in pursuit of Beck and Jade who were also heading over to see what had happened.
"You got cheese in our hair!" Danny complained as he rounded on her.
"Tori..." Cat whined.
"Why did you do that?!" her boyfriend demanded.
"I, I don't- I don't know! I just..." she couldn't come up with a reason; instead she fled inside the school.
"Oh, my God," Cat whispered as she felt the stuff dripping all over her.
"You see? This is what happens when you mix teenagers and hot cheese. I warned you," Sikowitz called out randomly.
By this time Freddie, Beck and Jade had joined them; the tech producer surveyed the scene with a shake of his head.
"You two get cleaned up, I'll go and talk to Tori," he told the couple, heading off in the same direction as the brunette.
"I'll come with you," Jade set off after him; Beck shrugged and followed his girlfriend.
Black Box Theatre.
Freddie, Beck and Jade had spotted the girl heading into the theatre; by the time they arrived, however, she was nowhere in sight.
"Tori? Yo, Tori!" Freddie called to his friend as he looked around the deserted place.
"We saw you run in here," Jade pointed out.
"What's with all that stuff?" Beck asked, looking at the camping equipment scattered around the stage.
"Sinjin and his friends are doing a play," the tech producer shrugged. "I'm hoping to help them with some of the lighting and effects and stuff."
"I heard it's about a camping trip gone wrong," Jade added.
"Gone wrong?" Beck wondered.
"They end up eating each other or something, I don't know."
"Pretty much, by the end of it," Freddie smiled at his friend. "Tori? Tori! Yo Tori!" he tried again. Jade spotted a zipped-up tent on stage; her suspicions were further aroused when it appeared to move slightly in the dim light of the theatre. She picked up a brush and threw it at the tent's door; a painful groan removed any doubt as to where the sought-after brunette was taking refuge.
"Tori, come out to play-yaaay..." the darker haired girl called in a sing-song voice; her prey opened the door and stuck her head through.
"Leave me alone," she demanded balefully.
"What up with the hot cheese attack on Cat?" Beck asked in a sympathetic voice.
"And her boyfriend, Daniel?" Jade supplied with barely repressed mirth, earning her another scolding look from Beck.
"I don't know!" Tori wailed as she wriggled out and took a seat on the stage; Freddie sat next to her. "I mean, I'm so not the jealous type. I've never ever done anything like that before. But seeing my ex-boyfriend making out with Cat, I guess I just- I just lost it for a second and the next thing I knew, my hand was on the cheese-valve."
"I'm sorry," Freddie said softly, slipping an arm around the brunette's shoulders. "I know just how you're feeling watching the two of them together."
The brunette was grateful for his words and would have happily stayed in his consoling presence all night but she knew what she had to do. "Ugh, I have to go apologise to them," she noted before getting up and handing Freddie her sausage before leaving the theatre in search of the couple; the boy looked suspiciously at the 'food' item before gingerly setting it down on the stage. Jade still wore a small smirk as her rival left while Beck and Freddie looked more concerned.
"Hey Freddie" the gothic girl called; he turned to look at her. "Can we feel your foot some more?" Beck nodded eagerly beside her.
"Sure," he shrugged and began removing his shoes and socks as the couple approached. "I've got nothing better to do tonight."
"Man, we have got to talk to Trina about this," Beck commented as they admired the boy's foot once again.
"Yeah, is she here tonight?" Jade looked up at Freddie.
"I guess so; she wouldn't miss a party like this and she'd have to give Tori a ride in and out."
"I'm going to go find her," Jade rose and tugged her boyfriend's sleeve, urging him to do likewise.
"I guess that's our cue to leave."
Freddie watched them go with an amused smile and a shake of his head. He pulled his socks and shoes on again before figuring that he'd go in search of Tori; he felt that she could probably use a friend right about now. He glanced at his phone as he left the theatre; her latest update seemingly confirmed his suspicions.
The Slap Mobile.
Tori Vega: I did bad things with hot cheese. Uck, WHY?!
Mood = Upset
"Hey, have you found them yet?" He had come across Tori near Sikowitz's room; the girl was using the water fountain and had just splashed a little on her face.
"No, I'm still looking. Where could they be?"
"Maybe the bathrooms so they can wash the stuff off themselves?" he suggested lightly.
"Uh, why didn't I think of that?" she grumbled.
"Probably the same reason you didn't think to just blow off school last Friday, drive to Bakersfield and make sure you got the make-up off your face as soon as possible; you don't do well under pressure Tori," he observed sympathetically, patting her arm gently.
The two heard a quick cough and the brunette looked up from her arm to her friend. "I'd know that cough anywhere; it's Danny and he's nearby. I need to talk to him." She turned and headed towards the lockers, spotting the boy outside the bathrooms there, rubbing at his hair with a towel.
"Danny," she began.
"Hi," he returned a little tersely.
"Where's Cat?"
"Oh, she's still trying to get cheese out of her ear."
"Ohhhh," Tori groaned again. "All right, listen. I have no idea why I did that."
"Were you jealous?" he asked curiously.
"No."
"Because it doesn't make sense for you to be jealous. You broke up with me."
"I know. It makes zero sense." She took a seat on one of the steps and gave him a helpless look. "I guess it's just a dumb girl thing."
"Like wearing a skirt over jeans?" he asked with a grin as he took a seat next to her.
"Yeah, what's up with that?" she wondered aloud.
"I mean, are you maybe still into me?" Freddie heard this as he reached the lockers; he wasn't trying to eavesdrop, he just didn't particularly want to spend the rest of the night stood by the water fountain. He hesitated, not wanting to disturb their conversation.
"No. Not at all," Tori tried to insist. "And I love Cat. She's like the sweetest thing ever, and I'm psyched you guys are going out - even if another of my friends IS into her."
The Seattleite frowned at this disclosure; he was about to say something and object when the brunette continued, "I guess it's- it's just..." and suddenly she and Danny were kissing. Freddie's eyes widened as he felt a huge conflict over the site; part of him quite liked the idea of Tori getting with Danny because it would maybe leave Cat free for him to pursue again, but at the same time he was concerned because this is Cat's guy and he knew how upset she would be. And speaking of Cat…
The red haired girl chose this precise moment to exit the girls' bathroom. She ground to an instant halt as she saw them and squealed as if in pain. The teenagers stopped kissing and both gave a yelp.
"Noooo-uhhh—" Tori began.
"No," Danny repeated.
C at turned and ran off in tears; she passed Freddie without realising he was there; he meant to intercept her but she left at top speed.
"Cat..." Danny called after her as she ran.
"Oh my God. Cat..." Tori shouted. Freddie walked into view of the pair and suggested that he go after her; Robbie appeared at top of stairs, however, and interrupted proceedings.
"Hey, do any of you guys know what kind of meat Sikowitz uses in this sausage? I asked him and he just started laughing like..." he imitated the odd teacher's laugh but stopped at the looks on the teens' faces. "Bye," he walked down the stairs.
"How come you're eating sausages anyway," Freddie asked curiously.
"What do you mean?"
"Well I thought you were Jewish. Most sausages are made, theoretically anyway, with pork."
"Oh. Uh…" the ventriloquist was at a bit of a loss for how to answer him.
Valentine Residence, Hollywood Hills.
Sunday, 28th March 2010.
The little red head had cried herself to sleep the previous night; the collapse of her mood was not lost on her parents who were eager to find out the reason. They wouldn't have to look too hard; Danny arrived mid-morning, wanting to speak to their daughter. When she initially refused, Mr Valentine rounded angrily on the boy.
"What did you do to her?" he demanded.
He sighed, having the decency to look shame-faced as he explained. "One of her friends is a girl from my old school – a girl that I used to date. Last night… I guess there were a few unresolved feelings going around because Tori ended up kissing me and I… I didn't stop her," he admitted.
"Tori? The new girl?" Mrs Valentine asked; he nodded.
"Wait, you were kissing one of my daughter's friends?" Cat's father sought clarity.
"Yes, sir. I regret it and I know it hurt Cat, but I want to talk to her about it."
"I don't," a small voice called; the three turned to see a baleful looking Cat at the foot of the stairs; her cheeks were tear-stained, she was in her pyjamas and hugging the stuffed toy Freddie had given her nearly two years earlier. "It's over," she looked her now ex-boyfriend square in the eye. "We're done. I don't want to see you again." She turned and started to walk back upstairs.
"Cat," he called after her.
"You heard her," Mr Valentine whispered coldly. "I think you should leave."
He nodded in disappointment and departed.
Asphalt Café.
Monday, 29th March 2010.
The Slap.
Tori Vega: Cat Cat Cat Cat CAT... PLEASE stop avoiding me! WE GOTTA TALK.
Mood = Desperate.
It had been a difficult thirty-six hours or so for the younger Vega; she had sat through her sister setting Beck and Jade up with a foot smoothening and forcefully declined the offer of one of her own (voicing the opinion that the only way she would like to experience the fish is if she was armed with a bottle of soy sauce). She had tried desperately to contact the red velvet-haired teen all day and was growing increasingly frustrated with her failure to do so. She was now sat at the usual table with Freddie, Robbie, Beck, Jade, Trina and André before school; had she been in a more observant mood then she would have noticed that the latter five all looked a little paler than usual.
"Okay, I tried calling her all day yesterday, left her 5 voicemails and sent her 12 text messages. Why won't Cat talk to me?" she challenged.
"Because you squirted hot cheese in her ear and made out with her boyfriend?" Freddie suggested; she gave him a slightly dirty look.
"Those things upset some girls," Jade grinned before giving a cough. "Damn, I must have picked up a bug somewhere," she noted.
"Ah ha!" Tori spotted the shorter girl creeping across café; clearly the girl was trying to avoid her. "Cat!" She got up and raced after her; the girl turned and ran away screaming. Tori gave chase, following her into the locker area.
The remaining teens exchanged looks at the scene that their friends were causing. "It's between them; they need to sort it out." Freddie commented with a shrug, before turning to Jade and glancing at the others too. "Besides, I don't think you guys should be left alone."
"I just want to talk to you!" Tori called as she chased Cat through the main doorway; she vaguely heard the bell but had more important things to worry about than being on time for class.
Cat, having failed to shake her off, began racing up and down the staircase, weaving in between the students who were lingering before the start of class; most of them seemed to be enjoying the impromptu spectacle far too much to think about intervening. "No, no, no! No, you kissed my boyfriend! No! No! Get away from me! No!" she yelled as Tori tried to grab her when she came within range; Cat only just managed to evade her. "Whoa, stop it! No!" she called as the other girl finally caught her and grabbed hold of her arm.
"Cat! Got 'ya!" she cried triumphantly.
"Let go!" the shorter girl demanded.
"No! We have to go talk!" Tori insisted.
"I don't want to talk to you!" Cat dug her heels in and refused to move as Tori intended to lead her somewhere more private. The brunette pulled harder and her friend fell to the floor.
"Cat!" she complained, trying to pull her to her feet.
"I don't want to get up!" the cupcake lover complained.
"C'mon Cat!" the half-Latina redoubled her efforts.
"Help! I need a teacher! Please, teacher," she called as she spotted Sikowitz walking towards them.
"Hello, girls. Can you believe I scored tickets to Hall and Oates?" he commented and left the area without a second look towards them.
Tori had run out of patience. "All right," she let go of the girl's wrist, grabbed her by leg instead and began dragging her along floor towards janitor's closet. "Here we go."
"Oh God; Tori!" Cat was wriggling and trying to escape.
"This way. Almost there. Okay. Okay. Here we go," Tori muttered as she continued to drag her along; Cat shrieked as she went and turns to the watching students
"Stop this from happening?" she asked them; again they were enjoying the show far too much to bring it to an early end.
"Oh, it's okay. She enjoys it," Tori tried to allay any guilt any of them might just be feeling. Finally she reached the closet; once they were inside, Tori closed door and leant against it.
"Let me out," Cat demanded as she finally got to her feet.
"Cat!" her friend began.
"This is kidnapping... or Cat-napping," she giggled at her own joke before her face fell and her voice became unusually hard. "Open the door," she ordered. Instead, Tori closed the gap between them and grabbed her shoulders.
"I'm sorry! And I'm not just saying I'm sorry, I'm really, really, seriously sorry," she told her shamefully.
"You sprayed cheese on me and then kissed my boyfriend," the other pointed out flatly.
Tori released her and lowered her eyes in embarrassment, guilt and shame. "Yeah. Yeah, I did."
"Why would you be mean to me?" the redhead pressed.
"I don't know. Maybe I did still have a few tiny little feelings left for Danny, and maybe that's why I went a little crazy, seeing you two being all mushy together," she rationalised.
"You could have just talked to me about it," the shorter teen pointed out.
"I know. What I did was terrible and awful and immature and you have every right to be furious with me. I swear, Cat, if I were you, I'd just punch me right in the face."
A moment later, Cat extended her left arm and punched the other girl square on the nose before looking off dreamily into space.
"Owww! Cat!" Tori complained.
"What?" she asked calmly, looking back towards her friend.
"You just punched me in the face," the brunette moaned.
"You said to," she pointed out.
"I know, but that's just something people say- owwww!" she pinched her nose with her left hand as she felt blood begin to trickle down one of her nostrils.
"Does it hurt?" Cat enquired.
"A lot! Okay. I think my nose may be broken."
"Well, now I feel all bad," she lamented.
"Don't. I deserved it! Feel better?" Tori asked.
"I think so," she nodded with a little smile.
"I'm sorry," the new girl repeated; she held out her right arm towards the other girl. Cat gave a genuine smile and they hugged, bringing a giggle from the shorter teen. "Will you take me to a hospital now?" Tori pleaded.
"Sure," she agreed.
"Thank you," and with that the two reconciled friends left the janitor's closet and headed for Cat's car.
Little did they know that their other friends were en route to the hospital too; Freddie had taken as many as he could in his car and Beck insisted that he felt well enough to drive himself and Jade there too; the technically-minded teen called his mother as he was driving them all there as he suspected some sort of poisoning from the fish.
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Centre, 501 S Buena Vista St, Burbank.
The two girls had sat in near silence, both deep in thought, as Cat drove them the shortish distance to the hospital. As they had parked up and were leaving the car, however, Tori spoke up, "You know Freddie still likes you, don't you? I'd just about bugged him into asking you out again after the opening night of Uptown, Downtown when you announced you were going off to meet Danny."
"Really?" Cat was shocked by this revelation. Before she could stop to think she had declared, "Well I wish you'd said so sooner, you could have had Daniel." She gasped at what she'd just said and covered her mouth with her hand as she processed it.
"I uh…" Tori was floundering a little herself at that thought and prospect, "I'm not sure about that."
"Then why did you kiss him?" Cat asked; curiosity had replaced hurt or anger towards the other girl, "either you like him or you don't."
"That is something that I need to figure out I guess," the brunette noted; her friend nodded alongside her.
They arrived at reception and were directed towards one of the nurses; Cat was fidgeting as the examination began; she was eager to leave this place and go and see Freddie, though she knew that she couldn't just ditch Tori though as she was the girl's ride back.
"Is it broken?" Tori asked the nurse.
"I don't think so, just bruised," she replied. "How did this happen?"
The two girls exchanged sheepish looks. "I, uh, fell," the brunette lied; the nurse looked thoroughly unconvinced.
"On what?" she played along.
"Something… hard," the singer replied, floundering a little.
"Like a rock," Cat elaborated with a giggle.
"Well... We should get you x-rayed. Take a seat over there," she pointed Tori towards the waiting area.
"Thank you," the brunette told her.
"Um-hmm," the nurse walked off. Cat groaned a little; she wanted to get back to school and talk to Freddie.
Little did she know that the boy was just a few yards away from her, behind a nearby screen where he looked concernedly over his friends, all of whom were suffering from the poisonous saliva of the pooka fish.
"Score one to mom," he muttered, giving Marissa a one-armed hug as the Head Nurse looked over his friends. She returned it and added a conspiratorial grin.
"Hey, how come you're not sick," Trina demanded curiously as she eyed the grinning Bensons.
"Just lucky I guess," the boy shrugged before hastily changing the subject. "I'm going to go and get a drink; mom always says I need to drink more fluids."
"That's very true Freddie, I do," she backed him up eagerly, watching him go.
"Trina," Beck groaned in pain.
"What?" the elder Vega asked.
"Oh my God!" Cat had been drawn by the sound of the voices she recognised; her cry caused Tori to join the gathering.
"What? Whoa!" she spotted most of her friendship group laid up and looking very sick.
"You all look awful!" Cat observed helpfully.
"What happened?" Tori asked them.
"Ask your sister," André coughed; it was Marissa who was to answer though.
"They all have myroleticulitis, an infectious attack on the central nervous system that can be very dangerous unless treated immediately," the Benson matriarch explained.
"How did they all get it?" Tori wondered.
"The pooka fish. Their saliva is riddled with toxins," the nurse answered.
"Cat, why are you fidgeting like this?" Jade asked in an annoyed voice; her usually low patience was at breaking point due to the sickness and her fidgety friend was really not helping her.
"Oh, because I really need to talk to Freddie when we leave here," Cat answered distractedly.
"Oh Freddie's here," Marissa supplied, "he just went for a drink a minute ago."
"Oh, 'kay 'kay, well I'll just wait for him then," she said happily, leaving the curtained-off room and sitting on a bench. She was alone when Freddie spotted her as he returned; he noticed her giving him an apprehensive look.
"Hey, are you ok?" he asked as he slid into the seat next to her.
"Yeah," the red-head answered with a smile, still not quite daring to believe Tori. "I broke up with Danny yesterday though after… what happened. Tori and I talked this morning though. I punched her in the face, we're good now," she finished with another smile, giggling at his surprised reaction to her admission. "Thanks for asking."
"Of course," he said in a voice that was almost bearing a hint of offence that he'd do otherwise, "just because of… everything that's happened over the last year or so – I never stopped caring about you Cat."
She saw the sincerity in his eyes and decided to believe the brunette; she quietly admitted, "I never stopped liking you either Freddie."
Freddie was a little stunned at the different choice of wording the girl used but this was nothing compared to his shock as she leaned in towards him. He was frozen in place as she moved ever closer; finally their lips met in a gentle, tentative and almost shy kiss. Suddenly the last year and a bit dissolved into nothing as their lips reacquainted and the feelings they had both long-repressed rushed back to the forefront of their minds. Freddie reminded himself, though, of all the things he had said to Tori in recent weeks about his relationship issues – and that Cat had literally just gone through a break-up herself – so he reluctantly pulled away; the look of hurt in her eyes that he had done so almost caused him physical pain.
"You've just broken up with Daniel," he reminded her in a whisper, "I don't want to take advantage of you while you're feeling down about it."
"You wouldn't be," she insisted, seizing his hand surprisingly strongly and fixing him with a stare, "I want you back Freddie; I guess I've really wanted it for a long time," she finished with a shy admission and a blush creeping up her cheeks.
He swallowed down his apprehension, feeling in his heart that he could truly put his trust in the beautiful girl sat next to him; his friend, someone he truly cared for, loved even (on some level, as he had recently told Tori). He realised in that moment that she was the one, maybe the only one, that would make a romantic endeavour worthwhile again right now but he gave himself a few more seconds by tenderly cupping her cheek with his hand and searching her eyes for any hint of uncertainty or evidence that she was merely rebounding. He found none, only the bright, child-like exuberance that he loved to see, so he snaked his left arm around her back and pulled her close. Her arms wrapped instinctively around his neck and his eyes closed as their lips met again.
Tori emerged from behind the curtain where her other friends were housed and spied the pair. She smiled at the sight of the two teenagers kissing, delighted that Cat was happy again after what she and Danny had done and thrilled to see that it was Freddie who she was happy with – even if she felt a small pang of regret that he wouldn't be with her anytime soon. She swallowed it down with a small feeling of guilt and just continued to grin happily as she watched them; a moment later she heard a voice by her shoulder.
"What are you staring at? Oh," the half-Latina detected the still slightly groggy tones of Jade West. The dark brunette eyed the finally reconciled couple and began to smile, pushing it further and further up her face with every passing second but both brunettes were surprised to see that, while the other was smiling, they refused to fully reach their eyes. "Nice work in breaking Danny and Cat up," Jade wheezed before staggering back behind the curtain to her bed.
"Are you ready for the scan?" the nurse asked the half-Latina. She nodded and followed her to a waiting room and she took a seat next to a handsome, dark-haired boy her own age.
Noticing her smile a little at him he introduced himself. "Hi, my name's Steven, I'm here rehabbing after I had an injury playing football."
"I'm Tori; I'm here because my friend punched me in the nose."
"Uh, why?" he laughed, stifling it behind his hand a moment later as he realised the impropriety of the action.
"Oh I made out with her boyfriend, who was my ex-boyfriend."
"Uhuh," the boy was baffled by the girls' antics.
"Actually, I guess I should call him and figure it all out one way or the other," she said, more to herself than to him; she stood and withdrew her phone from her jeans pocket. "Danny?" she asked as he answered; she was thankful that his number hadn't changed recently (though she could, of course, have just asked Cat for it if it had). "Yeah, it's me. Can we meet somewhere and talk later; I think we've a few things to figure out. Tomorrow night? Sure, that sounds great."
AN: And we're done with this chapter. I hope you liked it; one or two little threads that I hope will keep everyone interested. Don't be shy about reviewing and I hope to see you all next week for the next chapter.