AN: Hello everyone and welcome back for the latest chapter of A Place To Call Home. I hope you're all well and have had a good week.
As ever, thank you to everyone who read and, especially, reviewed the last chapter.
KoiChoco – thank you; Dark Freddie is something of a challenge as it's not a side that was really seen on the show. I think, though, that it's a realistic response to a lot of the things that have happened to him over the past couple of years.
Fanfic-Reader-88 – Beck and Jade always had an odd relationship in canon; she got jealous and possessive (personally I feel it was highlighting her insecurities and maybe fearing that he'd prefer someone else to 'the mean girl') and he did nothing to reassure her – in fact he often played on them. As for Sikowitz bailing on them when something kicks off; the guy has form for it as he did the same thing in the feature length episode "Locked Up".
Darck Ben – thanks.
Challenge King – similar to earlier, yes. Jade's feelings often get side-lined. She and Freddie are there for one another and have a deep connection. I don't think it's a romantic love – more of a brother/sister thing but I don't doubt that, in this story, they love each other on some level.
Pbow – you would think that someone would want to watch the winning team, wouldn't you? It would appear not though, otherwise of course, people would have cottoned on to the scam.
I think Jade and Cat are concerned because they don't see this as being the Freddie that they know and love and they want that Freddie back.
Agent-M – thanks and here's what happens next.
One last thing; One Horse Shay has updated iGuess We're Roomies in recent days and promised me another update soon so please check out that story too.
Chapter 25: Freak the Freak Out
Asphalt Café, Hollywood Arts High School,
Los Angeles, CA
Wednesday, 3rd November 2010.
Cat and Tori were sitting together at the kids' usual table in the school's lunch area. The redhead was her usual giggly self and, with the pair deep in discussion, the shorter girl's mood was infectious.
"So let me get this straight," Tori sought to clarify, "Mark McCallen wants my number?"
"Yeah, he's in one of your classes isn't he?"
"Yes, we're in theatre history together," the brunette confirmed.
"Right, well he's in science and maths with Freddie and me," the cupcake lover explained, "and he asked me if he could get your number. So, what should I say?"
"YES!" the excited brunette almost screamed. "Oh my God, he is insanely hot and everyone says he's an awesome kisser!"
"Maybe you'll find out," her friend observed with a conspiratorial smile.
"Hey ladies, how are my girls today?" Freddie asked as he and Jade joined them; the dark brunette raised a quizzical eyebrow at the boy's question.
"Oh hey," his girlfriend smiled, "we were just talking about Mark McCallen wanting Tori's number and what an awesome kisser her is," she finished with a shy giggle.
Freddie's smile faltered for a second at the way Cat was talking so exuberantly about another guy; Jade spotted his reaction and smirked.
"Somebody's jealous," she whispered teasingly, loud enough for only him to hear. He turned to glare at her; the gothic brunette simply folded her arms across her chest and broadened her smile.
Friday, 5th November 2010.
The change in Tori's mood from the previous couple of days was evident for all to see; Freddie sat with her at their table in the café over lunchtime, having not shared any classes with her during the morning. He was expecting her to be excited about a potential date over the weekend (he himself was looking forward to hanging with Cat and Jade this evening, when he got off work, at some new club that they'd heard of) so he was surprised and concerned to see her looking so miserable.
"Cat said he was gonna call me, but I really didn't think he'd call me. Then he called me!" she began, some excitement returning to her voice as she reminisced on the previous night; her face fell a little as she continued, "And Trina answered my phone – I was washing my hair last night – and she jacked my date! And now she can't even go on it because she'd getting her wisdom teeth out."
Freddie winced. "Ouch, I would not want to be her this weekend."
"I think I'm the one you should be feeling sorry for," Tori complained, "I have to look after her."
"Ooh girl!" he winced.
"Yeah," she nodded grimly.
"Are you ok after… everything?" he asked clumsily.
"Yeah," she nodded with a brave smile, "thanks for asking." She patted his arm gently.
Black box theatre
Class was almost over; it was their final period of the day so the kids were pretty much finished for the week. Cat and André were together on stage; the backdrop was of a jungle with Cat playing a tourist to André's local tribesman.
"Ow. Ow. Ow! I'm so scared," the girl wailed, laid on her back with the boy staring over her.
In an unusual, slightly African accent he tried to reassure her, "Try to relax. Everything is going to be alright."
"You have to get me to a doctor," she urged.
"Shh! If that spider bites your eyeball, you could die in minutes," he tried to soothe her.
"Oh, man, please get it off my eye." They held her right eye wide open and he peered closely.
"I'm going to try," he leaned in towards the girl's eye as if he was holding a pair of tweezers. "Now, shh. Don't move and don't make a sound."
Right on cue, Tori's phone rang, causing the whole class to jump violently, including the two on stage.
"Aah!" Cat wailed; André leapt away from her.
"Oh, man, the ringing is back! Ah!" Sikowitz jumped around the back of the theatre slapping at his ears.
"Sikowitz, hey, Sikowitz," Jade tried to placate her favourite teacher.
"Please," Robbie joined the attempts to settle him.
With the attempts failing, Beck and Jade yelled together, "Sikowitz!"
"Yes?" the eccentric prompted.
"That was a phone," the curly-haired ventriloquist pointed out.
The teacher, having identified the source of the ringing, stood behind Tori. "Whose?" he asked.
The embarrassed brunette raised her hand a fraction, "Mines," she admitted uncomfortably.
"Tori," he complained.
"I swear, I thought I had it on vibrate."
"Class is no place for swearing or vibrating," he informed her.
Still in character, André suggested, "Maybe we should start the scene over."
"Can we?" his red velvet-haired colleague pleaded.
"No, Cat, it's too late," Sikowitz countered. "By now, that spider would have bitten your character's eyeball, and you'd be dying a spastic, painful death."
"Thanks a lot, Tori," she complained sarcastically at her friend.
"Well, we have about four minutes left," the teacher glanced at his wrist; he wasn't wearing a watch. "Why don't we all chat about our weekend plans? Robbie, I assume you have none."
Freddie frowned a little at the insult; he hadn't forgotten what Robbie had said about Cat in the past but he didn't think it appropriate of Sikowitz to be insulting his students like that.
The bespectacled teen stuttered in protest for a few seconds before conceding, "I don't."
"Rex?" the teacher turned to the puppet.
"I'm gonna par-tay with a couple of girls from Northridge."
"Northridge girls?" Sikowitz was amused. "That should be an adventure."
"Heh heh, what can I say?"
"Hey, guess what Jade and I are doing tonight?" Cat offered; the class looked at her in silence for a few seconds. "There's this new place in Los Feliz. It's called Karaoke Dokie and they have singing competitions on the weekends so Jade and I are gonna do a song."
"I'm picking the song," the gothic girl snapped irritably.
"Jade's picking the song," her friend agreed happily.
"Can Rex and I come sing too?" Robbie ventured.
"Sure," Cat agreed.
"I told you, I got the Northridge girls," his puppet complained.
"They can come watch."
"Nah, man, Then they're gonna want us to buy 'em food and beverages."
Freddie palmed his forehead and shook his head at the sight of the puppet and its handler arguing.
"So?" the ventriloquist prompted.
"They're from Northridge," it pointed out. "I don't wanna spend money on 'em."
"Aw, I wish I could go to Karaoke Dokie," Tori lamented, picking up her bag, knowing that she needed to make a quick getaway after the bell.
"Why can't you?" Beck asked curiously.
"Does it matter why she can't?" Jade asked irritably.
"I was just wondering why she..." her boyfriend tried to defend himself; the dark brunette interrupted, shooting the new girl a smirk as she did.
"What, you need Tori around to have a good time? Is that your point? I'm not good enough for you anymore?"
"Dude..." Beck wanted to placate her.
"What?" she demanded.
"Jade," Sikowitz called in a calming voice, "you're lucky to have Beck. Don't be such a gank."
"Really Sikowitz?" Freddie leapt to his feet and rounded angrily on the acting teacher. "You REALLY think it's appropriate to call one of your students names like that?"
"When she'd behaving like..." he tried to justify his language; Freddie wouldn't let him.
"You'll be lucky if she doesn't file a formal complaint for you saying stuff like that about her in front of a room full of witnesses." Jade raised her eyebrows a little at him; she hadn't considered complaining about him but had to admit that Freddie was making very valid points.
Sikowitz cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yes well..." he coughed again.
In an effort to defuse the simmering tensions in the room, Cat asked Tori, "So, why can't you come?"
"Oh, Trina's getting her dumb wisdom teeth out today and guess who gets to spend the entire weekend taking care of her?"
"Okay, um, is it someone famous?" the redhead asked; Freddie and Jade traded helpless looks.
"No, me," Tori clarified.
"Why can't your parents take care of her?" the former Seattle native asked curiously.
"'cause they're gonna be in Santa Barbara," she told him.
"What for?" he was surprised that they'd just up and leave their child after such a thing.
"So they don't have to take care of Trina," she elaborated.
"Can't blame 'em," Beck reasoned.
"Shucks to be you," Jade echoed.
In an annoyed but playful voice, Tori fired, "Gank."
Jade grinned back; Freddie, meanwhile, pinched his nose and shook his head. The bell rang and Sikowitz freaked out again.
"Now, whose phone is that?" he demanded.
"That's the bell," the songsmith pointed out.
"Oh," he calmed down. "Bye."
Freddie waited for Cat to collect her things; she caught up with him and Jade on the way out. "I'll see you guys later; I'll need to call home quickly after work before I head to the club. Hopefully I'll be there for around 8:30," he told them.
"I don't think we'll be there much earlier," Jade reasoned. "Beck's picking us and André up when he finishes work so it'll probably be a little after 8 when we get there."
A grinning Cat added, "We're going to hang at Jade's before we go."
Jade looked less than happy at the idea.
"Urgh, I have to go," Tori complained; her mood was falling further at the talk of the evening's plans. "I have to go to the dentist with Trina."
"We'll see you in the morning," Beck told her; Freddie waved as she left.
The Slap Mobile
Tori Vega: OMG. Trina just got her wisdom teeth out. MOUTH BLOOD! BLECCHH
Mood = DISGUSTED
Pear Store
189 The Grove Drive, West Hollywood, CA
Freddie grimaced as he read his friend's update during his break; he could only imagine what the brunette was going through dealing with her already high-maintenance sister. He was enjoying his shift, sat behind the Brilliance Bar where he didn't have to deal with customers; a number of items had been checked in earlier in the day and several of them had found their way onto his work station. Methodically plodding through them was an enjoyable, therapeutic way of spending his time which had allowed him to forget about the issues that he had with Sikowitz. He smiled as he thought about the evening ahead of him, meeting Cat and the others at the karaoke club. The thought of her and Jade singing was certainly an appealing one for him.
Karaoke Dokie,
Los Feliz
Jade had had a somewhat less enjoyable evening so far; the dark brunette, this evening sporting her dark blue hair extensions, had become increasingly irritated with Cat's chatter during their afternoon of hanging together – so much so that she actually had them make a start on their homework in an attempt to distract the smaller girl from her musings. It had worked well, and the pair had accomplished quite a bit, by the time welcome relief arrived in the form of Beck and André.
"Hey girls, you ready to go?" the long-haired teen called in his usual, relaxed voice.
"Almost!" Cat leapt up and dashed to the den, where she changed into a sparkling, silvery top and a pair of her shortest daisy dukes. She grinned at the thought of the effect that they typically had on Freddie; as much as he tried to hide it, in the interests of chivalry, he loved to stare at her legs and she was happy to admit that she loved it when he stared at them.
The four arrived at the club and entered to see Robbie and Rex sat by the club's raised stage with a couple of, in Jade's opinion rather hideous, girls from Northridge; they were chatting animatedly and the girls seemed to be laughing at the puppet. The two girls signed up to sing, noting as they did that Robbie and Rex were also on the list, while Beck and André bought some sodas for the group.
"Ok," the club's MC called, next on the list tonight are Robbie and Rex! Give it up for them!"
The club's patrons applauded politely amid some confused looks as the odd couple took the stage; Robbie sat on a chair with Rex in his lap and positioned a microphone by the puppet's mouth. The music started and they began to sing.
Midway through their song, Freddie walked through the door, quickly spied his friends sitting close by and made for their table; he sat down, giving Cat a quick kiss and patting her bare leg. She giggled at his playful nature and he took the opportunity to admire the girl's legs and very short shorts. He was a little disappointed to have missed most of Robbie's performance, but thankful to at least catch the end.
"Move your body right next to mine," the ventriloquist sang.
"Feel the beat and we're lost in time," his puppet added.
"I'm yours and now you are mine," Robbie alternated the next line.
"Forever," It was Rex's turn.
"Baby," his handler finished the line.
"All the things that we want to do."
"Never gonna let go of you."
"Meant for me and I'm meant for you."
"Forever,"
"Baayyy-beeee," Rex finished to wild cheering and applause from the club, and particularly from their friends.
"Thank you," Robbie seemed overwhelmed by the reaction. "Thank you guys very much."
"That was for my two ladies from Northridge, Christie and Bella," Rex name-checked. "Give 'em some love." The crowd responded by politely applauding the pair.
"Hey. Thank you. See you, guys," Robbie left the stage.
"Hey guys. I almost missed Robbie then?" Freddie greeted his other friends properly now that the teenager's song was over.
"They were really good," Cat enthused; he nodded, appreciative of the part of their performance that he had caught.
"I'm gonna get a soda. You want one Freddie?" Jade offered.
"Yes please," he accepted gratefully.
"Get me one?" André asked.
"No." The gothic teen headed for the bar with that parting shot.
"She can be a gank," the songsmith complained.
"You have no idea," her boyfriend agreed.
Freddie snapped his head angrily towards the boys; in a low but furious tone he challenged, "Really? You're letting people say stuff like that about your girlfriend? She may be lucky to have you but YOU'RE way luckier to have a girl like her. I'd stop taking that for granted if I was you."
"Dude! You don't know what she's like," Beck kept his voice light but was clearly irritated by the tech genius's words.
"I'm well aware of what a great girl Jade West is, thank you very much," he replied in a cold voice. "Here I was thinking that when I called out Sikowitz I just jumped the gun and stole your thunder. Were you even going to defend your girlfriend from what he said about her?"
Beck frowned at him but, before he could respond, the MC interrupted.
"Okay, How 'bout Robbie and Rex, huh? One of the most amazing ventriloquist acts I've ever seen."
Beck turned to face the odd couple; Freddie shook his head in disgust.
"Yay! Whoa!" The Northridge girls could be heard cheering their 'boys' from across the room.
"Ventriloquist?" Robbie asked, turning to his puppet.
"What's he talkin' about?" Rex demanded before turning to Christie and Bella, "Ah, heh-heh. You can join my team. I call it Rex's all hot girl volleyball squad."
The temporary peace at the Hollywood Arts juniors' table was broken by the arrival of two girls; one brunette and the other blonde. Freddie and Cat looked in shock at the blonde; the boy felt amazed by her audacity.
"First time here?" the brunette asked Beck; he looked behind him as she took Jade's seat, thinking that she was talking to somebody else.
"Um, yeah," he answered her upon concluding that it was him to whom she was talking.
"If you get nervous, I'll hold your hand," to prove the point she took it; he used his free hand to pry it off awkwardly.
Cat broke the mounting tension by interjecting, "I get nervous when my brother eats things that aren't food." She turned to her still-shaken boyfriend and added, "Seriously, I think He ate my charm bracelet."
"What's with you?" the blonde asked Freddie. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"
The former Seattle native let out a quick relieved breath; the voice gave away that she wasn't who he thought she was. "You just look so much like my ex-girlfriend, Lindsey," he told her.
"Well I'm Tara," she introduced herself before smiling confidently. "And is that a good thing?"
"Not really; she shattered my heart into a million tiny pieces and it's only this awesome girl," he squeezed Cat's hand; she giggled and leaned into him. He gave her a grateful look, "that put it back together for me."
Tara frowned at their exchange. Meanwhile, across the table...
"You have insane hair," the brunette admired Beck's locks and ran her hand through them; he took her hand from his head but patted it on the table. "Yeah, uh, my hair was normal and then one day it just went insane. Sad story."
"I like your story," the girl enthused.
"Um, hi. Miss?" Cat disturbed her.
"What?" the brunette snapped.
"He has a girlfriend," the redhead pointed out.
"I don't see her."
Jade returned at that moment; with difficulty she resisted the temptation to pour hers and Freddie's drinks over brunette. Instead she barked, "Turn around." The girl complied. "Now you see her."
"I don't see much," the teenager retorted confidently. Freddie stood, ready to support his friend somehow, he just wasn't sure quite how.
"O-kay, um, um.." André tried to smooth things over. "Hey, did you know that karaoke comes to us from the Japanese?" All eyes turned to him in confusion but he had succeeded in turning down the tension a fraction.
"Yeah, how great is Japan?" Beck echoed.
"Right? Good people," his songsmith friend enthused.
Tara wasn't in the mood for such conversation; she felt disgusted, having been shot down by Freddie, and spotted the dreadlocked teen's coat. "Hey," she called to her friend, "check out dude's jacket."
"Ohh," the brunette spotted the insignia, "Hollywood Arts. The school for… wannabes," she smirked at the kids.
"You know, you might wannabe shuttin' your face there," Jade pointed out.
"Really?" the other challenged.
"Really," Jade confirmed.
André tried again to act as peacemaker. "Huh," he mumbled, before raising his voice, "Hey. Look what they got on the menu, Buffalo nuggets. Well, that's good news," before finishing in a quieter voice and with an embarrassed chuckle, "not for the buffalo."
"So, Hollywood Arts," the brunette challenged. "You girls gonna sing tonight?"
"Well, we didn't come for the buffalo nuggets," the black-clad teen retorted.
"But we are gonna get some, right?" her boyfriend asked.
"I don't care," she snapped at him before turning to her antagonist. "And yeah, we're singing tonight."
"Awesome," Tara smiled.
"So are we," her friend informed them.
"I like Japan," Cat spoke up all of a sudden, "except my brother got stabbed there." The others turned to her in surprise and confusion. "It was an accident," she assured them, "he's better now."
"Is he?" Freddie asked excitedly. "That's great!" He knew, of course, how tough times had been for the Valentines recently with the boy and his many issues.
"Well, he's over that," the redhead amended. "He still has some other issues they're trying to fix though. Are buffalo nuggets spicy?"
"No, sweetie," he smiled, "they're not too bad, unless you get a hot sauce with them."
The girl gave him her most simpering smile. "Oh, 'kay 'kay."
Tara leaned close to André and demanded, in a low voice, "He's dating THAT?"
The boy just shrugged.
Across the club, Robbie was trying to impress the Northridge girls. "So, the lady says to the fisherman, 'maybe you should try putting a worm on the hook.'"
Christie and Bella just looked blankly at him so he repeated, in a more enthusiastic voice, "A worm on the hook."
"They heard you, man. You told the joke wrong," his puppet complained.
"I did not," he hissed back.
"Look here," Rex turned to the girls. "See, the lady said to the fisherman, 'that worm's not at school, he's playin' hooky.'" The two girls laughed uproariously. "See what they do? Take notes," he told his handler before turning back to the Northridge pair. "Drink your beverages. Yeah. Mm-hmm."
Cat, meanwhile, was admiring Jade's purse. "I like your purse," she told her friend.
"Thanks."
"What is this?" The girl felt the soft pelt.
"Monkey fur," the brunette answered.
"Oh." The red velvet-haired teen set the item down again.
"Alright peepers," the MC called. "We have a singing contest goin' on here. Next up are a couple of Karaoke Dokie regulars... Hayley Ferguson and Tara Ganz!" The patrons applauded the kids' antagonists; Cat and Jade, meanwhile, threw unpleasant looks at them.
"Enjoy us," the brunette, Hayley, told them.
"Enjoy my monkey fur," Jade waved her purse at the pair.
"Okay, girls," the MC called to them as they got on stage. "Choose your poison."
"We're going to sing 'Number One'," the brunette declared.
"Ooh, the hit by Ginger Fox! Alright, here it comes. Let's juice 'em up!" He started the music track.
Tara held the microphone to her mouth and cried, "Let's get this started!"
In an off-key voice, Hayley began, "Hello? Is everybody watchin'? Before I get the party started. You know you wanna be invited; step right up and get a taste of what you're bitin'."
Tara joined in and together they continued, "Feel the groove when we move I'm the centre. Get it right every night like we're meant to."
"When it all goes…" Tara began.
"Down," Hayley added.
The blonde continued, "I need to tell ya."
Together they sang, "You're gonna love me, you're gonna tell me that you're ready to go; I'm already there, look up in the air 'cause I'm the star of the show.
I'm number one, baby, always number one, baby; so forget what you've heard, this is my world."
Freddie leaned towards Jade; Cat was sitting between them and he addressed the pair with a smile, "Well at least I know it's DEFINITELY not Lindsey; I may hate her but that girl could sing! Tara can't."
The two girls smiled at him but looked to one another and traded worried looks at his continuing attitude towards his ex-girlfriend.
"So forget what you heard, this is my world," the girls on-stage prepared for their finale.
"My world revolves around me," Hayley sang.
"Oh, oh, so forget what you heard, this is my world," Tara added.
"My world revolves around me," the brunette repeated.
"My world," her friend echoed before they finished together,
"My world."
Some people cheered, along with a smattering of polite applause for the duo.
"Whoo!" the MC enthused.
"Yeah," Jade called, "we're clapping because it's over!"
Cat giggled and nudged her friend playfully. Beck, however, took a different view, shushing her, which caused Freddie to openly shake his head.
"What?" Beck demanded in a hot whisper.
"You're not going to support her at all?" The shorter teen challenged.
"I'm trying to keep her out of trouble," he insisted; Freddie gave a disbelieving shrug and turned back to talk to his own girlfriend.
"So, I was just standin' in line," Rex was telling Christie and Bella, "gettin' ready to order a pizza when this dude in a sport coat walks up to me and goes, 'pardon me, do you know where I could purchase some golf clubs?' And I'm all, 'Back off, man, I don't wanna talk to you.'" The girls laughed at his anecdote and, with Robbie's help, he nudged their food closer to them. "Eat your fries," he urged them.
"Alright, all right," the MC announced. "Next up in this singin' competition we've got Jade West and Cat Valentine." The two climbed up onto the stage to huge applause from their Hollywood Arts friends. "Okay, girls, what you gonna throw down?"
"We wanna sing Give It Up," Cat informed him.
"Alright, a little R & B action toni-igh-igh-ight."
"Yeah, just play it," Jade demanded; he complied.
The two started at the back of the stage; Jade spun to face the audience as she began, "Some day I'll let you in, treat you right drive you outta your mind."
Cat took up the song, "You never met a chick like me, burn so bright, I'm gonna make you blind."
The two turned to face one another and continued in tandem, "Always want what you can't have; is it so bad if you don't get what you wanted? Make it feel good as I whip you into shape yeah boy let's get it started.
Give it up, you can't win 'cause I know where you've been, such a shame you don't put up a fight. That's a game that we play at the end of the night, it's the same old story but you never get it right.
Give it up.
Come a little closer; come a little closer, baby, baby." Cat walked over to Freddie and jiggled a little in his direction, a flirtatious grin on her face.
Jade began the second verse alone, "So stop trying to walk away, no, you won't ever leave me behind."
Cat took over, "No, you better believe that I'm here to stay,"
"That's right," her friend added.
"'cause you're the shade and I'm the sunshine, oooo-ohhh," the redhead continued.
Jade joined in again and together they sang, "Look at me boy 'cause I got you where I want you isn't it so exciting? Will it shake you when I break you? Take the back seat boy, 'cause now I'm driving.
Give it up, you can't win, 'cause I know where you've been, such a shame you don't put up a fight. That's a game that we play at the end of the night, it's the same old story but you never get it right.
Give it up.
With only two exceptions, Hayley and Tara, the whole club was impressed with the girls' efforts; the MC was leaping around his both, dancing to their song choice.
"Hey-e-e, hey-e-e, hey-e-e, ooh-ooh," Cat warbled.
"Come a little closer, come a little closer, baby, baby," the two sang. "Come a little closer, come a little closer, baby, baby. Come a little closer, come a little closer, baby. Yeah, you are my baby and I'll make you crazy tonight.
Look at me boy 'cause I got you where I want you, isn't it so exciting? Will it shake you when I break you? Take the back seat boy 'cause now I'm driving.
Give it up, you can't win 'cause I know where you've been," Jade bent down to the irritating girls' table, picked up some of their salad and flung it back onto the plate, spreading the stuff around the table and caused them to recoil in mild fear. "Such a shame you don't put up a fight. That's a game that we play at the end of the night, it's the same old story but you never get it right.
Give it up! Oh-oh-oh, yeah."
Their song was over; huge whooping and cheering came from the entire audience; Freddie jumped onto stage to hug his girlfriend; the couple pulled Jade willingly into a group hug with them. The gothic teen then waved at Hayley and Tara as she dismounted the stage; they snarled back at her but, completely unperturbed, she walked over to Beck and kissed her boyfriend, knowing full well that Hayley was watching.
"We go to school with them, that's what's up," Rex informed his girls proudly.
"Yeah, yeah, baby, What about that, right?" the MC enthused. "Okay, that's everybody on the list. So, now, to announce tonight's Karaoke Dokie winner, here's the owner of the joint, the man who signs my checks... Joey Ferguson."
Polite applause greeted a smiling, balding man as he took the stage holding a trophy; a crystal microphone with the Karaoke Dokie logo on a plinth underneath it.
"Thanks, everyone," he acknowledged the crowd. "A lot of great singers here tonight, huh?"
The audience clap their agreement. "Yeah!" someone called out.
"But I think two girls really stood out." Freddie smiled proudly and patted Cat's arm; she and Jade exchanged confident smiles. "So, tonight's winners are... Hayley and Tara!"
The two girls stood, cheering; Cat, meanwhile, sat open-mouthed in annoyed astonishment and Jade looked to the owner in disbelief. Freddie shook his head in disgust while the rest of club sat in stunned silence.
"Hey, are you wazzin' me?" Rex demanded.
"Rex," Robbie tried to shush him.
"Those scrunges can't sing," the puppet pointed out.
"Come on, man," Beck implored.
"These girls got ten times more applause than them," André gestured to his classmates.
"Just sit down," an annoyed Hayley snapped into the microphone.
"I'll sit you down," the dreadlocked teen threatened.
"Hey, hey, I own the club, so, I decide who wins," Mr Ferguson pointed out with finality.
"Thank you, dad," the brunette smiled
"Dad?" Jade asked, looking at them; Hayley just smirked at her.
The Hollywood Arts gang turn to one another; "Dad!" they shouted in unison, throwing their hands up.
"Wait," Cat said, "why would she call him dad unless..." the cupcake lover grabbed her boyfriend's arm. "I bet he's her father!" Freddie pinched his nose again and closed his eyes.
"Fix, fix!" Rex heckled; the audience began to boo and jeer their agreement with his sentiments.
"Hey, hey, we won 'cause we rock," Hayley argued.
"Yeah, don't believe everything your daddy says," Cat snapped.
"Like when he tells you you're pretty," Jade sniped.
The two girls on-stage gasped; Rx laughed. "Woooo."
"Yeah," Robbie cheered.
"Testify," his puppet finished.
"Okay, that's it, you guys are banned from singing here ever again," the brunette decided.
"Yeah, like we care," Jade shot back.
Beck, perhaps annoyed or perhaps in an attempt to prove Freddie wrong, stood up. "Come on," he urged the group, "let's get outta here."
"Yeah, let's bail," the short-haired boy agreed.
However, at that moment, the group's waitress arrived, bearing armfuls of food. "Okay, I have your nachos, your sliders, and the buffalo nuggets." She set them down on the table.
"I say we get outta here, right after we finish this food," André proposed; the others agreed and sat down.
"Right after," Cat agreed.
"Yeah," Beck spat.
"Pass the ranch dressing," the songsmith demanded angrily.
"Here," Jade slid it across the table.
"Ketchup," Cat prompted.
"Coming at you," her boyfriend handed it to her.
"Ahh," she growled angrily.
Freddie helped himself to one of the buffalo nuggets. "These are delicious," he complimented.
Beck took a bite from one. "The best," he agreed.
"What are we going to do about this?" Cat asked as the quintet left the club together half-an-hour later.
"What can we do? Her daddy owns the club and he's gonna uphold your ban," Beck conceded.
"There has to be some way around it – or to teach these girls a lesson," Freddie commented thoughtfully.
"I have an idea," Jade told her best friend in a low voice. "But we're going to need help."
"Who from?" the redhead asked in curious excitement.
"Just be ready around 11 tomorrow morning; the guys are going to check on the Vega sisters and we're going to be there too."
"Oh, 'kay 'kay," she nodded. "Can we bring frozen yoghurt?"
Jade closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh.
Vega residence
Saturday, 3rd November 2010.
The Slap
Tori Vega: I'm EXHAUSTED. My sister kept me up ALL NIGHT with her BLEEDING GUMS.
Mood – WRECKED
FreddieB – feel for you Tori_V, I'll see you after work x
The brunette grinned at her friend's reply; she wasn't really in the mood to be too happy this morning after suffering with Trina all evening. Her mood had lifted slightly when André, Beck and Robbie arrived bearing Frozen Yoghurt for the sisters and been boosted further when Robbie had reluctantly regaled her with the story of how Christie and Bella had stolen his wallet while he and Rex were in the bathroom after paying their bill at the club. Tori described it as 'Classic Northridge Girls'; Freddie had been even less sympathetic, asking the boy why on earth he had left his wallet unattended with them.
"Oh, who's that?" the singer growled as the doorbell rang again; she opened the front door to her home, revealing Cat and Jade standing there.
"Hi," the redhead called brightly.
"Hello," Jade greeted her far more levelly.
"We brought you frozen yoghurt," Cat offered her the treat.
"Why?" She turned to the boys, battling to untie Trina (she had swung on Tori the previous night while the younger sister tried to give her her antibiotic; Tori's response had been to restrain and gag her). "You know, frozen yoghurt doesn't solve all the world's problems."
"I told you to bring her doughnuts," Jade told her best friend.
"Why aren't you being nice?" the red velvet-haired girl complained.
"And why do you look disgusting?" the dark brunette added.
"Trina," she pointed at her sister.
"Ohhh," the two newcomers muttered in comprehension.
"Listen, we need to talk to you," Jade got to the point of the girls' visit.
"It's really important," the redhead added.
"Alright," the light brunette conceded. "Let's go outside; I don't wanna be in here when they get that tape off her mouth." She headed into the front yard; Cat followed but Jade stopped to smuggle Beck's car keys from his jacket pocket before joining them. "So what's up?" she asked when the three of them were alone; she helped herself to a mouthful of fro-yo and prepared to listen to their tale.
"Last night we went to Karaoke Dokie," Jade began. Way to go rubbing it in, the singer thought in annoyance.
"And these two girls were really mean to us," Cat added.
"Like, Jade-level mean?" Tori sought to clarify
"No, not that mean, but really mean," Cat clarified.
Jade ignored the affront and continued the explanation. "And they cheated."
"So cheated," her friend agreed.
"And they were totally trashing Hollywood Arts," the dark-haired girl added.
"Really?" Tori was surprised that the school would be a target for these girls.
"What's on your arm?" Cat noticed the red stains.
"Trina's mouth blood," the taller girl answered.
"Eww."
"Cool," Jade loved the idea; Tori gave her a curious look.
"So how did they cheat?" She sought to change the subject.
"Well, you know how we said there was a singing competition?" Cat prompted; Tori nodded.
"Well, Robbie and Rex sang," Jade took up, "then these two ganks…" she shot Cat a look, "well to say they sang would be very generous to them."
"They sucked," the little redhead echoed.
"And we sang and the crowd loved us," the dark-haired girl enthused.
"We got, like, way more applause than anyone else."
"But the winner was decided by the owner; and the owner of the club just happens to be the brunette's daddy."
"Her daddy?" Tori sought confirmation.
"Owns the place," Jade reiterated.
"I think that's why they won," Cat added unhelpfully.
"People were arguing, we said some things that they didn't like too much," the gothic teen smirked at the memory.
"And they told us we can't sing there anymore," the cupcake lover added sadly.
"They banned you both from singing there ever again?" Tori was incredulous.
"Yep," Jade nodded.
"Uh-huh," Cat agreed.
"Okay, I hate these girls." Tori was annoyed.
"Yeah," Jade backed her position.
"So do we," Cat made it unanimous.
"You wanna help us get back at 'em?" The dark brunette's devious smirk was in place.
"Tonight?" the red velvet-haired girl prompted.
"Oh, I gotta take care of Trina," the light brunette complained.
"Don't worry about that," Jade's grin was back.
"Jade has a plan," Cat noted.
"I don't know." Tori was unsure.
"You wanna stay here and take care of Trina's bleeding mouth?"
Tori opened the front door and looked inside; she saw Trina fighting with the boys as they sought to untie her and take care of her; she closed door again and turned to the other girls. "So, the plan?"
Cat and Jade smiled at her and led her to their car.
"Where are we going?" the younger Vega asked.
"Cat's place; you need to text André."
Following Jade's direction, Tori fired off "Need you, Beck and Robbie to take care of Trina til midnight," to her friend. Jade, allowing Cat to drive, fired off a text of her own to her boyfriend, "Hey, babe, you can't leave Tori's house. I took your car keys."
"I knew they'd say no," she explained, "now they have no choice," she finished with a satisfied grin.
The Slap Mobile
Tori Vega: Jade has a plan. Soon I will be HIDEOUS. Pics to come…
Mood – MISCHIEVOUS
FreddieB – now I'm intrigued; see you in a few x
Valentine Residence, Hollywood Hills
"Cat, are you sure about this?" Tori asked in concern, "I remember what happened the last time you put make-up on my face."
"Relax, see, this is definitely Dermaglue," she proffered the bottle to the nervous brunette; Tori checked the label and nodded, feeling just a little calmer.
"Ok, so we need to give you a fake nose, a nice mole for your cheek, we have this hat with fake hair and some glasses and eyebrows," Cat continued.
"And you got all this from school? How did you even get in there this morning?" she pressed.
"Oh, one of the windows in Sikowitz's classroom doesn't close properly; it can be opened from the outside and then we snuck in that way," the redhead shrugged before turning back to her 'model'; she smiled as she applied the finishing touches. "And… we're done!" she cried triumphantly.
"Whoa," Tori gasped as she saw the transformation in the mirror; she wore a fancy black top hidden by a bulky blue cardigan and old, faded jeans. "Goodbye Tori Vega, hello… Louise Nordoff?" she turned to her partners in crime.
The two girls nodded at the name. "Sounds like a loser to me," Jade commented, a little harshly.
"So now what?" the lighter haired girl prompted.
"Now, we wait for Freddie; he's our ride tonight."
Benson Residence
The afternoon had trudged slowly by for Freddie; ever since reading Tori's first update of the day, during his morning break, he had been eager to pay the girl a visit to see how she was coping with her sister. Cat had called him over lunch to inform him of their scheme; he had been happy to be a part of it and was looking forward to meeting up with them a little later on. First, though, he needed to spend a little time with his mother, who had also called him during the day and told him that she had news for him.
"Hey mom," he called as he entered his home.
"Oh hi Freddie, dinner's almost ready," Marissa replied. "Wash your hands and we can eat and then talk."
"Ok," he shrugged.
The two Bensons shared a healthy meal; Freddie ate without complaint as he was anticipating a better supper, comprising of the club's Buffalo nuggets and some of the rest of their selection. "So, what did you want to talk about?" he prompted.
"Not over dinner, Freddie," the head nurse complained, determined to observe the proper niceties and order of things.
After dinner, the two retired to the living room; finally Marissa was ready to talk.
"I spoke to my twin sister today," she began; Freddie nodded. He knew that the two spoke fairly often but didn't get to see one another too much given his aunt's profession. "Well, the good news is that this is the first holiday in a long time that she's not going to be working so she's invited us to spend Thanksgiving weekend with her."
"Really?" her son was a little surprised, albeit excited. As much as he loved the company of his girlfriend and other school friends, it would be nice to see his family, especially when he so seldom saw his aunt.
"I've booked our flights; we fly out on the Wednesday night and back the Sunday evening, so you'll be back in plenty of time for school."
He nodded again. "Sounds great; a weekend on the East Coast, I'm looking forward to it." His phone beeped; he drew it from his pocket and read the message. "That was Cat, wanting to know what time I'll be there. I guess I'd better get ready and go." He stood up, crossed the room to give his mother a quick kiss on the cheek and headed up to his room to change from his Pear Store uniform into a grey penny-T (Liquid Chicken emblazoned in yellow writing), his blue and white plaid shirt and medium blue jeans.
"I'll be back later, mom. See you then or in the morning," he called as he headed out.
"Alright, be careful," she urged him.
Freddie made the short drive to Cat's home and rang the doorbell; Cat, now dressed in a deep blue shirt and very dark blue skinny jeans, opened the door to let him in, having first given him a welcoming kiss and hug.
"Hi ladies; wow, Tori!" He could recognise his friend but was still taken aback by the transformation.
"Do I look like a singing star to you?" she challenged playfully.
"Not really," he agreed. "So, you girls ready to go?"
"Sure, lead the way," Jade urged; the quartet headed for his car.
Karaoke Dokie
Los Feliz
"Ok, I'll let you out here," the driver told Tori, "that way you won't be seen entering with us. I'll park up then me, Jade and Cat will head inside and grab a table not too far away from you. With a bit of luck the plan will work and you can join us soon."
Tori nodded and got out of the Corolla as Freddie slowed to a stop half a block from the club; the remaining trio waved to 'Louise' as they pulled away, searching for a convenient parking spot.
Tori entered the club; nobody gave a second glance to the unattractive-looking girl; she found an empty table in the corner, well out of everybody's way, and pulled out her book, covered with a custom-made dust jacket "Coping with Failure."
The Slap Mobile
Tori Vega: At a cool karaoke club. I look DISGUSTING. Love it :)
Mood – Pumped
Hayley and Tara were on the stage singing as the trio entered the club; they immediately spotted Tori at her table but pretended not to recognise her, in order to keep her disguise intact.
"Oh, I'm in love, I'm in love," the girls sang, "sittin' here without your love, I'm in love, I'm in love, never live without your love. Why can't you see here inside of me? Everybody tells me now your love will only bring me down!"
A smattering of applause greeted the conclusion of the girls' song; they smiled confidently and returned the microphones to the MC's station.
"Alright-tay," he declared, "that was our reigning champions, Hayley and Tara."
A cry of "Whoo" could be heard from a member of the audience; the two, however, were no longer paying attention; they had noticed some familiar faces and were making their way towards them.
"Okay," the MC announced, "we're gonna take a little fiver, so your MC can go pee." In response to the crowd's non-reaction, he continued in a downbeat voice, "That joke never gets a laugh."
"Oh, look who's back," Tara taunted as she approached the three Hollywood Arts students.
"I thought I smelled failure," Hayley added.
"Except for you," the blonde smiled at Freddie; she shot Cat a scathing look and her smile broadened as she addressed the boy again, "at least not if you traded up in the girlfriend department."
"Sorry; I'm happy with Cat and anyway, the resemblance is just too creepy." He shuddered at the thought as it mingled with memories of Lindsey.
"Looks like if you can smell failure then you must be sniffing yourself," the redhead fired smugly at them; she turned to Jade. "Good, right?"
"For you," her best friend conceded.
"You know you can't sing here," the brunette reminded them.
"Why would we want to?" Cat snapped.
"So, your daddy can let you win again?" Jade suggested.
"He picked us because we sang the best," the younger Ferguson protested.
"Oh, my God," Jade was starting to feel that she believed her own crap.
"That is so tight," Cat shook her head.
"Sweetie, Tight means good," Freddie muttered in a low voice.
"That is so… not tight," she amended.
"And guess what?" Jade set the plan in action. "If the audience picked the winners here any person in this place would beat you morons."
"Anyone... Morons," the redhead echoed.
"But you'd be too scared to do that, right?" the dark brunette goaded.
"We're not too scared to let the audience pick the best singer," Tara snapped back.
"Nope," her friend agreed.
"Then do it," Jade challenged.
"And if we win?" Hayley prompted; the two Hollywood Arts girls looked at one another.
"You can make out with Jade's boyfriend," Cat offered.
"What?" her friend yelped.
"She likes his hair," the redhead elaborated.
"So do I."
"Well I knew it wasn't his personality that you were drawn to," Freddie muttered; he was a little thankful that the girl didn't hear his comment.
"Then I get him as well," the blonde gestured to Freddie. "Worried?" she smirked at Cat.
"No," the gothic teen snapped.
"I am…" Freddie whispered; Cat patted his arm reassuringly.
"And if you lose?" Jade turned to Cat as if in thought.
"Um, you have to babysit a girl we know."
"Pfft!" the blonde thought it would be an easy assignment.
"Fine," her friend was equally confident.
"Good," Cat was happy that the deal was done.
"So, pick someone to sing against you," demanded Jade.
"Alright, we'll pick..." Tara scanned the room; her eyes settled on Tori, still appearing to be reading "Coping with failure". She and Hayley smiled at one another.
"Her," the brunette nominated, causing their foes to trade conspiratorial grins.
"Oh, come on, not her," Cat complained theatrically.
"At least pick someone who has a chance," Jade echoed.
"You said any person in this place," Hayley reminded them.
"And, um, I think she's in the place," Tara agreed; she turned towards Tori and called, "Hey, Ugly Betty; time to sing."
Tori looked around then, realising that they were referring to her, pointed to herself and mumbled, "Me?" Hayley and Tara nodded; behind their backs Cat, Jade and Freddie grinned malevolently.
The Slap Mobile
Tori Vega: I'm about to… FREAK THE FREAK OUT, Get excited. Very ;)
Mood – TRIPLE PUMPED
The trio claimed a vacant table after the dispute ended; they chatted in a relaxed manner as Tori got ready for her performance, thought Freddie was extremely unnerved by the flirtatious smiles that Tara kept sending his way.
"Love you pretending to be nervous there," Jade teased.
"Who's pretending? I trust Tori and she's way better than they are; it's just… if she did lose…" he trailed off; Cat squeezed his hand and pulled him into a cuddle.
"Okay, we're doin' something a little special here tonight," the MC called. "You've just heard the melodious voices of our champions, Hayley and Tara. Well, they've picked a challenger to sing next. And then, you, the audience, are gonna pick a winner by your own applause. Are you guys down?"
The audience confirmed, by raucous applause, that they were, indeed, 'down' with the idea. "Alright. What's your name up at the mic there?"
"Louise Nordoff," Tori mumbled.
"Wow, that's a name," the MC observed amid laughter from the club's patrons. "What do you wanna sing tonight, Louise?"
"Um, I would like to sing, Freak the Freak Out."
"Really? Are you sure? That's a pretty intense tune," he attempted to dissuade her.
"I'd like to sing it now, please."
"Alright," he conceded with a sigh, here comes Louise, singin' Freak the Freak Out."
As the introduction began, Tori began to dance a little to the music; a member of the audience called out, "Come on, Louise!" in sarcastic tones.
The club owner's daughter and her friend smiled confidently at HA kids; Cat looks back at them.
"Don't make that face," Jade warned her.
"Are you listening?" Tori began. "Hear me talk, hear me sing. Open up the door, is it less, is it more? When you tell me to beware are you here, are you there?" She pointed around the club, drawing more laughs from those who believed her to be hopelessly out of her depth. "Is it something I should know, easy come easy go."
She removed her hat and wig as she continued, "Nodding in your head, don't hear a word I said. I can't communicate when you wait, don't relate."
The glasses and false nose were next to be cast aside. "I try to talk to you, but you never even knew,"
The girl removed her cardigan to reveal the black, sparkly top; her cheek warts went and she ran her hands through her hair to give it a little more volume after the time it had spent piled under the hat and wig.
"So what's it gonna be? Tell me can you hear me?"
Looking once more like Tori Vega, the brunette removed the microphone from the stand and began to stride confidently around the stage.
"I'm so sick of it, you're attention deficit; never listen, you never listen."
Hayley and Tara looked towards the Hollywood Arts juniors in accusing shock; the trio shrugged back, feigning surprise at the girl's transformation.
"I'm so sick of it, so I'll throw another fit; never listen, you never listen."
The young couple got up from the table, urged Jade to do likewise and the three began to dance at foot of raised dance floor.
"I scream your name, it always stays the same. I'll scream and shout, so what I'm gonna do now is freak the freak out."
Tori jumped on to the table at which Hayley and Tara were sat as she continued, "Whoa-oh-oh! Whoa-oh-oh! Whoa-oh-oh! Whoa-oh-oh-oh! Whoa-oh-oh! Whoa-oh-oh! Whoa-oh-oh! Whoa-oh-oh-oh! "
"Come on," she urged her friends, gesturing to them; the three climbed onto the dance floor to join her.
"Patience running thin, running thin, come again. Tell me what I get opposite, opposite." Tori left her friends and began to walk around the club as she continued, "Show me what is real; if it breaks does it heal? Open up your ear, why you think that I'm here. Keep me in the dark; are you even thinking of me? Is someone else above me? Gotta know, gotta know. What am I gonna do, 'cause I can't get through to you so, what's it gonna be? Tell me, can you hear me? I'm so sick of it, you're attention deficit," she got right in Tara's face at this point. "Never listen, you never listen. I'm so sick of it," she threw an arm around Hayley; her fellow brunette was not happy. "So I'll throw another fit," now she was right in the owners' daughter's face, "Never listen, you never listen. I scream your name," Tori returned to the dance floor, joining her three friends who were still there, having a lot of fun watching her performance, "it always stays the same, I'll scream and shout, so what I'm gonna do now is…"
As one almost the entire audience concluded with her, "Freak the freak out!"
Those present broke out into huge, spontaneous applause; Freddie and Cat pulled the star into a group-hug before Jade gave her a double high-five which morphed into a partial hug; Hayley and Tara, meanwhile, tried desperately and unsuccessfully to quell the audience's tumult.
"Whoa, whoa, wait, wait," Joey Ferguson had taken the stage again.
"Wait for what?" Jade demanded.
"The crowd hasn't voted yet," his daughter pointed out; he gestured to her in agreement.
"Yeah. Okay, All those for Hayley and Tara," he enthused; the two girls applauded, as, briefly, did the MC. He stopped, embarrassed, as the sound petered out pathetically and turned away quickly. In a much more subdued voice, Ferguson muttered, "All those for Louise Nordoff."
This time, massive cheering and applause greeted the name; Cat and Freddie each raised one of their friend's hands in triumph; the two other girls bowed their heads in defeat.
The MC, with the contest over, put some music on; the trio were still on the dance floor and a couple of guys got up to dance with Tori and Jade; the dark brunette was happy to let them flirt with her, reflecting as she did on how much she enjoyed having a guy pay attention to her for a bit; she would later tell Freddie that it was nice to experience what Beck does and at least she didn't shove it in his face. Cat and Freddie, meanwhile, were dancing together happily.
"Well," Tori smiled as she and the others left the dance floor at the song's conclusion, "I guess we'd better go and get the guys… and introduce Trina to her new babysitters," she smiled evilly at Hayley and Tara, motioning them to come and join them. She turned to Freddie, "Will you drive me back there?"
"Take Beck's keys," Jade pulled them from her pocket, "then he can bring his car back as well."
"Am I too late? Have I missed everything?" Sikowitz shocked his students by racing through the door and appearing in their midst.
"Sikowitz? What are you doing here?" Jade asked in surprise.
"When you kids said you'd be singing over the weekend… and when I saw Tori's update that said she was at a karaoke club, I decided that I'd come along and join you all."
"But it's an under 18 club," Freddie pointed out; Sikowitz looked at him in an uncomprehending manner. "You're not under 18," he concluded the thought.
"They let me in so I'm here," the teacher replied simply.
"Great," the brown-haired boy muttered sarcastically, before turning to Cat. "If he's going to be here then I'm leaving." He didn't care that his acting teacher overheard.
"Freddie…" she began softly, gripping his arms gently.
"Is this because of class yesterday?" the balding adult enquired.
"Partly it's because you, a teacher, insulted one of your students – who happens to be my closest friend," the tech genius snapped back, "and don't think I've forgotten that you bailed on us at Maestro's a few weeks ago. You were supposed to be the responsible adult and you left us to fend for ourselves," he concluded; disgust dripped from every syllable.
"Freddie, it's ok," the gothic girl tried to reassure him.
"No, Jade, it isn't. I have to suffer him at school but I am not spending any time that I don't have to with him outside of school. So if he's going to be here then I'm going home."
"Bye then," Sikowitz folded his arms across his chest.
Freddie looked to Cat with a questioning expression; the redhead took a hesitant step forward and glanced to Jade. "I want to stay," she told him quietly.
Freddie nodded; he handed Jade his car keys. "I'm not leaving her alone," he told his confidant, "take Tori to hers, get the others, come back and I'll leave when you return."
Jade nodded, hoping that the boy would cool down by the time the round trip was completed; she and Tori led Hayley and Tara out to his car and headed for the Vega home.
The atmosphere remained frosty within the club. Sikowitz took a seat at the table that the group had occupied; Freddie excused himself and headed to the men's restroom, hoping to kill a few minutes there. He returned to see teacher and student talking and laughing together; a slight pain stabbed at his heart but he gritted his teeth and redoubled his resolve. A glance at his watch told him that the girls would be absent for a few more minutes yet so he walked to the table and, spotting a lull in the conversation, tapped his girlfriend's arm.
"Want to dance?" he asked.
"'kay 'kay," she smiled and allowed him to lead her back to the raised platform where they joined a knot of other teens for a couple of songs.
Finally Jade, Tori, Beck, Robbie and André arrived; the girls wore satisfied smirks while the boys looked relieved that their day of torture at the hands, feet and teeth of Trina had finally come to an end. Freddie waved to them before hopping from the stage and recovering his keys from Jade.
"You're really going to go just because he's here?" she asked in a low voice.
"I don't want to be around him for one second longer than I have to," he spat back in cold tones. She gave him a disappointed nod and he turned to see his sad-eyed girlfriend staring after him.
Freddie walked over to Cat and pulled her into a hug; he gave her a soft kiss and told her that he'd see her later before walking out of the club with his friends staring after him but unmoved.
"Well," Sikowitz commented nonchalantly, "I think it's my turn to sing," and he headed over to speak to the MC.
A few moments later, he was introduced and ready to start.
"Hello, is everybody watchin'? Before I get the party started. You know you wanna be invited; step right up and get a little bite of Sikowitz."
Benson Residence,
Hollywood Hills
"Freddie! You're home earlier than I expected. Is everything ok?" Marissa asked, delight morphing into concern at the downcast expression on her son's face as he walked through the door.
"Yeah, things are fine," he told her. "The night just took a bit of a turn for the worse so I decided to go; the others are still there. I think I'll get an early night."
"If you're sure," her fears increased as she watched him head upstairs.
Karaoke Dokie,
Los Feliz
"Feel the groove when we move; I'm the centre. Get it right every night like we're meant to. When it all goes down I need to tell ya…
You're gonna love me, you're gonna tell me that you're ready to go. I'm already there, look up in the air 'cause I'm the star of the show. I'm number one, baby, always number one, baby. So forget what you've heard…
This is my world."
The madcap teacher sat on a chair, tucking his feet under it and pulled down on a chain; water soaked him, resulting in massive cheering and applause; the Hollywood Arts kids chanted 'Sikowitz' and rushed towards him to celebrate his performance with him.
Benson Residence,
Hollywood Hills
Marissa knocked on her son's door; Freddie was sitting on his bed reading one of his text books but barely taking in a word of it.
"What happened?" the matriarch demanded.
He sighed and began to explain, talking about the incident at Maestro's in as much detail as he dared (while neglecting to mention to his mother that he and the others were committing fraud), simply pointing out that they went for a meal after the ping pong tournament, couldn't afford the bill and Sikowitz skipped out causing André and Tori to have to remedy the situation by singing for their supper. He then related what had transpired at the end of Friday's class, particularly that he had said it to Jade – and how good a friend Jade was to him.
"So she left too?" Marissa asked.
"No, Sikowitz is her favourite teacher; she'll forgive him anything it seems," he shook his head. "It looks like I'm the only one who's actually bothered by his antics – and I wasn't going to let him get away with it without saying anything and I don't want to be around him outside of school."
His mother nodded sympathetically.
Sunday, 7th November 2010.
An unusually subdued and sleep-deprived Cat Valentine sat in her car outside the Benson's home; she eyed her boyfriend's Corolla nervously while she tried to gather up her courage. The couple hadn't really fought during their relationship; in fact she had never particularly experienced the feeling of fighting with a boyfriend as her relationships were usually over at that point.
In her peripheral vision the girl saw the blinds in the living room twitch a little; she gasped as the door opened and Mrs Benson strode down the driveway towards her. She opened the door hesitantly.
"Hi Freddie's mom," she greeted the older lady weakly.
"Cat," the Head Nurse returned. "Are you here to see Freddie?"
"Yes, if he wants to see me," she answered in defeat.
"Why wouldn't he?" Marissa seemed surprised.
"Well, after last night I wasn't sure."
"Go on, he's in his room."
Cat shuffled out of her car, locked it and followed Marissa into the house. She trudged up the stairs and knocked fearfully on her boyfriend's open door, relief spreading through her body as she saw him smile at the sight of her.
"Hey Cat, how are you?"
"I'm good… I think." In answer to Freddie's confused and concerned expression, she pressed on, "Is everything, y'know, ok between us after yesterday?"
"Yes," he confirmed in surprise, "why wouldn't it be?"
"Well because last night you went and I didn't want to."
"Oh that," he waved a hand airily. "Look, Cat, I didn't want to be around Sikowitz and I'm surprised that the rest of you are ok with everything that he's done, but it's your decision. We're not going to agree on everything and nor should we. It doesn't mean that there's going to be a problem between us. You like Sikowitz and you can look past what he said about Jade and what he did at the restaurant; I can't."
"Jade didn't hold a grudge; why do you?" she asked curiously.
"I'm not prepared to just let people get away with treating me – or my friends – badly anymore."
"Because of Lindsey?" Cat asked quietly.
"She's a part of it," he confirmed, "but not the only reason; I refuse to be a door mat. But," he got up and walked over to her, squeezing her shoulders gently and looking into her soft, brown eyes, "how I feel about other people doesn't change how I feel about you, Cat. You don't need to worry about that; we're good."
She smiled; the vulnerability flooded into her eyes as tears began to shimmer in them. Freddie bent down to claim her lips and pulled her into his embrace.
AN: Thank you for reading; I hope that you'll come back for the next chapter – and I hope that there will be a shorter update time between this chapter and the next one than I've been able to manage recently. In the meantime, please let me know what you thought of this chapter. PD.