AN: Hello everyone. I hope that you're all well; thank you for clicking on the latest chapter of this story.
As always at this point I'd like to thank those of you who reviewed the last chapter and answer some of the points raised.
Challenge King – yes, Freddie has already made it clear that Cat is off-limits to people picking on her and he was upset with them because none of them noticed what had happened to them. It hurt more coming from Jade because the two of them are so close and have been through so much – perhaps unfairly he holds her to a higher standard than the others.
Fanfic-Reader-88 – Ditzy yes but certainly not dumb, despite how Dan wrote the character after the first series; Cat has her smarts when she chooses to use them. Freddie maybe should have just lobbed Rex in the nearest dumpster and been done with it but I think he hoped that Jade's plan would work.
Martial arts student – thanks for the review. Letting Rex die would have been a big departure from the story for Robbie's character; it's something that there'd be a lot of scope to explore but really falls outside of this story, it being Freddie/Cat really. I don't have the time (or the inclination really) to write a Robbie-centric story like that but it would be good to do I suppose.
Darck Ben – thanks; unfortunately there was no room for a cameo in this chapter but I'll see what I can do later.
Agent-M – I agree that mental illness should not be used for comedy; sadly Dan disagrees so we get what we do from him. Teenagers may not like to listen to the voice of reason but Freddie has a habit of making himself heard.
KoiChoco – thanks; Cat worries about Freddie because she doesn't like to see him, or anyone really, getting upset. Jade values their close friendship and recognises that she screwed up, which is why she's so keen to make amends. As you say, neither Tori nor Freddie are naturally argumentative and have always got on very well, so it troubles her to see him upset with her.
Those of you unfamiliar with the scene may want to go on YouTube and look for "Monty Python Four Yorkshiremen" which will help you to understand Freddie's attire and words in this chapter a little better. For the accent he uses, though, think something closer to Matthew Lewis ("Neville" in the Harry Potter films).
Chapter 32: Sleepover at Sikowitz's
Benson Residence, Hollywood Hills, CA
Wednesday, 2nd March 2011.
"Are you expecting anyone?" Marissa asked her son as the Bensons heard the urgent, insistent knocking on their front door.
"No," Freddie replied, wondering who would be calling unannounced on them, "I didn't make any plans to see Cat tonight; I thought she said that she'd be hanging with Jade tonight." He grinned at the memory of the dark brunette's stoicism as the redhead enthusiastically accepted the offer that her best friend had made. Cat's suggestions, which included baking cupcakes and watching one of her favourite movies, were clearly close to the gothic teen's idea of hell but it was a testament to the girl's efforts to make amends for what had happened at the hospital, even if the shorter girl wasn't deeming it necessary, that she was willing to accept them without complaint.
The knocking continued; Freddie got up with a weary sigh; he had just finished a tiring shift at the Pear Store and was secretly hoping for nothing more than a quiet evening on the couch watching TV with his equally fatigued mother. He was a little surprised when he opened the door and a nervous-looking Tori hovered on the doorstep.
"Tori? Hey, uh, come in," he took a step back and she entered the house slightly warily.
"Good evening Mrs Benson," she called politely to the reddish-brunette, then turning back to her friend. "Can we…" she gestured with her hand, "talk?"
"Yeah, sure, my room's upstairs. Can I get you a drink?"
"Yes please, a water or something would be great," she smiled, watching him head into the kitchen as she stood by the stairs, casting occasional looks at Marissa; for her part the matriarch was throwing glances in her direction when she thought the half-Latina wasn't looking, clearly wondering why she had called around unannounced. "Thanks," she accepted a bottle of water from Freddie and followed the brown-eyed boy upstairs to his bedroom.
"Have a seat," he offered, gesturing to the leather chair by his desk and taking a seat on his bed.
"Thanks but… I'll stand for now." In reality the girl was pacing nervously under his watchful, expectant eye. She took a steadying sip of her drink, wiped her mouth on her bare arm and took a deep breath. "Obviously something's still up," she began, "you've been distant and upset all week so far."
"You don't think I have a right to be?" he challenged.
"You do but you've been avoiding me. I've been wanting to talk about it, to apologise, but I can't if you won't let me!" She stepped up to him and grasped his forearms. "I'm sorry," she insisted, "I really am. I did notice that Cat hadn't come back after going to talk to that nurse but you were right, I was thinking more about Rex and the plan that we were making."
"A plan you decided not to go through with?"
"I couldn't do that to Robbie," she admitted, "he just looked so upset about it."
"Wasn't that the point? Let him grieve and move on?"
"Yeah but…" she shrugged, "I dunno."
He smiled and stood up. "You've got a good heart Tori. Don't ever let that change," and he pulled her into a friendly hug.
"Can I ask just one favour?" she asked when they separated.
"Sure."
"Can you drive me home? It's a longer walk than I thought."
"You walked here?" he asked in amazement.
"I needed to talk to you," she replied simply; he felt in his pocket for his car keys.
"Sure, come on," and she followed him downstairs. "I'm taking Tori home, mom. I'll be back soon," he called.
"Ok Freddie, don't be too late," Marissa responded as the teens headed for the front door.
"So," he asked once they were on the road, "how was Trina's date with Lendle?"
Tori stifled a laugh behind her hand. "I think I'm going to get some pay-back soon," she acknowledged. "I told her that he was a super-hot guitar player and she was uh… a little unhappy when she learned the truth."
"I didn't have the pleasure of seeing his picture but the descriptions I heard weren't flattering," he mused.
"Trina felt even they didn't do his loser-ness justice," his friend commented.
"Ok, here we are," he smiled as he pulled up on the fringe of the Vegas' driveway. "Thanks for coming over," he squeezed her hand gently and gave her a sincere smile.
"I'm glad that I did," she replied.
Valentine residence,
Saturday, 5th March 2011.
Freddie stood patiently outside his girlfriend's home, having just used the doorbell to announce his arrival. Cat's father smiled as he opened the door and greeted him warmly.
"Ah, Freddie, fresh from work then?" he prompted, nodding at the teenager's red Pear Store shirt.
"Yes, sir," he grinned back, "is Cat nearly ready?"
"She should be; you can go on up," he stepped aside and Freddie walked past him into the house.
"Hi Mrs Valentine," he called, seeing the matriarch in the kitchen.
"Hi Freddie, how are things for you and your mother?"
"They're good, thanks. Actually, the hospital is talking about offering my mom a promotion and having her only doing days in the future, which I know she'd like. They're uh… pleased about how she handled things last week."
"We are too," Cat's mother confirmed. "The two of you will have to come over for dinner sometime."
"I'll talk to my mom about it," he promised before waving and heading upstairs to see his redheaded belle.
"Hey, sweetie," he smiled warmly as he knocked on the door and entered; Cat was lying on her bed, face down and reading a book. She looked up with a joyous smile of her own.
"Freddie!" She bounced up, somehow not stumbling as she left the bed and pulled him into an embrace, kissing him tenderly as she did.
"Ready to go?" he asked as he set her down again on the floor.
"One sec," she skipped to her closet and returned, not with any addition to her short, pale blue dress, but with two fat red velvet cupcakes. "These are the last two of the ones that Jade and I made when we were hanging together."
He accepted one but paused on the point of taking a bite. "And how many times did Jade threaten to spit in the mixture?"
"Only twice," Cat pouted, "but she didn't."
"You're sure."
"Yes, silly," she giggled and, to prove it, took a large bite from her own, wrinkling her nose uncomfortably as some of the cream topping had been transferred to it. Freddie chuckled at the sight before gently wiping the cream off with his finger and licking it clean.
"Not bad," he commended and began nibbling his own treat. Cat took his free hand and led him back downstairs.
"Bye," she called to her parents, "we're off to play baby golf!"
"Don't forget your putter," her dad reminded her; Cat squealed, released Freddie's hand and sprinted back up to her room to collect it. "What else do you have planned for this evening?" he asked his daughter's boyfriend.
"Not too much, maybe dinner somewhere afterwards and perhaps a movie; she won't be home too late," he promised.
"It's Saturday night so there's no hurry," Mrs Valentine assured him.
Freddie nodded happily. "I'll see you later," he waved as Cat returned to the living area, pink putter in hand.
Hollywood Arts High School
Monday, 7th March 2011.
After a busy morning for the young couple Freddie finally had the opportunity to see his girlfriend during a break between classes when they met up by their lockers; Cat squealed as she saw him and leapt into his arms. Luckily Freddie was able to brace himself against the lockers and collect her weight easily.
"Anyone would think that you missed me," he teased; she answered him with a passionate kiss. It was the sight that greeted a group of twelfth grade girls as they crossed the area; one of their number, a blonde, paused briefly at the couple's intimacy, face contorting slightly as Lindsey recalled her own relationship with Freddie. Her friends urged her onward and she followed a pace of two behind them, though she continued to watch as the scene unfolded.
Freddie turned slightly so that the lockers were to his side; he set Cat down and took a step back to eye her attire, smiling as he took in her bare legs, topped with a pair of her shorter Daisy Duke shorts before turning his attention to her yellow T-shirt, emblazoned with the slogan "I love nerds", though, instead of love, there was a red pocket-protector, roughly heart-shaped.
"I pocket-protect nerds?" he grinned.
Cat giggled. "I love nerds, silly," she countered, playfully swatting his chest before pulling him into another kiss.
"That's good to know," he assured her before the warning bell sounded. "Well, we don't want to be late for Sikowitz's class," he added conversationally, offering her his hand, which she readily took. Lindsey's face fell a little further as she watched the couple depart happily; neither of them had even noticed her presence, which made the senior feel even worse.
Sikowitz's Classroom
Sikowitz had called on André and Tori to perform the scene; the brunette stood sobbing as her musician friend walked around, looking at her in concern; finally he approached her and rested his hand on her shoulder.
"Listen. Ms. Travis, listen to me."
"What?" she snapped.
"This is a simple surgery," he assured her. "I've done this operation hundreds of times. You'll be fine."
Sikowitz made his way to the stage and stood to the side of them, staring intently at them.
"But what if I'm not fine?" the brunette wailed. "What if I die on that operating table? I have three..." she broke off and looked at Sikowitz as he muttered "Uh-huh."
"I have three..." she tried again.
"Uh-huh, uh-huh," the teacher nodded, further distracting her.
"I have three children," she finally completed the line.
"Oh, I'm sorry, kids. Excuse me," the balding teacher gently pushed André away. "I don't mean to interrupt the scene, but Tori, look at the red dot I drew on this index card."
Confused, she stared at it, leaning in a little. "Boo!" he yelled, causing the whole class to jump, none more so than Tori herself, who fell to the floor on the stage.
"Sikowitz!" she complained. "You scared the fudge outta me."
Her teacher knelt over her. "Why did you stop crying?" he asked patiently.
"What?!" the girl was confused.
"You were playing the role of a crying woman who's just been told she's going to have surgery. Why did you break character?"
Freddie spoke up sarcastically. "Because you interrupted their scene and screamed boo in her face?" Cat laughed at his comment and hugged his arm happily.
Sikowitz shot his nemesis a frown before turning back to the actors on the stage. "Tori and André, take your seats," they left the stage as he continued, "I'm trying to teach you kids about method acting," Freddie rolled his eyes, "and that means whatever character you're playing, you must stay in that character, the entire time, no matter what happens. Whether on camera or off camera, on stage or off stage, you've got to understand that..." he was interrupted by the bell. The kids started to leave and he sat on stage, sighing deeply. "Until tomorrow," he called. Freddie was half-way to the door before Cat, still holding his hand, turned back to face the teacher, as did some of the others.
"Look, I'm sorry we disappointed you," Tori began.
"Yeah, it's just that we think that method acting is kinda dumb," Robbie added; the others murmured their agreement.
"Well, of course you think method acting is dumb. It's too challenging for you," Sikowitz claimed.
"Yeah, I really don't think that's the issue here," Jade shot back.
"Staying in character no matter what happens is something only true, professional actors can pull off. Sometimes I forget you're all just children, you know, amateurs."
Cat gasped. "He called us amateurs."
"Your whack-job teacher just called all y'all out!" Rex laughed. "I love it."
"Why didn't he stay dead again?" Freddie muttered to Tori; she grinned guiltily.
"Aw, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your little 'amateur' feelings," the teacher fired at them.
"He did it again," Cat wailed.
"Actually, we did a lot of it on iCarly so I really don't think method acting is all that hard," Freddie argued confidently; Sikowitz turned to him.
"Then I issue a challenge."
"What kinda challenge?" Tori asked cautiously.
Sikowitz raised his hand and called enthusiastically, "Who wants to have a sleepover at my house?"
Jade leapt to her feet and raised her hand. "I do." The others turned to her in surprise. "Oh, come on, you guys don't wanna see where this lunatic lives?" She glanced at her favourite teacher. "No offense."
"It's all right, Jade. I savour your bitterness like a sweet, rancid cream sauce."
"I thought you didn't eat dairy," Freddie observed lightly.
"So what's the plan?" Cat asked as the teacher began to flounder.
"All of you will show up at my house on Friday night at 8:30 P.M. That should give you time to get off work Freddie?" The tech genius nodded, surprised at Sikowitz's consideration and thoughtfulness towards him. "Each of you will be playing a distinct character and you must stay in your character until Saturday morning."
"And what happens if we break?" the former Seattle native asked.
"You'll be immediately banished from my home," he explained.
"So who picks the characters we play?" Jade enquired.
Sikowitz took a breath and quickly rattled off, "Beck, you'll choose for Cat. Cat will choose for Robbie. Robbie will choose for Freddie. Freddie will choose for Beck. André will choose for Tori. Tori will choose for Jade. Jade, you'll choose for André." He paused for a second. "I think that deserves some applause." The class clapped briefly. "We'll meet in the black box theatre after school to hear who's playing what."
"Hey, Tori," Rex leered. "Maybe you should play a woman who loves to make out with two-foot tall guys who happen to be me."
Tori rolled her eyes before kissing the puppet and turning to her teacher. "Is that what you wanted?" she asked.
"Rex?" Robbie asked cautiously; the puppet groaned.
"Take me home," it demanded of its handler.
"She really should have left it dead," Freddie muttered as he shook his head.
Black Box theatre
As promised, the group assembled after the last class of the day; Freddie glanced pointedly at his watch, knowing that he needed to be at work before long. Taking his hint, Sikowitz stood on the stage leaving Beck, Jade, Cat, Freddie, Tori, André and Robbie sat as a group in the auditorium.
"Okay, Beck," the teacher began, "what role will Cat be playing at the great Sikowitz sleepover?" The long-haired Canadian made his way to the stage in order to make the announcement; it was something the others would repeat in turn.
"Cat will play a 1980's stand-up comedian... who's very annoying," he declared.
"I wanna be a unicorn," the red-head complained.
"You can't," the actor shot her down.
Cat pouted. "Phooey," she said in disappointment.
"Now, Cat," the eccentric teacher asked, "who will Robbie be playing?"
The cupcake lover perked up in an instant. "Well, I've decided Robbie's role should be a motivational speaker..."
"Ooh, I can do that," the curly-haired teen commented dismissively.
"...Who just drank some weird beverage that makes his legs weak and wobbly." The girl giggled as she finished the description of the character.
"Okay. So I'm a motivational speaker with jelly legs," he confirmed.
"Yeah. I'm creative," she smiled.
"Wonderful," Sikowitz commended. "Robbie, tell us the character you've chosen for Freddie."
"Sure, one sec," the ventriloquist made his way to the stage; to Jade's immense annoyance he was fiddling with his pear pad for a few moments. Freddie sighed, beginning to fear that he'd be late for work if it took much longer, before the curly-haired teen turned the pad's screen to face his audience. "Okay. Freddie will be playing a guy from England whose accent is really hard to understand, and he's always invading people's personal space."
The former Seattle native leaned into his girlfriend; in a very bad English accent he told her, "No problem."
Cat giggled again and patted his arm. "Work on the accent," she urged.
"Freddie, what about Beck?"
"Alright," the brown-haired teen joined his teacher on the stage, "Beck will be playing a slobby lay-about who has no time for anyone but himself." Beck frowned at the challenge, Jade grinned wickedly, knowing how much it would frustrate her always well-groomed boyfriend to have to dress down in such a way.
"Ok. André, what do you have in store for Toro?"
"Did you just call me Toro?" the half-Latina challenged her teacher.
"Maybe."
"It's Tori," she clarified.
"I know," he remarked, "but I do love that fatty tuna."
Tori leaned over to ask Freddie, "Should I be offended?"
"It's Sikowitz so probably, yes," he shrugged.
"Okay," the musician garnered the group's attention. "Tori's character will be a cop who wears way too much red lipstick and is obsessed with Raisin Bran."
"Where did you come up with that?" his friend demanded.
"Well, see, I had this dream last night, and this lady cop was all, like... she was all like... And then I was like..." his embarrassment grew as he continued so he resorted to clearing his throat. "I just thought of it."
"All right, Tori, tell us what Jade will be."
Tori smiled at Jade as she stood. "Love to." The gothic teen gave her a threatening look but the lighter brunette persisted, "Jade will be an innocent farm girl from Alabama who's always super sweet and nice and never gets upset about anything."
"I'd rather slam my tongue in a car door," the mean girl noted.
"Now tell us who André will be playing," Sikowitz sought to avert an argument.
"Ulch," she groaned. "Fine. You're gonna be a guy who's just finished running a marathon..."
"Okay," the songsmith shrugged; Jade grinned wickedly again.
"...Who also happens to be nine months pregnant."
"Who's the daddy?" he asked worriedly.
Benson residence, Hollywood Hills
Tuesday, 8th March 2011.
"Hi-iii," Cat called brightly from the doorway to her boyfriend's bedroom; Freddie, who had been focussing on something on his computer jumped slightly before turning on his swivel chair. He smiled broadly at his girlfriend.
"Hey Cat, I wasn't expecting to see you tonight. Come on in," he waved; she skipped across the room and took a seat in his lap.
"I wanted to surprise you," she commented.
"You certainly did that," he agreed. "How are you getting on with your character for Friday?"
"That's the other thing," she admitted, "I was thinking my character should have like a microphone and stuff but then I'd maybe need some sort of a speaker for it."
"I can get that for you," he assured her. "I should have the stuff here… you know how I collect all sorts of oddments that may come in useful."
Cat giggled; she had seen the wide array of electronics in various states of repair that inhabited her boyfriend's room. "I'll see what I can do tomorrow after work," he promised.
"Great. How about you? How's the accent coming along? You seem to have the personal space thing down," she laughed, noting their proximity.
"Well when someone sits in your lap, personal space kinda disappears," he grinned, planting a quick peck on her cheek and intensifying the girl's giggles. "As for the accent, I found a video on Splashface that I'm trying to work from, something called Four Yorkshiremen."
"I don't think I've seen that," she commented; that was soon rectified and the couple were soon laughing uproariously at the ridiculousness of the sketch.
"So that's where I'm going to try and get the accent from. How's this? Ten of us, all in one room."
Cat began laughing again. "That was actually pretty good," she gasped. "You'll have it by Friday for sure."
Swordplay Fencing Studio, 416 S Victory Blvd, Burbank, CA
Thursday, 10th March 2011.
"Time for some sparring then?" Beck prompted as he joined Freddie by the bleachers following the week's lessons; André had already headed for the locker room as he needed to put the finishing touched to his costume.
"Sure, a little sparring would be good," the shorter teen agreed, gathering his epee and face mask. "You all set for tomorrow?" he asked conversationally as they made their way to a free part of the arena.
"Yes," the long-haired actor confirmed, "not that it takes much doing; you didn't exactly set me a huge challenge with the character. All I had to do was to wear the same clothes on an evening for a bit, maybe rub a bit of dirt on them tomorrow and then I'll just sit there and ignore people."
"True," Freddie conceded, "I guess it's not going to be too difficult. You ready?"
Beck nodded and the two donned their masks; it soon became obvious to the Canadian teen that it would not be a relaxing assault. Freddie showed no mercy, punishing his opponent's hesitancy, stance and anything else that he could in order to gain a decisive advantage. Before long the taller boy had had enough.
"Ok, ok. Seriously?" he removed his mask and took a step to the side. "Is something the matter? Usually you go a bit easier on me with these so that we make it last a bit longer but these last two weeks you've been in overdrive and it's not even competitive."
Freddie sighed. "I guess I am still a little annoyed," he conceded, taking a seat; Beck sat next to him. "About what happened to Cat," he clarified. "I just expected better from our friends really."
"I get that," Beck sighed, "I guess we were just distracted by the whole plan with Rex."
"Yeah, all of you were more worried about a puppet than her," he spat; Beck raised his hands in surrender.
"We should have kept more of an eye on her," the actor acknowledged, "especially after Jade sent her wandering off on her own."
Freddie bit his tongue a little; he wasn't too sure how he felt that Beck was trying to both apologise and pass the buck at the same time.
The Slap Mobile
Tori Vega: Got cop costume + red lips... going to SIKOWITZ'S HOUSE! YES!
Feeling: Creative
Sikowitz's house
Friday 11th March 2011.
Sikowitz was pacing the living room of his home, making sure that everything was perfect for the arrival of his students. "Oh," he commented, nudging a lampshade with his elbow, "Drinks, chips, dip, nuts and liquid soap," he ran off the check list just before the doorbell chimed. "Party time! Well, I wonder who will be arriving first. Well, hello there," he smiled as he opened the door to reveal Tori, dressed as a cop and holding a large box of cereal.
"I am a police officer," the red-lipped brunette declared. "Would you like some Raisin Bran?"
"Ah, no, thank you, but please come in," he told her.
"Yeah, sure," she agreed, entering his house.
"And your name is?" Sikowitz prompted.
"Officer Pedesko. Do you have anything sharp and/or pointy in your pockets that could injure me?"
"I certainly hope not," he mused as the bell rang a second time.
"Doorbell!" the half-Latina called.
"I'll answer it," he volunteered.
Tori, eating a mouthful of the cereal simply muttered, "M'kay."
"Ah, good evening," he greeted André and Robbie, "come in."
André, dressed as a runner and sporting a large bump at his stomach, replied, "thanks, thank you. Hoooo."
"Yes," echoed Robbie, dressed smartly in a shirt, tie and dress pants, "thanks for welcoming us into your fine home! But don't forget to thank yourself! Because if you just believe in yourself, there's nothin' that you can't do!"
"Hey, I'm pregnant and I just ran twenty-six miles," the songsmith complained. "Can I please get some water?"
"Of course," his teacher confirmed, "it's right over there."
"Okay," he accepted a glass.
"Ah, I didn't catch your name," the balding adult turned to the curly-haired teen.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Robbie told him, "I was, uh, just admiring your fine animal statuettes. I'm Kevin Cornbloom, motivational speaker! I've devoted my life to helping teens..." he suddenly slumped to the ground, lamenting, "oh, there go the legs."
"Are you all right?" Sikowitz asked in concern.
"I'm right as rain, thank you for asking," he confirmed as he began to struggle up from the floor.
Tori spoke into a mock 'radio' on her shirt, "Car 21, we got a man down! Caucasian male, glasses, afro, possibly Jewish. Can I offer you some Raisin Bran?"
"No, thank you, officer," he declined.
"Man, I'm so tired and pregnant. I gotta sit down," the dreadlocked musician observed.
"Please, take any seat," the host urged.
"Thanks. Hooooo," he made his way to the couch.
"Yes," Robbie kept up his enthusiasm, "just believe in your dreams, and you can sit in any chair, anywhere!"
"Yeah. Okay," he sank into a seat, groaning as he did. "Hoooo."
"Doorbell!" Tori cried as it rang again.
"I'll get it," Sikowitz opened the door to reveal Cat and Freddie; the girl wore a shocking pink dress with her hair curled and a bow in it. She carried a microphone connected to the small speaker on her belt that Freddie had designed and assembled earlier in the week; for his part the brown-haired teen was dressed in a white shirt with a black bow tie, an off-white/cream dinner jacket and black pants and holding a fake cigar.
"What I wanna know is what part of the chicken do the nuggets come from? Can someone tell me this, please? I mean, where's the wacky farm that raises nugget chickens?" the redhead declared.
"Hilarious observations," her teacher praised. "Please come in."
"And don't get me started on airplane food," she continued as the young couple entered.
"I notice that you're a stand-up comedienne," Tori commented.
"Where's the beef?" the cupcake lover asked, but Sikowitz's attention was on her boyfriend.
"And you are?" he asked.
"Oh yes, my name is Keith Barraclough; it's really nice to meet you." He walked right up to him during their handshake and looked around. "It's a really cracking home that you have here so let's step over there and have a right good look around."
"Sure," he agreed.
As they toured the ground floor Freddie brought his hand to Sikowitz's ear; he turned to Cat and commented, "He's got right soft lobes, hasn't he?"
"Thank you. Don't pull."
"I am a police officer. Would you like to join me in a handful of Raisin Bran?" Tori asked them.
"What's the deal with Raisin Bran?" Cat wondered. "Is it raisins? Is it bran? I wanna know."
"Ladies, please," Robbie urged, "It's not about the raisins, or the bran. It's about the future, and living your dreams, and there go the legs," he slumped into a chair.
"Oh! I think I'm gonna have a baby! Why did I just run that marathon?" André complained.
"You all mingle," the teacher urged as the doorbell chimed again, "I'll get the door." Jade and Beck stood there; Jade dressed as a farm girl with a red shirt, tied around her waist, a straw hat and cut-off shorts; Beck, meanwhile, wore a grey sweat shirt and sweat pants under an old, pale brown jacket. "Well, hello," he greeted them, "I don't believe we've met. You are?"
"Oh, yes," Beck was diffident, "I'm Jake... I gotta sit down," he went straight to the couch and lounged on it.
"Hey. You," Tori called to Jade.
In a happy, upbeat voice that she would use throughout the evening, Jade answered, "why, hello, officer. Isn't this just a lovely shin-dig?"
"I can see your belly button," the 'cop' pointed out.
"Why, yes, that is my belly button," she agreed.
"Have you ever considered filling it with Raisin Bran?"
"Well, no. My name is Betty-Sue Goldenheart. I live on a farm in Alabama, just north of a little..." her explanation was curtailed as Tori shoved a handful of cereal into her mouth.
"Now you're eating Raisin Bran," the light brunette pointed out.
"Mmmm," Jade forced herself to smile. "I just love eating cereal that's been manhandled by your filthy hands."
"Wait. Farm? You had a farm?" Freddie asked the new arrival. "Luxury! There were twenty of us, living in a single room with half the floor missing! But we were happy..." his eyes glazed over as he sighed at the 'memory'.
"Uh-oh. I spy a fly with my little thigh," Sikowitz spotted the insect.
"Thigh?" Tori asked in confusion.
"Come here, you winged nuisance," he gathered up a swatter. "Where'd it go?"
Freddie took his shoulders and steered him on the spot while saying, "well, I think the fly went here and then that way, and then over there and then round here and then that way and landed by t' lamp."
"Oh there he is!" the teacher agreed, spotting it. "Oh! C'mere! Time to die!" He stumbled into the table and there was a sound of breaking glass as he hit the window, groaning on the ground.
"Sikowitz! Are you okay?" Robbie rushed over to him.
"Who... Who's there?" he asked, sounding dazed.
"It's Robbie."
Sikowitz bounced up, imitating a buzzer, "Ah! You broke character! You're out!"
"You tricked me!" the ventriloquist complained.
"Precisely!" he confirmed. "Now go home."
"Awww," he began the slow trudge towards the door.
"It was so wonderful to meet you," Jade enthused, smiling at him.
"At least you're not pregnant and exhausted from runnin' a marathon," André called; Robbie paused by Tori and held out his hand. Reluctantly she poured some of her cereal into it.
"Enjoy the Raisin Bran!" she called after him as he left.
"Bye!" Cat waved, tempering her enthusiasm just enough to not be accused of breaking character. Sikowitz frowned and eyed her closely but decided to let it go.
"9:30 P.M.," Sikowitz spoke into a Dictaphone, "so far, only Robbie Shapiro has broken character and was promptly banished. That leaves six of my students still in character."
"Why don't they make the plane outta the same stuff they make the black box out of?" Cat asked. "Um, hellloooo?!"
"That was quite an amusing commentary," Tori noted.
"Well, you see," Freddie snuggled right next to her and placed his hand on her arm, "it would make it too heavy to fly," he then took her wrist and flattened her hand to imitate a plane, "and then it would try to go up and just crash back down."
"I'll need to see your license and registration," Tori told him.
"Oh. Sorry there, love," he stood up and walked up to the office, standing almost toe-to-toe with her. Cat frowned a little, as did Jade, as he continued, "but I took t'bus tonight so I don't have them in me trouser pockets."
"Why don't you stop invading my personal space," she half-heartedly swatted him away, "and have a little of this Raisin Bran?"
"Sure, I'm up for that , so why don't you pop a little in me mouth?"
"Well!" Jade snapped, struggling to keep the annoyance from her voice momentarily before the sweet one resurfaced, "Aren't you two havin' a fun time eatin' Raisin Bran together?" She smiled. "Just be careful now, mister British man, 'cuz who knows what terrible things might happen to you if that continues?"
André's phone rang. "Hello?" he answered weakly. "Oooh."
"André! It's grandma!" the elder Harris bellowed.
"Uh, I'm sorry, this isn't André. I'm a pregnant marathon runner," he told her. "Hooo."
"André, don't you play games with me!" she scolded.
"Oh my goodness," he gasped, "I think I'm gonna have a baby!"
"Baby?!"
"Oh! Why did I run that marathon while I was pregnant?"
"What the bug are you talkin' about?! André!" she cried in horror.
To Tori's surprise, and that of the others, a teenage boy emerged from the upper level of Sikowitz's house; she blew her whistle to attract the attention of the house guests. "Who is that handsome young man over there?" He smiled at her from across the room.
"This is my nephew, Jason. He's staying with me while his parents are in Bangkok," Sikowitz explained.
"Does he have a girlfriend? Because as a police officer, I need to know that information."
"No, I'm not dating anyone," Jason told her.
"Oh, then we have much to discuss," she smiled.
"Where ya headed?" his uncle asked.
"I'm goin' with some guys to see the Wall Dogs play at the Moxy." he explained.
Tori broke character in an instant. "I'll go with you to see the Wall Dogs play at the Moxy, I'll go right now."
"Bahhhhhnnn!" Sikowitz 'buzzed' again. "Tori, you just broke character."
"Great! Bye, everyone. I'll be at the Moxy," she took Jason's hand and they left, both smiling broadly.
"You know," he commented as they did, "maybe you should change before we go there..."
"11:15 P.M.," the teacher continued his commentary. "Only five of my students remain in character. I have prepared some piping hot quesadillas from a recipe I got from Crispin Glover, back when we... well..."
Beck called from the couch, "I'm feeling hungry now. It must be a couple of hours since I last ate." Jade rolled her eyes at this side of her boyfriend, however fake it really was.
"Uh, sweet farm girl?" She turned to Sikowitz with a smile at his call. "Could you bring that tray of quesadillas from the kitchen?"
"Why I wouldn't mind at all!" She skipped to the kitchen and reached to pick the tray up.
"Wait," the eccentric called in horror, "that tray's just came out of the..."
Jade yelled in pain as bare flesh touched hot metal; she dropped it again as Freddie sprang to his feet and rushed over to her with Cat just a step behind him.
"... the oven," Sikowitz concluded, grimacing at the event.
Jade's voice trembled but she, admirably, stayed in character. "My goodness that tray was hot. Well, lookie there. My skin's startin' to blister. And I do believe that's the sweet smell of my burnin' flesh."
Freddie grabbed her wrist and took her to the sink; he turned on the tap and held her hand under the stream of cold water.
"Jade, give me a minute and I'm going to drive you..." Freddie began in concern. Sikowitz opened his mouth to buzz but Jade spoke first.
"Who's Jade? My name is Betty-Sue Goldenheart, a happy farm girl who's experiencing extreme pain right now."
"I'll keep it under here until the skin cools down, then I'll take you to the hospital," Freddie assured her.
"I'll go too," Cat agreed.
"Freddie, Cat, you've broken character," their teacher came up behind them.
"HER SKIN IS BURNING – OF COURSE WE BROKE!" the former Seattle native snapped.
"And yet Jade never did," he retorted thoughtfully; Freddie ignored him.
"How does it feel?" he asked Jade.
The mean girl dropped her character. "It feels ok now." She took it out from under the stream of water. "Ow, ow, burning again," she complained.
"Cat," Freddie asked; the redhead looked up at him, "can you get a clean towel or something?" His girlfriend nodded and took a look under the sink; finding one she handed it to her man. Freddie held it under Jade's hand until it was completely sodden; he then wrapped it around her wounded hand and lead the two girls out to the car. "We'll be at the hospital," he announced as the trio left the house.
"And then there were two," Sikowitz smiled at André and Beck, neither of whom seemed to have reacted to the scene.
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Centre,
501 S Buena Vista St, Burbank.
"Hello again," Doctor Levinson rolled his eyes a little as the teens approached him; he too well remembered some of the events of the previous week. Coupled with their unusual attire his bafflement with their school continued.
"Hello doctor, how's Lendle?" Jade asked; the towel was still doing a job of keeping her skin cool so she was in reasonable spirits.
"He enjoyed his date and said he'd love to have seen the young lady again but apparently she ran screaming from the restaurant when he suggested it to her."
"That's how the guys normally end a date with Trina," the dark brunette laughed.
"So what's happened this time?" the doctor asked.
"She burnt her hand," Freddie told him.
"Let's take a look." Levinson carefully unwrapped the towel and looked at the red, blistered hand. "Well, you kept it cool at least," he looked at Jade's face beginning to contort with pain again; to his surprise Freddie rushed off, returning moments later with a bowl filled with cold water. Jade eagerly dunked the hand into it, sighing as the heat began to dissipate again.
"You knew what to do then," he looked to the brown-eyed boy.
"You don't remember the chip you took out of my head?" he asked in surprise; the doctor's eyes widened.
"Right; I just couldn't place you for a second but of course, you're Marissa's son. That explains the medical know-how. Of course you know she's not here tonight."
"No, she's on days this week," Freddie confirmed.
"So, how did this happen?"
"We were doing an acting exercise – a sleep-over at our teacher's house," the boy explained, "that's why we're all in these costumes."
"I did wonder," the doctor admitted.
"Right, so anyway he'd just taken some food from the oven, asked Jade to fetch it, she…"
"I hadn't realised it was literally fresh from the oven and the tray was so hot until I picked it up."
"Well, thanks to your friend," the doctor nodded to Freddie, "there shouldn't be any permanent damage done. Keep it under water for a while then, once it stops burning, we'll get it cleaned up, bandaged and you should be on your way. I'll be back in half an hour."
"I need to keep my hand in this bowl for half an hour?" she snapped.
"At least," he confirmed. "The skin needs to be totally cooled down so that no more damage gets done."
Jade sighed miserably.
"Does it still hurt?" Cat asked in a soft voice.
"When I take it out of the water, yes. Damn, it's starting to wrinkle."
Sikowitz's house
The teacher answered an insistent knocking at his door; it was André's grandmother. "Hello," he welcomed her. "May I help..."
"I don't know you! Ahhh!" she screamed, running off again.
Beck looked up lazily from the couch; a plate that had once housed his quesadilla lay on his stomach. "Who was at the door?" he asked as 'Jake'.
"I'm not sure. She was..."
The songsmith's gran returned. "Where's André?" she demanded.
"Well that's a dilly of a pickle," Sikowitz chuckled.
"I don't eat pickles," she snapped.
"Oh, you see. André – per se – isn't here."
Mrs. Harris looked past him, into the house. "I see him right here," she pointed out. "André, why did you play games with me over the telephone?"
"Ma'am, I'm not André; I'm a marathon runner who also happens to be..."
She pointed to his 'bump'. "Oh My God, who did that?"
Her grandson cleared his voice and spoke in a low voice. "Grandma, listen, I'm doing a method acting class. I need you to leave..."
Sikowitz had rushed to their side; he imitated his buzzer again. "André, you broke character."
"Come on," he protested, "it's not my fault she..." only to be interrupted when his grandmother seized his hand.
"Come with me, you are in trouble."
"You're always interrupting me..." he countered.
"You are in SO much trouble."
"And we have a winner; congratulations Beck, you stayed in character through all of it. Well done."
"Thanks," the actor smiled, breaking, "it was a fun exercise. Now I should probably go to the hospital and see how Jade is. See you Monday?"
"I'll be there," the home owner confirmed; Beck left the building and began the drive to the hospital.
Providence Saint Joseph Medical Centre,
501 S Buena Vista St, Burbank.
Jade's skin had finally cooled sufficiently for her to be treated; Doctor Levinson took her through to one of the private rooms so that he could apply a skin cream to help limit epidermal damage and to get the hand bandaged up.
Beck spotted his friends sitting outside the room in the waiting area; he dashed over to them.
"Hey, where's Jade? Is she alright?"
"She's fine," Cat noted, "just getting bandaged up."
"Which you'd have known if you'd left with us when it happened," Freddie added icily.
"We were doing this acting competition," Beck protested.
"I know. We were there," the former Seattle native stood up, "but we didn't think that some dumb method acting thing was more important than our friend."
He turned at the sound of the door opening; Jade emerged with a bandaged hand.
"Hey, how's the hand?" he asked; Cat hopped to the girl's other side.
"It's still there and it should be fine in a few days," she smiled, turning to the doctor. "Thanks Doc."
"No problem. I hope that I won't have to see any of you kids for a while after this."
"Me too."
"Jade?" Beck called as the trio walked past him. "Jade? Are you ok? Do you need a ride home?"
"Freddie's taking me," she snapped.
"What? But I'm your boyfriend."
"Then start acting like it," she fired, "stop ranking me right at the bottom of your priorities."
"Jade!" he called; she ignored him and left with the other two, though Cat gave him a sympathetic look as they left.
AN: Thanks for reading; a little shorter than the last few chapters, more of a set-up for the next one really but I hope that you enjoyed it anyway. PD.