Dog Days of Summer

Disclaimer: Don't own Victorious

A/N:

Chapter 10 (Rumor Mill)

"Now was that so bad?" Tori asked as Beck was led out of the examination room. His ears were perked and his tail was wagging from side to side. She wasn't sure if he was intentionally wagging his tail or not, but regardless it was a sign he was happy about something. "You don't look too upset."

"It wasn't horrible!" He barked once and Tori laughed. She'd already got her shots out of the way, and Dr. Williams was very caring in the process. The woman delivered the shot swiftly and with a tenderness that both calmed and distracted Tori. "I felt a prick, but not much compared to like a bee sting."

Jade hurried over to him and began sniffing his crotch. Tori leaned her head back and raised an eyebrow as the girl lifted her head. "He's still got his babymaker!" Beck cringed and shook himself while other animals in the clinic broke out in laughter that sounded more like howls to the humans trying to calm them.

"Gee thanks, Jade." He rolled his eyes and followed the group out of the clinic. His lip furled and he shot a glance at his girlfriend. "At least I got a dog treat for good behavior."

"Oh come on! She was coming at me with a strange looking thing, what was I supposed to do?" Tori and Beck laughed. Jade hadn't seen the device veterinarians used to give shots, it was a metal holder that kept the needle more stabilized. When Jade saw it, she freaked out and started running around the room, nearly giving Clarence a heart attack while forcing Trina and Dr. Williams to try and catch her.

It took two of the veterinary technicians, Trina, and a passing janitor to hold Jade down so Dr. Williams could give her a shot.

Beck shook his head and belted out another laugh. "And we thought I was going to be the one that couldn't take it." Jade snapped her head away, pointing her nose into the air with a loud huff.

As Tori looked back to her sister and grandpa, she was astonished to see them watching with amused expressions.

Tearing her gaze away, she caught a familiar glimpse in the corner of her eye. It was of a familiar dark skinned man dressed in a baggy red shirt and polka-dotted pants. He had a green wig on and a red Styrofoam nose. "Hey guys? Take a look at the…clown…over there."

"What clown?" Beck glanced over and his jaw dropped. "Holy shit, that's Andre!" She thought it might have been, but he was supposed to be on the field trip. "What the hell is he doing still here, and dressed as a clown?"

Without warning, Beck bolted forward, yanking his leash out of Clarence's hand. Trina tried to grab it, but he was too fast. Andre turned around and stared with wide eyes as Beck approached him. He was in the middle of a mailbox and someone's front door.

"Oh shit, stay back!" Andre waved his hands and backed up as Beck continued to bark. Tori and Jade called out to him, both trying to keep him from attacking the man.

Within seconds, Beck tackled Andre and kept his paws on his shoulders, barking angrily. Trina raced over and wrapped her arms around Beck's waist, pulling him back. "So sorry about that," Trina apologized. Andre groaned and pushed himself up, dusting off his pants. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but damn that dog doesn't like clowns." Beck growled at his friend, his ears moved back and he took an threatening stance. Andre's eyebrows rose and he took a step back. "Clearly."

Trina snapped her fingers and spoke out in a scolding tone. "Bad dog!" Beck looked up at her with a whimper, crouching low. "Bad." Jade walked up while Tori continued to gaze at Andre with suspicious curiosity. Trina pulled her hair back over her shoulder and furrowed her brow at the man. "Andre? Aren't you supposed to be in Italy with Tori and the others?"

Andre pulled off his fake nose and wig with a heavy sigh. "Nah." He waved his hand dismissively in the air and looked at the house. "I lied because of my stupid ass summer job." Tori cocked her head to the right and Beck laid down in the grass. "I've been trying to take care of my grandma, her health is getting bad, so I need a job to support some of the hospital expenses. This shit is the only thing I could find." He spread his arms out and looked down at his clothes with an awkward laugh. "A stupid entertainer for kids' birthdays parties. Why does that feel ironic?"

"Well, you did do that one job a few years ago…but why lie to your friends?"

"Beck is my best friend, always has been. Jade's awesome, and then there's your sister…" His eyes moved to the side and he folded his arms across his chest. "They are pretty hard on people who don't meet their standards, I'm sure you know how they treat Cat and Robbie like third rate members of our little 'inner circle'."

"So?"

"I'm in a fucking clown outfit, Trina." He uncrossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. "The best pay rate I get is commission. Nothing against your sister or Beck and Jade, but if they knew I was working this job-they'd ridicule me so bad I'd be considered worse than Sinjin!"

Trina grabbed Beck's leash in her hand, weaving it between her fingers and wrapping it around her wrist. The corners of her lips sank and her eyebrows meshed together. "You don't think when they see you missing in Italy that they would think something's up?"

Andre laughed with a scoff and brushed his nose with his finger. "Okay, first of all." His shoulders rose and his chest expanded. "They're so wrapped up in themselves with their heads in the clouds that they probably wouldn't even notice if I decided to join them or not at whatever place in Florence they were visiting. If they did notice and ended up asking, I'd just make up a story. They tend to believe whatever they want."

"You could just tell them the truth. They'd understand, wouldn't they?"

"The truth?" He ripped out with a laugh and looked to the house. His eyelids fell halfway and the corners of his lips pulled back into his cheeks. "Fuck that. I don't want to risk becoming the laughingstock. Robbie and Cat already are, and they feel like shit about it."

Jade sat next to Beck and shook her head, "So has nobody gone on that trip? At this rate we'll find out Sikowitz hasn't even left." Tori chuckled at her friend and gently pawed the ground, trying to distract herself.

Maybe it was for the best that nobody in their group went. They were all older than the students in Sikowitz's class now, so it wouldn't exactly be done without question. "Maybe it's a sign." She exhaled and turned her attention towards her friends. "I mean we're nineteen now, it isn't natural to still do things with our high school teacher. I hate to admit it, but the only person we know that would have a good and realistic reason to still be involved with the guy is Trina."

"Trina?"

"Considering her boyfriend. You know this."

Jade opened her mouth and looked down in embarrassment. "Oh, right. I forget sometimes." She lifted her head back up and stared at Andre. "Sucks that Andre can't get a real job. It is funny to see him dressed as a clown, though."

"I think that proves his point, Jade."

"What?"

"He lied to us because he didn't want to be ridiculed for getting an embarrassing job. You just confirmed his fear by making that statement." Innocent as the statement was, it could potentially harm Andre. "We do tease our friends a lot. Sometimes it's okay, sometimes it's not. A lot of times it really is inappropriate. I'm starting to see that now."

Andre ran his hand through his hair and returned the wig to its proper place, sighing in defeat. "Well, I need to get in there. It was interesting seeing you, Trina. I didn't know you had any pets."

"I'm a rescue worker with my grandpa." Trina looked down at Beck and sighed. "For a pup that isn't full grown yet, Rover has amazing strength."

"No, he just startled me is all."

"Right. Well, I'm sorry about that." Trina leaned towards the right and curled a finger under her chin. "You know, Andre. At the farm we have a kennel. Dogs can be very therapeutic, maybe your grandmother would like a dog? You should come by and adopt one." Andre curved his lips up and shrugged.

"I don't know. Therapeutic?"

"Yeah. Especially for the elderly, it gives them something to take care of and also makes them move around more. If you get a puppy for your grandmother to take care of, it might help her health-wise. A constant companion may also help with some of her more paranoid mentalities."

"Yeah." He rubbed his chin and nodded once. "Maybe I'll talk to her about that. I'll give you a call if anything changes. Thanks, Trina-never thought I'd be saying that to you."

Tori felt a strain of guilt and looked up to Trina. Her sister was laughing at Andre's comment, which surprised her. "Fair enough. You're probably seeing me in a calmer state of mind. Less worries, I guess."

"Yeah, your home life is pretty shitty."

"Well I wouldn't say that." Trina rubbed the back of her neck and frowned. Andre's eyebrow curved up above his right eye and his lips formed a crooked smile. "Mom and Dad have their things, Tori's got hers. Sure she kind of demands the attention, but-"

"Cat and Robbie always say you're optimistic, but seriously? You're making excuses for them? Your parents don't even care about you. Don't you remember, what was it, Yerba or something? They actually said to go ahead and leave you there! Not to mention all the shit your sister says about how crazy you are-which led all of us to go ahead and insult you because it seemed to please her."

"Andre…"

"Don't make excuses for them, Trina." Trina crossed her arms and Tori looked towards Jade as the air around her grew tense. "You're better than that-I talk to Cat and Robbie all the time about it whenever we're alone. They actually think you should just break away from that whole family altogether, it's not like they'd care."

"I've…thought about it. Cutting them off like that." Tori's jaw dropped and she snapped her gaze up at Trina. She walked slowly over, tucking her tail between her legs and bowing her head with a whimper. Trina looked down at her and drew a heavy sigh. "But they're still my family, Andre. I love them regardless of what they do or say."

Tori lifted her head up, feeling a sense of relief sweeping over her. She could hardly believe her ears.

Andre nodded and frowned at her. "I apologize if I seem like I'm pushing, I just think the whole thing is an unhealthy situation. Cat and Robbie agree."

"It is. I see that, I do. That's why I live with Grandpa now on his farm. I'm twenty-one, I can't stay with my parents forever." Trina laughed nervously and swept her fingers through her hair. "Regardless, if you could-please don't talk about my family behind their back. If you have concerns, just talk to me about it. Okay? You can talk to me about anything that involves them, if you have to."

Andre flashed a smile and turned away. "Alright, I'll bear that in mind."

"Don't forget to talk to your grandma about adoption. We have a lot of dogs that need a forever home and a loving companion. I think your grandmother would love to have one too."

"She would, I'll talk to her. Thanks. Have a good day, Trina."

"You too." As Andre walked away, Trina took a deep breath and turned around to Clarence. He looked at her with concern and crossed his arms.

"You okay, dear?"

"I'm good, Grandpa. You don't think I'm making excuses, do you?"

"To be honest? You're the only one that defends them. I know Dave is my boy, but you know my opinion of your mother and the affairs she has on the side. Sad to say my son is too naïve to see that in his wife."

"Yeah, but…shouldn't it be up to them to figure things out themselves? People on the outside shouldn't have a right to judge or say anything."

"That may be true, but it's human nature, dear. People talk, and you can only defend someone for so long before you realize that it isn't going to stop anyone from gossiping."

"I suppose you're right. How can you defend someone when the things people say about them are true. Andre isn't wrong, neither are Cat and Robbie. Even I can't forget the reason I decided to move onto the farm."

Clarence hugged his granddaughter and looked into her eyes with a loving smile. "I am always proud of you, my dear. You let them protect and defend themselves, alright?" He pat her shoulders and she lifted her gaze to his, smiling gently. "You worry about you, they'll worry about themselves. Besides! You have more important things to concern yourself with."

"So true."

Tori was in a state of shock. For the first time she was seeing that a portion of Trina's stress wasn't coming at all from the insults that had been directed to Trina, or the things that the parents might have said.

No, the stress came from the energy and time she spent trying to defend her family from statements that were accurate and truthful.

"It's true, she's wasting her energy bothering with us." Tori felt a tear well up in her eyes and cleared her throat. "How can you defend someone from facts? Things that are true?"

"It's just gossip," Jade remarked. "Gossip and slander, that's all." Tori rolled her eyes and shook her head, causing the girl to frown.

"Don't you see, Jade? It's neither gossip or slander!"

Beck stood up and let his tail hang down between his legs. "Tori, people gossip-it's natural." He took a deep breath and rolled his head to the side. "For instance, everyone gossips about your mom's relationship with that one guy-"

"Yes. Gary."

"Apparently people tell your sister to get away because you guys always tell her to stay away, that's the rumor mill."

"It's my fault too." She pawed the ground and bowed her head, muttering to herself. Without meaning to, Tori wound up making her family an open book for the world to see with how she would often complain about her sister, her father, or her mother-and their life had become the talk of the town. "You think it's slander, but is it? Slander is made up of lies, and gossip is made up of rumors."

"Exactly."

Tori rolled her eyes and pounded her paw once more into the ground. "A rumor would be saying my mother spreads her fucking legs for every Tom, Dick and Joe that comes along! Slander would be saying that mom goes out on the streets every night and pays for sex." Beck jerked his head back and Jade's eyes grew large. "To say that my mom was having an affair is the truth! Saying Mom and Dad wanted Trina to stay in a foreign country is the truth-and don't think I've forgotten about the puppet thing, Beck."

He stuttered and recognition flashed past his eyes. "Oh yeah…that." He eventually told her about what he, Andre and Robbie had been doing with Trina, and the lie they told to her father. "You realize you laughed it off at the time."

"I know, and I was wrong to do it." She did eventually resent them for what they'd done, but mainly because they lied to her father. "But when you told me Dad said for Trina to go to a school far away…it wasn't a rumor, it wasn't gossip, it was actual information."

"Your point?" Jade remarked. "Where are you going with this?"

"My point is it isn't rumors or gossip that Trina's defending us from." She sat down and looked up to her sister, watching as the girl unlocked the car. "She defends mom and dad, me, from facts. People might go to her with something said about one of us, and she would almost have to lie, wouldn't she? Don't you think it's draining?"

"Not entirely. Your sister seems just fine doing all that. It isn't like anything's going to change if people keep bringing up family problems."

"I guess." Once Trina opened the car door, Tori hopped into the car and laid down. "I'm starting to wish I never talked about my family to people anyway. It wasn't like it was anyone else's business."

"You want an honest answer?" Jade jumped over her and sat down in the middle of the back seat. "You were only thinking about yourself. You talked about the things your parents did-like your mom's affair, you talked about how crazy your sister was, and why? Why would you?"

"I liked the attention it gave me, I guess…" More important to her was the fact that talking about her family's issues took some of the pressure off her. It relieved her that she didn't have to deal with their problems by herself.

"Yeah. You thought yourself so important that you could just talk about anything and-"

"Just shut up." She clenched her eyes shut and shook her head. "Please stop talking. I need to think."

The truth of the matter was that a lot of the things she talked about, just like rumors and gossip often does, made its way back to her family. She'd be chided by her father for saying something about his tendency to get a drink every once in a while after work, making people think he was an alcoholic.

She'd been scolded by her mom for complaining to people about how much she went out and spent money on frivolous things.

Then there was Trina, who never complained when she would hear that Tori said something about her, but Tori knew. She could see it in Trina's eyes whenever her sister would be silent at the dinner table or glimpse at her walking by. It was a look she knew all too well, and a visual that was now imprinting itself into her mind.

Trina would so often have her lips flattened in a straight line, and her eyes would hold a look of disappointment and anger. Her features would tense, and her eyebrows would be dipped down in the middle. Then she'd get the cold shoulder from Trina for a while.

Now that she thought about it, this was the most damning thing. More so than her mother's incessant ranting and her father's stern, scolding voice. She would rather feel those than to feel her sister's icy expression and frigid silence.

"You guys want to know the fucked up thing?" Tori lifted her head and stared directly ahead as her friends looked her way. "Back then, I didn't even care. I don't know why, I just didn't feel any empathy towards my family whenever they were angry about some shit I told someone about them. I'd blow it off."

"Didn't you used to say how weird your sister looked when she was pissed at you?" Jade inquired, causing Tori to flinch and bow her head once more. "You said she gave you the silent treatment, often saying how overdramatic and 'pathetic' it was."

"I said even that, huh?"

"We used to wonder if you had a mental problem," Beck remarked. She raised an eyebrow at him and turned her gaze away. "With how often you called your family's anger over-the-top dramatic."

"Oh." She put her head back onto her paws and felt her heart beating heavily against her chest. Her eyes slid down and her body began to heat up. Maybe Andre was right to lie to them, maybe Cat and Robbie were right about the things they said. Could it be possible Trina wasn't the crazy one in the family? No, none of them were 'crazy' per se, but this was the first time she truly saw that an epidemic had been spread.

She'd seen this in Hollywood stars. How actors and actresses had a tendency to turn into a diva and slander almost everyone that meant anything to them just because it made them look better. Intentionally stars would paint a negative image over anyone if it gave them an opportunity to put the said star in a light above that somebody else.

Had she done that without meaning to?

"Shit."

So Andre's presence was a bit of a blow. Curious how much Trina stands up for her family. It's true of people that it is draining to defend someone against inaccuracies, but even worse when there is fact to the questions and statements brought up that one must defend someone they care about. I should let you know the concept of Hollywood Arts is different in the sense that this is like a drug, an outlet of distraction. You shall see what that means. Anyhow, hope you enjoyed the chapter, do tell your thoughts.